A heavy equipment operator can be many things, and their workday very different, depending on…
Motor graders are the real work horses when it come to moving dirt and leveling and planing a surface to fine tolerances. This is done through the use a blade, or moldboard, that can be set and held at a precise slope and elevation. The operator can raise, lower, turn and tilt the blade through controls in cabin.
Typical motor graders feature three axles with the engine and the drivers cab situated above the rear axles. In road construction, road graders are used to â€œfinish gradeâ€ or refine the â€œrough gradingâ€ that was performed by heavy equipment such as scrapers or bulldozers.
Motor graders are large powerful machines that weigh approximately 15 tons. Motor graders have a variety of uses across many different industries, but their primary use is to produce smooth, consistent surfaces, either level or graded. Motor graders are widely used in the construction of roads, railway beds, airport runways and commercial building sites.
For road construction, motor graders are commonly used in maintenance of unpaved roads and new road construction to prepare the base course to create a wide, flat surface for the asphalt to be placed on. Highways appear level to the naked eye, but are actually graded at a slight angle (often called a camber) to promote and guide runoff.
For a career as a motor grader visit ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.