Learning 360 tracked excavator driving - any tips?

[arctic003]

Hi folks

I have the loan of a small tracked excavator for a couple of days - I was planning to clear out some of our clogged ditches.

Any handy hints, tips, things to do and not do? How long does it normally take to get up to speed on these things?

The controls are basically two joysticks (are they all like this?) the right one controlling the main boom and bucket, the left works the outer boom and slews the cab, or slews the boom if another control is in a different position.

I had a quick lesson from the owner yesterday, and so far today have cleared out about 90m of ditch - I won't tell you how long that took


Thanks!

J-P

 

[treaney]

Hi J-P,

Who has got a new toy then?

Any handy hints, tips, things to do and not do? [/] Apply commonsense for the Health and Safety issues. Be careful if in very soft ground or on slopes.

How long does it normally take to get up to speed on these things?[/] A couple of hours to get the basics. After a couple of days you will be proficient.

The controls are basically two joysticks (are they all like this?) [/] Yes - all modern equipment is joystick controlled. Slight differences may occur as to which function is activated in what position but basically they are all much the same. Older equipment, like my 1969 MF 50B digger, has a seperate lever for each function.

[glow=green,3]TomZ[/]

 

[Renze]

There are two operation systems: the European and the American.

European controls are: left joystick left/right is swing, back and forth is the main boom ?? (i'm not so sore, it's 5 years ago for me...) right joystick left/right is bucket, back and forth is second boom.
With American controls, bucket and swing are on the opposed lever.

It's just like learning to ride a bikcycle:
Within 15 to 30 minutes, most of the controls go nearly automatically, you just have to stop thinking too much about what you are doing...

 

[arctic003]

Thanks! I suppose things like how soft is too soft and how much is too steep a slope are things that come with.... experience

Anyway the owner has just come too see how I was getting on - he was amazed at how much I had done (and I thought I was slow ??? ) - the result of which is that I have an extra job for next week

 

[markku]

Some tips....

Dont move soil with side of bucket (swinging with boom) It will damage sooner or later gears and brake of "turning bearing". When you are turning hole machine tight soft soils help with boom (lift tracks up with boom) so tracks will live 2 more!

At winter it will fall down slopes faster than you realase that happen! so work only tracks directly to slope!!

It takes 4 days to learn the machine and operating it, but it takes lifetime to learn find the most efficent way to work for each case!!

So you have 40 years time for practice!!



What else is going on at Rautjrvi?

 

[arctic003]

What else is going on at Rautjrvi?

Not a lot

I did finally get my very wet hay field properly ploughed - I tried back in the summer but it was much too wet. It was very hard to plough anyway as it is well over ten years, and probably nearer 20, since it was ploughed last.

We still haven't definately found a solution to our silage disaster - the contractor that made it has offered us some of his own crop but the last bale of his I opened was as mouldy as ours Hopefully the next lot will be better...

 

[arctic003]

Well the excavator driving has been going OK so far

The only thing I still find a bit hard is making true horizontal movements of the bucket, like for levelling - as the more distal arm swings in an arc, one has to raise and lower the first boom to compensate - in effect differentiating a cosine with ones right hand, if you see what I mean...

Do the bigger machines have computer control for this? I have seen some superb levelling done on construction projects and have often wondered if this is just plain operator skill or if there is cheating involved

 

[Renze]

This is plain operator skill

We have some very fine excavator machinists around here. Some even attach a laser plane to the boom and level within 2 cm from the laser attached to the boom !

 

[you_know_me_]

this started 13 years ago wonder if he's up to speed now i learnt to drive a tractor in 1 lesson my father said seat in there and drive back now and don't crash into anything [in a field ]

 

[diyfarmer]

I have forgotten what age I was when I learnt but I do remember I used to push up silage with my father and when it was time for him go milking I took over but it was a bit awkward as I was not old enough to drive on the road when did silage on other farms.

 

[diyfarmer]

Its not hard to work an excavator, I used to work one in a pervious career, there's a joystick for each hand and once you a couple of times your be flying