those of us that do this for a living

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7LBSSMALLIE

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
1,290
you guys are solid. what is wrong with us 40 50 on the floor come home and get on the site, is that cust service at its best? calltrac blows but better than nothing. can we devolp something better , tazz old school . christ i got a 371 in now missinng and popping new point s new condensor lapped em in comp good still cant dial imn in do i need new carb.. old m i guess you been at ir awhile? me 15 yrs at bobcat and cant touch you. can we do the network thing here without a conflict of intresr.t i am up to speed on m series questions just ask . the book on VH i wrote they call me, (glad they are gone) i guess my question being are you guys pro techs, or just hammering out on rhe farm.. no disrespect intebded
 

Fishfiles

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
1,698
I have done heavy equipment mechanic work for a living since 1976 , I guess the reason I like hanging on this site is that I like my job , my grandfather use to always tell me , that if you are not happy at work then you won't be happy at life , it seems he was right on with that , 1/3 or more of your life is work , think about it , 8 hours of work , 8 hours off time ( working around the house ) and 8 hours of sleep , it doesn't always work out to those numbers , for me it's more like 12, 8 and 4 x 6 a week ....................I have learned a lot of things from this site as people from across the country and around the world have the same basic problems and there are different way of doing things , as the old saying goes ....there is more than one way to skin a cat , you got to listen to what others have to say even if you think that you are above their level of experience , the road they took to get to where they are at had different turns and terrain to travel .................. I like the feeling I get after troubleshooting and fixing something that was broken or helping someone else to do the same , a sense of accomplishment , a little more than you would get from handing someone their change from a burger combo , I do a lot of refub /frabrication and sometimes I think of it as art , to stand back and look at a bunch of metal , nut and bolts put together into something that works and looks good ................I have a lot of friends who are well schooled and making big bucks at good jobs that couldn't and wouldn't even try to change the battery in thier truck if their life depended on it , they would walk or call AAA , I really experienced this have lived thru hurricane Katrina ( which is till going on ) , most of my friends do no hands work or even hobbies except drinking beer and TV on the couch , which is their life ..................
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
I have done heavy equipment mechanic work for a living since 1976 , I guess the reason I like hanging on this site is that I like my job , my grandfather use to always tell me , that if you are not happy at work then you won't be happy at life , it seems he was right on with that , 1/3 or more of your life is work , think about it , 8 hours of work , 8 hours off time ( working around the house ) and 8 hours of sleep , it doesn't always work out to those numbers , for me it's more like 12, 8 and 4 x 6 a week ....................I have learned a lot of things from this site as people from across the country and around the world have the same basic problems and there are different way of doing things , as the old saying goes ....there is more than one way to skin a cat , you got to listen to what others have to say even if you think that you are above their level of experience , the road they took to get to where they are at had different turns and terrain to travel .................. I like the feeling I get after troubleshooting and fixing something that was broken or helping someone else to do the same , a sense of accomplishment , a little more than you would get from handing someone their change from a burger combo , I do a lot of refub /frabrication and sometimes I think of it as art , to stand back and look at a bunch of metal , nut and bolts put together into something that works and looks good ................I have a lot of friends who are well schooled and making big bucks at good jobs that couldn't and wouldn't even try to change the battery in thier truck if their life depended on it , they would walk or call AAA , I really experienced this have lived thru hurricane Katrina ( which is till going on ) , most of my friends do no hands work or even hobbies except drinking beer and TV on the couch , which is their life ..................
I found this site when i had problems with the first machine i ever bought, a 731. Before that, i had never touched a bobcat or even a diesel engine, nor much hydraulic equipment. I have been fiddling with all sorts of things growing up, its just something i can do. If something is broken, i generally can find a way around it.
I had a great machinist friend who taught me a lot, i would drop in on the way home from work and just chat, he would give me so many little tips of how to do things. Sadly he got his butt kicked by liver cancer and moved on before he could teach me a lot more.
I hope i don't seem too old school, i'm 33 :)
I work in a warehouse, total opposite of my hobby of tinkering with things. Its a good release getting out and fixing something up, better when things go to plan, not so much when everything turns to poo.... Been there before now......
 

