mobile mechanic rates

Brian w · January 24, 2019, 05:26:52 PM

Well Mike it's to bad you aren't closer to southern Ohio. Me and about ever other logger I know( and there are several in the area) are desperate for a good mechanic especially one that will come to the woods and look at a machine.there is a few garages around but no one who will come to you. And the garages that are here get in no hurry.if there is anyone in the area of McArthur Ohio I would love to hear from you.

mike_belben · January 24, 2019, 06:56:02 PM

I drove about an hour into the unknown today to look at a 99 international with N14 issues for the quarry. found all the commercial pine plantations, pretty cool area, im eager to get into a log truck.

Id put up some pics but the upload function is giving me an error message.

reedco · January 25, 2019, 12:18:35 AM

I pay 90.00 and really appreachiate when I can get a few hours. Always comes through when needed. Really good and very versitile. Heavy equipment, Trucks and small vehicles. New and old.

BargeMonkey · January 25, 2019, 03:50:26 AM

Quote from: mike_belben on January 20, 2019, 07:50:31 PM
Barge hasnt posted in a while. Hes probably got a mobile guy draining him to fix a stroker chain right now ;D

New Tsubaki boom chain has been ordered, poor girl is getting some love end of next week hopefully, wasnt going to take it on this next job but after owning a delimber I've gotten a sudden allergy to humping a saw thru the snow and brush anymore for anything under 20"ish dbh.
We have an AWESOME mechanic, theres not much he will shy away from. I believe with most people he is 65-70hr and worth it.
Unfortunately GF and I are done, it was rough 6 months ago. If someone can explain why loggers are kryptonite for women in the healthcare industry / RN's please because you may just save my life.
Tinder.... 😂 That's all I'm going to say.

teakwood · January 25, 2019, 06:35:23 AM

Quote from: BargeMonkey on January 25, 2019, 03:50:26 AMIf someone can explain why loggers are kryptonite for women in the healthcare industry

You can not work 12+hours/8days a week and expect a GF to be happy. first they love a hard working man but later they start to complain because you don't give her enough attention. I have learned a lot the last 10years

And you Eric just take work to a whole other lever. I bet you just get home to eat and sleep.

mike_belben · January 25, 2019, 07:32:05 AM

Youll need a mobile psychologist for that one buddy. Id rather chase wires on a N14 in frozen rain then try to figure out what my wifes problem is today.

nativewolf · January 25, 2019, 07:39:36 AM

Quote from: BargeMonkey on January 25, 2019, 03:50:26 AM
Quote from: mike_belben on January 20, 2019, 07:50:31 PM
Barge hasnt posted in a while. Hes probably got a mobile guy draining him to fix a stroker chain right now ;D
New Tsubaki boom chain has been ordered, poor girl is getting some love end of next week hopefully, wasnt going to take it on this next job but after owning a delimber I've gotten a sudden allergy to humping a saw thru the snow and brush anymore for anything under 20"ish dbh.
We have an AWESOME mechanic, theres not much he will shy away from. I believe with most people he is 65-70hr and worth it.
Unfortunately GF and I are done, it was rough 6 months ago. If someone can explain why loggers are kryptonite for women in the healthcare industry / RN's please because you may just save my life.
Tinder.... 😂 That's all I'm going to say.

Posted by: nativewolf
« on: January 20, 2019, 09:13:02 PM »

That or his GF caught him sleeping with her sister and is chasing him down the street with nothing but his bathing suit, he got a bit of frostbite and is in the hospital.

Well it only seems like I was a bit psychic but really bargemonkey is not hard to figure out. Now I am so old I don't even think of Tinder. Yeah...that would get someone in trouble. Especially someone who actually likes being in trouble a bit.
Glad to hear the delimber is working.

mike_belben · January 25, 2019, 08:22:43 AM

careful she doesnt log into your account and delimb you.

Grizzly · January 25, 2019, 11:44:29 AM

Mike, are you comfortable with a laptop out in the field to repair electronics? I answered a question for you in your other thread but now I'm a bit puzzled. With a mobile service rig you can far out earn anything a driver or owner/op could make and you'd rarely work farther than an hour from home. A friend of mine has a fully rigged out IH including a small crane but also has a very tough laptop. He works on everything from ag to mining to hwy rigs and bills out at $175/hr CDN. He is never short of work and turns down lots to maintain some home time. Different area so I'm not trying to make a comparison but I can tell you that when a rig broke down and we were on the side of the road wondering if we should get a tow truck at $1500 or a mobile mechanic at $75/hr it's a no brainer. Call the mobile mechanic. So my question really is....... do you want to be a mechanic or a road warrior?

mike_belben · January 25, 2019, 03:50:31 PM

I cant afford to pick and choose just yet. Really i want to retire like everyone else but im not there yet.

I have a machine shop that is still in massachusetts that i need to finish transporting to TN this summer when kids are out of school, by taking them with me like ive done before. My boy is in kindegarten so this is my first period of getting to make money without kid(s). I have logged, dozed and done firewood with a 4yr old in tow up to now or often both kids. Not easy. Younger generations are afraid of suit and dont want kids around. Older folks who dont mind still think 1980 wages are high.

