Operating the machine

As long as people need to he in a machine to run a machine, operator stations will continue to become more operator-friendly.

There have been obvious changes in off-highway vehicles over the last 100, or even 200 or more, years. For power, the equipment has evolved from horses to steam to gasoline then to primarily diesel. As far as a first step toward operator comfort, the wheels changed from wood to steel to steel rims with hard rubber casings then to pneumatic tires in the early part of the 20th century, which helped abate “the eyes of the operator rolling inside his head,” to paraphrase how one historian described the off-highway operator environment on The History Channel during a documentary on the history of the truck.

Keeping in mind the revolutions mentioned above, it was not that long ago when off-highway operators were constantly exposed to the elements, and certainly, depending on the options afforded or desired by the consumer, some still are. However, whether the operator is snug inside a tinted-glass cab with environment control while listening to satellite radio or not, a comfortable seat is a must.