Just out of curiosity I asked my boss what exactly my "Job Description" was. He got a copy from HR and one line read "Mechanics are required to provide their own basic tools" When I inquired what was considered "Basic Tools" he said don't worry what you have is fine. Well that did not tell me much. So I took it on myself to email HR saying "Basic Tools" does not give much idea as to what they feel I should be providing. Well that question got passed around to a few people and today my boss handed me a paper to read a sign that said "Basic Tools" would be hard to define and what I have is more that sufficient and if any special tools are need they will supply them and as I am close to retiring not to worry. Now if they were to hire someone to take my place does this mean if he shows up with a hammer, #2 Philips screw driver, a 12 inch Adjustable wrench and a pair of pliers they will be happy and supply all the tools he needs? Why do people make rules they can not or will not define? I and I'm sure most here could in a matter of five minutes rattle off a list of "Basic Tools" adjusted for the type of industry one is going to work in. Well that's enough venting for now!
Yair . . . kshansen . Our Operators were required to have "basic tools" . . . I had a list, sockets, rings and flats to 11/8" a set of screwdrivers, eight ten and twelve inch adjustable wrenchs, multigrips, hacksaw, cold chisel plus anything else they fancied . . . pretty simple. It could create a lot of friction if one bloke had gear and the other didn't . . . and it was a mugs game to supply them. Cheers.
I'd define a set of basic tools as being "A minimum of equal to the Caterpillar 8T-0460 Serviceman's 117-piece Tool Set, or the equivalent in any other reputable tool brand". Just my 2c - don't shoot the messenger .................
I would agree with both on this. Just strikes me as lazy or incompetent to make a rule but then not have an answer when asked for some kind of clarification. I just don't want to be around a year from now when my tools are not available. Company does have a "basic" set of tools in a roll cabinet(that I donated) but as 80% of the guys here do not have any or very few tools they have little respect for the company tool and just drop them when done with job or leave them in the back of pick-up truck to get rusty.
In all the trades I can understand a new apprentice not having all the tools he will need or is required to have, but the ones that are going to make it will ask what tools they should pick up first. They tool up as they go. The ones that don't are not on the jobs for long.
Agree with this comment, its a matter of tooling up as they can go. Our company provides $.50/h tool allowance and a staff account so we buy their tools for them as they ask for them (to get best buy price), and they pay off their tool account as they go. I don't have a real problem with the request to hold "basic tools"... its just a normal expectation of all trades staff that they will do so. Anybody that doesn't is obviously not committed to the cause and wont last the distance as the other staff will soon give them enough s#@t about it...
Wish I could get$0.50/hr tool allowance! Dang over the last 40 years even working just 1,500 hours a year that would be $30,000! Anyhow the point I was making is not that I have a problem with supplying my tools but the fact that the company makes all kinds of rules that we must follow but when asked for clarification on a rule they just say, "Oh that would be too hard to explain". It's like the way they say you need to wear fall protection when there is a possibility of falling. Does that mean operators need to wear safety harnesses when getting into or out of a skid steer?
Kshansen the people that make that rule book up don't know a socket from a hammer!!! they cant explain it cause they don't know, some things are just best left unexplained lol I see a lot of shops I work around with "shop tools" that the mechanics don't pick up, leave laying in a bucket 1/2 full of water in the bed of the truck, the list goes on & on!!! till they have to buy them they will never take care of them any better either...
I was going to say something along those line FSERVICE, the pencil necked geeks that write these rules wouldn't know a ladies foot prybar if one sat in their lap and called them momma. :yup As for the "new hires" that come along, mechanics are an odd breed, we typically begin this skill very early in life, as opposed to graduating High School and then discover we want to become a mechanic. That's not to say that doesn't happen, but rather it's an exception. For the most part, mechanics start when they're a kid, tinkering with their bicycle, or making a mess of something in your dads shed. As time goes by, the young apprentice accumulates a new tool here and there (we're junkies for that sort of stuff), so by the time he becomes of age that he could hire on at a shop he pretty much has a "basic set" of tools, and most likely a few "special tools" to boot.
I once worked for an equipment dealership and the management decided to develop a code system for repairs. Those put in charge of this task had no service experience. It was almost impossible to use their repair codes as very few applied. On a small feller buncher with wheel motors one of the repair codes was r and r drive line which this machine had none, r and r radiator with an air cooled Engine ect, ect. I was able to find one code that applied, miscellaneous trouble shoot for repair. I used that code only, followed by the three C's. For those that don't know, complaint , cause and correction. When ever the suits called me in to the office they wanted to know why I was unable to participate in this grand idea they had implemented. They put me back in the service truck. I still started all my job paperwork with miscellaneous troubleshoot for repair. They eventually decided to part ways with me for not being a team player. They did contact me a few months later and offer me more money to come back to the " team". Since I was employed somewhere else shortly after lunch on the day of my dismissal I declined the offer.
Nice... sounds like we could work together one day just fine ha ha
Then there are the bosses who have no idea of what the people he is suppose to be managing are capable of doing. Just a little over a year ago we had a very mistreated little gen set with a 3-53 Detroit engine in it. Big boss seemed surprised that I felt confident I could repair it. Had to explain that myself and another mechanic had already rebuilt it once maybe 15 years ago and I was able to find the files I had from back then! A little 3-53? Wonder what he would think about the 16V-71's we used to rebuild along with the 3508, 3306, 3408, D399 Cats, 1710 Cummins and so on. A 3-53 is like working on a lawn mower engine. This is a guy who can't give a decision on how to proceed on a line bore job on a skid steer loader, been parked for over six months waiting on a decision! Bosses we had 15 years ago could give you an answer on major projects in a matter of minutes. I did not always agree but at least knew which way to proceed. 90% of the time they were right.
