When talking to those who dream of a heavy equipment career, it can be hard work trying to get them to think realistically. As with most careers, you can’t expect to start at the top – after all, if you start at the top, the only direction you can go is down. Operating a large excavator or bulldozer is not out of the question, but you do have to get the basics right first and to then work your way to more responsible roles.

If you are considering a career in heavy equipment, start by thinking like an employer – who are you going to employ and what sort of jobs are you going to give them? Novices are obviously going to get the more mundane easy jobs. The harder task will go to those that have experience. Just remember, those experienced operators once started at the bottom, as you will. How they applied themselves to the various tasks then reflected in the types of jobs they were asked to do – the more they applied themselves and learned about their roles, the more difficult the tasks.

So starting with the basics then becomes important. Heavy equipment training that exposes students to a range of equipment and a range of tasks is the best start. Hands on training is obviously the best way to learn. Standing behind someone and watching them may teach you how to use the controls, but it doesn’t give you a ‘feel’ for the equipment. There is so much more to learn by actually sitting in the operator’s seat. Your hands and feet play an important role in ‘feeling’ what the equipment is doing – for example, is it straining, is it hitting rock, and what about the many other situations?

This is what is often termed ‘instinctive’ control of your equipment. Your body feels what is happening and acts almost before your brain clicks into gear. The more hands on experience you gain, the more control you will have over your equipment. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have been training prospective heavy equipment operators for decades. We can’t teach you ‘instinct’ – you develop that over time. We can, however, teach you to become highly proficient operators, ready to start in the work place and ready to gain that ‘instinct’ in the workplace. Your heavy equipment career starts by getting those basic skills right – and that’s where we can help you.

If you like variety in your career then backhoes are the answer when it comes to careers in heavy equipment. Loaders, while doing a range of jobs, really rely on the one instrument, a shovel. Excavators, while having a range of attachments that make the job more interesting, rely on a bucket. Bulldozer and graders rely on blades to get a job done. Backhoes, on the other hand, are multi-function machines.

For starters, backhoes have a bucket at one end and a shovel at the other so they perform the roles of both a loader and an excavator. Like an excavator, the backhoe also has a wide range of attachments that can perform a variety of tasks. Gaining backhoe skills also sets up an operator with the option of operating loaders or excavators as well should the need (or demand) arise.

In today’s workplace, being able to operate a range of equipment makes you a valuable addition to any workplace. Backhoes provide that career option. You could find yourself working on a housing project this week, a road building project next week, and a demotion project the following week. And that is just a taste of the types of work available.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools makes the task a little easier for you as well. Our heavy equipment training programs cover a range of equipment including loader, excavators and backhoes along with the traditional bulldozers and graders. If you’re looking for a career that has variety then consider a career as a heavy equipment operator, particularly a backhoe operator.

For many, a backhoe is weird look vehicle that has a bucket at one end and a scoop at the other. The bucket digs trenches like an excavator does while the scoop acts in pretty much the same manner as a traditional loader. In reality, operating a backhoe is far more complex. When it comes to buckets, there are a range of sizes that are interchangeable. This can range from a narrow 12 inch wide bucket to a fairly decent 40 inches – but interchangeable buckets are just the start.

The range of attachments is fairly broad. In fact, think of a device used in construction, logging or mining and their is most likely an attachment available for a backhoe that does the same job. Jackhammers, augers or drills, grapple hooks, logging tools – you name it, there is a tool available for the job.

As a backhoe operator, you will be expected to know how to change attachments. It would also help if you knew how to use each attachment. The latter is not so hard since the controls remain the same – change attachment, take five to get a feel for it, and away you go. Professional heavy equipment training is the key to understanding how to change attachments and to use many of them.

You can find professional training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. You can complete your training in as little as three weeks and be on your way to a career as a professional heavy equipment operator in next to no time – backhoes included.

Undertaking a heavy equipment training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools gives you one advantage – you receive training across a range of equipment. When it comes to working as a backhoe operator, you need to combine the skills of several units of equipment into one.

