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The worst repair job you ever performed.......

mg2361

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2016
Messages
5,115
Location
Pennsylvania
Occupation
Equipment Mechanic
Reminds me when I used to go to a beef processing plant to work on their 440 propane powered Bobcat they used to move hind quarters and 1/2 cows around with. From slapping through all the hanging meat the machine was just caked in fat. Working on it there in the freezer was OK. Then they had a serious issue and they decided to bring it to our shop. Of course I got the job, it was a Friday, brought it into the shop (90 degree + weather) and go home for the weekend. Came in on Monday and the odor in the shop would make you gag. Worst part was I was walking to my bay and I said to one of my coworkers, does it look like that machine is moving? Yep, machine was covered top to bottom, inside and out with maggots. OH joy:eek:!
 

Vetech63

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
6,402
Location
Oklahoma
Reminds me when I used to go to a beef processing plant to work on their 440 propane powered Bobcat they used to move hind quarters and 1/2 cows around with. From slapping through all the hanging meat the machine was just caked in fat. Working on it there in the freezer was OK. Then they had a serious issue and they decided to bring it to our shop. Of course I got the job, it was a Friday, brought it into the shop (90 degree + weather) and go home for the weekend. Came in on Monday and the odor in the shop would make you gag. Worst part was I was walking to my bay and I said to one of my coworkers, does it look like that machine is moving? Yep, machine was covered top to bottom, inside and out with maggots. OH joy:eek:!
Let me tell you how my experience with a similar situation went back in the late 80’s. I got sent out on a old 610 bobcat at a meat processing plant, I had never been in one. They pulled this machine outside when I got there and it was just covered in guts. Just the sight of it had me ready to hurl but the smell wasn’t too bad. I just walked around the machine for 10 minutes wondering how in the hell I was going to do anything with this machine without getting covered in the nastiness.
That’s exactly when it hit me....a lightbulb went off. My thoughts went like this........”Wait a dam minute here. I am the lead field mechanic so I have earned certain privileges. I make more money for the company than any of the other field techs, or the shop guys. This kind of work is a total waste of my technical experience and abilities. I have RIGHTS ya KNOW!!“
Called my boss......He agreed, then sent the #2 field tech to replace me as I got sent to another job that was more in line with my expertise.
Yeah, I pulled the old seniority card out and cash it in. That tech bitched at me for weeks after that. :D Did I feel bad? Hell no! I had already earned my stripes at that point with the likes of the landfill equipment.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,550
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Had my own load of Honey Buckets from Septic Tank companies as well having to help at two of the quarries on Lift Station repairs they handled themselves(I'd rather shat in the woods), then i get to the Nuke all is Good, No poop trucks, No Landfill and then TADA, a lift station we had to inspect DAILY as in climb Down the ladder into this tube affair Pump station with electrical and mechanical stuff in the dry(sometimes), and then a less than pleasant set of "Sh!t Whippers" that lift station fed where the effluent of the plant facilities especially the Clerical Staff went where we used a Pool net to harvest the Red Cotton Trout at the dividing weirs, or we would have to Tag Out Lock Out the Potable Water System for repairs and the facilities got signs "DO NOT USE" where you know how that works. Women are NASTY, Plain and Simple, JUST NASTY!!!!! I swear Enganearing PLANNED the water outages with the Hormone Cycles of our Clerical Staff, they would nearly ALL be on the Red Cotton Pony SAME TIME OF MONTH and then a water outage. Toilets in WOMEN'S Facilities would be Terd High above the Seat, bowl ABSOLUTELY FULL, add to that the 'Candy Sack Dispenser Pockets' in the Stalls that were NOT trash Cans would be loaded with the lovely stinking residuals and NONE of the clerks had ANY idea who did that, had portolets outside but they were seldom IF EVER used by the gals. 724 Full Time employees, just under Half women.
 
Last edited:

