Those of you bush mechanics out there, where are you located, what are your rates and what are you primarily working on? Are you independant or an employee, are you mostly at your shop or someone else, or job site etc etc. Just whatever you think is pertinent to know really.
I said i was available 3 days a week for this quarry and he mustve thought i said 80 hrs a week. I need to find a bit of an exit without burning the bridge and am really just a service body away from having a lot more leeway to that end. The place is burning me out.
they put you in a truck with no experience. do you know how lucky you are? as they say thats trucking. we have a mega snowstorn coming. if my guys and i need to work 30 hrs straight up we will done it many times. only stop for fuel. my trucks are not as long as a semi but they are 14ft wide and only work in the worst weather......thats trucking
Do they run 30 hrs straight for $10/hr?
I am the only person in his employment that is legal to run tractor loads of his product out of state at all, which is 90% of his income. He cant keep any established drivers for more than a week. A real driver doesnt want to spend 3 extra hours dodging scales on a flat rate haul because the boss doesnt want to shell out for a pair of steers with tread.
I kinda think he is the lucky one. I can go back to my normal life. He called me, not me called him. I said im a mechanic with an A license and need to stay close to home. 500 miles a day is not what i signed up for.
i ran trucks over the road. i always told the drivers avoid the dot if you can. we were always heavy hauling water. ct was bad dot knew everybody by name. i had a driver that wanted to come home right now from ny. told him to wait they will have a reload within 3 hrs. he points the truck north 500 miles empty. that was the end of his job
i was talking to a guy last week that worked for a john deere dealer in northern maine. he said the trouble with running the service truck was i was always either to hot to wet or to cold. he was telling about changing a hydraulic pump on a buncher. says it took all day every bolt came out hard. the high temp of the day was -40
Well I'm located in eastern Newfoundland, Canada and I always work for someone else. I can go home at the end of the day and forget about everything...not my problem! I have thoughts about going on my own, but then my day or week would never end. I spent years out in the field ( where I got most of my know how) and now I prefer the shop as Snowstorm has pointed out, constant temperature and dry. This year I spent all summer in the woods, operating forwarder and harvester plus repairs, I stopped just before Christmas and now I'm at a shop for the winter repairing boom trucks and cranes. I won't move the toolbox for less than $30.00 an hour, if I can't get that I'll go on the welfare! To each his own but if I was in your shoes I would tell the employer your situation and if he's not willing to work with you move on. I don't know what the going rate for truckers is in the states but $10.00 seems pretty low, most guys up here get $20.00 plus. I know you look after your kids ( good on ya for that!) but the guy's skidder your repairing needs it for tomorrow and he doesn't give a hill of beans about your needs! Again to each his own but I suggest some hard thinking and talking with the wifey before you pull the trigger, good luck in whatever you decide.
I know you're in a low wage area, Mike, but if I am losing already low wages for something like the boss not putting steer tires on (double whammy), I'd have to be starving to death to keep at it.
Funny story. I breakdown on the way to work and am jacking my truck up to check spindle nut. A log truck pulls up and stops, stranger gets out. We chat. He is the last driver for the place i am at now, quit last month. Fills me in on a boatload of lies that im getting verbatim. Its 25% of linehaul. Yeah, on ancient rates. Oh this that and the other is gonna change soon. All the same stories. The owner is a con man.
He dont know i know, but this breakdown either gets me a company service truck and a mechanic job or i go drive log truck with the dude i just met. He said they need 3 more drivers, trucks are waiting. take the rig home every day and make my own schedule. 3hr haul pays $150.
Im running 8 to 13 hours for that plus wrenching. And the truck is uncompliant across scales every day.
God always sends what i need when i need it.
You have only been there a very short time and hate the job. Move on. CDL Drivers are in short supply, particularly ones who are able or willing to do more than put fuel in the truck. Only thing in shorter supply is people who can fix things. Drive a truck and start a part time shop at home. Invest in yourself and write off the investment against your driving wages.
I dont hate it, but Youre probably right. I sure dont like helping crooks.
Quote from: mike_belben on January 18, 2019, 04:44:59 AMGod always sends what i need when i need it.
He sure does....
Mike
You are playing Russian Roulette sooner or later you are going to get caught .I don't know how the fine structure works down there but up here the driver's fines are onerous . Ten dollars an hour will not go very far.
Walk away no run away from this job as quick as you can.
My nickel's worth
Al
Yeah i been through the ringer with DOT, they dont play. Ive argued that pretty hard with this guy. Im planning my escape as we speak.
Log truck job said i can start monday. If i heard him right he said 2 loads a day at $280 is what most of his guys are doing. That works.
Perfect timing, since my first fulI quarry check bounced this afternoon. He came to the house to give me registration for a service truck and $900 cash when i was only owed $664. Ive been through that trick before and said no thanks. gave 2 weeks notice and parting on good terms. I made it clear that i'll bust my butt on whatever is best for him during that time, but if i work the two weeks and dont get paid, i will simply walk into his quarry and take property of an equal value at a date of my choosing.
Eventually i expect his equipment to be getting dropped in my yard for repair at premium rates. If he doesnt go to prison for embezzling the volunteer FD anyways. Glad to separate my name from that.
A bit late to the thread, glad to hear you have another path.
I think many of us have been in similar situations with whatever
career we have chosen, lip service and late or no pay.
have a great first week,
D
Thanks man. I dont expect to retire at this next job either but it'll help me chip away at building the business my dad always wanted, and ive been working on most of my life as well. Hopefully its a reality for my kids. We relocated to tennessee knowing no one, so if i bounce around at a few short term careers, its fine. Just expands my future customer base. Lord'll place me where he wants one way or another.
I am always saying,if you are not happy with something,be it a job or a partner,do something about it.