OldMachinist

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
2,748
I found this site when i had problems with the first machine i ever bought, a 731. Before that, i had never touched a bobcat or even a diesel engine, nor much hydraulic equipment. I have been fiddling with all sorts of things growing up, its just something i can do. If something is broken, i generally can find a way around it.
I had a great machinist friend who taught me a lot, i would drop in on the way home from work and just chat, he would give me so many little tips of how to do things. Sadly he got his butt kicked by liver cancer and moved on before he could teach me a lot more.
I hope i don't seem too old school, i'm 33 :)
I work in a warehouse, total opposite of my hobby of tinkering with things. Its a good release getting out and fixing something up, better when things go to plan, not so much when everything turns to poo.... Been there before now......
Like my user name says I worked as a machinist for 35 years. Not like they have guys working today where you learn one job skill and do that forever. I worked on or built, rebuilt and installed every kind of machine and had to repair them if something needed it. So I do all my own fabrication, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, HVAC, vehicle, concrete, and carpentry work.
 

Mike12

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
24
Like my user name says I worked as a machinist for 35 years. Not like they have guys working today where you learn one job skill and do that forever. I worked on or built, rebuilt and installed every kind of machine and had to repair them if something needed it. So I do all my own fabrication, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, HVAC, vehicle, concrete, and carpentry work.
A big thank you to all of you for your knowledge and help from someone who only bought a skid steer in order to help keep up with the wifes horses pain in the a$$. I have fixed all of the problems I have had in the last year with help from people on this site. Lol I now have alot of tools that I never even knew what to do with before.
 

waggles

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
87
Ive been operating my own bobcat for the last 23 yrs, its a job I love and I think im pretty good at it . Prior to this I learnt to fly aircraft and was set for a pilot's career but life and family intervened and I dont regret it at all . I love driving the S130 and doing things for people and making their visions a reality, I fly a radio control Helicopter for fun when I get the urge to fly. One day I may do something different but I will always have a bobcat in the shed ! Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life!
 
OP
OP
7

7LBSSMALLIE

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
1,290
Ive been operating my own bobcat for the last 23 yrs, its a job I love and I think im pretty good at it . Prior to this I learnt to fly aircraft and was set for a pilot's career but life and family intervened and I dont regret it at all . I love driving the S130 and doing things for people and making their visions a reality, I fly a radio control Helicopter for fun when I get the urge to fly. One day I may do something different but I will always have a bobcat in the shed ! Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life!
thanks to all who replied, guys who get it done, where our college eductaded kids be when their dryer belt broke. or the car needs a head gasket, the post about dropping into the mentors house stirred my soul, would to hear mentoring stories. let us pass it on, tips and tricks thread might be start, i am not that computer litterate, but ill start, stuck rings =lemon joy mix with hot water breaks up carbon soak pistons for 12 rings pop loose. hyd suction leak shaving cream dimple will show. dont use prussian blue for ring and pinion (tattoed for a week when you scratch youre nose , use desinix foot powder in the spray, pattern clearly discernable and washes off. examples of things ive learned from those who have gone before.
 

Bobcatdan

Well-known member
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
1,684
thanks to all who replied, guys who get it done, where our college eductaded kids be when their dryer belt broke. or the car needs a head gasket, the post about dropping into the mentors house stirred my soul, would to hear mentoring stories. let us pass it on, tips and tricks thread might be start, i am not that computer litterate, but ill start, stuck rings =lemon joy mix with hot water breaks up carbon soak pistons for 12 rings pop loose. hyd suction leak shaving cream dimple will show. dont use prussian blue for ring and pinion (tattoed for a week when you scratch youre nose , use desinix foot powder in the spray, pattern clearly discernable and washes off. examples of things ive learned from those who have gone before.
Bobcats are not rocket science, more like brain surgery. No, I'm kidding. The thing with bobcats is experince. The manuals pretty much lack anything for diagnostic info other the wiring and hydraulic diagrams. I have never worked on anything that involved so many little tricks to do something easier, because there is a lot of stuff that is just a pain in the ole ass. I find this site really fun.
 

