Favorite piece of equipment to run

[Phxrider]

What is everyone’s favorite piece of equipment? The dozer and excavator seem to be the most popular.

 

[treemuncher]

A dozer, "flying a blade", is by far the most boring for me. I prefer an excavator any day of the week. More to keep my brain busy than just flying a blade.

Now that I have the Menzi Muck with the RotoTilt, I have finally found something to keep my brain working consistently. 29 potential functions per joystick, 4 foot pedals and a bank of over 30 switches give me something to memorize and think about. Throw in a swamp or a 35-45 degree slope and life gets interesting. Challenges make a job fulfill the satisfaction factor requirements to enjoy a job. I just don't line up too much work to stay busy with that alone.

I enjoy the clearing work because it's always a challenge not to get a machine, nor myself, hurt or killed. I don't miss the dirt work and I certainly don't miss the employees and issues that came with them.

I would suppose that the Barko 937 would be my favorite clearing machine. Lots of power and super fast on the jobs. Good AC completes the deal. It's just tough on the knees and takes more effort to maintain.

As long as I'm off in the woods, life is good!

 

[Tones]

Any machine that's reliable and doesn't need continuous fixing.

 

[BC Placer gold]

I really have enjoyed time on our Euclid C-6 (full “U” blade/Ateco ripper). Most would say this is a crazy sentiment!

Older than I am (by 3 years)…1964. One of the first hydraulic Garwood blade set up’s. Really nicely balanced machine. Allowed really inexpensive stripping of the larger cuts (greater than 15’; the oldtimers left alone…). Amazing after all these years how strong the Allison power shift tranny engages.


Several years ago a buddy asked if I wanted to run grader for the winter…I replied I just run excavator/dozer; no where near the skill set to run a grader…

Peltor 108 earmuffs allow full enjoyment of the 6-71 powered dozer…

A lot of hours on excavators, so dozer is a nice change..factory caged/sweeps/no cab; so feel the surroundings nicely. Especially when in the mountains.

 

[BC Placer gold]

A dozer, "flying a blade", is by far the most boring for me. I prefer an excavator any day of the week. More to keep my brain busy than just flying a blade.

Now that I have the Menzi Muck with the RotoTilt, I have finally found something to keep my brain working consistently. 29 potential functions per joystick, 4 foot pedals and a bank of over 30 switches give me something to memorize and think about. Throw in a swamp or a 35-45 degree slope and life gets interesting. Challenges make a job fulfill the satisfaction factor requirements to enjoy a job. I just don't line up too much work to stay busy with that alone.

I enjoy the clearing work because it's always a challenge not to get a machine, nor myself, hurt or killed. I don't miss the dirt work and I certainly don't miss the employees and issues that came with them.

I would suppose that the Barko 937 would be my favorite clearing machine. Lots of power and super fast on the jobs. Good AC completes the deal. It's just tough on the knees and takes more effort to maintain.

As long as I'm off in the woods, life is good!

Menzi muck!!!

You sir are highly skilled!

My hat is off to you!

As an aside: saw one go thru the North Okanagan on a low bed about a month ago…very rare here!


(Enjoy your posts!)

 

[cuttin edge]

Grader obviously, but not fine grading, just grading in the woods. I love the sights in the woods, the smells, the sounds, the hiss of the cutting edge on hard ledge

 

[BC Placer gold]

Grader obviously, but not fine grading, just grading in the woods. I love the sights in the woods, the smells, the sounds, the hiss of the cutting edge on hard ledge

Grader…yes, always appreciate a good grader operator!

A high skill-set indeed!

 

[CM1995]

953 trackloader pushing a dump off = heaven for me.

Second an excavator - mini, mid or 100K lb

Third CTL

Fourth a dozer - large or small

I absolutely detest running a backhoe.

 

[Phxrider]

953 trackloader pushing a dump off = heaven for me.

Second an excavator - mini, mid or 100K lb

Third CTL

Fourth a dozer - large or small

I absolutely detest running a backhoe.

Why do you dislike the backhoe?

 

[cuttin edge]

Grader…yes, always appreciate a good grader operator!

A high skill-set indeed!

Fine grading is exhausting. Every now and then. I just want to grade

 

[treemuncher]

I absolutely detest running a backhoe.

I'm right there with you. I hate those with a passion even though it was the first piece of heavy equipment I learned on past the Tonka toys. Some operators can really make them shine but I have no use for them in my life. Great for some but not for me.

Menzi muck!!!

My hat is off to you!

Thanks. This thing is a real learning experience. The more I run it, the more I like it. At first, I hated the kinematics but as time has progressed and I have learned the work envelope, I realize how much power it has wrapped up in a small package. It is impressive. I just wish I was 6"-12" shorter so that I could fit in the cab better without banging my head so much. But that's just an incentive to become a smoother operator. A spider excavator will really keep you thinking if you want to work outside of normal limitations.

 

[skyking1]

I like a busy crane gig. Does not matter what machine, just pick after pick and the more variety the better. The boom truck gig was fun, despite the weather. I remember some Iron Horkers and I were setting some parapet steel waaaay the heck out at the end of the reach, over the nose outrigger in a pretty stiff breeze with rain. I was all geared up for it.
They kept hoping I'd call it for weather. Nope, that meant they could point at me as the reason. We kept going till I ran out of reach, and the tower crane took over the next day

I liked slinging glass.

Tower crane is at the bottom of the list on the cranes.

Bigger dozer on a big fill job, the day goes quickly. Knocking down 10K + yards out of a bunch of end dumps is kinda fun in a sick way. Loading them with the big hoe? not so much for me anymore.
I'm a little hoed-out.

 

[Catsparky1]

brother I feel you on the hoed out . I do love a backhoe for the versitilliy though . when you are good on one it's fun .
Knuckle booms are cool .
Graders are fun
Track and wheel loaders are fun too . Not to good on a track loader but pipelines love a good wheel loader operator !!!!
I think favorite to comes down to what some don't want to run but you don't mind it .


No matter what I still get a check for it so yeah its my favorite !!!!!!!

 

[skyking1]

I'm at the end of my career now and it would take a fun gig to get me to stop the pension checks.

 

[chidog]

1st is Any dozer that weigh's over 80K pounds, I can't take the 3 to 5 inch size rocks and sticks feeling like huge boulders and large logs, the back can't take it.

Excavators are boring, I kinda like playing on graders and scrapers. Off road trucks can be fun, but only at certain times,like when speeding and drifting the rear end into load position LOL. Most gravy machine is a compactor, easy money and very boring.

 

[cuttin edge]

1st is Any dozer that weigh's over 80K pounds, I can't take the 3 to 5 inch size rocks and sticks feeling like huge boulders and large logs, the back can't take it.

Excavators are boring, I kinda like playing on graders and scrapers. Off road trucks can be fun, but only at certain times,like when speeding and drifting the rear end into load position LOL. Most gravy machine is a compactor, easy money and very boring.

I used to think these older guys were crazy when they said a stump was worse than a rock until I hit one

 

[CM1995]

Why do you dislike the backhoe?

Jack of all trades - master of none. Ok at load and carry with the front bucket but sucks at grading. Backhoe is OK digging trenches but it's no mini ex.

I'm right there with you. I hate those with a passion even though it was the first piece of heavy equipment I learned on past the Tonka toys. Some operators can really make them shine but I have no use for them in my life. Great for some but not for me.

First piece of iron I bought new was a 2003 420D IT. Kept that machine until a couple of years ago where it was just taking up space on the yard so it went to the auction block. A guy in Memphis bought it.

 

[HarleyHappy]

My favorite used to be a skid steer, then I grew up and got old. Now I am Leary of the backwards spin and drop.

 

[Coaldust]

I’m not an operator, but I enjoyed the thrill and pure mechanical violence of the 70’s era of ridiculously loud and clanky wheeled logging skidders. Not the grapple ones. Winches and twisted bird nest cables with jaggers.

A single joystick for steering. Foam on plywood vinyl seats. No windows, no HVAC.

Two-stroke greatness, crankcase fumes, cedar oil and fir pitch. Old growth bark soaked in hydraulic oil. That should be a perfume.

 

[Welder Dave]

It depends on the job you're doing. If I'm working on something more precise and can picture the outcome makes it much more enjoyable on whatever machine I'm on. If I'm just doing routine stuff like clearing snow in a big parking lot for hours on end it's boring. I like the grader but it would be better if I was more experienced with it. The track loader is OK if I'm loading into the dump truck but it's tricky to do grading with the 4 in 1 bucket. The backhoe is OK for basic digging but frustrating because it only swings 190 deg's. I liked running a mini-ex so a bigger excavator moving more material would be even better. I'm most proficient in a skid steer but can be a little stiff and ache if running it all day or several days in a row. I'm in awe when I see master equipment operators making things look easy.