GPS hype

In my humble opinion, I think the GPS is going to be the death of the operator trade. I know it is a time saver, and will pay for itself in no time. Here is my beef. What happens when the system fails? How can new operators learn to grade, doze, or excavate by eye? We have a grading job for the province. 13000 tonne of gravel 4 inches of pave, and shouldering.. The company owner was told by an owner of another company. Can't go wrong with a GPS grader... You need one.... You should try mine. He decided to try it.brought the guy in behind 63 dump trailers. Problem was, it was not a GPS job. Government surveyor.....good guy. Road was pulverized, shaped, compacted, and then he profiled the road, popped in some stakes, and threw on some grades. No GPS coordinates, or grades.. Grader man had a good dump man. Dumped enough material.... Guy spreads it....need another load....dump man.... I think you have lots.....I'm the grader man I want more gravel.. Dumps more. Long story short...way over on tonnage, and rougher than a woods road. Guess who has to fix it? I string lined all day, on average at least 2 to 3 inches high. One loader, 2 trucks and 400 tonnes hauled back off the road, and I am only 1400 meters along, and I still have 3kms to go. They want to start paving Monday HA!!!. Perhaps this guy is a wizard with GPS, but he can't do it old school.

But this computer on my desk says GPS work's better and faster =cheaper:thumbsup

I'm not a grader operator, only a fan of graders, but I think it is good when the operators learn to use a grader without GPS too. When someone only learn with GPS or other, he will get problems, when the system don't work.

This is the way I see it. Technology is changing every aspect of the way we do business. GPS just happens to be one of many in construction. A company I work for has a few GPS machines and they do make grading faster for those who understand how to use it. It is also a money saver over haveing to have several laborers on the job to run strings and check grade. With that being said it also has problems. If all contractors are using GPS all would be good but that's not realistic. The birt guy roughs in a parking lot with GPS, utility guy comes in no GPS you have a variance of box heights and curb inlets. Dirt guy comes back with GPS and has to make adjustments because one box is lower or higher by just a couple inches. A plus to the guy I work for is his youngest operator is 38 so all of them know how to read grade stakes and make adjustments if they have to. On the down side he only has himself and another operator who will run his balde. He has a 140m which the older guys refuse to learn to run. So technology has its ups and downs with learning curves. Just my 2 cents.

GPS can also dumb down up and coming operators. Which goes along with the death of the operating skill. I am a small contractor, and have had a rover and design software since 07. I have to design most all of my jobs and found it to be a great tool. Build my own models and would use it daily. 3 years ago I added indicate only control to a dozer, made a huge difference in speed and rework, but the operator still had a hand on it. Last April I rented a dozer that was plumbed full auto. Speed and efficiency are amazing, but the operator that ran the dozer most of the time lost his eye. Really struggled with tie ins out of design, and the ability to grade by the seat of his pants.

I won't be without full auto for the unbelievable efficiency, but it is sad. True blade hands are very rare anymore.
On another note. GPS machines are only as good as the model they get. I think that's what scares most people away from them.

Got a chance to get to the end of the job today. Inspector wanted it graded up as it was getting wash boardy. Terrible job. Out past the stakes, not out far enough, up and down like waves on the ocean. Managed to find grade 500 meters today. Took 200 tonne out of 2 stations on one side of the road. That's 50 meters.... Really pissin me off...... Constantly high. I did consider that the trucks might have got away from him, but he only allowed one dump at a time...... Sorry for the rant, but I am really ticked.....I want a raise....and a big one.....

I ve be running a grader with gps now for over a year and I have to say that it is not the end all be all in the construction world. Yes, there are times when I couldn't have done the job without it. large parking lots, and big tonnage is a real bonus. Plus I don't have to have a grade man constantly replacing stakes or even worry about them out on a busy site. they just come in behind me, away from all the action and double check the grade with the rover. You still need to know how to operate the machine. if you don't know how to layout/push material no amount of tech is gonna help. GPS is just a tool, like a string line , bubble/laser level or hammer.

They got the first lift of base asphalt on the job today. 8 days of grading for less than 5km of road. Pretty bad. On a job that called for 13000 tonnes of gravel, I took off 3200 tonnes. In the end the government raised the grade on the last km. Never got the final tonnage. I hope the extra money they paid to sub out spreading the gravel was worth it.

Whoever was in charge of the blademan should have stopped him on the second day of overages.