Vetech63

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
6,402
Location
Oklahoma
Had my own load of Honey Buckets from Septic Tank companies as well having to help at two of the quarries on Lift Station repairs they handled themselves(I'd rather shat in the woods), then i get to the Nuke all is Good, No poop trucks, No Landfill and then TADA, a lift station we had to inspect DAILY as in climb Down the ladder into this tube affair Pump station with electrical and mechanical stuff in the dry(sometimes), and then a less than pleasant set of "Sh!t Whippers" that lift station fed where the effluent of the plant facilities especially the Clerical Staff went where we used a Pool net to harvest the Red Cotton Trout at the dividing weirs, or we would have to Tag Out Lock Out the Potable Water System for repairs and the facilities got signs "DO NOT USE" where you know how that works. Women are NASTY, Plain and Simple, JUST NASTY!!!!! I swear Enganearing PLANNED the water outages with the Hormone Cycles of our Clerical Staff, they would nearly ALL be on the Red Cotton Pont SAME TIME OF MONTH and then a water outage. Toilets in WOMEN'S Facilities would be Terd High above the Seat, bowl ABSOLUTELY FULL, add to that the 'Candy Sack Dispenser Pockets' in the Stalls that were NOT trash Cans would be loaded with the lovely stinking residuals and NONE of the clerks had ANY idea who did that, had portolets outside but they were seldom IF EVER used by the gals. 724 Full Time employees, just under Half women.
LMAO!:D
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,550
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Another HORROR Story, as I transferred to the Nuke, was entry level, so a Plant Helper(Janitor/Laborer), enganears were on Third Floor of the Service Building, when first arrived at plant the other helpers would draw straws for that floor for Taco Bar Thursday at the plant cafeteria. Seems was ONE Enganear that suffice to say could have been the Cover Story for the above signage. EVERY GD Thursday we would haul a Garden Hose to the third floor Men's facilities, would be AT LEAST two stalls with splatter four feet UP THE WALL behind the commodes. Guy was ABBYNORMAL, had to either have a Colostomy bag where his butthole was on his side or he had a butthole center of his back, EVERY GD Thursday we Washed the Walls & Stalls down in the 3rd floor men's room. And from what the guys I still know that work there, he is STILL THERE, been there at Least thirty years.
 

Truck Shop

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Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,866
Location
WWW.
This one is beyond the pale/pail.

Back in the late 80's/90's WSP put out a APB for a guy who went missing while driving back to Seattle from Spokane. Weeks went by-nothing. A DOT workman checking road and guard rail
on I-90 about mile post 133 on the Vantage grade noticed tire tracks just before a guard rail going over the edge and a flock of crows and magpies. He got out to check could smell it before
he looked over and found the Suzuki Samurai wedged in the gully in the median. I ended up with that call. I winched it out and up the bank and ended up helping the coroner put what was
left in a bag, The animals/coyotes got after him real bad. Towing sometimes is pretty grizzly.
 

Welder Dave

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Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,471
Location
Canada
Have heard of guys scrapping rail cars involved in accidents cutting into sulphur blocks, turning around and instantly puking.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,550
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Scrapping ran into all manner of nasties, dead critters behind metal panels that when cut open would catch fire and stink. Back to TS comment, ran tow for the first company I worked at full time beyond Trade school, nasty set of corners on old US 54 leaving Nevada MO into Deerfield MO, first one was downhill made a severe 45 degree right then you entered a old thru truss bridge at a quick left over Marmaton River that generally was near to dry. One of my first calls, guy's truck I knew and knew the driver as well his family as lived not too far from my place and we would drink a beer or few and BBQ on good days. They never figured out if he died or fell asleep on the downhill, truck did not make the last turn instead launched off the embankment and landed headlong into the other bank traveling pretty much at speed. Trailer sheared from the kingpin plate where the entire mass loaded trailer crushed the cab into the bank, my very first severe tow. Did not recognize the truck at first pulling the wreck off the bluff then had to help remove the remains from the truck, then I knew, was toughest night I believe I will ever see. Smells I will not forget.
 

DMiller

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Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,550
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Went to a sale in Bowling Green MO Years ago to try to buy some old tools and machinery for parts with a buddy of mine, Amish and Mennonite showed up in droves where there was no outbidding if wanted something they bought it. The women are treated like dirt as are the animals, the women left at the buggies and wagons with a few men to keep gawkers away, the odors emanating from them were almost enough to knock a buzzard off a gut wagon where I swear they purposely set themselves to a froth before showing up to be disruptive then pushed thru the crowd to the front to press most of us to walk away. We left early and the two groups pretty well bought everything. Did not realize they are all this nasty until now.
 

Old Doug

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Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,530
Location
Mo
Stopped at the convenience store they had the doors propped open i ask why then it hit me how could a person stand them self. This guy had just left not a few days no bath weeks of no bath.
 

DMiller

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Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,550
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Almost makes you wonder if they do not Dope up just prior to going into the Outer World, just to drive us away. They smell that bad normally would have to be carrying some form of disease or rot.
 

aighead

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Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,562
Location
Dayton, OH
Interesting that all the nastiness of these jobs is, seemingly, due to the smells.

Brings me to mine, I guess... Not a repair but when I was first coming up in the working world I did maintenance and facility clean-up for a big company park. My job was to clean all the restrooms (women are much grosser than fellas, like much grosser!) and to go around to the different picnic shelters to clean up after various local companies would rent them for their company picnic. Well, mid-summer heat and few day old picnic trash went together like a lot of the smells seem, as mentioned above. It'd be about 530 in the morning and I'd run around on a golf cart removing torn bags of trash full of rotting cole slaw, baked beans, stale beer, and usually pulled pork or fried chicken. Most of the time all those ingredients would spill on me and slosh around the back of the golf cart to the point of me not eating any of that stuff for probably 15 years. It does do what the old-timers say and build character. I'm better for it but I don't miss it at all. I've also cleaned up bathrooms at my current place of employment, even though it wasn't anywhere close to my job to do so, when someone completely disrespected the folks whose job it was to clean up the apparent explosion they made in a stall. No good.
 
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