Well I started my new job/ career today. I am taking myself out of the semi and moving into being an equipment operator/ tree trimming service. Most of our work is for a rural electric coop. i am part of a 2-machine power line right-of-way trimming crew. the other guy runs a loftness Kwik-Trim. I got through first with a bobcat T86 and a loftness battle axe forestry mulcher. my initial pass is to clear a path for the Kwik-trim so he can cut a 10’ ROW on either side of the power lines. After he is done trimming, I go back through a second time and mulch everything he cut down. virtually leaving a groomed path and wild game trails following the power lines. the additional benefits is this allows the REC year round access to their power lines with their utility trucks. If we can’t get to a spot with our tracked machines, then another crew comes inand does the inaccessible areas by hand, or we come back after freeze up.
Cup holder, sunglasses holder, blue tooth and it can connect to your phone and you can have a hands free conversation. quiet enough inside, you can go without hearing protection. put the seatbelt on, I swear the things will do 25 mph. Bobcat says 10 mph though.
Home every night, off every Friday by 5 pm. if I want, can work four 10-hour days… And best of all, no after hours responsibility.
Moved a load of red elm to Glasir today. I’ll call it two cord. What was in the trailer and three totes.
Well it’s on the concrete at least. I’m going back tomorrow with a brush hog and cutting the burdock and other stuff back. I had a job interview today with a company 5 miles from Glasir.
Nice. Some of the track loaders I've driven aren't much different than a dozer in ride quality. Supposedly the cat models have some form of suspension on them but its been years since I used one.
The load float on the arms is similar in function to some of the wheeled payloaders I’ve run. You turn that function on and it makes the rides so much nicer to use the machine as the load isn’t adding to the pitching cross country.
Well the last month has been a nightmare.. came home with the intention of getting out of the truck. Thought I had a couple of options to do so that just didn’t work out. In the ever “Semper gumby” fashion…. I reactivate my authority and traded the RGN off on a side dump trailer. Got work lined up already for it that says “four year project…” For what it would save me in weight and gains in gross revenue, it would cost me in motel rooms etc to get a day cab. We’ll see how it goes if the contractors get pizzy about it.
The one project that got me started on this path has a 110 mile haul one-way. So most guys with day cabs don’t want to do that.
