It’s not unusual for machine operators to wear clothing bearing the name of their employer or favorite equipment brand, but Ian Branson has taken it one step further.
Branson, who works in Karratha, Western Australia, has been operating motor graders for nearly 25 years. So when he decided to get his first tattoo, it seemed only natural that it would be a motor grader.
“I’ve wanted to get a tat for a long time and I wanted something with meaning,” he explained. As a final trim operator for Gunther Civil, Branson runs a Cat® M Series Motor Grader. “I really like it because it’s so easy to operate.” Branson took a photo of the grader with the company logo on it to Sharkey’s Tattoo Studio in Byron Bay. Three (slightly painful) hours later, he was sporting a unique work of art on his right bicep.
Branson is totally happy with it. “Everyone who has a look at it says ‘wow.’ It’s so different.” He said his fellow operators love it. “It’s individual – it’s kind of like having a toy on your arm.”
