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How long does it take to get good?

BigWrench55

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
1,176
Location
Somewhere
Yes 76 inches max width. Two guys have 84 inch epiqs and it is a sore subject among us other guys

I must know the story behind this. Is the shop small? Or is it a d!@k measuring contest and causing trouble amongst everyone? I had work with mechanics that think that the bigger the box the better mechanic they are. And I worked with some that would look at you with disdain for having anything but a snapon whatever it may be.
 

Blue924.9

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
19
Location
Iowa
one thing I should clear up is this is not coming from any management in the store but from the head office. The foreman we have is in the office mostly but he does know his stuff quite well and will reach out to other locations if needed, a bit of an a hole but it's livable, sometimes.

The other big problem is there is no efficiency program here straight hourly pay and while I'm sure individual technician efficiency is tracked not a single guy in the shop has seen theirs or even had it showed to them in a performance review.
 

Blue924.9

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
19
Location
Iowa
I must know the story behind this. Is the shop small? Or is it a d!@k measuring contest and causing trouble amongst everyone? I had work with mechanics that think that the bigger the box the better mechanic they are. And I worked with some that would look at you with disdain for having anything but a snapon whatever it may be.


Shop is 6 bays and can fit two tractors or dozers in a bay but yes it's getting cramped. Word from the store manager is that the company won't add on unless we start a night shift, despite having 12 acres of grass they could build on
 

MarshallPowerGen

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
442
Location
Northwestern USA
Occupation
Generator Technician & Equipment Mechanic
It sounds like they want you to provide a time frame that they can use against you when corporate starts pushing for layoffs, and any push back will probably put you #1 for the chopping block. It's going to be a lose-lose situation if your management is putting it directly onto you guys instead of telling you what's to be expected in performance (even if unreasonable) and keeping corporate off your ass. Your job is to to turn wrenches, not worry about book keeping and front office politics on top of it all.

That said, even 5 years is still green for how fast the industries change, how shops want to take on EVERY piece of equipment that comes through the door (with no manuals and no way to plug in), and how no one wants to pay for training to retain people (especially if it makes you worth more).

Be open to moving around shops (and specific industries), it will make you more valuable in the long run.

You have kids/family/debt holding you in place?
 

excavator

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
1,445
Location
Pacific North West
First, if you are at a dealership with 7 techs and only one has over 4 years of experience I would have to say the dealership has a major problem. If they can't keep guys then they are not treating them fairly. Also, are you and your fellow "inexperienced" techs treating this as a job, or as a career? So many just want to put in their time and go home and party or what ever. If you want to excel at your job sometimes you have to study after hours. I'm self employed and have been for over 35 years and I also work on most any piece of construction equipment that comes along. I would dare say that I spend an hour 3 out of 5 nights a week reading up on things or looking for parts. I know it sounds like the management is not the best but that might just require extra effort on the techs part. It might not be alot of fun, but sometimes that's life, just hang in there.
 

Nige

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
28,973
Location
G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.
The other big problem is there is no efficiency program here straight hourly pay and while I'm sure individual technician efficiency is tracked not a single guy in the shop has seen theirs or even had it showed to them in a performance review.
That's not right. Everyone should have a face-to-face with their direct supervisor at least once a year to discuss their performance over the last 12 months. After discussion both people sign it and it goes in the personnel file. That's the way it works.
 

thepumpguysc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
7,445
Location
Sunny South Carolina
Occupation
Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
It was said, u don’t have to know everything BUT u DO NEED to know where the answers are.!!
How true, how true..
I can’t count how many times a tech would ask me a question that was/is in the rebuild manual but were to dam lazy to go look it up..
I WOULD answer the question but I would walk them over to the “library”, open the manual and SHOW THEM where the answers were..(torque specs, rotation, fireing order, etc)
& what makes u feel good is when u “catch them” w they’re nose in the manual OR showing another tech the manual.!!
Like I said, u DONT have to know everything, u just have to know WHERE the answers are.!!
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,538
Location
WWW.
It was said, u don’t have to know everything BUT u DO NEED to know where the answers are.!!
How true, how true..
I can’t count how many times a tech would ask me a question that was/is in the rebuild manual but were to dam lazy to go look it up..
I WOULD answer the question but I would walk them over to the “library”, open the manual and SHOW THEM where the answers were..(torque specs, rotation, fireing order, etc)
& what makes u feel good is when u “catch them” w they’re nose in the manual OR showing another tech the manual.!!
Like I said, u DONT have to know everything, u just have to know WHERE the answers are.!!

