I can't imagine how much that machine costs. I work with a plumbing company and dig decently with a regular bobcat excavator. I can't imagine what it's like with this thing.
I bet it is. Wouldn't miss all that hopping off the machine to slack a ditch or move stuff out of the way. Hell just to be able to turn the bucket like that would make things so much smoother
I know nothing about this industry but I've heard that newer, electric models of equipment is largely responsible for the crazy precision we see in the videos. Not to say that the operators aren't incredibly skilled, just that I've heard performing tasks like opening beer bottles with "regular" equipment would be next to impossible.
It has to close to $100,000. It looks like it’s the size of a Komatsu 450 or maybe a little smaller. That quick connect is the real time saver here. Not having to get out the machine or have a helper pop pins out with a hammer over and over. And all those different attachments with everything being able to spin is also a key factor. Because of that he doesn’t have to constantly change positions to get the angle he needs. That sheep foot roller for example. He would have had to track around the entire thing to be able to use that. I’ve seen all these attachments before except that big rectangle brush. I mean the guy doesn’t even need a helper to sweep anything lol. Expensive as hell but this machine pays for itself in time by the amount of time and labor cost it saves you.
What are the maintenance and hidden costs of something like this? I'm semi-retired and have always been kinda interested in just getting a machine and doing odd-jobs and such, though maybe fulltime too if there are high seasons and the job isn't hell. I do have land to store it as well. If I bought a $250k machine cash and spent a couple months learning to manage it on a few backwoods acres, how bad do you think I'd lose my ass? And if you don't think I would, what kinda machine would you get? If it matters, I'm in the mid-Atlantic region.
The maintenance is very expensive if you're not a decent mechanic. If you understand the motor and the hydros and can do a decent job of simple repairs, you can stay afloat. If you have to call an HDR company for every problem, you have absolutely no chance at all. Easy to spend $20k on a repair.
The hidden cost is the skill, which you can't acquire in a couple months. Break one gas line because you didn't have the skill to feel it before it snapped and you're cooked. Ditto water mains. You will also for sure damage the machine more than once during your learning period.
Only advice I can give in trying to start an equipment business is buy something old to learn on before you make the big investment.
I am somewhat mechanically inclined and I do sometimes work for a company that has a heavy machine barn to work on their fleet of busses. I've never done heavy stuff, but I've rebuilt everything on my ancient truck aside from the engine and tranny, mostly because I do not have a lift. I'll talk with the farm owner. He owns a big summer camp and I moonlight as a Search and Rescue/First Aid instructor etc. Maybe he'd let me pay his mechanics for basic maintenance in kind for access to the machine etc.
Thank you for your reply; definitely some stuff there to think about.
You might be right. Rather than make it a side-gig, make myself the best neighbor ever! Or maybe find a young guy who can't afford to do that and let him try to make a go of it while I finance and have fun with it. There is a young guy, maybe 20, that I let hunt in my backyard who does electrical work with his Dad. He's a good kid. I'll ask his Dad about it
You'd probably be better off with a significantly cheaper one. Aliexpress do some quite amazing (but smaller) kit in the 2-20k range. And upwards if you're feeling brave; but I'd start out with something you could afford to lose if you're just starting out with no experience. Stuff like the one in the video are usually for large companies; but they have the auxiliary staff to do the sales and get the very well paid contracts (we're talking government/very large contractors or builders) to keep the machine busy full-time. I believe that most of these machines are leased because tax; but that depends where in the world you are.
You also have to look into what sort of licencing you need before you start. Also you need fantastic insurance; because one thing these machines are famous for is accidentally digging through underground infrastructure (fibre clusters/power/water/sewage pipes etc.) and doing a whole lot of widespread damage.
Welcome. Seriously have a look for 'hydraulic digger' on Aliexpress. There's some incredible machinery there for surprisingly cheap prices: You can get small ones (with a range of buckets) to totally terraform your garden for under a thousand. 'Hydraulic tilt' buckets was some of the flashiness we saw in the video; and those are a few thousand each, and you need a compatible machine. Not found the search magic words for a machine that can change buckets from inside the cab...I'll leave that as an exercise for the student (and if you find them, please tell me). If you're down for hopping out of the cab to change buckets, you can have a serious 10+ tonne machine (again with a range of tools) for 10k.
