Where are the Mechanics?

[Deeretracks]

LOL, I like that Tio. Maybe I need to ask for a raise.

 

[lantraxco]

LOL, I like that Tio. Maybe I need to ask for a raise.

Best way to get a raise is to leave and work for some other outfit for a while, then offer to come back. Ain't nothin' proves your worth more than living without you for a while!

Come to think of it, that's why I go out of town on business as often as possible, keeps my lady wanting me to come home, lol.

 

[kshansen]

would this sister operation be in Kentucky??? iv got a buddy that is working in a shop with the same story there. he was a field mechanic & went to work for himself & he has been there everyday for awhile now...

Not Kentucky, but I'm sure our company has operations there.

 

[theironoracle]

I have figured out where all the good mechanics are!!!!!! busy, busy, busy. LOL.....TIO

 

[thepumpguysc]

You got that right.. busy, busy..
I'v been running around the State working on everything from sailboats on the coast to tractors in the fields, 100's of miles from home.. since January..
I've seen parts of this State that I didn't even know existed.. and some SWEET fishin holes..

 

[oldtanker]

Interesting comments. Lot of rants, most likely justified.

Now to the root of the problem. These young people today have had it drummed into their heads sense starting school that they want a nice job with high pay where they don't get dirty. In fact they are taught they are entitled to it. Teach a kid something for 12 years and they believe it. Especially if there is no test, well at least not until after they graduate HS. Some how this chain has to be broken. Only then will we start to find young people who believe that the way to get ahead is by dent of hard work. We had a kid here take networking. Nice inside job. He can't get a job. Seems the course instructor told him that he'd only have to work 8-5 5 days a week. Average person in that position has on call weekends and puts in about 50-60 hours a week. So he has refused every job he's been offered sense he graduated. Lot of people out there with that attitude. Heck talk to the folks out in ND in the oil patch. Pay is fantastic even without any experience. Guys go out there and figure out they actually have to WORK and quit.

Rick

 

[mitch504]

Us not-quite-so-old fogeys had that in our generation, too, just not so much of it. The difference is, the guys I graduated with who had that attitude soon learned that they had to work or starve. Nowadays, there are many ways to live pretty good without working.

 

[wornout wrench]

Where are all the mechanics????

Well tonight I was way up the A$$of a cypress 7280 changing out the hydraulic swivel for the travel.

Horrible, filthy, greasy, dirty piece of doggy do do. Oil dripping on me all night, just got soaked.

Opened the eyes of the young apprentice I have working with me.

Yup, you have to work for your money tonight LOL.

He is a good lad, I think that I can turn him into a decent wrench. He is not afraid of working, he didn't like the job tonight, but he got right into it. By the end of the night he was just as greasy and black as I was.

Yup, a few more years and I will have another one ready.rofessor

 

[overworked]

When I got out of school computers were new, we were told to be computer techs,doctors or lawyers, we had good shop classes 9 and 10th grade,mandatory boys and girls took, welding,machine shop with lathes and mills, wood working with saws and stain.small engine rebuilding with go cart testing around the ball field. My kids graduated from a school they taught shop from a book, not a grinder in the school, welder nope. Blue collar built this country, who gonna keep it going, we gonna call China for repair guys. Call someone to fix your computer, knocking on your door in 30 minutes, call a plumber, couple hours, want to get an addition by a skilled carpenter ,maybe a year, sorry to ramble. Gotta go get my blood pressure meds now. Overworked

 

[Deereguy1]

I'm 22 and am a road tech for a Deere dealer. I completely agree with everyone that management does not appreciate good mechanics. Work 80+ hours a week yet they wonder why I can't get everything done. I've quit 3 times already, yet they call a less then week later wondering when I'm coming back. Still paid less then local cat and komatsu shop mechanics, I know I've looked around. But yet I go back every time. Just venting.

 

[JD955SC]

I'm 22 and am a road tech for a Deere dealer. I completely agree with everyone that management does not appreciate good mechanics. Work 80+ hours a week yet they wonder why I can't get everything done. I've quit 3 times already, yet they call a less then week later wondering when I'm coming back. Still paid less then local cat and komatsu shop mechanics, I know I've looked around. But yet I go back every time. Just venting.

[Cat Mechanic]Come over to the dark side, we have cookies...[/Cat Mechanic]

 

[Fatjay]

I went into my ford dealer who handles a lot of local diesel truck service, asking for a set of head gaskets for 6.0 diesel. He asked who was doing my work, and I said I am. He offered me a job on the spot. Major dealer had a single diesel mechanic. I declined, it's not something I want to do for a living and I have a good job already. Every time I go in, the guy is near begging me to come work, offering me nights, weekends, etc. I couldn't believe they had that many issues finding guys. He said it was because I'm on the smaller size, he gets those big guys that can't get up onto and into the engine bays.

 

[thepumpguysc]

X2 on the Ford dealerships.. they have work for YEARS to come.. someone with a "good back" could make a fortune working on 6.0..
and EVERY job is atleast an 8hr job..
The guy at my work place gets offered side work on a DAILY BASIS.. he was once offered 2000.00 to do an injector swap, on the side, and wouldn't take it..
I asked him WHY?? He said, I don't like workin on them HERE.. why would I take one home and work on it..

 

[Fatjay]

We have a TON of ford diesels in the area, all township and police are ford diesel, and lots of contractors and such. There is a shop just up the road from ford that works on ford trucks exclusively. They've got 2 guys and it's round hte clock work.

Most jobs on the trucks are easily 8hr. Hell even brake job is 3+hr because they over salt in the area in the winter and it makes the undersides a mess. And injectors... They're inside the engine on the 6.0. Each injector is $140, so even though you are going into the engine and want to replace them all, it's just to damned expensive. For simple but ****** jobs I go to the local mechanics, because they charge fair rates, and sometimes it's just not worth the pain in the ass doing myself, especially if it's easier on a lift.

That being said, I'd rather be in the engine bay of a ford truck than just about any car on the road.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I know what you mean.. Its hard to get the customer to understand that you have to open the engine up anyway.. might as well change All the injectors on that side..

 

[franklinute]

A friend is the service manager for a local dealership and he needs technicians. Due to insurance regulations
new hires must pass drug screening, background checks and come to work on time every day. He said he
processes about 6-10 prospects a week and cannot find people to fill the positions. Customer work is backing
up even at the dealership.

 

[fixou812]

Well for the young guy's starting out......Outfits may be like this.... or you run into situations like this....
Ask you to stay over time to help them out then get ready pissed when your an hour late.
Playing beat the clock. ......" it's gotta roll by 3"
They disregard safety to save man hours or buying stuff.
They see you working really fast and expect you to be Super man Every day. ....

 

[grizzlycan2011]

I live in NW Louisiana and have been considering becoming a diesel mechanic. Any thoughts on it? Is it a good career? Is the pay decent? I'm a dump truck driver and it's decent money but just not a career. I have no experience in diesel mechanics and wondering how a guy like me could get started.

 

[Fatjay]

Some shops will train you, but it really helps to have a firm grasp of the primary components and some mechanical ability.

There's two different types of diesel mechanics, large and regular. Large 4-6 cylinder 13liter volvo truck diesels, sometimes you're on the road to do a top end rebuild on the side of a highway. Pay typically reflects it. Regular trucks like ford/chevy/dodge diesels, especially the newer ones, can be a bear to work on. So many parts.

 

[grizzlycan2011]

Would the many dealerships in my area train me? Without any experience?