Cutting red top grade with the 14G Caterpillar Grader, then we giver her a bath and repair some leaky hydraulic cylinders in preparation for a new project. Then I talk about my great subscribers, show some trucks and open some mail
Your correct Jeff, a grader is a tough piece of equipment to operate to its full potential. I ran one several times when I worked for the state highway dept in Illinois. Never ran it enough to feel comfortable. I had a real finish grader operator tell me one time, "never stand up to run it and take little bites, don't try to move it all in one pass". I tried to follow his advice.
Just started watching your videos, really enjoy them. Im a 25 years old uruguayan and started with a 12f and now with a 12g, just 3 years working with motor graders. Love them!
Hi, Jpaydirt. Another great video, especially the first part about grading to red tops. Very informative. One thing that I have NEVER heard anybody else say about graders is this: Graders work on the law of the lever. If one front wheel goes over a rock a foot high, by the time that movement gets to the center of the front axle, it is reduced to six inches. By the time it gets back to the blade, it is only 3", so you'll have a whole 3" bump - without touching a single control.. If you go over the same ground again, with the blade set at ground level, that 3"bump will be 1 /12" by the time it gets to the center of the front axle and only 3/4"by the time it gets back to the blade. The moral: Let the damned machine do what it was made to do. That said, "The art of earth moving is being able to set your machine to take the material from where it needs to be taken to where it needs to be placed in the condition that it needs to be when placed in the least possible number of passes." As you said, you can tell a real blade hand very quickly by the way he goes about the job. A really good operator can pretty much make it look like he is sitting up there and 'letting it happen'. But the same can be said of operating pretty much any earth moving machine. I don't call myself a final trim grader operator 'cos I have seen some of the REALLY good ones at work and I just ain't in that class 'cos I haven't and don't spend enough time on 'em.. That said though, I can often do better than some of the ones who do claim to be good blade hands. Just my 0.02. Thanks again. You have a wonderful 2019. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
In the early70's working on seismic crew in the arctic I got my roommate to forward my magazine subs to camp. In the issue of Popular Mechanics she sent I read an article about the use of lasers for controlling heavy equipment. One evening in the dinning trailer I happened to mention this fact to a grizzled Cat Skinner while waiting to eat. He gave me a quizzical look then a broad grin and replied, "Your readin too much of that science fiction kid!" As he sidled up to the serving area I heard him mumbling Cats and laser beams Pi-shah! If I had known more I would have replied, yeah not only that but we'll eventually be controlling equipment from space. Great video Jeff thanks for work you do to bring such enjoyable content to all of us young and old alike. I've pointed a bunch of budding operators to your channel and always received good feedback. Keep doing what you do it is very much appreciated ............. Jay
Dad says the same thing about agriculture Never imagined where it would be at now Marveled at his uncles massy tractor in the 60s Had a roof a single spot light over 100 hp and power steering What could anyone possibly do with that much power Now we have a 520 and 580hp new holland and all on auto steering with variable rate controlled machines all on yield maps crossed over satellite maps
Old school technology. Sheesh, thanks for making me feel really, really old. Set many hubs with the Oregon Hwy Dept. in an era before red tops or lasers even came along. Lot of respect for you guys who could grade without knocking them out. Love your channel.
as a laborer I would run along with shovel to help the old guy in the blade to clean off blue tops, red tops so he could see when he is getting close to them. they would teach me tricks. had a good guy that bet us he could pick a quarter and leave a dime. he did it.
Great video.i ended up recently working at a large company and with the help of your videos have been running some earth moving equipment .very helpful.
Your grader is quite a bit newer than mine it rolled out in 1948. Pony motor start gear drive knuckle buster so patience is something i can relate to. Great video as always.
On the 9N & 9T cat I used to have to find the fire hydrants using the GPS under a pile of wood chips at the pulp mill I worked at 100 feet deep , I set up the cats GPS to find the Pile Edges ,Hydrants , Pillers , Reclaims ; It would get so foggy in winter from the composting heat impossible to see at times - Wall of white at the doors before the GPS you`d drive off the piles or run into stuff so with the waypoints you`d see the cut you`ve done .Good show today Jeff .