I worked with a guy that hated his job. That's all I would hear for 12 hours. :( I kept telling him quit,life is not worth it. Do something else. I probably told him to shut his mouth a few times. ;) :( Heard this for years. Finally he did quit. I saw him at the bank. :o He came up to me all smiles and pumped my hand. He was a changed man,I could see it. He was smiling and happy. He told me I bet I quit 100 jobs before I found the job I liked. It was joy to talk to him. Yes,if you need a job,that is diffeant. Been there,done that. I was at one job that did not pay nothing. Could not afford to take a day off to go look for work. ::) Finally I had to do something. I had no money working,so might as well take some time off to look for a job.
Sounds good for you. Hope all goes well. ;D
Mike , I only wrench on my own stuff, but I have a good friend who does mobile mechanic work,as well as working in his own shop. He has a f 7000 service truck with welder ,compressor , torches ,air tools, etc He is a great welder and fabricator. I think his current rate is $70/ hr and he is as busy as he wants to be most of the time. I know rates are different between N.H. and Tenn.
I have torches, onboard air and 1" impact. No mobile welder but i have a 250amp mig and a syncrowave 300 tig. Powermax 1000 plasma cutter and a 4cyl diesel 3phase genset. All the hand tools, big jacks, autocrane. ability to make what i need and all that. i am scheming on a service bed for the F250. Its slow and ratty, got welded diffs and has an 87 octane habit, but it starts in zero weather and will get to where your gear is busted.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/0120191436.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1548017603)
Up in mass a typical small machine shop was getting 65-75/hr in the front door and having to pay 20-30/hr for employees with high turnover. There were a lot of machine shops, ive worked in a few. Down here theres pretty much only two in town, and its $90/hr in the door, but $10-15 to work there. Hmm.
Everyone has equipment here. Everyone. The wages are low but there is a skilled labor crisis. Im 39. So few men my age where i live that dont have a drug problem. Everyone else is as busy as they wanna be. There is a wage ceiling, but you can have another job in an hour. I did.
When i get all the equipment under one roof im gonna be an expensive man. Im paying a mortgage worth of storage fees right now. When thats over, i can live well on $500 a month until i get cancer or whatever. Wont be much need for me to leave home. The garden is gonna get big and to get me out of it'll cost ya. :)
I'm no mechanic
I wish I could find an independent guy to work on my tractor and other stuff.
I have the dealer now.
Would rather pay someone who works for them self.
I think the rate for a well equipped mo uke heavy mechanic is around $100/he up here.
Barge hasnt posted in a while. Hes probably got a mobile guy draining him to fix a stroker chain right now ;D
Knowing Eric he is busy digging up some ore at one of his pits which he will personally smelt down into the necessary repair links to fix that de-limber chain you speak of, after he gets the store closed up for the night. ;D
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.
Clearly the best option here was to just pay the mechanic and be done with it. ;)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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(https://forestryforum.com/board/Smileys/default/cheesy.gif) And you Eric just take work to a whole other lever. I bet you just get home to eat and sleep.
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.
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.
careful she doesnt log into your account and delimb you.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
I'm seeing two threads, this one,
and a driving thread;
Haul Road Heroes and SuperTrucker Shenanigans in Forestry and Logging (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=104674.0)
be darn careful with those driving gigs,
you have little ones that need their dad,
best
D
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.
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.
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.
Be careful of " starvation wages "
Going half rate will drag all the wage down as well, there's a reason the guy's are charging the rate they are.
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.
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/ (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 $175.00.
I got food poisoning from a subway sandwich on my last haul yesterday evening and puked everywhere, all night. Recovering a little today but my brain cant even think about anything other than retirement today. Feel like i got run over.
I'm down in southeast Texas, piney woods area, I've been self employed for the last six years after being at a forestry dealer for fifteen years, I topped out at 25$ 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.
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.
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.
Thanks buddy, i appreciate the kind words.
You can set your rates high, so when you show up, knock it out, machine up. You charge it then. If you don't feel all your time was productive as it should have been you just bill less hours at the same rate. In my experience customers seldom complain at the price when all the repair was done proper.
Dang it boy! ... and you're asking this forum for advice? 8)
Sounds to me like you have a few things figured out that the rest of us need to listen to.
Yep...believe you're going to be alright.
Also try to avoid taking on projects that someone else started, or restoration of iron that has been sitting. Stay away engine swaps that are not same for same. Like backwoods said don't buy the parts , and if you do mark them up.
Oh yea and use your best judgement when you hear " while you are here.
"
Where im working now is ridiculous for stuff that everyone else has touched and screwed up. The turnover on "mechanics" is just outrageous and it seems like every 3rd one is a pillhead who robs the shop.
Today was that genie telehandler. Battery stolen, sat for months. Have had several people just flat out lie to me about its situation for some reason. I did manage to get it cranking then priming then running consistenly which was good. The hydraulics were real slow and funky in any if the retract positions so i figured trash in the load checks maybe. I pulled the easiest accessible load check cartridge and got a milk oil geyser. Rainwater filled the reservoir through a bad inspection cover permatex job.
I did a fluid change, will probably need 2 more to be good but i doubt the owner will okay that. The hydraulics came back to life but the chassis travel is still messed up. Its got a variable displacement pump to some hydraulic drive motors and only an electronic fwd/rev lever on the dash. The you step on the gas pedal to go. It takes full throttle to move the machine at all. Parking system has released, just very weak power @WOT and feels like major slippage.
Where i expect to see a swash plate shaft there are two opposing solenoids and i dont know how this things modulates swash plate angle. Do they vary voltage to pull more or less plate angle? Is it a load sensing pump or drive motor? I wouldnt know how to identify one by eyeball, that stuff is too new for my old junk reportoire. I can sorta feel a "gear shift" when driving it and the motor is loading down but im just not going anywhere. I have no books on the machine either or it'd be easy. Its not whining like id expect for a wrecked rotator assembly inside the drive pump but i cant rule it out yet. Seems like charge pressure would be fine given the loader is working and i assume charge pressure into the drive comes off the loader pump.
Too bad you are not a few thousand miles closer. I have a 9 foot service bed set up for a ford that would serve you well, that I would let you haul off. shoot would probably help you mount it, too.lol
Hey i been wonderin where u went. Buddy it'd take a service bed filled with cash to make me consider living a few thousand miles closer to alaska!
