How to Operate an Excavator - Advanced // Heavy Equipment Operator
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- For those heavy equipment operators, this is a follow-up to our popular “How to Operate an Excavator” video. We are back with “How to Operate an Excavator - 201!” In this video, we will go over the basics of trenching, under carriage, driving and jump turns in our Komatsu PC-210 excavator. Have a question/comment? Feel free to leave them below!
Are you interested in becoming a heavy equipment operator? Check out Sandbox Academy! 👉extremesandbox...
Check out our original How to Operate an Excavator video ➡️ bit.ly/2Reg9RE
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While teaching, when an expert says he's not an expert, you know it's going to be a great lesson.
1000% agree....to me a humble operator who doesn't act like he knows everything is key to a good teacher!
@@HeavyMetalLearning I'm no expert either and tend to run from those who claim to be. I'v been operating for many years but only recently started doing it full time. To say that i can operate is an overstatement of my abilities. I try to stay humble and say I'm pretty good at moving the equipment around. Great channel and great content, keep it coming!!!
It is very important learning if am interested with the leaning what can I do
I dunno, I’ve had a senior operator show me the ropes on an underground 9 yard loader and before the lesson he told me he could “tie my shoes with the bucket” lol. His level of finesse was amazing
I like how you don't claim to "know it all" and are open to feedback. Afterall often its the person who taught you THEIR way of of doing things, apart from the basics. As you get more experience most operators tend to develop their own ideas. A great tutorial.
Thank you...yes, I’m always learning new things. That’s what I love best about all of these comments, I have learned a ton from hearing from more experienced operators!
Heavy Metal Learning h
Bghh gvbvgh😝😝🇧🇸hhh
Congŕetilatilation good teaching
Klarisine hortonifos kapetos iblame caterpillar to je to pjeva njefrotos
I’m a newer operator, been running tractors and backhoes with the bucket attachment for a while but really just started running excavators. Been just goin through all your vids whenever I have free time, awesome stuff, really opened my eyes to some new capabilities and techniques to use to be safer and more efficient! Just workin on getting more seat time!
I've had the pleasure of re-routing my expertise from Forklifts to Excavators after 23 years in that line of work. At 42 years of age i'm 12 weeeks into a 32 week course to get my license for Excavators and Loaders and i'm loving every second of it. This vid (and a few others on your channel) gave a me a few good hints to improve my handeling of the bucket and the machine in general. Good job, and a warm shout-out from Sweden!! PS. I shall give my teachers a hint of these instructional vids to use in our, and the aftercoming, classes.
Awesome to hear! Thanks for the comment and good luck on your training!
You are a good instructor or a teacher of excavator machine. 28 years of being operator but still pushing his self down not an expert. Wow!! Its the master's way of being humble👍
So great lesson ever
One thing to add for trenching, is to make sure you call any/all underground utility companies. So they can mark the ground before you start digging. The national number is 811.
Excellent point! Thanks for sharing!
Love the videos so far. Keep in mind to make note of how you park your machine at the end of the day with the boom and stick is determined by the manufacturer in checking the hydraulic oil in the machines first thing. Caterpillar typically needs to be parked the way you park for correct fluid in site tube and komatsu is stick out bucket uncurled and boom down with everything set on the ground. John Deere is different with bucket curled under. I know I always check the equipment for proper placement before I park at the end of the day.
A handy little tip for doing the “jump turn” or “crab walk” as I like to call it and a few aussies call it, is to slew 45 degrees to the desired turning direction and do exactly as you had instructed, having already slewed 45 degrees beforehand will eliminate the rocking motion when you come close to the 90 degree range of turn. That will further save the terrain you’re on, increase stability as well as save the brain rattle!
Good video 👌
Awesome suggestion! Thanks for sharing!
