How to operate
A
How to Operate a Motor Grader (OLD - see fixed audio version in comments)
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okay again we're in our Texas sandbox
site today we want a big shout-out to
Rustin paving their beautiful blue motor
grader that's their color so we got a
cat 12m out here they actually brought
it out for an event and we really we've
had a lot of people request us to do a
how to operate a motor Braille
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so first things first as I tell you guys
with any of our training videos I am NOT
an expert I'm going to show you kind of
what I've learned we've already done a
pre site inspection we know the site we
also done our pre-op inspection on this
motor grader now I'm gonna go through
I'm gonna go through the basic controls
a motor grader is not something that I
am an expert on but I also think it's
valuable for you guys to see me learning
and also see the controls plus comment
below so I'm gonna get in go through the
stuff I've learned show you the very
basics this would be a very entry level
one and hopefully you guys can learn
something from it so let's go ahead and
check this out so first thing is three
points of contact anytime you can get
her out of equipment step in there all
the way up and the graders have a door
lock here swing that door around there
we go now again this is two cat 12m
motor grader so this is a joystick
operated one so I'll go over the
controls here keys right up front one
click over and starting it up so first
thing I'm just checking my display make
sure don't have any warning signs
anything like that parking brake is
probably the most important read Pete
right up there parking brake switch on
this model is right there in front Oh
each one's a little bit different but
it'll have a parking brake or something
to show you that machine is not going to
go anywhere so now with this again motor
graders are probably the most complex
and again you're gonna see today I am
NOT an expert I'm not even really that
good an operator I know other equipment
can run a dozer a lot of it just
operating a blade so a dozer and a motor
grader really similar motor graders just
a little bit faster they have a bigger
blade they're used for longer passes
that's why Rustin paving is they do a
lot of highway work things like that
that's why they use graders you know
dozers are something that'd be on a
could be on a smaller side or doing
angles things like that
I again Rustin paving Jeff from rust and
paving kind of gave me some training
today on this again I've been in a few
different motor graders but Jeff was a
big help so shout out
thank you Jeff and rust in paving
let us shoot a video on it to kind of
show you it so now art machine there's
three foot controls down here the clutch
is the left brake is the center and then
right is your throttle on there so those
are your three different pedals there
and then this one's joystick operated so
again the newer some of the newer
graders have joysticks instead of a
steering wheel I've also been in the
others with a steering wheel and they
got a whole Bank of levers because there
are a lot of different blade angles and
pitches you can do so they're fairly
complex machines as with anything
practice practice practice practice the
only way you get really good at it
so with this left is primarily your
driving and then right is primarily your
blade control that is pretty consistent
on again same thing as a dozer and even
the wheel loaders to an extent left is
kind of always you're driving right as
always your tool control so with this
one with your left you basically got
this one's got a shifter forward neutral
first under my left hand here you can
see I'm on the display it says neutral
and then the top is these yellow buttons
these will basically make me shift its
god I think believe six gears typically
you're always going to be in one for any
kind of grading
only times you be in three four or five
is and you're going any distances to
travel with this thing and then you've
got some disel tilt on the left joystick
here this will angle your wheels left
and angle them right so you'll see the
front wheels will actually pitch so what
they that's primarily used so if you're
you know driving if they're pulling a
grade on this and it's the machines
trying to get pulled one way typically
they're gonna angle in to basically let
it bite in a little bit so it holds that
angle so that's the main reason you
would use those one way or the other the
other piece you have the dough wheel
motor grader will actually articulate
one way or the other so we got left and
right there again if you don't want to
be on your wind row or something like
that they may go off a little bit
sideways there so their back tires
aren't driving on there basically spill
pile what they're pushing off and then
there is kind of a return to center here
on top left here so that's our left
joystick the right is our blade control
and before I move over the only on the
left there is to raise and lower so if I
pull both of these this is the raise and
lower so this one on the right
is this is my right side raisin or and
this is my left side back and forth so
that is the only there is one minor
little blade control and pretty
important on your left joystick so I'll
push both those together the rest that
on this right joystick this will
basically swing the blade one way left
or right so as you turn it I'm turning
this right joystick you've also got your
go left to right with the whole blade
you can kind of slide it left or left or
right like that
you've also got this will slide the
blade kind of laterally like that left
and right depending on where you're
trying to get your material so you'll
see that moving that back and forth and
then you got your blade pitch so you see
you roll it down I can roll it up both
ways typically for a fine grade the more
the fine grade you were kind of having
this blade pitch down but you know if
it's a rougher material you're trying to
get a little bit better bite in you want
to have that blade a little bit more
vertical like that so that's that other
things on this I'm not gonna go over
there's a lot of other controls on these
machines but these are kind of the
basics I just wanna go over the basic
controls so you guys all can kind of
learn how to operate one of these most
important piece here again I'm going to
put in we're gonna take the parking
brake off now I'm gonna put my clutch in
