heavy machinery and crane operation inquiry

for a while I ran heavy equipment and cranes.. And ran trucks in the wintertime when construction was slow. Where do you live? And yes you need a license to operate cranes, yes they come in different sizes. I don't know how you feel about unions.. BUT call a local Operating Engineers local hall phone book is international union of operating engineers. Ask about the apprentice program.. You will need to take a test, and placed on a list. You shouldn't have to pay any money for the training, and when working you will be paid a percentage of a journeyman. If you want to talk.. email me at hookman@live.com.. It's a good honest job, make fair money, and benefits. I'm collecting a pension now from the union. Best of luck...ohhhh and most jobs drug and alcohol test.

 

As for crane operators the license is called a National Crane certification organization. They have different divisions on the written and practical tests. Small, large hydros, lattice truck , lattice crane, tower, and they have more since I took the last test.. Like signal man. Getting into cranes is a hard nut to crack. Most operators are very insecure and think if they. Teach you anything you might take their job. It takes many years to be proficient as ball control is the biggest problem. Some places still use oilers , that is sort of a good starting point. Best is to have a class A license with double triple on it. Basicly you help set up the cranes, drive them , and you are sort of the boy to the operator.. New cranes don't need much lubrication, so you may clean , polish, gofer what ever the operator needs, assists in rigging etc. the big thing is to get your foot in the door. And remember you will have hours of shear boredom and minutes of shear terror .

 

I've run both enclosed and open. Open you have more visibility. And fork lifts even at slow speed and no loads still can tip over. And who wants to jump out, except to exit the forklift . Most get off on the left side as the right side the controls make it harder to enter or exit.

 

if you go through your local operating engineers apprenticeship program, all of your learning is either free or on the job training you get paid. A 2 day course will teach you basic operation, but you won't be proficient enough to keep a job. You might work for 2 hours or less, a pick up will pull up to you. Signal you to get in the truck and handed your check. And back in the day it was I think I can run that.. Go out to the job.. And go for it. Did they also teach you on a rough terrain fork lift? Or just a straight forklift.

 

They have dozers, blades, rollers , scrapers, compactors, paving equipment, drilling of different types, tunnel equipment, loaders,rock, sand plants,and the list goes on. There are over 100 different types of heavy equipment .. But just gives you a general idea. Then there are the different classes and size of cranes going from 3 ton up to and over 1000 ton.. And yes a drill unit like you mentioned is on a excavator chassis.. But hats as close as that gets. When you leave the drill unit up it is very top heavy and can and do tip over. A company out of Utah called Beco can drill if I remember right some thing like a 12 foot hole with their auger. Don't hint it's big? Get a tape measure, lay 12 ft out on the ground.. And think one trip will drill that hole.

 

Let me back step a little. That drill rig is on a crane chassis and not a excavator. After watching a fundex 3500.. What it does is called a cast in place.. Where they drill a hole where told to by a surveyor, removing the dirt, then when they go to the depth they want, then the bottom of the drill has a hole in it and concrete is run out of it, turning the drill and pulling it out keeping up with the concrete to the top of the hole. Then they will put rebar in the full of concrete hole. Don't forget it's still very wet . They use that where they can't use a pile driver because of the noise or the area.