It You nailed it. I’m a dozer and excavator man. About five years ago I bought a 140M. After two years I sold it because I never got over my fear of cutting too much. I live on a plantation in north east Louisiana where the soil tilth is hard to get back once it’s disturbed. Plus limestone costs about $900 of a 20 ton load. Now I hire a man with a grader.
You have a classic buildup of tire fluid from the grader sitting in one place for too long. All the fluid squeezed out of the treads on the bottom and formed the boil. What you need to do is run that machine down the highway at the highest speed it will go. this will "fling" the fluid out of the boil due to centripetal or centrifugal force (I cant remember which it is) and distribute the fluid evenly around the tire and work the fluid back into the tread it was squeezed out of. You may want to update your insurance before you do this, all of your insurance. Transversely, you could have a pregnant tire and it is just starting to show. Give her some space, don't work her to hard and see if you don't have a couple go-cart tires under the machine in a few weeks. (They normally pup at night). Hope this helps.
I love your videos cause I grew up running fixing and transporting equipment. I work in underground utilities for 19 years with my family's company that ran for 60 years and cease operation in 2008. I have our original grade scope. We all would bring our dogs to the shop for maintenance, oil change, new cutting edges the whole nine. Seeing you and your family bring good memories........
More war stories from Anthony in Colton , CA . In the old days before we had plastic feathers. We used wooden hubs and painted the top of the hubs with blue or red paint for finish grade. I have seen some very good blade hands. Being the finish scraper hand myself. Those were good at what they did. Who could scrape the paint right off the hub. I dont care how old you are that's finish. I call them war stories but all were true and my personal experience as a equipment operator. I sure would like to try those Hawaiian caramels. Thanks Jeff for all your great videos.
Good morning thank you for another great video.I look forward to Saturday mornings so an old man and his grandson(5 yr old) can watch "diggers"together. Your providing some great content for any age group,not always easy to find nowadays. thanks from"Pa" in Endicott n.y.
JDirt you can always tell a rookie like you said because they roll their blade over so they can see their edges. I own an excavation company in the Northwest and sat on the grader every day with my dad growing up and was a pretty good blade hand by the time I was 28, but I learned from watching and spending my Saturdays learning to the most efficient way to place rock. You either have an eye for grades or you don’t...Nice work! Oh and I pulled plenty of hubs the first few go rounds until I got sick of having to re set them with the laser.
Great videos! For cleaning the rust out of those seal grooves a glass bead cabinet is handy. Tape off any surfaces you want to protect and spray away. If you don't have one, you can get a cheap Harbor Freight unit for around $200 that will do the job. Amazing how many things I end up using it for. I don't actually use "glass beads" in mine....I use garnet sand that's a little coarser and it doesn't have the silicates of other sand.
Hey my name is Al and we're from South Jersey a small family excavation and industrial con concrete company somehow we kind of do it all. What ever pays the bills your stuff is alot bigger . I have picked up a few things you thanks It's raining here again I can't wait to get back in the field to try it. my be one time's I'll send you a pic of our 88 Lt 8000 and trial King 20 ton since they were new pc I love your videos and since of humor please keep making them I have been watching them along time my is to get on the white board thanks for making me laugh and smile
I hope that vise holds up seeing the pressure you are putting on it with how that hydraulic cylinder is held and the force the pipe wrench is exerting. Keep those good thoughts coming.
Good video, nice work with the grader! Those cylinders can be a nightmare to take apart sometimes, especially when an "expert" repaired it last. Great calendar!
Wallmart has an offer this week on Grader Tires, or as we say in the U.K. Tyres On the cylinder, if a 48" wont get it, a 60" generally will, I learnt that in the Oil Patch!!!!
Good evening Jeff thank you for another super video and I sure like that Hawaiian calendar. Take care my friend and catch you next time from one of your loyal fans in the UK😎👍🇬🇧.
hi Jeff , just found your channel recently, and I have been trying to watch every one that I could . I worked for a county public works dept down in southern calif. for over 30 years so I am feeling right home with your excellent videos. Wish I could have had your videos back then, I live in the San Diego area now . Thanks again for all the entertainment.
Just found your channel looks like I have some watching to do. I've drove truck for 17 years then 3 years ago got on with the province of New Brunswicks Canada DOT I love a challenge that's why I wanted to try plowing and this spring took another challenge I applied for the grader job at our division and got it. To say the least it been a learning summer but fun.
