In my blue collar past life I used to do property management for a mobile home park, when we had a broken water main we rented an excavator to dig up the line for repair. Clay soil saturated in water and 3-4’ deep isn’t an easy dig by hand. Regardless of conditions it was an absolute highlight for me, as my boss only had one good eye so he let me run the excavator. Fun as hell, all of my Tonka dreams come true.

Here you go, wd!

https://www.equipmentworld.com/extreme-sandboxes-are-these-3-heavy-equipment-attractions-creating-a-nationwide-craze-to-get-behind-the-joysticks/

When I go to Atlanta, I’d swear there is a place on the right driving through Conyers on I-20 that is a heavy machine playground. Not a big place, but looks like fun.

Edit. In my early 20’s, my friend and I drove through a neighborhood under construction late at night after a few beers. We started up a big dozer and drove around having a big time.

We didn’t think of the fire truck. That should be a huge draw! I’ve always wanted to learn how to operate one, all those valves a gauges are intriguing.

I borrowed this a few weeks ago for a project at the house. It was a blast to operate.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1543232425.jpg

my best crane story the boat launch ramp screw up

we are at a boat ramp at the haulover cut north of miami beach
the truck crane was to pull old pilings and replace them
except they arrived at low tide and set up on the sloped ramp on algae
the first few piles went ok
but then they tryed a stuck one
instead of pulling the pile the crane slid down the algae into the water
and now the tide is coming back in
so call a towtruck
not some pickup sized but a full semi sized rig
it hooks up and no way the crane is moving so the tow truck is sliding down to join the crane
call in another big tow truck and still no movement
then a third is hooked up now 3 trucks front wheels in the air still can't budge the crane
finally a 4th truck gets there and slowly the crane is pulled out of the water

that was NOT our job we were just watching on lunch break

but on a water dept survey crew we watched our guys use front end loaders big back hoes hyd shovels wheel ditchers and vermears
and sometime got to play with them ourselves
cutting line thru the woods with a big front end loader is way more fun then a machete

My (now former) CEO basically did that for himself. He's got a bulldozer, a grader, and excavator, etc... The front of his property is wooded so you couldn't see him doing it, but it backed up to a bike path. He had a 10 acre sandbox and he'd reshape it when he was stressed out....

My next door neighbor dug the excavation for my house 37 years ago. The man was an artist with a backhoe. I have seen him excavate a level surface (to within an inch in 35 feet) without leaving the seat of the machine. He just had an eye for level.
I had serious "backhoe envy" when Ralph was working.

Another guy I know was a tower crane operator. He told me a story about getting caught by an inspector, cutting corners. Late for work one morning, there were loads to shift as soon as he climbed into the cab. No time to lift the test weight. That afternoon, an inspector arrives in the cab to check up and asks him how the morning test went. My friend said, "OK". The inspector then announces he must be the best crane operator in the world, because he evidently picked up the test weight and put it back in exactly the same spot without disturbing the snow which fell last night. Busted!

Best
Les

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watched a big payloader elevate a wrecking ball (used to demo bridge)s onto a semi-trailer elevate without tilting the bucket...bucket leading edge cut the suspending cable, sending the ball through the trailer deck and the trailer about 4 feet into the air. :eek:

We demo'd an old parking garage a few months back. The machine on the right took about two hours to knock that section of the garage down.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1543284320.JPG

The boom has a claw and cutter. It could eat through a 12"column like it was a stick of butter.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1543284849.JPG

Well, I'm not getting anything done today.
They're putting solar panels on the roof of the building I work in.
Here's hoping it doesn't tip over, because it will end up on top of me.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1556893648.jpg

Not quite, but: https://www.diggerlandusa.com/

I'd like to rig a racing seat & harness, to my mini-excavator. But I don't trust any other operators, and nobody would trust me at the controls......