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How an Equipment Auction Became an Empowering Experience

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How an Equipment Auction Became an Empowering Experience

Equipment

In December we went to Chilliwack for the Ritchie Bros equipment auction. This was an unparalleled opportunity to test drive some heavy equipment and learn about all the lots for auction.

We started the day by listening to the bidding in the auction hall. This was a huge high-ceilinged room with a glass front. The equipment was driven passed this floor-to-ceiling window as the bidding took place. The vehicles rolled passed one by one, the big screens in front of the window keeping track of the bidding. The room was full of the mic-amplified sound of mostly incomprehensible auctioneer talk. But as I listened, I started to pick out some of the words, the prices being asked for, the word ‘Sold’, but the rest just sounded like a melodic noise. We were amazed at how fast each item was sold and the next one instantly rolled onto the ramp. This was a smooth operation with the auctioneer barely stopping for breath between each lot. There was a steady stream of drivers who would climb into one machine, drive it over the ramp and get straight into the next one to do it all again.

But now it was time to test drive some equipment. We headed all the way to the back of the auction yard where all the equipment was lined up to be sold.

We started working with a row of tiny backhoes. It took us a little practice to work out how to turn on and operate the equipment, but once we’d done a few, we realized they were pretty universal. Kevan went ahead of us starting the equipment while Fenja, Manon and I worked out how to drive them. We reversed out of the row and drove them around. We learned how to scoop up dirt from the ground. With a little practice, I was soon able to pick up a big rock with the bucket and dump it back on the ground. These little backhoes were easy to operate, with two joysticks, one in each hand, to operate the bucket and arm. Some of the bigger ones had a button on the right joystick that would close a piece of metal almost like a lid over the bucket, holding the dirt in more firmly. I climbed up into the cab of the last little backhoe I tried and, having watched Kevan start the other machines, looked at all my options and worked out how to turn it on by myself. I’d put all my newly acquired knowledge together and fit it to the situation with this particular piece of equipment to get it started.

The last small piece of equipment we test drove was a tiny red tractor that went like a rocket in high gear. This was a piece of equipment we all really enjoyed driving, it was easy to control and was a simple system. But now we were ready to try out the bigger machinery.

This was a graduated program, so we started with a little D4 Cat, then moved up to a D7. At the ranch we have a D6 Cat, the number after the ‘D’ indicates the size, the bigger the number, the bigger the Cat. We could use our abilities from driving the Cat at the ranch and our deduction skills to figure out how these similar Cats worked.

And now, we were moving onto an even bigger machine, a huge dump truck which in the restricted auction yard, we decided not to move. So all four of us sat in the cab and used our problem solving skills to work out how to operate the dumper. The lever was clearly labelled with a diagram and an up and down arrow so we knew which way we needed to move the lever to tilt the dumper. Except the lever wouldn’t move at all. By working together, we realized if we pushed in a red button on the side of the lever, we could release the lock. Now we could move the lever, but nothing happened. Then we realized if we pushed the lever down before moving it backwards or forwards, it would operate the dumper. As a team, we learned how to operate it. Teamwork at the ranch is very important, we all bring our own unique skills and capabilities to the situation, we can put all our ideas together to solve a problem. This makes us interdependent, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But we can only contribute as much as we are willing to invest in ourselves and the community. The more invested we are in developing ourselves and the community, the more we will contribute our ideas and opinions.

Our next challenge was the steam roller, how did we operate this? At first we couldn’t turn it on. We looked at every button, every joystick and lever. Then we tried the big red button. When we pressed this, the steam roller roared into life. It seemed so obvious, of course the big red button would start the engine. That was a lesson in perseverance, the trail and error approach. If you don’t know the answer, try every option to find the solution, don’t just give up because you’re faced with a challenge. The result of our perseverance? We learned how to drive a steam roller and how many people have worked out how to do that without any professional teaching or coaching? Well, there was another example of our ranch mentality in action: we do the impossible every day.

Now we were ready to move onto a giant backhoe. Its bucket was big enough for Fenja, Manon and I to all sit in comfortably. This was our chance to apply the skills we’d learned with the tiny backhoes to their giant cousin. The one we chose was the biggest of all of them. It had recently had a bright yellow paint job that made it look shiny, but really it had clocked in over thirteen thousand hours, it wasn’t as new as it looked. The joystick controls for the arm and bucket were the same as on the smaller models, we could quickly apply our skills from those to this new machine. Soon, I’d coordinated my operating skills enough to scoop up some of the ground, then pat it back flat with the underside of the bucket once I’d dumped it out again.

We also had the opportunity to place our own bid. We wanted to buy some 3/4” cable for the mainline of our Cat. Manon was our Cat skinner, skidding the logs to the landing once they were felled. With all the logging we were doing, she needed a new cable. But we wouldn’t bid in the auction hall. We bid using the virtual ramp on a timed auction. Here we placed the maximum bid we were willing to pay for the cable and waited until 2:06pm when this lot would sell to the person who had placed the highest bid. We didn’t win the lot but it was sure interesting to see how it worked.

Most of the lots had been sold so we headed over to look at the Western Star trucks that were parked on the ‘sold’ side of the auction yard. We took the opportunity to see what the inside of these trucks looked like, the view truck drivers had of the road, the sleeping area they had when they drove long distance, the space that allowed two drivers to work together, trading off shifts so the truck could drive day and night, getting it to its destination sooner.

We were amazed at the variety of styles these trucks came in, some had a bunk bed system, some had only one bed, some had none at all. Some were fully automatic, others operated with a standard system.

This wasn’t just play, though. We learned a lot that we could apply to our lives at the ranch. And if the situation arose where we needed a new piece of equipment, for logging or ranch maintenance, we would have a better idea of what machine we would need to purchase and how to operate it once we’d brought it back to the ranch. It was also an opportunity to learn what was out there and to connect with other people in the logging and heavy equipment industries.

Fenja, Manon and I were three of very few females at this auction, once again we were breaking our way into a male dominated industry, proving we could do it and do it well, that we were capable and equal. We were ready to learn and develop ourselves, this was just another part of the female empowerment culture we have at the ranch.

Test driving the equipment had been a great opportunity for us to work together, learn new skills and try something completely different. We were amazed at how few of the other auction goers were testing out this equipment, they had the opportunity to do so, they had the ability and the keys to the vehicles. Yet we were the only people who were really making the most of this unique opportunity. As we say at the ranch, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. You can only make him thirsty”. Well, I was sure thirsty for this experience, quizzing Kevan all day with questions about what each machine does, how to operate it, driving as many different machines as I could in the time we had. Over the course of the day, we spent five hours driving the equipment, we made the most of every opportunity. We knew if we didn’t throw ourselves into this experience, we were unlikely to get another chance again soon.

I walked away from the auction that evening grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I’d learned so much, I’d worked out lots of challenges either on my own or with my three community partners. We’d shared an experience with the common goal of trying out this equipment and learning about it. I felt empowered, if I was faced with a piece of machinery like this in the future, I was confident I could figure out how to operate it. I’d for sure made the most of this opportunity and I was thirsty for more experiences that would challenge me to develop on my transformational journey of personal growth.

Charlie, UK.