I started my job as a laborer with a shovel. Thanks to this video I was able to grade well enough my first time running the machine to become operator for my crew :) I LOVE GOING TO WORK NOW!
Yessir same here I just landed an operator job with a company I worked for before picking up trash an lumber with a skid steer but quit an now 2 years later came back an I'm doing stucco grades /plumbing back fills an pad fills. Making $14 an hr an love waking up to go to work where as before I hated waking up going to work. Now I love it.
I'm only making 14 now I started at 14 an have had a rough almost year here. An after my 90 day I didn't ask for a raise either cus my mess ups an issues with health caused me to miss a few days here an there so I never asked. But I'm gonna ask real soon. Tho.
Had to move some dirt in back yard with sloping hills. Decided to watch this video. SO GLAD I DID!!!! Buckled in fired it up, moved 20 or 30 buckets of dirt - thinkin' I'm a pro, nothing to this until Darth Ego made me hit the wrong foot peddle and I roll forward. Freaked for a second - not hurt - then I heard Obi Wan Bobcat Guy from the video whisper to me "remain calm, you can right yourself with the boom". Flipped myself back up.... seconds before Princess Leiatoldyouso came outside. Thanks for saving my Man Card. You rock.
Great video - Thank you! It helped me big time get my grading and confidence up operating in front of neighbors! upped my skill level from beginner to "looking" pretty experienced 😃 I have lots to learn, but neighbors now are now wondering if they should get one for themselves! I just hope they dont have the *near misses* I did on the learning curve to getting this far. I have so much more confidence and efficiency now thanks to the educational videos on RU-vid like this one. Please keep up the great content! 👍👍
I have been watching your videos. Was raised working on farms and heavy equipment. You are an excellent teacher and the video shots are extremely well-done. I wish all youtube channels were as excellent as what you all have put together here!
You can also use the bucket curled down like a dozer blade while pushing forward to fill holes allows you to see how much you're leaving and adjust as needed for fine grading. And you can reach over things or around them to flick dirt into holes. I back fill allot of curb avoiding stakes and utilities. Figured it couldn't hurt to watch a few videos and maybe learn something I didn't know. The best way I've found to learn is by watching other people. Not only what the machine is doing but the operator inside. Thanks for the video. I'll be sure to send the next guy I've got to train here for basics first.
Always wanted to use one of these bad boys since childhood! Super cross lover here and always wanted to build tracks! Finally used one and could not get off of it! Truly made me feel like a kid again
When back dragging (in float) with your cutting edge, at the end of your pass go ahead and curl your bucket flat instead of lifting the arms. You'll get a nice transition to the end of your pass. Great vid.
I guess im asking the wrong place but does anybody know a trick to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my account password. I appreciate any help you can offer me.
@Lawrence Ezequiel I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
That was an excellent tutorial. Very well done. I recently bought a JD 318D skid steer and have zero experience. I really needed to see this video and will be looking for the first one now. I operated heavy equipment in the military but that was many years ago. I bought my JD for snow removal mainly but it is very useful with moving logs around in my firewood pile. I really could use a set of forks for the log work but for now the bucket does well enough until next year. Done with bucking and spitting firewood this year. Thank you!
I have a used Deere 333d and it’s awesome. I’m here looking for advanced techniques on creating trails along a slope. Stick time definitely helps along with watching videos such as Andrew Camarata on youtube. I just wish there were more pro videos like this one that goes into techniques when one doesn’t have a 6-way blade, etc
You mentioned that the machine is extremely sensitive when trying to line up and pick up an attachment. It helps to power down to idle before trying to pick up an attachment. That will help eliminate most of the jerkiness. Seems obvious, but it took me awhile to figure that out on my own.
Not sure if this machine has it, but many modern skid/track steers have dual rates for hydraulics and travel speeds. If you are just starting out or renting a machine you're not familiar with, ask an experienced operator, the rental agency, or check the operators manual to see if your machine can be switched into slow mode. Even as an experienced operator, I frequently use the slower settings if I'm doing more precise work like final grading or changing attachments. It makes the machine much less "touchy".
HOLY HECK! I was dropped into a machine today for the first time and had 2 trucks dumping piles of clay rich soil for me to build a house pad. Every time I'd start to get a feel for the machine I'd get pulled out then into the big roller. The other blokes make it look so easy! All 3 of them spread the piles in about a minute and all 3 do it a different way. I was so confused and under the pump. I only learnt the roller yesterday. The dump truck the day before that and the water truck just last week! Never even driven a truck before. Enjoyed it up until today. Need help from a higher source....🙏
3rd day of work tomorrow landscaping. They want me to operate the skid steer tomorrow and this gives me some confidence that I wont look like a jackass
Getting ready to attend union equipment training, have been watching all the vids . Reinforcing the basics to be confident and smooth . Thanks for putting your time into making these videos available!
A skid steer with TRACKS is a must for use in clay soils particularly when the soil becomes saturated with rain. A skid steer with wheels are great for completely dry conditions but HORRIBLE for slippery soils especially once the soil gets wet and has a moderate grade to the land.
Take it slow...grading is one of the most difficult things to master so don’t plan to become an “expert” in a weekend. Just make sure boom is all the way down which will be level with your tracks, then error on the side of your bucket curled up more than open more (that way you avoid risk of gouging our ground making a divot)
Use the bucket to pull yourself out. If the fails you can use another matching to put good material under the tracks while using the boom to push the machine off the ground. Slowly working one side then the other until you build yourself up.
