If you have read any of our previous posts you will know that a bulldozer is a piece of heavy equipment that is designed to use muscle to scrape the surface and push dirt around. You could say they were the bully boys of a construction site. Nothing gets in their way, and I mean nothing.

However, that strength can also be used for other things. Some bulldozers can have their blade removed and a large scoop attached. To load dirt onto a truck, these bulldozers need hydraulic arms that can lift the scoop high enough to empty the contents into the truck.

Standard bulldozers have arms with limited movement. They can be moved within a narrow height band – some as high as the drivers cab, tilt the blade and angle the blade to the left or right. Raising the arms above their head is a different story – at least, for most bulldozers.

Having a scoop attached can certainly add to the versatility of a bulldozer. They can clear the area ready for construction, then, with a change from blade to scoop, load the pile of debris onto a truck. Of course, the operator would need heavy equipment training that covers both a bulldozer and a front end loader. That would combine the skills of both machines into the one job.

That’s all fine. But what would you call a bulldozer that can have a scoop attached? As you can see from the picture, they do exist and, taking the name bulldozer and front end loader into account, they are simply called dozer-loaders. There is another piece of trivia brought to you courtesy of ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools.

If you have ever wanted a career in the area of landscaping then you may want to consider starting by undertaking training on loaders. Loaders, particularly the smaller versions, are being used more frequently in landscaping because of their versatility.

When thinking about landscaping, most people think of gardens around the home. However, as our society starts to push the environmental buttons, various projects now require the inclusion of rehabilitation and landscaping targets before gaining approval.

Although these projects can run into many acres, bulldozers are too large and too cumbersome, especially for areas that have fragile ecosystems. Smaller vehicles such as loaders, small backhoes and bobcats are preferred. The demand for operators that are skilled in the use of these vehicles in sensitive areas will increase dramatically over the next decade.

If you have an environmental bent you can train on loaders, get some experience in rehabilitation projects and then start to specialize in the area of environmental landscaping. The rewards in both dollar and job satisfaction terms can be huge.

Even if you’re not interested in environmental issues, the use of heavy equipment in general landscaping is growing. Equipment like loaders enable landscapers to quickly carve the land to the required shape before using hand tools to finish off and start planting.

Loaders are also often used to assist with planting more mature vegetation. The scoop can carry the plant to the planting site and then help to lower it into it’s new home. Trees, for example, can be dug up and relocated in a few hours thus reducing plant stress and increasing its chances of long term survival.

Heavy equipment is not restricted to construction or mining sites. Smaller versions like loaders are filtering into many different work environments and landscaping is just one of them. If landscaping is a direction you are considering, why not consider training on loaders – those skills are increasing in demand rapidly.

Training on loaders used to be so boring. It often relied on you simply spending hours on end moving a pile of earth from A to B and when you were finished, moving it back again. These days, training on loaders has become far more interesting and doesn’t just rely on building hours in a loader operator’s seat.

When you undertake loader training now you find the course far more comprehensive and interesting than in years gone by. There is a requirement for you to undertake safety training – a requirement that could prevent you from entering a construction site unless you have completed it.

Safety of course is one issue. Now, when you get out into the field and work as a loader operator you are expected to know a lot more than just how to move that pile of dirt. There are basic, and sometimes not so basic, general equipment maintenance tasks and inspections that need to be undertaken – often on a daily basis.

Loader training now goes beyond simply operating a loader. Most heavy equipment training programs also include instruction on other machines such as a bulldozer, grader and backhoe. For the student, this has several benefits. First, and most importantly, you are not restricted to just one machine. You can obtain employment operating a much wider range of equipment.

Even if you wanted to specialize on a loader, knowing how other equipment works, what their limitations are and how they handle gives you a much better understanding of that equipment when they are working around you on a construction or mining site.

Today’s construction sites are often very different to those of the past. Operators move between various types of heavy equipment, particularly when construction is going on around the clock. If you’re looking for wheel loader training then contact the very best in the business – ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. We will get you started in the career of your choice.

When you sign on with the experts at Associated Training Services you’re sure to get the best in heavy equipment training whether tractors or loaders are what you want. Of course these are difficult times and the professionals at ATS know that, so they’re always ready to go the extra miles to help their clients get the best service possible from what they offer.

And when you see what they offer you’ll be sure to want to know more. First off, there is an element of ATS that really likes those old fashioned values of hard work and loyalty since the firm was first started by the father in 1959 and then passed on to his sons. And you know right away that a place that has all the experience of being run by the same family all those years will have perfected what they offer to their clients.

And what they offer is first class. The heavy equipment training that you’ll get here involves not only the classroom but hands on experience as well. These are the experts that can take you into the real life situations where you’ll get the kind of real experience that will put you ahead on the job site.

When you need to get the right training on tractors and loaders, you need to get together with the professionals at ATS. These are the experts that have the practical experience and pride to make sure that you get the very best training that ytou need.

When the going gets tough the tough get going. We’ve all heard the phrases before and it certainly applies to the people that have been forward thinking enough during this economic crisis to look for and get the training on loaders that’s provided here from Associated Training Services. These are the people that have seen how they can start a new career with the right heavy equipment training and how the approach offered here at ATS is the best in the business.

And that’s no surprise.

The owners at ATS are the result of a family business that was started in the 1950s to supply the very best in vocational training for the construction industry. And when the father passed the business down to his sons, there was no change in the dedication to the best heavy equipment training that goes on in the classroom and out in the field.

Granted, there is a cost associated with this kind of training, but to use another familiar phrase, you don’t get something for nothing. The people at ATS understand that to continue to supply the best training they need to have the best staff as well as the only top notch equipment on hand and they’ve also met these requirements with financing that’s available to help people who want to get the training on loaders that will help them start a new career.

