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Field service guys.

SchuLace

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Messages
81
Location
USA
One day one of our field guys was cleaning out his truck because he went back into the shop. He had a microwave sitting with his tools and I asked him about it. He said it was awesome for meals but also for warming up water to warm up seals before installation.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
Too bad I threw out a small MW oven just the other month. I am putting together a service truck very soon. This is a classic example of why I usually never throw anything away.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
Too bad I threw out a small MW oven just the other month. I am putting together a service truck very soon. This is a classic example of why I usually never throw anything away.

Thrift stores are your best friends, I have a compact 1000 watt microwave that came out of a hotel unit, PERFECT size and mounts under a shelf.
 

Cmark

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
3,176
Location
Australia
To put it in to perspective, around here you would be hard pressed to find a serviceman without a mini 24V fridge-freezer in his truck.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
Sounds just like a welder we had at work years back. Heat up a piece of 1/2 plate clamped to the bench in the shop and cook his lunch.

Then there was the guy at one of our plants who ran the drill rig. I was helping him pull the 8V-71 that snapped its crankshaft, yea it still ran! Anyhow while removing the exhaust he told me to be careful with that bent up piece of something like 1/4 steel rod that was hanging on the one manifold. Said that is a very important part of the machine. Asked him what it did. He said around 9:00AM you stick a can of beef stew or chicken soup in the bracket and come noon time it was just right to eat!

In the winter of 1978 we were driving piling at the Basin Electric power plant in Buelah, ND. I had a can of chili setting on the manifold of the Cat in the 9310 American crane. We finished one area and had to walk the crane about 100 yards to a different area for the next group of piles. You can imangine how mad the oiler was at me when my chili can exploded all over the inside of the crane house just before we got there. That manifold got much hotter with the engine wound up walking than it ever did driving pile. Might not have been so bad if he had not been in the house and got beans splattered all over him when they dripped off the house roof. It was cold lunch for the rest of that job.
 

CableDW10cat

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
42
Location
montana
Nesting trays, i like fiberglass as they clean up nice, hold hot oil, dont wrinkle.

If you use pakrat tool boxes, weld a locking latch/clasp on it, rough roads will bounce the spring loaded pin loose, viola the draw slides open.

Get your bolts organized. Look up durham steel products, or similar.

Sliding trays with tote bins for electrical, screws, airbrake, zip ties, yada yada assortments.

Spare vehicle parts... f450 and f550, dodge 4500s etc you need some lug studs and lug nuts, preferably enough for one wheel end. Fuel filter. Xtra oil. Fords... extra alternator. Freightliner service truck i had was hard on batteries, the kenworth was fantastic other than the yellow crap under the hood. Carry a jack big enough to lift the truck, and actually small enough to get under the vehicle.

Oil samples.

Safety stuff... ears, eyes, hands, lockouts, etc easily at hand, and some extras. Get an rn or emt to make up your first aid kit. Lots of gauze, tape, vet wrap, maxipads plus some of the regular stuff.
And burn free ointment. Its good stuff.

Info. Dont be cheap, get on bookfinder.com or ebay or amazon and BUY the books, manuals, specifications, microfiche etc to know your equipment. And dont be cheap on the special tooling. Its special for a reason, and that is it saves time/fingers/warranty work. And sometimes, if you dont have the tools, dont take the job on.

Use a tool tray like what is used in a graymills solvent tank, keeps tools readily accessible and dirt falls through. And alot of the daily tools fit when on an extended project, making cleanup faster.
 
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Former Wrench

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
470
Location
Montesano, WA
Occupation
Retired
Here is a handy one for both the shop and field. Find an old speaker with a large magnet. Strip out the magnet and stick it to something handy so when things are being dismantled, screws, bolts, little part can be stuck on the magnet. This prevents lose when parts cans get tipped over and the contents go everywhere.
 

CableDW10cat

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
42
Location
montana
A pair of cat dw21 tire bars, cant remember the part number offhand. Best bars you will ever have stolen at every damn jobsite you get to.

Dr. Trannys assembly goo. Get a small tub from your napa guy.

The tool catalog that is dealership only for the various companies. Check ebay.

Dont be afraid to tell a client you do not know something. But, do not charge for your time and personal education. Do find a way to charge out the service/part manual if the customer is dodgy about buying it themselves or not providing it for you.

Dont quit, keep at it. Take a 5er to catch your breath, tidy up the workspace, regroup. Attack again. In the end, you have to solve the problem.

An old friend of mine, head mechanic for greens construction back in the day, told me never work for a man that has a race car or a boat. He will have you come fix his emergency on his dozer so he can keep working, and will always have money to go racing or weekending at the lake. But money is always gonna be tight to pay you. "Hey, man, we're headed to the lake this weekend. Wanna come up and have some beers and bbq?" ....... "no, i would like you to pay me so i can buy my own beer and bbq."
" man, i would like to, but money is pretty tight right now...."

Im not saying its like that every time, but he wasnt far off in my experience.
 

RBMcCloskey

Senior Member
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
399
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Heavy Construction Contractor
Could you post a picture of DW21 tire bars. Also could you list the manufacturers that have tool catalogs, I have only found Caterpillar's.
ALL of your points are well made, very good advise!
 

CableDW10cat

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
42
Location
montana
Komatsu, john deere, cat, cummins, detroit, case, etc. Otc and kent moore catalogs are ebay items as well. Monaco tool company will send you a price list catalog, they make good tools. I am sure that there are a few I am missing or have overlooked.

The tire bar is cat # 4f5166. And its been that number since the 40s. Its a rolling head bar on steroids. I think they run about $50-60 each nowdays.
 

CableDW10cat

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
42
Location
montana
Not intending to step on your toes. Rather a broad warning about how some folks in this neck of the woods feel about work and play, and which one holds the purse strings. Field service can be hard, not getting paid makes it harder. Accounts receivables that are 6 to 8 months is asinine.
 

Mike L

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,897
Location
Texas
Occupation
Self employed field mechanic
Wives that like to shop make the best collection agencies.... just sayin'... :cool:

That sounds like a double edged sword.
" remember that engine overhaul?" Ooh look at my new shoes!"
 

thepumpguysc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
7,445
Location
Sunny South Carolina
Occupation
Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
The CO. that I work for "HAD" a 90 day grace period seeing we dealt with BIG companys..
THEN it went to 30 days out.. NOW its 15 days and you get charged 1.5% of the total invoice..
 

excavator

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
1,445
Location
Pacific North West
I have to say as far as getting paid that I have been blessed with extremely awesome customers. But I've also been at it long enough that I don't have to take every call that comes my way. Where I have to be careful is when someone calls and says they have had several other guys work on it and can't figure it out. It then becomes a big challenge and I have been bitten there before. As far as advice on the original post, if you're working out in the boonies, especially by yourself, always back into the job site. That way if something goes wrong and you need to crawl to your truck and get out of there you don't have to bother getting turned around first.
 
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