DMiller
Senior Member
Can say Even I would walk away from that Deere.
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This will be an interesting thread moving forward......
- Thread starter Vetech63
- Start date
spitzair
Senior Member
Ah makes sense. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery if he’s still under the weather...
dieseldog5.9
Senior Member
Interesting thread, One thing that occurs to me is we lump mechanics into one group. Industry wide we refer to A techs, B Techs, C Techs and Lube techs respectively. And having every mechanic be an A tech or every tech be a C tech is not a good match. A shop needs a mix, and in this case probably a B tech, a C tech and hire in an A tech such as your self to diagnose and repair.
It is also unrealistic for a 25year old kid to think he is an A Tech and should earn $50hr, you don't even know yet what you don't know.
Also Unrealistic is to expect a C-tech to become an A tech without some guidance and years of understudy.
The term Apprentice was used years ago for individuals in the trades to train under Journeymen, and it took time to become skilled at your craft.
It is also unrealistic for a 25year old kid to think he is an A Tech and should earn $50hr, you don't even know yet what you don't know.
Also Unrealistic is to expect a C-tech to become an A tech without some guidance and years of understudy.
The term Apprentice was used years ago for individuals in the trades to train under Journeymen, and it took time to become skilled at your craft.
colson04
Senior Member
Very well said. It really doesn't matter the trade, a proper apprenticeship program will produce a better journeyman. A continuing education program will help guide the journeyman to become a master in their field. This also relies on employers to recognize and reward the journeyman and master, but that's where the system is broken. Bean counters want to pay apprenticeship wages for journeyman and mastership level work. Today's apprentices want journeyman wages without learning and developing the proper skillset.
I've seen it in my short career too. Everyone wanted my wages as a senior Directional Driller without putting in the time or actually taking on the responsibility. My former employer was trying to figure out how cut wages /benefits to increase profits, but lost talented employees everytime they did. They had a great training program that produced very talented and skilled employees, but accountants deemed it too expensive as well. Now their training program is a shell of what it had been, and they struggle with service quality issues brought on by minimally trained employees.
sled dog
Senior Member
Well said Colson!!!
DMiller
Senior Member
Pretty much what I was thinking glad someone could put it in words. Good depiction Colson, thanks.
dieseldog5.9
Senior Member
A friend of mine was the President of the Union Carpenters school in Boston. This is the process they go through to provide trained professionals for the field.
You start as an apprentice carpenter, and go to training at night and learn some of the technical skill that goes along with the job.
You start as an apprentice carpenter, and go to training at night and learn some of the technical skill that goes along with the job.
skyking1
Senior Member
In my 30+ years as an operator I've really only had one apprentice I actively trained. He was a nice fellow and I still send him a text now and then to check on him.
Most of them go to the bigger outfits in Seattle proper and I stayed out of that.
Most of them go to the bigger outfits in Seattle proper and I stayed out of that.
DMiller
Senior Member
I have the dubious distinction to have trained over a dozen at the 'nuke' and several when wrenched for a living.
One of the major issues is instead of cultivating a shop environment in which inexperienced and moderately experienced mechanics grow to be higher level master mechanics is shop management undercuts it by pushing back mechanics that want to do well and have good morale and pulls up the idiot grade s***birds because the they “can do the job fast” (even if it means they completely screw it up and cause rework down the road).
There is no point in a system of progression when the guys that want to do it right and want to be there get passed over like that and beaten down mentally because they see the shop idiot get rewarded.
Create a good shop culture where good people get to advance in an orderly manner and they want to work there and you will get 20,30,40 year employees.
DMiller
Senior Member
Knew my job well at the garages and the Nuke, so well the Foreskins/Supers and Managers were often those I had started training but had advanced ejumacashuns that could write prettier than myself so Moved up that stringy Ladder. They often would fall back to the "You Know what to do to get it done" tactic, best response I ever heard was our Steward, told one that HE had gotten same training as we had, HE needed to Lay Out the Job, HE IS the BOSS and we are just their to follow his lead. Guy rotated to another department a month later.
There is a few new developments but this weather here has kept me sick since Christmas. 4 days ago the wind chill here was below zero and today it's supposed to almost hit 70. This hot/cold crap has been screwing with my sinuses bad enough that it is keeping me with constant headaches. I won't even get into the aches and pains its causing. 
Trying to get on this computer and read for more than 5 minutes has been painful to say the least. Trying to work with said symptoms has been challenging at best.
I'll get a few pics today. Some of the info is things I've heard; the other is things I'm seeing.......or not seeing.
Trying to get on this computer and read for more than 5 minutes has been painful to say the least. Trying to work with said symptoms has been challenging at best.I'll get a few pics today. Some of the info is things I've heard; the other is things I'm seeing.......or not seeing.
John C.
Senior Member
Hope you feel better soon. I'm looking forward to the next installment of "The Adventures of Vetech63."
