Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Three Ladies and a Skid Steer


Think way back to the days when you were just a school-aged child.  Remember those days you woke up, fully expecting to go have a typical, normal day of school and then once you got there you learned you would be treated to a special movie, a special field day or a special presentation.  Suddenly this ordinary day is a little more extraordinary and a little more fun.  Well, the ladies in our office had one of these days today.

At the start of this season we acquired two new Caterpillar Skid Steer Loaders.  A Skid Steer is a small, front-end loader first developed in 1957.  It gets its name because it is steered by powering wheels on one side while breaking on the other so it can skid in a pivot around its own axis.  Hence the name "Skid Steer".  Many operators will attest that if it can't be done by a skid steer, it can't be done at all.  Being small and maneuverable these machines can easily get in and out of most places.  A wide range and variety of attachments are also available to get the job done.  This type of machine is used to push, carry and load materials.

Today, Laurie (Bookkeeper), Stephanie (Operations Administrator) and myself (Shaunda - Operations Manager) were given the opportunity to get a lesson and take a turn driving one of the new skid steers before they go out in the field.  Tio, our sealcoat/slurry foreman probably didn’t wake up this morning and think he was going to be teaching some ladies from the office how to do this but he sure was a good sport, a good teacher and I think he got a good laugh out of it too.

We each got a turn backing, turning, and driving the machine and then loading and unloading both sand and rock.  We were all hesitant at first but once we got on and started to figure it out it was nothing but smiles.  Laurie really got a hang of it and I think if she gets tired of being the bookkeeper she could probably move right on over to skid steer operator. It was interesting to get a little taste of what the crew goes through and how we get our jobs done.  Sitting in this machine really gives you perspective on how powerful it is and also how safety minded you must be when operating it.  Also – it was a fun break from the usual day-to-day work we are accustomed too.  Now if we can just convince Dan that Stripe 'N' Seal needs a race-car.  That’s a test drive I think we would all like to take! Check out our Facebook page for additional photos.

Shaunda
Stephanie, Laurie & Shaunda


Tio the Brave
Stephanie
Laurie







Shaunda