Just another day in paradise

[crane operator]

Its always a balancing act with employee's. I'm super thankful for the guys that work for me, I couldn't get the work done without them. I've got a great group of guys working for me right now.

That said, I've had to let guys go in the past, who weren't a good fit for what we do. I've also had guys leave for other opportunities. I try to be choosy when I hire, and I can usually tell in the first week or two if someone is going to work out. I'm sure they think the same thing when they start i.e. " lets see how this goes"..

They all need a paycheck every week, and I have to come up with a way to make that happen. The more guys there are, the more you have to plan around people not being there or having things going on. Its part of it- people always have stuff.

 

[Truck Shop]

The real problem is finding the right people - that's the needle in the haystack part.

Very true--especially when it comes to hiring a mechanic, as has been discussed for years
on HEF. For some reason the haystack gets bigger it seems.

 

[Vetech63]

For some reason the haystack gets bigger it seems

That haystack is the size of the moon as it is.

 

[Truck Shop]

That haystack is the size of the moon as it is.

Jupiter.

 

[mekanik]

It seems no one wants to work anymore. And get their hands dirty.

 

[Welder Dave]

Then there's people who'd like to do a certain type of work but aren't cut out for it. They want the money it pays but don't have the right "stuff" to do the job.

 

[Vetech63]

Then there's people who'd like to do a certain type of work but aren't cut out for it. They want the money it pays but don't have the right "stuff" to do the job.

Plenty of that to go around the moon a few times.

 

[Welder Dave]

If I had a dollar from every guy that wanted to be a pipeliner and make the big money I'd be rich!

 

[Mike L]

I do use a payroll company. Costs me $24 a week and they file all the taxes, pay him, w2, etc. all I have to do is email them by Sunday with his hours for the week.

 

[Mike L]

Alright. For conversation purposes let’s talk cooling systems. Working on a cat 320D fm (forestry machine) delimber with a pro pac delimber setup. 30k hours on it. Don’t know the serial or even what the engine is exactly. Overheating issue. Shot it with an infrared camera and found a hot spot in the radiator. We pulled the radiator, took it in to be hot tanked and cleaned inside and out. Returned and installed. Put a new thermostat in for good measure. Ran nice and cool for a day and a half. Then it got hot again. like 220 degrees. Same as before. The odd thing is that it cools very quickly once you stop working it. Will cool to 170 within 5 minutes. The radiator and hydraulic cooler share the same fan. Hydraulics never get hot. Running with the cap off it seems as though it’s circulating well. I’m wondering if maybe the load from tired hydraulics are creating heat. Thoughts? Ideas? Theory’s?

 

[pumkinhead]

What's the temperature difference between inlet and outlet on the cooler

 

[Mike L]

Not exactly sure. My employee was there today. he gave the cooling system a good flush. It hadn’t overheated in the first 4 hours of running. He flushed it twice and then it took a couple hours before it ran hot.

 

[DMiller]

Have an old Allis Farm tractor runs fine lightly loaded, hammer on it and there is a flaw in the head that allows compression in the coolant creates hot spot heating. Has to be cracked or a cup seal, need to tear it down this winter.

 

[Truck Shop]

What's the impeller on water pump like, with those hours it could be cavitating even though
it seems to be circulating. I've had B models do that, pump and volute were shot.

 

[Mike L]

What's the impeller on water pump like, with those hours it could be cavitating even though
it seems to be circulating. I've had B models do that, pump and volute were shot.

Not sure but that’s the suggestions I’m looking for. The thing that throws me off is how quickly it cools back down.

 

[Vetech63]

First thing I would do is shoot the coolant temp at the outlet at its highest temp and compare to the cab gauge. Maybe the temp sensor is screwed

 

[Truck Shop]

Not sure but that’s the suggestions I’m looking for. The thing that throws me off is how quickly it cools back down.

It will, but after prolonged use the pump can't push enough.

 

[Nige]

Is the radiator fan electronically controlled.? If it is try pulling the connector on the fan solenoid and check if the fan speeds up. Could really do with a machine S/N to check what cooling system it has. There are multiple flavours of 320D, even of the FM variety.

 

[Mike L]

Today’s debacle. Timberpro TN745D. excessive noise while swinging. Popped the hydraulic motor out and found glitter. Had to bust out the welder to fabricate a socket to access the mounting bolts. I may have muttered a few 4 letter words. Hauled it back to shop where we disassembled it and made a parts list. Called it in just to be told that half of the needed parts are not in North America and Europe was a long shot. Our other option was to buy a complete komatsu swing motor for $17k with zero warranty since it wasn’t being installed in a komatsu. (They are very similar machines). Seriously? I’m all about buying an American made machine but support is a joke. A machine is only as good as the dealer and ours specializes in disappointment. Rant over.

 

[westerner]

It's gonna get worse before it gets better.