Backhoes are the odd one out when it comes to heavy equipment. At one end you have an excavator style digging tool while at the other end you have a loader tool – being proficient with an excavator and a loader would certainly be handy.

Backhoes are one of the most versatile units when it comes to heavy equipment and earth moving. Being wheeled vehicles, you will often see them driving down the road with their ‘back hoe’ folded in a little like a scorpion’s tail. Their ability to work in reasonably confined spaces is a help but their real value comes in the flexibility of the tools they can use.

Like excavators, there are scores of different types of tools that can be attached. There are also different types of scoops at the opposite end of the vehicle – some that can be opened at the bottom for faster emptying. Having a broad range of skills then is essential if you wish to become a proficient backhoe operator. Those skills can only be obtained through training followed by experience on the job.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, we take a holistic approach. Your backhoe training is important and needs to be across a range of equipment. Just as importantly, being able to quickly find employment where you can use your newfound skills will help to hone them. We don’t just train you, we also help you find this employment through our career services department. Put together, this means you can become a highly proficient operator in a very short time.

When it comes to running a business, particularly a heavy equipment business, there is no such thing as ‘spare time’. If equipment is not earning money, it is most likely costing money and no business can afford that. This is one of the reasons that loaders and backhoes are so popular – they are versatile enough to put to a lot of different tasks. Backhoes can do much of the work of both loaders and excavators, but what of a loader, what can it do?

Loaders are more versatile than some people would imagine. The next time you’re out and about, you should keep your eyes open for heavy equipment to see what sort of jobs they are doing. For loaders, they have been known to attach mowing equipment to cut grass over large areas. On construction sites, loaders are often used to ferry heavy items, particularly if they need to be lifted a few feet into position. Why call a crane in for one job when a loader is there and available?

There are many tasks that a loader can perform, it’s really the skills of the operator that determine many of its limitations. Skilled loader operators are always in demand. For an operator, while cutting grass on the side of a highway may not sound interesting, it does require skills that are very different to, say, loading a dump truck with debris. The alternative jobs that can often be asked of a loader operator provide variety and remove some of the monotony of the job.

Loader operators are always in demand. If you are looking for a change in career, enjoy working outside and find operating heavy equipment like loaders appealing then contact us at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools for more information on heavy equipment training.

Sometimes we downplay the role of excavators and their work digging trenches. After all, digging trenches doesn’t really sound interesting. Mining, demolition and other jobs can sound far more interesting; however, there is no denying the important role that excavators play in servicing our nation. Today, when a new housing estate is being built, most of the services to each home are there because of the work of an excavator.

Waste water leaving the home; fresh water, electricity and telephone going in to the home; they are all provided using below ground connections. Those below ground connections are there because of the expert work undertaken by excavator operators. If you think about it, digging trenches is more than just digging a hole. The trench needs to be accurately dug so that all connections meet where the plans indicate. If they don’t, repairers will have problems in years to come, locating the pipes when required.

Trenches for waste water, fresh water and electricity (and often gas) are normally dug at different levels. Working as an excavator operator means you need to work as part of a team, be able to read and follow plans, and be able to operate with precision. This requires skills and experience. However, all excavators start somewhere and that is where heavy equipment training plays its role.

By undertaking a professional heavy equipment training program you develop a set of basic skills that enable you to work as an excavator operator. Over time, you will develop skills in certain tasks to the point you could be called an expert. This may well be digging trenches and helping to deliver services to our new homes. Excavator operators – without them our housing would develop at a snail’s pace!

Demolition sites are one place that backhoes really do earn their keep. Being one of the most versatile pieces of heavy equipment in use today, they can do everything from pulling down walls to breaking up concrete and then finish the job by loading it all on to dump trucks. I have seen backhoes do a complete demolition job on houses without the help of any other equipment.

Working with a backhoe on a demolition site really does test out a wide range of backhoe operator skills. Pulling walls down is not that difficult. However, changing attachments and using them to complete other tasks is another matter. Breaking up concrete using the equivalent of a large jackhammer is one task, using grabbers to lift large items into dump trucks is another. Backhoe operators are possibly the most multi-skilled of any heavy machinery operator – they are at least on a par with excavator operators who use similar attachments.

