If you want a long-lasting career that pays well, try heavy equipment operations. You can learn to operate virtually any type of heavy equipment in use today on construction sites all around the world. The most popular and rewarding type of heavy equipment can be learned in one course. Here are 7 types of heavy equipment you can learn in one training class at Associated Training Services:

1. Backhoes – A backhoe is used for excavation. It consists of a bucket on the back end of an articulating boom. You’ll often see them on construction sites and are used for digging ditches and trenches. If you want bigger holes, use an excavator.
2. Wheel loaders – Wheel loaders are large pieces of equipment with bigger buckets than backhoes and are used to carry material from one end of the construction site to another. They are close cousins to front-end loaders.
3. Bulldozers – The bulldozer is the workhorse of the construction site. It consists of a large blade and is used for pushing dirt, soil, sand, rock, rubble, and other debris around the worksite. When you just want it out of the way, use a bulldozer.
4. Excavators – When you really need a big hole dug, use an excavator. See how an excavator compares with a backhoe in the video below.

1. Road graders – A road grader has a long blade on it and is used to flatten surfaces, such as gravel roads and construction sites.
2. Dump trucks – When you have a lot of dirt, soil, rock, and other substances to move, use a dump truck.
3. Skid steers – A skid steer, also called a skid steer loader, is a small piece of equipment that allows you to add different attachments to the front for hauling, moving, and lifting things. Watch this fun video of a skid steer in action.

Loaders come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. There are dozer loaders than run on tracks like a dozer, but use a shovel like a traditional loader; backhoes that have an excavator at the rear and a shovel at the front; and wheel loaders which, as the name suggests, run on wheels. However, as you can see from this image, there is one area in their operation that can throw students.

Wheel loaders are generally articulated. There’s nothing new in that, there are many different types of articulated machinery – in fact, if you have towed a boat or trailer then you have been in a form of articulated vehicle. The difference between a normal articulated vehicle and a wheel loader is that the operator is sitting in the back half of the articulation. To put that in an everyday situation, that would be like the driver sitting in the trailer when driving down the road.

This makes for some interesting maneuvers when students first climb aboard. It can take a while to become accustomed to the way the vehicle handles, particularly the steering. Once you get the hang of it, the rest becomes easy. The best way to master a wheel loader is to start with good quality hands on training. A good grounding means you enter the workplace with sufficient skills that driving a wheel loader is second nature. You will need experience to learn some of the finer points of loader operations, but the fact the vehicle is articulated should hold you back.

Wheel loaders can be difficult to master, however, the right heavy equipment training will soon bring out the master in you.

Backhoes – they are the backbone of many construction sites. However, I can’t think of many places where backhoes aren’t used these days. One of the big advantages of a backhoe is its versatility. With a bucket at the rear and shovel at the front, it has a wide range of applications. Backhoes also come in a wide variety of sizes – some are quite large and tackle big jobs while others are quite small and can get into some of the smallest places imaginable on a construction site.

Consider some of the work situations where you will find a backhoe:

• swimming pool construction
• digging foundations for new buildings
• digging trenches for pipelines
• demolition work
• agriculture, particularly dam building and irrigation
• cemeteries

That is a very small list of work situations. I could extend that list considerably if I also took into account the range of attachments that can be used in place of the bucket. While a backhoe is an extremely versatile work unit, operating one is not as complex as one may think. In fact, you can learn to operate a range of heavy equipment, including a backhoe, in as little as three weeks. At the end of the training, you are ready for entry level employment as a heavy equipment operator.

For operators, one of the benefits of specializing in backhoes is that it opens the door to further employment options such as loader and excavator operations. The bucket of a backhoe mimics the actions of an excavator while the shovel at the front mimics the actions of a wheel loader. If you are looking for a career in heavy equipment that offers a little in the way of variety, consider a career as a backhoe operator. Backhoe operator wages are good as are the working conditions. Your next step to a successful career is to commence heavy equipment training – are you ready?

