HOW TO GRADE WITH AN EXCAVATOR //How To Set Your Hands Grading In Excavator-Excavator Tips & Tricks

Today's Down & Dirty was a request on expounding more on how to grade with an excavator. So here is another of my excavator tips and tricks, specifically I'll be giving you techniques on how to keep your hands level while grading with an excavator so you can dig level.
Interested in Diesel and Iron Merchandise? Check out our website!
dieselandironproductions.com/
Subscribe for new videos, updated weekly:
kzbin.info?sub_c...
Check out Diesel and Iron Heavy Equipment Vlogs:
/ @dieselandironheavyequ...
Follow me:
Facebook: / dieselniron
Instagram: / dieselniron
The drone I use: kit.co/DieselandIron/diesel-i...
Anyone else collect diecast models? I have a shelf filling up with them in my office: kit.co/DieselandIron/heavy-eq...

[@iselchelle9330]

Thank you so much especially showing on another camera what your hands are doing

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@RandyBarbee]

Just starting out with my own mini and this video has helped me dramatically improve. I've had a small backhoe for years and can dig with it but never really learned about doing a flat pass. Your method of just following with the boom really clicked in my head. Thanks for the time you put into these!

[@DieselandIron]

Thrilled that I can help you out! I hope this can help you brow your business brother.

[@kaholofaulkner6542]

Thank you. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@roadtrains]

GREAT work mate. Hard to find good explanations on this subject . Thanks

[@DieselandIron]

I appreciate the feedback! I was hoping this one would help some people out. Thanks for watching!

[@Tjmasucci]

My new favorite channel bro keep em comin!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks Tyler! I appreciate the support brother!

[@jameshunter7281]

Appreciate ya champ. Great video and very helpful. Thanks man, Sydney Australia

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks James! I appreciate the support!

[@ryangarrett3795]

Thanks for demonstrating and clarifying this Bryan it’s one thing to see others doing it but it helps to know exactly what they’re doing and what it’s accomplishing. Also I’ve noticed two things that are guaranteed on the diesel and iron channel is that we’re always bashing on backhoes and trying to figure out which Ryan where talking about and too lol.

[@DieselandIron]

You got it man! Let me know if there's anything else you want me to clarify. You think it's confusing for you guys....I have to talk to all 15 of you and try to remember which one of the Ryan's said what!😂😂

[@beauxtx1959]

Oh, HELL YEAH! Keep 'em comin'! More Tips & tricks!

[@DieselandIron]

Stay tuned my man. Now that the season has fired up and I'm in a bunch of different seats I'm able to record more of these style of videos.

[@beauxtx1959]

@@DieselandIron Just got a Kubota SVL-97, so skid steer stuff is cool too!

[@DieselandIron]

@@beauxtx1959 let me see what I can do brother

[@pattrudeau2335]

Thank you for this video. Awesome learning g technique for beginner. ❤

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-qu3uh5gi6z]

Thank you very much! Definitely one of the better videos without using GPS or lasers for grading, very well explained - now off to practice on how to grade

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching! GPS is for cheaters. You've got to learn the skill first before relying on the technology! *end old man rant...

[@Ziggycon]

Very helpful, thank you

[@DieselandIron]

Happy to help and thanks for the comment Josh!

[@turner593]

thanks for your all hard work you put into your videos, it has helped me alot and hopefully one day I will get on an excavator .

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate the comment!

[@grantschmitt6098]

This was super helpful. Although not ready to go pro yet, I was able to use this technique to dig 1’ footings for a floating retaining wall. I still managed to dig too deep at times however, my other attempts before this video were absolutely terrible. Using a CAT 303 - Thank You.

[@antonyjkeenan]

Great videos man your a great dude man

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks brother! I appreciate the support!

[@gman9917]

Thank you for the clear explanation…. Pulling my hair out trying to learn

[@Filzkiiz]

YesSiRr! Mate... that was some Awesome demonstrations! Lol!! Love ur work Mate... very easy to follow, very useful & VERY informative. Thanks again for sharing them tips and tricks!! Mucho appreciated! Lol!! Take it easy and Stay Safe out there big FellA!!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks Phil! I appreciate you brother.

[@sivasai2168]

Nice explanation sir

[@DieselandIron]

Thank you!

[@Vermont_EarthWork]

Good tip. Thanks

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@gibsonlandscapeconstructio7984]

Good video Bryan🤙

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks James! I really appreciate you watching brother.

[@adventureswithsteve4278]

Awesome video

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks brother!

[@McHighler]

Good video man

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks Mike! I appreciate that.