That requires ambition.
 

AzIron

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1,541
Location
Az
I would have done them the favor and drug up doesnt sound like there is anything to learn at that outfit but excuses

There are better places to work as a dealer efficiency should be available to you at the drop of a hat they dont want you to get better they want to be able to charge more for you or pay you less
 

hosspuller

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2014
Messages
1,869
Location
North Carolina
By the time you learn how to do the job your body will be to old to do it.
The only way to beat these words is to study outside the job. With a manual or other source, you can learn in minutes, something that might take hours or days of wrenching... if ever. ( I don't wrench for a living, but I have complete manuals for every piece of heavy equipment owned. And have read through each page, to know where to look and speak from a point of knowledge)
 

hosspuller

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2014
Messages
1,869
Location
North Carolina
To continue the previous post... For instance... There is no way without a manual I could know to access the technician menu of the my tractor ECM. "Left turn signal 4 times then right signal then 1 left turn" That's a thousand monkeys working over a thousand lifetimes to get that through trial & error... if they knew it was available. It was on one page of a 991 page manual.

OP … Your shop must have some manuals for the equipment you work on. Study them as each machine comes in. It's an opportunity to review the manual with the machine. Together, you will learn more than studying one without the other.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,538
Location
WWW.
There is one item not mentioned {the- knack}. Without it-It means you will have to work twice as hard to acquire it. But it can be acquired over time, you just have to really want it.
As far as your office goes that's company politics [which you want to stay out of because the inside of that office smells}.
 

Volvomad

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
476
Location
Ireland
Like Junkyard , mid 40's and I feel like i am nearly there . Been repairing , altering and operating ag and construction gear all my life , but mostly repairing . If you want to be good ,I recon you need to be naturally inclined, keen to learn, interested in what you are at (full concentration ) and read everything you can get your hands on .
 

JD955SC

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,349
Location
The South
I have six years of experience. I am not “good” time wise. I am very good quality wise. I am very good at doing the job right. I am very good at learning the tasks. I am very good at being able to find the answers to my problems and questions on my own. I am very good at innovating to solve problems.

I have been told by multiple people in higher positions that “flat rate” quoted hours in our system are screwed up due to adjustments, being taken from supervisors “best guesses” etc and that the flat rate jobs should have additional time for stuff like hood/sheet metal removal, cab removal, cooling pack removal, etc but then they turn around and assign flat rate jobs without adding those sections to it. They don’t allow for seized and broken fasteners or pins.

We have a core product line, allied product lines, various random manufacturers, etc. Our core line alone has 30+ families which are all constantly changing so what worked for one often doesn’t work for the next iteration. Sometimes they push the efficiency BS but I think all the numbers are massaged to a great degree. Other times we go months without hearing about it
 

petepilot

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2018
Messages
2,167
Location
central shenandoah valley va,
The truck on the trailer just got here 4 hrs ago after a stint in 2 diff.shops to the tune of just under 9000 dollars and still won't run for more than 30-45 mins.without going to limp so I had it brought home .a small ind.shop& myself will find out what's going on that a oem so-called garage could not after 8 days of guessing. part of why my last post read the way it did
 

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Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,538
Location
WWW.
I have six years of experience. I am not “good” time wise. I am very good quality wise. I am very good at doing the job right. I am very good at learning the tasks. I am very good at being able to find the answers to my problems and questions on my own. I am very good at innovating to solve problems.

I have been told by multiple people in higher positions that “flat rate” quoted hours in our system are screwed up due to adjustments, being taken from supervisors “best guesses” etc and that the flat rate jobs should have additional time for stuff like hood/sheet metal removal, cab removal, cooling pack removal, etc but then they turn around and assign flat rate jobs without adding those sections to it. They don’t allow for seized and broken fasteners or pins.

We have a core product line, allied product lines, various random manufacturers, etc. Our core line alone has 30+ families which are all constantly changing so what worked for one often doesn’t work for the next iteration. Sometimes they push the efficiency BS but I think all the numbers are massaged to a great degree. Other times we go months without hearing about it

Unless things have changed when it comes to warranty work, it has always been cut short. It's bolts off bolts on, no time slotted for anything else.
 
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