Aging and Wrenching

[Zewnten]

I am going on my second year as a mechanic. I am 30 but with my eye on the future. All the mechanics I know, with a couple exceptions, all need or have had major surgery due to job related injuries. How do you guys avoid this or does it just come with the territory and I should plan on developing my administrative career as I get older?

 

[92U 3406]

I'm 27 but I've been doing this for over 9 years now. I'm not beat up, broken or sore yet. Work smart, not hard is the best advice I can give. We have jacks, hoists, cranes etc now. No need to be manhandling components. Use knee pads/mats to save your knees, comfortable boots to save your joints and wear rubber gloves when working with chemicals, oils etc.

 

[funwithfuel]

X2 X1000. Nothing hurts when you're young . It's when you hit about 34-35. Your joints start to ache. Might notice a little slower recovery from little bruises or scrapes. 92U 3406 hit the nail dead on. Take care of yourself. One day you'll go to do something you've done hundreds of times before and either sprain, strain or damage yourself or it'll just hurt like hell.
Don't sit on concrete or steel
Don't jump off tires and tracks
Do cover up in the winter.
Don't forget frostbite sneaks up on you.
Do eat well and healthy
Do spend extra on quality boots that fit right
Do wear your PPE , especially eyes and ears, you don't know your hurting yourself till it's too late.
Do take it easy with large/heavy air tools. Some of those impacts on the bolts are coming back into your body after all.
Do see your doctor once in a while. You're not 20 forever.
You gotta take care of you, cuz you're the only you you have.

 

[Buickspec6231]

Agreed with above. Sure you can throw heavy parts around like a gorilla, or you can use an overhead crane, jack, or some properly applied leverage to get a safer result. Don't live off the Mountain Dew and Hostess cakes from the vending machine.

 

[Truck Shop]

I have been working the floor for 44 years now and I have a few years left in me. I have out lasted everyone I know or have known. I had very major back surgery 4 years ago.
It was from a total accumulation from when I was a kid growing up on a dairy till I was operated on 4-14-14. The thing that will get to you over time that you can't control with
shoes or rubber mats or what ever is walking and standing on concrete hour after hour year after year. Concrete will work over your hips, knees, ankles and back let alone standing
on uneven surfaces doing over heads or an inframe. Yes I have some arthritis here and there but truthfully the concrete is what will get you over time. By the time 20 years
rolls by a mechanic will feel it. It's just part of the job and most are done after 25 years and their looking for a service writers job. Blunt is the only way to talk about it.

Truck Shop

 

[Bluox]

Agreed with above. Sure you can throw heavy parts around like a gorilla, or you can use an overhead crane, jack, or some properly applied leverage to get a safer result. Don't live off the Mountain Dew and Hostess cakes from the vending machine.

At some point you have to switch to coffee and ibuprofen .
Bob

 

[wornout wrench]

I am turning 60 and retiring in June.
Have been working in the trade since 1976 and other then a 5 year stint when I tried management, have been on the tools the whole time.

I'm 5'9" and built like a brick $hit house. I used to tend to be a human crane. Just pick it up and put it on.

NOT ANYMORE!

I have done some damage, I have a herniated disc in my back. I have arthritis in my hands, shoulders, knees and back. I can hurt pretty good some nights.
As Bluox says, ibuprofen is our friend.

I was doing a project with a bunch of old millwrights one time. We were laughing away about the job and how many asprin it would take to be able to get to sleep that night. I thought that I was the only one.
Is it a one, two or three pill night LOL

There are some really good replies up above, good advice. Listen to what they say.

Golden years my a$$
If you look after yourself now, you will have a better old age.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Nothing wrong with being a service writer. Or owner of a service company. Or expanding your horizons. Like in the military, if you are not promoting somewhat regularly then you need to get out and make room for a new guy.

 

[Truck Shop]

These day's I have the best of both, actually the last 21 years. I manage the shop and help with specs on new trucks and trailers we buy. I take care of parts inventory and all work
load plus inspections. And I still work the floor and rebuild gear boxes. I like taking charge and making decisions. Plus I get to build a tow truck now and then and operate it too.

Truck Shop

 

[John C.]

Started sweeping floor and worked up through service manager and back down again. Started a company doing appraisals to get out of standing on my head or crawling into the bowels of a lot of machines. Did a lot of fixing as well as appraising over the years. Now all I do is appraise. I don't have to make a living at it anymore and it's a good thing. I don't think I could handle the climbing up and down all day long that I used to do, it gets the knees and hips. I also agree about the concrete floors, big impact wrenches and twenty pound hammers. They get your neck and shoulders. Learn to work your mouth, a telephone and a pencil when the pain starts to get in the way of sleeping at night.

 

[Birken Vogt]

If you want to do service writing, managing, appraising, consulting or whatever, there is no substitute for real hands on experience so you know and they know that you know what you are talking about. But that experience is best gained when you are young and things grow back faster.

