Newbie.. So hopefully this isnt a terrible start I have a bobcat I use on my property and dont have a trailer. Local dealers will come out but charge an arm and a leg. Does anyone know a method to find bobcat techs that work after hours? I have a leak and dont have time to fix it but would happily pay someone vs the dealer. Anyone have any advice? Atlanta area helps but if someone has ecommendations on where to look I would be appreciative.
I don't know how bobcat is, but at most dealers, working on stuff like that after hours is frowned upon and sometimes a fire-able offense
An most of the time its not worth the hassle
What is wrong with the unit?
MOST TECHS have their name and place of business on their shirts.. Just go to the "local" resturants at lunch and wait.. They'll be there...offer them 1/2 of the hourly shop rate + parts and they'll jump ALL OVER IT!! AND BE "DARN SURE" YOU TELL THEM YOU"LL KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED !!!! ***SIDE NOTE>>"not that I know anything about "above subject"..lol
My experience has been a bit different. A good Mechanic can bring a potential customer into a dealership. It all about building relationships. If your sales staff can't make it happen, sometimes the service staff can.
I hack a lot of people off because I won't do side work. I make good money and work damn hard during the day. I owe no one no favors. I understand the position your in but it is not worth costing a man his job. Had a guy that saw my truck in the drive way come by. He got really upset that I would not come by and work on his jcb. This was not a man I knew or had seen before. How do I know/ trust a guy to pay me and keep his mouth closed. I don't want to sound like a jerk but, if you want to play, you have to pay. I would look for a local repair man not with a dealership. These trucks and mechanical skills don't come cheap. The older I get the more MY time is worth.
Ive had the exact same thing happen at least 2 dozen times. I even had one guy, who I did not know,ask me to do side work and then call my boss and complain about me,claiming I refused to work on his gear. Now I DO refuse to work on his stuff.
Have you tried google for a local mechanic? I would think the most cost effective way would be to rent a trailer and take it in. We charge $3.50 per mile + drive time and $115 an hour. Shop rates are cheaper. Do you know what the leak is? Pump, Motor, cooler, or could just be a hose. I have worked on one bobcat at it was tight. May be time to get your hands dirty. I know when you open the machine, it looks like a big spaghetti bowl. Just mark the lines and you will be fine. Now, I am sorry for the rant. My job and this truck are an investment in my family. I refuse to lose a job that has helped with getting married, buying my first house, and the birth of my son. No one goes to anyone else and says, "Can you do your same job for a fraction of the cost so I can save a dollar oh and possibly get you fired?".
That is great! You did the exact right thing and this guy still tries to make trouble for you.
call a local tow service. most will haul your bobcat to the dealer on a roll back for a couple hundred bucks round trip
Ask at a parts store or industrial supplier they may be able to offer some recomendations. Ask if he knows Bobcats, half price isn't a bargain if he takes twice as long.
I agree with DeanM, the local Napa store should know the local independent guys very well! However they should also charge as much or nearly as much as the dealer! caterpillarmech thanks for posting your rates, do you charge that 3.50 both directions? I am about to increase my rates again because i am quadroupling my lability coverage and cost, besides everything else is getting more expensive! Holy crap a new service truck full spec after all taxes is $200,000 (insert tiny violins playing), lol...........theironoracle
Yes $3.50 per mile round trip. our labor rate has gone up to 120 and now drive time at 40 an hour plus the mileage. I saw guys in west Texas charging $350 an hour as no one would go out that far. I did 500 miles in one day to go flip a switch for a customer and they got the full charge as it was the third time to do the same thing.
It happens a lot in this industry. I know a friend, a mech for CAT and he wont work on friends equipment. But I dont blame him. Most companies frown apon kt but, if they were to dismiss you from your job over that, thats not a company id work for. Im a millright and I do sidework for friends and family cause im good at my jobs. If my work thinks im taking work away from them (which im not, I fix there stuff all day long) then send me packin. I was looking for a job when I got this one and you were looking for techs too. Skilled labour is hard to find, skilled labour that looks at solutions to problems is even harder to find. But each to his own, what I do after work is my bussiness, not my works bussiness.
I don't think most companies would get too upset if say one of their techs worked on their brothers skidsteer on the weekend unless they were driving the company service truck 50 miles away to do it. Now I could understand if this tech was servicing and repairing some contractors equipment on the side. I have only done two or three side jobs in the last 40 years or so and they have been only for friends and neighbors. I've got too many projects of my own to be spending time working on someone elses stuff and not getting paid half what I do at work.
Absolutely. If you're on your own time in the evening or at weekends have at 'er but don't use the company's resources (service truck, tools, etc) to do the work. That could get you into a world of hurt.