Training to become a backhoe operator is not that difficult. In fact, at ATS Heavy Equipment Operators Schools we can have you trained and ready for the workplace in as little as three weeks. That includes training on a range of equipment including a backhoe.

Demolition work is not easy. It requires skills and the ability to foresee problems that may arise. Safety is always a big issue with demolition sites often having higher injury rates than construction sites. If demolition work is a field that you would like to enter, consider training to become a backhoe operator. It’s a field of work where your learning never stops.

It may be March and spring may be in the air but try telling that to the residents of Homer in Alaska. They had to call on every grader in the area to help clear out several feet of snow that had fallen in a late blizzard. One of the joys of operating heavy equipment like road graders is that you never know what sort of job you could be called on to do next.

For the people of Homer, I am sure they are happy to have had graders and grader operators in their midst. Mind you, many of the students may not have been. Their schools were closed for the first time in over 20 years and it wasn’t until road graders had cleared the way that they could re-open. For those of us in warmer climates, moving snow at this time of the year is probably the last thing on our mind.

Becoming a grader operator is not as difficult as many people would imagine. A three week heavy equipment training program will provide sufficient skills and knowledge to gain a start in the workforce. From there, it’s really a matter of gaining as much experience as possible. With experience comes more knowledge and over time experience in more trying conditions.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools deliver nationally accredited training in a wide range of equipment including road graders, excavators, bulldozers and backhoes. Each training course runs for three weeks and we have training schools across the country. If you are interested in operating heavy equipment like road graders (perhaps not in Alaska), then give us a call. We can advise on course start dates and heavy equipment operator school close to your location.

Across the nation right now you will find hundreds of backhoe operators hard at work digging out foundations for new buildings and new homes. Backhoes are one of the key tools used by builders to prepare the way for their construction gangs. When you think about it, backhoes are perfect for the job. They can clear the area using their front scoop then turn around and use their buckets to dig the required trenches.

Backhoe operators have one of the most varied jobs out of all the heavy equipment operators. They need to be able to work as a loader operator using the scoop and then turn around in their seat and to start working as an excavator operator. Like excavators, backhoes come with a range of attachments that can be used for all sorts of jobs.

Heavy equipment training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools prepares students for work as backhoe operators. Not only do you gain experience and training using a backhoe, you also gain experience and training using front end loaders, excavators and bulldozers and that is just to name a few. This provides graduates with a broad range of skills and for backhoe operators, prepares the well for the workplace.

If you are looking for a change of pace, a change in careers, and to get out into the great outdoors then a career as a heavy equipment operator could be just the ticket. Training only requires three weeks of your time – three weeks that will set you on the path to a brand new career.

Grader operators are amongst the best paid when it comes to heavy equipment operators. Their average pay checks are ahead of excavator operators with bulldozer operators coming in third. All three work in positions that demand a high level of precision when it comes to a finished job. Grader operators are probably recognized as having a tougher task when it comes to precision earth moving and that is reflected in their pay checks.

Wages for grader operators can be anything from $30,000 to $80,000 depending on the skills, years of experience, job requirements and job location. Excavator operators have an earning potential of between $30,000 and $70,000, again dependent on those attributes. However, excavator operators that advance to the giant mining excavators can earn even more.

For a career that starts with just three weeks of training, you have to admit those wages are a fairly good return on your investment. When looking at fees for career courses, that is how you should assess them – they are an investment (along with your time) and like all investments, you need to look at the return. I don’t know many investments that could return those dividends.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools provide heavy equipment training that encompasses graders, excavators and bulldozers along with several other units of heavy equipment. Our courses are conducted over a three week period and include behind the controls and classroom instruction. Our aim is to have you ready to enter the workforce at the end of that three week training period. With potential earnings of over 50k, you must admit the return on your investment could be well worth the effort.