Backhoes and Excavators – The Jacks Of All Trades

Visit a demolition site and you can almost guarantee you’ll find either a backhoe or an excavator hard at work. The two heavy equipment machines are the real jacks of all trades when it comes construction, or in this case, destruction. Backhoes have an obvious benefit – they can dig up material using their ‘hoe’ and load debris into trucks using their loaders. However, both of these vehicles have hidden talents.

If you continue to watch either a backhoe or an excavator, you may catch sight of the operator switching tools. The digging bucket can be removed and replaced by any one of a dozen or more attachments. These attachments range from augers to jackhammers, concrete breakers to pincer-like grabbers.

Operators need to develop experience at both attaching these tools to their equipment and putting them into effective use. In most cases, heavy equipment training will teach an individual to operate this equipment, and how to attach different tools. Learning to use them comes as part and parcel of the on-the-job training that heavy equipment operators go through for the rest of their working lives – yes, every day is a learning experience for every operator.

Heavy equipment training is the foundation for this ongoing on-the-job training. If your initial training is broad and covers a range of heavy equipment, your ability to learn more is enhanced. If your initial training is narrow, then your ability to build on those skills will be greatly reduced.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools offer students training in a wide variety of heavy equipment. This provides a broad-based training program that allows students to develop a wide range of skills. Once these students enter the workplace, they are able to quickly build on those skills to become well-respected operators in their field. Backhoes and excavators are multi-functional equipment so the broader your training, the more competent you will quickly become.