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Folks Of Interest Professional Mechanics

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Truckdoctor Andy, Oct 10, 2019.

  1. trollst
    Joined: Jan 27, 2012
    Posts: 2,108

    trollst
    Member

    Me too, started out as a high school dropout, (neccesity), wrenching on iron, after a bit I realised operating was where it was at, and vowed to be the best I could be. Most guys think the guy they worked for was making money hand over fist and would buy their own iron or truck, only to starve. I vowed to be so valuable that I'd avoid the slowdowns and for the most part, I've run iron for somebody else all my working life, I became a pro in my field and still think I am today, for the most part, loved every moment of it.
    No matter where you go, be the best you can be, good enough is just that, good enough, too many guys are just good enough, be the best. Be the guy an employer can't do without.
    I was never cut out to run my own show, after watching my dad run his, I knew I was better off working for others, and it has served me well. Retired now, good pension, finally working for myself.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2019
  2. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    When applying for a loan , folks must list Thier occupation and past earnings , those are 2 of the indicators financiers use . Vocation , in most cases , implies previous education, of course there are always exceptions to the norm .
     
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  3. some of the most successful buisnesses started out small and grew larger as they became more successful. Wal Mart and kentuckey fried chicken are just two examples.
     
  4. I don’t disagree but my wife for instance has a degree and is currently working in a trade where she is a journeyman. Not arguing your point just one more way people group trades into a stereotype that is not true.


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
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  5. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  6. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    Arthur Collins was a 10 year old winding coils and building home-made radios in his parents garage in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He went into business and it eventually became Collins Radio, later Rockwell Collins, etc. I had a pilot once tell me, "Collins" was the only name on the radios he ever wanted to see climbing into the cockpit.
     
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  7. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    It's certainly not always true , but it is the way things have been viewed for quite some times , there are " tradesman" and there are " professionals" , and until some major shift takes place , I imagine that's the way it will stay , good ,bad or indifferent ..
     
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  8. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    Mechanic is not for everyone.;)
    20191010_223639.jpg
    20191010_223728.jpg
    :eek:
     
  9. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Here's a little reality for you ,in the U.S. , the average automotive technician earns $20 per hr / $40k per year. , The average M.D. earns $187k per year , the average cardiologist is GUARUNTEED $512 k per year , and that's why they can borrow more money ...
     
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  10. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

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  11. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    There are very few " old" Ironworkers" , it's a young man's game !!
     
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  12. And here there are many techs making well over $100k a year, $55-$60 an hour

    My point is I understand lending being dependent on salary, however it should not be based on occupation. I’ve made a lot of money doing jobs that did not require a formal education of any sort.


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  13. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    Wasn't that long ago that a ASE Master technician from one of the other shops in town brought me a BW T10 4 speed to rebuild. Never could figure out why.
     
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  14. '51 Norm
    Joined: Dec 6, 2010
    Posts: 829

    '51 Norm
    Member
    from colorado

    I remember that book! I think that I was in 4th or 5th grade when I read it. That is what got me into drafting classes.
    I later figured out that there was a difference between engineering and drafting. The drawing skills; and the ability to visualize what went where have served me well.
     
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  15. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Most of these computer techs weren't born when the last t-10 was built ...
     
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  16. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    Or basic hand tools and a press. :confused:
     
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  17. John Morrell received $6 when he turned 16. Instead of joining his fathers rag and bone business he bought the best cow he could buy for $6 . and slaughtered it and sold the meat internals and all the other parts. When his father asked John stated I sold the meat and intestines for $6. his father asked wheres the profit in that? John replied I sold the hide for 50 cents. At that time a half dollar was a weeks wages. John repeted process every day the And that was the start of the Morrell packing co. & the Chicago stockyards. never borrowed a penny. After Henry Ford lost his first car Co. He went to Visit Morrell. seeking a investor. Morrell never lent him a dime. Instead took him on a tour of his plant. Told Ford its a disassembly line. To build vehicles you need to have a assembly line.
     
  18. My Grandma retired from Collins as a cost accountant. She worked there long enough to have known Art Collins. Small world, by the way Truck64, I’m an Iowa native.


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  19. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    Yeah it's a small world, but I'd hate to have to mow it. The Collins story is cool, the US Navy was on some expedition, exploring the south pole about 1920 and they couldn't communicate with the gubbmint back home on their radio sets. In fact the only one who could reliably pick up their broadcasts, was Art, in his garage. LOL. So they used him, I guess. It was in the newspapers at the time, it was a big story.
     
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  20. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,442

    Boneyard51
    Member

    James, as you well know, transmissions are kinda like a puzzle! All the pieces have to fit and sometimes there’s a secret to getting them apart.......and back together! I always liked working on a transmission I had never worked on before......to learn those secrets!
    Maybe that tech didn’t like puzzles???




