The real question is what your lead hand meant by "finish." If he meant knocking off early so you're not lifting in the worst heat, sure. But if you're pouring concrete or laying asphalt, the heat is actually working for you. Concrete cures faster and sets harder in that window, and hot mix asphalt has to go down hot or it's trash. Sounds like his rule was about staying comfy, not about the work.

Cable controls on that old Ellicott are a whole different animal. I ran a '98 Dixie for two seasons before upgrading, and the first thing I noticed was how much you can feel through the levers when you're close to the bank or dragging over a hard bottom. Joysticks are smooth but they lie to you about what's happening at the cutterhead. Once you learn to trust that vibration and resistance, you stop fighting the machine and start reading the ground. Keep a spare cable and a good grease gun on board, those old setups will run forever if you treat them right.