I have a D5K, needed a bigger dozer for a job I had. Rented a D6T. (1st time in one). Had trouble starting after using it for 3 days. Turn the key everything lighted up but nothin to the starter. Frustrated, I called CAT and they sent a service guy. Gets in machine and try to start, nothing. Looks a parking brake, engages it and machine starts... Needless to say I felt like an idiot. Oh well, I can laugh about it now.
But doesn't it pizz u off just a little that they couldn't run thru a small diagnostic on the phone 1st.?? Glad its running..
Was there an operators manuel somewhere in the cab?
BTDT, with alla the safety switches on today's equipment, happens alla the time!
It got to the stage on the last job where we even trained our Dispatchers to ask "Is the Park Brake Off.?" when some whiny operator called in with a plaintive "My tractor won't start....."
Don't feel bad Sturgill. I spent way too many years as a field mechanic. I lost count of how many times I was sent out to start a piece of equipment and found it to be something as simple as putting it in park, applying brake, turning the isolation switch on. Definitely not an exclusive club.
Used to be the “computer guy” many years ago for a local company with many branches. Learned to ask people that called with problem “is it turned on”, “is it plugged in”.....many times the answer was “no”.
My first wife spent several years as an AV Tech at a High School near here. This was back in the dark ages when the class rooms still used 16mm film projectors. More times than she could count a teacher would call down to her office complaining about a projector not working so she would always ask if it was plugged in and most of the tiime that was the solution. Then this one time when she asked that standard question she go a rather indigent reply "YES IT IS! I WANT THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW!!" So Ellen made a beeline for the classroom. She walks in the room and takes a look at the projector on the roll cart. Sure enough the projector was plugged into the power strip on the cart but the cord from the power strip was neatly rolled up on the bottom of the cart! She reached down and grabed the cord and plugged it into the wall socket fliped the switch on projector and turned and started out the room and the students simultaneously gave her a round of applause!
E stops have been the cause of some anxious times for me in the past. Working a newly bought machine, on the lookout for anything abnormal and it suddenly dies, frantically check fuses, circuit breakers, batteries, wondering how much it’s going to cost to get someone out to spend hours diagnosing some obscure electrical fault. Go for a walk around the machine and discover that a branch has swatted the e stop.
And don't forget the ground level shutdown swich
Long time OLD Story, Utility crew working a substation installation job calls dozer quit moving cannot spread rock, need service call. They send ME. Old IH Drott, never seen one this SMALL, get on board, fired right up, feel it drop into range(Powershift), release parking dog on foot brake and off to spreading rock. Foreman comes running out of station shack with operator(lineman) asks what I fixed, stated NADT, explained as I got off and re-engaged foot brake dog, operator looks at me and goes "What's That"? I look machine over all is good, even oil not cooked YET, even has been run with brake partially engaged until got hot enough to bind up, brake wasn't even out of adjust yet. I go back to shop, boss is furious AT ME, sends another grunt up with 28 gallons of Hystat Oil and does a filter/oil change as was "Burnt", I saw the oil come back, looked better than what was sent up.
In the age of electronic gadgetry, it seems everything has "special procedures" that must be followed. Often these procedures defy logic. Not knowing them is not indicative of stupidity, but perhaps designing equipment logic that defies logic is pretty stupid, as are all the "international symbols" they force down our throats when plain English would be so much better.
Iv hurt a few feelings with my over the phone no start diagnose check list. Me " is the park brake set" operator " YA" me ok release it and reset it right now while im on the phone................... operator " ahh it just started"
When going on service calls for machines that won't start people get ticked when you ask if it has fuel in it, but have seen them out of fuel quite often.
Sadly yes, with a call out to set the parking brake....☹️
Yeah.... but I mean... who ever reads the manual?
Isn't that the LAST thing you're supposed to read..?
They should change the name from manual to automatic... so you have to read it before you operate the machine.
As a Service tech I enjoy these calls Somthing simple and easily fixed Bit of embarrasment, no stress and on to the next one
Bit of embarra ss ment, no stress , SUBMIT A BILL, and on to the next one.