Just seeing what others have learned the hard way. My first lesson in the field was make sure you can get the fill plug out in one piece before you take the drain plug out. My most reasent was don't park your truck by the machine your gonna move. Especially if you aren't aware that the machine only pulls on one track until warmed up. I did get it stopped before I hit my truck.
I could go on and on with this but top 3 1.Carefully open the boxes of the fancy new expensive parts as more than once you have ordered the wrong part, parts person ordered the wrong part or you may not use it in the end and need to return it (also I have seen component core boxes get thrown out so the good cores could not get returned) 2. Check S/N of the equipment before starting work. I once worked at a truck dealer and our biggest customer would have 5-6 trucks at a time in the yard for work, all looked the exact same except s/n and unit number - again more than once the wrong truck got something disassembled when it was perfectly fine and another truck was the one that needed the repair 3. Never throw out old parts until the customer has signed the bill/taken the machine away and/or given the ok to throw out. 9 of 10 times they don't want to see the old parts but the one time you throw them out is when they demand to see the parts before they pay their bill - and usually as the scrape metal bin is being hauled away. Also once we had very expensive pilot lines someone had set in a garbage can to finish draining and some work experience students thought they would help out and take out the garbages - by the time the mechanic came back for the lines an hour later the garbage truck had come. Off to the dump where 5 of the 6 lines were found. This is more of very unfortunate timing but I guess the lesson here is if your new or not sure always check before doing tasks you think can do no harm ! Ok so I guess that was my top 4
If your wife asks if her butt looks fat in those jeans, don't say yes.
Always replace the inner steering bushings on a timberjack skidder while the transmission is out. And yes don't tell your wife her butt looks fat in those jeans even if you are partial to that sort of thing, she won't understand.
Even new parts can be bad. Never plan on being able to get something done in a certain amount of time even if you have done it before. Cheap,good and fast never go together. If things start going wrong some times its because you need to get some sleep.
Never trust the fuel guage on a Super Duty. Two skidders do not pull twice as much wood as one. Cash flow is not profit.
Never set the full drain pan/pail right below where you step off the machine after you start it to check for leaks on your way to empty said pan/pail....
Wheeled excavators can have the ability to take out their own cab. learned by another tech at our shop If you are beating sprockets off, put your damn face shield on. Don't put a tube of super glue in your shirt pocket especially if you're a hairy fellow. that one hurt.
[QUOTE Don't put a tube of super glue in your shirt pocket especially if you're a hairy fellow. that one hurt.[/QUOTE] also don't put the tube in your mouth while you are fixing the plastic dash panel.(that you did not take out to glue & glued your finger to) then relies that the tube had a small hole in it & glued your lips together!!! A past boss did this while trying to glue a crack back together on a dump truck.. & then with his free hand called me, im going huh whats wrong speak up?? when I get back to the shop here he sits hand glued to dash, tube of glue in his lips like a cigar, hes still trying to mumble & im bout to fall down im laughing so hard I got the raise I wanted to not tell anyone bout that afternoon..
I would have died laughing walking into the shop seeing that and btw how did you get everything apart Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
Don't pick a fight with the safety man those guys have no sence of humer. Get a and check parts b4 u start swinging the spanners been caught out a few times. Make sure sump plug is in b4 u start filling with oil,oil is deer and bosses don't like it when u waste it. Double check ur work come backs and or pooling water are very embarrassing I once put a 1 percent fall on a pad but dialled in the percent the wrong way ( not good ) . Measure 2 times cut once. Just to name a few it's a big list but that's how u learn.
Just because an A/C condenser looks badly damaged and the compressor has no belt on it, it does not mean the system isn't still holding pressure. (a) when you pop an A/C snap lock fitting, you cannot reconnect it until all the gas has escaped, dammit, lol I was younger then....
Yair . . . And make sure it's tightened. I have seen a few fall out over the years and we introduced a system of wiring the plugs and a sign off in the log book. We bought a new Navara diesel tilly a few years back, drove it home and noticed an oil-drip on the drive way . . . got under and checked and the sump plug was holding by one thread . . . it happens. Cheers.
funny stuff
Ha! The guy that taught me would use a 4 pounder to hammer on the allen wrench to tighten em. I used to hate changing drive oil- the plugs were so effing tight. Finally looked up the specs- 45 ft/lbs. Headache solved.
buddy just picked up a brand new Pete 388 third trip out the front rear walked the fill plug out of the diff. put two gallons of gear oil in it to limp it back to the dealer. EVERY SINGLE drain and fill plug on the truck took at least 1/2 turn to make tight
if I remember right (its been a few years back) acetone to get his fingers loose. trip to hospital to get the tube & lips unglued..:lmao still laugh bout that. he wouldn't let me see if I could get the tube/lips loose :lmao :lmao
Some jobs are not worth triple time Put roll off cable on backwards once Put wrong radiator in truck once cab over vs conventional
Drain plugs, fill and level plugs are either in and tight, or out. Seen to many where the plug is sat back in the hole to be tightened later then something happens and its forgotten. In the field check the serial number matches the repair order. one of our young guys didnt and serviced the wrong machine last week. Take care around hot cooling systems.
