• 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!

Where are the Mechanics?

Junkyard

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
3,621
Location
Claremore, OK
Occupation
Field Mechanic
I think any and everybody is hurting for a decent mechanic let alone one that doesn’t need his or her hand held. I’ve done the math here and I make as much as an employee as I would on my own. My side work is just icing on the cake! Benefits are what got me here and they’re what keep me here.
 

92U 3406

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
3,100
Location
Western Canuckistan
Occupation
Wrench Bender
Benefits and pension are what are keeping me from going out on my own. I've been on the fence about picking up some side work for the last few years but honestly I'd rather just enjoy my time off.
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
Heh, we have what are called "dead trucks" around here. They go out and pick up dead cows, pigs, etc and haul them in to the rendering plant. Quite and operation. They throw open a gate and pull out a winch line. Hook the dead critter by the hoof and haul him up into the truck. Every once in a while you would see a full truck running around with a few hooves poking out the top.

I used to work at a place right next to a rendering plant. My god, the smell. One time a truck full of "off fall", a nicer name for whatever parts of a critter that can't be used by a packing plant, stopped too quick and the whole cab of the truck, and a good bit of pavement in front of it was covered in blood, guts, and god knows what.

I've never had to fix one, but I can imagine. I've done plenty of repairs on manure spreaders. Never seen one break when it was anything but completely full.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
No rendering trucks or garbage trucks for me either. Local dairy does have 3 tankers for spreading liquid poo and 2 spreader trucks for solid stuff. If they do bring one over it is cleaned with a firehose under and over and then pressure washed quite well if they would like to have it fixed. Including the inside of the tankers.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,556
Location
WWW.
Heh, we have what are called "dead trucks" around here. They go out and pick up dead cows, pigs, etc and haul them in to the rendering plant. Quite and operation. They throw open a gate and pull out a winch line. Hook the dead critter by the hoof and haul him up into the truck. Every once in a while you would see a full truck running around with a few hooves poking out the top.

I used to work at a place right next to a rendering plant. My god, the smell. One time a truck full of "off fall", a nicer name for whatever parts of a critter that can't be used by a packing plant, stopped too quick and the whole cab of the truck, and a good bit of pavement in front of it was covered in blood, guts, and god knows what.

I've never had to fix one, but I can imagine. I've done plenty of repairs on manure spreaders. Never seen one break when it was anything but completely full.

Try cleaning up a wrecked rendering truck {laying on it's side} in 100* weather. Stiff cat's and dogs, bloated pigs, fly blown cattle and a horse or two to round it out.
Then walk into your favorite tavern pull up a stool and stink the place out, the bartender gets your beer fast and moves on:D.

Truck Shop
 

Wes J

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
How do they get people to drive those trucks? Like garbage men. I used to think they got paid well, but in this area that doesn't seem to be the case.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,485
Location
Mo
I have been wanting to cut back my hours at the shop so after a year trying to find some one they did. I still cant belive that they found some one as good as they did. He is a good careful worker. He has been there about 8 months.About a month ago the boss called me and said another guy ask if we needed any help he said we had meet before and at first i didnt recall him but after i got off the phone i remembered him.I dont think he has stayed long any were. I talked to the boss and he said we would give him a try and if he stay great. I thought ok at least i could get some time off as long as he stayed.He is in his early 20s and has work out good also. He works nights out of his home shop if he has work and has worked as a welder. I have some welding prodjects so i thought i would take him one and see how it went. It was a half finshed small trailer i got at a auction. He worked on it and toad it to the shop. I know he left the trailer shop over wanting more money the trailer shop must be nuts i cant say i have ever saw better work fit and finsh are allmost to good for a trailer. I have several jobs for him and he needs the extra cash this is a wim wim for me.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,556
Location
WWW.
How do they get people to drive those trucks? Like garbage men. I used to think they got paid well, but in this area that doesn't seem to be the case.

