Hello everyone,I have been an automotive tech for 23 years. Recently I was offered a job as a heavy equipment mechanic with a concrete construction company. I have very little diesel experience. Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or thoughts about making this move. Thanks
Buy bigger sockets and wrenches and prepare to get dirty. There is a reason the standard garb is a one piece zip suit. Heavier and bigger pieces, but no less precision is needed. Howard
Until recently I liked it much better than regular automotive. Parts are big and heavy it is true but standardization is much better. Now with the crazy emissions systems and some more vertical integration that is not necessarily true any more but still better than cars for the most part I think.
I started out at fourteen washing parts and sweeping floors in a truck shop. First real paying job was working foreign car repair to get started then auto machine. While I worked those jobs I also worked nights and some weekends on truck diesel. Left the auto repair years ago and never looked back. I would rather have to work on the crappiest truck made than have to work on a Saab or Fiat ever again. Go for it- you might just like it. Truck Shop
It always seemed to me that automotive was a lot more frustrating. Tighter and didn't seem like they were as logical. Of course I'm talking about the newer cars. Older ones were a pleasure to work on most of the time. Machines are simpleish. Dig dirt. Done. I turned wrenches on heavy machinery for 16 years. Loved it most days. Gods shop is great place to work. It has its days though. Occasionally you are loading up 5 gallon buckets of tools and taking an interesting ride. If the money and details are right, go for it.
I started as an auto mechanic in 1976 and was offered a job with a pipeline construction company in 1979. I was surprised that heavy equipment and diesel trucks were easier and more enjoyable to work on. I weighed 145 pounds back then and quickly learned that heavy objects can be overcome without brute force in most cases.
I started part time working on trucks and diesel engines. Did that for 4 years or so through 2 years of college. Then I transferred to a 4 year university and took a job working on cars. That sucked. Pay was lousy. Everything was cramped. Had to buy all kinds of metric tools that I never needed before. I lasted one year part time. The rule of mechanics is this: the more something has to run to make money, the more someone will pay you to fix it. So, at the bottom of the totem pole is small engines and cars. You are dealing with the general public and competing with everyone. The next tier up is trucks. If the truck isn't running, it's not making money. Owners are motivated to take care of the equipment to make the most money. Up from there is heavy equipment. The reason is that it's often impossible or impractical to move it, so you are expected to fix it onsite. That means less competition and better pay. I work in the world of machine tools. It's very similar to heavy equipment. I go into machines shops and fix machine tools, CNC machines, and robots. They are very complicated, have to run to make money, and are not practical to move. It's nice because I am usually working in a well equipped machine shop with pretty sharp people around. It also pays very well. The distances I travel are greater than the average heavy equipment guy though.
True. The top of that totem pole is oilfield, especially when you're wrenching for the owner of the well. If a gas compressor or pipeline pump is making them a quarter million bucks a day, they don't mind paying you top dollar for standby asstime.
The BIG THING about working in the concrete field is the "crust".. EVERYTHING is covered in concrete dust and HAS TO BE chiseled off.. before you can get a wrench on a bolt.. and its a big PITA.. You might want to pay an EXTRA visit to the service area that you'll be working in and check out what I just said.. it might make you change your mind or atleast give yourself an idea what your in for.. They make tools to break slag.. namely, needle scalers.. or air hammers.. its VERY DO ABLE but mind boggling if not prepared for it.. Good luck in your new venture.. TPG
Sounds right. I think of something like a nuclear power plant on shut down. Highly dangerous, highly regulated, no room for errors. The guy working nuke plant shutdowns do real well. Although, most of is is union work and I suspect it's one of the few cases were the union actually holds down the wages.