Would a company ever hire someone too....?

[K-techcowboy]

Hey everyone as a professional motorcycle technician needing a job but living in a motorcycle poor area(for now). Is there any need for a equipment maintenance and repair technician for a tree service. I like working on small engines as they are pretty simple and I love chainsaws and cutting wood. I can also weld or fabricate things to fix broken equipment in the field if need be and every evening I could clean equipment and sharpen each saw for the next day. Stuff like that. I could also manage simple on hand maintenance parts for anything that way you wouldn't be down a peice of valuable equipment because of a simple part thats known by the crew to wear out on a regular basis.

 

[holeycow]

Someone might be lookin' for a mechanic... that would be the title of an experienced technician, imo.

 

[StumpBustersLLC]

Probably your best bet would be contacting one of the HUGE companies. Although, it's not always the ideal work environment. The smaller companies wouldn't have the budget for it.

 

[ShermanC]

Hey everyone as a professional motorcycle technician needing a job but living in a motorcycle poor area(for now). Is there any need for a equipment maintenance and repair technician for a tree service. I like working on small engines as they are pretty simple and I love chainsaws and cutting wood. I can also weld or fabricate things to fix broken equipment in the field if need be and every evening I could clean equipment and sharpen each saw for the next day. Stuff like that. I could also manage simple on hand maintenance parts for anything that way you wouldn't be down a peice of valuable equipment because of a simple part thats known by the crew to wear out on a regular basis.

The concept first deserves a study of demand and supply in the small engine market. Protect yourself from making an investment which turns to a loss. Talk to área business leaders like Chamber of Comm., newspaper advertising sales reps, college or associates college or even Voc-tech instructors. Their thoughts are sure to reflect the known demand sources in view of the influx of cordless L-I tools. You ought not start a repair shop with inventory of common parts, business forms, preliminary expenses, etc. just because you think ‘they will beat a path to your door’. You could lose less money in a casino while having fun trying and still have nothing to show for it. If you work as a bench tech working for minimum wage plus job commisssion in a known proven hardware store. You will always be studying the industry. I am living a dream with my tree service business but I don’t have much profit to show it was a worthythe decision in 1991.

 

[old CB]

Not everyone has your valuable skills to do their own repairs & maintenance. And it's a constant in this trade. You'd do well to approach small operators in your area and offer your service. You won't get rich quick doing such work, but if you connect with an operator or two needing such work you'll gain the satisfaction of doing good work for good people.

 

[ATH]

Probably your best bet would be contacting one of the HUGE companies. Although, it's not always the ideal work environment. The smaller companies wouldn't have the budget for it.

I don't know...if I had somebody say they'd stop by the shop and repair stuff I've got on the "to do" list for a reasonable hourly fee (plus parts, obviously), I might take them up on that for a couple of days or on an as needed basis. I assume this would be cheaper than the dealer, and more convenient. No "bench fee" (which, I get, they have to make ends meet too so I'm not against what they do). Even simple things like change the oil in the trucks. Heck, even paying a good hourly rate without the big parts markup of normal repair shops would be a costs savings.

I'd say learn more than chainsaws and welding though - both constant needs, but make the visits a little more interesting. For example: Learn how to replace and/or sharpen teeth on chippers and stump grinders. Inspect and change hydraulic hoses. Minor skid steer repairs. Etc...

Yeah, I think there is opportunity for part time "on demand" mechanic.

 

[ken morgan]

got a fellow Marine who moved down to Florida and runs a maintenance gig out of the back of a 1 ton truck. Seen photos of him swapping a chevy diesel in the owners parking space with the tools he carries in his truck. he makes a reasonable living at it but it was touch and go for a long time. word of mouth and his no BS way of doing business helps. For a while he was taking payments until that bit him in the backside once or twice. He gets by and makes enough to keep a roof over his families head doing it. says he thought about renting a shop and expanding but the costs would drive his cost up and therefore is customers, does better being mobile he just replaced his truck last year and now plans on swapping trucks every three or four years in the future now that he has grown enough to afford it.

 

[cookies]

your best bet is finding pm work for a shipping company like fedex/ups or the county or sheriffs dep. To make it repairing independently you will need a huge clientele base. Even a larger tree service will only need no more than one week a month worth of pm or repairs on large equipment. If you want to build saws you better meet every tree company for 100 square miles around you and expect it to take a couple years to get rolling.

 

[ShermanC]

Not everyone has your valuable skills to do their own repairs & maintenance. And it's a constant in this trade. You'd do well to approach small operators in your area and offer your service. You won't get rich quick doing such work, but if you connect with an operator or two needing such work you'll gain the satisfaction of doing good work for good people.