Let’s face it. Even though the economy might be on the rebound, there’s still along way to go so getting training on loaders might be the best idea. Some people might think that’s a suggestion that’s a little out in left field but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
Rebuilding
One of the biggest areas where America is rebuilding is in the infrastructure on the roads and highways and according to the government, it’s a job that’s going to take years to finish. That means that there’s going to be jobs for the people looking for heavy equipment training in general and training on loaders specifically.
And that where the experts at Associated Training Services come in. These are the people that have the best staff in the business and the courses that combine classroom training with the kinds of hands on experience that you can only get from a place that’s been around as long as ATS.
They have all the angles covered when it comes to the best heavy equipment training in the business. They have all the right accreditation from the construction education sites that set them apart and they’ve even got the financial aid packages that can help you get the money you need to finish the courses that you start.

It’s a great time in America’s future to start looking at a fresh start and that means that it’s a great time to look at the training on loaders that you can get here.

As a general rule backhoes are machines that have an excavator type tool at one end and a front end loader type tool at the other end. If you undertake front end loader training then are you are completing the requirement for a front end loader as well as the loader tool on a backhoe. You will only need to undertake the excavator component of backhoe training to competent then to operate both machines.

Front-End Loaders are generally used for the movement or loading of sand, dirt, gravel, mud and other lose materials in a variety of work situations. Machine may be a traditional loader or loader end of a backhoe. Loaders can be used for digging but they are generally not efficient in that role. Loader training will take you through the various jobs that can be performed using a loader. As Mentioned in the preceding paragraph, loaders also form one half of a backhoe so it could be advisable to undertake backhoe training at the same time.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we take that concept one step further. We include loader training, backhoe training and training on a variety of other heavy equipment in to the one training package. This means that at the completion of your training you will be skilled in a variety of heavy equipment machinery.

Having the skills in a variety of heavy equipment has a couple of advantages. The first is that your employment options wide open. You are not looking for work for one type of machinery. Just as importantly, you may have decided that operating a loader was the job for you. However, with some training companies, fees are not refundable so once you start a loader training course, you have to complete it or lose your money – bad luck if you decide half way through that you don’t like loaders and that perhaps a backhoe training course would have been preferable.

Through ATS you are covered across the broad spectrum of equipment. From bulldozers through to excavators, from loader training to backhoe training. If you decide that loader training wasn’t really for you – no worries because tomorrow you may be doing backhoe training, or bulldozer, or excavator. You have to admit that is a great way to start a career in heavy equipment – find which equipment suits you by experiencing all of them – don’t we call that multi skilling?

One area where heavy equipment operators may see a rise in job vacancies is in the field of demolition. There are a lot of projects planned that will require the demolition of old buildings and the clearing of sites before work can commence. Since heavy equipment is often involved in the clearing of these sites it may open the door for new operators.

There are many different uses for heavy equipment when it comes to demolition. Most involve the use of specialized attachments such as grapples that are attached to excavators. These act like a hand to grab walls and other parts of buildings and, using brute strength, pull them down.

Bulldozers and front end loaders are brought in to clear the site. The bulldozer again uses muscle to push everything into pile. The loader is used to load the debris into dump trucks so it can be carted away from the site.

A demolition site can be a busy and dangerous place to work, however with appropriate safety training there can be few if any serious injuries.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can prepare you for a career as a heavy equipment operator. This includes safety training in all courses. Whether it is a career as a bulldozer, loader or excavator operator, we can provide the training. In fact you are trained in the workings of three with graders and other equipment added to ensure you leaved the school at the end of your training with well rounded skills on a variety of equipment.

Training on loaders is one way to start in the heavy equipment industry. After all, they are one of the most important construction, mining and quarry tools. By design, their primary function is short-distance load and carry, hence the name loader or wheel loader.

Having said that, not all loaders were created equally. In fact at last count they were over twenty different loader manufacturers with models ranging from the very basic to some very sophisticated modern mechanical beasts with exotic stick controls. Training on loaders, while sounding straightforward is still quite involved.

Loaders are material handlers and over the years manufacturers have found that they could satisfy more work places by changing the lifting arms and adding attachments. The advent of quick couplers has completely changed the wheel loaders and what they are capable of. Training on loaders now often includes a range of attachments designed to perform a wide range of tasks.

In the past if you wanted to dig a hole your choices were a shovel, track loader, excavator, or backhoe loader. If you wanted to grade you could use a bulldozer or a motor grader. Today when you look at a job it is not so much the type of machinery you are going to use, it is which attachment you need to complete the task.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools provide training on loaders as part of their heavy equipment training course. If you think a career as a loader driver is right for you then check out the information and video on our home pages.

The backhoe has to be one of the weirdest designs when it comes to construction equipment. It looks a little like a praying mantis, sitting ready to pounce. Despite it’s weird design, the backhoe is one of the most versatile and most effective machines in use.

Comprising of a small bucket on the front and a smaller square trench digging bucket at the back (hence the term backhoe), the backhoe can work in quite small spaces and can be found at some stage on most building sites, particularly smaller ones like housing developments.

The small square bucket is generally used to dig trenches for foundations or for services such as water and gas. The larger bucket at the front is used to backfill and to clean up around a site. Where the backhoe becomes the versatility king is in the attachments that can be added. The backhoe can be removed and replaced with attachments such as a digging spike used for breaking up rock and concrete.

If you were to take a small front end loader and cut it in half and then add a small version of an excavator, without the swiveling cab, you would have a backhoe. Experienced operators of excavators or front end loaders have little trouble operating a backhoe, the reverse is not generally the case.

For an interesting career as either a backhoe operators, front end loader operator or excavator operator then check out the training program available through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools.