People also think we’re paid shitloads, and to a certain extent I suppose it could be argued that way, but when you calculate an hourly rate, it’s really not all that good. The difference is we work a lot of hours in a short period of time, and we are paid accordingly. For example, most wages are based on an annual salary, so here’s an example; 80000pa, working a 3/1 roster, 12 hour days each day. Based on that; 365/4*3 (4 week rotation, working 3 weeks) = 273.75 days a year. Divided by 12 hours a day, that equates to; 80000/ (273.75*12) = $24.35 an hour!
Or try a 2/1 roster (3 week rotation, working 2 weeks); 365/3*2 = 243.33 days a year worked. 80000/ (243.33*12) = $27.39 an hour.
Does that sound like a great hourly wage to you? For spending time away from everyone and everything, away on a mine site? Away from friends, family and loved ones? Working 12 hours or more a day? If so, FIFO is for you.
Now add into that the fact that unless you’re in one of the Technical services, then you’re a miner, a rock ape, a bonehead, one of the “kids” (and most need to be treated like kids), and will probably be expected to do night shift. Most rosters these days are still 2/1 (14 days on, 7 off) so you’ll most likely do one week of day shift, then a week of night shift. You’ll finish your last day shift, stay up as late as possible that night and into the next day, sleep most of the day if you can, and start night shift.
I do have to admit, the camps are getting much better these days; gyms, pools, wet mess (a bar/pub) and some even have personal trainers or people trained a little in that area to guide you on your way. BHP’s Area C had sand trucked in for their volleyball court. There is a phone and 56k internet, all paid for by the company. Compare that to St Barbara’s Southern Cross operations, mining in Marvel Loch. There is no GSM mobile signal, only CDMA until recently, with Telstra’s Next G now covering the area. Internet is available but at your own cost. The rooms in one of the camps are entirely what you call donger’s, or single man’s quarters. That means you have to leave your room to go for a shower and use the toilet. The camps (there are 4) are also spread across the town site of Marvel Loch, so you need to walk for a few minutes to get to the mess for dinner and breakfast. If it’s raining, tough. There’s a can of Harden Up in the crib room!
It’s cold and wet in winter (if in the southern areas) or hot and wet in summer (if up north). It can be dirty and dusty. The trucks are loud. The A/C can struggle to cope with the heat in summer up north.
So that’s a few of the negatives. What about the positives? Like I said before, the wages are good, but with the labour shortage in Perth at the moment, you can also earn some big bikkies working construction. I have a mate that is on close to $120k. BUT, working out here I get to be home every weekend, with a 3 day break every 2nd weekend. My mate, on the other hand, works Saturdays.
Hays recruitment has a website with downloadable PDFs with the results of their salary survey. If you want to see the range of dollars available, check it out; http://www.hays.com.au and here’s the PDF link for the mining sector; Click here.
I also don’t do the dishes!!! I don’t clean my room. I don’t vacuum. I hardly spend any money. Pretty much everything is paid for or done out here for us.
I’ve really only addressed FIFO or DIDO (drive in, drive out) here. There are some mines and companies that prefer you to live locally. Rio Tinto and BHP have a few people living full time in Newman. Boddington is also being set up as a mostly live-in mine, as is BHP’s Ravensthorpe mine. Things are different with that arrangement. From the coal industry in Qld I know that you are sometimes offered housing. Depending on who you are and what you do, you may be offered a car, phone and other benefits. I can’t comment fully as I haven’t done this, though I did take a job in Qld a few years ago and relocation was part of the deal.
Oh, and if you want a job on the mines, I want 5%. Joking.
If you want to drive a truck, get your HR. That is the number one pre-requisite that most mines ask for. Then maybe your 1st Aid. You could also try doing something through the training/recruitment agencies like QFS.
Try Skilled, Clements, Hays, Extraman and/or Workpac, too.

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Above content was written by Hornet at http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f20/mining-my-thoughts-experiences-36381/

Please read all the replies there

Technical basics you need to know:

1. What is Volt (symbol: V)? - The volt is the electromotive force, commonly called Voltage.
The higher the voltage number, the higher the Force/Torque will be.

2. What is Ampere-hour (symbol: Ah)? - The amount of energy charge in a battery that will allow one ampere of current to flow for one hour. 3.3Ah capacity Li-ion battery provides 25% more run time than 3.0Ah battery.

3. Battery Types:
NiCad: Nickel-cadmium battery low cost battery type was invented in 1899. Should i say anymore?
NiMH: Nickel-metal hydride battery. Development from NiCad. NiMH batteries have up to 30% more energy capacity than NiCad. However

discharge a bit quicker. Marked commercial in around 1990.
Li-ion: Lithium is a very light metal. Lithium-ion batteries are most expensive but can hold twice as much energy than NiCad type batteries.

There is more, but 3 above is most commonly seen on the tools, performance and the price tag depends on it.

What is impact driver?
In shot it works like a drill, but when more torque is needed while rotating it produces hammering affect as well as maintaining contact with the fastener. Unlike normal drill impact driver does not kick back to you hand to produce impact force. Impact driver great for driving Tapcon screws into concrete, hex-head, drywall screws, and deck screws with ease.

Below is a chart which is in my opinion can be helpful in choosing the product for your needs.

Also i must say that if you already have some cordless tools it may worth to consider buying a new tools of the same brand. Just check the compatibility. Your old battery or charger may be compatible to a new tool thus will save you a bit of money on the long run.

Memo:
Cordless tools are definitely convenient, but if you don't use power tools often then don't buy cordless versions, but the corded. A corded one will cost less and last longer.

Comments are welcome.

Here we go add SPAM/Junk in my mail box from Greenies

Those dudes say that Meat eating  is a major cause of global warming. Can you believe this? They say that if you eat beans instead of beef, you’ll cut down on global warming.   Hmm... : )

Second: Let's do some thinking! Please consider that i do not know the real deal (never been working with remotely controlled excavator). So just a common sense based on known by me technologies.  

Pros:

: Machine still need an operator with excavation experience. Plus, someone will have to do a pre-start check. No job loss there.

: You would be able to scrape asbestos from the distance without any harm to yourself. Safety that is as well as more work can be covered!

: Load/unload the excavator on the truck without jumping in and out. Productivity that is!

: Confined spaces. My personal view is that this technology is a must in this case. Productivity and Safety there!

Cons:

: Operating machine from the distance can be difficult due to limited vision. Productivity loss!

: You will have to rely on the network, which will provide connection between control panel and the machine. P.S. It is year 2010 and so far any wireless network is proved to be slow and unreliable. Live network cable next to an excavator have to be very well secured.

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Australian companies using remote control Excavators:

http://www.cardinalprojects.com/ - 25 Pike street Rydalmere NSW 2116 - Cardinal Project Services

Yet again Lawrence Davis Training Group answer all my questions and offered a 2 day Skid Steer course considering my previous excavator training with them. Total cost as of 15.09.2010 was $1600AUD for the Excavator and Skid Steer loader training.

Please read my Excavator training review at http://www.oztools.com/where-to-study-excavator-sydney-25.html

Skid Steer training.

This time my trainers was Helena (theory) and Keith( practice ) So, 2 trainers and me.... Was hard really!

Helena did not gave a crap about my excavator study, and as she told me her job is make sure i am well prepared to pass the theory for Skid Steer. So She did. At the end of the training my brain was fitted with 34 questions and answers to it. No Joking!

Theory assessment was that i have had to answer only 5 questions due to my previous excavator assessment. Thanks to Helena i have done it in 5 minutes literally.

Practise! Keith was a someone who was able explain to me the concept of operating 4 in 1 attachment. Have to say that I have been on the construction sites for many years and seen many so call experienced Skid Steer Operators , telling you that may be only very few of them can fit operating experience of Keith. Also, have to say from my experience that now i can do things with 4 in 1 that can overrun with grace most of the Skid steer operators with many years of experience. Thank You Keith!

P.S. Helena also does Forklift course and i believe she trained most knowledgeable forklift operators in Australia!

A skid loader or skid steer loader is a small rigid frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms used to attach a wide variety of labour-saving tools or attachments. Though sometimes they are equipped with tracks, skid-steer loaders are typically four-wheel drive vehicles with the left-side drive wheels independent of the right-side drive wheels. By having each side independent of the other, wheel speed and direction of rotation of the wheels determine the direction the loader will turn.

Skid steer loaders are capable of zero-radius, "pirouette" turning, which makes them extremely maneuverable and valuable for applications that require a compact, agile loader.

Unlike in a conventional front loader, the lift arms in these machines are alongside the driver with the pivot points behind the driver's shoulders. Because of the operator's proximity to moving booms, early skid loaders were not as safe as conventional front loaders, particularly during entry and exit of the operator. Modern skid loaders have fully-enclosed cabs and other features to protect the operator. Like other front loaders, it can push material from one location to another, carry material in its bucket or load material into a truck or trailer.

Operation

A Skid Steer loader can sometimes be used in place of a large excavator by digging a hole from the inside. The skid loader first digs a ramp leading to the edge of the desired excavation. It then uses the ramp to carry material out of the hole. The skid loader reshapes the ramp making it steeper and longer as the excavation deepens. This method is particularly useful for digging under a structure where overhead clearance does not allow for the boom of a large excavator, such as digging a basement under an existing house.

The conventional bucket of many skid loaders can be replaced with a variety of specialized buckets or attachments, many powered by the loader's hydraulic system. These include backhoe, hydraulic breaker, pallet forks, angle broom, sweeper, auger, mower, snow blower, stump grinder, tree spade, trencher, dumping hopper, ripper, tillers, grapple, tilt, roller, snow blade, wheel saw, cement mixer, and wood chipper machine.

History

The first three-wheeled, front-end loader was invented by brothers Cyril and Louis Keller (manufacturer) in Rothsay, Minnesota, in 1957. The Kellers built the loader to help a farmer mechanize the process of cleaning turkey manure from his barn. The light and compact machine, with its rear caster wheel, was able to turn around within its own length, while performing the same tasks as a conventional front-end loader.

The Melroe brothers, of Melroe Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, N.D., purchased the rights to the Keller loader in 1958 and hired the Kellers to continue refining their invention. As a result of this partnership, the M-200 Melroe self-propelled loader was introduced at the end of 1958. It featured two independent front-drive wheels and a rear caster wheel, a 12.9-hp engine and a 750-lb. lift capacity. Two years later they replaced the caster wheel with a rear axle and introduced the M-400, the first four-wheel, skid-steer loader. It quickly became the Melroe Bobcat. The term "Bobcat" is sometimes used as a generic term for skid-steer loaders. The M-440 was powered by a 15.5-hp engine and had an 1100-lb. rated operating capacity. Skid-steer development continued into the mid-1960s with the M600 loader.

Many manufacturers have their own versions of the skid loader (often referred to as a Skid steer in the Construction Industry), including: Volvo, John Deere, Case, JLG, JCB, New Holland, Gehl Company, Mustang, ASV, Caterpillar, Bobcat and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Links: HOW THE BOBCAT^TM SKID-STEER LOADER CAME TO BE

Some people are totally disregard safety rules. Look at those dumb faces.

She has no idea what she talking about.

 
She just had here dosage.

He need something, but what?  More dope?!

 
If any of this brainless morons fell from the cliff. Who would be responsible?