    Bones
     
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  21. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    I found most of my secrets through logic. ;)
     
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  22. drtrcrV-8
    Joined: Jan 6, 2013
    Posts: 1,707

    drtrcrV-8
    Member

    2OLD2FAST : yes, parts of Ironworking are a young mans game :"rods"(rebar), connecting(the guys "playing catch" with the crane operator), Heavy Welding, etc. But as we got older we learned to find a 'spot' for ourselves as Foremen, superintendents, or trouble-shooting specialists(after 30yrs in the shops, I was often the "fixer" when a major part arrived at the 'job-site' that was so wrong that it just 'wouldn't fit', & my job was to as rapidly as possible re-work it so it would be useable, thus allowing the structure erection to continue on schedule. Also my Shop skills allowed on-site fabrication to custom- make the parts to fit as needed. No, I wasn't hired to do "rods", or to "connect", but I've done "bolt-up"(the crew that follows the "connectors" to finish attaching the beams that the "connectors" have' "landed" (put in place with 2 bolts on each end so the "bolt-up" crew can come along behind & "stuff" the rest of the holes with bolts & torque them). Another job the older IW's take is "Hook-On", which is rigging (attaching) the slings & chokers properly to the beams(& other objects) being "flown"(raised) by crane to the connectors to be installed. Hope this shows that , as we age, we need to find where/how we fit into our chosen fields to continue "working smart" instead of just "hard"!
     
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  23. I met Harland Sanders in 1963. At that time, the brand was unknown in Canada and he was working to expand the first out of country KFC franchise. He was doing a promotional for the newly established franchise in Vancouver.
    At the time I was going to university and was working part time as a bellman at the hotel where he was staying. He was always dressed just like his caricature, and was a very nice guy.
    I'll bet he wasn't over 5 ft tall, but he had obviously enjoyed a lot of his secret recipe, because his girth made up for his stature.
    If you you read his history, he had done many things in his life, and didn't become the famous person we think of today until after he sold his gas station and retired.
    Bob
     
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  24. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Not many spaces for the older guys , not too many want to walk the steel rigging either , I remember 40 years ago watching guys hunched over all day tieing mats. You ain't gonna do that too long !! You've been fortunate !
     
  25. Binkman
    Joined: Nov 4, 2017
    Posts: 378

    Binkman
    Member

    Retired after 34 years as a heavy duty fleet mechanic and welder/fabricator.
    I worked for a big utility. I retired because of all the paperwork/compliance/ management BS.
    It got to the point where I was spending 25 % of the time actually fixing things and 76% office time.
    I retired at 55 10 years ago and have not missed it one bit.
    They tried to get me back several times but no deal.
    It seems there is a shortage of qualified mechanics (on the West Coast anyway).
    We did a lot of compliance inspections as well as repairs. Cal OSHA, OSHA, CHP, BIT inspections, etc.
    By the time I left there were 14 different inspection forms to be filled out and filed.
    Everything from facility records, vehicle records, the equipment, the chemicals, the licenses of the employees, the medical cert's, etc.
    I am glad I am out of it.
     
  26. Ive often thought the best kind of business would be something you never had to baby set. Something like a self service landromat or car wash. something that makes money while you are sleeping and required a minimal amount of your personal time. A guy in south Ark has oil wells on his place. Gets a royality. Also gets paid to keep those one cyl pump engines running. To boot in the winter he collects the excess well head gas and mixes it with regular pump gas to run his stuff.
     
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  27. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    When I was turning wrenches I was a master ASE tech. What I am seeing today is totally different. A lot of the techs that I see I wonder how they get dressed in the morning, and they are ASE techs
     
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  28. I was ASE certified in a few areas, like I said earlier, the car business was DEAD when I got into it. A lot of shops were closing all the time. But the education was one thing, translating it to your hands is another.

    I know one guy, he's about 58, still working as a union iron worker in NYC. He posts dizzying pictures from scary heights. Those are the jobs to have if the shops stay busy. Good pension goes a long way. I saw no future in fixing cars, they would promise you everything but a good retirement. So when the opportunity came up to work for a good shop in a big company, I grabbed it. 38 years through about 12 name changes, I'm still there and took them up on the IRA plan 36 years ago. Everyone tells me that I will retire well and I'm starting to believe them. I have the 401k plus 2 pensions, one has a lump sum option worth over $100k.

    My son, the rock star. He is the gear cutter in a small shop that offers very little and he just turned 27... time to get going I told him. He's going to sign up for the NYC sanitation test soon, but will have to give up tours to Europe and all over the country. Time to grow up kid! The punk-rock market is fairly saturated.
     
  29. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    1 round of medical" Let's all guess what's wrong" and that 100k will be a fond memory , good luck And good health in your retirement !
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
  30. I once remarked to a person what a good job they had. It was the job working at the dump running the dozer and pushing the garbage in a hole ad covering it with dirt. and they got to keep all the (Good Stuff). They replied yes its great however you could get tired of a job eating ice cream. There are some places that only work their help 4 ten hour days. that way the workers get a three day weekend every week. That dozer job at the dump was a 4 day job. My days of selling part of my life to others are hopefully in the distant past. However this thread does have some very good info and different ideas.
     
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