New to Big Dozers--Read Please.:)

So after spending most of my time on the brand new d4LGP. I finish graded 7 building pads in two days with it. I loved it. However this morning i got a surprise. Let me tell y'all about it

So this morning ( yes sunday morning ) I rode out to the job about a half hour away to see what kind of effect the rain we're getting is having on the job. I get there and i see our two lowboys at the bottom of the hill with what looked like a brand new dozer on them. And our my boss/owner standing on the lowboy. Looked like he was writing on it to me.

So when i get closer i noticed that it is a BRAND new D8T. I knew we had spots on this job and others that had 40' cuts and big fills. But i just figured we would keep running scrapers/haul trucks.

So he calls me off to the side and says " Michael listen, your young, but im not sure that any of our other guys could have built a 7 foot tall 114 footlong wall without ever doing it before. Doing it in two weeks. And finishing a job that i bidded for a month's worth of work in three weeks. With two men. That tells me alot. So now i have something else for you to get used too. Read the back of that machine. "

So i look and i start laughing there on the back of the machine and on the hood read in cat colors " YoungOne "

haha. He told me that he would help me get used to the bigger machine, and i will try and get you guys pics. He told me to go on home and get some rest, while he and another guy assembled it. ( had to haul without rops blade and ripper. ) I'm not sure why. I'm not a trucker

So i was wondering. Since i have never ran anything bigger than a d6 dozer stripping topsoil. What precautions should i take before running a bigger dozer? Safety, i'm sure there are " do's and do not's. " with larger dozers. And i have never used a ripper before. So tips there would be great too.

And i know some of you guys either run them NOW or have in the past. So dont be shy

I just really dont want to mess this up. He's giving me the oppurtunity of a lifetime. For a 19 year old.

-Michael-

There is nothing different to running a larger dozer compared to a smaller dozer. The only difference is, it is bigger. One thing to watch out for is backing up that it is harder to see. Watch out for rocks so that you don't back over them......or the occasional pick-up.

Oh, and make sure you keep the blade full. :drinkup

I imagine it will take some getting use not having a 6 way blade. Also remember to get a bigger shovel, them tracks are gonna take a bit longer to shovel out at the end of the night. Oh and don't forget that you don't have to do it all with the big machine, its ok to get off of it once in a while and use the little guy for the finish and critical backfilling. Good luck and Congrats on working for someone who is giving you the tools you need to make you a better operator.

OH and having your name on your machine = priceless. :drinkup 11 years of dump truck driving and I am yet to have an employer put my name on a trucks door... then again I would say about half of them (macks) :Banghead I would have been ashamed to have my name on the door anyway. ointhead

What a great opportunity!

There are lots of neat features on these dozers to get the best production and economy and you should get to know them as quickly as possible.

I would take the operators manual and read it cover to cover... you should know how everything works and what everything does, be aware of how to check oil levels, know the correct maintenance periods although presumably the dealer will send someone out to check over the machine and show you how everything works and answer any questions.

And never let your ego control you.

bobcat ron said:

And never let your ego control you.

Click to expand...

Thanks guys for your replies.

I want to learn, if i can't learn i dont want to work for this man. I've told him that from day one, i get fussed at atleast once a day. And i ask him what i could have did better, ask questions. And try and go home and read the plans for the job were on " funny papers "

i'm excited. But i want to learn safely. And progress slowly:d

-Michael-

Hey Youngone....
Just get up there and have fun!
What I see happening is that you are thinking or "tripping" on this new dozer too much.
You are your own worst enemy....
So try not to worry about everything or everybody.
This 8 ain't much different than the 4.
Same thing, only different...
And like Wulf said, take the book home and read it!
Even if you have to cut the chord it's tied to, do it!
A dozer is still a dozer.
But on these electronic newer ones,
if you don't know how to set it up properly
you're still in the dark ages.
Have fun!

D8's

Youngone,

Like the other guys are saying, the real difference between a D8 and a D4 or D6 is the size. I'm sure others will agree it's actually a little easier to grade with the bigger dozers. The D6 you ran stripping, did it have a SU blade or PAT?

When it comes to ripping, should you need to, always rip in a straight line, try not to turn at all. If you get into some serious rock try to leave some fine or loose material under ya when you start ripping again, better traction and all. :Banghead

The blade, ROPS, and ripper probably had to come off for your state's regulations and transportation requirements, esp. on a Sunday. What part of VA are you in?

Oh, and please show us some photos of that new machine:usa

My post from another post on "proper angle" riper angle. Also I didn't see said here and FYI do not turn while ripping.