It’s amazing you learn something new every day. The weight of the final drives has never crossed my mind. So that’s awesome. A few things I would like to add. UFPO !! Know what’s in the ground you’re digging. Hitting an electrical can kill you a gas line can kill you. It’s no joke You mentioned frost in the video. Where abouts are you located ? I would love to see something on. A cold start and hydraulic warm up I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve seen just turn the key and go with out cycling the hydraulics and letting that fluid get to temperature It will save the pump long term. You could do an entire video on. Pre run inspection maintenance and warm up. Checking oil coolant and Hydraulic oil. Greasing the bucket. The remote fittings For the. Boom and the often overlooked turntable. Also track tension ( yours look a little tight in my opinion). But how are they tightened. How tight is too tight. When are they too loose. The only way to become a real operator a good operator is by experience If your machine is down you’re not getting that seat time.
This is absolutely AWESOME advice! I definitely think we can do some more videos on a lot of the topics you mentioned. Thank you for the comments and suggestions!
ExtremeSandbox my pleasure I love this industry I love seeing new people coming into the industry. And I am happy to share any information I have I guess you could say “ I’m old. Enough to know I don’t know anything. But young enough to remember what it was like when I knew everything “
Erich Heyde he addressed all that at start of the video. 🤘
I also like that if you do start to lift over going up Hill... natural instinct is to sit forward to stop momentum... futile obviously but instinctive...now full track forward will be natural reaction and hopefully settle the machine
When digging trenches, just before you lift the bucket out of the trench I like to move it back (away from you) just slightly. That way the material falls into the bucket, rather then pile up between the machine and the trench. This I find beneficial for two main reasons, first of all it just looks more neat. Especially if you're digging on a grass surface, as you won't get a bunch of material stuck in the grass when you're refilling the trench. Reason the second is visibility - the less material you have blocking your line of sight the better! This I find to be especially true of you're digging where you suspect there might be something in the ground, like pipes or cables.
Excellent tip...thanks for sharing!
Yep that’s standard
@@HeavyMetalLearning I noticed in this vid that you do just that with the bucket. A1.
Thanks for this tip it makes my trenches look the neatest of the trainees.
J
In the UK we are taught to dig to required depth, (being wary of pipes and cables) at the beginning of the trench and compact the sides of the trench to stop the sides from caving in, the flat of the bucket either side of the trench is used to compact the sides by drawing the bucket towards the machine. Before moving to extend the length of the trench and repeat. And on coming off a slope we don't fully extend so not to put strain on the boom linkages, the hydraulics take the strain. Nice educational videos. They are rare.
Thanks for the tips and comment!
Packing edges of a open trench is never a good idea. It prefectures walls from rest of the ground behind it weakening it. Pre packing trench line area before you dig is another story that would be engineered into site plan.
Incredible video yet again my friend! - for any people out there that want to learn or are new to equipment operation, I would very highly recommend that you spend a lot of time practicing your multi-functioning. It does take practice, but there are times where you are working in extremely sensitive areas (grass you don’t want to harm, or maybe even asphalt) and you don’t want to drag the bucket, or your tracks across. It’s HUGE. to have the skill and confidence to be able to walk the bucket and arm along with you as you climb down a grade, or be able to lift the tracks to turn, and be able to control the stick and bucket as you scrub around on the heels of your tracks. These methods are essential to reducing ground disturbance, and are skills that are a dead giveaway to experience to a potential employer.
Excellent advice...thanks for sharing!
Heavy Metal Learning my pleasure! Thank you for the incredible content!
Peace Family... Great content...looking for work ...any ideas..2yr Bull dozer Panama City Fl .thanks
This instructor is good, i can understand his teachings perfectly.
Thanks for the comment!
This is my childhood dream that still lives hidden in me. I wish one day to be able to try one of these amazing machines
Definitely should visit one of our sites. Check out our website!
Gets old quickly
I'm in N. Central Florida, stop by and I'll let you dig a hole with mine.
@@BrianStocking I live in Italy, I'm sorry hahahah
@@ashkandi1337 So no free labor for me? Dang! But seriously if you can find someone around you that has one just see if you could run it for them, offer a tank full of fuel or something. Digging a hole just to fill it back in can be very therapeutic too. Hope you get a chance someday to make that childhood dream come true. Best wishes.
It's really beautiful exhibition for me I really love it❤
Usually it doesnt matter wich side your drive motors are on when going up or down hills. Normally i use my boom to either push or pull me up. But the books say you should have them in front. Btw love y'alls videos. Even us more experienced operators need a refresher. But its like you said earlier any experience you can get is going to benefit you.
