Darn, I thought it was skill.
Even more hope since I am trying to talk my 16yo grandson into start looking into how to get into the Operating Engineers Union.
I am conflicted about that. On one hand it was a skill, my father and grandfather were Cat skinners and I had several thousand hours on tractors, excavators and dozers before I graduated high school and the highest tech on sight was an automatic leveling transit that grandpa poo pahed because you didn't have to set it like his dumpy level.
On the other hand I have seen multiple sewer pipes set to grade by experts that were flat or uphill slightly. Sometimes the tech made the operator much more productive, sometimes it just helps eliminates mistakes.
One thing I have noticed, is sometimes the machines are so easy to use they operators don't learn why things are done a certain way and it leads to trouble.
I am all for discussion.
I also know that there is a lot of obfuscation thru jargon that is somewhat exclusive to those on the outside of every industry. Sometimes the jargon is even company-specific.
John Deere calls all their AUX hydraulic valves on their tractors, "SCVs". Other makers mostly don't. Which of these 2 terms is most helpful to someone who does not live and breathe tractors? Or just JD tractors?
I understand that, Having a JD tractor that I just resealed the whole hydraulic system last winter. Growing up with Cat, Case and IH there definitely is some nomenclature differences and they even have a different way of laying out the whole system.
Most of my 16 years professional experience with hydraulics is actually with CNC machine tools, automation for loading said tools, and even some old hydraulic robots when I first started. Lot of it German, some of it Japanese. The old American machines didn't use any servo valves, it was all solenoid valves and hard stops.
It drove some of the old school electricians mad when the germans used the term earth for ground. Working in a cat factory let me see the machine side(product) as the engineers were right there and ironically during the time on 2nd shift I was the incidental operator of the 416 and 980 if "things" happened.
I worked for a German company for 3 years after that and had to learn a whole new book of TLA, aka Three Letter Acronyms.
I remember when I first joined this site not very long ago. I found the knowledge base of several people on here amazing. They were willing to help me with my new L12 and never once pointed out my small mistakes and ignorance on many things. I was so happy to find a group of people with lots of experience that truly wanted to help me.
And now we have you.. Your knowledge is obviously far more than mine, but there is only one thing you can teach me. When the IGNORE BUTTON should be used. Thank you for that bit of help.
Well I certainly am sorry to offend you.
I am guess I am the FNG here and apparently that makes waves here.