Got a new boat a few years ago, took it for its maiden voyage and forgot to put the drain plug in, took on enough water before I realized it we were close to sinking. The moral to this story -before boat comes off trailer be sure plug is in properly!
There was a video of a boat coming in to the landing a few years ago still attached to the trailer. You didn't do bad in comparison.
If you leave the job site with a feeling that something isn't right, plan on coming back. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
If you have a transmission out for any reason replace the engines rear crankshaft seal. I've seen too many guys complain about having to pull the trans again a year later because the seal started leaking. Their response is " well it wasn't leaking when I had the trans out".
I allways leave the oil dipsticks on the drivers seat when changing oils.When your phone rings all the time it's easy to get distracted. Don't eat yellow snow.
For me, its always use the battery disconnect, or isolating power. I was working on the fuel system of an old, and oily engine. While I was removing a bolt, my hand slipped and my tool ended up shorting the power wire on the starter. Sparks lit the side of the engine on fire! It was quick extinguished, and no damage resulted, but that was pure luck. I did that while I was an apprentice, and I'm sure to lock out machines now.
How about when trouble shooting a problem find out what was done last. Many times the last thing worked on can cause the problem. Another when faced with the problem of fixing something you can not be 100% sure what is causing the problem Start with the easy ones and the cheapist ones. That way you don't waste time or money on the big things only to find the problem was some thing simple and cheap. Plus if you replace a $50 part and it does not solve the problem boss will not get as upset as when you replace the $500. part and it still won't work. One more. When looking at oil leaking off a machine always look up! Oil like **** usally flows down hill.
Big 10-4 there. first thing i usually ask the customer is what did you/ your guys do before you called me? 9 times out of 10... You guys know the rest of the story.
Ive got another one. Saw a guy do it the other day. He had the seat and both left and right consoles apart on a pc300 trying to diagnose some electrical gremlins when he decided to try and start the machine. He didn't realize that something was sitting on one of the joysticks and the stick went right through the ceiling in his shop before the engine stopped. Luckily he wasn't under any rafters. He climbed out and the only thing he said was " I guess I'm putting my exhaust fan here" lol lesson learned was to make sure when you start a machine you aren't pushing any extra levers or switches Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
Just learned this lesson today. Don't chip hot slag with your mouth open.
Let me guess, 7018 and right on the center of your tongue?
Lol been there too only mine hit my lip and just out of instinct I licked it with the slag still stuck to my lip Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
Yep 7018
#1That is the reason I wear ear plugs when welding. Nothing like the sizzle of ear wax when a piece of splatter gets you. #2 Make sure you are trouble shooting a real problem. Kept looking and 120h warning lights from the ground only to find it was the park brake light still on not the electrical warning! #3 KISS Keep it simple stupid. Don't over complicate problems. Keeping a level head goes a lot further than panicked troubleshooting. #4 Have fun. Look at jobs like a challenge. I enjoy my jobs and customers everyday. Don't hate your job. If you do, maybe it is time to do something else.
Learned today. Don't let customer use your cash account with a company even though he is paying with credit card. Parts guy was busy so he sent parts out ups then ran card at end of the day. Card was no good. Parts I my name do I had to pony up &400.
Don't trust operator and service manuals to tell you "The whole Story" Had a 988H that the indicator on dash lit up saying the trans filter was plugged. Chased that problem for months as it would come and go on it's own schedule, maybe days between events. As a shot in the dark and very low cost I installed ground to the terminal of the monitor panel that is connected to the wire that goes to the filter plugged switch. This eliminated any possible problem in the wire from the switch. Still got the intermittent plugged filter indication :Banghead While talking to dealer tech service person he decided that the monitor panel/ECM was the likely cause and would need to be replaced. Checked price and availability, close to $1,000 He had said that getting access to our company ET computer would probably only tell me what I already knew, plugged filter indication and dates it happened. Well as luck would have it I was able to get the ET computer that we have to share between other locations, that's another story ointhead. Loader came in for some service work and I had a few free minutes so just for kicks I hooked it up to see what if anything it would show. To my surprise it showed ZERO, NONE, ZIP records of plugged filter But then I notice that it was showing over heating events that seemed to coincide with the "plugged filter" problem Well to make this long story a little shorter, seems the manuals totally failed mention that a temperature switch on the transmission also controls this indicator that is mislabeled "plugged filter".:Banghead Once this fact was learned a little search in wiring diagram pointed the offending temperature switch. New switch installed and four years later it's working just fine!
