For many people, big front loaders are special pieces of heavy equipment. They are impressive to look at, as they tend to dwarf a lot of other machinery. Many people confuse front loaders with bulldozers, but they are a very different piece of equipment that performs an entirely different function. First lets look at the similarities between the two and see why they are so commonly mistaken for one another.

Bulldozers and front loaders are both available in a range of sizes. The tractor part of the equipment looks almost identical. You can find closed cabin and open cabin configurations of each, so here they are almost the same. Front Loaders can sometimes be fitted with bulldozer blades to allow them to do light dozing. They are not as good at dozing as bulldozers but they can do an acceptable job when the requirements are not too heavy. Seeing front loaders with bulldozer blades only deepens the confusion for most people. The attachment that is regularly used for front loaders is a bucket. It is designed to scoop and carry loads from one place to another. It looks a bit like a bulldozer blade, but is actually very different. Yes, bulldozers can also be fitted with a bucket.

The difference is a little closer to the ground. If you look at comparatively sized bulldozers and front loaders, the bulldozer will always sit lower to the ground. Front loaders tower over everything because of the enormous wheels that are attached to them. Bulldozers run on tracks. Wheels mean that you can use front loaders almost anywhere. The tracks of a bulldozer can damage paved surfaces, but they give great traction and allow them to drive over very rough terrain.

If you are interested in learning more about front loaders or bulldozers, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

These days there really is not as much need to pull out the graders for small to mid-sized jobs, these are often the domain of bulldozers with laser-guided blades. That does not mean that graders are out of a job, far from it, it just means that they are relegated to predominantly larger tasks. There are a few reasons that we can see for this transition.

New technology allows bulldozers to perform tasks that they were not previously able to do. In particular, the aforementioned laser-guided grading systems that are now available for an affordable price really makes light work of complicated grading requirements. Light bulldozers are able to perform some remarkable feats of grading in small-scale situations. It is perhaps this that has seen some smaller companies make use of them for slightly larger jobs as well. A bulldozer, whether it is laser-guided or not is not going to do the job of a purpose built grader, but it will allow spaces that were previously too small to be graded to receive the benefit of grading.

Tighter spaces have meant that we are not always able to fit a grader into a property, nor able to give it the room it needs to maneuver. This has been the situation for some time. Graders are well suited to wide open areas, rather than the small blocks of suburbia. That is why you will find graders in large construction sites and working roads, but usually not leveling a suburban block.

So what are graders used for?

Graders are used for big jobs that require the precision that they are built for. Graders are used for creating roads and runways, and sometimes for grading large foundations. You will also find graders put to heavy use in winter, when they are put to use clearing snow from roads. If you live in an area with a lot of snow, it is scarce to see a grader going unused, no matter what time of the year you find yourself in.

If you are interested in learning more about driving bulldozers or graders, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.

Most people think that they can recognize a bulldozer. If you show them a big, heavy tracked Caterpillar, they will correctly identify it. If you put that Caterpillar next to a wheeled front end loader with a dozer attachment and they will probably pick the big one or both. If you show the same person a front end loader on its own, however, you will find that a lot of people make the same mistake. One of the defining characteristics of the bulldozer is that it is a tracked vehicle.

Bulldozers are slow moving heavy vehicles that can operate in all weather conditions and on very rough terrain. The tracks allow the bulldozer to hold its own when lesser vehicles would slip or become bogged. They have all kinds of applications because of their robust nature. You will see bulldozers in mining applications, construction, demolitions, agriculture and even military. Heavily armored bulldozers with special blades can be used to clear minefields.

The type of blade that a bulldozer is fitted with depends largely upon the use for which it is intended. Traditionally bulldozers are used for pushing large loads of dirt. The basic blade types are (according to Wikipedia):

1. A Straight Blade (“S-Blade”) which is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used for fine grading.
2. A Universal Blade (“U-Blade”) which is tall and very curved, and has large side wings to carry more material.
3. A “S-U” combination blade which is shorter, has less curvature, and smaller side wings.This blade is typically used for pushing piles of large rocks, such as at a quarry.

If you are interested in obtaining your bulldozer certification, contact us at Associated Training Services. We have helped plenty of people, just like you, find their way into exciting careers in heavy equipment.

If you are new to bulldozers, then the term blade might seem a little odd. A bulldozer’s blade is the attachment that sits in front of the tractor. Most people are familiar with the standard curved blade that is used to push earth, but there are a few others that are quite common in certain circles.

Part of bulldozer certification is becoming familiar with the types and uses of different bulldozer blades. Different blades allow for very different functions and that is what makes bulldozers so versatile. You will become accustomed to the various blades and how to use them as a part of your training here at Associated Training Services.

Driving bulldozers is just about every kids dream and for the few of us adults lucky to enough to do it, it can be fun, rewarding work. It is immensely satisfying and relatively easy if you have the right type of training. Here at Associated Training Services, we prepare people for satisfying careers in heavy equipment operation including driving bulldozers and many other types of heavy equipment.

The following are just a few aspects of what a career as a bulldozer driver offers:

If you are in the construction industry as an unskilled laborer, chances are that you are living from paycheck to paycheck. That might not be an issue when you are getting started, but as people get older their priorities tend to change. If you are looking for an avenue in construction that offers a little more security and pays a lot more, without spending years as an apprentice, then training as a bulldozer operator could be the answer. Our experts at Associated Training Services (ATS) will get you up to speed with the technology and then get you out in the field in a simulated work environment. Once we are finished training you, you will be ready for a job driving bulldozers. Our job placement program will get you into a real position with a real company. Don’t put it off any longer.