New subscriber here from El Paso, TX!!! Loving your videos sir. Very informative but fun to watch as well. You definitely share all your experience and wisdom. Not a heavy equipment operator but I’m a big fan of all the machinery and the work all you operators do. God bless you sir!!
Can't wait to see the start of the new Job, great info in this video Jeff. Can you please show more on how you go about setting out your job (marking out, levels & Grade Stakes) and how best to approach different aspects of grading like (what gear to use with what type of material, blade positioning vs wheel position for cut, spreading or trimming; how keep a crown; Tips on doing high wall batters and slopes; and how to know if you've got the right moisture content.) Oh and if it's not pushing the friendship too much, more on maintenance tips... Lov'in it all. Cheers!
Yep, that is definitely a blister -- Best thing to fix that is get some of that neosporin and some o that aloe Vera & smear it on in the morning & at nite , then get u some new tires before u start the BLM job !! Really enjoyed this video ...
I enjoy your videos ... I too not only have to fix and rebuild equipment for reliable use . I know the pain ,it's always something or another. Keep up the good work!!!
Thank you I down in Panama just one mile for the Panama Canal and I tell running my equipment. Old d5 and a case 550 and a cat 950E . I just do little ranches here in the jungle . It's always good 9months of rain so it balls to the wall till it starts again but in all its a great life. Thanks Cliff Anders
Ive been watching your channel for years, really enjoy it. funny enough i work my last day in the cylinder shop today and come home and watch you build a couple LOL. starting monday in the shop on equipment. keep the videos coming. hayden in winston, Ga.
You Saved a few bucks doing that Cylinder yourself, not to mention how long you would have had to wait sending it out..Awesome! They were still in great shape though!
You lucky bastard!!, nice haul especially the calendar. I was in Hawaii back in 09 for 3 weeks and was hooked on the Kona coffee, great stuff!. I still have a couple Cat hats that says " Cat reg'd power" from the early 80's. haven't seen any of those in a long time. Have fun with your sugar rush!!!
Love your videos Jpaydirt! I really like the old CAT blade you run. My grandfather ran that same one for Arizona DOT. He was the top blade man for the state and worked for them for 22years. You're type of operation reminds me so much of his. Thanks for rockin it old school. I just wish I could have gotten into what you do. I always had a knack for equipment. Alright stay cool
I used to work with an old school operator and he was bloody good but still had his off days. Sometimes things just weren't happening so he'd go home and come back the next day completely fine
One year in Phoenix years ago. Small parking lot crew. 14 blade, roller, water truck and my 613 scraper. One laborer to run finish hubs with the blade. One pass with the blade with a medium windroll. The laborer got in a tight spot with a wall and the blade. Strange, he disappeared for an instant. Then came rolling out the end of the blades 14 foot mold board. Scared everyone to death. All came running to see if he was o k. He was fine. Seems he jumped over the blade to get the next stake. Caught his foot and rolled him right out, including his shovel, the other end. Wierd things happen when you're not paying attention.
Nice grader tips there bud. Soak them teflon seals in some REALLY hot water, they get a little bit more pliable and save some aggrivation. Although still a pita! Thanks Jeff, Will in everett wa. P.s toolbox vid?
It's not CAT, he just made it look like that. The vid covers it well. Model and where to get it too. You'll have to apply the cat paint, mats, and decals. Filling it with tools is the pricey part but none of it is on a budget including the elbow grease.
That was great video Jeff.Thats the trouble nowadays everybody wants GPS.Can't do anything without them probably use one to give them directions how to go to the crapper. You take pride in your work and its done right whether its excavating or wrenching and that still means something.Doesn't matter if its old school.Saw you were using the bottom dump did you ever install any vibrators?
Everything you said is true I started running a grader the old way then GPS came out and learned how to use that also,but GPS is not always trust worthy
Handy trick to install the u-cup seal, especially in small cylinders, is place a socket that is similar in size to the rod inside the head to work as a stop just below the seal groove.