What you have against Gods country? lol
PS, service trucks get anywhere from 120 to 245 an hour here depending on location.
This guy gets $140.00 an hr
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_1517.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1505513576)
The 245 an hour I mentioned earlier is pretty extreme. The only ones I know of charging that is CAT and only on the north slope. I understand is they have pretty much lost all but warranty business up there since the last rate hike.
maybe that was the goal. Its hard to believe anyone with that kind of money needs anything bad enough to pay that kind of rate unless its ultra proprietary computer diagnostic stuff (which i think is kind of dirty pool in itself on a moral basis.) Im thinking mobile spaceshuttle repair is probably cheaper than $245/hr.
I finished on good terms at the quarry and could go back any time i wanted which will probably be a cold day in hell on the former terms. It averaged out to $10 an hour. Im not hauling my tools across the county for what i could make skateboarding to dollar general right up the street.
It was my first "job" since leaving s&w in 2016 and a good reminder of what lifestyle i dont want to live. I can stay home, make progress on our forever life and spend almost nothing doing it. Or i can work for peanuts, have zero time, be constantly gone, get nothing else done and have no money left over after the fuel, lunch on the road and babysitter. Why bother?
The log hauling job is up in the air, weve been in touch and i got more info. Its about a 12hr day to make 2 hauls @ $150 each so around 25/hr and i can do it schedule wise, but ill be a zombie due to my time off to sleep landing right there when kids are getting home, homework dinner brush bed etc. Its not a job for grade school parent really. If he calls i will try it and see if theres money left over to justify the time it costs. If not atleast i got a little closer to the forestry operators that need junk fixed. Another stepping stone. Perhaps i could operate on the cutting crew instead which is normal day shift but probably not much $.
mobile mechanic would still be the best balance of freedom, scheduling and pay at this point. Developing that into mostly stationary mechanic @ future home shop would probaby be a notch or two better.
The reason for the high cost charged by cat on the slope, is they have to fly the mechanics back and forth every 2 weeks. They also have to put them up in a camp and pay for their meals, at probably 200 a day or more a piece. It is just a logistics thing.
They actually lost money when they increased the rate, and now can't keep mechanics as they don't draw wages just because they are there and available.
Good luck running a service truck and keeping a flexible schedule. I ran a couple of them out of my shop for 9 years. It was a 24/7, 365 days a year deal and I had to just dissappear out of town to get any time at all off.
Trucking is not for everybody at all, and really the industry is designed to be a 70 hour or MORE if you run your own, but it has it's rewards too.
My health has pretty much limited me to running my log truck, which is by far the least hours I have ever worked, but also the least money too, but at least I still enjoy it and can somewhat handle it.
Getting warmer.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/0208191250-1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1549653415)
Looking good. Up here in Nova Scotia D.O.T gets mad at you for even driving home after you buy a deck and use straps to get it home.
One step closer. Looking good.
Mike that looks like a 8) truck. Let us know the progress.
Well, i should still have a crane up north. Working on a miller bobcat welder/genny trade with a buddy down here. I think i may have a york 210 compressor down here in a shed and ive probably got enough stuff to make the mount. Have a spool of half inch air hose and a compressor tank with filter/dryer/hoses/couplers for a storage tank to run the big gun.
Its a koenig bed. First ive seen. I am very impressed with the quality, which is consistent with the rawson koenig crossbody box ive got on my dually up yonder still. Very stout, look into them if you need toolboxes. The top lids flip up on this bed on both sides, pretty awesome. All locks work and even got the key and bumper. $300 :)
I gotta make a headache bar to put some lights and torch tank leashes. Need to get a filler neck hose and do some welding underneath to get it mounted. Truck is gonna be a dog but oh well.
I think it's gonna be a good dog looks heavy enough to take on some of off road trails we often end up working at the end of . Keep at it looks promising.
Yeah it was a woods toy on 42s with welded front and rear. Goes better in the woods than on the street by far. I traded a revolver and $200 cash for the truck. I had the humvee tires and rims on hand, supposed to be getting $400 for the 42s tomorrow. If so that'll erase my cost on the gun so ill be at $500 cash on truck and box. Only had to do a wiper motor so far, $40.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/1119181320-1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1542670147)
Looking good Mike, from reading your posts all the time I think you get this thing put together and line up some work you could be and would stay a very busy man. Just don't forget to get the business licensing, insurance, and other loose ends that go with a small business, most importantly a very good cpa. I cant remember when but a few years ago I started a thread on service truck but didnt have much luck, maybe you should add your truck to it if we can find the thread and see what else gets brought up. I was going to do what you are now and was looking for good ideas and tools and equipment others had put on their trucks. Good luck with you dream buddy and hang tough, a little hard work and youll have it. Regards
Cody
Thanks cody. Ive got a FEIN and tn business license. Been in one small business or another since 2000.
Looking good mike!! What year is that rig? Gas or diesel?
I think its an 83. Has a 351w with a knock and low oil pressure, thats been dependable but doesnt run all that great, probably a one hole leaking via headgasket. I got offered a 460BB and 2wd C6 in a running driving RV today in trade for the 42s. i would jump at it except that my small block c6 wont fit the big block and i guess swapping my tailsection and Tcase is a full teardown of both trannies. I dont have the time to pull this far away camper engine nor do i want to fool with trying to find a 4wd BB c6. I dont have any time for any of it.
i need the money to finish the spindle repair. There, i decided. If the 351 quits i will do a quickie overhaul. Until then it can clack all it wants.
I abused an 81 with a low powered 351 m, 9 ft service bed, 12 horse comp, miller welder, torch setup and loaded to the gills with tools and parts for several years. It was underpowered, but served me well with a minimum amount of maintenence.
My first one I built out of a 76, 390 4 barrel that a friend had bought new . I bought it when the motor blew and swapped it out with a 460, installed the bed, tooled it out and loaded it before I ever drove it. I was never happy with the performance, nor the mileage, so a couple of years later I swapped everything over to a diesel pickup and reinstalled the regular pickup bed. I had already made a deal to sell it, but man I wanted to keep it, as it ran great and was one peppy rig without the load.