[@aSMARTwomanLOL]

Thank you thank you thank you ❤❤ I am a pipe tech laying water sewer and storm mains... I can guide excavators knowing exactly what they need to do with the machine.. but ive always struggled actually opperarting being able to dig level and not put to much pressure on the machine.. focusing solely on the boom control with consistent stick pressure clicks so well in my brain.. THANK YOU, GREAT VID!!!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@sentinel4608]

Yeah. Im an old guy (54yrs) trying to transition from a backhoe to a digger operators role. Im pretty good at keeping a level grade in a digger i have found out, as its much harder to do in a backhoe. Your video however has touched on uphill and downhill which i have not had to deal with yet. So thanks for that. I love your videos and i am getting a lot from them. I always like and i am subscribed. Greetings from down under. TC :)

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate the comment! Let me know if there's an area that you are struggling with and I'll do my best to make a video on it!

[@jeffreylescoe5624]

I’m always struggling to stick and boom at the same time when starting my pull. I’m constantly trying to start my grade while the bucket is in contact with the ground. My friend, you just exploded a hole in that barrier that kept me from a consistent pull. Awesome advice and thank you!!😊 👍👍👍💯

[@DieselandIron]

Happy to help! Once you get comfortable with this method your hands will slowly catch up and before you know it you'll be pulling with both hands active without even thinking about it.

[@kincetown]

🎉🎉Awesome!! I remember the first time I try grading, It was super hard 😊 But time got me little better at it🎉🎉

[@DieselandIron]

Great job sticking with it!

[@Jack-1212]

Get a room

[@DieselandIron]

@@Jack-1212 are you jealous Jack?

[@ehsantop2442]

Thanks alot for this type of video

[@DieselandIron]

You got it! Let me know if you've got more questions or you have a topic you'd like me cover.

[@ehsantop2442]

@@DieselandIron Thankful . The informative and practical videos you post are great. 🙋🙋

[@DieselandIron]

@@ehsantop2442 thank you! I really appreciate the feedback!

[@ehsantop2442]

@@DieselandIron 🙌

[@Zair123]

Thanks 🙏

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@Tony-dy7np]

Thanks man

[@DieselandIron]

You got it brother! Let me know if there's something you'd like to see

[@Gravattack]

I have just got a mini and your vids have taught me a lot, thank you. But I have 300 yards of driveway that's in really bad shape. I can get it flat-ish, but not sure how to use the mini to get a crown on it. There is no room to work to the sides only on the driveway itself. You make it look incredibly easy

[@DieselandIron]

I'm assuming your machine has a blade on the front. Use your bucket and grab a little material and sprinkle it in front of your track that you want to be the top of the crown. When you track forward you should have the pitch you want. Make sure you have some material loaded up on your blade and start going forward. This will get you started with a nice crown.

[@drewgeorge9003]

Thanks a lot for these tips, I'm really enjoying and learning from your videos, the picture in picture is definitely a huge help. And I'm curious which model Bobcat you were running? Starting tomorrow I'm renting a Bobcat E50 R2 with extended arm, enclosed cab, angle blade, thumb, 24" digging and 48" grading buckets for a week to do some site development, this will be my biggest project to date.

[@DieselandIron]

Sorry for the late response. I believe this was the E50 if I remember correctly. I'm not the biggest fan of Bobcat machines. They are loud, don't have a lot of power and are very jerky on the controls. How did your project go?

[@drewgeorge9003]

@@DieselandIron thanks for the reply! And I totally agree about Bobcat’s jerky controls, l definitely struggled with that, even with the blade(!) Since then I rented a Takeuchi TB235 for one day on a smaller project and was extremely impressed with how smooth those controls were, with no learning curve, it was like day and night. I’ve been a huge Kubota fan for years but will seriously consider Takeuchi for my next purchase.

[@littlefinkle7757]

Great video! So question: How is Bobcat meeting emissions by not having a particulate filter?

[@DieselandIron]

There are a number of factors that come into play for meeting emissions. At the end of the day the only thing the EPA cares about is the diesel particulate matter being ejected from the machine and the NOX emissions. As long as you come in under their established limits you can get there however you want. Engines under 75hp don't have to worry about the strict thresholds which is why you see so many units (minis and skids) that are 74hp. That's the magic number to avoid big emissions dings. Once you cross that limit you can use DPF's, SCR's, EGR's and any other mechanism you like to get the emissions to acceptable standards. Some manufactures have dirty enough engines they have to use all methods of aftertreatment. Maybe I'll do a video on exhaust aftertreatment at some point here...