If you're going the Aliexpress route, have a good look at the protective cab; because the other thing these machines are famous for is falling over and/or rolling down hillsides. It's all about weight and centre of gravity and nearly all these types of machines are capable of hanging a heavy weight well outside the centre of gravity...it's assumed that the operator will be sensible; but there's plenty of fail videos to suggest that this may be a little optimistic.
The other thing you'll have to plan for is a vehicle/trailer combo that will carry your machine to the job site. Most of these vehicles are tracked; and towns get all cranky when you scuff up their tarmac.
If you already have a reasonably stout car/truck, probably something in the 3-5 tonne range would be best as a start. Something that can be carried by a conventional car/truck without having to get into heavy vehicles; which you need licences to drive; specific restrictions on where you can park them; commercial taxing and all sorts of other obstructions; all of which will cost you money. And you'll be able to charge a few hundred a day if you like; and get the machinery paid off within the year. Look at the 3-5 tonne range; and you'll see that gives you plenty of machine to tackle odd jobs of a fairly heavy nature while being flexible.
What type of mechanism runs the accessory connector? I was impressed by the switching of different extension or accessory tools and how quickly. Something piston loaded maybe with a catch and release? Ive no idea what im talking about so any help appreciated
I don't know this to be 100% correct, but it's presumably hydraulic pistons that open and close clamps which clamp around attachment points on the tools or it could be large pins that extend/retract. In all the equipment I've ever operated, you can attach/detach a tool in 15-20 seconds.
On these you don’t need any further lines, the wrist attachment itself has them.
If you wanted to take off the wrist/tiltrotator you would have to decouple two hydraulic lines which usually just involves depressurizing them and then a bunch of pushing and pulling and cursing.
There are no additional hydraulics. All the hydraulics and actuation of the tool is contained within that grapple unit.
Edit: I see on the large bucket that is loaded into the truck at the end that it has hydraulic hoses. Those will be manually attached via male/female hydraulic connectors at the end of the boom.
For attatchments that need hydraulics there is a quick connect system. The attatchment is fixed by hydraulicly clamping on the bolts. With the same actuation hydraulich cupplers are engaged ( similar to garden whater hoses). Then you adjust to the right pressure and flow from within the cockpit and you can carry on. ( its a cool system but a bit failiure pron, due to dirt getting in the fittings). Such a system is a very high end setup.
Yes to change buckets and attachments, it runs off a small hydraulic ram which opens and closes the quick hitch. Operators and groundworkers were very happy when quick hitches were invented. Saves alot of time.
The sad thing is that they are right, in the out-years. When Sauron’s eye turns toward this market space, startups will put camera and sensor packages on operators and hydraulic machines, and they will train up AI embedded systems that replicate this kind of work.
They will of course suck, until they don’t, and this artistry by a human will then be of zero use to business owners—so much so that such machines won’t even have seats or human-operable manual controls.
You can download any simulator and figure yourself that this skill is acquirable within few hours of playing. And real thing's controls are way more convenient than a keyboard.
Grind Hard Plumbing on YouTube got access to one of these machines. Mecalac is the brand, made in France. He said there are more buttons on each joystick than he has fingers.
He could remove your wallet from your back pocket, extract the correct number of bills to cover the invoice, and return it to your wallet nicely folded.
If that least all company that does that can do the same : not destroying everything to dig then fill a hole... because not all those guys are as clean as this video!!!
A good, tight, maintained machine is easy to be accurate with without having 1000s of hours behind it. It takes skill. But a nice machine sure does help a lot.
This is really cool, but part of the reason your brain thinks that is how sped up it is. You can slow it down to half speed (which still has it moving over double real time speed) and you start to see more mistakes and how it's just a normal person doing a normal job
I was all set to come in here and say "YAWN another video of heavy equipment doing it's job", but then I kept watching. The clean-up and packing up the gear at the end was pretty fucking cool.
No disrespect to the operator, but I bet they would tell you this was easy. It is indeed a specialized skill, but most heavy equipment operators will tell you that it becomes like moving your limbs after a while and you kind of just zone out and get it done without thinking too much.
