Hiring & training saw mechtechs?

[Chris J.]

I've been curious about this for quite a while, & OSAs post in the employment forum got me thinking (it happens sometimes).

How do authorized dealers (be it Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, etc) hire & train mechtechs? What are the basic requirements for an entry level trainee? an experienced mechtech? I know from reading here at AS that Stihl has different levels. Are there apprenticeship programs? Does a VoTech degree carry as much weight as a HS diploma? Is college required? Tech school?Obviously a small shop would have different requirements & a different structure from a large shop.

If anyone can shed some light on this I'd certainly appreciate it. Maybe one the mechtechs can outline how they got started & what their training was/is like. Thanks in advance.

 

[Mange]

Oops.

Tuff question. I will share my prospective....
Anyone can be a dealer, if you have basic saw mek. skills. However it is a big leap to be a good dealer, that will take a bit more service mind.
Diplomas hang on a wall, and has nothing to do with knowledge or experience.

Interest is the big factor in my opinion.

 

[JimL]

I just learned it as I went, old guy that did the 2 cycle stuff had to take a few months off for an operation. I guess we are a big dealer, ~1100 piece of stihl equipment a year sold. I worked on 159 pieces of stihl the last 2 week payperiod. It trimmer season now . I would say we are a good sized dealer. as for finding good technicians, good luck, we have been thru over a dozen duds..

 

[ozflea]

Yes just like the old Catch 22, but it pays to get a good grounding in the basics before endevouring to get the experiance which only comes with time and exposure.

Mc Bob.

 

[Fish]

As a black belt, polished aluminum, Stihl Master Tech, I would concur that the factory schools are worthless and a total waste of time.
Working at several Stihl dealerships, make me boldly state that.

Working at several levels of mechanics, I have discovered that the ratio of
good mechanic, to bad, to be 1:8, whether car, diesel, small engine, or
any genre of tech. Which is the primary reason I do not fly, as I have
known a few aviation mechanics, and they were all idiots.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I do not fly, as I have
known a few aviation mechanics, and they were all idiots.

We're not all idiots! Greg Gronde was an airdale. Is he an idiot too?

Jeff (Military aviation mechanic and A&P)

 

[Chris J.]

Thanks for the input!

I kinda figured that skills varied geatly. Can anyone give an idea how they got started & advanced, or what qualifications an "authorized" service shop looks for?

My apologies if I'm not being clear...just trying to get some idea of how a mechtech gets started, & how they advance from replacing on/off switches on blowers to rebuilding saws & testing them. I've spoke to some shop techs who knew what I was trying to explain (not an easy task), & some who stared blankly at relatively simple questions.

Maybe I need to drop by some local repair shops & see what they say.

Again thanks for your answers.

 

[Marco]

I just started working on my own stuff because it took to long to get things back from the shop had a few things to learn but education costs you one way or another. Most repair shops just have their techs learn two words for their training anyway, "It's junk" and then have them direct you to the showroom. I have two different lines and never had any formal training repairing saws, but people keep coming back because I fix it if it is fixable even some of the "It's Junk"s. Service schools have controlled staged failures that you really don't learn much from so real world experiance is the best I think.

 

[Mange]

The plus I could think of is time saving. Here at Husqvarnas and Jonny meetings, they get a lot of info on why stuff is replaced and easyest way to do this. This is no nuclear sience, and is figured out after a few moments, but it is hard to understand changes sometimes and thease meetings sometimes help this.

I would not spend much mony on this if I could avoid it.

 

[Fish]

Jeff, I did not say that all aviation mechanics were idiots, but that the ratio of
good mechanics vs. idiots was 1:8. So I can assume that it would be roughly the same
in the aviation industry. The few aviation techs I have known, were not very bright.

Is the ratio similar in the aviation world, or is it better? say 1 good mechanic out
of 4?
Let me know, so I can feel better about getting on a plane.

 

[Fish]

The best way to get started, is go to your local small engine shops and apply. Offer
to work for less, in the springtime they are all busy, and you can get in the door.
That is the best way to learn.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Is the ratio similar in the aviation world, or is it better? say 1 good mechanic out of 4? Let me know, so I can feel better about getting on a plane.

I think it'd be hard to put a ratio to it. Yeah, there's some idiots as A/C mechanics. Heck, there's idiots as teachers, police officers, doctors, every line of work. If 1 in 8 A/C mechs where idiots there'd be a plane crash every other day. If 1 in 8 auto mechs where idiots, there'd be broken cars all over the road. Please don't confuse being an idiot with being specialized. I know a couple of A/C mechs that don't even work on their own cars, but dang, they're ninjas on the Cessna 172 they work on. If a guy is a card carrying A&P, he's an A&P because he wants to be, and because he's passed the gauntlet layed down by the FAA. It's not rocket science, but it's a several year, very expensive process. So if I where you, I'd feel just fine flying. I'm flying to Michigan on Monday, and haven't give the maintenance portion of it a second thought.

