One of the most fun aspects of my job is all the different tools (TOYS) I get to use on a regular basis.
It's great fun and often a little scary to fire up a new (to me) machine and then figure out just how it works. We are in the middle of installing a new rototiller on the back of my faithful little tractor. My good neighbor Gord is doing the final hookups and adjustments. While he has my tractor he lent me his mini bobcat to dig the sidewalk excavation. The machine has a little platform on the back for me to stand on and while the machine bucks and jumps (with me balancing on the back) I do my best to make it do the things I want. It took some getting used to for the wheelbase is super short and it turned on a dime. The controls were touchy too. I started slow but before long I managed to figure out what the machine could do. It is powerful for its size, much more powerful than my little tractor. It was all too easy to dig the machine into a hole if I wasn't careful.
The more machines I try my hand at the more I respect those who make it look so easy. I know smooth and precise can only come with many hours of practice.
-grampa dan