Leave it alone till it blows Jeff! Jeff I use to laugh at one old surveyor he told me the first one of those you pull up is a hamburger the next one is a steak and the third one you don't want to know. I loved it when they came out with those turkey beards that's what we called them in Oklahoma. I liked them better than blue chalk on top of the stake!
Hey Jay, I just had to put my 2 cents in on the boil in the tire. I'm just gonna say looks like the start of an upset cist,so be cautious because it could be their for years or it could pop and splatter all over everything. The one thing I do know is if you don't cut all the cist contents out it will only get worst. So you are probably better to get it taken care of sooner than later or you'll be in a position where you need that piece of equipment and it will sure enough be broken because of that spot,and as you know time is money so when you need that machine to run and it cant your not only losing money but your now paying money out plus losing money. Well I could go on and on but your a smart man you know where this is headed. Be a smart businessman and just sale the whole machine.lmao. no just kidding buddy just get it fixed and keep rollin and making money buddy wish you the best and keep the awesome content going.
if you don't change the winter air to summer air in your tires, it can cause tire boils😜 btw, buy yourself a can of Zep45, and you'll throw all other penetrating oils away. Use it sparingly as it is costly, but presoak, and reapply after a good soak...viola!
I enjoy your work, agree with everything you said about the grader. I never had to grade up to hubs much, just wasn't done in our industry, a line of stakes set by transit with cut and fill was good enough, then laser came...and now we have GPS control and many ops that think they are good, but really good or just good programs doing the work? Its so true that knowing how material reacts to the way the blade is run is probably the most important aspect of grading. I don't get to sit in the seat much anymore but when I do I challenge myself to get that blade in the perfect position to do the work it needs to do. I never drove the machine, I run the blade. Great stuff paydirt, I'm still watching just not commenting much on anything anymore... but you got one out of me this time ;-)
Jpaydirt kind of. Much bigger oil company that probably doesn't want anything publicly broadcast. When I first came at the end of 2014 I was in the construction end but have since moved over to road maintenance for them and training grader ops. When not doing that I do a regular maintenance shift. Between the 5 of us I think we have a 1000 or so miles of road to look after.
CDNcatskinner yours was the first youtube channel I ever watched, your videos were great and I rewatch them from time to time. I work for a large oil and gas company in Aus doing wellsite, access roads and pipeline construction and rehabilitation. I have the same issue with not being able to post work videos on social media. Jpaydirt i hang out every Friday for your videos, i love your classic cats. Keep up the great work.
AusEarth99 cool, Nice to hear...must be something to work in a country that actually let's you get the gas to export markets, I'm jealous. Our protesters have stalled the industry.
I love your videos Jpay Dirt. If I hadn't been retired on medical grounds, I would have loved to learn to OPERATE "old school" Grading. After watching my Dad apply himself to anything, anytask, anywhere, I learned a lot from him simply by watching. Always asking the questions ... Why, How ... ? So, naturally, I also love tinkering, and apply myself to any task, within my abilities. Caren Barnet, South Australia.
been running heavy equipment a long time since I was about 13 and I was 43 now never could get into the GPS stuff I mean don't get me wrong it's great for doing some grade work but I'm just old school I oh and love the Channel me and my 6 year old son look at it alot and he just full of the what he doing and why questions lol
Yeah, I know it's probably been replaced by now, but no. Don't stick a drill bit in it. It'll be under high pressure, and you may get injured. Besides that, the layer between the tyre and the outside air is what you are about to puncture, and the inside air will only want to equalise with the outside air...in other words, it will flatten much more quickly.
Jeff, your videos are awesome! Love old Kenny and all your caterpillar equipment. Really like seeing a funny old fart making cool videos like these. 10-4skin and over&under 😂 keep the cool videos coming. Thanks Jeff
awww grader and red tops, i had to paint mine blue, (color blind in red would match in the dirt) used ol upside down marker paint. run grader mostly 30 years or so along with support equip.
Hey,Have to say I like Your video's! Had My suspicions that there was a heritage to crazy Swedes way back! :D I live in Stockholm, Sweden. Have visited Your lovely country about 13 times but haven't been further west that Omaha NE yet. Reason why I have been to the Us is that I try to visit the HCEA.Historical Construction Equipment Ass. every year. Will go to this years show in LeSueur Minnesota in august. Keep them nice vids coming! /Peter
