who's got you in construction?

[hoeman600]

my dad was my biggest influince. he let me run my first hoe a kohring 1066 at picatiny arsonal in nj building the heloport in the 1970's than many bucyrus eries and the giant(at the time) wernerswasey. just wondern how you all got started

 

[[-Agent-]]

My Grandpa, and then sand box.

I got to drive my first backhoe when I was about 4 years old. It was a case, when my uncle got his driveway paved. I only got to run the loader since that is all I could reach.

And then when I was about 7 my grandpa got some trees cut down on his property and I got to run a Komatsu with a thumb and dump some trees into a dump truck. This is when I felt the sheer power of a excavator (cause I tried moving those logs by hand) and the diesel. And when I got out after a few loads. The operator (probably in his 30's) said I was very smooth and good on the excavator. This is when I felt proud of myself. (Even though he kept telling me to hold the thumb in because the SAP would lose grip, but I couldn't find any button to do that (It was in the top of the joystick). But that night I was crawling all over that thing. And now I just like to drive anything I get my eyes on.

 

[camara]

My dad had rubbish trucks in Boston. We always had an International Tractor with a Lord Loader. When that thing finally died my dad and his brothers bought a 530 case with a gas engine. They replaced that with a 580CK. Then I ran a 1964 977H (i think it was an H) at the transfer station and thats when I started playing with toys. I bought a 580CK in 1985 or so and used it until 1997. Now I got a pile of stuff!

 

[Rockbreaker]

Started out with the company,father to my best friend had.

My father was a construction worker but i wanted to operate like my grandfather did.

Must say i am happy with that,since i have been doing it for 20 years

 

[xkv8r]

I'd like to thank my Dad, then my uncles. Dad was a home builder/developer, my uncles were cement finishers , masons, carpenters. When I was little they would always take me with them . I would be thinking " I have cousins that were older and bigger than me why not them , and then when I got older I realized the experience and work ethic I got was invaluable. Many thanks to Dad and uncles.

 

[Burnout]

My grandfather got me hooked on this stuff. I lived in our old JD 310-A from about 3-9yrs old riding around learning what I could. Then when I was about 10 he would let me use it around the yard just pushing dirt around. Everyone said I would grow out of it... their still waiting.

 

[AtlasRob]

My godfather had an MF backhoe loader that his brother operated, I would spend every possible moment watching it work. When I was about 10 I was allowed a ride in it.
Then one day I was asked to sit in the front seat and move it forward while Terry the op excavated a long trench. It was torque converter drive, all I had to do was raise the turned over bucket a few inches to get the teeth out of the dirt then move forward trying to keep it straight. when he called I stopped pressed the front bucket down to act as anchor, then he straightened the machine back on the line with the backactor, pulled the next bit of trench and repeat. Man was I ten feet tall
Never looked back and dont regret one second.

 

[wormkiller]

My mother had a large part in starting my career. Mom raised my four older sisters before me, so an energetic boy was a big pain. Dad at the time was a site manager with 20+yrs operating, I was sent along any time my dad could have me with. This gave my Mom some rest and gave me time on machines, I was 3. Now goin on 15yrs in the local with no family business to fall back on and still playin in the mud, most days.
Thanks mom and dad.

 

[cat d9]

Nobody would let me on their dozer, crane, truck or backhoe so I just started buying them myself. I started out with a $20 dragline, moved into a $2000 dozer and then a excavator after renting tractor backhoes for a few years, the rest is just history now.

 

[385Diggin' Doug]

My Dad was my biggest influence into this business.I dug my first basement @ 5 on a 955L sitting on his lap.I ran the loader and trans controls and he ran the pedals.I enjoy this business and have fun everyday.Just using bigger toys in a bigger sand box.Unfortunately,my Best Friend is no longer with us.He had suffered a major heart attack on the job after loading a demo trailer in 2006.He left this world doing what he loved.He is missed everyday,but at least God has another good operator to help out up there.

 

[Buckethead]

Doug, my condolences about your Dad. I am extra curious about this R&R Construction you say you work for. Do you mean RNR? The only R&R I know of in this state is from up in Chester off of 206. With all the work there has been up in North Jersey you drive all the way from Nazareth PA to South Jersey?

 

[385Diggin' Doug]

Doug, my condolences about your Dad. I am extra curious about this R&R Construction you say you work for. Do you mean RNR? The only R&R I know of in this state is from up in Chester off of 206. With all the work there has been up in North Jersey you drive all the way from Nazareth PA to South Jersey?

