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