Many people have seen excavator drivers drove excavators skillfully, feeling very profound. In fact, the skills of driving excavator is very simple. Today, the article will introduce the 4 steps to teach you how to drive the excavator. When we understand the function of the joystick and pedal on the excavator, we will know how to control the cab, the moving arm, the bucket and the bucket to carry out the excavation task. If you want to drive an excavator, you must have a license, this article is for reference only, do not imitate.

Starting the excavator

Determine if the machine is in ISO or SAE control mode. These are the two standard control modes for excavators. The difference between them is that in ISO, the left hand controls the swing and movable arm, while the right hand controls the rocker and bucket movement.SAE reverses this mode, making it difficult to switch to the other if one has been trained in one. Most new excavators have a display in the cab that will show the current mode. I recommend you to learn ISO mode driving skills firstly, because it is more common in excavators.

Adjust the seat position. Check the seat position to make sure that your feet can reach the pedals and that you can comfortably grasp all the control handles. Once everything is in order, tighten the seat belt and tell people around you to stay away from the area and start the excavator.

Turn the key and let the excavator to warm up. Looking to the right, there is a spot near the right armrest to insert the key in and turn it like you would fire up a car in order to start the engine. Let the excavator to idle for 5-10 minutes to warm up and if it is cold, run the hydraulic controls for a few cycles before doing any digging.

Moving the boom and cab

Unlock the controls by lifting the red joystick on the left side. All excavators have a locking lever secured to the armrest on the left side of the cab. It is usually red in color. When the joystick is lowered, the joystick controls are locked. Push the lever upward until it clicks. This unlocks the controls, at which point we can move the arm and cab. Do not unlock the controls until you have checked things around you to make sure there are no people or objects nearby. If someone is approaching the cab, or near an object that you do not want to dig, pull the lever back down. Open and close the bucket by moving the right joystick left and right. The bucket is located at the end of the digging arm. The right joystick also controls the position of the bucket. Push the lever to the right to open the bucket. Push left to close.

Push the left joystick back and forth to move the reach arm back and forth. The left joystick is located in front of the left armrest and controls the reach arm of the excavator. Pushing the left joystick forward moves the reach arm away from the cab. Pulling the joystick backward moves the reach arm closer to the cab. When operating the joystick, keep the movement smooth. They use hydraulics, so the machine will move as fast as you pull the joystick. Do not release the joystick suddenly or the machine will shake quickly.

Rotate the cab by moving the left joystick left or right. The cab can be rotated using the excavator's slewing controls. Pushing the left joystick causes the cab to swing in the direction you press and allows you to complete a 360-degree turn. If you hold and do not release the joystick, the cab will continue to rotate.

Driving the Excavator

Determine want to drive the excavator by hand or foot. In front of the cab there are 2 pedals with handles on them. The handles extend upward. These pedals can be operated either by stepping on them with your feet or by grasping the handles with your hands. Both work in the same way, so you can choose according to your preference. If you are a beginner, it may be easier to drive by hand. Most professional operators prefer to drive with their feet.

Push down on both pedals to move forward. The drive control of the excavator is simple. To move forward, press down on both pedals at the same time or push the handle forward at the same time. The amount of pressure applied determines how fast the excavator moves. The excavator has a stopping speed of about 13 km/h, so it will not move very fast even if you press the pedals as hard as you can, but be careful.

Pull the control lever backward to move backward. To move backward, perform the opposite action. Pull both handles backward at the same time to move in reverse. Check the rear before reversing. Some newer excavators are equipped with a reverse camera on the back.

Reverse. The two pedals control the left and right tracks of the excavator. When making a turn, depress the pedals on the other side of the road to be turned. Depressing the left pedal rotates the excavator to the right and depressing the right pedal rotates it to the left. If the excavator is already moving, let go of one of the pedals instead of letting go of both pedals and stepping on them again. This will result in a smoother ride. The same rules apply whether going backwards or forwards.

Preparing to dig

Adjust the cab so that it is perfectly positioned on the target track. This position is the most stable and balanced for the excavator. Use the left joystick and rotate the cab until it is in line with the track. Most excavators will remain stable if digging without being perfectly centered, but when you are a beginner, make sure the cab is centered until you gain more experience. Once you reach the desired position, remove your feet from the foot pedals to avoid accidental movement during digging. Do not attempt to drive and dig at the same time.

Press the left joystick forward until the excavator arm stops rising. This is the starting position when you are ready to dig. Experienced operators can dig in different positions. However, when you are still learning for the first time, fully extend the boom before digging.

Adjust the bucket so that the teeth line up with the extended arm. Adjust the bucket with the right joystick so that the bucket teeth are at the top of this imaginary line. Do not attempt to dig with the bucket fully extended. This will introduce dirt and debris into the hydraulic rods and could damage the machine over time.

Lower the boom until the bucket is in the dirt. Press the right lever back to lower the boom. Continue lowering until the tines of the bucket enter the dirt, then stop.

Lift the bucket. First push the right joystick to the left to retract the bucket. Push the right joystick upward to raise the boom to dig a scoop of dirt.

Rotate the cab and open the bucket. Use the left joystick and rotate the cab to the left or right depending on where you want to dump the dirt. Hover the bucket in that position. Then simply push the right joystick to the right and open the bucket.

When finished, rotate the cab to face forward. Disconnect the joystick controls by pushing the lever down. Then turn the throttle to idle. Let the engine idle for 1 minute to allow it to cool. Then turn the key and remove it to turn off the machine. Thank you for reading, this article is only for operation basics, not professional instruction, if you need to drive, please have professional training.