if you fall off of this get your eyes checked>>LOL

[9420pullpan]

 

[D10N]

My dear lord!! And I thought that it was ridiculous with JUST those idiotic ladders. Always looking for new ways to make our lives more difficult (And inspiring me to stick to shovels!!)!

 

[16H]

fair dinkum! that looks like an operators nightmare no vision plenty of stuff to knock off bend and break, if you need all this stuff on yor dozer you should give up the game!!!:spaz :Banghead

 

[Dozerboy]

I only hope I could find a co. that would invest that kind on $$ and time in my machine when I get to old to climb around my dozer with out it. Nice paint job.

 

[D10N]

Just this thing is annoying enough.......I think I'll do without all the extras!!

 

[Dwan Hall]

Why don't they position the operator so he/she can see what is going on.

 

[srs_mn]

Most of those railings, like on that D11, are required by the MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) - Once you get a certain distance off the ground you either have to be wearing a harness or be protected by railings. I used to think all those protective devices were a stupid nuisance, but after ending up on the ground, flat on my back, with the wind knocked out of me a couple times, I have a new outlook on them...I think this one goes a little too far, though... Also, I've never seen a railing on any machine that didn't crack whatever it was attached to in a very short time due to vibration.
I imagine the owners of the mine where that dozer is going would rather pay for the operator protection stuff before they get caught without it, and then have to pay the horrendous fines that MSHA dishes out, PLUS put the railings on after the fact... (don't ask me how I know this).
srs/mn

 

[Countryboy]

Heres another one with the excessive guarding:

link

 

[Countryboy]

And this is just lazy.....:bouncegri





link

 

[rino1494]

Wow, I thought I had seen it all.

 

[Truckie]

WOW. Talk about weird and interesting.

 

[Squizzy246B]

They are actually fitting one of those on Jeff's truck...seeing as how he is getting so old now and he can hardly get up in the cab with all those stolen lunches

 

[Lashlander]

Do those ladders fold way up out of the way? It doesn't seem like it would last long if it didn't. I'm not sure it would last long no matter when it went if they put one on my dozer.

 

[Dozerboy]

I think they flip straight up you have to work at it to rip them off.

 

[OzDozer]

The steps and safety railings are a direct response to injuries in the mining industry caused by falls from machines. When an operator falls off a machine, and hurts themselves (sometimes enough to stop them from working again) .. company costs go up, as workers compensation has to paid, and insurance premiums go up.

In the old days, when a 130 HP D8 was a big tractor .. falls weren't a major problem (although, anyone who has slipped on wet shiny track shoes, and fallen a$$-up between the blade and tractor, knows, that it HURTS!) ..

However .. when the machines started becoming the huge size they are today (and you can be 4.5 to 5 metres - 14'-16' off the ground, when you're up on the operators deck) .. falling from that height, can even result in death, if you're unlucky enough to land on your head .

Once a serious injury results, Govt Safety Depts/OSHA start drafting more laws and recommendations, to try and prevent a repeat of the accident .. and so on it goes ..

http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/Resource...MP/Guidelines/MS_GMP_Guide_personalaccess.pdf

As a result, building ladder/steps on the big dozers and trucks, and putting rail guarding on the operator deck, makes sense. It's big business, now, designing up the best steps and rails, that will perform satisfactorily in an earthmoving environment.

http://www.powerstep.com.au/

99% of the step designs I've seen are retractable .. even the big trucks need retractable steps, just to reach the front bumper ..

 

[345cl]

im all for safety,but those dozers are part dozer part transformer,, are you actually able to see out the windows,,geez!!wheres the red carpet,,i agree i think thats just a little over doing it,,

 

[Countryboy]

Im all for safety, but those dozers are part dozer part transformer. Are you actually able to see out the windows, geez!! Wheres the red carpet. I agree I think thats just a little over doing it.

I agree, more is not always better. All those guards are taking away from visibility to make access better. So, is it actually safer? Our quarry is governed by MSHA but we have never had any problems with the OEM guarding. The only thing we usually add to all equipment is a guard for the cooling fan. I think alot of it comes down to the company making those decisions to have all those guards. Awareness of hazards goes along way to making something safer while adding a bunch of guards addresses some hazards while creating others.

 

[Hjolli]

My dear lord!! And I thought that it was ridiculous with JUST those idiotic ladders. Always looking for new ways to make our lives more difficult (And inspiring me to stick to shovels!!)!

Well, apart from the platforms at the rear at least this auto-lift doesn´t obstruckt visibility as much as seen on some of the other machines.
If this was to make sense in terms of safety you would have to add videio cameras at the sides and rear. And then you would spend much of your time watching the screen

Hjolli

 

[OzDozer]

Hjolli - Well, actually, video cameras and others sensing devices are starting to make big inroads in the big equipment lines, to help prevent the regular accidents involing the big equipment that has limited visibility.
Komatsu are leaders in this field, and on-board cameras, with screens in the cab, are just another sensible tool to avoid collisions, running over smaller vehicles (a regular happening), and running over personnel.
Camera screens in the cab, are just another instrument to watch .. which any operator with a degree of skill can do .. and they definitely save lives and damage ..

http://mshawebapps.msha.gov/acciden...es/collisionavoidance/collision avoidance.asp

 

[Countryboy]

All of our equipment except the smaller stuff like backhoes and skidsteers are equiped with cameras in the back. They are in the process of putting cameras on the right sides of the haul trucks too. It would still only have one monitor but it would be a split screen. They work really well. :yup