Teach Me Dirt

Teach Me Dirt Teaching you the secrets of estimating, project management, and other secrets of the industry!
(1)

09/05/2026

Mulcher Cheat Code! How do you price it?

09/04/2026

🚜 SKID STEER SAFETY HERO — SOP EVERY OPERATOR SHOULD FOLLOW

A professional skid steer operator doesn’t just move dirt — they control risk, protect people, and protect the machine.

🛡️ S — STOP & INSPECT
• Walk around the machine before starting
• Check tires/tracks, fluids, leaks, hoses & attachments
• Make sure safety equipment is working

⚙️ O — OPERATE SMART
• Keep the load low while traveling
• Maintain a clear line of sight
• Use smooth controls and avoid sudden turns
• Never exceed the machine’s rated capacity

🚧 P — PROTECT THE JOBSITE
• Keep people clear of the operating zone
• Make eye contact and communicate before approaching
• Watch slopes, edges, trenches and overhead hazards
• Never carry passengers

🔥 SAFETY HERO RULE:
STOP → CHECK → COMMUNICATE → OPERATE → SECURE

5 minutes of inspection can help prevent hours of downtime, equipment damage, or a serious accident.

🚜 WORK SMART. STAY ALERT. GO HOME SAFE.

10-acre large contract work is all about accurate estimating, proper equipment planning, production control, and protect...
09/04/2026

10-acre large contract work is all about accurate estimating, proper equipment planning, production control, and protecting your profit. 🚜💪 Know your numbers before you bid, plan every phase, track your costs, and execute the job efficiently.

Skid Steer Daily Checklist — Check It Before You Work! 🚜💪A professional operator knows that productivity starts before t...
09/02/2026

Skid Steer Daily Checklist — Check It Before You Work! 🚜💪

A professional operator knows that productivity starts before the machine moves. Walk-around inspection, fluids, controls, attachments, safety systems, and end-of-day checks can help prevent breakdowns, reduce downtime, and keep the job moving.

Check it. Run it right. Get the job done.

09/02/2026

🚜 SKID STEER — 10-ACRE GRADING & DIRTWORK CALCULATION

📐 PROJECT SIZE
10 Acres × 43,560 Sq Ft
= 435,600 Sq Ft

⚙️ PRODUCTION EXAMPLE
Assume average production: 150 CY/Hour

8-Hour Day:
150 × 8 = 1,200 CY/Day

5-Day Week:
1,200 × 5 = 6,000 CY/Week

⏱️ ESTIMATED PRODUCTION TIME
If the project requires approximately 10,000 CY of grading/moving:

10,000 ÷ 150
= 66.7 Operating Hours

At 8 billable hours/day:
66.7 ÷ 8 = 8.3 Working Days

💰 EXAMPLE COST
Skid Steer Billing Rate: $200/Hour

66.7 × $200
= $13,340 Gross Billing

⚠️ Actual production depends on material, travel distance, grade, site conditions, operator skill, attachments, loading/hauling, and jobsite layout.

🔥 PRO TIP:
On a 10-acre project, production planning matters more than simply counting acres. Calculate volume → production rate → operating hours → total cost → profit.

🚜 KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. PRICE THE JOB. PROTECT YOUR PROFIT.

09/01/2026

🚜 5 SKID STEER MISTAKES THAT COST YOU TIME & MONEY 💰

A skilled operator isn't just someone who can move dirt.
A professional operator knows how to work safely, efficiently, and consistently.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❌ MISTAKE #1 — TRAVELING WITH THE BUCKET TOO HIGH

A high bucket can reduce stability and visibility.

✅ Keep the load low while traveling.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❌ MISTAKE #2 — MAKING UNNECESSARY MOVEMENTS

Extra turns, repositioning, and empty cycles waste production.

🎯 Smooth movements = more productive hours.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❌ MISTAKE #3 — OVERLOADING THE BUCKET

A bucket doesn't need to be overflowing to be productive.

Too much material can increase spillage, cycle time, and machine stress.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❌ MISTAKE #4 — IGNORING GROUND CONDITIONS

Mud, slopes, soft ground, and uneven terrain can dramatically change production.

Always adjust your operating technique to the conditions.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❌ MISTAKE #5 — SKIPPING DAILY CHECKS

Check:

⛽ Fuel
🛢️ Fluids
🔧 Hydraulics
🛞 Tires / Tracks
⚙️ Attachments

A few minutes of inspection can help prevent expensive downtime.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💰 PRODUCTION CALCULATION — EXAMPLE

Assume:

Bucket Capacity = 0.75 CY

Average Fill = 80%

0.75 × 0.80
= 0.60 CY per cycle

If the operator averages 6 cycles/minute:

0.60 × 6
= 3.6 CY/minute

3.6 × 60
= 216 CY/hour

⚠️ Real production will be much lower in many jobs because of travel distance, loading, dumping, turning, grade changes, material type, and site conditions.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ THE REAL SECRET

If every cycle takes just 10 seconds longer:

10 sec × 300 cycles
= 3,000 seconds

3,000 ÷ 3,600
= 0.83 HOURS LOST

That's almost 50 minutes of production lost in only 300 cycles.

