# Machine configuration



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

HI this is my first post on here, I'm a 26yr 360 driver who's been doing some serious thinking about emigrating to the USA or Canada,but I have no idea if the functions/layout of a U.S spec machine are the same as a european one?and indeed if there is much call for people in this trade out there?


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

Lenny, be more specific as to what you do. Not sure what a 360 driver is. That's one thing you'll have to get used to if you do puddle skip over....The lingo is WAY different. Plus you might as well toss out the metric ruler! In any case..Good luck to ya if you do come over.


----------



## Dustball (Jul 7, 2006)

Somehow I doubt 360 driver means these-

http://www.subaru360club.org/

Doing a search, it seems 360 driver is referring to an excavator (able to spin 360 degrees around). Interesting lingo differences!


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

Dustball said:


> Somehow I doubt 360 driver means these-
> 
> 
> 
> Doing a search, it seems 360 driver is referring to an excavator (able to spin 360 degrees around). Interesting lingo differences!


Correct! Yeah sorry guys i should of realised there would be some language barrier thing 
We too call them excavators,diggers,and backactors,
But Yes I'm an excavator driver,

as for the configuration I kinda assume they'll be the same either side of the atlantic,wont they?

This is how a standard UK machine is configured, I realise again there may be some differences in the lingo but I think you'll work it out

LEFT "stick" when moved left to right slews cab accordingly
when moved away from driver moves "dipper" away from cab
and when pulled toward driver moves "dipper" toward cab

Right "stick" when pushed forward lowers "boom"
when pulled back raises "boom"
when pushed Right opens bucket
and to the left to close it


----------



## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

Lenny, that sounds like what we normaly call Cat set up. There is a correct name for it but we would normaly call that Cat. I would say most excavator operators out here run thier stuff that way. 

Why would want to leave the land of Mary Poppins, ,Bad Food, and worse weather? LOL. Sorry, couldnt resist using the line from the movie "Snatch". 

Seriously though, the dollar is falling. I would think it makes sense to be there not here. Maybe a move to Ireland? 

Besides there is that English / American language barrier we have such a hard time with. LOL:laughing:


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

:laughing: You missed out "Cup O tea" from you Snach reference

True I'm aware of the decline of the dollar but I'm told the cost of living out there is a fraction of the cost over here

for example how many americans would pay nearly $14.00 for a gallon of petrol sorry gasoline?

I make about $2200 a month here which may sound good (I dunno?) but once I've paid my taxes for our "free???" healthcare and to have my bins (trash cans) emptied, as well as the mortgage and all the other day to day crap I'm left with just enough sometimes not quite enough to gas my car up to get to work again


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

Well Lenny, we have a shortage of "360" and crane operators here in MN right now. Because of this, they have even changed the collective bargaining agreement. Of course I'm totally oblivious to weather or not there are unions across the pond, but I've always thought that MN was the easiest state to get into the operator union in. Check it out. So....how IS that free health care thing workin for ya!?


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

Sounds interesting I don't suppose you know any one who has moved to the US for work?

do the figures I gave for my earnings and living costs make any sense to you guys?

As for the so called free haelth care:sad: I'm taxxed about £50 or $100 for it and we have the longest waiting lists in europe for surgery so yeah I'd sooner pay into a health insurance sceme and be seen when I'm ill instead of becoming ill then calling to see a doctor only to be told he/she is fully booked for the next week or so


----------



## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

lenny,
would you object if i copied and pasted your last post to other forums?


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

yeah sure but do you mind if i ask ,Why?


----------



## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

from you, it's a first hand experience from someone who is paying the bill, using the government provided service. there are people that believe that a govt. health care program is the only way to go. like yours, i've heard too many horror stories. i live in south dakota, and meet a lot of truckers that haul hogs from the winnipeg manitoba area into a hog processing plant nearby. i've asked them about their govt. health care plan, and they gave me the same exact response you did. many of them said if it is of a critical nature, go into north dakota or minnesota to see THE doctor they want, WHEN they want. all at an out of pocket expense to themselves.


