Of all the equipment I drove, this excavator was by far my favorite. This is one of the smaller excavators that Deere makes (they wouldn't trust us with anything bigger!) but it was still very powerful. I think it's a good stress reliever, so I'm asking for one for Christmas. When the going gets tough, I'll just say, "Honey, I'm going in the back yard to dig for a while."
All the motion is controlled by two joysticks. The joystick on the left swings the cab and arm left and right and moves the main arm up and down. The joystick on the right operates the bucket and the lower part of the arm. To dig, you basically just move the two joysticks around in circles and the thing will dig in one spot and dump in another.
This is I think what is called an "articulated front end loader" (okay, so maybe I better stick to computers until I learn the proper names for these things). This was the favorite of many out there that day, but for me it didn't measure up to the excavator.
Driving the front end loader was also very easy. You basically have a steering wheel, an accelerator, and a brake (like most vehicles). To operate the bucket, there was just one joystick (forward to raise it up, backward to lower it, left to scoop, right to dump). Since you're constantly going forward and backward, there's a small switch on the joystick - switch it one way and you go forward, switch it the other way and you go backward.
This bulldozer was kind of fun. Going over this little mountain was a bit of a kick. Bulldozers typically move forward (or backward) at a constant speed. You can tell in the picture if I go just a little bit further forward, my front is going to be heavier than my back and the whole thing is going to fall forward. Well, my first time over the hill that's exactly what happened and I almost crashed through the windshield. The trick, I learned, is to push the decelerator pedal when you get to the top, then you kind of ease over the hill gradually. I'll stick to the excavator.
Here I am on a little backhoe. This was the first machine I tried out. It was fun enough, but didn't pack near the punch of the excavator. It could dig holes well enough though.
Here's the biggest vehicle that we got to drive that day. By dump truck standards, it's medium sized but I still think it's the biggest vehicle I've ever driven. You'll notice it is articulated like the front end loader (meaning it bends in the middle). That's how it steers. When you turn the wheel, hydraulic cylinders bend the front end around the corner and the backend follows. It feels quite a bit different than steering a normal small vehicle (I almost hit a fence at one point).
The guy that was riding with me said it would go up to 35 miles per hour, but I got it up to 40 and I think it would go faster if you pushed it. At one point, he said to gun it (that's when I got it to 40). We were cruising down a dirt road and at the end there was a gated fence. He said "Don't let up, don't let up, don't let up". About 30 feet short of the fence he says, "Okay take your foot off the accelerator." I did (as soon as he said the word "Okay" - I was getting a little nervous)! The truck just stopped. It didn't throw you forward like slamming on brakes, but the thing went from 40-0 in about 20 feet - no brakes required! He said it's something built into the transmission that stops the vehicle any time you take your foot off the accelerator (no cruise control in this beast!). I don't suppose friction brakes would last long trying to stop 40 tons of momentum.All-in-all, it was a very fun day. I was very impressed by all the equipment. The most impressive thing was how simple it was to drive everything. They just gave a two minute orientation to the first driver of each machine, then they expected you to pass on the information to the next driver. It was that easy. They've made driving those complex machines easier than driving a car. Most everything was run by joysticks, and the cabs were all very comfortable. Honestly, I think I would be more comfortable moving tons of dirt around all day than I typically am in my desk chair.
So, if you ever have a chance to dig a basement or a swimming pool for someone, I highly recommend it (only if it's with a Deere of course)!
8 comments:
Wow, that sounds like an exciting day of work! I bet it was cool to drive all of them. I'm impressed with the ability of the dump truck to stop so quickly without breaks! That's pretty amazing.
When can we come and play, too? That sounds like a blast. I do pity your wife and kids when you get your excavator. Your backyard won't be nearly as user friendly as it is now. Good thing you have a huge park next door, maybe you can take your toy over there to play.
That looks like a lot of fun. Cameron keeps telling me about the haul trucks at the mine, which are like a very big version of the dump truck. Apparantly, just the wheel is taller than most people! I'll see if I can get him to take a picture.
Greg, seeing you on that excavator reminds me of Dad! I'll bet he would have loved to test drive cutting edge farm equipment! Were you and Tammy there when Dad let us drive his. . . ummmm. . . . I can't remember what it was, a bulldozer? I was a little nervous, but Ryan thought it was an absolute blast! So, now you just need 150 acres, a few tractors, and there you go--playtime!
Greg, you are more like your dad than I thought. He absolutely LOVED his ancient CAT D7 bulldozer (Sorry - not a Deere). (Yes, Sandee, that is what it was.) He had so much fun building a little pond on the Noe (our 160 acres).
We (Daryl and I) actually had a John Deer 200LC track hoe (excavator) for a while. Then Daryl wanted a bigger one so we sold it and bought a Komatsu (sorry). We had an articulated front end loader, too, and I remember the first time I drove it. (It was a Komatsu, too. Sorry again.) I was amazed at how simple it was to drive and not scary at all! I got to load it on the flatbed trailer. It was great!
I always hated to watch them load their bulldozers because they DO just flop down suddenly and it LOOKS dangerous.
You know, I think you've just let out the secret that heavy construction equipment operator's have been keeping for years. Their jobs may look extemely difficult and dangerous, However..........
April - Deere makes some smallish mining trucks (double the size of the one I drove). I think the one I was driving was 40 ton and the biggest Deere makes is 80 ton. Someone was telling me that Cat makes a 600 ton mining truck. Is that 15 times bigger than the one I was driving? So big they ship the components to the mine site and assemble it on site - no transporting those monsters down the interstate.
Sandee and Mom - I think I did drive Dad's bulldozer one time, but since it was a Cat, it probably wasn't a real memorable experience. :-) I did spend plenty of time on his tractor and some of his drilling equipment, but it had been a long time since I'd been around much of that. I think all that equipment has gotten a lot easier and more comfortable though.
Greg,
I am just wondering if your ward has a Turkey Bowl? If not, would you be interested in getting one together?
Greg is a regular Bob the builder
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