Advanced Grading For Skid Steer

[@Darryl_Racine]

Caps off to you, thanks for the schooling, mad respects. Your videos have helped me huge. Excavator, dozer and skid steer rookie here. Went to work and I inherited a new work tools. And here I am, doing honest catch up and learning.

[@DieselandIron]

Good stuff and we're glad to have you in the workforce! Feel free to reach out with questions as you are learning!

[@sycodad4483]

All the dipsticks on youtube that got a job last summer for some low buck landscaper and think they can run a skid steer. Finally there is someone that knows what the front of the bucket is for. You cut grade not back drag to grade. That is why there is a cutting edge on the front of the bucket. You are 100% right about carrying a little dirt in the bucket to help it cut. I spent over 25000 hours in a skid steer in my career as a member of Local 49 Operating Engineers. Ran mostly Bobcat and Cat machines. Bobcat with radial lift arms is a better grading machine. The radial arms are better for grading simply because you get much better visibility to the sides and back. Vertical arms get a bit sloppy.

[@isoufo]

My company doesn't understand this!!! They're constantly "back seat" operating for me. So fucking annoying. Telling me where to put the jack hammer pecker (usually the wrong spot), and telling me to back drag stuff that needs to be cut down... back drag is good for smoothing out ridges that aren't compacted, but not for cutting down an inch or two. There's been a couple times I just got out and told them to operate. Getting pretty frustrated here for other reasons too... need that money though sadly. I was also originally taught a little differently for adding material... Full bucket and cutting like he is, but if there's a low spot I flick the bucket launching some material out onto the ground, back up and continue the cut. Same concept I think, just a little faster imo. (I can't do that method with foot controls though I don't think the hydraulics respond fast enough or my feet aren't coordinated enough)

[@phadejones685]

So I barely lift up the bucket at all and move a track over back blading on my way back my bucket is all full and I am evenly compacting the whole time going over it that way also can grade to slope even in case like a botchi ball court which is flat little to know time. So when you go to roll it afterwards it would be surprising if I actually would have to touch it up. Worked for a paving company for years and we use a 10 ft mag board with a level to read the grade with no waves under it. Same with a dozer

[@johndeere2799]

One tip I always give new guys that are trying to do finish grade is to put the heel of the bucket on the ground and just use the cutting edge up and down to grade. I know that's what you're doing but others may not. Great video.

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for the comment brother!

[@aaronburford5701]

Another great video and content. The commentary and education is the BEST!

[@DieselandIron]

I appreciate the feedback brother!

[@Dadnatron]

Excellent video. I'm a relative novice with about 100hrs in rented CTLs. This was always an issue... but I left the bucket empty.

[@tylerhart3549]

Enjoyed the video. Never thought about this concept before. Thanks!

[@KimJung-un4747]

Same really helped me,

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate it!

[@aaronburford5701]

I absolutely love this video, content, camerview, commentary and info! I want to try it!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@kellywhite4460]

Great vid. Grading a large area today didn't like being inefficient. Tomorrow will be better, thanks.

[@IrishRooster86]

Great video bro. Wonderfully explained and very informative. Thank you.

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!

[@Kleiminc]

The best trick of the trade I’ve seen. Thank you so much for sharing it with us

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@henryoppermann134]

Your explanations of technique are excellent

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for the comment!

[@gumboot65]

Great video ! Really appreciate the advice and demonstration!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@aaronburford5701]

Rewatched and relearned! My go to video ans content for grading! Great joB!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for the comment! I appreciate you supporting the channel!

[@featheredcoyote5477]

I definitely learned some new ways to operate that bucket! I assume the same process would also work with a mini stand on skidsteer?

[@DieselandIron]

Yep! Anything with a bucket will use the same concepts displayed here.

[@WyattThePilotYT]

I am a high school freshman right now and I am super passionate about becoming a heavy machinery operator for construction sites. What is your best advice? I want to get as much experience and opportunities as soon as possible! Also you have amazing video. For a career project I used some of the points from your “reality of heavy machinery operating”.

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for the comment brother! I would recommend hiring in at a residential company or even and landscape company to get experience on some small equipment like skid steers and mini excavators. Once you learn the basics you can move to a larger company and start as a laborer to learn the trade while also learning the bigger machines.

[@davidbethke1849]

How about Navy Construction Battalion (CB) "its not just a job, its an adventure"

[@WyattThePilotYT]

@@davidbethke1849 CBs! I love em! They have hilarious stories! I’ll look into that!

