One of the busiest machines on a construction site is often the backhoe. Being so versatile, they can perform any number of jobs, and that makes them valuable to any business. The more experience a backhoe operator has on a variety of jobs, the more valued that operator becomes.

Backhoes are unique in the heavy equipment field. They can perform a lot of the work that an excavator does, and they can perform a lot of the work that a loader does. With the right attachments, a backhoe can even perform light bulldozing work. To add to their value, backhoes can be quite nimble, working in smaller areas than their larger counterparts.

To work as a backhoe operator, you need the skills that encompass both an excavator and a loader. When looking at training options, the ideal training program will give a student access to all three pieces of equipment along with some time on alternates like a bulldozer and grader. This gives the operator a broad exposure to heavy equipment whilst allowing them to concentrate on the skills requires to operate a backhoe.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools deliver training across a range of machinery including:

Backhoes
Wheel Loaders
Scrapers
Excavators
Bulldozers
Road Graders

If you’re interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, then contact us for more information on available training programs. You’ll find more information on our training programs including how to apply on our main website. Training programs start on a regular basis with students graduation ready for employment in as little as three weeks. Our career services department is there to help graduates find their first job in the heavy equipment industry – that’s everything a person requires to launch themselves into a new career in this industry. If the backhoe isn’t quite what you’re looking for, then you can try your hand at bulldozers, graders or anyone of a dozen other pieces of heavy equipment.

There used to be a saying when I was younger – “a jack of all trades yet a master of none.” It was a phrase that pointed to a person who could do a lot of work across a variety of skills, yet they didn’t have a piece of paper to say they were qualified in any trade. When it comes to heavy equipment, backhoes are the jack (or Jill) of all trades – except you can say they were a master of all as well.

Backhoes bring together the power of an excavator, and that includes many of the attachments that excavators use, and the strength of a front end loader. Backhoes actually remind me a little of a scorpion – a mouth at the front and stinging tail at the back. In fact, that’s where they get their names from. Back hoe meaning the excavator bucket is at the back of the vehicle.

As an operator, there are a number of differences between a backhoe and other heavy equipment. To begin with, large backhoes are articulated – that is, they are joined in the middle with a pivoting point. Reversing a backhoe is a little like reversing a trailer. Good backhoe operators are in high demand because of the versatility that backhoes bring to a work site. They can be used to dig trenches, and then, using the loader scoop, fill the trench in again once a job has been completed. They can also be used to quickly remove any excess dirt or building material.

Learning to operate a backhoe is not difficult; in fact, I’d suggest you also learn how to operate an excavator and loader at the same time. This will ensure you have several skills you can rely on when working for an employer. You really will be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades then – and master of them as well.

Safety is an important issue in any workplace. Construction brings many dangers, however, for some heavy equipment operators, safety becomes a bigger problem when they are working away from a construction site. There are dangers everywhere in life, yet as you go about your daily business, are you aware of the dangers both above and below you?

Excavator operators need to be more observant than most since those above and below dangers are ever-present. Looking up and staying alive is a common theme in heavy equipment training programs. Why look up? Overhead power lines are everywhere and they represent a major danger to heavy equipment operators. Bring down live power lines and you could create all sorts of problems. To begin with, your equipment could be become ‘live’. If you try to escape, you run the risk of being electrocuted. Stay, and there’s a risk of fire, more so if those live power cables are sparking.

That’s above. What about below? Hidden below your feet are all the service pipes carrying water, sewage, sometimes telephone or power, and gas. The latter is a major cause for concern since a minor break in a pipe could lead to a major explosion – and we have seen a few of these in recent years.

Running into problems with overhead power lines or underground services can cause problems for operators, particularly crane and excavator operators who frequently raise their equipment well above eye level. Those problems also create huge problems for residents and businesses. Loss of power is one thing, being evacuated because of a dangerous gas leak is ever more of a problem.

Most reputable heavy equipment training programs include study of these issues and how to prevent incidents from happening. Workplace safety is a big issue today, so you do need to ensure you receive the best training possible before entering the workplace. If you can remember to look up when using your heavy equipment, and to check on the location of underground services, you should be able to avoid problems. Plow in without any thought, and you’ll most likely cause problems for yourself and those around you.

If you are looking for a career in heavy equipment that offers real variety, then a backhoe could be the perfect choice. Backhoes don’t just offer variety, they depend on operators that are multi-skilled in many different types of work. Whilst the most common operations will be working as a loader or ‘excavator’, backhoes are frequently called on to perform other activities using a variety of different attachments.

To begin with, backhoe operators need to be competent using their equipment to dig trenches and similar excavations. They will also need to be competent using a backhoe to move material around a work area and to load material onto trucks. Over time an operator will learn how to use various attachments for tasks such as breaking up dirt or concrete blocks, and perhaps even the demolition of buildings.