Dozerboy said:

I agree with Rino and DPete. Now with a big dozer there is more to "proper angle". If I'm not in harder ground and penetration isn't an issue I always keep the ripper angled this "/ " with the tooth close to the tracks. That way you get the most wear out of the tooth, it stays sharp, and you are ripping/pulling the ground up not just making "trenches". As it wears you may have to move it more vertical but it should be kept at that angel as much as possible. As the ground gets harder you have to move the tooth away from the tracks like this "\", but once you get penetration it should be moved to as much vertical to like this "/" as you can without lifting the back of the dozer off the ground or the rippers not climbing out of the ground. There will be times when the ground is so hard that you can't get any bite without having the ripper as far away from the tracks as possible and you can't move it towards the tracks at all.

Click to expand...

One more thing I don't know if there is any truth to or not. I have been told with the angled seat on the bigger dozers green operators tend to run the right side of the blade lower, and they only get half the wear out of the cutting edges. Now I have seen this on dozers and the operators weren't that good that were on them, so it could be true what do you guys think?

bobcat ron said:

And never let your ego control you.

Click to expand...

All too often these days, it seems.

I'm not a blade hand and have no idea what to tell you, but I did want to wish you luck -- it sounds like an awesome opportunity, and I'm glad you're able to pick up the finer qualities of what's otherwise a brutish machine so quickly. Best of luck -- take lots of pics!

Hey YoungOne

Whats all the equipment this comany has? Sounds like he has money to burn.
And please post some pics too

dozerman28 said:

Hey YoungOne

Whats all the equipment this comany has? Sounds like he has money to burn.
And please post some pics too

Click to expand...

Thanks guys for your replies.

Right now we have d4lgp,d4h,d5,d6 ( currently not working, blew headgasket )D8 T CAT325 CAT 345 Deere 270 LC. 2 d250e articulated trucks. And scrapers we're borrowing from a friend of his, im not sure on what they are. i just stay out of the way.

These machines are spread out on six jobs rightnow. And we have one big earthmoving job, and many more coming up. Their's only ten of us, but we arent always on the same job. but most of the equipment does get used every day. Three of our guys just pour our concrete. He might be hiring soon.

Well the way he was talking he pay this dozer off a year aheadof time. We're doing pretty good.

Imma try and get pics.

btw four of those six jobs will finish up this week weather permitting.

-Michael-

Having posted already on your other thread,then finding this i won't say what i'm think right now.You need to read the post the guys are putting up there also!!!!!!:cool2

With that said i know where you live you have lots of rock and being equipped with ripper mud might not be that big of problem for now at least.

So just don't drive it off into a mud hole thinking you will get pulled out with the D4 that is the only machine on the job at that time.Boss might be using some paint remover,sooner then you think.

Just keep doing what your doing ,but be a little more caution,along the slopes and on the rock ledges.

Also remember everyone is expendable,so be careful and treat it like it is yours unless the boss tells you different.

Not everyday you get to break in a new machine now days especialy.Good luck:usa

thats awsome man i got mine when i had just turned 19 to not sitting in it for six months i can tell u it kick that d65ex that i ran my frist year right in the shorts. see guy not all us young guys are lazy bums that u think we are lol

Your boss must think alot of you to put you on a new machine.im sure it wont take long to get use to the size.And like you have said you cant go wrong from asking questions

How to???????????

Hi, YoungOne.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new machine.

Most of what you need to know that can be told to you has already been posted. Here are a few more points.

ASK it to do a good day's work. Don't try to bully it into doing a good day's work. In other words, learn to understand how the way you are operating is affecting the machine and don't do the things that cause it harm or excessive wear.

It is your attitude rather than your aptitude that has gotten you this far. You appear to have a great chance. Don't blow it by blowing your attitude out the window and relying on your aptitude.

You operate bigger machines even more by the seat of your pants than you do with smaller ones 'cos you can see less of what you are doing and what is around you. Learn to read and trust what your butt is telling you.

With regard to safety, the limits of the machine are basically what you feel safe doing with it. This will change as you gain confidence and a 'feel' for the machine.

After a D4 and D6, the size will throw you for a while. By the end of the week, I'd reckon you will be purely surprised at how much that 'huge' machine has 'shrunk'.

Learn to use that pedal to the right of the brake (the 'softly' pedal), especially when ripping in rock. Not only will it save the machine a beating, it will save you one too.

When bulk pushing, try to work in 'slots' to minimise spillage around the ends of the blade. Especially when pushing downhill, it is possible to break out a bladefull and drop it in a pile, then back up and get a second bladefull and take them both to the fill/disposal area.

Be adventurous but not stupidly so. Experimenting is the best way to find what you can and can't do with any machine.

I scored a brand new Cat D8H dozer when I was 26. I had it for a whole week. Then they made me a foreman. LOL.

Hope some or all of the above helps.

My first day.

thanks again for your replies. Thanks deas!