I had to get CDL to cover my own move, and then some time was freed up by school starting. the phone rang for a quarry driving job so i jumped. Then a crack for a log hauling job opened for more pay that may work out and is based closer to me so im jumping again. But those are all someone else making my hours.

If i put all my tools in a service bed on my truck and charge half the local rate i can make my schedule and make better money than either driving job which frees up time or fills the bank. None of these little jobs are stable so ya always gotta be working towards the next leap. Mobile service is stable. Its my truck and tools and the whole world is filled with downed iron. That'll never run out and i am honest, good at what i do,etc. Itll only grow once i get started. I can take the summer off without being fired if im doing mobile mechanic.

Once the shop is relocated i dont have to be mobile. Let them drop it off or pay a premium for mobile. Short stints driving with various different operations is how i will meet the customer base. Today i got a call to drive for a log hauler out of ozone down to bowater and stevenson. But he was too far away. It still gave me a chance to say hey im gonna open a repair shop on such n such road in a few years so check back with me. I didnt advertise or ask around. Someone i dont know gave him my number so there is clearly a shortage.

mike_belben · January 25, 2019, 04:05:34 PM

I should add, im close to being a well stocked mobile but not quite there so ill need wage income for a while longer to get that set up. I dont really want to be the laptop guy running incite on some wire city new truck at all. Im fine with old gear and picking/choosing. There is sooo much broken stuff at the quarry that i could never fix it all. There like 30 quarries here and just as many in excavation, in logging, etc etc. so i dont need to go to a laptop to have infinite work. A welder generator, 1" gun, onboard air basic big tools and some good jacks is enough to stay busy. I can change big rubber out in the bush all day with levers and ether.

My hose crimper runs on air. If i put that and all my crimp ends inside an enclosed service rig i will never run out of work.

teakwood · January 26, 2019, 06:30:29 AM

Just a thought: can't you get a loan? like 10-15k so you can set up your shop and have the mobile ready? i am certain you would be able to pay that loan in no time. you will never be able to put some savings aside at 10-15$/h jobs. sometimes you have to jump in to something and take a risk.
you said it yourself, you will never run out of work and will earn alot more than employed

nativewolf · January 26, 2019, 07:26:13 AM

Quote from: teakwood on January 26, 2019, 06:30:29 AM
Just a thought: can't you get a loan? like 10-15k so you can set up your shop and have the mobile ready? i am certain you would be able to pay that loan in no time. you will never be able to put some savings aside at 10-15$/h jobs. sometimes you have to jump in to something and take a risk.
you said it yourself, you will never run out of work and will earn alot more than employed

Mike is quite against debt due to prior bad experiences. He's going to make it, just give him 2 more years and he's going to have his shop setup and maybe a log yard. I'm just enjoying the tour.

dgdrls · January 26, 2019, 08:16:52 AM

I'm seeing two threads, this one,

and a driving thread;
Haul Road Heroes and SuperTrucker Shenanigans in Forestry and Logging

be darn careful with those driving gigs,
you have little ones that need their dad,

best
D

mike_belben · January 26, 2019, 09:27:21 AM

I intended the supertrucker thread as a place for everyone to dump their daily transport stuff, like the what are you cutting thread. Id love to see/read about the trucking side of logging.

This thread was just me kicking around mobile wrenching as an option. I didnt realize rates were so high or demand was so high until i started at the quarry with broken equipment parked everywhere. Then saw it in the other quarries too.

Regarding debt finance, I am done being a borrower. Lost 2 houses that we should have been able to sell or give our children. You want to see an employer treat you better? Give him your 2 week notice. I cant be confident in walking away from a crummy job if i have payments to make. Ive got my deed in the safe now and it'll never have a lien on it while im alive. My credit isnt worth lending to and im thankful for that. The credit card companies have finally stopped begging me to spend future earnings in the present.

I was partly raised by depression era polish/irish grandparents. The kinda people who got a broom and earned a mower. Mowed to earn a trailer, worked two jobs to bring a lathe home on that trailer and put it in the basement. You see where im going with this. Get a tool and put the tool to work. Dont spend before youve earned. Thats how i lost what i had. Debt free is true liberation and im trying to teach the kids that by example.

Grizzly · January 26, 2019, 12:13:04 PM

So you know where your headed and the driving jobs are a means to an end. Gotcha. Then I don't recommend the owner/op route as that's a larger commitment and will take you over the road. I like the logging job description. Stay alive like everyone is saying. Refusing to take debt slows your path but certainly takes out all the risk and pressure. Roll on.

Dave Shepard · January 26, 2019, 02:00:14 PM

If you will have the same capacity as the local mobile mechanics, don't charge half, charge 85% of what they do. Don't sell yourself short. It's too hard to raise your rates later. I don't know what the rates are around here, but I do know the only guy who does ag work is booked until sometime just after he retires.

red · January 26, 2019, 03:25:34 PM

Be careful of " starvation wages "

Skeans1 · January 26, 2019, 03:57:02 PM

Going half rate will drag all the wage down as well, there's a reason the guy's are charging the rate they are.

mike_belben · January 26, 2019, 06:32:59 PM

Little ol me is too insignificant to impact local rates. I just dropped the lowboy and hafta get back for the flatbed. Ill finish the story later.

