dont you just hate it when another operator drives 'your' machine??!

[mike 360*]

i work for a kinda small outfit, im sort of the main operator on the cat 320cl, but for the last month ive been on a different job on a 13t, anyway return to one of our large sites, to a right wreck, cab full of mud, arse end in the ****, no grease on the pins, before i left is pic 1, and now after an older operator (im 24) hes 44 has been using it, and dosent give a **** about an equipment, in pic 2! gutted!

 

[AtlasRob]

I agree that is very disheartening, the only advice I can give is " maintain your standards no matter how peed off you feel. DONT let others drag you down to thier level".

 

[gasfield315c]

cat yellow and black, good broom, windex, and armorall, and tell the SOB your not his mom and its not your job to clean up after him...im the same way with my machine, i cant stand it when someone else runs it and leaves it a mess

 

[cps]

That really would pi$$ me of to Mike!

 

[CM1995]

I'll start off by saying that I obvously do not know the politics of your company, pecking order, owners philosophy, etc. So take this as a general opinion.

I suggest you talk to the owner or general manager about the incident and pretty much say the same thing you posted here. In a calm conversation explain that you treat your machine very well and do not appreciate it when another operator in the company has total disregard for the company's equipment.

The reason I say this is I also own a small excavation company with a hand full of machines and I pay very close attention to the way my operators run the equipment. My motto is "Take care of the equipment, it pays mine and your salary". If operating expenses increase (for example abusive operations causing unneccessary repairs), then there is less money in the kitty for anything else.:cool2 This particular offense looks like a cosmetic situation but an operator that does not know where the back end of his hoe is or cares for that matter, sooner or later that attitude will create a serious and expensive problem.

I have had my guys come to me with very similiar complaints and the neccessary "talking to" the offending operator commenced shortly after. First time you discuss the issue, second time you raise hell and third time they hit the road. There has been a few instances where I skipped 1st and 2nd and went straight to 3rd.

 

[Chris91786]

Dang that sucks, I'd be pissed.

 

[JimBruce42]

I'm still working on getting an excavator to be the "primary operator" of, perhaps next year.:beatsme That being said I do agree, anything I've run I aways try to keep the windows clear (as possible), floor swept out at least once every two days if not every day. I try my best to make sure I've greased it, or let the next guy know if I didn't get time to, and always try to keep from wearing any paint off of parts of the machine that aren't suppose to be loosing paint :Banghead

 

[JonesBros]

I know what you mean, I have around 8 pieces that I and only I run. I'm a Jr. Vice President (nice little title I give myself) of our company and people know to stay off the reserved equipment unless given told. Me and my older brother are the two main operators of the family business so about 95% of the time our equipment stays in good hands. Cleaned out, cleaned up, serviced, greased, and never abused.

 

[telescooper]

I would prefer that other operators stay out of "my" machine. In the event I leave the job for lunch I lock it and take the key. The laborers think it's a lounge if you don't. It never fails if somebody else operates it, the windows, cab, and controls will be filthy, maybe even a busted window or bent panels. Only a few people take care of anything where I work.
Telescooper

 

[Chris91786]

I hate working on machines where the operator doesn't take care of it. Especially when I have to burn out a pin/bushing due to lack of grease.

 

[Burnout]

Dude tell me about it. I am 23 I am one operator in a large company. I normally run a beautiful 450 Zaxis Hitachi excavator. Well my baby got shipped up north this winter and is never to return. Well we started our first big ob of the year, while we (Earthworks) are working, Waterworks and Commercial are all on site as well. I have been playing musical excavators for the last week.

Here's what we have on site to dig with...
450 Zaxis Hitachi (my machines twin)
450D LC John Deere Excavator
350D LC John Deere Excavator
330LC John Deere Excavator
240D LC John Deere Excavator
2 230 LC John Deere Excavators
200D LC John Deere Excavator
60D John Deere Excavator

Anyways in the last week I have run almost every one of those machine except for the 230's. Anyways the 450D LC is my new unit. When it showed up last week I was running the 240 so I cleaned out my machine and dolled it up. Well yesterday it was taken away from me and sent back to waterworks on another site because they needed it. Monday I was running the 450 Hitachi because the quick attach wouldn't work on it for waterworks so they needed mine since it has a working power quick coupler.

Anyways yesterday morning my machine looked like a bomb went off in the cab. Oh well I am used to it. The 350D LC also belongs to our crew and waterworks borrowed it for an hour yesterday. When they floated my machine off I went and grabbed the 350 and the side panel was smashed in because someone swung it into a pile. Someone also managed to break the antenna wire for my satellite radio but won't own up to it. My old 450 up north has been beat to rat crap and even this 350 is 2 years old and has 5400hrs and its beat to crap.

As of tommorrow no one uses my 350D without me being there. I cleared it with our superintendant and its off limits to everyone. My 450 is officially gone. We don't have any majorly huge jobs in the next month so if I need a 450 I get the old Hitachi.

 

[30 dirty years]

I hear ya Mike:Banghead those operators should be demoted to laborers and only should allowed to use a rake or shovel.

 

[Hendrik]

, and now after an older operator

That should read "and now after an older DRIVER"
Don't let it get you down mate, the thing is that driver will more than likely work for someone for the rest of his life while you may well end up having your own equipment and working for yourself and then you won't have to worry about having a no hoper thrash your gear

 

[oriden]

i know of a local company that doesnt have a single machine that doesnt have buckets worth of dirt on the cab floor, and i mean it, as well the big thing that pisses me off is not cleaning your tracks when your done!!!!!!!!


i had a simular problem as your self, the company floated in a machine for me, 315 they took it away from the last "operator" for the same sort of thing, scratched counter weight, dented panel, next to no grease, and the buckets of dirt.


another big thing i seen that almost no one does is if an operator even half ass takes care of it when it comes to greasing if the nipple is packed with dirt they skip it!


this is a quick pick of my hoe at coffee time, should have goten a before picture took me almost an hour that morning to get it this clean and it still is a bit dirty

 

[440chevy]

There was an old timer around here that didn't believe in greasing machines...incidentally most of his equipment is in the scrap yard. Our equipment gets greased at least but other then that, dents are just part of the job. Most of the time we work in such tight places that it's impossible to keep them nice. That and if you complained about a little mud in the cab in this company you'd be fired, we don't let people sit in the machine.

 

[Hendrik]

i know of a local company that doesnt have a single machine that doesnt have buckets worth of dirt on the cab floor, and i mean it, as well the big thing that pisses me off is not cleaning your tracks when your done!!!!!!!!

The thing that these clowns don't understand is that dirt turns to dust that floats around the cabin and gets into everything, including your lungs.

 

[seanr72]

The thing that these clowns don't understand is that dirt turns to dust that floats around the cabin and gets into everything, including your lungs.

And in to the air con etc

 

[bobcatmechanic]

speaking of dirt we have a sterling dump truck tandem axle tall bed sides mercedes diesel driver of that day comes in complaning of no defrost get it in to fix it fell the air no force behind it check heater doors there ok next thing what about the air filter completely packed with gravel dust no new one tap out the majority of it blows 10 times better new one on order

 

[CatManDoes]

I would try my best to confront the person ahead of time. These pricks usually have no respect anyways, but sometimes a little small talk ahead of time might make them think twice about how much dirt they are going to bring into the cabin.