Today’s heavy equipment is built to high standards. Maintenance is an important area and almost new equipment has been designed in such a way that maintenance points are easy to access, thus reducing down times.

Where heavy equipment has really moved ahead is in cabin design. I has gone totally ergonomic. Seats with 5,6 or seven different seating positions, reinforced lumbar support and rotating for easy movement is just the start.

The viewing area in the cabs of most modern heavy equipment is 360 degrees. In other words, you have a reasonably clear view of everything, from the seating position, by just rotating the chair.

Other ergonomic features include dials and guages that are prominent and easily read, hand controls with ergonomic grips, and ventilation and temperature control. The working life of a heavy equipment operator is almost one of luxury – the only thing missing is the room service.

If this is the life for you – consider undergoing a training program through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools – a new career in heavy equipment awaits you.

A mobile crane operators job can be hectic generally starting each day at the yard where you pick up your work schedule for the day.

Once you have your work schedule, you will need to give the mobile crane a quick but thorough maintenance and safety check. Obviously, you need to get it done before you get out on the job – it’s no good finding a problem on the job and having to return to the yard.

Jobs for mobile crane operators are generally short, often completed in half a day, or a full day at the most. Once you arrive at the job you will need to quickly assess the situation, the ground you will be operating on and what is to be lifted. You will probably have to set blocks to balance and brace the crane.

If required, you will need to assemble some of the crane’s rigging. Once completed, and the crane has been set up to perform the task, you are set to go. Using either radio and/or hand signals, you can start to actually do the job. This requires good hand/eye/feet coordination as they are all used to manipulate the crane.

Once the job has been completed, you will need to reverse many of the above steps. There will also be paper work to complete. Possibly a job sheet or work order and a log book. Then it’s either off to the next job, or back to the yard.

It may not sound exciting, but a mobile crane operators jobs are varied and interesting and can often test your skills. Thorough training is required to operate a mobile crane proficiently to get the job done. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can help you acquire those skills and start a career as a mobile crane operator.

Some heavy equipment machines use tracks rather than wheels. These machines cannot be driven on standard roads for several reasons. First, they are fairly slow moving, secondly, and more importantly, they could cause serious damage to the surface. A third reason is simple, size. Some heavy equipment is just too wide to be transporting down a highway without causing major traffic interference.

Transporting

To transport this heavy equipment, a flatbed or lowboy tractor trailer is used. The machine is driven up onto the flatbed and securely fastened. The tractor tows the flatbed to the next job site where the process is reversed.

Driving a tractor-trailer may be a requirement of your job description as a heavy equipment operator. Some employers want you to be able to take the equipment out to a job site, get the job done and then move onto the next job. To be able to deliver this job requirement, you need to undertake two tasks.

Your major task is to sit for an obtain a Class-A (Tractor Trailer) Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL). To achieve this, it is recommended you complete a tractor-trailer course that covers not only the operation of the tractor-trailer but the safety requirements as well.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools provide tractor-trailer training to provide the knowledge and skills required to achieve your commercial driving license.

If you travel around as much as I do you will often see the signs. “Crane Operator Wanted”; “bulldozer operator wanted”. If I was a few years younger I would be jumping at the chance.

One of the real benefits of undertaking heavy equipment training is the versatility, and freedom, it offers. If your young, free, and want to see the world, or at least the country, then a qualification as a heavy equipment operator could be your pass to freedom.

You can, and many in the industry do, move from one job to another as you move around the country. There are also many overseas countries that recognize the training, if not the training, then the skills developed on the job.

Wherever there is growth, new buildings, new roads, new mines or land being cleared, they will need heavy equipment operators. If you think about it, a bulldozer made in Germany is going to be the same the world over. It is just the local rules and safety issues that need to be learned.

If you want to travel the world then get your start by undertaking the training at ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.

One question that is often asked about heavy equipment is, “why does some machinery use tracks whilst others use standard wheels?”.

The answer is not as straightforward as some may think. Tracks first off, are the propelling devices similar to those used by army tanks. If you think about the size of some of the heavy equipment, in particular the weight; and then compare that to the surface they are working on; you may get some understanding.

Tracks distribute the weight along the base of the machine. Wheeled units distribute the weight across axles. Wheels can easily get stuck in mud, sand or clay surfaces; tracks can move over these surfaces with ease.

Wheeled heavy equipment can be easily overturned when carrying a load and hitting a large bump in the surface – either that or snap an axle. Tracks glide over these rough surfaces without any real problems.

Where wheeled heavy equipment does have an advantage is that it can often be driven on main roads. Tracked vehicles would cause too much damage on these surfaces. Ironically, when preparing a building site, a tracked vehicle can cause less damage to the soft surface than a wheeled vehicle.