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

TMatt142 said:


> Well Lenny, we have a shortage of "360" and crane operators here in MN right now. Because of this, they have even changed the collective bargaining agreement. Of course I'm totally oblivious to weather or not there are unions across the pond, but I've always thought that MN was the easiest state to get into the operator union in. Check it out. So....how IS that free health care thing workin for ya!?



I think that there is a shortage nationwide. Well, for good ones at least. There are too many stick pullers out there.


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

dayexco said:


> from you, it's a first hand experience from someone who is paying the bill, using the government provided service. there are people that believe that a govt. health care program is the only way to go. like yours, i've heard too many horror stories. i live in south dakota, and meet a lot of truckers that haul hogs from the winnipeg manitoba area into a hog processing plant nearby. i've asked them about their govt. health care plan, and they gave me the same exact response you did. many of them said if it is of a critical nature, go into north dakota or minnesota to see THE doctor they want, WHEN they want. all at an out of pocket expense to themselves.


In that case be my guest:thumbup:


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

rino1494 said:


> I think that there is a shortage nationwide. Well, for good ones at least. There are too many stick pullers out there.


By no means would I say I'm an award winning operator, But neither am I a dangerous loon
I take a pride in my work and clients have always commented on thier satisfaction with my work the only difficulty I think i would over your side of "the pond" is with the terminology and different ways of building


----------



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Hello Lenny!

Welcome to Contractortalk.com and the E&SW forum.

I have always wanted to talk to people from other countries about hw they do things. Here people "operate" equipment so you would be an "excavator operator" / "machine operator". We "drive" cars and trucks. 

You've been operating excavators for 26 years? or your 26 years old?

What kind of work have you done? Underground pipeline? Quarry or pit? Large industrial sites? Residential sites?

What is your work day like?
Start time? Breaks? lunch? Quit?

Did you spend any time training or an apprenticeship?

Boy I could go on and on?


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

denick said:


> Hello Lenny!
> 
> Welcome to Contractortalk.com and the E&SW forum.
> 
> ...


Ok to start at the start,I've worked on pipelines,large industrial sites and small residential ones too,the bigger excavations IE, excavating large quantaties of material,we call them "muckshifts"
A typical working day for me in winter is start @7:30 lunch 1 untill 1:30 then finish at around 4;30
In summer usually I'll start @ around 7 lunch @ the same time then finish anywhere between 6:30 and 7pm

I'm 26 yrs old and Ive been operating different types of plant sine i was 19 but only got a proper licence/permit for a tracked excavator a little over a year ago,
The training course is a two week practical(hands on) course with interim check ups,for the next three years on site :thumbsup:

Hope this answers a few of your questions:thumbup:


----------



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

What size machines have yu run?

Any Akermans still going over there?

What are the popular brands of machines?

What type soils do you have?


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

the company i work for currently runs mostly Cat equipment from 308's to 320's we have bigger machines too hitatchi 330's hyundai 450's as for ackermans i think the last few of those over here probably died over ten years ago,
From looking at some of the picture's on this site it seems the machines we run over here are quite a lot newer,
As for types of soil I think probably much the same as you and just as varied,within 30-40 miles of my home theres sand,heavy clay ,sandstone, limestone, peat and every concievable mixture in between


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

Sounds interesting I don't suppose you know any one who has moved to the US for work?

Nobody from Europe for sure. Really, it's just a matter of the conversion rate I imagine.


----------



## coreylkh (Nov 24, 2007)

TMatt142, what's your class 1 operator scale there? Maybe with that information he may be able to convert what his dollar is there to what it is here. Our class 1 heavy and highway is $41.25 and there are 600 people sitting in the hall right now. Sounds like Lenny would have a real opportunity to go to your neck of the woods, especially if he wants to get close to Canada. 

Geez, I thought that our $3 a gallon was unreasonable! It doesn't sound like a very fair economy over there. With that being said, I'll quit complaining about the cost of living here!


