I’ve run backhoes before but I love excavators and dozers. I’ve worked on huge tunneling jobs moving mass spoils with 42 articulated trucks and a hitachi 470… and I’ve worked on tiny pipe laying jobs laying 500 feet of forced main. I’ve done a little of everything tbh. I wish I could get into a place financially where I could buy my own equipment and start a business. Spent most of my adult life caring for my dad who was a 100% service connected disabled veteran. He needed 24/7 care and the VA said we lived too far away from any nurses to have help come to the house. They tried to convince him to move into a care facility and sign over everything to them. He didn’t want that and I couldn’t let him suffer in a home. His body was gone but his mind was still there. He passed away recently and I’m really far behind in life. I probably won’t ever be able to catch up or have a family of my own… but I guess it was worth it to ensure pops didn’t suffer. Good to see you putting out a new video. Have a great day!
I'm in trouble if you have to have new iron, like you said do a good job and get it done. then they forget about the age of your iron. enjoyed this one my friend!
Here is my experience with the expansion of a business. The number of tires you have on the ground multiplied by the number of people you have involved gives you the multiplier you use to figure out how fast your problems will expand exponentially.
My teenage son is learning to run our farm 310D backhoe so far I am impressed how well he is doing just on his own . Have you made any videos with instructions for beginners. Its not something he would do for a career but I think any skill a person can add in life is good especially operating a backhoe around the farm. Thank you for the videos.
@@johndorazio3759 you would be mistaken, lots of footing work is still done with the backhoe. I do have less competition though, them excavators are easy to out dig.
Old boy after leaving the farming went to work to a fella that did road works driving a tractor and dump trailer,the fella had 2 excavator drivers one was smooth like yourself and tool the time to sort the top soil from the other crap etc were as the younger lad was just mixing everything and not leveling stuff that well either causing more work to be done to finish it,hard to beat a smooth experienced guy
The key word is experienced operator an experienced operator who can run the machine like you do can get a lot more done than somebody who is running it wide open as fast as they can
Chris Guinn from Letsdig18 has entered the chat. RE: Smooth cycle times. I Drove a forklift after high school for Southeastern Wire Mfg. Co in Tampa, moving steel wire coils into place for input to the wire drawing dies. An old guy hooked them with a winch hook and stacked them on the spools to feed the die machines. He seemed to be moving slowly, while he stacked the spools and welded the ends together, then started the end of the rod into the die machine. I could barely keep up with him, feeding five die machines...all by himself.
You can have all the technology money can buy in a piece of equipment but the operator still needs to know what to do with material, cutting grade is just one part of it
Pretty ditch, Frank. And you ain't wrong, having a bunch of equipment payments right now would be a little scary, the way things have slowed down on the commercial and residential side. When the largest contractor's in my area have had all of their pans and scrapers parked for the whole season, you know it's bad. The only thing rolling strong right now is civil.
Yes I have to agree with you, technology is replacing the skills needed to do most jobs. The sad part is new folks in the game won't want to put the time in to learn to be skillful. So what happens if the technology fails? Will everything come to a stop? Maybe...
Just don't forget about metal fatigue - eventually it will bite you in the backside - especially if it's at a key point which causes a catastrophic failure.
You are correct about the market right now, I'm busy, but not on the bigger/higher paying gigs like I had been doing. It has dropped off a fair amount over the past 3 or 4 years. As far as which machine to use, it doesn't really matter like you said. It's what you like and get used to. I started on an old, worn-out 4 stick backhoe, and then the guy I worked for converted to 2 stickers, then to excavators. I personally like the excavator best, but I think it's because that's what I've run the longest. It works for me in the residential footing market.
I’ve run backhoes before but I love excavators and dozers. I’ve worked on huge tunneling jobs moving mass spoils with 42 articulated trucks and a hitachi 470… and I’ve worked on tiny pipe laying jobs laying 500 feet of forced main. I’ve done a little of everything tbh. I wish I could get into a place financially where I could buy my own equipment and start a business. Spent most of my adult life caring for my dad who was a 100% service connected disabled veteran. He needed 24/7 care and the VA said we lived too far away from any nurses to have help come to the house. They tried to convince him to move into a care facility and sign over everything to them. He didn’t want that and I couldn’t let him suffer in a home. His body was gone but his mind was still there. He passed away recently and I’m really far behind in life. I probably won’t ever be able to catch up or have a family of my own… but I guess it was worth it to ensure pops didn’t suffer. Good to see you putting out a new video. Have a great day!