Backhoe operators are well served learning to operate three different machines; a loader, an excavator, and the backhoe itself. The backhoe brings together the best of both a loader and excavator, however, being a combined unit, the backhoe can be a little trickier. At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, we provide students with hands on training on a variety of machinery including loaders, excavators and backhoes. Upon completion of their training, heavy equipment operator graduates are well prepared for entry level employment operating their chosen piece of machinery.

Heavy equipment careers are lucrative and the expectation in years to come is for a shortage of skilled operators. This is due to a workforce that is aging and retiring, and the annual retirement rate is greater than the number of new recruits coming into the industry. Act now and you’ll be in high demand in years to come as you gain valuable experience. Backhoe operators will certainly be in high demand, more so because of their versatility.

One of the mysteries of heavy equipment is the name given to a backhoe. After all, the ‘backhoe’ is just one half of the equipment, the other half being a standard loader. More interesting is the fact that the ‘backhoe’ sits at the rear of the equipment, and it’s the loader end that does most of the actual ‘driving’ around.

Putting the name issue aside, becoming a backhoe operator is a popular option for many because of the multiple skills involved, and the diversity that comes with a job. Effectively, you are trained as an excavator operator and loader operator. In fact, for many backhoe operators, those two pieces of heavy equipment are their fall back jobs should they find it difficult to find backhoe jobs.

In today’s climate, that is not a frequent problem. Many backhoe operators go to the next level becoming owner operators. Because of a backhoe’s versatility, there is always plenty of work available for owner operators, and the heavy equipment itself can be picked up at a reasonable price – certainly at a price that makes being an owner operator attractive.

To become a backhoe operator, you will need to complete a heavy equipment operator’s training program. This is a training program that exposes students to a range of heavy equipment, backhoes, loaders, and excavators included. A good heavy equipment training program will also include non-operational components such as soil knowledge, maintenance and fault finding, safety and site layouts. Those extra knowledge based areas are what makes for a well rounded heavy equipment operator.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, our aim is to produce heavy equipment operator graduates who are ready to start work from day one. Our operators have the knowledge and skills to succeed, and employers acknowledge this by coming to us on a regular basis looking for good recruits. If you’re looking for a job with diversity, then operating a backhoe certainly delivers.

As with all heavy equipment, an operator using an excavator must be aware of his surroundings at all times. He must also follow all safety precautions and protocols established for the site. This is essential for excavator safety and remaining accident free on the work site.

Prior to starting the excavator, a visual inspection should be performed as part of an excavator safety program. This inspection should include testing the horn and audible reverse alarm. It should also include an inspection for loose or broken parts that should be fixed prior to use.

Most accidents regarding excavator safety occur when an excavator comes in contact with a pedestrian worker. Workers can get hurt by being hit by an excavator when it is driving or lowering its bucket. The best way to avoid these types of accidents is to set up barriers to separate the excavator’s path and the path of workers on foot. These barriers should be a physical barrier (perhaps fencing) that will separate the excavator from the workers. When this is not possible a properly placed signaler must be used to ensure proper excavator safety is used when moving in these pedestrian areas.

Excavator safety is important to all people on the work site. As a result, all workers on the site should be trained regarding safety issues for that particular work site. Where are the uneven areas or high drop offs on the site? Are there power lines buried or over head, and if so, how are workers being alerted of them? It takes the support and awareness of the entire crew for a work site to attain truly effective excavator safety.

Many people think they have it all figured out when it comes to picking out their profession. But often, they have no idea what a worker in that field really does on a day-to-day basis. A quick review of what a Heavy Equipment Operator does may help in this decision making process.

Operators are generally going to be working at a construction site, an industrial site or a road paving site, so for the most part the job will be outside in the elements. A Heavy Equipment Operator may operate numerous pieces of machinery such as: excavators, loaders, bulldozers, scrapers and more. Other operators might become highly effective with one piece of equipment and focus their efforts on just that facet of the job.

Another aspect of the Heavy Equipment Operator’s job is the physical work — very rewarding work, but tough none the less. An operator has to have good balance and physical strength to maintain control of his equipment in rough terrain. He also has to have great eye-hand-foot coordination to ensure he can manipulate the equipment with the precision necessary to complete the project. At times, an operator may need to even climb down off of his equipment and help the laborers to get a job done.

One overlooked and less glamorous part of the job is the maintenance and cleaning of the equipment. Minor repairs are often required to be made by the Heavy Equipment Operator on site to ensure the work schedule is maintained. When needed, the equipment will need to be cleaned by the operator to ensure it is maintained in working order at all times.