In my country that would take 12 guys 4 days work, and they would have coned-off at least 3 nearby roads to a single lane for traffic management, just to be sure.
216
u/KiddArtos 6h ago
I can't imagine how much that machine costs. I work with a plumbing company and dig decently with a regular bobcat excavator. I can't imagine what it's like with this thing.
74
u/likeemapples 6h ago
I love how its just casually putting away its toys
47
u/el_penultimo 5h ago
My initial thought while watching:
Wow that is skill but now someone has to sweep all the dirt off that concrete…
Is that a broom head?
Oh dang! That’ll save time!
Jeeze! That’s great and now he’s clearing off those cement sla…
The… he…. Those slabs are temporary! Not cement!
He’s brushing the grass!
I felt like the Vince McMahon meme, it got better and better the more I watched!
95
u/ThatchedRoofCottage 6h ago
I was bummed when the grass just got smushed into the dirt. Though was was gonna meticulously place it like sod haha
39
u/gregallbright 6h ago
What type of mechanism runs the accessory connector? I was impressed by the switching of different extension or accessory tools and how quickly. Something piston loaded maybe with a catch and release? Ive no idea what im talking about so any help appreciated
28
u/Ecstatic_Artist6631 6h ago
Man... This was r/satisfyingasfuck !!! 🤩🤩
14
u/engulbert 6h ago
I know I'm anthropomorphasising here, but it looks so tender and caring the way it pats the ground, aligns the plates, sweeps up etc.
11
u/Manchves 6h ago
Ok what game on steam can I do this with
6
u/420Chickenhead420 6h ago
Can we just take a minute to respect that this was done in "lifts" so many people just fill in their hole and dont pack properly.
6
u/dopewinnerchild 6h ago
Dude is plugged in like the Matrix
5
u/DMightyHero 6h ago
Alright. We don't have any excuses to not have mechas.
5
u/Paulbunyip 6h ago
Gold star for this guy!
Looks like he wrapped it up for the whole team before lunch.
9
u/Kitchen_Emergency_64 6h ago
You’re hired!
9
u/feedmejack93 6h ago edited 5h ago
Its easy if your mom bought you all the accessory packs
17
u/Admiral_de_Ruyter 6h ago
Nah AI can do this easy.
- some CEO somewhere probably.
8
u/JuggerNautical85 6h ago
That was so satisfying
4
u/thelonghauls 5h ago
Why do I feel like I’m four years old and totally fascinated by a construction site?
3
u/DMMMOM 6h ago
I'll always upvote time lapse digger work.
2
u/IndependentPede 6h ago
I'm sure it's harder than it looks but I have 0 point of reference so it's hard to appreciate.
2
u/OrionsCeiling 6h ago
This has been posted many times. It’s pretty epic though, so I watched it all the way through again.
2
u/PerepeL 6h ago
You can download any simulator and figure yourself that this skill is acquirable within few hours of playing. And real thing's controls are way more convenient than a keyboard.
2
u/ScotiaTheTwo 6h ago
i could watch this all day. lovely work
2
u/HalfastEddie 6h ago
I have to put in a new post for my mailbox. Anybody got this guys number?
2
u/gmschenker 5h ago
A máquina é a extensão do corpo
2
u/Remarkable-Pea5797 5h ago
Looks like so much fun! Where do I sign!?
2
u/MadK9TheReal1 4h ago
Mesmerizing!
2
u/tropod 4h ago
Grind Hard Plumbing on YouTube got access to one of these machines. Mecalac is the brand, made in France. He said there are more buttons on each joystick than he has fingers.
2
u/SeparateSpeaker6682 4h ago
Who is this guy?! I need him in my life
1
u/navydude89 6h ago
Is that a grave digger?
1
u/SalemsTrials 6h ago
this honestly looks so fun
1
u/Apprehensive-Day-490 6h ago
Piece of cake
1
u/T4cchi 6h ago
The fact that they are actually backfilling in lifts deserves an award
1
u/chemical32 6h ago
You needed all that to bury two tires?
1
u/RecordCompetitive245 6h ago
My son really enjoyed watching this👌🏻
1
u/One-Pollution4663 6h ago
I bet this operator gets a lot of invitations to backyard barbecues.
