Part of any heavy equipment training program is learning how to communicate and that holds true for excavator training as well. A construction site is a hectic and generally very noisy environment. Operators often need to communicate with other members of their word team and simply yelling won’t cut it – no one will hear you.

Take the situation where an excavator is working to cut away a trench. As the excavator digs, the operator manipulates the bucket so that they can dump the load directly into the back of a dump truck. Easy you may think – and it is, if you know what you are doing and if the truck driver knows what you are doing.

The dump truck will need to reverse to the right position. When in position, the excavator operator signals the truck driver to stop using his horn. Likewise, once the truck is full, the excavator operator will again use his horn to tell the driver to leave. Does each press of the horn mean the same? Not always. There is generally a system in place where one, two or three presses of the horn button have different meanings. Likewise, a long press and a short press.

All heavy equipment operators learn to communicate. There are sounds using the horn and hand signals that may be used by those at ground level. These are all part of a work site’s safety regime that ensures that all operators can communicate where necessary despite all the noise around them.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you trained and ready to work as an excavator operator in as little as three weeks. Take the first step to becoming an excavator operator by contacting us for more information on your heavy equipment training options.

Do you know what skills employers are looking for in excavator operators. Just as importantly, do you know what skills your excavator training organization is going to teach you? It makes sense, when looking at training programs for excavator operators, to find out who delivers training that provides graduates with the skills that employers are looking for.

Is there a basic set of skills that employers are looking for? It seems I have all the questions – do I have all the answers? I sure do.

When it comes to core skills, there are four that every heavy equipment operator needs to possess. These are:

• Soil knowledge. Can you differentiate between different soil types? This is an important part of any heavy equipment operator’s working day. Different soils can often require different approaches. Sandy soils, for example, may need support to prevent the sides constantly filling a trench.
• Safety. I think it is fairly obvious that safety issues would be up amongst the most important skills required by an operator. It is not just knowledge of safety that is important – it is the ability to work putting in place safety practices.
• Site layouts. Understanding blueprints and how to access sites under construction is also important. You cannot just barge in and start work. Often you have to navigate in and around other areas of the site to get to your part of the job.
• Heavy equipment maintenance. Like safety, heavy equipment maintenance is an important issue. Every hour of down time is an hour of lost income for an employer. If they are working to a tight schedule, the employer may be forced to hire in a replacement machine. Preventative maintenance is key area of any operator’s job.

Of course, those four core skills form the basis for other skills. The fifth skill that I haven’t mentioned is machine specific and that of course relates to actually operating an excavator. Can you actually use an excavator or can you just tell me how to operate one? Naturally, being able to competently operate an excavator is the important skill.

If you don’t have all of these skills, don’t worry. At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we have you trained and ready for the workforce in next to no time. Furthermore, you will have all the skills that employers are looking for.

Excavators are a part of the earth moving family but what are they exactly? Some people mistakenly refer to all digging machinery as excavators, backhoes included. This is not quite correct – excavators are machines in their own right and have distinct differences to other machinery like backhoes.

An excavator can be identified by several features. The first is a distinctive scorpion like appearance. The scorpions tail in this case is an articulated arm with a bucket attached to the end (other attachments can be used instead of a bucket). What makes an excavator different to a backhoe (the backhoe also has the articulated arm) is the platform the articulated arm is connected to. Forward of the articulated arm is an operators cab that also sits on the rotating platform.

The rotating platform of an excavator can rotate through 360 degrees. The platform sits on either a set of wheels, or more commonly a set of tracks. Excavators don’t have the same freedom of movement that a backhoe possesses but what it lacks in maneuverability it makes up for with shear digging capabilities. An excavator can dig a deeper and wider trench than backhoe over a similar period of time.

Like backhoes, excavators work in a variety of jobs including demolition, lifting and placing heavy materials especially pipes, for mining, river dredging, landscaping and of course digging trenches. You can find employment in excavators ranging from the mini excavator right up to huge excavators used in mining. Excavator training is generally undertaken as part of a broad heavy equipment training program that includes other earth moving equipment.

An interesting question that was put to me today by a youngster. Is an excavator operator just an excavator? Likewise, is a grader operator just a grader? I was waiting for that logic to flow through – is a bulldozer operator a bulldozer?

An excavator is someone who digs holes like trenches. The excavator, as a machine, is also something that digs holes like trenches. However, the person who is an excavator can dig trenches in many different ways. They can use a machine like an excavator or backhoe; they can use a shovel; they could even use a teaspoon – don’t laugh, some do when dealing with archeological excavations.

The catch, of course, is that although the person who is an excavator can use any number of implements, they may not necessarily be trained, qualified, or capable of operating an excavation machine. Excavator operators, on the other hand, can use a shovel or teaspoon to dig a trench.

