Hi everyone im new to forum and ill start out by sayin im a 23yr old equipment operator at a strip coal mine in ohio ive worked here sinse i was 18 and mostly run 320-345 hoe and d3-d9 dozer and loaders 992c for 3 yrs but anyway im looking to go out on my own im thinking bout doing equipment repair and welding fabrication with a service truck and in a shop that i plan on expanding in future. I already do repair work on side and have pretty gd reputation and my family also owns a welding shop. I also have sum equipment such as kubota kh191 hoe and jd 450b dozer wit winch and a 96 ford l9000 single axle dump truck with marmon hertington 4wd and 84000mi its my pride and joy but this would be the truck i woild put service bed on So is there any advice or tips or ideas on how to set up ultimate service truck for ag and mining equipment repair and welding?
The truck had a service bed on it b4 i bought it but i jus bought the truck as a chassis and wound up cuttin a 14ft dump bed down and puttin on it but am thinkib bout crane body again. I like the looks of the maintainer brand with a tall tower 14000 lb crane and built in welder and hyd air. But im afraid. Price be to much
HUMMMMM, A person with a good job and wants to start out on his own in this economy. To me not a good idea, but everyone is a dreamer, including me. I would continue working on the side. I dont know about your area, but its tough out there, especially for a new business. The guys out there now are doing the work almost for nothing, just to exist, yep Im one of them also. I have seen a bunch of new people go out of business, in the last 7-8 years, all types of business I own 4 dumps trucks and has been realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lucky to working on State highway jobs, in my area. If it wasnt for the State work I would be out of business also Good Luck I know you were not looking for negative things
Willis your not first to tell me this thats why im really thinkin long and hard and looking at all the outcomes before i do sumthin stupid. If i deciede to set up a truck it will prob be bases on a contract with the small company i work for. Because they have welders/mechanics retiring and have older trucks. The idea of subcontracting has been brought up before. This company also runs lot of older equipment which would be plus i think as far as simplicity. I often help work on equipment for the company now but not at a pay rate which i would like and if i had own setup i would hope to make more money.
Well... do you have two sets of small tools, one for the truck and one for yourself at home or shop? Next question, how are you covering your tech manual needs? Third, benefits... They can be hard and expensive as a self employed mechanic vise a union equipment operator. Think wife and kids... The other trend that I see is the money is tight for those that are workin. Meaning repairs are patches until better times... Honestly if I was in your shoes, I'd lean towards getting an older triaxle, leasing on with a large quarry or contractor, pay the driver a percentage of what the truck makes, and keep my day job. Just expect to work the quarry from, 9-5 and wrench from 5-9, but on your own stuff.
Union hahaha o thats funny nope not union where im at. As far as manuals those are all kept at the main shop and provided to the mechanics as needed and tools i got decent amount but cud use more larger tools. As for insurance and benifits them are slowly becoming less and less. My plans as far as insurance for medical wud be to get on with girlfriend which is a E.R. Nurse so that wud help
tWell I am usually one of the members that caution folks wanting to start a new business and rightly so. It's tough to make a business successful in "normal" times (whatever they are) much less trying to start a business in this economy. With that being said, today I took a friend of mine to the shop he uses to pick up his tandem that quit on the side of the road last Thursday. The truck and equipment repair shop is not large, the building is probably 7K SF but they were busier than a 1 leg'ed man at a butt kickin' contest. They had everything from 6.0 Powerstrokes (big surprise there ) to KW 900's to a Bobcat T300 being worked on. While I was there (30 mins) two more trucks pulled in. They had probably 20 different vehicles and equipment they were working on. Now the man that owns the shop has a great reputation and it shows in how busy he is. He's probably forgot more about repairing trucks and equipment than I will ever know. With companies having to run what they have for the small amount of actual business that is out there and no money to buy new, a good mechanic and shop can carve out a niche in this horrible economy. First of all you need the ability (tools, shop, service truck) and the knowledge to be a damn good mechanic. Second and just as important, you need to have the contacts and networking to get the work. It's just as much about "who you know" as "what you know". You have to have both of those components to be successful. Sounds to me like you are putting both of those components together. Think your plans through thoroughly before making a move. You may want to expand your wrenching on the side to get your name out there more before quitting your regular job. Good luck!