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

lenny said:


> I'm 26 yrs old and Ive been operating different types of plant sine i was 19 but only got a proper licence/permit for a tracked excavator a little over a year ago,
> The training course is a two week practical(hands on) course with interim check ups,for the next three years on site :thumbsup:
> 
> Hope this answers a few of your questions:thumbup:



I am 26 also. :thumbsup:

Do you have to be licensed to run equipment there ??


----------



## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

OK, I just got the "360s" slang for the excavator. Its becuase a shovel spins 360 degrees.

Tell me I'm not the only one that was wondering this. :sweatdrop:


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Yes, you were the only one.


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

Corey...41.xx. So you are out of 150? That must be benefits included? Our hourly rate I believe ( I'm salary now so don't quote me) is somewhere around $29.00 an hour. That would be a straight B card. See, each local is so different. I've heard you being in Chicago, your rate is a lot higher than most. Chicago also has THE nicest training facility in the U.S., from what I've seen. But, your local is much smaller than say our local. Again, not 100% on that. I know when I worked in St.Louis, it was a completely different ball game down there. Everything, rates were a bit higher, but local was much smaller. Dues were 20 a month while up here they are 30. It also seemed to me that the smaller the local, the more strict. For instance...In St.Louis, you are only allowed 3 jumps per day (hopping on 3 different pc of equipment...ONE TIME). And depending on how many newbs are fresh out of the apprentice program and on your jobsite, they enforce it strictly. Also carding people on site work....Man, they expect you to stop what you are doing and go card people! That, I always felt, was unfair to MY employer. Thats the BA's job..not mine! Local 49 up here is pretty big. Covers all of MN and eastern North and South Dakota. The BA's up here are pretty laid back compared to the gestapo tactics of the St.Louis local. Enough of my union rantings...Sorry.


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

Yes we have to be licencensed to operate equipment over here, you pay about £2000 or $4000 dollars for an intensive 2week course then after you have 300 hrs or before 3yrs from the date of passing the course you must have a final assessment(I guess this would be our apprenteship period),this is then added to your operators card its a national qualification known as a CPCS( complete plant competecy sceme)
and the machines your qualified to operate are listed on the back,For example mine reads;
360 tracked excavator + 10 ton (metric)

360 tracked excavator - 10 ton (metric)

on the fron of the card is another date for expiry of the card which is every two years this is because,every 2 years we have to sit a short "touch screen" general safetey exam

Whats your training/apprenteship programme like ?


----------



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Lenny,

The most prevalent apprenticeship around here is the 7.5 minute talk where the perspective operator is shown the machine, how the door opens, where the seat is, that you turn the key clockwise, where the hydraulic engagement lever is, and where the throttle and shut off are. A really good course will go over the safety issue of slipping on the tracks.

It's kind of like bull riding here if you then can stay on that machine for ?? seconds you are given the title master operator!


----------



## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

Training ???:whistling


----------



## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

denick said:


> Lenny,
> 
> The most prevalent apprenticeship around here is the 7.5 minute talk where the perspective operator is shown the machine, how the door opens, where the seat is, that you turn the key clockwise, where the hydraulic engagement laver is, and where the throttle and shut off are. A really good course will go over the safety issue of slipping on the tracks.
> 
> It's kind of like bull riding here if you then can stay on that machine for ?? seconds you are given the title master operator!


Nick sounds like we had the same instructor . :laughing:


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Lenny, on this site, we all learned from the school of hard knocks. No formal training here. There are colleges that have a heavy equipment operating course, but it is certainly not required. I actually started operating equipment on jobs when I was 14, but have been using them for years before that.


----------



## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

rino1494 said:


> Yes, you were the only one.


