training again

[LandyAndy]

Hi Guys
Had a trainer in today for more grader lessons.1 on 1 learning how to build a road from scratch.Totally new to me,learnt how to cut the drains and shift the max amount of dirt at once with a grader,really surprised me just how much you can shift in one hit.
Got a couple of days to practice what he showed me then he returns for another torture session.
He reckons the windrow I have ready for the boys to shift tommorow has around 600 tonnes of dirt in it:eek::eek::eek:
Andrew

[Jamo]

I watched a training video for road repair today. Bob was sick, so wendy had to supervise. Dizzy knoked the soccer ball into the middle of the wet surface, but wendy, muck and rolly sorted it out.

[BMKal]

I don't know if these would be of any use to you Andy, but I have just checked through my training files and found that I still have all of the Caterpillar Institute training presentations for Graders - mostly MS Powerpoint presentations.

I have specific presentations for 16H, 24H & 140H, as well as generic presentations for the modules "Construct Roads", "Machine on Slope", "H Series Operating Tips", "H Series Application Guide", "Maintain Roads" and "Prepare for Road Construction and Maintenance". All of these are for Nationally Accredited modules as part of Mining Industry Standard training.

I'm a qualified trainer & assessor in mobile plant - specialised mainly in loaders. Was also signed off to conduct assessments on behalf of Cat Institute a few years ago when I was working for a contractor which had an agreement in place with Cat Institute as RTO.

I also have a collection of similar training modules for Dozers, Excavators, IT's, Loaders and Wheel Dozers.

If you think any of this might be of any use to you, either for your own benefit or in your new role on the safety side, let me know and I'll figure out a way to get onto a disc and down to you (way too much to e-mail).

Cheers .................. BM

[BBC]

Andy,

Nothing like 'hands on'. I learnt on CAT 120Gs back in the early 80s in the Army, when we had a full on 6mth training course. I would never claim to be a 'final trim' operator but I can cut a road and trim batters. Have you been shown how to side mount your blade to trim a batter?

One memorable job I had was up at Shoalwater Bay one year cleaning up after an exercise when it had rained and the truck convoys had driven down the Livingstone Shire maintained Stanage Bay Road, on the north side of the training area, and had made a mess of the road. Well, guess who had to go and regrade it? I spent two weeks out there, and the SGT would drive out every other day to refuel me and check I was still there. The local station owners loved me because I was regrading their property road entrances and they'd flip me some beer, steaks, or whatever.

Enjoy your learning, and get as much practise in as you can before they put you on laser assisted equipment. Don't be afraid to get down off your machine to view what you need to do. It helps your appreciation of what needs to be moved from where to where when you are starting out.

[Bigbjorn]

Good to hear a of Shire Council giving proper training to operators.
In my days selling construction and mining equipment, we were appalled by the unfortunate fact that many, if not most, operators were trained by another operator, had little idea of the full capacity and applications of the machine, had ingrained bad habits of their own making or as taught by the previous operator.

[LandyAndy]

BM
I would love it if you could burn me a copy!!!!
Ive spent hours on the net looking for material on road construction.Only found US stuff that is quite different than the way we do things.
Had the camera today,but was off in the esky in my work ute,early days on the job,but Im pretty impressed,even workmates have commented that the job looks good.
Will take it again tommorow and post a pic.
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

A few pics for you lot.
This morning
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/182.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/389.jpg

Dirt removed from the top of the hill used as fill in low points.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/390.jpg

And after a days work.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/391.jpg

Getting loads of "well done,top job" from workmates and the farmers around where we are working,1 even suggested today I can throw my L plates away!!!
Will see what the trainer dude has to say tommorow when he returns for another days tuition!!!
Will add pics from time to time,another kilometer or so to go forming the road up,then cart HEAPS of gravel in then eventually it will get black stuff on the top.
This road is my baby,all mine from start to finish:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[BBC]

Andy,

I think I have the plans here for that power pole up aheadhttp://http://www.flickr.com/photos/25101154@N02/2473501453/in/photostream/

If you like grading here is a jobhttp://http://www.flickr.com/photos/25101154@N02/2473512703/in/photostream/

This is the airfield at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan 1.8km long 32m wide. I renovated it in Nov 05 and have been maintaining it for the SAS, and then the Dutch and the ADF here since.