have my foot on the brake up front there
parking brake now came off so now I'm
good so I'm gonna go ahead and with my
shifter over here if I pull down on this
left trigger I'm now in 1f it'll usually
tell you a speed right up on the display
and that if I let go you see I'll start
rolling right away and then on my left
I'm steering left and right you'll see
the tires will move one way or the other
now always start your grading generally
you want to be flat to the ground or
stopped so I'm gonna bring both I'm
pushing both joysticks forward here to
bring them down and we don't want to get
to so I'll start it with a little bit
more flattened and then I can roll it
right about there
now man I'm gonna go ahead let my foot
off I'm starting really slow and I'm
gonna pitch it a little bit to the left
now this is the end you've seen if you
haven't seen we have a how to operate a
dozer which again dozers I really
encourage new operas
counting the horizon don't get buried in
the blade the challenge of the motor
grader and the blade is you're almost
sitting on top of it so you're really
watching down but I'm also glancing up
and I'm biting going down a little bit
with both joysticks if it gets stuck or
a little bit harder I can roll that
blade back a little bit and you'll see
it's a really a seat-of-the-pants kind
of feel for a grade you'll see I'm
rolling some of that material we're at
our texas site it is extremely muddy out
here so this is definitely not the
easiest but I'm looking out off my nose
here I'm kind of seeing where my
materials and you always want to try and
carry a load in front of that blade
that's all it's same thing with a dozer
is if you're not carrying material it's
really difficult to fill in and hit a
low spot and then I'm gonna slowly start
pulling it back pitch it down there so I
can try and roll this again we are so
muddy here today that I'm not gonna get
this to come out smooth so we almost
really have to see I'm gonna leave it
spoil it kind of a dump pile here always
gonna stop you don't want to take it out
of here you always use your left foot
pedal bring that clutch in
raise it up got the brake on and I'm
gonna click it into reverse reversing
means you got mirrors on both sides
looking over shoulder I do have a backup
camera which you may or may not be able
to see in this but and then we're gonna
start backing up shifter here again with
my left I'm in one r41 reverse if I just
click up on it Hill goes to two looking
in my mirrors obviously anytime you're
backing out making sure you're safe
where you're going
and then after you push that again I've
got my blade set to the left so I'm
pulling all that material again that's
really knowing your site where you're
trying to fill low spots but eventually
I'm gonna try and cross over here you
can kind of see my grade out in front of
me there and then again always stopping
with my clutch back in neutral put it
back in the forward okay now I'm back
dropping that blade down again both
joysticks again if one where and each
one of those controls I'm gonna roll
that blade back a little bit bring it
down it's kind of getting in a little
bit there
we're in forward gear and there we go
and again I can twist right now I'm kind
of doing the same angle here and I'm
watching most importantly off my nose
left joystick is steering me
if I see I see I'm rolling some material
on the left so that's I can see a my
rights again it's this those little
seat-of-the-pants feel it's really tough
to explain
the best thing to do is get seed time
shouldn't ever get out I'm in one they
do have a lock on the rear differentials
too that's sometimes so all four there's
a trigger on this on the right joystick
that I can that'll help with traction
control you don't generally want to have
that on when you're turning at all
but you'll see on this one I get a
little light on there each machines a
little bit but as I'm going I'm gonna
try again the more flattened out you
have that blade that's really more for a
finished grade I'm gonna pull that up a
little bit again at this point our
material is not going to flow off so I'm
kind of just creating a dump pile this
would not again the conditions out out
here are not ideal because generally
you'd want to let this go off to a plane
where it's kind of nice and even so I
stopped it again with my foot and I'm
putting in a reverse
again there's so many controls this
could be several videos here you see my
left joystick that's all I'm doing this
- turning left and right
the biggest thing I'll tell you as again
I think I've told you I am NOT an expert
on this machine stick time that's the
best way you can get good on one of
these machines is stick time stopping it
there put it back
blade back and again if I did need to
shift over my back again depending on
where my back end is you know that's
what you can see how I'm kind of going
sideways a little bit there this can
keep my rear tires out of you know if I
have a windrow here you can try and keep
out of that a little bit so your rear
tires aren't driving over it that's
typically why and then again if my
machines getting pulled if I feel the
machine getting pulled that's where I
can actually angle my tires so you swing
those tires and oh really pull you in
again there's a lot of different moves
you can do here but I can kind of look
off and see and then I can bring it back
to straight and bring my wheels back
okay bring that up stop it you're right
here set the blade down flat
parking brake always make sure you've
got that read parking indicator on there
foots off right there
shut that machine off okay folks so that
is our motor grader again I think I said
it repeatedly just because it's one of
those things that I don't even have I'm
not an experienced operand a motor
grader but I think what I've shown you
there is the basics is really if you
want to know how to operate it those
were the basic controls on it
I would encourage I'm sure we've got
several viewers of this episode that can
comment below let us know if you're an
operator any tips or tricks to how to
get started with it and again big thanks
to Rustin paving especially Jeff there
they kind of showed me some today you
know Rustin paving came out for a group
event hopefully will show a quick video
here of that too but thanks to Rustin
pavement for coming out and letting us
use this grater for a training and yeah
thanks a lot
make sure you subscribe to our channel
thanks for watching see ya
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