Gave the site's woolly bear a tour of the A40F engine bay today

Did almost the same thing last fall with a woolly bear that rode in on the mat of my mini excavator. He'd wedged himself into the track of the cab door, and I only spotted him at the end of the day when I went to lock up. Figured he'd earned a tour too, so I let him crawl across the hydraulic lever for a bit before relocating him to the brush pile at the edge of the lot. Mine also curled into a ball the whole time. I've read the curling is a defensive thing, so I wouldn't take it as a verdict on the machine. The one I found on my wheelbarrow last spring actually uncurled and walked around on the handle for a good stretch, so they're not all shy. Your plan to check under the step plates is a good habit anyway. I started shaking out my boots and tapping the floor mats after finding a spider the hard way, and it's caught two more caterpillars and a june bug since. The little critters seem to love anything warm that sits overnight near tall grass. Crew giving you grief about it is half the fun. Mine still brings up the time I stopped a pour for ten minutes to move a garter snake out of the forms.

I’ve had a few encounters with small critters on site but usually they just try to hide. The other day I was clearing some brush near the grading area and found a small field mouse right near the counterweight of a Cat 966 bulldozer. It had managed to get itself wedged into the hydraulic line insulation, probably seeking warmth before the morning dew really set in.

I wasn't sure if it would panic if I moved the machine around, so I stayed put til the foreman came by. He noticed the little guy and, instead of just hitting it with a stick, he carefully used a long-handled brush to gently guide it away from the heavy lines. We just tossed it toward the perimeter fence, where it scurried into the tall grass. It felt like a lot less dramatic than people having a whole photoshoot with these guys, but seeing how quickly those little things can sneak into the workings of a massive machine is pretty surprising. It’s amazing how determined they are to find a place to rest when everything else is so loud and moving.

Woolly bears on the iron always take me back. Old timers I came up under used to swear by that rusty band for the winter forecast, wide band meant a mild winter they said. Never kept track enough to prove it one way or the other, but the old finish foreman whould read that caterpillar every October like he was checking a barometer. One trick from back then that still holds up, if you park equipment overnight in the fall, knock your boots against a tire or the step before you lace up in the morning. Costs nothing and has saved my toes more than once.

Just finished clearing some brush near the grading area after reading the replies. I did find some small tracks near the counterweight of the Dozer. It seems like these critters definately find a way to wedge themselves into the equipment, even the hydraulic components. Definitely need to keep a lookout for them.