I have a divorced ford np205 up north, and an industrial 6bt up there too. Theres a trade down here i may go forward with also, 24v p-pumped cummins and allison 545 from a bus. Is this truck worth all that effort? Ehhh
Diesel make a lot more sense than a 460gas. I can build grease conversions in a week for $300 ish for p-pumps. But again.. Back to who has the time?
Just welded loops on the service bed so i can pluck it with my big forkloader. Took it off so i can figure out the gas tank filler, bleed brakes and maybe oil the frame again then will mount the bed back up permanent and wire the lights. Need to make a step reciever hitch too. Im not gonna use the twisted bumper that came with the bed.
I am not sure I would like the allison, maybe ok if it has an overdrive, but the cummins would definately be an improvement over gas, both in performance and fuel savings. I have no problem with the divorced 205, those I had were stonger than the front ends anyway.
Is the pickup worth it, probably not as far as resale, but sometimes a guy has to work with what he has or can afford to come up with.
Not really any mobile mechanics around here that I know of. Some guys with portable welding setups but most forestry repair is done by the owner or the dealers mechanics. I hate to call the dealers but if I can't figure something out quite quickly I get them on site asap. Can't get downtime back. I think the dealers charge $90-150/hr plus mileage so it adds up quick. Good luck Mike with whatever you choose
A good 460 with a c6 married transfer would be great. 4 speed standard would be better. Np 435 (I think) has the side plate on it to run a Pto off the trans if one so chooses. 460 will get ok gas mileage on hwy cruising. Town driving or puttering around back roads towing something heavy or just having a heavy foot mileage will go down fast. They are great engines tho. A diesel would be better with a standard trans or a good proven automatic. It's an 81? Is it a 1/2 ton? If it's 3/4 ton I'm amazed it doesn't have the 400 in it. Ford used those from 77-82. Same bolt pattern as 460. 400 is a good engine. Not a lot of power but good torque on the bottom end. I loved them. 4 barrel carb with a mild can upgrade n they were good. To put a 460 in a hole where there was a small block 351w might be a big pain in the tail. I transplanted a 460 in a hole where a 351m was in a 79 1/2 ton. It was a challenge but we got it. Was an awesome set up. Good mileage but couldn't keep tires on the back!! :D
83 was the small block 351. i bought a new f250 in 84 that was the first year of the 351 ho. it came with a 4bbl holley different cam roller timeing chain. it went real well
Mines an 83 and itsngot 6 bolt valvecoves so at a glance that seemed to confirm what i was told, 351W. I havent looked for tags. I will hope its a 400M and that a 460 bolts up, i wouldnt hesitate in that case. My fenders and inner fenders are cut, im sure i could fit a 460. Part of me wants to weld the fenders and hood into a flip nose.. Ive hated going back to climbing up on the radiator of passenger truck after medium and heavy trucks. Im not 17 anymore.
With 3.54s and 36" tires itd be fine with a 12v. Its easy to click the governor flyweights up to run 3k on a p-pump. I never had an allison and i dont think the 545 has a lockup. Either way id need my shop here to build the mounts and especially the driveshafts. Id fetch my dually and just overhaul a few things on that long before messing with this f250. If its a 400 ill do a 460, other than that im just gonna use this truck up.
What do people use for filler neck extensions? Something fancy or just radiator hose?
Ours were just hose we used on the flat beds built into service boxes.
NEVER NEVER use radiator hose for anything gasoline. Gas hose is different. Doing so will cause untold grief later on.
The difference between a 351 w and a 351 m or 400 is night and day, no way to mistake one for the other. The 351 is a small block, just has a higher deck than a 302, which makes the intake an 1 1/2 wider, and has the small valve covers, the m and 400 are massive compared to them.
The space under the hood is the same, drops right in and has since 65 if you have the right motor mount stands, but will require the 4 wheel drive oilpan and dipstick.
300 i6, 302, 341w, 351 c, which looks more like a m size wise all have the same bell bolt pattern.
The 351 m, 400, 429 and 460 has the same bolt pattern and autos will interchange, except the torque converter from a 460 tranny will not fit in the crank of a 429. Using a standard the bellhousing bolt patterns are the same as a 460, but the depth is different and the will not interchange between a 460 and the 351m or 400.
With the way my service trucks were always loaded, 355 gears and 36 in tires would have been very doggy, even with 235 85 16's the 355's were pretty doggy, I preffered 410's, unless I was running long distances on the highway.
Personally I I'd use as much metal pipe as you can, just attach it to the tank and filler with your exsisting hose. Safer if a rock or stick flips up on the back roads.
Yup your correct. For some reason I thought you said it's an 81. Had to look back and see you said it's an 83. 83 will definitely be the 351w. Sadly. 351/400m are still a small block. They were based off the 351c. Which was based off of what ford called Y blocks. Something about the crank center line and angles. The exact explanation escapes my frozen brain at the moment.
My Grandpa bought a brand new 1977 F250 Camper Special 2wd with a 351M and an auto tranny. It didn't last 40,000 miles before the rods started to rattle. He pulled it and went through it. His rebuild didn't hold. He was told later that Ford had a run of cranks that the machining was slightly off and he had one of them. He pulled the V8 and auto tranny and transplanted a 300 6 with a 4 speed transmission and made a real truck out of it. ;D :) ;D
The good ol' 300- love it or hate it, if you had one you might just as well get used to it because it was probably going to outlive you!😂
351 c was nothing like a y block, y blocks came after flatheads and before the FE series, and were the 273,292 and 312 engines with 2 valve cover bolts in the center of the valve covers.
The cleveland engines looked more like the 351 m, except had the small block bellhousing pattern. Ford never called any of them a big block, but was closer in size to a 460 than a 302. I do not remember which it was, but either the c or m series had a wet intake, while the other one was dry too.
