Trying something new is always a little scary, whether starting a new business, expanding the business in some way or testing out new equipment you’ve never had before.
In late April I was offered the chance to try something I never thought I would get to do — operate heavy machinery. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would operate an excavator, front loader, skid-steer or grader.
Many who read this magazine operate these and similar machines daily and are comfortable with them. However, the largest vehicle I had driven before running this stuff was a U-Haul truck.
I attended an equipment debut of new excavators from CASE Construction at its Customer Care location in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. It was a huge facility with almost every piece of heavy equipment out there that the company manufactures. After the customary debuting of the equipment with a press conference and handing out of press releases, the CASE folks turned the media loose to test our skills.
We were allowed to climb aboard any piece of equipment in the yard and try it out. I started off small, going with the skid-steer. While nervous, I thought I could handle it better than some bigger machine.
I then decided to brave a front loader. Of course they put me in the biggest one on site, the CASE 1121F. It’s intimidating just looking at it from the ground, and now I was going to drive it around and try and pick up dirt with it.
Yes, I was a nervous wreck, but after awhile the nerves wore off and I was feeling more comfortable. I imagine this is how many of you felt the first time you took the controls of heavy machinery, or when you started up your business.
From the ground up
Someone who knows what it feels like to start a business from scratch is Kevin Reardon. Reardon was just a young man when he launched his business, California Boring, profiled this month. Reardon started by offering saw cutting and pulling a trailer behind his truck.
Now, 20-some years later his business has sprouted up to become one of the largest in Southern California to offer directional drilling, potholing, locating and other underground construction services.
Reardon says it took him awhile to learn the market and how to run a business, but he didn’t give up and has turned it into a successful endeavor. He’s even expanded the business by starting two subsidiaries that work along with California Boring on job sites.
Keep up on maintenance
It’s midsummer and you’re in the thick of construction season. You’re keeping your equipment cleaned and checking it over to make sure it keeps operating at peak performance, right?
Our Machine Shop in this issue focuses on your directional drilling equipment and what you should be doing with it to keep it going for as long as possible.
Down and dirty
Are you running into any tough directional drilling jobs? How about challenging hydroexcavation, trenching, bursting or tunneling jobs?
We want to hear about those tough jobs and share them with other readers. Tell us about your tough jobs and how you were able to complete them successfully. Email me at editor@digdifferent.com or call me at 800/257-7222.