Jeff

 

[Lawn Masters]

The trick is to get your foot in the door, and do the best you can, if the shop likes what they see, they'll keep you with em, and probably pay you pretty well if you do a very good job keeping things going, and keeping the shop from getting clogged with equipment.

 

[stihltech]

tech

This is how it happened for me.
I Ws working at a car dealership in Warsaw, NY. in 1981. Things were tight, 2 small chidren an a new mortgage. I walked into the Pike Hardware that had opened about a year before. The ownwe had been selling Stihl at his house up the road from me before that.
We got talking and found out he could use some help. I started the next week. Jeff trained me in the finer points of saw repair. He is very fussy and does not give up when things go awry. So that is how I have repaired saws ever since.
Our reputation is that of getting the problem solved, even if others can't. We get a lot of saws from Buffalo and other distances. We gat the logger business by being open every night till 8 pm at first, now it is 3 nights a week and Saturday.
As far as other training, I graduated from Alfred Tech, Vocational Division in 76. Although I took only automotive service, it gave me a good mechanical background to build on.
Learn all you can and be fussy. It HAS to run correctly when it leaves the shop. If you are going to sell a brand(s), know all the ins and outs of it's maintenance and repair.

Worked for me.

 

[sedanman]

I was/am a car mechanic that started hanging out at the power equipment dealer, I got invited to have a beer one night after hours. Started making tuesday nights a regular thing for a social visit. The saw guy worked tues and weds nights and was/is a climber full time (good saw tech btw) anyway the saw guy has a mishap at his day job and breaks a leg, I show up on tues night and hear the news. I go full steam ahead into fixing saws. The saw guy heals and comes back , I figure my 2 cycle gig is over but by this time there's a pile of blowers and trimmers that need attention. The "non saw, 2 cycle guy" is getting sloppy so I am offered his job. I have now been 'moonlighting" for 3 years on Stihl products, and have been told that I am welcome to come to work there full time but the car dealership has better benifits so I'll keep moonlighting. The Stihl dealer in question does 700/800 Stihl pieces a year in sales and gets by doing 2 cycle repairs 2 nights a week and some saturdays.

 

[PetrolHead]

G'day.
If you have a passion for it, I think your already half way there.
My thoughts :-

# Maintain a good attitude (always, because you will get noticed for it.)
# Learn all you can. (be a self starter)
# Ask a lot of questions without becoming too annoying.
# Learn a bit of social networking (get to know people in the given field)
# Don't listen to people who bag the idea but consider advice from people who really know their stuff.

I've been in the mechanical trades for over 20 years now and have seen some very gifted mechanics come through, but it meant nothing in some cases because they had the wrong attitude for the job.
Give me an average skilled mechanic that is keen to do a good job and has a good attitude toward his work, boss and customers over a genius that has a poor attitude any day.

I've earned money working on cars, forklifts and AG machinery through to mechanical tree harverters and extraction equipment. Attitude is important.

A bit off topic perhaps but getting noticed is important I think.

My two cents worth.

 

[Fish]

Yes granted, the testing and certification is a lot more difficult in the airline field, and the high road is to probably say they are all the best of the best mechanics.
But surely you must concede that there are guys there that shouldn't be.
Albeit, here in serious hick country, our standards are probably well below that
compared to the civilized world, so maybe in a dealership for trucks, or cars, in
one of the bigger cities, the ratio might be 1:6, and in the aviation field 1:3, but
surely you must admit to at least a couple of worthless, morons working as airline
mechanics. If you say that you know of none, it might hurt your credibility slightly,
as the riff-raff that reads here, which may be rude, drunken, perverts, but are realistic
human beings with tender feelings down deep.
Anyway, I mean no offense. It is hard to admit that many of one's own proffession
are either morons or criminals, as I have been rightly called both.
I must wrap this up now, as my wife is due home from church, and I must hide all of the beer cans.
But I digress................................

 

[Chris J.]

A big thanks to

StihlTech, Sedanman/Paul, & Petrolhead (love the handle) thanks for sharing. Just to clarify...I'm nearing age 45, & don't anticipate a sudden career change. If my plans work out, & I'm able to get some wooded property far away from Houston, I'd love to do some saw (or whatever 2 cycle work comes in) repair on the side. Maybe to supplement my wife & I SS income (or what's left of it 20 years from now). Realistically I have a LONG ways to go before I could offer to repair a saw.

OSA: I hope that the responses helped in some way .

All responses are appreciated.

 

[Lawn Masters]

The responces did help, I've learned something useful for my given career path. we'll see what happens from here.

 

[Grande Dog]

There is a place that offers certification testing. www.engineservice.com
If you were to show up with this certification, they'll certainly take a look at you. They cover general knowledge of principals but, not specific brands and models. For brand and model knowledge you just have to keep laying your hands on them until they second nature. Fish, for me the comfort with airline maintenance is the 2-3 levels of independent inspection after the wrenches quit turning. Now if you know some inspectors who are idiots I'll be leary with you.

Grande Dog
Master Mechanic
Discount Arborist Equipment and Tree Care Supplies