• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Anyone watched "Big Fix Alaska"?

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
Has anyone seen this show? I find it pretty interesting at least by reality TV standards. The recipe is pretty similar in every episode. Mechanics fly out to some remote Alaskan village and fix some broken machine. Lots of work on construction equipment and generators. Some of the stuff is BS for TV and the narrators comments are usually wrong or nonsensical. But, I like it. The shop owner Jim is a real character.

In the first episode his cigarettes get lost and they do a cigarette countdown as he works his way through the job.

It's on National Geographic channel. Should be a new one tonight.
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
There doesn't seem to be as much made up drama. The gold rush show was interesting the first year or two. Now it's just watching millionaires drive around in rock trucks and swear at their wash plants.
 

bccat

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
309
Location
Langley B C
Occupation
Retired millwright,Heavy Equipment Operator
Yukon gold is not bad, Gold Rush has run its course, its done, Id swear Todd is gettin Bigger
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
Interesting repair on a Detroit last night. The flange broke off one of the piston liners and the liner dropped down into the engine block and the crankshaft destroyed it. Somehow it also destroyed the super charger. Not sure how those things were related, but an interesting repair nonetheless.

There used to be a show called "Worlds Toughest Fixes" that was also pretty interesting.
 

JNB

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
823
Location
North Texas
Occupation
Flyin' low and rollin' slow...
Funny, I was watching one of the re-runs when you posted yesterday. Too much rain here to get anything done. I like all of the semi-real life shows like that. Better than watching song and dance shows or any of the murder all the time stuff.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
I think the story lines are a little convoluted. What I saw last night was a guy working on an old HD21 modified into a dredge. They never mentioned the model of the machine or the engine. The story line said the engine was out of time and I wondered how that could happen. The guy had to take a jet boat up the river just to get to the site but there were pickups and such on site. The start switch was bad so he was jumping the starter. He said all kinds of stuff about why the engine wouldn't run all of which would have meant a major overhaul. Instead he adjusted the valves, fixed a leak, fired it up and all was golden. They supposedly even set a budget before the guy left the shop and they crowed about the money made when the job was done. Even had the guy sleeping in a tent when he got tired.

I've had to work in Alaska and never had to sleep in a tent. Never had a budget other than get it done as fast as possible. I've always had plenty of people around that could lend a hand. I have to admit some of the things were familiar though. Making a piece of tube work for a temporary fix was kind of typical.

The show wasn't as bad as the loggers or the gold miners and some parts were interesting. I would watch it again unless the sun came out.
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
I didn't understand the timing thing either. He says something about setting the timing by "feel". That didn't make sense.

The budget numbers they throw out seem totally insane. I don't know what that has to do with anything. I watched one where he supposedly sells his old Corvette to make payroll. Seems 100% conceived for TV.

I've never been to Alaska, but are there no roads? They fly to jobs that are just a few hundred miles away. Sure seems easier to drive a truck with all the tools you need.

The timelines are also BS. They make it seem like a call comes in and a mechanic sprints out the door. Yet, they arrive at the job with part to rebuild an engine, or in some cases, an entire engine to swap out. That kind of stuff was most likely worked out weeks in advance.
 

excavator

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
1,445
Location
Pacific North West
What I laughed about was when they said that he was probably only one in the world who could fix that HD21. I realize that everything is more difficult when done out in the bush in Alaska but I still think they make a big deal out of things that most of us as field mechanics deal with on a normal day. But I still watch the show, I don't mind Gold Rush so much but have had enough of AxMan, except for Swilly and his jet boat, he's a bit interesting.
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
They all do that crap. A guy is setting valves on a diesel engine or the rack on a Detroit and telling us that he is "one of the last guys that can do it" or something. You could walking into any equipment dealer or truck shop in the world and find a dozen guys who could do it and most likely at least one guy doing it right at the moment.

The younger guy Austin who works on the generators seems really sharp. He knows how to operate the controls and jumper out the faulty systems.

Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers are both not worth watching. They were good shows the first 2 or 3 seasons. Now they are just ridiculous and totally fake. IRT was so bad this last year that I could not stand more than a few episodes. They are obviously dreaming up crazy scenarios to make it seem more risky and then claiming that the 3 or 4 drivers featured on the show are "the only ones who can do it". Ax Men has devolved to obese, toothless hicks and whatever you call that Rygard guy.
 

lantraxco

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7,704
Location
Elsewhen
I watched a couple episodes on Hulu last night. Moderately entertaining for the scenery value if nothing else. They seem to be kind of bumbling through everything, I'm guessing if they weren't kind of the only game in town they'd probably go broke(r).

I see they recently bought out Wilkie's, I had some dealings with Bob Wilkie and his crew back in the late 90's, they used to buy most of their CAT parts from the dealer I worked for, one of the very few that only charged CAT suggested list for parts and would give a discount on volume purchases.
 

chris allen

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
372
Location
georgia
Occupation
Feild tech
YEA IVE SEEN THE BIG FIX ALASKA, LOL,,, I TELL YEA THE BOSS SHOULD BE RETIRED AFTER ONE YR OF WORK FOR WHAT THEY SAY THEY CHARGED. any one ever catch one to the budgets an profits for each job,,,, no how in the heck does one charge the outrageous rates an get that kinda money. IF THATS THE CASE THEN WE NEED TO GET SEVERAL YOUNG FEILD TECHS. UP AN DO LIKE THE CAST FROM DEADLYEST CATCH AN GO OUT AN WORK FOR JUST 2 OR 3 MONTHS OUTTA THE YR AN COME HOME an sit back an blow it away then go rite back when broke again.

and someone mentioned AXE MEN, but ya remember the SWAMP LOGGER GUYS, was a family owned an operated business an show filmed by discovery channel, well did any of yall ever wander were they went? well a friend of mine down south here is buddies with a guy that works for a tigercat dealor here, I had meet the fella an talked to him about his job an products an he told me he flew out to Canada to were the tractors are made for a big dealership get together an open house day, well he meet the guys from swamp loggers an he talked to them, they told him that you wouldn't believe that crap that they went threw all the time about discover channel crew an cast kept giving them, they were constantly trying to get them to fight with each other an get everyone hot headed, well the family ended the show at the end of the season due to they were a family owned an ran business an they were out to start crap with each other just to get the rattings up for tv publicity crap, an that they were in the real world an practice an safe an profectional work environment an a very serious business an not some fake B S TV SHOW, so after they had words with the film crew they soon ended the show. miss that show, not everyday ya see a big boggie wheel dual axle tractor around.
 

barrelroll

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
90
Location
Alaska
Occupation
Mill Mechanic
Wow, old post, it was entertaining though typical reality BS. A good running mine is extremely boring, people drive in circles, ore gets processed, most things are fixed during planned down time and when things break unexpectedly they get fixed rather quickly.


I've never been to Alaska, but are there no roads? They fly to jobs that are just a few hundred miles away. Sure seems easier to drive a truck with all the tools you need.

Depending on where you are at there are no roads. I live in Juneau, technically we are attached to the mainland Alaska though the only way in and out is boat or plane. Heck the mine I work at takes about 2 hours to get to and requires a bus to a boat to a bus. If you wanted to get a service truck out here you'd have to put it on the weekly barge and it would be here for a couple weeks with a couple thousand dollar barge bill. The mine isn't on the road system and there's no way permitting or cost wise you could get a road to the mine site. Most guys who turn wrenches and travel have a nice collection of packouts or tool boxes under 100 pounds so they can fly with them.
 
Top