I worked a couple summers (unemployed) for a friend that owns a dirt/gravel/bark business. I normally drove dump trucks and big end loaders which other than sitting 6 feet above ground are incredibly docile and boring.
One morning the ops boss says we'll get a temp for your truck and you're in the yard today cuz two guys called in sick. 938 (loader) I ask? Go get the D10 and cut some new ground in the back, and push it into a pile for the screener.
Aah Ed, I never drove a dozer.
Well fuckin get in it and don't fuck it up. Don't lug the engine and don't stall the transmission.
Omyfuckingod I'm 15 feet above ground. Noise, vibration and Ima skeered as this thing is as big as a house. The engine has two speeds, run and idle. I get it going. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on. Kinda odd and slow responding with that joystick thing. Drive it about 1/4 mile to the back area and this thing is breakin my spine it bounces and bangs so much. I start pushing dirt and not much is happening and one side is digging in more. Oh, this lever gizmo controls tilt. I dropped the blade a bit more and start grunting the engine and stop. Shift it to 1st and now it's movin some shit. The problem is that you can't see the blade other than looking at the sides. After a while it became easier and you look at the load meter to see how hard you're working it and the amount of dirt that is coming off the side of the blade.
It's utterly amazing how much obscene power it has. Drop the blade a foot into the ground and you're turning the planet backwards. After a couple hours the boss drives back and I stop it. Yer doin it wrong you fuckhead. Make the pile taller so when we knock it down the chunks break up. And don't fuckin slip off the side.
Swear to God by the end of the day I had a pile of black dirt like 20 feet tall and 80 feet wide and I'm driving this 100 odd thousand pound behemoth on top of it. Ed said I did ok for a fuckhead. That's one of Ed's favorite words of endearment.
Powerful, scary, blind driving, filthy, noisy, hot as hell and deafening. Quite the experience but I gladly went back to driving my Mack dump and the loaders.
arty
