Any operators here?
 

Anybody here get to play with Tonkas all day long?

I don't operate full time---mechanic at the company--but get some seat time now & again as a fill in. Mostly excavators and loaders, haven't graduated to the cranes yet.

Will post up some pictures soon.

I use to run a small dozer, a track loader, and a few backhoes at my old job. That is the only thing I miss about the place.

i run a boat does that count lol

I have run fork lift for 6 years now, and on and off I ran a 300 excavator and a small dozer for a freind.

Im an electrician in the navy, but i get more seat time than electrical work. We have several cat dozers, deere excavators, a few loaders, dumps and tractor trailers. The operators always call me when they need something done.

Marshall

I work for a utility and am one of our operators... Most of the time I use a small truck mounted bradco back hoe... also have a small crane truck, plate truck, and case 580 back hoe and several small case skid steers with back hoes, bore motors, or loaders..

Most of the time if we have a lot of back hoe work (trenching a few blocks) we just contract out the backhoe and dump services.. It is more economical that way since I always have my crew assistant with me.. it runs 170 per hour per crew.. contractor is cheaper...

i operate when im not in school, i work for an excavating company

I am a Boat School mech instuctor but i run all types of gear.

Next door neighbor has an excavating business and been a dirt jockey since he was 13. I help him out after work and on the weekends.

Lotsa fun. Get to screw around on the hoe and dozer.

Run the skidsteer when its pile a to pile b or making rough grade backfilling.

Final buff capabilities is still a ways away for me.

My baby is running the plate packer.......allllllll mine......ha ha

I have my own backhoe.its a 72 case 680, its old but does good still.............I am crane certified , at work we have a new Grove 11T and a new 45T so lotsa work there....we have a very nice Cat shooting boom, 3 skid steers and all kinna attachments

I used to work in a coal mine and was a driller but also had some time on a 120ton Wabco haul truck........They have the big 340toners or whatever is the biggest now

I enjoy running equipment and have a natural instinct for them

My uncle owns a Construction Company and my dad and brother work for him. I get to use some equipment but not very often since I'm not 18 yet.

ive "borrowed" county equipment to "help" them get ahead after a few to many :c: . i really think i have a knack for it too:da:

brett

Cool, good to see the younger crowd involved in pulling levers.

I'm 29, not old by any stretch, but it's still good to see people under 18 getting involved.

My dad always told me if you can drive truck, pull levers, and turn a wrench, you'll NEVER be out of a job. Fortunately I can do all three pretty well, and get paid for all three at the moment. :hyper:

thats me:da:

i totally agree. My neighbor was running a 13 stick blade at the age of 15.

His boy, who is 3 1/2, will be running something before he's 11. You can already see that. He knows how to start the dumptruck already. Thank god he cant disengage the airbrakes yet. A little too tough. But it is a new season........:f:

97% of my friends up here are operators. But I think it comes with the area. I wish I was able to jump in any piece of heavy equipment have it be second nature like them. Pretty neat.......

I spent some years in a civil engineer unit in the army, had to be cross trained on all the equipment so we all got to play on everything. Built alot of roads through the mountains in Honduras and Panama.

I put about 150 hrs on a JD 450 dozer, 80 hrs on a Komatsu D21 dozer, 40 hrs on a JD backhoe with extenda boom all doing excavation on my own 5 acre property. Have since purchased my own Mitsubishi BD2E dozer (put 45hrs on it) It's now for sale since were selling the property.
Have also ran Bobcat, ride on trencher, small (27hp) JD tractor with front end loader and the neighbors Mitsubishi M70 excavator some (16,000#). I love running equipment. :da:

Its all like second nature to me. I grew up on the farm running on my own since the age of 9 or so (100 acre field with dad just across the way, so pretty much direct supervision) and now I run a forklift in a steel mill moving finished coils. I use the term forklift loosely cause the boom is rated to 80,000lbs and its got a single ram instead of forks. Its a good job but I wish I was back at my old company sometimes, running haul trucks, Dozers (been up to a D7R, but john deere 850's mostly) loaders, excavators, the whole nine yards.

I run a couple different front end loaders at the sawmill, A Volvo/Michigan, and 2 Komatsu's. Have also run a Clark log skidder a few times too.

yea i work for a company when im not in school and ive run a scraper to a loader which is what im running now. all of them CATS. grew up around then my dad been runing them all his life. when i get out of highschool i plan on being a operator. but until thne i just runin them part time durin the summer.

Starting my 12th season
 

Yeah I'm an operator. Started running dump truck at 18, and at 20 was running equipment. Sewer and water for 3 years and a dirtball up till present time. Really love running a blade, but where I'm at running dozer gets a lot more hours. Out of 12 seasons, so far I've seen 10 winters off so gotta really pound the hours when I can.