With that conclusion in mind, excavator operators are excavators – however, excavators are not necessarily excavator operators. At least, not until they have received their excavator operator training.

Confused? No – good. Are you an excavator or an excavator operator? Children seem to spend half their childhood as excavators. Once they start to grow up, they leave the excavating behind them. If you have still got the excavator in you and you’re looking for a career that is interesting and well paid, consider the life of an excavator operator. You already know how to dig – learn how to do it on a machine instead.

Whether you are digging through topsoil, sand, clay or rock, the machine of choice generally is an excavator. However, employers don’t stay in business for long if they don’t make the right decisions. When it comes to digging holes, you need good operators and the right tools. When it comes to excavators, a good operator will struggle if required to use the wrong tools; having said that, having all the right tools won’t make a poor operator look good either.

Sourcing the right tools is the easy part. In fact the hardest part is probably sourcing the finance to pay for the tools. Excavators are certainly not cheap machinery, and that’s for a basic excavator. Once you start adding the various attachments, you are looking at a huge investment, an investment the business relies on to succeed.

With that in mind, businesses have an even tougher job; finding the right operator for their business and equipment. With so much money invested in equipment, the last thing the business needs is a poor operator who causes more damage than good. The longer a machine is ‘off the job’, the more money it is costing the business.

Good operators are not that scarce. It is finding them that can be difficult. Over time businesses develop a system, a system that often involves networking and word-of-mouth referrals. Training providers such as ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are often asked for referrals of their good students. Why? Because they have built a sound reputation for providing skilled graduates who are ready to work.

If you are seeking a career as an excavator operator then gain your skills through a training provider that is highly regarded throughout the industry.

Old hands will tell you that excavators in use today are far easier to operate compared to twenty years ago. Is it true? It is a question that is not as black and white as it first sounds. Yes, almost all heavy equipment is ‘easier’ to use compared to twenty years ago, but that is not the complete story.

Looking at the basic operations of heavy equipment, the technical improvements in areas such as hydraulics and electronics have certainly made the life of a heavy equipment operator easier. Machinery like motor graders, which used a steering wheel, required strength to operate. Power steering has changed all that – if the machinery has a steering wheel. Excavators were good workers but lack fine controls – most modern excavators now have that fine control. This means they can work to precise degrees of accuracy.

Of course, that is the standard day-to-day operation and yes, on that basis, modern excavators are easier to operate. However, modern excavators come with a range of attachments – the excavator is no longer just an excavator.

Attachments like a hammer turn the excavator into a large jack-hammer capable of breaking up hard material like rock or concrete slabs. Large claws can be attached and are used to pick up objects. Learning to operate these attachments takes a whole new set of skills – skills that operators of twenty years ago don’t possess.

A simple answer to the opening question would be to ask if today’s operators could operate the excavators of yesteryear and whether the operators from that era could operate today’s excavators. The answer – today’s operators probably could operate an excavator from twenty years ago. Unfortunately, the operators from twenty years could struggle with today’s equipment. Based on that response, you would have to conclude that today’s heavy equipment is technically more difficult to operate than those machines of twenty years ago.

Not only is the equipment more difficult, the training required to operate an excavator is more intense. This is one reason why it is important to undertake your training through a reputable heavy equipment training provider. If they are not accredited, be careful when handing over you money – you may not get what you are paying for.

How would you like to spend a day outdoors digging trenches? Sound like fun? Okay, here you go, here’s a shovel, let me know when your done!

What, you’re back already? Doesn’t sound like fun? – oh well, let’s get a bigger bucket then. How about a bucket that holds half a ton of dirt? Now we are talking business – and that’s a small bucket when it comes to excavators. Have you ever wondered what it is like to spend a day inside the cab with an excavator operator. It may sound boring, but in reality, it’s quite fun.

You need to be up early. Excavator operators can be at work at 6am – sometimes earlier. Some, by the way, are just finishing work for the night at 6am. Like all heavy equipment operators, excavator operators start by giving their equipment a walk around inspection. This includes fluid levels in hydraulics, brakes, oil and of course fuel.

Often, the excavator is already at the work site so it is a case of reviewing the current job to see where you need to be on the day. Once the excavator is positioned and the right attachment is secured, the excavator operator does another walk around, this time including safety aspects. If everything is as it should be, it’s time to start the job.

Excavator operators could be working on a different job each day, or on the one job for a whole year – or anything in between. They may work an 8 hour day, or they could be working 10-12 hour days. It all depends on their contract and how quickly the work needs to be completed in.

Digging a trench, is not a case of just digging. It is precision work – the trench is being dug for a reason and generally goes from A to B. The operator needs to ensure the trench is the right depth, the right width, and of course, does meet with the point marked as B.

