360 Excavator

The 360 Excavator course is the most popular category of plant at Staffs Operator Training. Most training centres following CPCS guidelines recommend a ratio of 2 candidates to 1 excavator. This means the candidate receives half the practical time on the machine. At Staffs operator training we run courses with 4 candidates and 4 machines, giving you the most practical experience possible on a variety of different sized machines.

We always recommend that anyone wanting to take a 360 excavator course does so on the +10 tonnes category as when completed this covers you for any size of machine. Candidates that take the under 10 tonne category would need to take additional tests to operate machines over 10 tonnes.

Novice course duration for our 360 Excavator training course is 2 weeks (10 days). CPCS theory test questions and CPCS practical test specification can be found on our CPCS page. For the next available course date please see the training schedule or contact us.

Some of the skills you will acquire during your course:

• Complete Pre-start and running checks.
• Travel on slopes and carry out hill climbs.
• Operate in confined spaces.
• Change buckets and attachments with all types of quick hitch.
• Dig trenches and excavations to specifications.
• Backfill  and grade.
• Use the excavator as a crane.
• Understand load charts
• Load a variety of vehicles such as forward and rear tip dumpers.

 

About 360 Excavators

At its most basic a 360 Excavator is made up of tracks, chassis, boom, dipper and bucket. Each track is controlled using a foot pedal. While the upper structure is controlled using two joysticks which allows the machine to slew and dig. The 360 excavator is a hydraulically operated machine, an engine powers a hydraulic pump which sends the oil to different cylinders that extend and retract to operate the machine. Most 360 excavators are fitted with  a cab for the operators safety and comfort.

Basic 360 Excavator Components

360 excavators are used widely in a number of different applications and have a large number of available attachments that can run from the machines auxiliary services such as grabs, grapples, augers, compactors, hammers and buckets.

360 Excavator Quick Hitches

A Quick Hitch is designed to make the process of swapping a bucket or attachment quicker and safer. Normally the operator would have to leave the cab and remove the bucket pins by hand, usually with a hammer and suitable drift. Then line up the holes on the tipping link and dipper with the new bucket and reinsert the pins. This can be time consuming especially if the operator is working alone. Quick hitches have attracted much attention from health and safety and the media due to them not being used correctly and deaths occurring. This is normally due to the operator not understanding the type of quick hitch or the safety systems in place.

Types of Quick Hitch

At Staffordshire Operator Training we have every design of quick hitch available so you can be sure when you leave you are confident in operating them. Below you will find a brief description of the different types of quick hitch.

Manual Quick Hitch

The manual quick hitch is the simplest form of quick hitch. The operator rotates the bucket to a certain angle, removes the safety pin and inserts a ‘tommy’ bar to release the spring mechanism. The bucket then swings freely and can be placed on the ground. When attaching a new bucket the process is the same but in reverse. The safety pin must be replaced or there is a danger of the bucket working loose.

Semi Automatic Quick Hitch

The semi-automatic quick hitch works in a similar way to a manual quick hitch. The operator removes the safety pin but the attaching of the bucket is done from the cab using special hydraulics. The operator must leave the cab again in order to replace the safety pin.

Fully Automatic Quick Hitch

The fully automatic quick hitch can be removed and attached using the machine hydraulics and without the need for the operator to leave the cab. A pendulum safety system is built in to the device to stop the bucket from detaching itself.

Twinlock Quick Hitch

A more recent design that works the same as the fully automatic quick hitch except both bucket pins are locked for added safety. The youtube video below demonstrates the principle of a Twinlock.

 

 An excellent guide from Hewden on the the types of quick hitch available (excluding twinlocks) can be found here – Guidance on the safe use of excavator quick-hitch devices.