4 Jobs A Heavy Equipment Grader Might Be Used For

If you’ve applied to attend training at a heavy equipment school such as West Coast Training, you might be wondering what’s in store. You’ll earn certifications with a variety of commonly used heavy equipment, including cranes, dozers, and loaders. You’ll also get hands-on training with lesser-known but equally important equipment, such as graders.

If you’re wondering if spending time earning your certification with a heavy equipment grader is worth it, consider that it will equip you with the skills necessary to find employment in the very competitive construction industry. There are many jobs that require a grader and a skilled person to operate it. Below, we’ve listed four of the most common:

1. Leveling Soil

The primary purpose of a grader is to create a flat surface, which it does through the use of a long, flat blade that is attached to a three-axle motor. The design of a grader makes it extremely precise when it comes to creating a flat surface, which is why it’s an excellent piece of equipment when used for leveling soil. This is particularly important during road construction, as asphalt requires a uniform plane to be built upon.

2. Making Slopes and Inclines

Besides rendering the ground beneath it flat, the grader can also move earth in such a way as to create an incline. Graders can also reduce the existing slope of a bump in the road, helping to render it safer for vehicles to drive on. One of the tasks you may learn at a heavy equipment operator school is how to calculate slopes in an extremely precise manner so that they can be perfectly paved in such a way as to meet the exacting specifications of a working road or similar surface.

3. Spreading Concrete

Graders can work as earthmovers, transferring nearly any type of solid material from place to place. It’s excellent at leveling asphalt, pushing gravel from place to place, or separating mounds of soil. It’s also great for spreading concrete over dirt or other surfaces, helping to create walkways for pedestrians or bicycle lanes. A heavy equipment grader can also be used for a technique known as “scarifying,” which is the removal of a top layer of soil and then replacing it with concrete, asphalt, or a similar covering.

4. Creating Trenches

With the proper attachments, a grader can do a lot more than simply create flat surfaces and move material around. There is a special piece of equipment called a “ripper” that can be attached to the heavy equipment grader blade, which as the name suggests, can cut large trenches in the ground for various purposes. Frequently, this attachment is utilized for creating drainage trenches, helping to guide water from one area to the next.

If you are interested in learning more about graders and other types of heavy equipment, contact West Coast Training and sign up for one of their programs. With a bit of hard work, you’ll find yourself certified to operate these types of machines, potentially opening up to you a whole new career path.