Truck to equipment transition

Hello , new to the forum I search for a bit to make sure I didn't repost an answered question. I'm currently a diesel mechanic at a rental/logistic company I work on mostly freightliner and international but have worked on about all heavy truck brands out there , thermoking ,carrier units, and hydraulic liftgates. I have a couple years of welding experience and about a 1 1/2 years in diesel. I wanted to know how hard it would be for me to transition to heavy equipment field tech role in the future. Im pretty quick at learning things. Any guidance would be appre

Welcome to HEF.

Actually right now wouldn't be tough at all, most of it depends on your getup and go. I have been looking for someone to work in a truck fleet
for 6 months, not one application not one walk in. Jobs in heavy equipment are there, plenty of places to cut your teeth. It's all up to you and
what you expect in return.

Our truck mechanic works in the garage. His tools and equipment are always in the same place, and dry. He gets dirty, but in general, most of the stuff he works on is pretty clean. Our equipment guys work in the shop for some planned jobs, but they are outside in the heat, or winter cold, snow, rain, and bugs. They work out of a service truck, nothing fancy, just a cube van somewhat geared up to their liking. More mud and dirt. Some stuff would be the same. I equate a lot of equipment to working on cars. The engine sits down in the machine, and is harder to get at stuff. Most things are bigger and heavier. But if you learned to work on a truck, you can learn to work on machinery. My father pulled wrenches for 50 years. Started with cars at a dealership, and moved to truck and trailer, then spent the last 2 years of his life driving a wrecker because he was sick of these young fellas that just wanted to replace parts instead of doing any actual repair.

It’s not hard to transition. Almost every equipment dealer in my area is hiring and the fact that you have a couple years experience should make you a prime candidate to get hired in a shop. As far as getting into a service truck you’ll need to prove that you can think on your feet, improvise, work alone safely, perform quality repairs in a timely fashion, have enough tools to do the job, and a bunch of other things I can’t think of right now. Anything is possible. How bad do you want it?

Gonna need a LOT more tools, Heavy tools to get into the Field work.

Just find a place willing to give you a chance. You might have to eat a little crow. You walk in , in their eyes knowing nothing but engines, unless it's Cat or Cummins it really doesn't matter. Your driveline knowledge becomes useless . You have the potential to anger customers, so the dealer or repair shop is really sticking their neck out for you. Figure 3-5 years in a shop with experienced techs, honing your skills and gaining real world experience. A couple weeks ride along in field and you're gold. Humility and patience will carry you far. Find the old timer with all his fingers and park your box next to his. Pick his brain for all it's worth. There's a fortune in free education if you know where to look. A lot of guys figure, i should be earning Y, and get angry when offered X. Training, poor times , it all adds up. Some guys can't run a bead or use torch let alone extract broken. Failure analysis comes with exposure. A brand name dealer with a bonafide apprenticeship program would be most desirable unless you're a gypsy whore, then i would check with your local operating engineers union, see if they're accepting apprentice applications.

Mike L said:

It’s not hard to transition. Almost every equipment dealer in my area is hiring and the fact that you have a couple years experience should make you a prime candidate to get hired in a shop. As far as getting into a service truck you’ll need to prove that you can think on your feet, improvise, work alone safely, perform quality repairs in a timely fashion, have enough tools to do the job, and a bunch of other things I can’t think of right now. Anything is possible. How bad do you want it?

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I used to do field service but on warehouse equipment. I enjoy working by myself let's me stay more focused on the task at hand. When I do repairs and even maintenance doing it right the first time is better then having work comeback.im pretty good at problem solving and improvising. Im at the shop I'm at now for experience , but I really don't care for shop work too much figuring out what the last guy did wrong , getting pulled off work for drive ups ,service managers on your back , and let's not forget egos and drama lol.