Great advice. Thanks for the comment and totally agree even the pro's need refreshers!
I commented on your dozer vid as well. First off, I forgot to mention that your vids are really good and professional!! Keep that up! I really cannot stand "wanna be" movie stars throw up senseless vids and have not a clue.
Just a couple things for ya!
1. Trenching. It should be taught early that "level" needs to be in the mind before the excavator starts to dig. If the tracks ain't level, the boom will not dig normal to the ground. Sometimes this is simply prepping a "pad" area with the bucket before walking on it. Sometimes just asking a dozer operator to make a couple passes is much faster.
2. This point is similar to my other post, and again, I love your vids and training, but as a mechanic, owner, and operator, my mentality immediately goes "protecting the equipment". I would gear some training towards complete understanding of the mechanicals and what not to do to them. This came to the top for me because ANY rookie kid should first me taught, "this excavator cost $500k+, so unless you can write that check, it is treated like the daddy that feeds you.....with respect". I see plenty of hotrod "knowitalls" that just want to claim they can load a truck in 13sec. They will tear the pee out of the equipment and would not have a job on my job site.
3. Again going back to older equipment. Not all have the same protections as your newer equipment and brain cells need applied when accel/decel the swing with a load, etc. Walking the tracks over rocks/holes when you don't have to. General slamming and banging. That boom system alone can weight 20K, and with the house, 40K. It takes serious power to move that. I say this because I see these small excavators getting thrown around like a rag doll and if you did that with my 345, you would get and earful from me. I want to see smooth and consistent, not "mr. hotrod" that breaks everything he touches then says, "the equipment just can't handle me".....
Awesome advice...thank you for sharing!
Am newly excavator operator, I really love this machine❤❤❤❤😊
This school has helped me alot keep it up we are realy enjoying and it has enhaced me to be an operator today. Thank you very much we are together following from Zambia.
Love to hear that...thanks for the comment!
I highly appretiate your way of teaching how to operate that heavy equipment.It's my work machine.from Burundi.
Thanks!
For jump turns I start with the bucket about 30 degrees in the direction of turn to give me more rotation before having to reposition. Then I make a second turn if needed to make the needed full turn. This keeps both tracks from ever fully touching the ground during the turn.
Great advice...thanks for sharing!
You can do a 360 rotation by pulling an pushing the dipper arm while rotating but you can't lift the machine off ground because you'll have to shift the weight on tracks give it a try
Also it’s better not to turn so far as to let machine over balance and tip smashing down, keep both tracks in contact with ground, 3point contact lilol be smooth
Great lesson, demonstrations and various ways of utilizing the machine.
my name is lindsay goins and i am thinking about becoming a excavator operator and i have learn a lot from your vedio.things i didn.t know and i like the way you explain everything in full detail .thank you and yes you have a new student ME i will be watching all the video so i cab be a good excavator operator once again thank you
Drive motors at the back as it keeps the track tight at the bottom it does say this in the manual plus helps with track wear ! also with experience in the past the machine seems to have more pushing power that way
Thanks for the comment and advice!
Also less chance of bashing the final drive...ideler is cheap in comparison
Track tension mostly matters when walking...not so much when putting in work
Thanks like the way you are teaching,from Papua New Guinea😮
Your lesson is very important brother!!
I’ve always been interested in heavy equipment. I will come to the extreme sandbox sometime in my life. I just love excavators! These are great informative videos!!