Years ago 1979 as a fact, I was pulled in at the Livingston scale on worn out highway 99 in California. I scaled heavy on the trailer and was given the choice of moving 40 boxes of cucumbers
to the drives or a ticket. While I was moving the cucumbers a truck parked next to me was loaded with fresh lamb hides from Superior Pack just a few miles down the road, the hide processor was
a few miles up the road. The scale master had this poor guy trying to shift his load of hides in 100* plus heat. He was sweating his a$$ off dressed in nothing but jeans and rubber boots no shirt.
he looked for all the world like the leader of the bike gang in Every Which Way But Loose except he only had what appeared to be two teeth. This was his third try at shifting the load of slimy
hides loaded in two double hopper bottoms.

He finally gave up and started to cry from frustration, jumped down and started walking down the highway. The scale cop came out and yelled at him to get back there, the guy yelled back
a bunch of obscenities and said I quit stick it up your a$$. By that time the flies were getting thick and the stink and blood leaking out of the trailers caused the scale cop to think.
He started yelling please come back just get that out of here. :)

Truck Shop
 

funwithfuel

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
5,519
Location
Will county Illinois
Occupation
Mechanic
F'n creeper cops. Poorly trained group of knuckleheads, I tell ya.

And Ol Doug, I think that welder kid just needed to find a joint that would appreciate and respect his skillset
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,485
Location
Mo
F'n creeper cops. Poorly trained group of knuckleheads, I tell ya.

And Ol Doug, I think that welder kid just needed to find a joint that would appreciate and respect his skillset
Your wright now he is fixing tires and changeing oil at the shop after i saw what he could do i started thinking of a better place he could work and make more money.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Most of the scales here just send the fine to the trash haulers anymore and accept the overloads allowing them to leave. In 1979 a trash hauler with a newer tandem leach commercial overdumper was scaling out at St Clair MO and was 3200 pounds over(headed to dump). The scale master ordered him to proceed to inspection area, wanted the company to come unload that ton and half, instead the driver stopped at inspect and raised the rear gate, dropped the absolute rear pack out closed the gate then proceeded to the scale to re-weigh. Got their attention, was a lot of screaming and phone calls but the pile sat there for two WEEKS!! The trash company finally came and claimed but the scale house had to shutter for the weeks due to the brown shirts getting nauseous daily!

Been at the dump middle of august, flies pretty much are busy so leave you alone except when one vomits, trucks are just NASTY! Do not care how well cleaned, with whatever disinfectant or deodorizing chemicals they REEK and drip from all sort and manner of hidey holes, welding on one brings new life to old hidden nasties.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,485
Location
Mo
My young welder buddy droped off another job i had him do.It was a small lawn mower trailer that my dad got free. Its axle was to narrow had washers under the wheels and its springs were set in to far. He widened the axle and spring hangers and made a great looking job of it.I gave him more than he ask for and we looked at the next job.I have been snowed under and couldnt get these jobs done this has been a great deal for me.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
Most of the scales here just send the fine to the trash haulers anymore and accept the overloads allowing them to leave. In 1979 a trash hauler with a newer tandem leach commercial overdumper was scaling out at St Clair MO and was 3200 pounds over(headed to dump). The scale master ordered him to proceed to inspection area, wanted the company to come unload that ton and half, instead the driver stopped at inspect and raised the rear gate, dropped the absolute rear pack out closed the gate then proceeded to the scale to re-weigh. Got their attention, was a lot of screaming and phone calls but the pile sat there for two WEEKS!! The trash company finally came and claimed but the scale house had to shutter for the weeks due to the brown shirts getting nauseous daily!

Been at the dump middle of august, flies pretty much are busy so leave you alone except when one vomits, trucks are just NASTY! Do not care how well cleaned, with whatever disinfectant or deodorizing chemicals they REEK and drip from all sort and manner of hidey holes, welding on one brings new life to old hidden nasties.