I would apply to every equipment dealer and shop in the area. Somebody will give you a chance. Be up front and tell them your goal is to be field service. That should tell them you are serious about equipment repair and you have ambitions. Buy tools you don’t have. The tools don’t make the mechanic but having tools to tackle most jobs will get you ahead. If you need to borrow the tool twice you need to own one. Learn anything you can about electronics and hydraulics. Everything is made with nuts and bolts but there is some differences from trucks to equipment. Most importantly, don’t give up. Ever. It’s ok to step back and take a long look but never say I quit. And stick around here. There’s always something to learn here.

Thanks for all the input everyone I really appreciate it. I have a better understanding of what I'm going to be walking into , instead of going into the unknown not knowing.

Our son was the chief mechanic at a foreign car repair shop for 5 years. Before that, he worked at a Ford garage for about 4 years. I told him the future was in diesel repair, trucks, heavy machinery, tractors, etc. He checked out the local Cat dealers website and applied for 7 different positions in maint. and repair. He got 6 offers from them That was 6 years ago, and he now rebuilds and dynos big Cat diesel genset engines. You should have no trouble making the transition with your background. They saw he had a mechanical aptitude and wanted him. You will be in the same situation. Good luck.

Welcome to the Forums Greasy! Glad to have you.

If you really want to give it a try, I guarantee Yancey is hiring mechanics in your area right now.

When I worked at Western States Equipment in Meridian, I purposely recruited auto techs to work in the aerial platform and the compact equipment department. Generally, auto techs adapted well to skid steer and MTL service. They were already familiar with hard to access engine compartments and electrical. Working flat rate in their former careers helped them be more productive. Margins are low on compact equipment. Very competitive biz model, like auto.

Welcome.
My advice... be like an octopus. Have as many tentacles or in your case, feet in as many doors as you can. Refuse noting and be willing to jump in and learn anything and everything you can. If you want to be a good heavy equipment mechanic, learn to operate the stuff you work on. Knowing how to properly operate what your working on will give you a whole new understanding on what you are trying repair. You will be much more valuable to to your employer if you can do anything and everything. In my case, I'll operate anything they have or rent and if needed, I'll fix it too. A typical day is 10-12 hrs. Operate for 8 then wrench for 2-4 hrs. Rarely will I get my 8 then go home. Theres always something that needs service or repairs. As far as tools, I have many of my own. I'll often work with and off of another mechanics truck. We are so busy right now, and our mechanics are so overwhelmed that they are always happy when I can jump in and give a hand. There's lots of work out there and there is lots pf money to be made. All you gotta do is go get it.

Welcome to HEF.

I can't add anything thats already been said........oh wait, I did just realize that I'm one of those gypsy whores FWF referred to. LOL

Another gypsy wrench whore here, reporting for duty!

I know this thread has run it's course, but I thought I'd mention how much better I smell as an HE mechanic.
When I was spending my days under trucks that had been running with exhaust leaks and oil leaks for miles and miles, I always had a slight odor of diesel smells.
Now I leave work with only the earthy scent of good clean dirt.

Muffler Bearing said:

I know this thread has run it's course, but I thought I'd mention how much better I smell as an HE mechanic.
When I was spending my days under trucks that had been running with exhaust leaks and oil leaks for miles and miles, I always had a slight odor of diesel smells.
Now I leave work with only the earthy scent of good clean dirt.

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I guess you have never moved any dirt at old feed lots, pig farms or chicken ranches?

I’d like to know where you’re working! I’ve worked at some pretty smelly places. Compost facility that turns human sludge into compost, a dairy farm that has some digester thing that turns rotten food into electricity, and some place on the coast that ground up old shellfish for some kind of fertilizer to name a few. But I do agree. I typically come home cleaner than when I worked on trucks.

RollOver Pete said:

I guess you have never moved any dirt at old feed lots, pig farms or chicken ranches?

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Hell Pete, I smelled like that when working trucks. I used to do work for rendering plants and gut wagons. Always enjoyed welding on the bodies, smelled like BBQ

Trash wagons, NOTHING is worse than the Rolling five to ten year old Dumpster for EVERY home, business and Chinese/Mex/Greek restaurant for fifty miles in mid August at the CENTER of the landfill.