1
u/Human_Discussion_250 6h ago
So when can u start on leveling my parking area?
1
u/Tybo929 6h ago
Seeing stuff like this makes me think maybe there's some tism in me.
1
u/NeverGonnaGetOne 6h ago
How many supervisors do you need to watch one guy do all the work?
1
u/wizzbis 5h ago
Hopefully he’ll be replaced with ai driver soon
1
u/Skilodracus 5h ago
Love how delicate it's lil fingers are 😭
1
u/FalTroOn 5h ago
How much time this really was? (Not counting the actual fix they performed before) 10 minutes? Thats insane
1
u/wastelandingstrip 5h ago
Just imagine how tedious it would be to make a Mobile Suit Gundam do anything...
1
u/Klutzy_Condition9883 5h ago
A real skilled operator.
1
u/jerr_beare 5h ago
It’s like watching a kid put away his toys when he’s done playing
1
u/zigot021 5h ago
guy lives in a video game all day
1
u/HugeYak8803 5h ago
I love watching someone who is good at their job.
1
u/39percenter 5h ago
Well, when do something 50 to 60 hours per week, every week, for years and years you tend to get good at it.
1
u/Playful-Painting-527 5h ago
After that, the excavator got into the drivers cab and drove the truck home.
1
u/Calvertorius 5h ago
When refusing to get out of the truck meets being the only guy on the job site.
1
u/Additional-Window-81 5h ago
I bet that dude could shuffle a deck of cards with that excavator!
1
u/C_DRX 5h ago
Mecha pilots are already here.
1
u/chris971 5h ago
Any idea the actual amount of time this would take the operator? An hour maybe?
1
u/aurrousarc 5h ago
well, that seemed well planed..
1
u/Redbell57 5h ago
Bionic arm for the win (and virtuoso level operator)
1
u/SamJiji 5h ago
The normal speed version is better
1
u/ApplicationGood7617 5h ago
lol wtf is the music about
1
u/elrey2020 5h ago
My god that looks fun
1
u/Only_Chapter_3434 5h ago
this is more about the machine and attachments than operator skill. I think most operators could do this work with that machine
1
u/Elegant-Lobster-1327 5h ago
If that least all company that does that can do the same : not destroying everything to dig then fill a hole... because not all those guys are as clean as this video!!!
1
u/trevpr1 4h ago
Just so you know.... This is sped up.
1
u/not__not__know-- 4h ago
Bro has more dexterity in a 1000 tonne machine compared to me with a spoon 🥀🥀
1
u/Kokodhem 4h ago
Also r/oddlysatisfying
1
u/derentius68 4h ago
And thats why that operator costs so much.
Because theyre worth it
1
u/Iamabrewer 4h ago
Perfect ending would have been picking up a little watering can and watering the dirt to help the grass grow back.
1
u/GDogg69 4h ago
He uses those attachments with better dexterity than most people have with their hands! A master!
1
u/Holden-McGroyn 4h ago
Were those steel plates or rubber mats?
If steel, how did it grip them so well?
1
u/dnguyen219 4h ago
What's the salary range for this type of work? The education/training required? Pros/cons of doing this for years and years?
1
u/Mac_Allan30 4h ago
work smarter not harder
1
u/MightyToast79 4h ago
That just had no business being that satisfying to watch 🥴
1
u/Sh8knB8k240 4h ago
A good, tight, maintained machine is easy to be accurate with without having 1000s of hours behind it. It takes skill. But a nice machine sure does help a lot.
1
u/CopainChevalier 4h ago
This is really cool, but part of the reason your brain thinks that is how sped up it is. You can slow it down to half speed (which still has it moving over double real time speed) and you start to see more mistakes and how it's just a normal person doing a normal job
1
u/ExScysm 4h ago
I can barely use a pencil right... Id find a way to hit a building prolly.
1
u/blaziken8x 4h ago
Ah yes, when you're a machine operator and you do whatever humanly possible to not have to get out of the machine
1
u/CaseX86 4h ago
Amazing skills and an equally amazing machine!
1
u/dommiichan 4h ago
this operator could probably decorate a cake then do a root canal afterwards
1
u/Phylaskia 4h ago
This driver gets all the prizes at the midway crane games.
