Most difficult heavy plant to drive/operate well - Bulldozer, grader, jcb, etc

[Ted]

I was told today that apparently a bulldozer is the hardest heavy plant to operate satisfactorily

I would have thought a grader is.

What do you think?

[Tommy]

Either Grader or Scraper or Bulldozer,

Although, that said, on New machines, they are a hell of a lot easier to drive.

Grader operators dont have to stand up to see the mouldboard while simultanaeously (sp?) controlling 8 levers, with knees and elbows.

[Dave_L]

I'd say a road laying machine, more commonly known as a Barber-Greene

You have to run the machine, sat up top, often in the blazing sunshine or driving icy rain. Either way, it isn't the most hospitable place to be.

You have to load the machine (usually from tipper trucks but sometimes from a dump truck), ensuring your don't overfill the hopper. That usually results in spilt tarmac which makes it hard work....

As the hopper is filling, you need to make sure the screed is supplied with material, not too much mind as if the going is soft or uphill, it can make pulling away difficult.

You then need to communicate to the tipper driver to drop his body and move away....usually by hand signals....

Then it's onto lay - steering is sometimes vague - you have to anticipate what is going to happen 10M or so in front of you - forget what is behind you, as the two operators on the bed will see to that. Manhole covers when laying base courses are a right pain - you must keep the steering bogies away from them, the tires are circa £800 each and are destroyed when confronted by sharp edges.

Whilst you are moving foward, laying material, you need to fold the hopper sides in as the material is consumed, watching where you are steering and acting on any instructions (usually shouted!!) from the two operators on behind. Whilst you are doing all this, you need to keep a check on traction and quickly hold down the diff lock switch if things slip. Keep an eye on the warning lamps for the flights, when these are lit, this means the hopper is empty, time for a top up.....

Delivery of the material to the screed from the hopper is automatic in operation, but you must remember to switch it off in anticipation of finishing a rip - you don't want heaps of the stuff at the screed as you finish, do you? It then gets hard work for all if this happens.

So, I'd say a road laying machine was ONE of the hardest heavy plant to operate.

Here's all the buttons, switches and dials on our Bitelli machine, all without any labels....all done from memory, feel and touch!



I'm sure newer pavers have less switches and are more computer controlled making them easier to drive, but with that brings a whole new set of potential problems........

[Tommy]

Shouldnt all machinery have appropriate Decals and instructions?

[Dave_L]

Shouldnt all machinery have appropriate Decals and instructions?

Probably, yes - but I'm not sure these switches were ever marked! If they were, it was crap!!

[Suggers]

Look at those brill metal toggle switches - not one broken - stuff yer plastic.

[seanandruby]

brilliant cockpit. have you found the eejutector seat yet

[dig dug dan]

My brother said to me the other day "you can drive anything, i've noticed. Whatever you get onto, you can drive it"

I thought about it for a while, and maybe he's right. Manitou, bobcat, 360's up to 13tonne, bulldozers, dumpers, skiploaders. Ive driven them all. But today I was flummoxed

Started to dig out a new driveway through a woodland, and the guys neighbour lent us his 2cx. the controls for the back actor are all round the wrong way for me, and even after an hour, i gave up. Not helped by the fact that the machine had half its floor missing, loose controls, overheating problem, and a pin that kept coming out of the bucket.
I gave up, and got a 3tonne excavator in, and did more in 5 minutes with that than i did with the 2cx.

Is this normal on these type of machines?

[lutonlagerlout]

is a 2cx like a ford digger as opposed to a jcb?
my old guvnor had a ford at his farm ,took ages to get used to the back actor as it was very old but eventually i did,then he went and got an old jcb and the controls were all different!
i have heard from a good few guys that "takeuchi" are the best diggers around now
old firm but really good kit
LLL

[dig dug dan]

a 2cx like a ford digger as opposed to a jcb?

no its a jcb. smaller than a 3cx

"takeuchi" are the best diggers around now
old firm but really good kit

Not much experience but heard that parts can be a nightmare

[very simple simon]

Takeuchis (aka Takahoochies, them red and grey ones) are good bits of kit.

The firm I work for runs two 175s (7t) and also a Kubota 251 7t. all the drivers say that the 175s are much better screwed together, have more oomph. also takeuchis through te range have a bit more reach than others, which is good for grading.

parts wise, touch wood we have had no trouble. Does anyone on here have (or know anyone with)one of their new 14 tonners? my boss was thinking about it, but they ar £10k dearer than a JS130 and a hitachi Z130

[seanandruby]

i almost tipped a Jake over lifting a manhole ring. took half hour to straighten it up, it was only because the bucket came to rest on top of the ring that stopped it. had to struggle with the controls to get used to them. quick learning curve that day, went into a field for e few hours and taught myself. those where the days Tom, Dick and Harry would just jump on and operate without a ticket. thank god those days are nearly gone.

[very simple simon]

you are not wrong sean...the situation is you cannot get on a machine without a ticket. Howvere, you cannot get a ticket without getting on a machine. They expect you to take 2 weeks off, pay £2k ish for a course and in a short space of time learn to be a machine driver. IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT!

I am bollixed cause I'm only 20, for CPCS you need to be 21. I have had a play around here and there on farm jobs, but not much more than loading muck wagons. That's why I joined the TA...get my hands on a dozer or a grader hehehe

[Tommy]

Takeuchis (aka Takahoochies, them red and grey ones) are good bits of kit.

Does anyone on here have (or know anyone with)one of their new 14 tonners? my boss was thinking about it, but they ar £10k dearer than a JS130 and a hitachi Z130

I reckon the reason for the 10k price difference, is because, the Z130 and js130 are just standard 13 tonners. The TB1140 isnt, It has an Offset Boom (like a mini) and a heavy duty 'dozer blade.

If you could get the right work for it, it wolud be worth the extra expense.

[very simple simon]

ah I didn't know it had a knickknack boom

they are heavy for a "13" tonner, my boss in the end went for 2 ex demo JS130s cause you will get them on a rigid (18t?) beavertail..they are dead on 13 tonnes. Also the waiting list for a new zaxis was about 10 months!

the rep came in to see us a couple of weeks ago and was really pushing the TB1140, said buy one and you'll get £10k of free advertising from publicity from Takeuchi UK. I do not think they have sold many to be honest, that's why I was enquiring.