Corley5 · January 27, 2019, 01:58:46 PM

Good mobile mechanics are in short supply around here. Not many will work on forestry equipment.
I had a really bad experience with a local mobile mechanic who supposedly specializes in forestry equipment. He came well recommended and had a good line of BS. What should have been less than a couple hundred dollars worth of parts became a $20,000.00 repair bill. Really. Long story. Too long to tell in it's entirety in writing. The 2nd guy came highly recommended. I hired him to put the thing back together and make it work again after telling the first to $%%$##%%. He got it back together and then wouldn't come back to finish the job. Wouldn't return messages etc. One message was "if you don't want to finish the job let me know and I'll find someone else. It's not a big deal" He wouldn't even respond to that. I got a hold of CrossTrac Equipment http://crosstrac.net/ They have a place in Gaylord. Very professional, knowledgeable staff. They finished it up and diagnosed and fixed the original problem after the thing still wouldn't work with all the new stuff. Real nightmare.
I don't know what Crosstrac charges an hour. They do have a minimum charge of $175.00.

mike_belben · January 27, 2019, 06:17:30 PM

I got food poisoning from a subway sandwich on my last haul yesterday evening and puked everywhere, all night. Recovering a little today but my brain cant even think about anything other than retirement today. Feel like i got run over.

backwoodsdave · January 27, 2019, 06:29:13 PM

I'm down in southeast Texas, piney woods area, I've been self employed for the last six years after being at a forestry dealer for fifteen years, I topped out at 25$ per hour as the top field service tech, was promised advancement to management and passed over one too many times, I rigged out my service truck over the last year I worked there, then I gave my notice, I currently have all the work I need @ 100$ hr, 2.00 mi. and I charge from the time I pull out of the drive and back, all my work is in the field out of my truck unless the customer has a shop to work in, I do mostly electrical and hydraulic work, cylinders, pumps etc, I don't buy parts either, it's been good to me for sure but even at just 54 yrs old I'm sceptical of doing this into my 60s, knocking a 75 lb pin out slinging a 20 lb hammer is a young mans game I'm beginning to think.

mike_belben · January 28, 2019, 09:12:33 AM

I was born with a fused vertebrae in my neck, and ive been doing manual labor since around 10yrs old. I hurt all over, all the time and know i wont last forever so thats a lot of my cause for debt avoidance. I can barely sleep now, i dont want to be stressed out over money at 60 or trying to pay back debts with cancer or something.

With all the drugs out here youve got to keep your kids busy. So im hoping to park a business in the back yard that employs him and his buddies and keeps them out of trouble.

I need a big truck to move my equipment from new england down here, these MDT loads are too light and taking forever. Now that CDL is out of the way its an option. My MDT would make a great service truck. My father has a shop also and when his mother passes he wont have much reason to stay up there, plus my family will take care of him as he fades away. So theres a lifetime of moving to do.

Once that is done and a shop is setup in tennessee, i would maintain a truck and probably a landoll to retrieve the bigger jobs and bring back to the shop. From home i can work 14 hrs a day without being worn out, running out of food, getting caught in the rain, losing wifi or phone service to find parts and so forth. The customer gets his machine back quicker without paying me hours of travel time, and i work mostly from the comfort of home. I dont mind charging a little less. There is gonna be a learning curve for me and a price break is the customers reward for putting up with it while i learn new equipment. If you are charging what the other guy is you better be just as good or the customer will resent you. When you get too busy, you send out a newsletter via email that as of [a date 4 months away] rates are going up to keep workload at a pace you are able to manage. Be sure you have a helper lined up because your customers will immediately flood you with the little jobs they have out back that they dont want to have fixed at the new rate. Thats how it always went with price hikes in my engine building business.

For a while i thought i should open a sawmill but a little market research ruled that out beyond hobby stuff. A commercial kiln service probably makes sense but i dont know a thing about drying wood and am not terribly interested in it. A metal supplier warehouse would do exceptional but that doesnt float my boat either. The amount of broken iron here and how well suited i am to it sorta just go together without any swimming upstream. Im off to look at a genie telehandler now. But really i just wanna go fishing and get the garden started. Oh well.

Cub · January 28, 2019, 07:10:29 PM

Mike, I enjoy reading all of your posts and comments to others posts. You seem like a very knowledgeable guy. If fixing broken iron is your thing then by all means give it a go. I respect your not going into debt to get the business going. That's a wise choice in my opinion. I feel the same way about getting myself going. Yes I could go and take out a large loan to get started. That doesn't appeal to me. Work and save work and save. By reading your posts there's no doubt in my mind that once that time comes for you and your plan comes together in time you will be as busy as you want. I wish you luck!! Not many Mobil mechanics around here either.