Great video. I have a random question. If a skid loader were to get struck by lightning while on the job with someone in it do you know if the operator would be unharmed? I know cars that are struck by lightning usually leave the driver unharmed so I am assuming the same for a skid loader. I was once in a situation where lightning struck a tree about 25 ft from me while I was on the job so that’s what got me thinking.
Look up "Faraday cage" this scientist found out that no matter the intensity of the voltage it will not penetrate a closed metallic structure, exactly like a car or metallic equipment, skidsteer, bulldozer, excavator. One important thing is not to leave the machine because lightning could strike again or if a power line is touching the ground or the car you could get fried. Wait for help and tell people to keep away until competent rescue arrive.
If you can run one of these you got a job bout anywhere they’ve came along way since the ol bobcats with foot pedals 😂😂 easier to learn on and it’s the most used piece of equipment besides a mini excavator at our company hands down👍👍
i'm in Anoka and am curious if you will do a skid steer series on wheeled skid steers, i've rented bob cats, cat, and john dear. tracked is very hard on your back but very stable. wheeled using your hands and feet sucks but thats still the majority of whats out their. well, wheeled at least being its far cheaper than tracked both for purchase and maintenance. wheeled bounces around so much and if you have actual levers to control the tracks, it can really start to get out of hand, i usually just let them go and let the machine settle down. i've only got maybe 50 hours in one, haven't tipped forward because it is common sense and one a wheeled machine, you learn how unstable you are very quickly anyway like pulley wheelies. haha. as far as grading, and advice on a wheeled machine besides go slow.
Yeah, potentially could do some wheeled skid videos. I definitely wouldn't use a wheeled for grading though. They are really only designed to be used on hard surfaces. Controls are the same, but there are some subtle differences in how they respond.
@@HeavyMetalLearning with controls I was reffering to the 2 foot long levers which you control with your arm not your wrist. those can get you in trouble pretty quick. I deal with a gravel driveway with ruts that is a 30 percent grade at least. not 30 degrees. backing down that with a wheeled machine is a slow white knuckle type of experience. tracked, no issue for obvious reasons, why back down? because it ends at the roadway and i'm bringing material up from wash outs. avoiding turning around over and over. i wouldn't grade with a wheeled skid steer either, but tracked is about 50 percent more expensive to rent and hard to find. Lano, Grand Rental, Highway 55 Rental, most I've come across have maybe one tracked skid steer even on site, rarley available. Anyway, i do like joystick control better, no foot controls. Remember the really old ones that had a T handle to steer. I guess it worked.
@@justinpaone2227 I've never run one of those older ones so don't think I can help with that. But you should be able to find tracked skids to rent, I know both United and Sunbelt Rentals have tracked skids to rent.
Do people use a GP bucket on a skid steer as a rule in the US? Here in Australia a 4 in 1 is pretty much standard. We tend to use a spreader bar a lot for starters and for that you need the 4 in 1 of course. the 4 in 1 is just so much more versatile .
I have a 2011 SV185 and am currently trying to find out how to use the float option and have no idea how to use it? Do you know if the 2011 models have them?
These are very basic tips. The auto level is only good for loading trucks. Curling back and turning a little will help you put a percentage on your grade. Cat machines can run 2:1 slopes sideways very easy also. Back dragging on a skidsteer is a big no no. Alot of guys cant cut grade going forward, so learning to only cut forward is very key to learning this machine. But alot of what you covered is basic knowledge in my opinion.
Yeah, what I'm talking about is guys trying to cut grade or make fills back dragging. You'll never get the grade flat back dragging the way to can cutting forward, not to mention you dont have compaction if its soft enough to back drag. Plus, you will wear out a bucket in no time. But yes SOME back dragging is normal.
Here's one thing I've found; Cheap foreign made buckets dont have the proper geometry. With the loader arms fully down, if you level cheap buckets, often they inches above the ground. If you lower the cutting edge to the ground, the bucket is actually very angled downwards and will want to dig as it loads up. Cheap or not, if a company is going to the trouble to actually mass produce a product, they should take the time and care to do it right.
I’m not one who knows a lot about machines and operating but I have been running a skid steer for four years straight now and this guy is giving the most incoherent “advanced” tutorial I’ve ever seen. I mean come on dude your whole video was spliced together from shots of you doing shit work and then telling the viewers that’s what it looks like. If you worked as an operator in my city your ass would be fired within the week.
I watched until your first skil lesson. Fine grading. Wrong. Start with a full bucket. That will prevent the bucket from being too sensitive to rise and dig in. It will also fill in low spots which can't happen with an empty bucket. Want to learn to be an operator...operate...there are no shortcuts. It's not something you can learn from a video.
@@HeavyMetalLearning Can't say because I didn't watch the rest. I only saw what I commented about. I'm not deliberately trying to hate on your schtick here. Sorry if it came off like that but I do believe that there are some things that need to be done intuitively and this is one of them. How to gain that skil? PRACTICE!
Your welcome! Here's a pro tip for you. Down hill dirt is always cheaper than up hill dirt. Meaning that it is faster and more efficient to push or dig from the up hill side. Because the weight of the machine works in your favor. It may seem obvious but a lot of operators will attack a borrow site (where you are digging from) from the down hill side. It is almost always faster to start from the uphill side working downhill. Hope that helps someone.
Watching this guy's videos makes a thought as to what idiots are people hiring to operate like that. Who hires people with those faults you teache to correct. Some get and most dont.teach folding a pile.revers to closest line with arm up to just above the track view.so you can look in reverse left or right.dont forget not all machines are sticks. Foot controlls seem old school now
That is completely wrong on how to grade and spread material. Do not listen to this guy. I have 33 years of experience operating every machine. You do what he’s doing on a job site you’re fired.