Yes starmac you are correct. My memory doesn't always serve me well. M's were a dry intake. They were prone to running a little extra warmer because of it. 351/400 replaced the ford ft (ford truck) engines. 360/390. 77 was the 1st year they put them in pick up trucks I believe. But I could be wrong. I think ford still made the 360/390 for industrial use for a little while after though. 1st year or maybe 2 M's were Prone to lifter valley cracking from the extra abuse of being in trucks I guess. Ford added extra webbing in the casting to resolve this
When I was younger for fun we would junk out ford trucks with the 300 6 in them. For fun we would put a brick on the gas pedal and drink beer n wait to see when it would blow apart. We used to get sick of waiting.
Cub, I've heard several stories from guys that finally got bored and gave up trying to kill a 300!😂
Re, with regards to some of the off topic comments. My father could listen to you guys all day and chuckle along with the words "What a Polus". Man I could just hear him now. My father only had grade 10, but he knew who Polus was. Never mind me, a fella needs to laugh sometimes about nothing. :D
I have used milk pipeline tubing because it is stainless. Usually the filler neck is largely in the wheel well and prone to get rusted. NAPA has the fuel resistant hose you need. Hose clamps are stainless anyway.
Used to be a lot of small barns around here with at least part of the pipeline still there and farmers we resigned to the fact there would never be cows on their farm again. High junk prices and thieves have taken a lot of it away, though.
The 300 6 I mentioned lasted many years and pulled/hauled many loads. It outlived the truck body. After it sat a couple days when it fired up the rods would rattle. You could hear them quit as soon as it picked up oil.
Mike, Gates makes a green stripe hose made for fuel tube. We used it in racing, it's not super flexible but works great and doesn't break down
Thanks for the info boys.
Cub I am not 100 % sure what if any were called the ft series, perhaps the 331, 361 and the 391, which were the industrial engines base on the fe series, basically the same but with larger water pumps and at least larger bolts for all accessories , many if not all were governed too. used in medium trucks and some equipment also.
The FE serious consisted of the 352,360 390,406,410(merc) 427, and 428, all were used in cars except the 360, the 406 up was never a factory option in a pickup.
When it came time to sell a pickup of this era, all 360's magically turned into 390's, when most were in fact 360's and the 390 was never an option in a 4x4 at all for some reason.
Boy its enough confusion to make a guy stick with chevy.
FE" derives from 'Ford-Edsel. Versions of the FE line designed for use in medium and heavy trucks and school buses from 1964 through 1978 were known as "FT," for 'Ford-Truck, and differed primarily by having steel (instead of nodular iron (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductile_iron)) crankshafts, larger crank snouts, smaller ports and valves, different distributor shafts, different water pumps and a greater use of iron for its parts.
I believe these would be the 360/390 ford used in trucks buses irrigation pumps and many other "industrial" places. The same exact engine used in cars but a few differences.
Ford and all their specifics and options. Ugh.
You are correct about the 360's magically turning into 390's. Saw lots of used 4x4 trucks in 1/2 ton to 1 ton that amazingly had the stock engine but were sold as having the much wanted 390. Must've figured they could get more money or would sell faster with the "390" in them. :D Either way both excellent engines in all their uses.
My girlfriend has a 76 1/2 ton 4x4 with the 360. Excellent torque monster. Mild cam 4 barrel aluminum intake really wakes em up.
I believe my favourite truck I've owned was my 68 3/4 ton 4x4 with the 360 and 4 speed. One of those wished I'd never sold it moments.
the f 650 750 had the 361 391 they did have a bigger crank shaft. the last of the big gas was 370 429 lima. or something like that. i had a 534 only for the few months to find out that was not the answer. yanked that out an put a 671 in. i bought a new f100 in 75 with a 360. it was a dog and at 52000 it broke a rod that poked thru the block and knocked the starter off. it was still running i drove it home. the state has sued ford over the problems with the 360. so the warranty was extended to i think 50k. the dealer said mine had to many miles
i dont remember anything good or like able about the 360 now the 351ho i got in 84 was very good 100 times what a 360 was
I guess it depends on the guy, and what he expects out of them, for my uses I liked the 360 better, the 351 ho wrapped up faster but I never got the mileage or the torque I did with a 360. For a quick engine, I liked the 351 ho's, but I also liked the 65 ---67 352 interceptors just as well, maybe better. Both engines to my tastes were better suited in a !/2 ton than a 3/4, I actually liked the way a 300-6 pulled better than the 351 ho. I did like the snappiness of the ho though, just wasn't my favorite by far, 77 up I was pretty much a 460 type of guy.
My other Grandfather had issues with two 360 Fords. One was a 1972 and the other a 1974. Both were F250 Camper Specials. The 72 was an oil burner almost immediately and Ford wouldn't do anything about it. He traded it in on the 74. He didn't learn his lesson. At not very many miles a wrist pin worked out and scored the cylinder wall ruining the block. Ford refused to stand behind it and Grandpa had to buy a new short block for a very new truck. No sign of the wrist pin keeper was found and general consensus was that it was left out at the factory. That's why this side of the family never had much to do with Fords ;) ;D
My Dad bought a brand new 1999 Dodge 1/2 ton with a 360. We were @ an auction one day and he said does it sound funny? I hadn't paid any attention until then and "Whoa that's bad" was my response. Someone didn't put a keeper in a wrist pin on that engine. Chrysler stood behind it and put in a new short block. I told him to insist on a new crate motor but he didn't. They're all good and bad.
I've seen people defend a lemon just because it was their brand, and I've seen people hate on a good truck just because it wasn't their brand. ::)
I have basically always been a ford fan as far as pickups goes, but other than town cars or the older gran marquis, preferred gm for any sporty types.
I am not entirely racist though, as I have and use ford,chebby and even dodge.
I am kind the same way with semi's, I have KW's, a binder and my log truck is even a freight shaker.
For Alaska I prefer a KW, but am more partial to the binder running the lower 48, so it just depends on what I am doing with them.
