06 Steps to Operate a Tracked Excavator

6 STEPS TO OPERATE A TRACKED EXCAVATOR One of the core tools in the construction business, the tracked excavator comes in handy to dig and fill holes, remove debris, material handling, mining and many other tasks. It consists of a boom, dipper, bucket and cabin or cab. The cab is on a rotating platform called the house. The boom is the long arm extending from the side of the cab and the dipper is the shorter arm attached to the boom. The bucket is in turn attached to the dipper. FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE CONTROLS When you're sitting inside the cab, you'll see two levers with attached footrests or pedals in front of you and a joystick to each side of the seat. Next to the joystick on the left will be the lock of the machine. On the right, just behind the joystick is the control panel with the ignition and other switches of the excavator. MOVING THE TRACKS The two levers in front control the tracks independently. The left lever for the left track and the right lever for the right track. Moving both the levers towards the operator moves the tracks and hence the machine, forward. Moving the levers away from the operator moves the excavator backwards. You can also move just one lever to move one track, which will cause the machine to spin in the corresponding direction. OPERATE THE BOOM AND BUCKET Of the two joysticks mentioned earlier, the one on the right helps you move the boom and bucket. When you move the joystick forwards or backwards, the boom will move up and down. The bucket is controlled by moving the joystick to the left or right. Simply move it to the right to open the bucket and to the left to close the bucket. OPERATE THE DIPPER AND CAB The remaining joystick, the one on the left controls the dipper and the cab rotation. Moving the joystick to the left or right causes the cab to rotate on the house in the corresponding direction. Note that the excavator will not move; only the cab will rotate or "swing" on the house. To control the dipper, move the joystick for- wards and backwards, which opens and closes the dipper. SAFETY Operating a tracked excavator is more than just learning the controls. Before you know how to control the machine, you need to learn to be safe. Since the excavator is frequently rotating and swinging, learn to keep your surroundings in mind at all times. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if the cab is rotated, the track levers still control the tracks in the same way. I.e. even if you are rotated 180 degrees, pushing the track forwards will move the excavator back. PREPARATION Before starting on any job with a tracked excavator, make sure to prepare beforehand. This includes making offset marks for trenches, using a level or laser grader to check the excavator alignment and more. One of the most important aspects is planning the job. This means taking the time to visualise how the job will be done to avoid boxing the excavator between obstacles or be- tween the spoils pile. Boxing yourself in is actually a very common new operator mistake.