Over my career what I have seen in shops or at companies and moving up or down in status is basically a false goal. The ultimate and highest status job in any repair facility as an employee is a field mechanic. The management on you is minimal and the pay is only limited by your willingness to work long hours. You are basically the face of the company. A shop foreman is nothing more that a dish rag the management uses to clean up the messes with. The service manager is the ultimate pivot point that everyone hates. All problems are his fault. He basically makes a little less than the field wrench. Shops always suck to work in as everyone has their favorites who get the good or easy stuff while those out of favor end up on the steam rack or doing the dirty and dangerous stuff. Then you have a no nothing wanting to stand over your shoulder and try to tell you how to do something. All that made it a pretty easy decision to do something else all those years ago.
Over my career what I have seen in shops or at companies and moving up or down in status is basically a false goal. The ultimate and highest status job in any repair facility as an employee is a field mechanic. The management on you is minimal and the pay is only limited by your willingness to work long hours. You are basically the face of the company. A shop foreman is nothing more that a dish rag the management uses to clean up the messes with. The service manager is the ultimate pivot point that everyone hates. All problems are his fault. He basically makes a little less than the field wrench. Shops always suck to work in as everyone has their favorites who get the good or easy stuff while those out of favor end up on the steam rack or doing the dirty and dangerous stuff. Then you have a no nothing wanting to stand over your shoulder and try to tell you how to do something. All that made it a pretty easy decision to do something else all those years ago.
So many things, so little time. As you can see from this first pic........there is still a yard full of crap.........shocker! That water truck you see in the pic has been sitting in that same spot for almost a year. I was told it has air brake issues and HNC knows nothing about air brakes. The cure was to let this sit and rent a water truck (which I am sure they have paid enough to own it buy now).
The JD 672GP has a leak, and evidently the leak has been there quite a while now.
I guess it's not leaking bad enough to be a concern. My money is going on the fact that this machine will go back out without being touched. I'm not sure what qualifies as a bad leak to HNC........5 gallons a day maybe? It's been in the yard for 3 weeks or more.
I guess it's not leaking bad enough to be a concern. My money is going on the fact that this machine will go back out without being touched. I'm not sure what qualifies as a bad leak to HNC........5 gallons a day maybe? It's been in the yard for 3 weeks or more.
This was my weekend project that I just completed today...........or so I thought. A Cat PM622
These lower rollers were a B*&%$! Awkward AF, and I had to remove others and lay in between the conveyor belt like it was a hammock. My back is still hurting by the way. After I got these replaced, it was a full filter service and torque hub checks.
These lower rollers were a B*&%$! Awkward AF, and I had to remove others and lay in between the conveyor belt like it was a hammock. My back is still hurting by the way. After I got these replaced, it was a full filter service and torque hub checks.
Again, I thought I was done with this 622. I started really giving it a look over and found......
The 2 lower coolers are 75% plugged and the middle is at least 50% plugged. The machine has 2054 hours. Now I wonder who gets to do the pressure washing? Last time the owner saw me washing stuff he had a fit. He told me he had cheaper guys to do that stuff. I can't let the machine go out like this so if someone isn't cleaning this up by Wednesday........looks like I'm doing it anyway.
The 2 lower coolers are 75% plugged and the middle is at least 50% plugged. The machine has 2054 hours. Now I wonder who gets to do the pressure washing? Last time the owner saw me washing stuff he had a fit. He told me he had cheaper guys to do that stuff. I can't let the machine go out like this so if someone isn't cleaning this up by Wednesday........looks like I'm doing it anyway.
And some say " I wonder why my machine caught on fire!?" Debris lying on the turbo and exhaust pipes usually always starts one at some point.
A flip of a switch gets the entire upper cover up with plenty of access to keep debris from building up............but you have to flip the dam switch to see it.
A flip of a switch gets the entire upper cover up with plenty of access to keep debris from building up............but you have to flip the dam switch to see it.
This looks interesting! It took them 8 days to get the pads off. I have no idea why since they torched every bolt.
Plenty of new parts behind the dozer on pallets. I could tell the rails are wrong when I walked up to them.
Is it wrong that I didn't say **** about it? I'm just curious if they are going to stretch these out and attempt to install them before they realize it won't work. I'll let you know if that happens.
Plenty of new parts behind the dozer on pallets. I could tell the rails are wrong when I walked up to them.
Is it wrong that I didn't say **** about it? I'm just curious if they are going to stretch these out and attempt to install them before they realize it won't work. I'll let you know if that happens.
DMiller
Senior Member
Let them fight it, then PUSH them to explain to their boss are WRONG.
HNC would have been requested FIRED my second day after witness of all this nonsense, TNH would have not EVER Been.
HNC would have been requested FIRED my second day after witness of all this nonsense, TNH would have not EVER Been.