After a careful review of the posts I find that TMatt didnt get it either. So now i gotta wonder, was it just TMatt and I that didnt get it.LOL


----------



## lenny (Jan 14, 2008)

Just goes to prove the most valuable training is "on the job" by that I mean its just not possible to "learn" all the ways of machine operation in just two weeks,sure it helps you gain a basic understanding of the way the machine is controlled but by no means is is someone going to be fully competant after two weeks,That takes years of experience and there's just no way round it


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

U got that right Vinny!!! I've been burned before with the different lingo based on loCAL.......When I signed up at the local 513 (St.Louis) they of course asked what I could operate, so...I went through and let them know what I thought I was proficient on. Then he asks.."Well can't you run a "high-lift?" So I'm thinkin....."high-lift....hmmm could that be a fork lift?" You know....High.......lift..... Sure, thats gotta be a fork lift! So quite confidently I say, "Well doesn't anybody know how to run a fork-lift, sheesh, that's not rocket science!" "Umm, no" he says, "A high-lift, track-loader, you know, the thingy that scoops up dirt, that you can load trucks with...!" I'm like, "you mean a trackscavator" (What we've always refered to them as). With no grin he just said, "No, a high-lift..." ....pause.... (me) "Well, I'm sure I can figure that one out too!"

Lenny, apprenticeship programs differ depending on where your at in the U.S. I never went to one. Like the others, it was someone saying "hop on there and figure it out, your gona have to at some point in time.." Some wouldn't let me though till I actually got my card. All the operators I grew up around though, were extremely helpful to me. Up here, we will put laborers on the equipment,(for brief periods) to teach them if the situation dictates it. Thats how I learned, and for the most part, that's the best type of training.....As long as there are no utilities around or anything they could possibly destroy! And it lets us know if they want to persue it or not, or weather they CAN operate something or should be kept clear of the equipment! Some people just don't "Got it", won't "Get it" and never will "have it" know what I mean......

www.local49.org


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Vinny said:


> After a careful review of the posts I find that TMatt didnt get it either. So now i gotta wonder, was it just TMatt and I that didnt get it.LOL


Yes, you and TMatt were the only ones.


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

TMatt142 said:


> U got that right Vinny!!! I've been burned before with the different lingo based on loCAL.......When I signed up at the local 513 (St.Louis) they of course asked what I could operate, so...I went through and let them know what I thought I was proficient on. Then he asks.."Well can't you run a "high-lift?" So I'm thinkin....."high-lift....hmmm could that be a fork lift?" You know....High.......lift..... Sure, thats gotta be a fork lift! So quite confidently I say, "Well doesn't anybody know how to run a fork-lift, sheesh, that's not rocket science!" "Umm, no" he says, "A high-lift, track-loader, you know, the thingy that scoops up dirt, that you can load trucks with...!" I'm like, "you mean a trackscavator" (What we've always refered to them as). With no grin he just said, "No, a high-lift..." ....pause.... (me) "Well, I'm sure I can figure that one out too!"
> 
> Lenny, apprenticeship programs differ depending on where your at in the U.S. I never went to one. Like the others, it was someone saying "hop on there and figure it out, your gona have to at some point in time.." Some wouldn't let me though till I actually got my card. All the operators I grew up around though, were extremely helpful to me. Up here, we will put laborers on the equipment,(for brief periods) to teach them if the situation dictates it. Thats how I learned, and for the most part, that's the best type of training.....As long as there are no utilities around or anything they could possibly destroy! And it lets us know if they want to persue it or not, or weather they CAN operate something or should be kept clear of the equipment! Some people just don't "Got it", won't "Get it" and never will "have it" know what I mean......
> 
> www.local49.org



When I hear high lift, I think of a telescoping fork lift. 

Around here, we call them track loaders or crawler loaders.


----------



## TMatt142 (Apr 28, 2006)

EXACTLY!!!!!! Thanks, now i don't feel so bad....cept for the 360 thingy!!:whistling


----------



## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

rino1494 said:


> When I hear high lift, I think of a telescoping fork lift.
> 
> Around here, we call them track loaders or crawler loaders.


Ditto ! See how easy that was . :w00t:


----------



## djpafl (Oct 26, 2007)

In regards to the language barrier and conversions, I subscribe to a European magazine called Earthmovers and I think half the fun of reading it is trying to figure out what they are talking about and the quantities. Always converting but now I think I understand muckshifting! Great mag though even though you have to pay for. Super articles and great pics unlike the free mags here that are mostly advertisements and the articles too. Still read them all!


----------