My grandfather (mom's dad) always had Fords, up until his last vehicle, which was a Toyota 4-Runner. :)
Jim Irving (big forest company up here and oil, all private owned) always had Ford in the woods. His father had the first Ford dealership in NB I believe. But last summer I have been noticing Toyota's appearing in their fleet. ;D
no factory is in the business of selling you the last truck youll ever need. If you want an honest to God bulletproof rig, youll have to collect all the ingredients and build it yourself. And with that said it will either be a tough truck or a comfy truck but rarely both.
I've never came across a Ford V-8 that impressed me very much. They made all the right V8 noises and such, but not much in the way of power or acceleration. I could never understand why they couldn't seem to match a Chevy 350 with anything. The good ol' 350 has set me back in my seat in everything from sports cars to 2 ton dump trucks. Ford's current 5.4 is a very very sad engine, anyone that thinks a Chevy 6.0 is gutless needs to take a spin behind a 5.4 pulling a load. Btw, I could care less about brands I just like stuff that works😊
Ive towed car trailer sized loads, lets say 6k or so.. With a 5.4 triton and a 6.0 chevy that were family members trucks, a few times each. Neither had any issues being in the flattish massachusetts region we were in. but neither were ever gonna compare with turbo diesels up in hill country VT/NH/NY/PA at 26k gross. Both trucks ran until they rotted out and i never worked on either which suits me fine!
A solid 'meh' either way. Passenger pickups. Meh. They both ran better than this 351W turd of mine but its what i got.
I had a k30 SRW with a 350/th400/4.11/32s and headers/dual exh/4bl. It was fair towing around town but needed a 4th gear for interstate and was a slug up any real hills.
My 12v would have beat it in a drag race with the k30 in the bed of the dodge and thats that for me. That foot to the floor and theres nothing left feeling is not ok. I want to know that theres enough power left to explode something important at any given time and any given load. 30psi or bust. They all get 9mpg and i dont feel the maintenance is any worse on a diesel.
If I tried to describe my 5.4 Ford with anything close to an accurate analogy, I might get woodsheded permanently. The 6.2 is a different story, not to mention its in a truck that doesn't ride like a trainwreck.
Just when we were about to empty the ash trays for coins, i get a call to go weld a tractor loader back together tomorrow. Havent even told anyone i was in the fixit biz yet. Thats gotta be a good sign.
I'll be draining the lawn mowers for gas in the morning.
Quote from: mike_belben on February 12, 2019, 07:49:07 PM
I'll be draining the lawn mowers for gas in the morning.
You to 8)
The Chevy 6.0 I had experience with was typically pulling a 6000# load, and it had plenty of power for that. Way better than the 6.5 diesel powered rig it replaced.
A couple logger service trucks pretty well equipped to take care of on the job needs.
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(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/logger_s_supply___service_truck.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1550545830)
Found a scrap of 2" heavy wall EMT that came in the fill dirt and demo piles of last summer, set up my bender and got to work building a filler neck tube. Simple as it is, this thing was a royal pain in the pewp shewt to make. You cant stack bends very close on a 2" x 6.5" centerline radius die and they just werent sharp enough for the tank nozzle junction. Nor was there any room to see anything. My fingertips are the only thing that did any looking in here and it took me a few hours today just getting the boot and hoseclamps on the tank. Dont even know if its gonna stay attached. Had to be 50x crawling under the truck, im about sick of that project.
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Way more trouble than i expected. On the plus side i sold the 42s today for $300 which brings my cash outlay on this truck to about $600 as it sits. Working on a miller bobcat trade and building an engine driven compressor stat.
The box on that F superduty is what i wanna get onto my international in a few years. The quarry had one sitting on timbers in great shape that i bet i can work off pretty quickly. No crane is only drawback
I shoulda got a pic of one of our service trucks today, just to add to the conversation.
I like the way you have your bender set up.
I have always wanted a crane on a service truck, well I should say a nice crane set up. I have built some different ones over the years that were basically get by units.
2 Years ago, we were at an auction where there was a ford service truck. It had a 3208, nice box and crane setup. The problem was you could not crank, nor drive it and it had mechanical problems written on the window. it had a 3208 for power and everybody assumed the worst. The logger I worked for got it for 1250 bucks. I put batteries in it and fired it up, the only mechanical problem it had was a leaking wheel cylinder, everything on the pto driven crane worked including the engine start from the remote, except the fast idle, but the new module for it was in one of the boxes. It did not have an air compressor, but I happened to have a heavy hydraulic industrial comp, that I gave him.
He wound up with a very nice setup for less than 1500 bucks all in, less a welder and torch set up.
Thanks man. Air and welder/genny is all i'd really need to do handrail or mobile roll cage. I have a notcher too.
I never really did auctions. Working at junkyard spoiled me. no bidders, no auctioneer premium or entry fee, and an unlimited amount of time to tinker and kick tires before i bought it or just verbally put something on hold for a few months then change my mind without harm. and it didnt cost me any money either. I brokered equipment sales on commission and worked off all my trades. It was addictive and scored me way too much sweet, sweet junk.
Years ago I traded my busted up goldwing for an 1800 international wrecker. Since I had no use for it, the only logical step was to buy a wrecking yard. It was about as much hobby as it was making a living with it, but I sure had a lot of fun trading for the couple of years I had it.
I have had some pretty good luck at auctions, MOST times. I passed on a super clean first gen dodge cummins dually service truck, because I could not hear it run. It sold for 2500 and ran like a top. If I had jumped in on the bid, it may have went for twice that or more, you just never know.
Well your logic is sound, i will give you that.
What I meant by hobby, was I had and made my living with a dumptruck at the time. The wrecking yard had recently crushed out and didn't have many cars in it. i built it up and it payed the help, payed for a shop I built and before I got rid of it, it was profitting well enough to support a family and all the help, PLUS all the trading I did. It actually was not a bad deal.
Later years I I kind of had another one basically what I accumulated from having a shop and wrecker service for almost 10 years, it is amazing how much stuff a guy winds up with.
No seriously.. Im like wrecker.. Yeah that leads to wrecking yard. Just the natural progression. Wrecker beds should come with demo torches by law.