I'm with you khansen. My favorite is can you loan so and so this tool so he can go do the job. You stay put in the shop but he gets to go out! WTH. Another good point on fall protection. I have asked the question " where do we tie off to?" with no educated response. "Just do it" is all I get.
Don't you have a sky hook in your tool box..... All good mechanics carry a sky hook ! I find there are some in management that like to implement new poorly implemented rules to justify there existence. Usually it's the safety guy.
The sign over my box used to read "The mechanic who loans tools is on his holidays" ................. You mean this guy ..? An interaction with one of his ilk is what led to my signature line.................
I store mine next to the bucket of steam for cleaning equipment before I work on it. Some times even the non-management guys cause problems. Yesterday while feeding a cold mix plant one of our operators decides to take a brake and shuts 980G off right on the ramp to the hopper. We have this mixer here for just two days so time is critical. Well when brake was over guess what the started decided to let out all it's smoke:Banghead With no safe or easy way to release the parking brake with available tools the only option was to hook a heavy cable to a 988H and move it! Only had to move a few yards and parking brake was not able to stop the 988H. Had a spare starter on shelf so a little over an hour and it was ready to go before quitting time and before the rain started. I've tried to tell operators to never shut off a machine where it will be in the way if starter fails. Not a common problem but when it happens it's not fun changing one on a hot engine when you are in a hurry.
The tools list is never defined because they figure you will just keep buying more than you need. When I started in this business any fool with a 1/2 inch Craftsman socket set, a sixteen ounce hammer, a couple of screw chisels and wrenches to 15/16 inch was a journeyman. Now days they want you to have the 600 foot pound torque wrench with the four to one multiplier and they call you a whiner if you won't pay for the electronics to work on their engines. I don't recommend the green horns get into the knuckle busting business anymore. Take the thirty grand it will cost to tool up and start landscaping or something else. If you are smart enough to fix things, you are smart enough to be in a money making business on your own.
Since you mention HR, I'm going to assume a large company. HR does not exist to make your job easier, HR exists to add bureaucracy to your job. To pick apart your message; Bossman translation: What you have is just fine as basic tools, you need something, we'll get it.
Well if you recall I used the following as the Title of this Thread: Some People are Just Trouble Makers! So I knew up front what was going to happen and they proved I was right in what I was thinking. I guess I should give the credit or blame for my attitude, depending on your point of view, to my late mother. She got lots of pleasure out of poking the grumpy bears every chance she could! And one of her favorite sweatshirts she wore with pride said " Sarcasm-Just one of the services I provide"
Sounds like your Mom would have got on well with my #1 son. He has a line in biting sarcasm that has to be heard to be believed. .........
I could write a book on basic tools. The last place i worked was the worst.It didnt pay any better than a factory but they wanted you to have a set of wrenches,a 1/2 socket set,a hammer, alien wrenches and some other basic stuff. Some guys their would never need any of these and about half of the rest would need every thing so out of around 100 30 needed some tools but only 5 had what they were told to have. After 3 years of us guys with tools bitching they said if you dont have tools buy x day it will be your last until you have them. Every day for 1 month this was told to every one and tool list were handed out. That day came nothing happened. Before this job i was frameing houses. Every one need a hammer,tape, square, and tool belt/bags. This job payed good but same problem. When i saw a guy without what he needed i told him buy it and the day you dont needed it no matter what it looks like i will buy it from you for what you payed for it. That didnt work.
I'm sure they would have hit it off great! She loved putting people who thought they were important in their place.
...the HR bear... Hilarious... And too true!
Actually i was searching for the posting "where are the mechinics?
Fixo gets accused of "Sleeping " during a 90 minute Safety meeting and written up. ...there was at least 30 of us present and it was about 930 am i was a bit late so got to sit in front. Ps good one Nige......ah....Safety man memories
... well on the search engine above i typed in where are the mechinics. ...nothing
But digging around the old posts can be better than reading the new ones at times
It's spelled "mechanics" fixou no offense....
Thanks Trax, That's why the search engine didn't work! I managed to post an avatar after much grief from a pc. Still can't post pictures from my phone? Tech asked me "Did you drop it?" Looks like I'll have to store info from my phone in case I get another one.
A 90 minute safety meeting!?!
that's a short meeting!!! Iv sat thru several that have lasted all DAY!!! talk bout torture!!
No rest for the Wicked. ....Eff. ...hardhat on,dirty, wore out, head bowed,fingers laced.....he was Praying* while some fool was trying to do hiz' comic routine.
If you are working in a mine in Minnesota(or even going to a meeting in the office) you will sit thru 8 hours every year just to get on the property.
Same here in NY. If they hired the right instructor it was not too bad but some some of those guys could put you to sleep just introducing themselves! And on top of that we would have about a 1/2 hour meeting every Monday morning. Some time much of the meeting was just planning the Monday morning repair work, as we were not allowed to do repairs except on straight time unless it was a major breakdown and then had to get approval from about three levels of management past the local superintendent. Big change from years back when at least half the crew would work at the minimum of five hours on Saturday doing maintenance or repairs every Saturday. Now maintenance is only done on straight time if at all.