Girlfriend Gets “Hands On” Experience with Excavator

It’s not every day that you get the chance to let your girlfriend spend time on your excavator, but that’s what Henrik Johansson (41) hails from Gothenburg, on Sweden’s west coast, got to do recently.

Henrik, has now been operating excavators for around 19 years. He began his career in the construction and earthmoving sector shortly after leaving technical school, initially working as a summer employee on a golf course construction project with no prior machine experience.

After a few months, it was obviously noticed that he had an interest in the machines, and was given the opportunity to do some driving, starting of with time spent running a Volvo A25 articulated hauler, this then led to him moving onto mini excavators.

Talking about that journey Henrik said, “I have always been fascinated by heavy machinery and technical precision. Over time, operating excavators developed from being simply a job into a genuine passion. I enjoy the combination of technical skill, problem-solving and creativity that the work requires.

Every site presents new challenges, which keeps the work both engaging and rewarding. I am very results-oriented and constantly aim to work more efficiently, accurately and comfortably.

I currently work for Lerbergs Entreprenad, where I am involved in a wide range of excavation and infrastructure projects. My daily work includes precision grading, utility installations, site preparation and detailed finishing work where accuracy is essential. A significant part of my role involves planning workflows efficiently and ensuring that projects are completed safely and to a high standard.

I have been working with Lerbergs Entreprenad for eight years. During this time, I have been involved in many different types of projects, which has helped me develop both technically and professionally. The company places a strong emphasis on quality workmanship and modern equipment, allowing operators to perform at a high level”.

Henrik has been operating the Liebherr 913 Compact for three years, it is his third Liebherr wheeled excavator (Rubber Duck) as we commonly refer to them in the UK, following on from 910 and 912 models. All of these machines have been equipped with four-wheel steering, and in Henriks view the manoeuvrability is outstanding within the compact wheeled excavator segment.

Commenting further on these French built Liebherr’s from a Swedish perspective Henrik said, “The 913 Compact is highly versatile and well suited to both confined urban environments and more open construction sites. One of its key strengths is the balance between power, precision and manoeuvrability. The hydraulic system is powerful yet very smooth and controlled, which is crucial for fine grading and detailed excavation work.

Its compact design allows access to tight spaces without compromising lifting capacity or stability. The four-wheel steering also means I can tow a trailer roughly 95% of the time, as it follows the machine perfectly both forwards and in reverse. Combined with modern attachment systems and tiltrotator technology, the machine becomes extremely efficient, improving productivity while reducing unnecessary repositioning.

Overall, it is a very operator-friendly machine that delivers high precision while maintaining comfort during long working days”.

Henrik’s girlfriend is Amanda Johansson, who is 35 years old and works as a Marketing Coordinator at Peab Byggsystem, which is part of the Peab Group—one of Sweden’s largest construction companies.

In her daily role, she works closely with the company’s CEO, supports executive-level marketing and communication tasks, and helps support other companies within the group by working alongside company CEOs and management teams, ensuring alignment and a unified way of working across the organisation.

However, despite her professional background within the construction industry, she had never previously operated an excavator or any type of heavy construction machinery.

The original idea for Amanda to spend some time on the excavator, came about after she had seen a Swedish influencer swap professions for a day with her boyfriend, who is a former NHL ice hockey player. They effectively exchanged roles – she tried ice hockey, while he stepped into her professional working role.

Henrik continues the story, “Amanda suggested us doing something similar, initially in light hearted way, however, once I sat down and reflected the idea, I quickly realised it had some potential for what I was doing online.

So last year I set up a You Tube channel, called The Dig Show, which is primarily focused on excavator work, machinery and operator skill, and we felt it would be really interesting to document what happens when someone with no previous “hands-on” experience tries to operate and excavator for the very first time.

There seems to be a popular misconception, especially in Sweden, that operating heavy machinery is either very easy or extremely difficult. We wanted to show the reality: the learning process, the constant coordination challenges, the mistakes, and the small breakthroughs along the way, we also thought it would be a great idea to add a human and relatable element that many of our viewers would enjoy and relate too”. 

The day arrived and safe a and controlled site location was chosen on a weekend when there was no other work activity going on. Henrik gave Amanda a tour of the machine and brief overview of the controls, explaining in detail what lever does what, but as we all know, there is no replacement for actually using the machine, and with the instruction undertaken she was good to go.

Talking about her time on the machine Amanda said, “I found the experience exciting, but far more challenging than I had ever expected.

I found the most difficult aspect was understanding which controls affected which movements and being able to coordinate the boom, arm and bucket at the same time. I quickly discovered that operating an excavator requires managing several inputs simultaneously while maintaining awareness of bucket position, machine balance and the surrounding environment.

I quickly realised that it takes many hours of operating time to become proficient, although towards the end I did feel that some movements began to make sense. At the same time, I was very aware that I had only scratched the surface and was far from mastering the excavator controls.

What I found easiest was learning the individual movements when I could focus on them one at a time. I also found it surprisingly satisfying to see immediate, tangible results from my actions, such as moving material or shaping the ground”.

Summarizing the whole experience Amanda said, Overall, it gave me a new level of respect for professional operators and made me appreciate the concentration and precision the job demands, it really was quite an eye opener at the end of the day”.

I think what this story shows us is that professional highly skilled operators make the job look easy, the reality is it takes years of practice and a genuine feel for the machinery to be at the top of the game.

We would like to thank Henrik Johansson and Amanda Johansson for their assistance with this article.

Photo Credits for this story go to Victor Klaesson.