And it just keeps going...

Got truck 280 back... $11,800 later it has a new engine. Now it's in the shop getting a water pump and I noticed a puddle of gear oil under the front driver this morning. Neat, because I really wanted tear a rear end down to change the front cover gasket.

Valley Freightliner is putting on a training class next month that I'll be going to, "Multiplex Electrical & Smart Switch Training". Should be good!

Week: 50
Total: 406.5

Summer 13

More interesting times... OSHA inspection last week. Coincidence? And then a literal pile of steaming feces awaited me in the loading yard on Saturday. I think someone may have been a little irked over being fired... Apparently the belt drive grinder with all the guards broken off is no bueno. Who would have thought? And maybe the pvc airlines, complete lack of chemical inventory or MSDS's on file, and the loading dock is well... We hired a structural engineer from Carlson Steel to draw up a few modifications to pass the OSHA inspection. Spent some time with him today and he thinks he'll have his report done by Monday. Because I didn't have enough to do already!

Learned that neither Motor Trucks or Valley can look up trailer brake parts off VIN or axle numbers... What if I want to have the parts sitting on a shelf before I tear the trailer apart?

50 hours for week
Total: 356.5

Summer time

This has been a very interesting week... Eric W. (Owner of the business) fired the operations manager and the other mechanic on Tuesday. I am now in charge of all the maintenance and repairs in our fleet working on ways to streamline the operation now as I am now expected to accomplish in a 40 hour week what used to take two mechanics a full 80-90 hours total. I'm setting up a maintenance schedule and parts inventory list right now as well as deciding on the best way to track service costs. Also decided I need to buy some better torx bits... I broke every T-40 we had in the shop by 10:00 this morning (The 24" breaker bar may or may not have had something to do with this).

Week: 48
Total: 306.5

Summer 2013

More work on the flatbed project... Built a new carrier bearing mount, got the air solenoid for the dump gate plumbed in along with splicing the wiring harness into a junction box. Just waiting on parts now so I can put the wet kit on.

Also learning about all the "interesting" things that Case engineers did on a 580B Construction King... You have to pull off the loader frame, backhoe, and cab to access the last bolt holding the brake housings on!

Week: 51

Total: 258.5

Maybe it'll work now...

Tried posting this before but went back and checked and it was no where to be seen... Stupid computers anyway. This week I rebuilt the purge valve on a Wabco air dryer. Seemed like there must be a simpler way to make it work (Less moving parts would be good I think). Also picked up a side job mounting a flatbed on one of Knutzen Farm's trucks. Smiley's quoted around $40,000 to build a flatbed so they bought a truck with a flatbed on it for $10,000 and I'm doing the fab/mods to make it work on the new truck. Got the hinge laid out and welded in after deciding that plasma cutters work WAY better for cutting through doubled frames than a torch. Rust had started between the doubler and original frame on the donor truck and buckled the frame all the way up to the cab (I'll take pics next week) so I used the torch to cut the hinge out... Not doing that again. Moved a cross member a few inches to clear the hoist cylinders and I need to build a new bracket for the carrier bearing. I should be putting the wet kit on the truck next week.

Weeks hours: 54.5
Total: 207.5

Summer 2013

Learning how to deal with office staff this week... 4:00 yesterday, "yeah we need that truck at 7am." Well thanks for the heads up!

60 hours for the week
153 total

Summer 2013

Learning about how an ABS trailer brake valve is "not" supposed to work... Took it apart hoping it was just stuck but the cup seal is hardened up causing it to leak by and dump air pressure.

Also did some welding on a cross member mount after doing an inspection.

Weeks hours: 41.75
Total: 134.75