Quote from: starmac on February 05, 2019, 07:19:51 PM
The reason for the high cost charged by cat on the slope, is they have to fly the mechanics back and forth every 2 weeks. They also have to put them up in a camp and pay for their meals, at probably 200 a day or more a piece. It is just a logistics thing.
They actually lost money when they increased the rate, and now can't keep mechanics as they don't draw wages just because they are there and available.
Good luck running a service truck and keeping a flexible schedule. I ran a couple of them out of my shop for 9 years. It was a 24/7, 365 days a year deal and I had to just dissappear out of town to get any time at all off.
Trucking is not for everybody at all, and really the industry is designed to be a 70 hour or MORE if you run your own, but it has it's rewards too.
My health has pretty much limited me to running my log truck, which is by far the least hours I have ever worked, but also the least money too, but at least I still enjoy it and can somewhat handle it.
I have been reading these posts and will add some comments based on being in the industry, construction and logging for 50 plus years. I do not see how any one with a 1 ton service truck and a good head on their shoulders could operate for much under $100 an hour port to port. You need to get paid to drive to the work. If you were home working in the shop you would be getting paid. You need insurance, + workers comp on yourself, sooner or later you will get hurt. Your truck and tools are not free, again insurance, maintenance, replacement in time. You need to pay your self a living wage and putting some away for retirement. If you are not meeting these requirements you are only fooling yourself and will probably end up with a low SSI payment when you finally draw because your reported income was always low. Remember if you have more work than you can handle and can not keep up, or never home because of to much demand on your time, your rates are to low. You should not be getting every job, that is a warning sign for any business.
When I ran my service trucks, I charged a set rate plus mileage to get to the job, came home on my dime. My rate was a little better than hourly too though. I charged mileage for chasing parts at a slightly less rate, and never done it myself if I could help it, I had several people that chased parts for me, using their own vehicle and gas for a fee.
When I had my shop, I did work for (national break down services) they called me with a number to contact the driver and company that was requesting the repairs, (this is a service provider you pay for referrals) our rate was 85.00 per hour (2 hour minimum) 1.00 dollar per mile and parts were marked up 35% up to 1,000.00 dollars and 30% after that,we turned work down everyday.
These days im driving a pete 379, out 5 or 6 days a week. Not sure what the future holds but im still chipping away at it all as the good lord allows. Thanks to everyone for all the emails and concern. I had to quit playing on the internet to accomplish anything and cold turkey was the only way.
I hear you Mike- I love to be on here, but nothing's getting done when I am. I'm glad to hear that all is well!
Glad to hear from you Mike
Keep the faith
Hi Mike, it's nice to hear from you and have you back on the FF! We all hope your're doing well
Glad to hear you have something going on, hope truckin is treating you good. I have gone back to running my road truck myself.
I keep telling them I'm old, but they don't care and have been trying to run this old man to death. lol
Yeah these hundred hour weeks are making me older, fatter and grayer. But by the good lords grace we are all doing fantastic. Junior turned 6 few days ago, got a special delivery. Wife quit her job to stay home full time. Im dispatching myself and chasing money freight wherever it leads, staying out 7 - 10 days at a time. Bagged sand to pittsburgh right now. They set pipeline ontop of sand bags in the trench for cushion. Load to truck ratio there is good, syracuse was all garbage.
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Good to hear it's working well for you Mike!
Yeah its all great except the blood alcohol limit on a CDL. The only drinkin and drivin i can do now is up and down the street on my mower.
;D
Every now and then you see in the news where someone got busted for OUI on a mower. I wonder if the sobriety tests involve mowing a straight line. :D
Good to hear you've been making some $. Bank it up, this economy has to take a tumble for a year or two at some point, we have been growing like gangbusters since the start of Obama's second term and even though logging is getting the stiff end of things (with farmers) the economy is still strong. A 6 year run without a recession is sort of strange so put aside for the rainy days and enjoy the kids. Watch the junk food on the road, that's a dangerous path! You looked a good bit skinnier a couple of years ago.
Kids look great! Keep us posted on the travels and if you ever come through Front Royal/Winchester/Manassas area give me a call.
I cant mow a straight line sober! And i sure dont wanna go back to starving either!
Bubbles bust. Theres gonna be a lot of liquidation sales i reckon. In economics, its not political or personal, its statistical. High follow lows, lows follow highs. Trends must reverse. The longer a trend is sustained, the more intense must be its reversal. These are laws of economics. wall st/gov can only alter them for so long with bond buying and money printing and so forth. The old rules always come rushing back in and the stacked deck always comes crashing back down.
I cant wait for the crash.
Wyatt what highways are you closest to? I pass winchester pretty often but try to stay out of DC metro, altho theres tons of freight going in that sometimes pays.
I was passing thru upstate NY yesterday and got wined/dined by the king of conesville. Theres nothing flat out there but the surface of the ponds. Every bit as steep as WV, KY or south of pittsburg.
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i recognize those photos! You were in the midtown section of the thriving metropolis of Conesville at the Conesville Country Store. I have eaten there twice in one day. Great place, great folks, great food. Glad you hooked up, hope both you ans Eric are well.
EDIT: Did Eric mention if he got his boom re-welded and back in service?
Mike,
I am almost dead center in Delaplane, VA. Bout 20 mins east of Winchester. I'll sneak some logs on your trailer if you come through.
BTW Mike, welcome to the Catskills. Hope you enjoyed your visit, driving it with a rig is not really very relaxing though. Truly nothing is flay here. WHen Eric says he is "working some steep ground" now you have a good idea what he means. The ponds and reservoirs look flat, but actually I think they are on a slant. ;D :D
I did a job in Tannersville a couple of years ago. Going out 23 through the gorge is something. Nothing flat when you get to the top.
I used to go to westerlo, armenia and hunter mtn with my grandparents actually, im from mass. Its pretty much the same mtns as whats down south around morgantown or asheville.
Loader got fixed today
Mike. I was in your neck of the woods last week. Spent 3 nights working in the Food City that is getting remodeled.
