Can GPS help a young in experienced operator do quality professional grading?

[firebird380hp]

it's pretty simple if you can see it taking shape your lost....I don't care how much gps you use.I'm doing landing pads for the new jets in Beaufort.There and many TE thicking joints and and three different thickest's of stone.Yeah put your a day oper. on that your know right quick for the days out, what kind of oper. he is!

 

[RollOver Pete]

We have some of topcons old systems on are dozers and blades that are 10 years old and still perform well, just like everything else you have to maintain them, if you do you wont have any problems. yes $72,000 for topcon 3dmc2 and i think 60 for trimble accugrade

I can hire and train anyone to check grades for 2 years for what one unit cost, that includes benefits and perks.

If 30K a year including benefits is the going wage, I hate to see what the "perks" consist of.

 

[Dozerboy]

If 30K a year including benefits is the going wage, I hate to see what the "perks" consist of.

Not everywhere has the same wages as CA.



That last big job I did was a very unique pond. There were bust all over the place the engineers REALLY screwed the pooch on this one. I made everything work long before they got everything re-engineered. What good is GPS then?

The job I'm on now is making access roads in the oil field. Just me removing the top soil and placing 8" of road base 10' wide wherever and however the customer wants a road to go which changes often.

 

[RollOver Pete]

The job I'm on now is making access roads in the oil field. Just me removing the top soil and placing 8" of road base 10' wide wherever and however the customer wants a road to go which changes often.

Bingo!
The key to success...

wherever and however the customer wants

Its as easy as a little service.
Happy customer = happy check signer.
A happy customer is likely to tell a friend or two which means someone stays busy.
GPS or not, us worker bees tend to the queens needs.
Nothing more, nothing less....:cool2

Not everywhere has the same wages as CA.

Sad but true.
That said, since im here in Ca,
I'm gonna get me as much as I can while I can.
Even I know that nothing lasts for ever.

 

[CM1995]

Sad but true.

And other areas have different costs of living too..

That said, since im here in Ca,
I'm gonna get me as much as I can while I can.
Even I know that nothing lasts for ever.

Make hay while the sun shines!

 

[Dozerboy]

Sad but true.
That said, since im here in Ca,
I'm gonna get me as much as I can while I can.
Even I know that nothing lasts for ever.

No not really. I left Socal to go back to TX in 07 when companies in CA where cutting there work force in 1/2 or less. Had no problem finding a job and after 5 years I'm getting close to what I was making in CA with a cost of living of a lot less.

 

[RollOver Pete]

No not really. I left Socal to go back to TX in 07 when companies in CA where cutting there work force in 1/2 or less. Had no problem finding a job and after 5 years I'm getting close to what I was making in CA with a cost of living of a lot less.

Digging up an old post
(No GPS required).
I've about had it with this God forsaken state. I'm not sure where I want to go but I want out of here. My son is in Kansas and has been trying to get me to load up and move. I've been thinking more along the lines of going south. Ditch my identity, no speaky anymore English and change my name to Pedro DePacas. Once I get caught trying to sneak across the border, I should qualify for all of the wonderful benefits that I can't afford now thanks to 44. Finding a job should be easy since I can wrench, weld, operate almost anything and even carry grade.
(no GPS required)

 

[AzIron]

Digging up an old post
(No GPS required).
I've about had it with this God forsaken state. I'm not sure where I want to go but I want out of here. My son is in Kansas and has been trying to get me to load up and move. I've been thinking more along the lines of going south. Ditch my identity, no speaky anymore English and change my name to Pedro DePacas. Once I get caught trying to sneak across the border, I should qualify for all of the wonderful benefits that I can't afford now thanks to 44. Finding a job should be easy since I can wrench, weld, operate almost anything and even carry grade.
(no GPS required)

Az is hoping filling up more every day with people leaving California and operators are no existent

 

[zhkent]

I am training a fellow now. This sure isn't "normal" contractor work like roads and such. Much more open. When my guy gets caught up digging he gets to try and finish a terrace. He has ran two days on two different jobs so far. Just that has really helped him see where we need dirt with the 613.
I'm using an ag based system and I think it really helps him to "see" the highs and lows.
Following the land curvature with a terrace the gentle ridges and swales are hard to see as they can be long and gentle, and in that situation the grader doesn't find the lows and highs. Without the GPS it can look real good, with the berm the right height from the channel, but both having a real long high or low.
This is the system I have, the screen has been mounted forward a little further, was to close to steering wheel. Have raised the receiver. This was some maintenance on an existing terrace.

 

[RollOver Pete]

Az is hoping filling up more every day with people leaving California and operators are no existent

Thats because most operators are either dead, retired or like me. .they refuse to accept the fact that this state is way beyond repair. Not in my lifetime anyways. Its hard to pack up and like a refuge, run for your life from the ground you grew up on and the people you grew up with. My folks are buried here....not that they would mind. That's besides the point. Other than that mean Mexican girl that kicked me in the nuts in 3rd grade, I've never run from anything. This new breed of entitled libflakes changes everything. I'm afraid that AZ will succumb to the crap infested needle littered land of opportunity that is known for.

 

[Gradechecker]

If 30K a year including benefits is the going wage, I hate to see what the "perks" consist of.

I wouldn’t check grade for less than 75k a year now a days there is 3 different operations going or more to stay with and then do all your foreman numbers on top

 

[Gradechecker]

You still need to know how to work the material Gps won’t steer the machine so it’s up to you to know how far behind curb to throw your material etc and if you hit the button that changes your vertical offset on the joystick you can get screwed up fast. It makes me able to get on the dozer and know what movements to make get it close then let the gps cut the final 1-2 tenths see rookies try to hog a train load with it on auto

 

[grandpa]

Last year I had a job leveling for 30 greenhouses. With the auto grade things went very well. The first nine the cement guys laid their forms and were pouring cement. The next nine they already had the redi mix trucks all lined up for when we finished a bed...... and then....... a receiver went down. Talk about stress. There automatically were 3 companies stressed to the max. The last bunch of beds, the other entities weren't breathing on my company so bad then.

 

[bigrus]

Old dogs with new technology I fit in that category. You need to use it frequently or its painfull. There's so many offset adjustments in the system for a grader. GPS on scrapers & buckets (pans as you northern hemisphere people refer to them as) are reasonably straight forward.
Early last year I was put an M with GPS to lay material on feedlot pads. The supervisor just showed me one set up per day or two, which when I had a fair handle on, another lesson was given. After 2 weeks I was fairly confident with the speed & quality of my work, which I wouldn't have been able to perform as quickly without it.
One previous supervisor showed me way too much in a couple of sittings, which just flustered me, hence I left the GPS turned off & did the job "old school"

 

[Bam Bam 171]

I manage larger residential jobs, and the companies that know how to leverage the technology properly have a huge productivity advantage, and better finished product. Now, it's not a panacea by any stretch, but it's a tangible advantage.