Right on
There are a few key points to practice while performing trenching or ditching activities. I have found that if you model the machine in the form of a protractor, the results will be efficient. Picture a protractor as an excavator. The center of the protractor is your ditch line at 0 degrees where the boom is attached to the tractor. Utilize the tracks as a framing square. Depending on the type of soil or objective will determine whether to perform excavations activities outside the tracks, middle of the tracks or inside the tracks. For example, take a protractor and place a dot at 30 degrees on one side of 0 degrees. Then place a dot at 30 degrees on the opposite side. Then move back to the opposite side and move in to 15 degrees and place a dot. Apply the same method on the other side at 15 degrees. Move the protractor down the imaginary 0 degree line a minimum distance say half the width of the protractor and perform the same steps again. You can perform this an infinite amount of times. When finished, connect the dots on each side of 0 degrees and it will form a V-ditch. Same principle is performed with an excavator. Visualize the inside of the tracks as the outer most portion in which not to protrude. Take the tooth on the outside of the bucket and imagine yourself as placing a dot with that outside tooth by placing it in the ground a certain distance from the track and curl the bucket to load it while pulling the stick towards you at the same time. Perform the same operation to the other side. Then move back to the opposite side and move the bucket in 1 tooth mark. By doing this, you are changing angles and utilizing the tooth on the bucket and the inside of the tracks as a guide and ruler. Perform the same operation to the other side. A moment will be reached when you realize the desired depth has not been reached. At this moment, place the tractor in turtle mode and back up while focusing on the back up alarm. Once the alarm goes off for the 3rd time, stop. Take the outside tooth and go back to where you left off at from the previous set-up and move over 1 tooth and perform the previous steps over again. You will find that you will always finish your previous set-up after you back up and initiate another set-up. The desired depth is always achieved at this moment also. The backup alarm is just an instrument i use for measuring distance over time. Hope this is helpful to someone.
Never heard that protractor example, that is an excellent visualization. Thank you for sharing all these excellent tips. Greatly appreciate it!
How high were you when you wrote this??
I love your videos. I have to say that you are a great host and teacher. It's cool to see how other operators do things. I'm always learning something new that I carry with me out in the field. The comment section of your videos is also a treasure trove of knowledge and useful information.
Totally agree on the comments! Appreciate the comment but love all the great knowledge shared even more! We love our fans!
I have operated excavator for 10 year, work at logging, Palm Oil plantation and road making, i think i know everything but never thought there are things i don't know.
Thanks for the video...
Yup...always learning! Thanks for the comment!
I hear that palm oil farms are bad, that crap is in all kinds of food too.
love the addition about the 2 foot away from the edge, since this is an OSHA reg, it is a must. As well as protection in a trench, the standards say 5 feet or more unless the competent person decides that they would like one at less of a depth due to the cave in danger. That reminds me, OSHA requires a competent person on site.... that would be good to mention:) Excavation is dangerous, the US had 39 fatalities reported last year.
Doing a operator class in high school. So excited to do it. I have some experience but that’s for the extra tips. Keep up the good content and tips!👌
Thank you! Good luck!
ruclips.net/video/qWpftiNBhoM/видео.html
I love it, 101 and 102 basic tutorial. Greetings from the Philippines. Mabuhay!
Thanks for the comment!
Ha! I live way down south now and _"forgot"_ about frost lines. I now remember my dad (back in Pennsylvania) pulling chunks of frozen material out of the ground with all the shaking and popping going on. Funny how seeing you working with a frost line brought that back. :)
Am from Cameroon 🇨🇲 am learning how to operate excavator. I like ur videos
Very helpful I have learned allot as a new operator
Excellent 201 on how to use an excavator for trench works
Thanks!
Thanks so much, you helped me a lot, you're expert teacher 🙏🙏🙏
I used to see people doing this but I didn't know how to do it 'jump turn' thanks Randy am getting it now.
You're welcome!
Excited to watch this video, please continue uploading the new latest excavator operations. Justine mushivi from Zambia
this is cool..I just got my ticket for a 360..2 days since I started..an hour a day...and 2nd day was even better...I love it.
Awesome!
very well explained and demonstrated, Thank you sir. From Kenya
I'm a 43 year old accountant, but diggers are awesome and I've always wanted to have a go in one. Thanks for teaching me how to do it!
lol becuase of these videos i got gigs that made me look like a professional lol thank you
Totally correct with respect to the Idler. Tractor is designed to be worked from that end and it is best to train your body where it will adapt to responding to motion as the Idler being forward and sprocket being reverse. Also, if material ever was to enter the cab of machine such as brush or an object that landed on the steering handles, the object would place the steering handles in a reverse position forcing the machine to track away from the object instead of into the object.