nobull1

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
196
Bobcats are not rocket science, more like brain surgery. No, I'm kidding. The thing with bobcats is experince. The manuals pretty much lack anything for diagnostic info other the wiring and hydraulic diagrams. I have never worked on anything that involved so many little tricks to do something easier, because there is a lot of stuff that is just a pain in the ole ass. I find this site really fun.
I was an air, gas and electric service tech for an international company for the last 15 of my 23 years in that business. I decided to do something different before I was too old and started farming (beef and chicken) selling firewood and running our own landscaping company. I always did my own repair work to my own gear but the "heavy equipment" was new to me. I learnt a lot from the people on this site and appreciate the advise. My biggest asset/problem is I just don't want to fix it, I want to know why it went bad and how I can make it better than it was before, but that's just me. I usually try to keep my mouth shut unless I have an issue and then I don't stop prying :)
 

skidsteer.ca

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
3,853
I was an air, gas and electric service tech for an international company for the last 15 of my 23 years in that business. I decided to do something different before I was too old and started farming (beef and chicken) selling firewood and running our own landscaping company. I always did my own repair work to my own gear but the "heavy equipment" was new to me. I learnt a lot from the people on this site and appreciate the advise. My biggest asset/problem is I just don't want to fix it, I want to know why it went bad and how I can make it better than it was before, but that's just me. I usually try to keep my mouth shut unless I have an issue and then I don't stop prying :)
I have been interested in mechanics as long as I can remember, from a little kid tearing things apart to a bigger one who was able to put most of them back together. I drag raced a 71 Mach 1 in right out of high school. Pretty much involved in the entire build of the power train. Didn't want a new car that didn't need tinkered with.
Went to work with family in the logging industry around the same time, a place where heavy equipment was repaired buy the owner on site if at all possible. Bigger headaches where lowbeded out to a shop equiped to deal with the issue.
I started as a operator, but before long was also the mechanic, and lowbed driver, and welder, and the guy who took his tool box to the mechanics shop to work on the equipment in the off season.
After 5 years of doing that I built my own shop to do repairs in house and keep our key people working the off season. I have a hoist, a lathe, press, welding equipment and a large array of hand tools, and I can't imagine living without that stuff.
I bought my first 753 with several attachments from a fellow getting divorced to help build my place. He rented the machine and before long I was doing rentals and custom loader work for other clients as a hobby. (hey some people drink, I enjoy this more) It was never intended to be a main business but is a good sideline. I also began selling attachment and used loaders as a way to trade up and meet my attachment needs.
Sadly the logging business in my area has all but died. I'd had hoped years ago to continue the family business but for the last 10 years it has become clearer and clearer that won't work.
So I'm out trying something new in the oil patch, Just as a operator for now, but I hope to challenge my heavy mechanics license so I have a piece of paper. I'm enjoying working in a industry that does not seem to know the word decline. Quite a change from home. Sometimes I think I'm a professional "jack of all trades",which of couse implies "master of none", but I have enjoyed the learning and problem solving all along the way.
The last piece of iron I'll ever sell will be my skidsteer. I have 3 right now, and am not sure what I'm going to do with the rental sideline. I had hoped to keep it going until my boys were big enough to do the part time work as spending money while going to school. I guess we'll see. It is all paid for so it does not have to work every day. But I'll always have a machine, handiest thing ever invented.
I'll also always have a truck, atv, snowmobile, boat, still have my old Mach1 and they will always need some fixing. Hoping to teach my boys about that as they grow.. The best tool I ever bought though was a computer, it has let me exchange ideas with like minded people around the world.
Ken
 

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