Heavy equipment comes a number of different configurations. Ideally you should learn to operate both the tracked and wheeled units. Steering is completely different in a tracked unit. Wheeled units are steered much like a standard motor vehicle. Tracked units often use foot pedals to steer and change direction by changing the speed and direction (forward, stop, reverse) of the tracks independently.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can take you through the different types of heavy equipment, both tracked and wheeled. Send an inquiry and see what courses suit your needs.

For many individuals, a career change appears to be out of the question. They are often in a situation where mainstream finance is not available, general savings insufficient, and an income that is required to look after a family. Whilst a career as a crane operator may be perfect, you options are often limited financially.

It need not be so. There are many finance options available to students who are struggling to b=pay for a course. There are many State and Federal grants available and you may fit into one of these categories.

If grants are not an option, ATSN Schools offer several tuition financing options, each designed to make it easy and affordable to enroll in any of our training programs. Career loans can be used to pay for tuition, hotel, and other living expenses.

Feel free to contact us to find out whether any of these options are suitable for your situation. Of course, your first steps could be to take up our free online training course. That will at least get you started in the right direction whilst we help you determine the right finance options. A career as a crane operator is just around the corner.

Mobile cranes are responsible for a large number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the workplace each year. One of the most common accidents is the situation where a crane comes into contact with overhead power lines. Other accidents include loads that are dropped and cranes overturning.

As a mobile crane operator you have the right, in fact the responsibility, to refuse to lift any load if there is any question about safety and the safe load limits given the environmental conditions at the time. It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that all operators have received proper safety training.

Ultimately, it comes down to the crane operator. If you are working close to overhead power lines, you should be constantly watching to ensure you don’t make contact. If your vision is obstructed, you should request a signaler to can advise you about your location and the location of the overhead power lines.

Safety training is important to all heavy equipment operators. Crane operators require safety training that is directed to their field, that is, the operation of a crane.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools we take safety training seriously and include safety components in all heavy equipment training. Crane operations may be dangerous, but then all heavy equipment has a degree of danger attached. Make sure your training includes all the safety aspect required.

Many heavy equipment training schools have terms or semesters. To obtain a training place, you need to wait until the next training period begins.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools you have two options, you can start training online immediately, or you can check our training calendar. We start training every Monday rotating the various courses. Essentially, you can start on any Monday (except public holidays).

However, providing dates to start is not the most important issue. My response to this questions is very simple. You can start when you are ready to start learning how to operate heavy equipment.

Training in a new field of endeavor takes real commitment. You need to want to learn in that area – in this case, you need to want to learn how operate heavy equipment.

Learning a new field is not difficult if your heart is in it. Training becomes difficult when you really have no interest in the subject matter an your just going through the motions. If your ready to start a career as a heavy equipment operator, then let us arrange your training.

As the construction industry continues to expand the need for suitably qualified crane operators grows. Although the construction is sensitive to changes in economic conditions, the number of job openings is expected to rise due to the aging work force.

The pay rates for crane operators varied depending on the type of work required. Those working on high rise buildings earning considerably more than those operating the smaller cranes. Pay rates in 2006 were between $15 and $25 per hour with a median of around $19.

Growth in employment is expected to be around 3% per year, however when you take into account the flow of workers in and out of the industry, it is expected that around 5% of will need to be trained on an annual basis.

Crane operators are in high demand across the country with pay rates well above national averages. Employers are preferring to hire new employees that are already trained in crane operations and are ready to be productive from day one.

If a rewarding and lucrative career as a crane operator sounds good to you, then perhaps you should investigate training to gain the skills required to find employment. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have an impressive record in the training and employment of all heavy equipment operators include crane operators.

Most people view bulldozers as dirt pushers, and they are right. Essentially, that is all they are. They have a lot muscle and heavy blade and their role in life is to ‘push dirt’ and lots of it. What most people don’t realize is that a bulldozer has a variety of blades to do a variety of jobs. It is not a one blade fits all all situation.

Standard blades are high and wide with a slight curve forward at the top of the blade. The blades often have a slight inward camber on either side as well. Together, as the bulldozer works across the ground, the material being moved is takes on a rolling action. The inward curve at the top forces the material forward all the time. The side cambers keep the material inside the blades and not washing out to the sides.

Another popular blade is the slightly U shaped blade. This too rolls the material being moved in a forward action. These blades are often used in forestry since the U shape matches the shape of logs. The logs are basically rolled along by the bulldozer.

A third blade is much flatter and has a tough cutting blade. This is used to slice through the surface and is used for removing a lot of earth very quickly. It is also useful for clearing land as it cuts through everything it encounters.

Bulldozers are simple but very effective machines for moving large amounts of material. It does so pushing rather than carrying. The life of a bulldozer operator is interesting given the variety of job they can be asked to do.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools has courses that cover the operation of bulldozers. If a career as a bulldozer operator appeals to you, drop in and have a look, request a dvd or perhaps a free brochure on heavy equipment operations.