Good point...thanks for the comment!
Video quality is excellent
your a great teacher! watching from Canada
When I'm making a jump turn (I just call it a bucket turn), I'll start with the bucket at 45 degrees in the direction I want to be facing. e.g. if I want to turn 90 degrees to the right, I will start with my bucket 45 degrees to the right, and end up with it 45 degrees to my left. That way my machine won't end up "falling" onto its right track halfway through the turn.
Also, depending on the surface, I won't lift the front of the machine up much at all. If it's a pretty smooth, hard surface, I'll lift the tracks up so they're just skimming the ground as I make the turn. If it's muckier, I'll lift the front of the machine higher as needed
YOU ARE AN EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO SOME ONE LIKE ME WHO HAS NO EXPERIENCE...
THX.
IM LEARNING.
EX CDL
NO MORE OVERSUPERVISED....
Thanks for the comment!
He is a Very good instructor
Thank you!
It would make a good video to show new operators how to set up, manage and run a cut while loading trucks.
when there is frost you should turn to the side lift machine and roll tracks,because if the trac is frozen to the ground you could break the drive
good tip...thanks for sharing
I like your demonstration ❤❤
Great video, what you call a jump turn is what I teach my students as well. We call them a(skew) turn or a ( bucket assisted turn).
Great vid as usual. You did mention the drive sprockets forward or back for hills. I myself and most mechanics want those drive sprockets at the back, especially when climbing. All about protecting that UC! Very hard on everything going up hill with sprockets up front.
Thanks for the info!
It's is informative, I have learn a lot, keep up the good work.
amazing....skill...thank you so much po
Excellent videos you produce
Superb teaching; superb channel! Well done!
Thank you!
ವಿಡಿಯೋ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ ಸರ್ ಅದ್ಬುತ ❤️🎉
Just bought a small 12k lb machine, been practicing with it and ylur vids are helpful, the kick turns and going up and down slopes were great info in particular for me, I have some steep hills on my property, thanks. Some vids on making trails and roads that go up, down and traversing hills , pioneering in would be great thanks.
I’ll see what we can do...glad they are helpful. Thanks for the comment!
Check out letsdig18. Learn operate like him
Thank you. I’m about to dig a 1200ft trench through rocky terrain. This will help
wow! that was very enlightening i have never seen someone jump a ditch in one !!!!
Thanks for teaching 👍
When you park do you always relieve the hydronic pressure?
If your gonna do the jump turn, you should put the idlers in the back since your putting a lot of force on the sprocket
Good tip...thanks for the comment!
Also, when jump turning, don't lift the front of the tracks quite so far of the ground. They just need to skim the soil. Makes the turn much smoother. Also, as someone said above, start by putting your bucket on the ground 45 degrees in the direction you are going to be turning. Again it makes a 90 degree turn a whole lot smoother, as you're only turning 2 x 45 degrees from the front ahead position. I learnt this by buying my own excavator 20 years ago and then practicing; slowly getting better with experience.
@@johnrussell5245 On the other hand, when turning on someones lawn I lift quite high so not to drag the tracks on the grass, thus destroying less of the lawn.
I like your training Sir,
Some good advice there, I learned from climbing onto trucks to keep your final drives down hill because the tension on your tracks will be on the bottom which means you have better traction whereas if your drives are uphill your sprocket is pushing any slack under your carriage so as you travel your tracks are kind of bunched up and your sprockets can go out of sync with your tracks and you can get into trouble. Just my thoughts, but I like to hear what others think👍
Thanks for the comment. Yes, believe there are several different schools of thought and probably no one “right” answer.
You should never "push a chain" for the same reason that you do not push a rope.
I appreciate his ideas
Another instructive video! Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome....thanks for the comment!
when your pushing yourself across the trench, track first then just push off slightly to not pick the machine up and cause that sort of cave in it at the edge of the trench
very nice thanks clearing out your tracks good job
jump turns is also to prevent your tracks from coming off.have seen it happend alot of times
Thanks for the comment
Loved the content, Ali from Poland
I learn allot from this video am a level one certificate holder
How learn again tomorrow thanks for today.
