Hey Tick....
The course at Fleming was good. They like lynger said put you in pairs on one of the machines and they show you how to do certain jobs with certain machines.
Wheel loader - they show you how the go into the pile properly, they show you how to properly position yourself for loading trucks so that you load effeciently, they show you how to take a small pile in the middle of the road and scoop it up so you remove the pile and don't damage the road
Dumpt truck - usually pared up with the wheel loader for most of the time hauling dirt from one side of the pile to the other... for some of the time this will be teamed up with the excavator so the excavator can learn how to load a truck properly and efficiently
excavator - they show you how to stake everything properly ( 4 corner,sides, behind machine, far away from machine. stake for trench's) the show you how to excavate foundations using 3 sides to place fill, the show you how to dig trenches, and sidewalk/step them, they show you how to use lazer level and manual level to keep things on grade, taught you how to load a truck from being up on an embankment
tractor loader backhoe - they teach you how stake foundations and trenches like with the excavator, sometimes would have you use the loader end to transport dirt or rocks from the field.
dozer - teach you how to create birms with them, show how to cut down a side walk/step trench and also how to back fill a trench using a loader to push the fill lines inward, show you how to stake a birm as well
packer - basically all you do is pack the fields, pack the trenches once half way full and then when completly full, pretty self explainitory
grader - show you how to crown a road with 5 passes, usually let you grade the haul roads or part of the fields, show you how to stake the roads aswell
you are one each machine for 2 weeks, after the first week you will have to do a circle check test with the instructor basically telling/showing him all the fluid checks, safety points. lock outs etc....on the second wed you will have your practical test where you complete a task
theory, there is a safety class and it literally covers the osha book like a bible...your midterm test and final exam are each worth 50%....i know the one test is open book for sure can't remember about the second one.
environmental class - basically learning about the environmental impacts and how to keep sustainability...we did 3 field trips, 2 of them too two different gravel pits and the third was to the water treatment plant in lindsay.
maintenance - this class was basically to let you know about how to take care of the machine, find the wear items, service items, where the grease points are etc...
i honestly can't think of the last classes name (earth moving technology maybe) but basically it was designed to show about soils, and rock, how if you excavate this you now have this or that. if you dig up 1m of soil you now have 1.25m of soil because it has expanded. that sort of thing. they get you to do some business stuff and do a quote on a job and list what machines you'd use with what attachments. draw out all the diagrams. etc...
I was in the machines every mon thurs and fri for 5 hrs and wed for 3, about 18hrs a week...then our safety class was 4 hrs straight, environmental was 2 or 3 and the other class was about the same 2 or 3
Was this course beneficial to me...yes because now i know how to operate the machines before going into fixing them, know what are wear parts are and attach and remove attachments.