2013 BS / Chat Thread!

[CumminsPower59]

The job I have now use to be THE job to get if you were in the Guard, it was as secure as you could get up until a few years ago...then everything changed. Now, it's about as solid as a big ol bowl of green jello! I got a few regrets, but like you said, we all do. I am looking at this new job as my last, I wish to finish getting my ducks in a row and be set to retire at 60-65 (hopefully)

[ellis93]

Oh how I'd love to work for someone else,have set hours,an hourly wage,benefits package.........I'm now very depressed try running your own legitimate,tax paying business. You will then be a thief,you've stolen your customers first born and are trying to rape them in the roughest way imaginable. The rare few people that you've proven yourself to be honest to will seldom thank you for it and upon their return will expect some kind of loyalty discount that involves your whipping out your pocket knife and slicing your neck from ear lobe to ear lobe.

Why do I do it......no idea....

[Mark Nixon]

Why do I do it......no idea....

Because, like me, it's all you know and you really have no choice, because you simply CAN'T do anything else.

Mark.

[dazedandconfused]

I learned a long time ago i can't run my own business because I hate people to much lol.

[cmann250]

Did they define severe service

Dust, extended idling, many short trips, and ambulance type work. There's a reason they didn't need a bail out

As far as jobs go, I'm a part time farmer and full time student. Technically I don't have the benefit of being in the family and I pay taxes on every dime I make. I'd love to farm, but that's not in my cards so here I am getting an Ag Technology degree. Unless I marry the farmer's daughter... I like working with my hands, but that was crossed off my list for me long ago. I'd like to run a shop, but like Ellis says it's brutal. I've only been told once by an old Ford mechanic that I could hack it being a mechanic. All other mechnics I've talked to, tractors and cars, say avoid it unless you absolutely love it.

You've got to enjoy working for yourself, Mark. Can't get pissed at the boss

[PToombs]

Unless I marry the farmer's daughter...

What is it with you people from Indiana and marrying your sisters?

I actually enjoy turning wrench 90% of the time. The other 10% is when I have to work on some worn out POS that hasn't been cleaned in 10 years and is a mass of rust except for where the grease fittings are. Those have a baseball sized gob of grease on them, and none inside on the pins. Or it has an electrical problem, and you can't find the harness because it's covered in crap.
Most of the customers are decent, the a-holes I know who they are and I do the job and GTFO to cut down on the chance of problems. I absolutely HATE working on big trucks and cars. The trucks are always rusty and nothing comes apart, and cars, well, Ellis knows about them. He has my admiration that he can work on that siht day in and day out and not kill himself. My wifes car comes under this heading. Anythng that breaks, is a nightmare to fix, and is just a temporary reprieve until the next time.

[cmann250]

What is it with you people from Indiana and marrying your sisters?

That only happens south of Indy FWIW, I have no sisters and my dad does not derive his primary income from farming. Ha!

[redneckroot]

There are pro's and cons to it all. I've worked in a shop under someone and worked for myself in one. Currently I work for the school, my shop, cut split and sell firewood and make bio. All in all it just depends on the day. Politics at school are worse then the kids. People that show up and expect you to fix their cobbled mess for five bucks gets old. Its all pros and cons. I will say when it comes to selling parts like I also do, tire kickers and wastes of my time piss me off more then anything else.

[PToombs]

tire kickers and wastes of my time piss me off more then anything else.

Tom, you've seen Chads posts right? "If you're not serious about buying don't waste my time, I'm trying to make a living!" Or he's working on a job, or something like that.

[oldestof11]

Congrats Ike!

You mechanics I would love to be able to pay to fix my crap but I can't afford it.

The last 48 hours have been HELL for me.

Wake up yesterday morning and head to my parents before work. They are in Wisconsin Dells on a family vacation, one we were invited to. I got sick early in December and used up all my accumulated sick and vacation time. Nasty flu and then bronchitis. So I was asked to feed the dogs they have as 2 miraculously had puppies. Get out of the truck and PISHHHHHHHHHHH. Walk over to one of the barns and an outdoor spigot has water spraying before the valve. Cant find the wrench to turn the underground 1/4 turn valve. Shut off the well. Feed to mutts. Get to the truck and smell raw fuel. Pop the hood and fuel is PORING out from behind the injection pump. Realized I wasted 1/4 tank in 15 miles.

Work wasn't much better with idiots on forklifts hitting anchored machinery or guard rails they didn't see.

Get to my parents and get the spigot fixed. Found the wrench and was able to report to dad that valve didn't isolate that one spigot. So some where between the well and the house, before this valve, is a Tee that runs to that pipe.

Take the front gear cover off. Call the wife and tell her I am on my way home. Put the phone in my back pocket and clean up the tools. Get home and pull my phone out. Cracked the mother blasted screen because I somehow slipped my knife back there instead of my front pocket it normally resides.

Work was better today as I took 1/2 the day off to work on the truck.

Went to get all the lines and bolts off the pump and realize I can't reach the bottom nut and I don't have an S wrench. No problem, as I have a vac pump rebuild and need to do it. Pull that off. Get everything off.

Get the gear puller out and screw in the bolts. For some reason I stripped out one the studs once some pressure got on it. I was furious at this point. I took 2 long flat head screw drivers and drove them between the pump and gear case. POP! It pops right off.

So, what pump is better, the 114 or 119?

[ellis93]

Why do I do it......no idea....

Because, like me, it's all you know and you really have no choice, because you simply CAN'T do anything else.

Mark.

Wrong.....it's the only thing I'm best at,I can "do" other things but this one I'm really good at

Caleb there's one thing about your last statement that smells of bullchit,ford didn't get a bailout because they sold off many assets,and they had many...more than the other two manufacturers. If I remember right they had their paw out like the other two,they were smarter than the others tho .

[RumbleFish]

On a more serious note, I put lift springs in the front of my truck over my long holiday shutdown dealio. Rides better, sits nearly level now.

Finally got a pic. I tried my best to recreat the before pic from 6 months ago. Almost got it!

[Mark Nixon]

Wrong.....it's the only thing I'm best at,I can "do" other things but this one I'm really good at

Well, I'm good at being a Pimp Daddy.
Problem is getting a Harem of wimmen that agree!

Mark.

[AHineman]

Wrong.....it's the only thing I'm best at,I can "do" other things but this one I'm really good at

Well, I'm good at being a Pimp Daddy.
Problem is getting a Harem of wimmen that agree!

Mark.

Mark, don't quit your day job.

[dazedandconfused]

Wrong.....it's the only thing I'm best at,I can "do" other things but this one I'm really good at

Well, I'm good at being a Pimp Daddy.
Problem is getting a Harem of wimmen that agree!

Mark.

I needed a good laugh this morning Mark.