Hello Everyone

jls

I am new to the site and it seems great. I am 17 years old (I know I know how silly a seventeen year old backhoe operator) but my dad owns a small town excavation company and i learned at an early age how to operate a 1980 Ford 555 Backhoe, medium sized trencher father painted it so i have no idea what kind or size it is but it runs on a V4 Wisconsin i think, 1981 Ford 30 Foot Flatbed, and a Case Skidsteer. Right now we are in a off season (North Dakota) I spend most of my time in the Flatbed or the Backhoe. I am no expert i don't want anybody to think i am. My dad trust me enough to call me a operator and that is good enough for me. Obviously i have alot to learn but i dug my first basement last summer and did what i think is a decent job. This seems like a great site and i think i can learn alot from the more experienced people on this site. Thank you for reading this lonnnnnnggg post.

Be Safe.
Josh

bassmaster

Welcome to the forum

Lots of info here.

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Nathan

Great to have you here Josh. Enjoy!

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Teetorbilt

Welcome Josh! By the time that I was 17, I had already done more than a lot of adults 3 times my age.

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jls

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone glad to see the kindness. I still get wierd looks from adults when i am on the job sometimes people will ask my dad if it is safe to have his kid on the site he just replies he knows what he's doing he works for me. That always puts a good look on their face.

Be Safe
Josh

slickshift

Lol
Good one
Welcome to the site Josh

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Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

jmic

Hey Josh,
Welcome to the land of Forum, and good-luck in your excavation endeavers.

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Joe

jls

Also i forgot to add that me and my dad also do carpentry/plumbing/electrical work also. (have to find something to do for money in the winter) I don't know as much as my dad but i ain't to bad at carpentry we bilt a 5 stall garage for apartments all by ourselves the only help we needed were with the rafters. But i am more interested in Excavation but i don't mind doing carpentry work though. In the middle of the winter its amazing how fast those walls go up when its 20 degrees. LOL

firemike

Hi Josh, and ewelcome

I don't think it's funny that a 17 year old can run a backhoe (actually I think it is funny that a 17year old actually wants to work nowdays) My grandfather raised me the same way. I was plowing fields and digging ponds with a dozer before I could ride a bike, and running excavators and draglines on weekends and during the summers while I was in school. I actually loved it, finally got out of it about 8 yrears ago, sold all my equipment and sub what little earthwork I need done out now. It was just too hard to find good help that were knowledgeable and reliable.

I hope you stick with it, there is a real shortage of skilled operators and don't fret about not being an "expert" everyone started out the same as you, you only get better with time. I have seen many so called experts run a hoe or dozer so poorly that you wonder how the got the job in the first place. I did my share of crooked trenches, missed grades, overcuts, etc. But I learned from my mistakes and did better next time. Best of luck to you and your family and business!

Cole

Josh, welcome to the forum!!!

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DecksEtc

Welcome Josh. This forum is FULL of useful information.

747

JustaFramer

Welcome to the forum!

sage

Welcome Josh.

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