Lessons learned

[Moonlite]

Just seeing what others have learned the hard way.
My first lesson in the field was make sure you can get the fill plug out in one piece before you take the drain plug out.
My most reasent was don't park your truck by the machine your gonna move. Especially if you aren't aware that the machine only pulls on one track until warmed up. I did get it stopped before I hit my truck.

 

[big ben]

I could go on and on with this but top 3

1.Carefully open the boxes of the fancy new expensive parts as more than once you have ordered the wrong part, parts person ordered the wrong part or you may not use it in the end and need to return it (also I have seen component core boxes get thrown out so the good cores could not get returned)

2. Check S/N of the equipment before starting work. I once worked at a truck dealer and our biggest customer would have 5-6 trucks at a time in the yard for work, all looked the exact same except s/n and unit number - again more than once the wrong truck got something disassembled when it was perfectly fine and another truck was the one that needed the repair

3. Never throw out old parts until the customer has signed the bill/taken the machine away and/or given the ok to throw out. 9 of 10 times they don't want to see the old parts but the one time you throw them out is when they demand to see the parts before they pay their bill - and usually as the scrape metal bin is being hauled away.

Also once we had very expensive pilot lines someone had set in a garbage can to finish draining and some work experience students thought they would help out and take out the garbages - by the time the mechanic came back for the lines an hour later the garbage truck had come. Off to the dump where 5 of the 6 lines were found. This is more of very unfortunate timing but I guess the lesson here is if your new or not sure always check before doing tasks you think can do no harm !

Ok so I guess that was my top 4

 

[Impact]

If your wife asks if her butt looks fat in those jeans, don't say yes.

 

[partsandservice]

Always replace the inner steering bushings on a timberjack skidder while the transmission is out. And yes don't tell your wife her butt looks fat in those jeans even if you are partial to that sort of thing, she won't understand.

 

[Old Doug]

Even new parts can be bad. Never plan on being able to get something done in a certain amount of time even if you have done it before. Cheap,good and fast never go together. If things start going wrong some times its because you need to get some sleep.

 

[partsandservice]

Never trust the fuel guage on a Super Duty. Two skidders do not pull twice as much wood as one. Cash flow is not profit.

 

[Tags]

Never set the full drain pan/pail right below where you step off the machine after you start it to check for leaks on your way to empty said pan/pail....

 

[catfixer]

Wheeled excavators can have the ability to take out their own cab. learned by another tech at our shop

If you are beating sprockets off, put your damn face shield on.

Don't put a tube of super glue in your shirt pocket especially if you're a hairy fellow. that one hurt.

 

[FSERVICE]

[QUOTE

Don't put a tube of super glue in your shirt pocket especially if you're a hairy fellow. that one hurt.[/QUOTE]

also don't put the tube in your mouth while you are fixing the plastic dash panel.(that you did not take out to glue & glued your finger to) then relies that the tube had a small hole in it & glued your lips together!!! A past boss did this while trying to glue a crack back together on a dump truck.. & then with his free hand called me, im going huh whats wrong speak up?? when I get back to the shop here he sits hand glued to dash, tube of glue in his lips like a cigar, hes still trying to mumble & im bout to fall down im laughing so hard I got the raise I wanted to not tell anyone bout that afternoon..

 

[1466IH]

I would have died laughing walking into the shop seeing that and btw how did you get everything apart

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[Cam85]

Don't pick a fight with the safety man those guys have no sence of humer.

Get a and check parts b4 u start swinging the spanners been caught out a few times.

Make sure sump plug is in b4 u start filling with oil,oil is deer and bosses don't like it when u waste it.

Double check ur work come backs and or pooling water are very embarrassing I once put a 1 percent fall on a pad but dialled in the percent the wrong way ( not good ) .

Measure 2 times cut once.
Just to name a few it's a big list but that's how u learn.

 

[lantraxco]

Just because an A/C condenser looks badly damaged and the compressor has no belt on it, it does not mean the system isn't still holding pressure.

(a) when you pop an A/C snap lock fitting, you cannot reconnect it until all the gas has escaped, dammit, lol

I was younger then....

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

Make sure sump plug is in b4 u start filling with oil.

And make sure it's tightened.

I have seen a few fall out over the years and we introduced a system of wiring the plugs and a sign off in the log book.

We bought a new Navara diesel tilly a few years back, drove it home and noticed an oil-drip on the drive way . . . got under and checked and the sump plug was holding by one thread . . . it happens.

Cheers.

 

[kat09]

funny stuff

 

[RobVG]

My first lesson in the field was make sure you can get the fill plug out in one piece before you take the drain plug out.

Ha! The guy that taught me would use a 4 pounder to hammer on the allen wrench to tighten em. I used to hate changing drive oil- the plugs were so effing tight.
Finally looked up the specs- 45 ft/lbs. Headache solved.

 

[Dualie]

buddy just picked up a brand new Pete 388 third trip out the front rear walked the fill plug out of the diff. put two gallons of gear oil in it to limp it back to the dealer. EVERY SINGLE drain and fill plug on the truck took at least 1/2 turn to make tight

 

[FSERVICE]

I would have died laughing walking into the shop seeing that and btw how did you get everything apart

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

if I remember right (its been a few years back) acetone to get his fingers loose. trip to hospital to get the tube & lips unglued..:lmao still laugh bout that. he wouldn't let me see if I could get the tube/lips loose :lmao :lmao

 

[scheirerequip]

Some jobs are not worth triple time
Put roll off cable on backwards once
Put wrong radiator in truck once cab over vs conventional

 

[sandy]

Drain plugs, fill and level plugs are either in and tight, or out.
Seen to many where the plug is sat back in the hole to be tightened later then something happens and its forgotten.
In the field check the serial number matches the repair order. one of our young guys didnt and serviced the wrong machine last week.
Take care around hot cooling systems.

 

[JBGASH]

Got a new boat a few years ago, took it for its maiden voyage and forgot to put the drain plug in, took on enough water before I realized it we were close to sinking. The moral to this story -before boat comes off trailer be sure plug is in properly!