When most people talk about heavy equipment careers the mind conjures up images of a bulldozer, grader or perhaps an excavator. They are no doubt the big three when it comes to heavy equipment, but there is a range of other equipment that also provides for interesting and well paid careers. This equipment includes:

• backhoes,
• wheel loaders,
• scrapers,
• rock trucks,
• Skid Steers, and
• All-Terrain Forklifts.

And that is just a short list. We talk a lot about backhoes and occasionally about wheel loaders but Skid Steers, All-Terrain Forklifts, scrapers and rock trucks rarely get a mention. These machines provide valuable service in their niche and without them, we would have to resort to using hand tools of some description. Take the all-terrain forklift. This vehicle is similar to a standard forklift but it can safely transport loads over different terrains. Without it, we would be forced to break loads down to much smaller sizes to move them over the rough terrain.

Scrapers of course do just that. They scrape the surface in preparation for other equipment. Rock trucks help to remove large rocks from construction sites whilst the little skid steer is able to get into tight areas to work where no other vehicle can fit. This machines all offer interesting careers. The skid steer maybe a small machine in comparison to a bulldozer, but it is still a valuable part of the heavy machinery family.

One of the benefits of training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools is that students are introduced to a range of machinery. This provides each student with a broad set of skills and a better insight into how each piece of equipment fits into a construction team. Heavy equipment careers don’t sit solely with the big three – there are many other options available for you to look at.

Loaders are one of the units of heavy equipment that seem to be everywhere, doing everything. When it comes to versatility using just one scoop, loaders beat off all their on-site rivals in almost every department.

According to some loader operators, you should never refer to the scoop as a bucket. Excavators and backhoes have buckets, loaders have scoops. Whichever way you look at it, that scoop is deadly and can certainly move a few mountains.

Sometimes known as a front-end loader, these machines perform different tasks on a continuous basis. One moment they are moving dirt or gravel, the next is moving pipes. They even help to move other equipment around a construction site.

Being one of the most versatile machines in use, loader operators are always in demand. You will find a loader on almost every major construction site, on road building and maintenance projects, on farms and in many other situations. Loaders are also used in some industrial complexes. For example, handling wheat and other grains.

Loaders come in a range of sizes starting from the vary small toy-like skips to the large articulated loaders similar, but larger, to the one in the picture. Some of the smaller loaders use tracks, however, the larger ones almost always use wheels – it is one of the distinguishing differences between a loader and bulldozer.

To become a loader operator you need to attend three weeks of heavy equipment training. Training covers a range of heavy equipment and is undertaken both in class and hands on. A career as a loader operator offers a career that can be challenging, is always changing, and one that is quite rewarding. Get your start as a loader operator through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools.

If you have ever visited or worked on a construction site you may have noticed one piece of equipment that seems to be everywhere. Chances are, it will be a wheel loader. They certainly are busy bees although others may refer to them as the ‘gopher’ of the heavy equipment team.

Gopher’s they are too. They dig holes, move dirt, carry pipes, remove rubbish and debris and do any other type of lifting and carrying that is required. About the only piece of heavy equipment that does more in the way of lifting than a loader is a crane, and that’s only because they have a longer arm. In fact, when it comes to working on a construction site, a loader operator has to be skilled enough to quickly switch from one mode, say loading dirt into a truck, to another such as carrying pipes and gently lowering them into a trench.

Wheel loaders not only do a wide variety of tasks with their scoop, they have a wide range of attachments that can be added. The list of attachments these days is almost endless. If you can think of a task, there will be an attachment of some description for a loader.

As I mentioned, loader operators require a range of skills. One of the best training programs available is one that provides experience on several different pieces of heavy equipment. If you can gain some experience in operating a bulldozer, excavator and backhoe, you will find that these skills can be blended and actually complement those of a loader operator.

Find a training program for loader operators that has this combination of skills and you will be set to enter the workplace ready to tackle most jobs. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools provide training on a variety of heavy equipment and can have you work ready in as little as three weeks. Not only will they have you work ready, their employment assistance program can help you find that first job. What are you waiting for? – the construction industry needs operators now.