I'm in trouble if you have to have new iron, like you said do a good job and get it done. then they forget about the age of your iron. enjoyed this one my friend!
Here is my experience with the expansion of a business. The number of tires you have on the ground multiplied by the number of people you have involved gives you the multiplier you use to figure out how fast your problems will expand exponentially.
Bullshit
My second time watching this video. There is a lot of wisdom in these words.
Thanks! Not sure how wise I am. I’m Still in a backhoe seat.
@@Digginok Nothing wrong with that brother.
My teenage son is learning to run our farm 310D backhoe so far I am impressed how well he is doing just on his own . Have you made any videos with instructions for beginners.
Its not something he would do for a career but I think any skill a person can add in life is good especially operating a backhoe around the farm.
Thank you for the videos.
You have to be the only guy still using a backhoe I miss the backhoe days now I have to climb out of the excavator and get in the loader😂😂😂
@@johndorazio3759 you would be mistaken, lots of footing work is still done with the backhoe. I do have less competition though, them excavators are easy to out dig.
In Ohio you'd be lucky to see one backhoe a year at a job site no one but city workers uses them around here anymore
Hi Frank, what are you using to mark out the dig area? is it paint or lime?
Slow is fast, fast is slow. Can't tell the amount of times I would see guys that would beat the equipment to death and still be behind.
Old boy after leaving the farming went to work to a fella that did road works driving a tractor and dump trailer,the fella had 2 excavator drivers one was smooth like yourself and tool the time to sort the top soil from the other crap etc were as the younger lad was just mixing everything and not leveling stuff that well either causing more work to be done to finish it,hard to beat a smooth experienced guy
Economy of motion. Making every movement count. Comes from thousands of hours in the seat (as you know). Another fine job Frank.
The key word is experienced operator an experienced operator who can run the machine like you do can get a lot more done than somebody who is running it wide open as fast as they can
Chris Guinn from Letsdig18 has entered the chat. RE: Smooth cycle times. I Drove a forklift after high school for Southeastern Wire Mfg. Co in Tampa, moving steel wire coils into place for input to the wire drawing dies. An old guy hooked them with a winch hook and stacked them on the spools to feed the die machines. He seemed to be moving slowly, while he stacked the spools and welded the ends together, then started the end of the rod into the die machine. I could barely keep up with him, feeding five die machines...all by himself.
😂 chris is a good dude in my book. Thanks for watching
You can have all the technology money can buy in a piece of equipment but the operator still needs to know what to do with material, cutting grade is just one part of it
Pretty ditch, Frank. And you ain't wrong, having a bunch of equipment payments right now would be a little scary, the way things have slowed down on the commercial and residential side. When the largest contractor's in my area have had all of their pans and scrapers parked for the whole season, you know it's bad. The only thing rolling strong right now is civil.
Yes I have to agree with you, technology is replacing the skills needed to do most jobs. The sad part is new folks in the game won't want to put the time in to learn to be skillful. So what happens if the technology fails? Will everything come to a stop? Maybe...
Do you have to supply the guy that’s always measuring the ditch or does the general contractor send a guy over to you?
Are you going to put a quick Hitch on the front as well
Just don't forget about metal fatigue - eventually it will bite you in the backside - especially if it's at a key point which causes a catastrophic failure.
Yeah, you could be bigger, but then you'd have to supervise guys like Jeff and who needs that kind of headache?
You are correct about the market right now, I'm busy, but not on the bigger/higher paying gigs like I had been doing. It has dropped off a fair amount over the past 3 or 4 years.
As far as which machine to use, it doesn't really matter like you said. It's what you like and get used to. I started on an old, worn-out 4 stick backhoe, and then the guy I worked for converted to 2 stickers, then to excavators. I personally like the excavator best, but I think it's because that's what I've run the longest. It works for me in the residential footing market.
Called inflation
Awesome as always frank!!!!
👍👍👍👍
Great work as always! I wish you the best!👊
Kinda like farming, it took skill and ability to plant a straight row, now anyone can, its just not the same anymore
You mind me asking what you charge for the ole girl?
Why would you charge by the hour why wouldn't you charge by the square foot
@@johndorazio3759 how much you charging per square foot?
I enjoyed this video Frank 👍🏻
Ur sandbagging with ur half full buckets