Once the job has been completed for the day it’s time to pack away your equipment. This includes another walk around check for any damage. Another check of fluid levels and, if the equipment is being left on the job, securing the vehicle to prevent any accidents or theft.

A day in the life of an excavator operator is like most jobs. You start work, you have a general procedure to follow which includes doing the work required, then packing up and going home. Of course, most jobs don’t include wrestling with a 20+ ton piece of heavy equipment. If you would like to wrestle with an excavator then consider heavy equipment training as a new career move. You could be in the excavators hot seat sooner than you may think.

Excavators are doing so many functions these days that a comparison with 20, or even 10, years ago is almost impossible. Hammers, shears, thumps, and rotators – sounds more like characters from a kids cartoon series than a tool shed. But here is a quiz – which of those would you find in an excavator’s tool shed? Give up? Guess what, they can all be found in an excavator’s tool shed.

What has made excavating such an interesting career is that wide range of attachments. It goes beyond the attachments however. Think about what each of those attachments might do. Hammers hit, shears cut, rotators rotate and thumps, well let’s just say they thump. However, the action of each is very different. This means that over the years the excavators themselves have also changed.

Hydraulics has been one area of change but basic design has also changed with more emphasis placed on the sizes and size ratios of the booms and sticks. Human arms are a good comparison with the lower arm being proportional to the upper arm.

In fact, humans do make a good comparison. The cab is the human body, the boom represents the upper arm and is joined to the body at a shoulder like joint. The stick is like the lower arm and is joined to the boom with an elbow like joint, and the bucket or attachment is like the hand, joined to the lower arm at the wrist. Excavators also rely on muscles and tendons to do the work, the exception being the hydraulics that do the actual work.

If you can imagine a person with only one hand, their missing hand replaced, not by one, but by a wide range of attachments. The excavator has the same capability and the range of attachments is incredible – so too are the names. Undertaking a reliable excavator training program is worth while just to learn the jargon.

Being an excavator is a great career. You are operating a machine that is virtually an extension of your arm, only a thousand times more powerful.

Now here is an unusual vehicle and an unusual truck driving job – operating a vacuum truck. As the name suggests, it is a truck that has a vacuum attachment and just like your home vacuum, it is designed to clean up dirt. Instead of vacuuming carpet, the vacuum truck cleans up after an excavator has been hard at work – you could say it was an excavator’s best friend.

Excavators are good at what they do – excavate. There are a lot of different devices that can be attached to excavators, unfortunately some of them make life a little harder. There are specialized drill attachments. These are great for drilling holes but leave behind all the drill castings from the hole. Rather than change back to a bucket to remove these castings, a vacuum truck works with the excavator sucking up the dirt as it is removed from the drill hole.

Of course, excavators themselves can only do so much. Their buckets can dig trenches and remove a high percentage of the dirt, however, the remnants often need removing by hand, or by vacuuming. Imagine removing sand from a child’s sand pit using a bucket and spade. Eventually you will be left with small amounts – too small for the bucket and spade to be effective. You could use something smaller, like a teaspoon to get at that last little bit – or a vacuum cleaner to do the job quickly – the same is true in construction.

Are there special skills require to operate a vacuum truck – not really, just a commercial drivers license. It’s an unusual job but one that does what would normally take several men many hours to do using hand tools. If you’re ever at an excavation site – keep your eyes open to see if they are using a vacuum cleaner on wheels – the vacuum truck, an excavator’s best friend.

Going to a heavy equipment training school to undertake excavator training can provide you with a really good skills base. However, once you get out into the workplace, your training continues. Learning by doing is certainly one of the best options, however, sitting back and just watching the experienced operators at work can be a big lesson in itself.

It’s not restricted to excavators either. Just watch the experienced hands at work on bulldozers, graders or any other heavy equipment. The reason I picked on excavators today is because I took a little time yesterday to watch an excavator at work. They may be large cumbersome beasts, but there are a few little tricks that some operators pick up with experience.

The excavator I was watching had almost finished digging a large trench. It had about 10 feet left but was really cramped for any room to move. It certainly had difficulties extending its arm. One option was to send the excavator home and get either a smaller unit in or perhaps a backhoe. Of course, that takes time and you know what they say, ‘time is money’.

Here is where the experience of the operator came to the fore. He set about building a mound, only five or six feet high. Once completed, he navigated his excavator to the top of the mound. From an increased height of only five or six feet, he had the extra room to extend the excavator’s arm and complete the trench, the last part being only a few feet in front of the mound he had built. Where it would have taken a couple of hours to swap equipment, he had the job completed.

Of course, without a solid training base you will never come to appreciate the little tips that experienced operators can demonstrate. Excavator training by a quality heavy equipment training organization is a must if you ever hope to be in a position where your experience can be passed on to the next generation. You have to get the basics right before you can learn the more advanced processes.