It is the only operational dirt strip in the world landing C17s. http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/25101154@N02/2473536413/in/photostream/We get up to 28planes a day...we had 5 of those C17s in one day.

It has a steady longitudinal gradient of 1.5-1.8 % and we have to maintain it with a -1.5% crossfall from the crown to the shoulders. Compaction is important as it needs a good 'tight' surface to make it last, like thishttp://http://www.flickr.com/photos/25101154@N02/2473511951/in/photostream/

As you might well imagine, the grading tolerances are pretty high. My grader operator is a Philipino called Domingo, and he is great.

We are continually renovating the surface as you might imagine, being dirt, it keeps being eroded by the jetblasts and prop-washes. Just preparing the contract for extension until Mar 2010....if they like the price!

[loanrangie]

I watched a training video for road repair today. Bob was sick, so wendy had to supervise. Dizzy knoked the soccer ball into the middle of the wet surface, but wendy, muck and rolly sorted it out.

Took me a few seconds to catch on, . :D

[isuzurover]

Looks great Andy! Well done. Do you guys get proper sub-grade/sub-base? I drove past a road under construction near Bullsbrook the other day, and they were using a combination of dirt and soccer ball sized rocks as sub-base!!!

[LandyAndy]

There is pretty good quality clay with a bit of gravel mixed in.There is a really good gravel pit adjacent to the job with a huge amount of very good gravel.The trainer has got me cutting the hills out and using it as sub base where fill is needed.He says it will save the shire thousands in carting the gravel plus give a better flowing road.I just windrow it up then get a loader and tipper in to shift it to where I need fill.
Got a heap of dirt ready to shift will put a couple of more pics up next week after Ive got it shifted and spread.
That power pole is a beauty!!!! Im ready to set the loader driver up so he backs over it,he backed into whilst grading the other day:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:.Western power are too shift it,problem is they were all set to shift the wrong pole,next to the exsisting road not in the new road.So all the paperwork/redtape has to be re done:mad::mad::mad::mad:
Andrew

[Phred]

A few pics for you lot.
This morning
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/182.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/389.jpg

Dirt removed from the top of the hill used as fill in low points.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/390.jpg

And after a days work.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/391.jpg

Getting loads of "well done,top job" from workmates and the farmers around where we are working,1 even suggested today I can throw my L plates away!!!
Will see what the trainer dude has to say tommorow when he returns for another days tuition!!!
Will add pics from time to time,another kilometer or so to go forming the road up,then cart HEAPS of gravel in then eventually it will get black stuff on the top.
This road is my baby,all mine from start to finish:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

Is that a volvo badge on that grader? Does it have a parcel tray in the back of
the cab to put the bowlers hat on?:p:p:p

[LandyAndy]

Yep Volvo G930.
Nice big cab but no parcel shelf so the hat gets knocked around a bit:D:D:D:D.
There is suposed to be a small engel fridge to keep your lunch/drinks in but the previous works supervisor removed it and kept it for himself before delivery:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

I just got a certificate from the 2 days training last week.Im now a qualified construction/final trim grader operator.Nationaly recognised certification.:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Took a few more pics today.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/186.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/187.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/188.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/189.jpg

Was a tad wet underfoot today!!!
Andrew

[Blknight.aus]

A few pics for you lot.
This morning
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/05/182.jpg


Andrew


shoulda stopped there mate, that looks like a road to me, Anything more is just pampering for riceboys who cant drive and wasting taxpayers money.

[Lucus]

Any of you operators out there had a go at the controls of an M series grader?

There out there man......:eek:

:D

[LandyAndy]

This road is a win for the Shire,Blackspot and Roads to Recovery money,extra work for us and government funding.
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Looking forward to having a go Lucus.
Mates had a play in one,he was impressed no end.Apparentley you are supposed to go and use a simulator before trying the real deal.
Andrew

[d3funct]

1 - The powerlines in the road may make things interesting and could help to prove the existance of the Darwin Theory of Evolution. Thank you!

