The calls you'd rather not have gotten.

[danregan]

this one comes to mind

 

[2stickbill]

I didn't work on it but the driver kept complaining that the power divider was acting up.Three days later I looked and the Jack Shaft U joint was the problem.By then it was joint and yoke.

 

[hotsaw]

"It started really clunkin so I quick drove it out to the landing". Groan...Why don't they stop the machine now?

 

[rare ss]

"Copy workshop, can you come out to bells pit"
"whats up"
"Oil leak from around the final drive of the digger"
"leaking bad?.. from a hydraulic hose?"
"nah it was leaking bad near the track but its slowed down now"
"ok i'll come up for a look"
"oh wait hang on it must be a hose cause the machine wont track straight"
"park it up I'll be there in 5"

this is what i found after i pulled the master link bolts haha

snapped the main axle/bearing housing almost lost the final drive as it started to roll down the haul road into the pit

 

[equip guy]

"Ah hello" (driver), how many guys are at the shop? (Me) "around 10 or so, why"? I picked up the terex back hoe from the cape and forgot to retact the extend a hoe. (ME) Yeah? (Driver) "well i just it the second bridge on the interstate on the way back and it tore the machine off the trailer, flipped up side down, and broke the trailer away from the tractor. All the fuel and hyd oil is all over the hiway! Can you grab every bag of speedy dry, shovels, brooms, and man, woman, mechanic, yard person and get down here befor clean harbors gets the call. Oh and bring a loader, tractor, lowbed, to right this out of the hiway too. How long till you get here? Talk about a chain gang with push brooms. He didn't measure before took off, and hit a 12'6" at 65MPH.

 

[2stickbill]

"Copy workshop, can you come out to bells pit"
"whats up"
"Oil leak from around the final drive of the digger"
"leaking bad?.. from a hydraulic hose?"
"nah it was leaking bad near the track but its slowed down now"
"ok i'll come up for a look"
"oh wait hang on it must be a hose cause the machine wont track straight"
"park it up I'll be there in 5"

this is what i found after i pulled the master link bolts haha

snapped the main axle/bearing housing almost lost the final drive as it started to roll down the haul road into the pit

I had all most the same thing.Final leaking oil.Op yea it locked up today but I kept rocking it back and forth till it popped.Then it was ok.All spider and sun gear busted.So we had to get a new final.Removed other side and had it gone through to be safe.I think the new final was near $16,000 but all the rebuilt and pull outs were close to new price.
Mechanic told me same operator got a tree on the cab of a new rental.That means new cab.Bosses best A kisser.

 

[rare ss]

yeh, this repair was looking to be quite pricey due the the age and relative rarity of the machine, a new final drive was about $75,000 ex germany.. we managed to find a whole second hand running machine for $100,000 or a complete final drive/travel motor off the same machine for $20,000 but the powers above decided to park it up
I've since found out that they made another one from 2 or 3 second hand final drives they had kicking around so its back running again (2 years after it broke)

 

[3rdGenDslWrench]

Hey 2stick. I've got a question I'm kinda curious about. How come the shovel/excavator you are working on has a master link? Every excavator I've ever been around up to a Cat 385 had a master pin you had to drive out to seperate the tracks.

 

[jms1387]

Pull on to job site to check out progress. one of the employees who isnt the sharpest tool in the shed but always is reliable to show up is fueling his d8. i help him fuel,grease,etc... as im pulling away i see the new foreman truck being backed over from the hood to the cab and keep going. basically turned the 2500hd into a pancake was able to salvage the valve stems and thats about it. after kindly letting this employee know that was his last day with the company i went to the golf course to swing some sticks and enjoy a beer.

 

[rare ss]

Hey 2stick. I've got a question I'm kinda curious about. How come the shovel/excavator you are working on has a master link? Every excavator I've ever been around up to a Cat 385 had a master pin you had to drive out to seperate the tracks.

we got sick of pressing out pins so we fitted a set of CAT track chains off a dozer and they do the job nicely!

FYI theres a crowd over here in WA who modify their scrapers to fit CAT D4 dozer chains to their 633D/639D elevator chains to get more life from them they last about 5 times as long

 

[RobVG]

"Ah hello" (driver), how many guys are at the shop? (Me) "around 10 or so, why"? I picked up the terex back hoe from the cape and forgot to retact the extend a hoe. (ME) Yeah? (Driver) "well i just it the second bridge on the interstate on the way back and it tore the machine off the trailer, flipped up side down, and broke the trailer away from the tractor. All the fuel and hyd oil is all over the hiway! Can you grab every bag of speedy dry, shovels, brooms, and man, woman, mechanic, yard person and get down here befor clean harbors gets the call. Oh and bring a loader, tractor, lowbed, to right this out of the hiway too. How long till you get here? Talk about a chain gang with push brooms. He didn't measure before took off, and hit a 12'6" at 65MPH.

I think that's the best story yet epuip guy.

 

[stuart olson]

railroad not construction

engineer: hey dispatcher i think i got a problem

dispatcher: oh yea what is it?

engineer: well the second unit is on fire, but its still pulling

 

[alrman]

One Sad Set of Tracks

Had a call from customer (after repeated advise given to them re condition of their tracks!) ointhead - "The drott is on a job in steep country. You won't get your truck within a cooee of where the machine is. You'll need to load your tools into your 4wd ute to get to it......"
So go out in 2 vehicles, truck & ute, load ute with various pulling devices & crow bars, drive into a deep gully, fit the floppy thing back on, tell operator to keep a little more tension on tracks, drive out & back to w/shop.

Barely get out of truck back at w/shop & phone rings - "Guess what, slight problem with the other side track" .......... load ute & do it all again.:Banghead
Some mothers do have 'em!

 

[willie59]

Some mothers do have 'em!

I totally understand. I do believe I've encountered some of their kinfolk on occasion. :crazy

 

[2stickbill]

I totally understand. I do believe I've encountered some of their kinfolk on occasion. :crazy

willie I know I have run into their kin.Couldn't pour urine out of a boot with directions on the bottom.

 

[Randy88]

Now thats funny.

 

[Diagonal Brace]

Trucker " i dont think you gotta worry about finding a driver for the next shift
Me "Why is it laid off?"
Trucker "No its on fire"
Me "well dont put it out"

 

[02Dmax]

Most recent call:

me: "Hello, this is Sean"

cust: "hi sean, my name is ......., I hear you like challenges"

me: "haha, who told you that?"

cust: "doesn't really matter, I've got a 345B with basically every hydraulic component off the machine and sitting on pallets all around it ready to be put back on"

me: "doesn't sound all that bad, just time consuming"

cust: "Well, the guy that took it apart is no longer employed with us and the bolts are all in 5 gallon buckets on one of the pallets."

me: "FML" I muttered to myself, customer just heard silence.

 

[steve loving]

Got a call from a man i had never worked for before had left track off 155 komatsu at a lake about 15 miles from me. Get there cant drive where its at have to carry tools about 250' in the woods The track is about 60' downhill from the machine. after comealonging up the hill and getting it back on the whole time this guy is sitting in the seat of the 155 telling us about his gold business and how much he makes in the next town. We get finished and he gives me a check and bounce bounce a few days later i go to his business. The older lady at the counter said he was gone for the day but he would be back later in the afternoon and that he lived above the store. I came back and waited for about 2 hours later that day and he shows up and starts the lying and needs a few days. ( not a problem if you are upfront and honest with me) Anyways i tell him to get me the money or hes gonna beat my a$$ or im gonna beat his he gave me cash and has never called again

 

[grandpa]

Im pregnant!