[@SkeemieTV]

Thanks for the info. Definitely learned a lot. Subscribed!

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for subscribing!

[@justatool]

Great explanation. Are you running a tracked machine?

[@DieselandIron]

Yes, this is a Case TV450 (alpha series machine)

[@kincetown]

🎉Thanks so much, very helpful video. am always learning a lot from you brother🎉

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for the positive comments brother!

[@chedsd2clips465]

Wish the skid steers we had on this job weren't so messed up so I could grade like this. Now I'm no pro I'll admit I make a little whoopsie now and then but the bushings and pins are shot on the 2 skiddys we have so the buckets have like 4-6 inches of play in them at the blade. Makes it real hard to do these long smooth passes cause the blade wants to dip or jump on you. Any tips on how to deal with that? other than fixing it cause I have told my supervisor and foreman about it but they dont want to shut the machine down.

[@DieselandIron]

With any whomped out machine you will have to get to know where the transition point is from being in control to the bucket moving on it's own. You'll have to spend a lot of time playing with that hydraulic down pressure. The more weight you have in the bucket will also help alleviate the pitching and rolling of the bucket pins. At the end of the day, any whomped out machine is a bear to grade in.

[@petehall2982]

would this work on a tractor with a front end loader/bucket or would that rig be to lite and deflect to easily?

[@DieselandIron]

I don't see why it wouldn't work with a tractor. The more weight you can get in the bucket the more stable it will be grading.

[@flapjackson6077]

Nicely done! 👍

[@JoshBeards]

A loaded bucket or blade always does a better job than an empty one.

[@austinjones7787]

My goodness that is some good dirt. You could just about a rake and shovel to grade that. I work in nothing but red clay. Freaking nite mare. Have to get a full bucket and track roll it constantly just to pack the clumps back together to start another cut. 🤦🏼

[@DieselandIron]

This was road stone which is why it's so nice to work with. Try putting your chunks into a windrow and tracking over them to break them up all at once. It makes for much better grading afterwards.

[@dgrif9387]

Great video, and advice- TY

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@clarky734]

Good skills, will try in wheel loader when get back in one Thanks

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks brother! This should translate over to a wheel loader with no problem.

[@scottmcquarrie7295]

Forget a wheel loader, if you want to grade, get a crawler loader, either a 350 John Deere or a 955-977L Cat. If you want to grade with a loader, that's the loader to use . You just need talent.

[@clarky734]

Thanks Scott, that sounds like good info to. Regards Clarky

[@scottmcquarrie7295]

@@clarky734 , it comes from the heart my friend. Merry Christmas.

[@brandonculpepper438]

Give us another one

[@DieselandIron]

Next week brother...

[@TheOMEGANOX]

Much appreciated

[@DieselandIron]

Thanks for watching!

[@aceventura3935]

You da man

[@DieselandIron]

You da man for watching and commenting!

[@aceventura3935]

@@DieselandIron ey , when you got good content , you got good content , so much appreciated all the work that goes into teaching us green horns

[@branchandfoundry560]

Soil weight averages ~2,000lbs per cubic yard. What bucket are you running that holds up to 1.5 cubic yards? Thanks!

[@DieselandIron]

Maybe I'm bad at mental math...

[@BrzTosh369]

5'-7'' wide bucket... hmm math says that is not hard to do with a 1.5 thick material on your little' skid bucket

[@branchandfoundry560]

@@BrzTosh369 Typical buckets hold 1/2 cubic yard. A big bucket would hold 1 yard. There are "Bulk Materials" extra large buckets typically used for lightweight materials like mulch. I was curious if there was a specific bucket he liked/recommends that holds 1.5 yards heavy material like soil, as this would be an uncommon implement. As he clarified, he runs a standard bucket & simply made a mental math mistake on soil weight. No biggie 🙂

[@TheEpoxyExpert]

😅 douche

[@aaronburford5701]

Great info

[@DieselandIron]

Appreciate you watching!

[@michaelmartinez9602]

Skip loader would be better I believe for that

[@DieselandIron]

You don't see many skip loaders in our neck of the woods and as a result I have zero experience on them. I've found that skip loaders are very sporadic and only used in certain pockets of the country.

[@tylerbaptiste4125]

2500lbs my ass that’s how much dirt you just scrapped largest skid bucket ever lol😂

[@DieselandIron]

Fair enough, 1,400 lbs. I was making a video and estimating in real time. Where's the grace bud?