2 - Please tell the guys laying the road base to stop being funny... pot holes are not a joke!

Nice work Andy :P

[LandyAndy]

Still waiting for Western Power to shift it so I can hack a heap more out of the crest of the hill:mad::mad::mad::mad:.
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Time for an update.
Due to the Vibe roller falling to bits and the need to train up a maintence grader driver wich involved doing 2 laps of all the shire gravel roads with 2 graders getting the winter grade done,then just too wet to do any work on my new road so it has been in limbo.
However in the last 4 weeks Ive been a busy cookie,started catring gravel in on friday:cool::cool::cool::cool:,finished forming up the rest of the new road today,ready for gravel all the way thru.
Im told we are sealing it(bitumen) in november,so lots to do,2ks or so of new road plus another 8ks of the exsisting road to be widened and sealed at the same time.Ive also got a further 2x2km widen/seal before winter.
Anyway a few more pics.

The southern end where I first started,instead of a hard right you will now go straight ahead.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/77.jpg

Southern end where I started in the original post.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/78.jpg

Looking south,that powerpole is now shifted out of the middle of the road.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/79.jpg

Wetspot,about the highest point on the job!!!!! Loamy gravel,hard clay both sides,its subsoil water movement from higher on the hill.The bog mark to the left(closest to the road) is over 1m deep.I didnt get bogged this time but I did in the same spot 2 weeks ago!!!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/80.jpg

The downhill run into the banked curve.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/81.jpg

Looking south to the start of the job.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/82.jpg

Looking to the northern end of the job where its nice and wet.You can see the exsisting road heading to the right.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/83.jpg

Northern end of job where we meet up with the exsisting road.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/84.jpg

Another pic of the northern end,it was VERY WET,I had the excavator in for 3 days digging out the slops.When we connect to the exsisting road I have to cut thru the exsisting bend to tie in with the original road.From where they have started dumping gravel to the match in area of the original road is almost level
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/85.jpg

Apart from gravel fill at the wet northern end Ive ripped/cut/windrowed the clay and had it shifted by front end loader and a 6 wheeler.Apart from when we had the excavator and the second 6 wheeler only 3 of us have been soldiering away at this!! Still have to wait another week before I get the second 6 wheeler,the side tipper semi,and excavator back as they havent finished their tree clearing project:mad::mad::mad::mad:
Looking forward to working with gravel again,clay is tough going in all respects.
No levels done by surveyors!!! All done by eye!!!! Ive impressed myself no end!!!
Andrew

[BBC]

Still waiting for Western Power to shift it so I can hack a heap more out of the crest of the hill:mad::mad::mad::mad:.
Andrew

LandyAndy,

I think you'd be waiting a time to get this one moved...if you were in East Timor:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/08/76.jpg

[CraigE]

I watched a training video for road repair today. Bob was sick, so wendy had to supervise. Dizzy knoked the soccer ball into the middle of the wet surface, but wendy, muck and rolly sorted it out.
So what are you saying, Andy looks a bit like Muck or Bob.:o:p:wasntme:

[CraigE]

Good stuff Andy. Missed this post in May for some reason.
CraigE
:D:D

[Narangga]

Good stuff Andy. Missed this post in May for some reason.
CraigE
:D:D

Me too. Could certainly use some of your skills up here. 650km dirt to Katherine and they haven't been able to find anyone with any decent grader training for a couple of years. :eek:

[lewy]

stuu are you making a job offer,i am getting bored with darwin,

[Narangga]

stuu are you making a job offer,i am getting bored with darwin,

If I could I would. Contract is issued by Planning & Infrastructure (wish it was still 'Works and Jerks' :p) and the mob in Katherine that have the contract don't really care about it.

Not sure exactly which mob it is now as it changed last year - and the road didn't improve.

As dm_td5 said when he came back in that for the week BEFORE Garma it was the worst he had seen in his 10 years here.