So i got to the job about an hour early this morning to read up on the book. Check all the fluids. And low and behold the Cat Rep was already THERE haha. So he showed me the ropes etc. So then the boss man shows up and tells me " You'll do fine, your working by yourself today no scrapers running around you, no artics just you. Enjoy it." Then he showed me our 17 foot cut that ran over 75 yard long 50 yards wide. He just told me to push it to the bottom of the hill in a neat pile. " YES SIR "

And then i seen him get in his truck and i'm thinking to myself " good he's gone. " Well he sits in his truck out of the way, and watches me for the first two hours.

so i started thinking about what i needed to do. And decided to break it up into three-four pushes. To save time i would push the shortest distance i could with a full blade. Over about a 25 yards or so. And then do that all the way across. Then push it to the bottom of hill. Until i made all my pushes, and i was ready for another cut. Well the end result was. I was 5 hundreths high. And didnt have the guts to try and get close with the 8 so i left it like that. Called him up and he said he was happy with that. To go strip the rest of the job. I LOVE STRIPPING. It seems like this bulldozer doesnt want to stop, i never spun the tracks all day. Which made me happy. Fueled her up at the end of the day. Told her thank you. And with another glance back. Went home.

So is that kind of what i should do? She only used a half a tank of full today. Which i'm not sure is good or not. But i'll always make sure i have a tank full. If needed.

Visibility is what i noticed first. The superintendents truck didnt get so close to me this morning I did hit a grade stake though oh well. Re-drive it move on right?

Didnt get to use the ripper today i had the urge just to stick it in the ground anyways. But didnt. No rock

-Michael-

Thanks!!!

YoungOne said:

thanks again for your replies. Thanks deas!

So i got to the job about an hour early this morning to read up on the book. Check all the fluids. And low and behold the Cat Rep was already THERE haha. So he showed me the ropes etc. So then the boss man shows up and tells me " You'll do fine, your working by yourself today no scrapers running around you, no artics just you. Enjoy it." Then he showed me our 17 foot cut that ran over 75 yard long 50 yards wide. He just told me to push it to the bottom of the hill in a neat pile. " YES SIR "

And then i seen him get in his truck and i'm thinking to myself " good he's gone. " Well he sits in his truck out of the way, and watches me for the first two hours.

so i started thinking about what i needed to do. And decided to break it up into three-four pushes. To save time i would push the shortest distance i could with a full blade. Over about a 25 yards or so. And then do that all the way across. Then push it to the bottom of hill. Until i made all my pushes, and i was ready for another cut. Well the end result was. I was 5 hundreths high. And didnt have the guts to try and get close with the 8 so i left it like that. Called him up and he said he was happy with that. To go strip the rest of the job. I LOVE STRIPPING. It seems like this bulldozer doesnt want to stop, i never spun the tracks all day. Which made me happy. Fueled her up at the end of the day. Told her thank you. And with another glance back. Went home.

So is that kind of what i should do? She only used a half a tank of full today. Which i'm not sure is good or not. But i'll always make sure i have a tank full. If needed.

Visibility is what i noticed first. The superintendents truck didnt get so close to me this morning I did hit a grade stake though oh well. Re-drive it move on right?

Didnt get to use the ripper today i had the urge just to stick it in the ground anyways. But didnt. No rock

-Michael-

Thanks!!!

Click to expand...

The grade stake was it fill or cut and how much was it.Might want to see if they will offset the grade stake if you have deep cut.Then reset it when you get closer to grade.

Or was it just a didn't see it thing

Sounds like your getting use to it.Just stick the ripper in the ground and try it,Never know you might find a lonely boulder just before you get cut on grade that need dozed out and buried before the fill get up.Better to get it put in the slope then your work area.

Good luck

Construct'O said:

The grade stake was it fill or cut and how much was it.Might want to see if they will offset the grade stake if you have deep cut.Then reset it when you get closer to grade.

Or was it just a didn't see it thing

Sounds like your getting use to it.Just stick the ripper in the ground and try it,Never know you might find a lonely boulder just before you get cut on grade that need dozed out and buried before the fill get up.Better to get it put in the slope then your work area.

Good luck

Click to expand...

Yeah i started to get the hang of it. The grade stake was in the fill and it was 8 and a half foot fill. So i had to get off and roll it all the time. Which sucked but hey beats paying a man to be down there all day. When he can be off doing something more productive. So i put in my foot lift all the way across and rolled it. Takes half the time to roll it as it does to blade it anyways.

Yeah i tried asking them to offset them. " okay " yeah needless to say they dont.

Dumb Question.. When do i know the dozer is pushing too much? Or too Little? ( if im bulk pushing or filling )

-Michael-

You didn't happen to take any pics did ya?