Personally I can say I'm living my childhood dream:sen: . How many suits behind a desk can say that:tttt: ??

Smartin

I've been running stuff since I was 17. Cross trained on wrenches. Now I'm a Case tech, best part is test runs! :cp:
My buddy started running stuff when he was 12 or less. I remember seeing a white hardhat bouncing around behind the steering wheel on a 72-21 Terex. When I started part time for his dad, the Terex still had wooden blocks fastened to the pedals! :sen:

Full time operator for a gravel company.

Most of my days are spent in either a 500 or 600 Komatsu loader.

Had planty of time in track hoes up to a 750 Hitachi.

Drive highway dump truck when things get slow.

Right now mainly running the loaders and either a crusher or washplant.

O and I got to spend about 8 hrs. on a new D8 cat today making more realestate for the pit I am running.:sen:

Owner/Operator

I do dirtwork/erosion control for a large pipeline company.

A ditch digger here you guys might look at joining Heavy Equipment Forums

I just move'em from here to there, name i've probably been in it.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1843/169on8.jpg

I am an operator in the navy I have run about everything from tractor trailers to backhoes and dozers. one thing you wont find me in is a fork lift I used to run one when I was a kid at my dads work now they just aren't as much fun as an excavator or any of the other big pieces.

I am a Project manager for a commercial construction company. Every now and then when I get bored on the jobsite I will jump on a piece of equipment and help out.The guys dont mind, I'm pretty good.

I went from playing with my Ertl case 580E backhoe in the sandbox to running them now. I used to work for a excavation company but recently quit to take on the fam business but I miss it! boom truck/dump truck/dozer/skid-steers/mini's/ loaders/ fork trucks/ backhoes. just give me a set of keys and Im good to go! :sen:

Im currently the maintenance guy at our company so Im stuck on the mower and kubota B2400 tractor/loader but were poking "babyfat" to sell us a Kubota BX24 TLB (tractor loader backhoe) its small but I worked the old man into getting it:ph: and it will have to replace our 455 JD lawnmower so it had to be small.

www.dakins.com
http://www.kubota.com/f/products/bx24.cfm
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Ian

I don't get to run anything on a regular basis, but have run a lot of different farm equipment, track hoes, back hoes, lifts and skid steers. I'm currently trying to come up with the money to pick up an ASV Posi-Trac with yard bucket, grapple bucket, forks, and blade.

I am a equipment operator. 5 years on a Komatsu 220 trackhoe. 2 years on a Cat D5G finish dozer. 2 years on a Cat 631 scraper. I have also spent quite a bit of time running skid loaders, high-lifts, and backhoes. I love my job. Running the equipment never gets old. Listening to all of the whiners does.

Been on iron since I was a kid....now it's my bread and butter. Local 3 district 12. I check more grade now but still hop on iron every so often. I love the smell of diesel and dirt. :c:

I haven't ran anything for a while but have spent quite a bit of time in the past on JD310 back hoe, JD450 dozer, I believe it was a JD590 track hoe, skid loaders, and mini ex's. Mow all I get to drive is a fork lift to hall engines around the factory.

got a 426 cat back hoe of my own and 3 trucks, 1 tandem and 2 tractors 1 scissor dump 1belly dump trailer and looking into a belt floor /live bottom trailer, have run dozer and hoes quite a bit and getting good at it my son at the age of 10 is gettin pretty good with the backhoe:U:

I've been an Equip. Operater at different Gold Mines since 1979. Sorta burned out. but getting kinda old to start something different, That pays as well.

Run everything from a fork truck to skid steers to a dozer to tractors and all the way up to a 962 series Cat loader. Just applied to an excavation and site management company as a plow operator. Probably get stuck in a loader again, wouldn't be so bad if the equipment was reasonably new... Or at least had a stereo.

Another military one here. Technically I'm a carpenter in a civil engingeer squadron in the Air Force but when I'm deployed we end up helpin out the "dirt boys" as we call our operators. Everything from 6k forklift to D9 dozers, tractor trailers, you name it.

I can run alotta stuff. I've lived on a farm my whole life. I can operate skid steers, track hoes, and just about any kind of farming equipment.

i work for an excavator as a labor but jump in the seat as much as icn tryin to get better so i can go from labor to opperator. but im layed off bein that there isnt any work in nj is not helpin:argh:

Here are some of the 'toys' I get to play with everyday. Concrete pumps have been my life for the last 14 years. A great job, like driving a giant radio controlled DIESEL truck all over the place.
I have run everything from a shovel all the way up to 200' boom concrete pump. I've 'played' on all kinds of backhoes, track hoes, tractors and cranes.


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