The life of a Heavy Equipment Operator can be a great one with good pay and a true sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. But, as with anything in life, great rewards come from hard work and responsibility, and the life of a Heavy Equipment Operator epitomizes this phrase.

Winter is a testing time for many heavy equipment operators. It’s hard enough trying to work through frozen ground; operators often having to turn to specialized attachments such as rippers. The presence of snow and ice also makes the ground quite slippery and this can be of real concern when it comes to heavy equipment safety.

Here’s a fact that many people don’t realize – snow, especially compacted snow, is actually a lot heavier than dirt, even waterlogged dirt. This extra weight needs to be taken into account when working in these conditions – a loader may easily handle a bucket of dirt, but may struggle with a bucket of compacted snow (depending on the size and power of the loader of course). While working in freezing conditions is hard, that is just one of the difficulties operators encounter.

Most modern heavy equipment includes climate controlled operator cabs. This means an operator can work in conditions that are quite comfortable, temperature-wise. This can cause its own problems since an operator will find it difficult to relate to the cold external conditions – and cold does affect machinery.

For heavy equipment operators, special attention has to be paid to their equipment before they start work. Extreme overnight conditions can wreak havoc on their equipment, freezing pipelines, especially hydraulic lines, and, in some cases, creating problems with metal stress. Bulldozer and grader blades can often develop hairline cracks while excavator and backhoe operators often find that teeth on their excavating buckets are damaged.

Heavy equipment safety is an important issue in winter. Pre-start-up checks need to be thorough, and maintenance issues need to be dealt with immediately. Ideally, heavy equipment would be stored in a covered and heated environment each night in winter – that’s not practical in today’s world, so operators need to be particularly vigilant. While heavy equipment training can prepare future operators for these conditions, it takes hands on experience to really understand how trying winter can be to both man and beast.

When learning to operate heavy equipment, there are five machines that you should spend as much time on. These five form the core of heavy equipment in use around the country and are generally the machines that most new operators are likely to work with. These five also form the basis for most other heavy equipment since the skills developed on these machines are easily transferable to other machinery. The five basic units are:

• Bulldozers – learning to operate a bulldozer really does teach a number of important skills. The two most important are controlling tracks (rather than wheels) and learning about dirt – yes dirt. Moving earth depends largely on the type of dirt you are working with, and what obstacles are in your path – for example, large boulders and tree stumps.
• Loaders – loaders are generally wheeled vehicles, however, some are articulated which can take time to get used to. You will also learn perception skills when loading trucks with a bucket load of materials. You need to get it in the truck accurately, without knocking the truck around.
• Excavators – while excavators are considered ditch diggers, those ditches require real skills. Again, earth reacts differently and operating an excavator can teach some of the finer skills required to work in some environments.
• Backhoes – this has become one of the most popular machinery in use. It combines the skills of both an excavator and a loader.
• Graders – while bulldozers do the grunt work, graders do the fine finishing work. Operating a grader can be technically challenging and it is through this training that site plans and grades become important.

If you can learn to operate each of those machines well, then you’ll be assured of a successful career as a heavy equipment operator. You will also lay a solid foundation for new skills and a range of similar heavy equipment. Heavy equipment training should be the place where those solid foundations are built.

The last twelve months seem to have been one of devastation when it comes to natural disasters. Turkey’s recent earthquake, those in New Zealand, the violent floods in Australia, and our problems with hurricanes, tornadoes and storms have all left their marks. When the frantic efforts of rescuers and home owners finally abates, everyone is left wondering about the rebuilding required. Invariably, the first workers called into these areas are the heavy equipment operators.

Bulldozers are generally the first called to action, leveling sites, clearing away the damage, and turning what was a scene of devastation into a clear plot of land ready for rebuilding. You will often see loaders, excavators and backhoes joining in; the loaders and backhoes filling dump trucks with debris while excavators help to pull down buildings and break up walls, floors and sometimes ceilings.

This can be dangerous work so operators need to be well trained highly experienced to work on these rebuilding projects. Our role as heavy equipment trainers is to prepare students for a career in heavy equipment that could one day see them involved in these projects. When training students, we pay special attention to workplace safety, first by ensuring our students are learning in a safe environment, and secondly, by passing on the necessary skills and knowledge required to work safely.

Training should also involve as much time as possible in the operator’s seat actually moving earth, not just practicing in the air. When a student graduates from a heavy equipment training school, they should be ready for entry level employment in the industry. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools has a reputation for providing industry with graduates who are work ready, who do have sound skills, and are trained to work safely. With a good grounding in heavy equipment operations, it doesn’t take long to build up the experience required to work on natural disaster rebuilding projects.