Back in the late 80's several local farms discovered ex garbage trucks made excellent field harvest trucks, I ended up doing framerail modifications on a bunch of them, most just needed tails on the frame, some needed to be stretched too. All of them made the shop reek when the hot work started. Some of these trucks were from Chicago, some from Pittsburg, some were actually from New York city.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Somehow that ooze or liquid aroma soaks right into the steel, do not know how, do not want to know how and avoid them at all costs save to chuck a bag in these days!
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
I have appraised plenty of dozers and scrapers that worked on landfills. The owners never like the value I give because the units are usually custom machines with a buyback allowance. Everyone thinks they should have a premium resale value because of all the extra stuff on them. The problem is the cost to remove all the pans and guarding, clean out all the biologicals, and try to remove or counteract the smell. A potential buyer gets into the cab and catches a whiff, most of the potential sales get blown away in the wind. The sellers also always tried to trade in the machine with the undercarriages worn to nubs.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,485
Location
Mo
I worked on a HD 11 that was used to bury left overs at a sloater plant it was cllean and hadent been used in years didnt even have any grease on it.It had a little smell untill it got rained on then it came back to life.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
I worked on a HD 11 that was used to bury left overs at a sloater plant it was cllean and hadent been used in years didnt even have any grease on it.It had a little smell untill it got rained on then it came back to life.
I had a good sized Cat skid steer loader that came from a pig farm, we got the smell steamed out of the machine, but the tires totally stunk. could not get the stink out of them, so I had 4 new ones put on. Not cheap, but the smell went away.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
I have been wanting to cut back my hours at the shop so after a year trying to find some one they did. I still cant belive that they found some one as good as they did. He is a good careful worker. He has been there about 8 months.About a month ago the boss called me and said another guy ask if we needed any help he said we had meet before and at first i didnt recall him but after i got off the phone i remembered him.I dont think he has stayed long any were. I talked to the boss and he said we would give him a try and if he stay great. I thought ok at least i could get some time off as long as he stayed.He is in his early 20s and has work out good also. He works nights out of his home shop if he has work and has worked as a welder. I have some welding prodjects so i thought i would take him one and see how it went. It was a half finshed small trailer i got at a auction. He worked on it and toad it to the shop. I know he left the trailer shop over wanting more money the trailer shop must be nuts i cant say i have ever saw better work fit and finsh are allmost to good for a trailer. I have several jobs for him and he needs the extra cash this is a wim wim for me.


I think a bunch of us had more than a few jobs before we settled on the right one. I think in my case it was getting old enough to settle down, if you can call it that, and also ending up with a great employer that valued their employees. If the right person walks in and is treated right, the quoted post shows that it can be a win for all.
 

92U 3406

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
3,100
Location
Western Canuckistan
Occupation
Wrench Bender
I can verify that. I job hopped quite a bit in my first couple years. Skill and experience were my motivation early on and if I felt I wasn't being utilized to my potential, I moved on. This place I'm at now is great. Decent mix of grunt work and brain work.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
As I started as a Mechanic thought hard about skipping the HE, was back breaking usually filthy and outdoors where no elements protection save what you carried, set up many tarp shops.

Got a gig with FELD Truck Rental in STL back in the day. Clean, dry most of the time, nice newer rental fleet. Worked in the shop at 7th and Russell for almost a year got promoted to second shift foreman due to a retirement. Stayed there a couple years was feeling the itch to move along and the owner asked if a few of us could work on a company wide Fleet Control road call breakdown system. Sounded as a challenge so took it. Mentally draining, 24/7 office open hours where we had done it on a call in basis for the local district before went to full company coverage. Did NOT give up the extra money work where the odd hours did lend to working a second then additional jobs,

End of three years burnt out, moved back to shops, company was taken over by GELCO Corp, I was already working side jobs with my own shop in St. Peters MO. Was starting to take its toll, too many hours too little sleep, beat up breaking down physically. Now I reap the benefits of those years, tired, sore all the time, still have some stored crap in my head pops out when needed. Moving to the Nuke was not so much the better but retirement pension, insurance, other plusses while still afforded time to work other stuff.
 
Top