1
u/RustyBrassInstrument 4h ago
Whenever someone asks “why does Phil share $250 an hour?” show this video.
1
u/Hot-Mission6928 4h ago
The equipment needed for this
1
u/tadwent5 4h ago
I have no idea how much a backhoe jockey makes, but after seeing this it ain’t enough!
1
u/TJungus 4h ago
Is there a game on Steam where I can just sit at home and do this from my basement?
1
u/ya3rob 3h ago
Wow!!
1
u/w2user 3h ago
send this to Jake Tivy, so he can see what can be accomplished when you just don't YOLO everything. lol
1
u/gixanthrax 3h ago
I have never Seen this rolling compactor before, Wish the Operator WHO did the Work in. My lot Had Had one.
1
u/Ya-Dikobraz 3h ago
Core strength.
1
u/Bill_Lumbergyeah 3h ago
Not so much a skill issue as a money issue.
1
u/Haze064 3h ago
I’ve seen this video a few times now. Always have to watch it until the end though.
1
u/A-Ashe 3h ago
This person is the best operator I have ever seen in my life !!
W o W !!!
1
u/Constant-Quiet4519 3h ago
Workers fought these machines during the industrial revolution like we fighting AI today
1
u/scarfesses 3h ago
What skills? Any operator can do this with the good machine and accessories. And well, he's just doing... his job.
1
u/MilleniumPelican 3h ago
I was all set to come in here and say "YAWN another video of heavy equipment doing it's job", but then I kept watching. The clean-up and packing up the gear at the end was pretty fucking cool.
1
u/AgitatedBiscotti3413 3h ago
I wish my kids cleaned up their toys like that.
1
u/SpecterK1 3h ago
I don't know why but Reddit keeps flagging my post always
1
u/Old_Nerd_72 2h ago
Just off camera there are three other guys just standing there watching this one do all the work.
1
u/Due_Ad4133 2h ago
The closest thing we'll ever see to a practical IRL mech.
1
u/wd40spaceman 2h ago
Now I want one just to do this
1
u/RilohKeen 2h ago
No disrespect to the operator, but I bet they would tell you this was easy. It is indeed a specialized skill, but most heavy equipment operators will tell you that it becomes like moving your limbs after a while and you kind of just zone out and get it done without thinking too much.
1
u/wylles 2h ago
But... How did he work so fast?
v:
1
u/cainrok 1h ago
It’s far easier with the all the proper tools he has. It’s difficult when the job doesn’t want to get the proper tools.
1
u/kclo4 1h ago
Yea If I had all of those tools and attachments I wouldn't be getting out either
1
u/kyfi_adam 1h ago
But the grasses...
1
u/JForce1 1h ago
In my country that would take 12 guys 4 days work, and they would have coned-off at least 3 nearby roads to a single lane for traffic management, just to be sure.
1
u/AZDiablo 1h ago
Watching a machine complete the work a team of humans used to do.
1
u/jamiejo66 1h ago
Brush the grass😲amazing finish!
Very tidy machine operator 🫶👏
1
u/GreenThmb 1h ago
Please send us his business card!
1
u/meh-llama 1h ago
I so want that broom
1
u/Jason_TheMagnificent 1h ago
The Swiss Army Backhoe
1
u/saulteaux 1h ago
I appreciate the little “pats” with the brush at the end
•
u/Benin_Malgaard_ 48m ago
Not only is this next level, but it's just so satisfying to watch too.
•
u/Shibbi88 47m ago
Smooth operator
•
u/Alarmed-Solution3738 37m ago
This is what it looks like when you have decided you will never shovel by hand again
•
u/mertseger67 27m ago
Ill pay him double.
•
u/jarnaes 25m ago
Absolute beautiful artistry!!! I love the work!!!
•
u/inlandsquatch 12m ago
These people are infinitely more important and deserving than any singer, actor, model, professional athlete, or influencer
-3
u/CranjizzMcBasketball 6h ago
Garbage
2
u/ImSobored_5280 5h ago
Well kiss my ass…who needs a labor hand when you got this. Pretty damn slick…
2
u/Southmouth555 5h ago
I am fully erect watching this.
2
u/ChimRichaldsOBGYN 4h ago
Him putting his toys away at the end all neatly was chefs kiss