Grader operators

[cuttin edge]

Our company has been looking for another fine grade graderman. No GPS, no automatic slope control, just your eyes, your ass, a string line and a tape measure. Right now, there is me, the boss's son, and 4 graders. Most of our summer work consists of private driveways. 2 maintainer graders can just keep ahead of the paving crew. If we get road work, they have to pull me off the maintainer, and send me on the big grader. Depending on the job, sometimes I can be tied up for a month or more. New construction is not too bad, once I have finished the fine grade, and floated the road, because there is no traffic, I am pretty much free until they shoulder. High traffic areas, I pretty much have to babysit the road until the first lift of asphalt is on. No one is looking for work, because anyone good is working. So get this..... The boss wants me to go in in the morning for a couple of hours, and show some guy how to grade. Now what is someone going to learn in a couple of hours???? I graded a huge fill behind wiggle wagons for an entire summer before I ever went near a grade stake. I learned to spread 3 inch on a wide road. I learn new tricks every day. Most of the road work here from center line to shoulder is a little over 14 feet, most truck owners have dump trailers, no belly dumps, or belt unloaders. They only use enough inch and a quarter to fix the profile of the road so sometimes you only need an inch. The newbies always get discouraged and quit, and then someone has to clean up the mess without taking out the stakes if there are any left. Oh well let's be hopeful for this guy.

 

[pabear52]

I understand your pain Cutting Edge, hope your student is a good listener. The young blokes here in Oz are great with GPS and UTAS gear but once they get to the end of the job and have to merge the new work with the old thats when the problems start and some of them up and quit. They have not yet developed an eye and seat of pants feel which took me over three years I reckon before I was much chop. I saw a girl once no experience in SA who answered a ad in newspaper and was hired and put onto finish work the first day. Appearently the guys were bellowing and shouting at her for the first week or so, and how she survived I will never know. I met up with her on a Gas Pipeline project some time later and she was fair enough and good operator for this type of work. Good for her! Good luck with that Cutting Edge!

 

[Shimmy1]

Let's hope this person is someone that "doesn't know anything" because the guys that know it all already know everything and can't be taught. So, have you asked if you're going to get trainer pay?

 

[grandpa]

I have been in your shoes. I've been running a grader for over 50 years now. As you know some have it, some don't.

I learned along time ago its easier for all concerned if you show them the basics and leave them alone for a period of time. They will feel more comfortable without you breathing down their necks but more importantly YOU will be able to survive. There is nothing worse than a competent blade op watching an incompetent blade op. So save yourself some hair and let him drowned for a bit ( Im totally bald).

 

[cuttin edge]

Once during a slow period, the government had rented our shoulder spreader, and roller. There was not much for me to do so I went on the roller. The fella on the government grader found out my true trade, and by the end of the day he was trying to get me to take the grader. He kept on coming back and asking me if he was doing OK. I said don't worry about it, you're doing fine, I'm just a roller man.
Anyway, it turned out that the guy today had a bit of experience, and was open to suggestions. I did just go away and let him do his thing. There were a few private loads of gravel to deliver, and an excavator to float, took me a couple of hours, then I checked in on him. He did OK, but figured he needed a lot more hours. Got the impression that he didn't want to make a career out of it.

 

[pabear52]

Not wrong there Shimmy. Better to start with someone who knows nothing at all about the topic than someone who has been half taught, has already developed bad habits and attitude. Can never change some of these guys and can cause you no end of pain. This applies to all operators, trucks, chainsaws, you name it.

 

[grandpa]

Ha ha, in the beginning I didn't think I wanted a career in it either. I still may change careers. To retired!!!