🔥 Small mistakes become BIG numbers over a full workday.

WORK SMART → MOVE SMOOTH → STAY SAFE → PROTECT PRODUCTION

🚜 TEACH ME DIRT

REAL EQUIPMENT • REAL WORK • REAL NUMBERS

09/01/2026

A skid steer may be compact, but it’s one of the hardest-working machines on a job site. Here are 5 things every operator should know: • Keep the bucket low while traveling for better stability. • Always watch your surroundings—visibility can be limited. • Match the attachment to the job. • Avoid sudden turns or stops, especially on uneven ground. • Daily checks on tires, fluids, and hydraulics can prevent costly downtime. A skilled operator isn’t the fastest—it’s the one who gets the job done safely and efficiently. What’s your favorite skid steer attachment?

08/31/2026

🚜 WHICH SEAT WOULD YOU PICK FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS? 👀

If you had to spend the next 24 hours in one of these machines, which one are you choosing? Heavy equipment, long hours, and a full day in the operator’s seat. 💪🚜

And waiting for 500K followers before doing something special… does that really make sense? Sometimes you just have to start now! 🔥

💬 Which machine would you pick?

🚜 SKID STEER 20-FT SLOPE BUILD — TWO LOTS, BIG JOB! ⛏️🔥Building a 20-ft slope takes the right machine, proper grading, a...
08/31/2026

🚜 SKID STEER 20-FT SLOPE BUILD — TWO LOTS, BIG JOB! ⛏️🔥

Building a 20-ft slope takes the right machine, proper grading, accurate measurements, and a solid game plan. A Skid Steer/CTL can handle rough grading, slope shaping, material spreading, finish grading, and site cleanup.

The real secret is knowing your production, machine cost, fuel, labor, and total job hours before you start.

🚜 TEACH ME DIRT
Real Equipment • Real Work • Real Numbers

08/31/2026

🚜 SKID STEER — 10 MARLA LOT | 9 FT DEEP EXCAVATION CALCULATION ⛏️💰

Planning a major excavation project? Start with the volume, then calculate production, equipment, hauling, labor, overhead, and profit.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📐 PLOT AREA

10 Marla × 272.25 sq ft

= 2,722.5 SQ FT

🕳️ EXCAVATION DEPTH

9 FT

2,722.5 × 9

= 24,502.5 CUBIC FT

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📊 TOTAL EXCAVATION VOLUME

24,502.5 ÷ 27

= 907.5 CUBIC YARDS

🔥 Approximately 908 CUBIC YARDS of material!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🚜 WHERE DOES THE SKID STEER FIT?

A Skid Steer is not the ideal primary machine for a full 9-ft-deep excavation.

It can be extremely useful for:

✅ Dirt spreading
✅ Material movement
✅ Backfilling
✅ Rough grading
✅ Finish grading
✅ Site cleanup
✅ Final leveling

⛏️ Deep excavation & truck loading: An excavator is generally the better choice.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💰 SKID STEER COST EXAMPLE

Assume:

Skid Steer Rate = $150/hr

8 hours × $150

= $1,200 / DAY

5 days × $1,200

= $6,000

⚠️ Example only. Actual costs vary by machine, location, fuel, operator, utilization, production, and job conditions.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🚛 DON'T FORGET HAULING!

For approximately 908 CY of material, you also need to calculate:

📌 Truck Capacity
📌 Number of Loads
📌 Loading Time
📌 Haul Distance
📌 Dump/Disposal Fees
📌 Fuel
📌 Labor
📌 Mobilization

These costs can dramatically change the final project price.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🔥 THE REAL ESTIMATING SECRET

Don't stop at:

“908 CY of dirt.”

A professional estimate looks at:

📐 VOLUME
⏱️ PRODUCTION
🚜 EQUIPMENT
👷 LABOR
⛽ FUEL
🚛 TRUCKING
🗑️ DISPOSAL
📍 MOBILIZATION
🏢 OVERHEAD
💰 PROFIT

VOLUME → PRODUCTION → COST → PRICE

Calculate the dirt first.
Calculate the production next.
Then build your real cost and selling price.

🚜 TEACH ME DIRT

REAL EQUIPMENT • REAL WORK • REAL NUMBERS

Address

New York, NY

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Teach Me Dirt posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category