Mike it was good to finally meet you, wish I hadnt been on a dead run trying to get my loader fixed. You've got to stop back when I've got them dancing for dollars next door 😂
Sounds good, I'll raid the kids piggy bank. They'll understand, some day.
Quote from: luvmexfood on July 05, 2019, 05:50:44 PM
Mike. I was in your neck of the woods last week. Spent 3 nights working in the Food City that is getting remodeled.
In tennessee? I havent been there in quite a while! :D
Yes. Crossville
Well im sorry i missed ya. be back anytime soon?
Went fishing with the sennebogen. Got a bite, reeled it in.
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Turned out to be an endangered squirt boom fish. I threw it in my bucket and dragged it home.
Mike did ya grab the snow plow in the first pic???
Nah it dont hardly snow where i live. And thats like a 12ft poly highway plow. Its all for sale, springfield mass.
Not sure if I will be back anytime soon. Still more to do once the contractor gets more work done but I think another crew will be doing it.
Well hollar at me if youre ever back, theres lots of mexican food in town, and a 50/50 chance ill be in the same state.
Boy got a special delivery on his birthday. And dad got a pile of his 8x8 project home.
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Quote from: Corley5 on 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/ (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.
Corley5:
What kind of machine was this?
Fabtek 133 harvester.
A mobile mechanic is going to charge flat rate for travel time plus hourly while on the job. This ain't gonna come cheap. Can you not get it towed to a local shop?
Quote from: wildtmpckjzg on November 17, 2023, 10:45:50 PM
Hi, I'm looking for a mobile mechanic to help me in the Epsom area... I have tried everything with fixing this car and now it won't run at all..!
Epsom area ?? is where?
Found this for Epsom
QuoteEpsom is a town in the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England,
There's a local lad who had wrenched in Alberta and BC for ten years on forestry and industrial jobs. He's got a day job in a shop for an area construction company; but he's glad to come out with his truck for $45 CDN (33 USD) per hour .... and we're glad to pay him!
I'd be more than happy to pay that price, too!
As a mechanic myself I'd leave my tools in the box and pay a competent guy $33 an hour and watch him work.. haha
That's too cheap for an "in shop" rate let alone a mobile guy.
70 bucks an hr for our guy, at the "old customer" rate.
My guy is 125.00 an hr
I charge more than that and I am weeks or months out for customers other than the regulars.
Quote from: chevytaHOE5674 on November 27, 2023, 12:43:27 PM
As a mechanic myself I'd leave my tools in the box and pay a competent guy $33 an hour and watch him work.. haha
That's too cheap for an "in shop" rate let alone a mobile guy.
$45 cash without deductions is darned good money in this part of the country. It's $10 more an hour than what he's making at his day job; and there is probably close to $10 carved off that hourly rate for income tax, Unemployment Insurance, workman's compensation, etc.
Quote from: Kodiakmac on November 28, 2023, 12:37:09 PM
Quote from: chevytaHOE5674 on November 27, 2023, 12:43:27 PM
As a mechanic myself I'd leave my tools in the box and pay a competent guy $33 an hour and watch him work.. haha
That's too cheap for an "in shop" rate let alone a mobile guy.
$45 cash without deductions is darned good money in this part of the country. It's $10 more an hour than what he's making at his day job; and there is probably close to $10 carved off that hourly rate for income tax, Unemployment Insurance, workman's compensation,
Its that way in my area too. But that tool truck costs money to drive and a lot more money than fuel.
I realize things are different regionally, but a mobile service truck is a fixed cost. They are expensive wherever you go. If that kid is working for $45/hr he isn't covering the cost of his service truck. Also, I'd love to have him in my area😁
Quote from: barbender on November 28, 2023, 04:22:12 PM
I realize things are different regionally, but a mobile service truck is a fixed cost. They are expensive wherever you go. If that kid is working for $45/hr he isn't covering the cost of his service truck. Also, I'd love to have him in my area😁
Oh, don't worry. He's already covered it ... and then some. He had it all bought and paid for well before he left Alberta. :)
Still have to recoup the money invested.
$100-$150 here. Some higher. A lot of shop time is 120.
It sounds like you're looking for a way out of that exhausting gig at the quarry. Maybe you can talk to your boss and explain the misunderstanding about the hours? If that doesn't work, finding a service body could definitely open up some options for you.
Quote from: dairyguy on November 28, 2023, 02:44:37 PMBut that tool truck costs money to drive and a lot more money than fuel.
I just got my work truck back from the shop yesterday. I replaced a coil, wire, plugs, etc. on one cylinder in August @ $423. This time it was two coils, etc. @ $640. This is makes a total of 4 coils replaced so when the next one goes out, I'll replace the remaining 4.
I charge the customer 50¢ per mile which hardly covers the fuel & oil changes but it does help. Yes, trucks cost money to operate.
He bought and paid for that truck in Alberta, and now he is giving it away to people a little at a time when he does a service call.
Really no different than if he put money in a piggy bank, and now when he does service he charges $125 an hour. Then take $80 hour out of the piggy bank and give it to the customer, so they only end up paying $45/hr🤷
Geez. I hope he never tunes into Forestry Forum! :D
We'll have him up to $100 an hour just like that😂😂 Just out of pure jealousy that we don't have a $45/hr mobile mechanic😂😂 Do you have his name and cell#?😁
Bobcat in Duluth MN is at $153 an hour and you have to haul it there. If i had to work on the new Bobcats I would want more than that .
I just can't imagine someone that was a successful mechanic in Alberta going to work for $45/hour with a service truck.
Our rates were higher 20 years ago.
If he's willing to work for $45/hour, now is the time to fix all the little ignored items on a machine. :D
He's obviously willing to work for $35 an hour ... because that's what his day job wrenching for the construction firm pays him. So $45 cash per hour (with no deductions) is a gravy train by comparison.
And yes, I keep him busy. :)
I spent half my day laying under a skid steer, water and mud dripping into my face as I arc gouged a seized pin out of its pocket. Thinking to myself I would pay a guy $45 an hour to do the work and I would even let him use my tools and equipment.
I was thinking my $115 an hour was too cheap. Lol