Long story short Very large Volvo in a granite quarry. Year before operators claim to owner "transmission locking up" In it goes to the dealer to take a look at the transmission "changed some parts". Next season year same problem. Turns out it was the parking brake and a burnt out idiot light. I had no electrical tools but a test lite. Opened electrical panel behind seat it had about 24 square relays one was pretty warm changed that one. wonder how many thousands were spent before that not to mention production loss trucking etc
Heh I got involved in one of those instances several years ago when I was a kid. Neighbor up at the family lakeplace forgot to put the plug in his boat. I told him several times while he was drinking beer with my dad...told him it was sitting lower in the water and taking water. He kept blowing me off "It's rainwater kid" Finally about the fifth time I bugged him he said "Dammit I'll come take a look". Sure enough by the time he got there to take a look it was truly half-way sunk...full of water. We grabbed a spare plug and he put it in and then we helped him bail it out... Good times! If you're bored, go to a public boat landing on a Saturday. It's always extremely entertaining...and if you're lucky, someone will launch their tow vehicle instead of just the boat. Somebody launched a company truck at one of our boat landings a few years ago...a company truck they weren't supposed to be using for personal use...bet that was a fun conversation with the boss.
I didnt do this one but customer did. Put battery charger on 80 amp engine start to jump off john deere 3038e tractor. New fuel shutoff solenoid and instrument cluster and battery it is fixed
If you take one small posted dated check the customer will want to give you one the next time for a bigger amount tell you that it will be good in 3 wks.
there are so many here are my top 3 1-always make sure hydraulic pressure is relieved before removing 4 inch hose 2- Do not stand in front of said hose 3-Dish washing soap really works great as body wash.
That's great.... one of mine is: "Just because an AC condenser looks damaged, that doesn't mean there's no pressure in the system." Followed by:"You cannot reconnect a snaplock AC connection under pressure." Whoops.....
Dear Past; Thank you for all the lessons learned. Dear Future; I am Ready.
Don't expect an operator to stop a machine just because of a blown hydraulic hose (988B) had one one travel to me rather than call me up, drained most of the tank.
You're just an mechanic. ....I mean he's an operator.
Always pull the engine oil dipstick before starting anything, had a customer send a young laborer up to push off a few stumps with an older case dozer in a seldom used pit, well an oil drip once an hour can become a whole pan in a few weeks, needless to say not good. Eaton fuller clutch forks need to be dropped after going over throw out bearing. Don't bring your dog to a jobsite that doesn't have an out house.
The"we don't use it much" always is a red flag to me.
Lol. This reminds me of a conversation I had many years ago. Working on a government road job, a backhoe operator comes over to me and says "I've broken one of the hoses off the four clamp thingys on the backhoe and it's leaking some oil on the floor". Well, he obviously means one of the hydraclamp lines so I say " Yeah, it's just a 1/4 inch hose, it can only be a dribble. I'll come over when I've finished this job." Twenty minutes later he comes over again and says "Can you come soon? The environmental inspectors are getting a bit antsy about it" So I pack up the service truck and mosey on over to find an eight foot wide pool of hydraulic oil with six people shovelling the contents of three spill kits to try and keep it contained. Says I "Why don't you stop the engine?"
Hummm never thought about that!:Banghead
Or this one. Many moons ago while working in the shop on some engine. The pit loader operator parked about 50 feet from the shop door with his H400 Hough Loader. Climed down of machine and walked into the motor shop and asked me to take a look at his machine he felt the brakes might be dragging. I put down down what I was working on and cleaned off hands and put on jacket as it was a cold day. Walked out to the machine and as I got close I could smell hot brakes, hard to miss that smell. Smell was strongest near the front so I took a peek at the front axle from the center of machine. This machine had a large, maybe 18" or bigger disc brake for the parking brake. Well that big disc was glowing a nice bright orange color! Not sure but did not think that was normal! Just glad this machine did not have any bad oil leaks in the front end or it would have burned to the ground! Then there was the truck driver who had a funny noise in his Cat 769C engine. Decided to run it up to shop to have me check it out, almost made it. I had to walk back about 100 yards to get the offending connecting rod that decided to jump ship!
I recently learned a lesson on a 854k. Was changing the footbrake valve under the cab. I had previously been shown how to drain the accumlutors by pumping the brake 100 times with the ignition on and engine off. i did that and another 20 for luck. I was lying under the cab and the first 3 hoses came off no bother. 4th hose and boom. Knocked the 24'' shifter clean out of my hand taking the hard hat off on the way out and leaving me with a duck egg on my forehead and a nervous laugh. Had to climb down off the machine rather sheepishly and collect my shifter and hardhat from where they lay about 20' from the dozer. A rather lucky escape