What NOT to do in a Bulldozer

All seasoned heavy equipment operators have one thing in common; they have been the “new guy” in their careers. They’ve made mistakes, learned from them & learned from others. In this tutorial, we are going to cover the top mistakes we see from new operators when operating a bulldozer.

1. Going Too Fast
   When you’re a new operator, your brain doesn’t have the experience to keep up with the machine. Slow down and take your time.

2. Not Loading Your Blade
   Some operators want to skim the top of their pile in order to make the ground level. If you don’t have your blade loaded, you won’t have enough material to fill in some of the dips and holes.

3. Using the Decelerator To Control Speed
Often times, a new operator will try and control their speed with the decelerator instead of the joy stick. When the engine is not running at the full RPM, you’re not delivering all the power to the tracks. Take your foot off the decelerator and use the joy stick to slow your speed.

4. Turning Too Much
If you try to turn with a loaded blade, you’re dividing the power on the tracks to one track or the other. You’re only going to get maximum push with equal power to both tracks. If you’d like to move material in one direction, you’re going to want to swing your blade instead.

5. Leaving The Blade Up After Parking
Leaving your blade up makes it difficult for you to exit, and for the next operator to climb into the machine. Lower your blade before shutting down.