 

[thepumpguysc]

ROFL about the ibupof. !!!
I started eating 3 EVERY 4hrs, from the time I woke up till the time I went to sleep.. notice I said, to sleep??
BECAUSE> a lot of times you couldn't make it TO THE BED..
I did that for 10 YEARS!!!
The Dr's couldn't believe it when I told'm THAT..
Then had back surgery & had to quit the rat race..
I too was a human crane.. by the time it took to go get 3 guys off a job to come help, it was "easier" to grab-it & go.. suggestion> wait for the guys.. lol
Use "roll around carts" for carrying heavy things across the room.. I ended up using one & everybody laughed at me.. By the time I left, you couldn't find a cart cuz everybody had them at their bench, using them..
Every step you take without 50-75lbs extra on your back, will make a difference!!!!
Take it from someone who knows..US..

One thing about being OUT IN THE FIELD & then transferring to a desk is> YOU end up being the go to guy..
Its not a bad thing.. it just gets tiresome after a while.. you realize how much everyone around you, DOESNT know.. & you start to get a real bad attitude.. like> how the hell did you keep your job for sooo long?? [guy doesn't know crap] especially when you find out they make more $ than you.!!!
Its a slippery slope..

 

[92U 3406]

Service writer or parts person would be my next choices if I were unable to wrench anymore. Most service writers just pick up phones and take down a name and phone number. Would be nice to finally get someone who could ask the customer for make/model/year/serial number, machine hours and a decent description of the problem and active fault codes. That's just wishful thinking though

 

[funwithfuel]

Ibuprofen, that's funny. The Rx size ones fit into a pez dispenser perfectly. The OTC are too small and jam up.
Back to topic though, there's been a lot of advice posted. If any of us had listened to our predecessors, we probably wouldn't hurt so bad today. I guess that's why they say youth is wasted on the young. What I would do differently? Wow!

 

[Muffler Bearing]

2018 will be 25 years with wrench in hand for me. I think the industry has changed a lot since my Dad was doing it. I feel like I get to balance my work days between grunt work ( this 3rd member sitting on a pallet at my feet) and light days that comprise critical thinking and diagnostics (the Cummins 559 code in my bay). In other words, I think it was harder for guys in the 70's and 80's when a lot of the work was pulling out the broken part. Even when you trouble shot a fuel system issue you might end up pulling a massive mechanical injection pump. The technology on today's machines means I can spend half the day with a laptop and decide to replace a NOX sensor to fix the problem. So I guess my long term plan is to embrace the technology that makes my work easier and ask for help on the heavy lifts that still suck.

 

[Junkyard]

Agreed with above. Sure you can throw heavy parts around like a gorilla, or you can use an overhead crane, jack, or some properly applied leverage to get a safer result. Don't live off the Mountain Dew and Hostess cakes from the vending machine.

I finally kicked that habit this year!


Well almost.....

Not much I can add to the advice other than I started listening to guys in my early 30's and I think it's helped me some. I heard the same advice in my 20's but at that age you're gonna live forever and nothin hurts. Work all day, drink and ...... well ya know all night!

 

[Truck Shop]

ROFL about the ibupof. !!!
I started eating 3 EVERY 4hrs, from the time I woke up till the time I went to sleep.. notice I said, to sleep??
BECAUSE> a lot of times you couldn't make it TO THE BED..
I did that for 10 YEARS!!!
The Dr's couldn't believe it when I told'm THAT..
Then had back surgery & had to quit the rat race..
I too was a human crane.. by the time it took to go get 3 guys off a job to come help, it was "easier" to grab-it & go.. suggestion> wait for the guys.. lol
Use "roll around carts" for carrying heavy things across the room.. I ended up using one & everybody laughed at me.. By the time I left, you couldn't find a cart cuz everybody had them at their bench, using them..
Every step you take without 50-75lbs extra on your back, will make a difference!!!!
Take it from someone who knows..US..

One thing about being OUT IN THE FIELD & then transferring to a desk is> YOU end up being the go to guy..
Its not a bad thing.. it just gets tiresome after a while.. you realize how much everyone around you, DOESNT know.. & you start to get a real bad attitude.. like> how the hell did you keep your job for sooo long?? [guy doesn't know crap] especially when you find out they make more $ than you.!!!
Its a slippery slope..

Great reply TPG---you said a mouthful and how right you are.

Truck Shop

 

[Truck Shop]

The pic below is the iron I'm packing around, the fact is if you work hard even using all the lifting equipment your going to deteriorate to some degree and part of
that is genetics. The pic is actually a card I carry to correct situations when I set off metal detectors.

Truck Shop

 

[92U 3406]

I think getting away from undercarnage was the best thing I did for my body. Throwing track pads and running a grinder all day really beats a guy up. Physically its not super hard but the repetitiveness is what really gets you sore.

 

[Junkyard]

The pic below is the iron I'm packing around, the fact is if you work hard even using all the lifting equipment your going to deteriorate to some degree and part of
that is genetics. The pic is actually a card I carry to correct situations when I set off metal detectors.

Truck Shop

View attachment 180215

How often do you go in and get re-torqued? Haha