I've been self employed, working out of a service truck now for over 25 years. I've had numerous guys come to me and tell me they wanted to "Do what you do". Most of them being dealer mechanics wanting to go out on their own. Most of them think they can make more money on their own. But what most of them don't think of is when your truck needs to be worked on or even just washed, it's you who gets to do it and you pay for it. When you need parts you're the one finding them and often picking them up. When you make a mistake, and you will, it's you covering the loss. Many 8 hour days will only produce 6 hours or less of chargeable time. Then there is the paperwork and the taxes ect. There's always more tools needing to be bought. Having said all this, I still would have a hard time going to work for someone else. Being told what to do and when everyday is something I don't handle well. I love most of the challenges involved with my business but paperwork is my biggest problem. If you've looked at all the angles and still want to do it then go for it. Just remember that in the end, you will make more money working for someone else. But if money isn't everything then being on you own is well worth it.
I've been on my own for 15 years. Everything excavator said is absolutely correct. I've been with one business for the last 8 years, great for more steady income. Still have to take care of all my own stuff, truck, paper work, etc. Figure out what your going to be doing most of the time and setup your truck and tooling for that.
Thanks guys for all the reply's so far. I still am not positive on what i want to do. My current foreman is helping push me into looking for something else. He is a micro manager and we often clash because im more of a self thinker. For example i got moved to this pit to load coal with 345d, and i set up a water pump where i wanted it. Well the foreman came down and raised hell because it wasn't where he wanted it and wanted it moved over a few feet. I askef why and he said because he the foreman and its his job to make desicions. None of my other foremans acted like that. They liked a self thinker. I like working for the company anyone of the four pits are within 30 min of home. But top pay is only 15 hr and i was makin that when i started while this aint to bad when you get 60-70 hrs a week. There just aint much to look forward to. No room for advancement. I feel like i could be more. The mechanis and welders within the company only make 15 hr but have truck provided which leave alot to be desired. And they still got buy most tools.
Excavator pretty much hit it on the head. As far as buying a dump truck and putting it out with a hired driver, run as fast and far as you can from that idea. Gave it up around here in 2003. Nothing left for the owner when it is all over and done and you will wind up working on it half the night to have it ready for the next day when things go wrong.
So what if i deciede to put crane body on my truck and got a contract setup with garanteed amount of hours a week. What kinda insurance would i need on truck and possibly for 1 employee? Does having a crane raise insurance? Im sure it does.
Your insurance man is the one to give the answe on the crane. If you put on hired help you are going to need workman's compensation as a bare minimum to cover him. You will need liability insurance of some type in addition to the coverage on the truck. Why in the h--- do you want to take on hired help at this stage of the game?
all the previos people are rite,and have the exspiereince to prove it,if you want to do it,do it.nothing you can set up will guarantee success,after five years its almost guaranteed if you make it that long it suits you and continue your knowledge of your trade will sharpen then you will hit your stride and you will look back and wonder why you even wooried about working for your self. as for quiten for full time employement,if you have side work make your self more available to the customers you have now,see if they have more for work you,build your truck and start to ramp up its only a big tool box every one has one of those. when the customers know you will come when you say your commin they will have more work for you.when you have more work than you can handle after work take a sick day or call in,work for your customers,days pay is a days pay. you will have a while before yor boss gets sick of you.but it takes dedication and loyalty to yor pocket and your customers that is really your guarantee. now is the best time to be in service.........no one has money for new please fix it.$$$$$$$$$ cant afford new.and 1 last thing do not be affraid to answer your phone its a sign of integrity....because it could always be more work or somthing you worked on aint rite,have integrity, warranty calls if handled properly can add up to more $$$$$$$$$$$ and better customer repore,because they see you back up yor work and are more apt to call again,then 25 years go by
The reason i asked bout hired help is because i currently pay my cousion to help me on side sometimes. He jus graduated and is looking for a job. He usually helps me in the garage or doin excavating. I have been doin side jobs sinse i was 16, that include several undercarriages on dozers, complete tear down and rebuild of a 1010 dozer, prob 20 or more farm tractor i have split, complete rebuilds of engines everything from perkins to cat. I also worked for a pallet company while i was in school and i maintained saws and forklifts and trucks. I do sum side jobs with the trackhoe or dozer i own also. Im knw around my area as the workaholic. My other concern is i jus bout a house which my girlfriend and i live and im worried that if we have kids, i wont get a chance to go on my own very easily
kids thats the tough part
Than don't have kids. That is a real no brainer.