Heavy Equipment Operators?

[PHeller]

Anyone?


This is looking more and more like a possible career avenue. I want to work for a parks or maintenance department in some sort of government or private company. The job has you outdoors, but not back breaking physical labor type of thing.


Anyone know anyone who does this?

 

[Redbird]

I don't know anyone personally, but my bro sells heavy equip. (skid steers, backhoes, etc.), and he's mentioned more than once that good operators make mad money.

I had a broken sewer line in my yard a month ago. He brought over a small backhoe to dig up the yard. I was getting a nice rythm going while operating it, and he was telling me I should become an operator and make more money than I do now.
He kept saying that right up until I hooked the water main and ripped it out of the ground... he hasn't mentioned it since

 

[ProSimex]

I spent a month and a half learning to use all sorts of heavy equipment dozers excavators ect.. Also learned how to drive transport at the same school. My big regret is that I went and drove truck instead of back-hoe. They're tons of fun to operate, I say go for it.

 

[DUEX EX]

crane operators make bank

 

[Rocan]

crane operators dont fuck around either. thats a hefty responsibility, and a hard job.

 

[crazypj]

I can fix it, spent 8yrs as site service 'engineer', water pumps, concrete pumps, excavators, generators, skid steer (Bobcats suck to work on)
Telehandlers are fun until they fall over, money was pretty good but working outside all weathers stops being fun when you get over 40 (shoveling a couple of feet of snow off machinery before you can work on it isn't ANY fun)

 

[iagsxr]

crane operators dont fuck around either. thats a hefty responsibility, and a hard job.

I'm a few days from being a retired crane operator.

Yea, it pays.

When things go right it's not even like work, playing trucks in real life.

Just remember you're responsible for the safety of everyone on site. When shit goes down, you're it.

 

[Rocan]

Just remember you're responsible for the safety of everyone on site. When shit goes down, you're it.

This.

I was talking to a family friend who worked welding offshore rigs for years. his first week on the job the foreman told him where the beer was and how to hand it to people. He thought the guy was screwing with him at first, but turns out it was how they trained people to watch out for swinging iron. crane guys have to count on the workers to stay out of the way as much as the workers count on the crane guy to put the piece where it needs to go.

 

[VonYinzer]

I work on/operate/maintain heavy equipment for a living. State certified on off road forklifts with 60ft booms (JCBs mostly, off topic but the guy who founded the company in England has a KILLER vintage race bike collection), JLG lifts, skidsteers, and though not certified have been running backhoes, dozers, etc for years. I unfortunatly took a shit job where I dont make anywhere as much as the actual operaters, but yes they do make a great living. That said, its not simple work. Theres a lot of training and responsibilty. I have nearly been crushed by a dozer because the fucking jerk wasnt paying attention and almost ran it into a trench I was working in. Do not for any reason think that its a cake walk. Most large modern machines have heat/radio/etc. Not all though. From a guy who has spent 10hrs a day in a backhoe in the middle of a jobsite in Feb (-5 deg out) it sucks. Not to mention the work it takes to keep that machine clean enough to operate. Plus greasing the 20+ fittings, and so on.

 

[4eyes]

Every old (over 50) dozer operator I have met has screwed-up joints and spine.
But most would do it all over again.