Any heavy equip operators?

[Tree18is]

Im looking on google right now for the requirements and classes needed, But I wanted to see and hear from an insider.
Thanks alot.

[JasonC]

I worked at a strip mine for 2 days. They had me running a front loader (CAT 990 i think it was???) But all they did was show me how to operate it and watch me run it for about 3 hours. Then they let me go on my own.

[kowalski]

what kind of equipment are you planning to run?

[PiercedE30]

All the operators that I have worked with have started out either running fork lifts or started out as a rigger working with cranes or started as a crane mechanic going on jobs with the operator and crane. Not the front end loaders either, but real boom lift fork lifts. I've ran one myself, it's not as easy, at times, as it seems. Once you figure out the little tricks (like figuring out how to pick up an I beam from the middle of a row of them without moving the ones around it) it's a breeze. Best bet is to find someone that has one and get them to show you how to use one. Or you have to know an operator foreman to get you on a job.

[mrsleeve]

Oh boy Oh Boy Oh boy,

What is you want to do???? run excavator, loader grader, dozer, crane (hydro truck or crawler). Do you want to put pipe in the ground, or build roads do little bitch work on building trades jobs

what.

Here is my advice get a job as a laborer for at least 2 years to learn how the job is done up close and personal then work as you can jump in the seat and play around with all the various equipment that you have around. Slowly get you seat time, I stress the laborer part highly.

I have been a pipe layer for almost 10 years and I can walk up on any operator running almost any equipment and can tell the guys that have done nothing but dug basements, a swatted out fence rows, to the guys that have done the phsyical part of the job. A good operator will leave me almost nothing to do a will trust my hand and eyes. When you are sitting in a excavator on a pipe job, you hold every one on your crew's life in your hands 8-14 hours a day all day.

I will also say the trade schools that teach you how to run equipment in a week to 3 weeks of instruction are not the way to go, I have yanked 1 of thoes guys out of the cab because he nearly killed me and my tail man because of stupidity by not watching my hand signal (its hard to learn not to watch the bucket). We have had 6-8 of them over the last few years and none of them lasted more than 3 weeks.

I will say again find a good company an start from the bottom an work in to a seat you will be 10 times the operator that you would other wise be, by taking the short road. But another good option is get in the International Union of Operating Engineers apprenticeship program, it will teach you everything you need to know over a few years. Looks like Lcl 178 is the texas local for construction. That said I am getting my operators card next month I moved up from a laborer this season.

PM me if you have any specific questions on heavy construction I have been in it since I was 16. On operating or just the industry in general.

[Tree18is]

Thanks alot for the very informative answers. Im looking in that industry right now so I will keep this post subscribed in case I have any questions. Again, thanks alot.

[s0urce]

Blunt has been known to operate some heavy equipment.

[Delphinitive]

it's hard to give any insight on operating unless you can be specific on what type of machines you'll be running. there are just so many different machines that we could blurt out jargon about all day and never touch on the equipment that you might be looking into.
if you're just looking for info on operating "heavy equipment" in general, rule number one is be patient and careful. don't bust sketchy or questionable moves if all it takes is a few seconds of repositioning to be right where you want to be.
some guys tend to get impatient with loaders and certain other machines because of the monotony and slow pace, and they start dropping loads in bad spots and in general they create an unsafe environment because of their hastiness on an otherwise slow moving machine.
don't try and make time by jerking the sticks around faster, big machines are slow because they're heavy, and you fuck shit up going too fast.

oh yeah, work on getting in the operator's union if you get a job like that

[DaveSmed]

There is some VERY good advice in this thread.


Currently a crane mechanic myself.

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^

I want to get into the seat on some of the big Hydro trucks an 500+ ton crawlers, but thats gonna be a few years out. Will have to apprentice on them may, even have to go back and be an oiler or rigger on a few of them for a while even though I have worked as a rigger on several jobs.

[DaveSmed]

Nice, I'm still learning about some of the older German truck cranes (with the service menus in German!) but I'm picking up the newer stuff pretty quickly. I'm still a little rough on the newer Liebherr crawlers, and very rough on the old Americans.

The new stuff is pretty sharp, all CAN-bus throughout the crane.

[PiercedE30]

Yea, as stated, one of the hardest things to learn to do is to watch the hand signals that the flagman is feeding you and not looking at the load.

[mrsleeve]

Hey dave, I got to sit in the seat of one of those 550 ton groves last fall in Mi. We were doing a sheeting job with an old 50ton grove at a steel mill. They blew out 1 of several transformers and got the 550ton to come in a swap it out and I hung out after work till almost midnight with the crew. They need it not for the lifting capacity but because of the reach, 65 ton transformer was something like 85 feet back from center pin. It was a sight seeing that thing working under the lights

[DaveSmed]

Hey dave, I got to sit in the seat of one of those 550 ton groves last fall in Mi. We were doing a sheeting job with an old 50ton grove at a steel mill. They blew out 1 of several transformers and got the 550ton to come in a swap it out and I hung out after work till almost midnight with the crew. They need it not for the lifting capacity but because of the reach, 65 ton transformer was something like 85 feet back from center pin. It was a sight seeing that thing working under the lights

Sweet deal, they are amazing machines for sure. The dual screen setup is pretty sharp.


But, just be glad you don't have to service that M-B diesel back there.....