After a 35 year hiatus, Im back into field service! I am a Nashville Auto-Diesel grad from way back in the 80's. Did some field service for a couple of years then landed a job in a shop rebuilding Diesel-Electric locomotive brake and engine components. Did that for 30 years but 6 years and no raise, I was done with that company. I landed my dream job. I work for a local Toyota Lift Truck dealer. I was hired as a PM tech but within 3 weeks was moved to a breakdown tech! I have a lot to learn but soaking it all in. I'm very well supported on the Toyota end of things but I will be working on skid steers, light duty track hoes, side loaders etc. We service all types of industrial equipment. I will need advice when out there on my own and I'm adding this site to my references. I'm sometimes 2-3 hours from the shop and on my own to figure things out with minimal tools and no manuals. The other techs are a phone call away but most of them don't deal with the same stuff that I will. Looking forward to the great advice on here. Our vans are not well equipped for heavy repairs, nor is our shop for that matter as I have found. I will need creative solutions! One recent repair that comes to mind was the tilt cylinder removal on a side loader(shifts the whole truck from side to side to account for the load), those pins were STUCK! We used pin handlers and a torch and got them out but what a learning experience! Lots of fire too!
Welcome to the site, SKR.
Thanks! I got into a heavy repair yesterday, swapping the forks between two HOIST fork trucks, and neither truck was operable. They were side by side which helped. Just glad I had a fork truck available to do the grunt work of moving those big bastards!I would guess each fork at 2000lbs each
I'm a grad of Balls Tech, myself.. 80's..
July 85 myself. Married a girl from Mt Juliet and hung out in Nashville until we divorced 3 years later. Been back in the mountains of VA ever since.
I "ALMOST" went that route too.. Had a VERY RUDE awakening, when I took her home to meet the folks.. I couldn't see what they saw, on account she was "putting it on me" morning, noon & nite, 7 days aweek.. Lol I woke up tho & got the he** outta there, 2 days after graduation.. it was fun while it lasted tho..