[@CrazyEye75]

Definitely takes time and patience. I never thought I'd ever be able to figure it out. One thing I did a few years ago that I found helped a bit was to flip the arm rests up out of the way. Cant do it on the minis and its a total personal preference thing but I quit using them after like 10 years of using them. I also grip the joysticks really high up top. I found it helped with the little jump you get when starting your pull. Like I said total personal preference cause I've seen some guys use the arm rests and grip really low and grade mint

[@DieselandIron]

I enjoy my creature comforts personally and I like having the arm rests down. I agree with you, gripping up top is super helpful since it gives you more throw in the joysticks which translates to much more precision. I also like to grip the controls with mostly my fingertips for greater control instead of trying to muscle the joystick with my hole hand/arm. Thanks for the comment brother!

[@deanbirks]

Good video. Thanks as I am just starting out with my E35. Question: Do you run a full throttle when doing most of your work?

[@DieselandIron]

Yes, I always run the machine in full throttle. You have much better hydraulic control and precision when you have the machine running at full throttle.

[@techno247]

I remember when i first started grading i got thrown in at the deep end i had 100 tonne of type one to grade of but had to push it first to cover the terram and then grade it back i learned how to grade very quick lol

[@Wass_85]

When you're pulling in are you curling the bucket any way at all as well?

[@DieselandIron]

No, I'm only using the boom and stick. As you progress and get better you can add in bucket curl but initially keep it easy on yourself and only use the boom and stick.

[@Wass_85]

@@DieselandIron what about grading off stone with the back of the bucket, again you don't curl bucket?

[@DieselandIron]

@@Wass_85 you would start your pass with your bucket already curled and as you stick in the bottom of the bucket will stay the same height but will do a good job of smoothing the stone

[@PortCapital]

"Dont think about it anymore, I just know i need to grab it and bring it to my mouth...pauses...." 😂

[@DieselandIron]

😂

[@coast2coastsportscards]

youu can use a transit dig one flat level spot then build off that point

[@shaunmurphy9438]

All it isishand eye coordinating. Nothing more nothing less. Been driving different machines for years packed in now digging garden with a fork now

[@DieselandIron]

It's hand-eye coordination along with a boatload of knowledge.

[@andyb3735]

So not curling the bucket when you do it?

[@DieselandIron]

When starting out I would not curl the bucket. The fewer motions happening the more control you have. Over time you will get to where you can boom, stick and curl while maintaining grade. Practice practice!

[@allensandven0]

For the most part the can theory is a good example of muscle memory except after hard 8 hrs of beer can grading I found it very difficult to pull it to the dump box without spilling or crushing the can afterwards . Often experiencing loss of control with intermittent hydraulic leaks? Beyond 8hrs the onboard topcon system become erratic , processing speed slowdown dramatically causing one or both final drives to underperform ultimately leading to a dead stick. At this point if the machine doesn’t go into limp mode it become extremely dangerous to operate in fact the structural components of your counter balance will fail leaving the machine extremely unstable… Possibly upended with your stick in the dirt ? With no options but to call your co-worker to assist… but not before they document a compromising situation eventually posted to KZbin Be safe & remember: asphalt and steel tracks don’t mix, keep ur stick in the dirt !

[@DieselandIron]

I have no idea what you are talking about right now...but thank you for the comment!

[@TheLeverMonkey]

And the hand position will change from rig to rig.

[@DieselandIron]

Absolutely. Every machine is a little different and will take some learning to get the finesse down.

[@juniafrank8724]

Nice tip's Brian 😎 Correct is right 👆 experience is what it's about seat time can't beat it and if u stay away from it for a while you'll have to set back your hands just once u have Experience your hands will set back fast 😎 Brian 😎 where the hell were u when I was learning 😂 🤔 have u ever asked yourself where were your videos when U was learning 😂😂 Thank U Brian 😎 for the Great video 👍

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks Junia! That's part of what got me making videos. I learned a lot from watching other operators do their thing on their channels but nobody was strictly teaching. If anyone did teach it was some random video they did and it was only a single video. I wanted to create a place that would give new operators all the building blocks they would need to start their careers....and here we are!

[@duanemartin1383]

Aren’t excavators supposed to be digging? And graders do the grading?

[@DieselandIron]

You do a surprising amount of grading in an excavator. There are a lot of times where you are working in tight areas that a dozer/skid/grader can't get to or there might be a steep slope that you won't be able to get another machine on. Other times it doesn't make sense to bring in a second machine to clean up a small area when you already have the excavator there.

[@Demoman973]

Sweet Christ I wanna quit this business