Our work area extends into parts of PA,NY & all parts of NJ.The Company treats the men good and does what is needed to do to keep good men.Traveling is a part of this business that comes with the territory.Somedays you bite the bear and somedays the bear bites you.When a worker is happy with his surroundings it does not matter what it takes to get there in my book.A lot of Companies including the Local,forget where they came from and who put them there.There is more infrastructure work in Central & South Jersey than in the North.I will be "retiring" from the Local and working for R&R for awhile.It is a change of pace,but the Company treats me good and takes care of me.
Who do you work for and what is your work area?

 

[Squizzy246B]

Here is some similar threads:

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=859

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3624

 

[Buckethead]

Our work area extends into parts of PA,NY & all parts of NJ.The Company treats the men good and does what is needed to do to keep good men.Traveling is a part of this business that comes with the territory.Somedays you bite the bear and somedays the bear bites you.When a worker is happy with his surroundings it does not matter what it takes to get there in my book.A lot of Companies including the Local,forget where they came from and who put them there.There is more infrastructure work in Central & South Jersey than in the North.I will be "retiring" from the Local and working for R&R for awhile.It is a change of pace,but the Company treats me good and takes care of me.
Who do you work for and what is your work area?

Doug I have been working for the same contractor for several years up in North Jersey. In my experience that's usually where most of the work is. I understand it's none of my business, but you have said your company was union, why do you have to retire from the union to work for them then? I'm not criticizing, I just don't understand.

 

[ZAXIS]

My godfather had an MF backhoe loader that his brother operated, I would spend every possible moment watching it work. When I was about 10 I was allowed a ride in it.
Then one day I was asked to sit in the front seat and move it forward while Terry the op excavated a long trench. It was torque converter drive, all I had to do was raise the turned over bucket a few inches to get the teeth out of the dirt then move forward trying to keep it straight. when he called I stopped pressed the front bucket down to act as anchor, then he straightened the machine back on the line with the backactor, pulled the next bit of trench and repeat. Man was I ten feet tall
Never looked back and dont regret one second.

A-Rob, that's how I got my start too. We had an old 4500 Ford Backhoe that had the flipover seat-I stood in front while my dad dug. He would holler to go and I would per her in F and I would try to stop her when the front tires crossed the line the front bucket just left in the dirt. I owe it all to my dad-not the most patient man in the world, but he must have known what he was doing. Been running excavator full time since fall of '94-have laid thousands of feet of pipe and feel blessed to do what I do. ZAXIS

 

[ZAXIS]

View attachment 15574My Dad was my biggest influence into this business.I dug my first basement @ 5 on a 955L sitting on his lap.I ran the loader and trans controls and he ran the pedals.I enjoy this business and have fun everyday.Just using bigger toys in a bigger sand box.Unfortunately,my Best Friend is no longer with us.He had suffered a major heart attack on the job after loading a demo trailer in 2006.He left this world doing what he loved.He is missed everyday,but at least God has another good operator to help out up there.

Amen to that. YOU KNOW HE IS!!

 

[Schwartz319]

i always loved to play in the dirt as a kid. i always had construction toys and have a good collection still. I worked here in northern colorado for awhile doing pipe and residential work. I could see the the market crash comin and got out of it. i am moving to Billings Mt and would love to get back into running equipment again. Anyone know any good contractors in billings? I have about five years running. Any info would be good.

 

[637slayer]

my grandpa was managing a trailer court, one day he came down to my house and said you and your girlfriend cant sit around and watch cartoons all day, i was 20 and unemployed, he said some guys moved in their 5th wheels and were working on the highway outside of town, that night we went down to the supers trailer im sure now he just got home from the bar, he flung open the door no shirt no false teeth no hair, pretty scary sight, asked if i had a cdl, told me to be on the job the next day. went out got in a truck with an end dump trailer, had to back off the road through a gate, did it on the first shot i might add, that started my career on the pipecrew running a wacker, did that for that for the summer next summer got on a scraper, worked for them for almost 13years traveling around wyo rebuilding and reconstructing highways, wish i could go back to eating cerial and chasing that little hotty around my house again.

 

[hoeman600]

hey slayer were in wyoming? I got family in Rock Springs

 

[JS580SL]

If it wern't for my dad I would'nt know what I know and do what I do. Thanks dad. I road in trucks and equipment all the time when I was little. He put me on a machine by myself when I was about 8 digging a bury hole with the old 416 we had.