Seat belt. I can't tell if your wearing your seat belt. Always important no matter what your doing and on what machine. Definitely a good habit to get into
This vedio tutorial of excavator is the best
I just love all theas kinda videos thank u
You forgot one thing where is ur seat belt????? Lol
Yes first thing you do before starting the machine is put you seatbelt on.
😂😂😂 test failed 😂😂😂
When doing the jump turns, you’re actually supposed to have the bucket 45° (pointing at at the front of one of your tracks) and then stopping when you’re other track. When you start at the center (between your tracks) it can lead to some abrupt jarring to the tracks and undercarriage.
Have you thought about a "low boy loading" video for different pieces of equipment? I know there are loads of trucker load securement vids...
This is very brilliant
Well thanks!
Great video and very helpful. Now I’m waiting for 301.
Thanks for the comment! We’ll get 301 in the works... but make sure you watch the what NOT to do video we just posted (kind of like a 301).
Hi. Great tips thanks, especially for someone who has literally only been in a demo machine for 5 minutes. I have ordered a 1.8 t mini Komatsu to play with/clear work on my 7 acres, then maybe do a bit of contracting in retirement when Ive had a lot of experience. My only concern is that a lot of my place is on a slope but only up to steepest 15 degrees. I've read somewhere don't exceed 10 degrees for safe working. Figure this is just the company covering any legal comebacks and maybe for silly people as there would be hardly anywhere the machine could be worked in the real world if that was the case. Literature on machine says gradeability 30 degrees but apparently that just means the engine oil sump pick up will fail over that. Anyway I'm hoping to become more confident when the machine arrives by getting as much advice like yours and all the stuff like being awafe of the centre of gravity etc. I've also learnt a lot from "excavator fails" which could prbably be translated, dont be thoughtless and over confident, which certainly won't be an issue for me. Do you think 15 degrees sounds much?
Thank you for sharing your experiece
Cheers for content all way from Brisbane Australia
I like your videos
This is great teacher,I really want to be an excavator operator
Thank you for all your videos. They have definitely helped me alot.
Thanks for the tips...
Pro tip.... NEVER do the 10 second teacher thing (the way i was taught) which is ,, This stick does this, This stick does this, The pedals are this and don't damage the glass,,,, Good luck and adios''
Most of my learning has come from watching the excavators move/work when i was parked next to them as a trucker and maybe 100-150 hrs over 18 years of having to load my truck my self and the occasional day of digging.
Excellent advice. I always cringe when I see videos from a demo event or other thing where the guy is standing next to the machine yelling at them what to do with the joysticks. Not safe at all. Glad we've developed a program with safety devices in place and a great wireless communications system. Thanks for the comment!
yeah lol I was taught pretty much same way lmao My Dad said the same thing this stick does this and soo on..... here You go with a 4 tong grapple on the excavator . truck coming in load him with 10 ton of scrap.... come from a scrap yard family ran old school magnet crawler crane at grandpas scarp yard at age 12 uncle put wood blocks on foot petals so I could reach the brakes then disappeared to office to hang out in AC and trucks start showing up go for it lol I did it without hurting or wrecking any pick ups or trucks lol or people And dad could pick a Quarter off the ground with the excavator.... with the grapple didn't show me how to do that lol He was good
In the UK, spoil is supposed to be equidistant to the depth of the trench i thought
Very educative
The standard in Nigeria is different but I enjoyed it. So I want to learn from you people
Have to say this is a great idea i was lucky as a kid to be able to jump into diggers and telehandlers as family had a farm up the road with a scrapyard beside it i was never taught on any machine except the crane every operator will do things differently but in a place like this you can learn the fundamentals one of the best plant operators i have ever seen was a 12 year old lad called John Paul his dad had a few machines and done work with us that lad now owns his own plant hire business teach them young
Agreed...it’s amazing to get kids in this equipment and see how quickly they pick it up.
Great video. Keep up the good work.
I want want to know how to use the controls nd what each mean nd can do bt anyway Thank you for the video its great work indeed man one love
Do you have a video for trenching and sloping.