One of the best books for finding the opportunity is WHAT COLOR is Your Parachute? The 2021 edition is on Amazon and other booksellers. Over 10 million have sold. It costs about $17.00. Be sure to work the first diagram spot on and save your notes to file...you'll be glad you did and glad you pursued this dream.

 

[ShermanC]

BTW keep good but brief written records of every customer's work you do and every machine you work on. Not all customers are worthy people and worth the trouble to keep old machines in operating condition. I have been in customer service work for 62 years and I still keep notes.

 

[ken morgan]

BTW keep good but brief written records of every customer's work you do and every machine you work on. Not all customers are worthy people and worth the trouble to keep old machines in operating condition. I have been in customer service work for 62 years and I still keep notes.

**** i worked for the government and can vouch for "that s a good idea"...

 

[Captain Bruce]

Someone might be lookin' for a mechanic... that would be the title of an experienced technician, imo.

experienced technicians? those are the min. wage clowns at oil change pits. A Mechanic is a skill, and a trade. I've never encountered any hurdles when looking for short work...... bring your tools to the closest shop, and ask. 90% initiative, 10% luck. You'd be pointed to a heated workspace, with a well-lit bench, and a pile of 2-cycles needing carb kits.....the first day....Good Luck. Now, if you have a truck, and do on-site work, maybe consider service work for several local tree services? You have a skill-set. Share it.

 

[CIAmike11]

The company I work for is not a huge huge company, (asphlund,Nelson,Lewis)although it’s not a mom and pop either. We have a lot of equipment, saws and trucks. That being said we have a fabricator/ mechanic/ welder, a sort of jack of all trades that works 7am-3pm four days a week. The man can fix anything, build anything out of wood or steel and does scheduled maintenance on all the equipment. He’ll come to job-sites if a tire goes flat or mechanical issues arise, he also keeps the shop clean. Although his situation as I’m sure many others can agree is a pretty rare job opportunity. Anyway I just figured I’d weigh in on your question. It can work… but you have to be very knowledgeable on a broad spectrum of equipment, motors and skills.

 

[K-techcowboy]

Someone might be lookin' for a mechanic... that would be the title of an experienced technician, imo.

Yea im digging into it this week.

 

[K-techcowboy]

The concept first deserves a study of demand and supply in the small engine market. Protect yourself from making an investment which turns to a loss. Talk to área business leaders like Chamber of Comm., newspaper advertising sales reps, college or associates college or even Voc-tech instructors. Their thoughts are sure to reflect the known demand sources in view of the influx of cordless L-I tools. You ought not start a repair shop with inventory of common parts, business forms, preliminary expenses, etc. just because you think ‘they will beat a path to your door’. You could lose less money in a casino while having fun trying and still have nothing to show for it. If you work as a bench tech working for minimum wage plus job commisssion in a known proven hardware store. You will always be studying the industry. I am living a dream with my tree service business but I don’t have much profit to show it was a worthythe decision in 1991.

Yes I understand alot about that and if I were opening something anytime soon I'd try to find distributers I could get parts from in one day. Then after assessing sales after a couple years stock the best sellers. Thats just a tiny part I know. I'm a kinda person that doesn't believe that tons of money makes you a rich man rather if you live a happy and fulfilling life and love your work and life. Thats a rich man to me. I've ran a independent Harley shop for about 7 months as the owner had a bike accident and him knowing my parts and business knowledge and knowing I'm good with people asked me to step in. It was non stop to say the least but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I just like helping people and using my skills and knowledge makes that an enjoyable experience. I'm only 32 so I got time to set things up or just jump in another dealership or race team again.

 

[Harmon]

Tree services always need a mechanic. I dont know anything about motorcycles myself, but I would guess most people ride their Harleys because its fun, not as a commuter rig for their day job. Surely a guy will see some messes and neglected bikes as a motorcycle mechanic - Tree service equipment on the other hand is mostly being operated by people that dont own it who are working for a wage. The job description is usually 'make a huge mess, then clean it up' so be prepared for some FILTH... just decomposing wood chips and sawdust in every corner of everything and throw in some minor but neglected hydraulic leaks...

If that aint a deal breaker, and you can fabricate and have some equipment skills you'd do fine, just getting someone to show up is half the battle sounds like. Most tree crews I worked on would NOT want anyone sharpening their saws, but sure do appreciate when someone adjusts the brakes and clutch on the Freightliner over the weekend. Watch out tho if your in passable physical shape they'll try to put you to work dragging branches when Ricky Bobby is too hungover monday morning....

 

[CacaoBoy]

as a professional motorcycle technician needing a job but living in a motorcycle poor area(for now)

That "for now" makes me think perhaps you are thinking of moving. If so, you could target a motorcycle rich area, and may be likely to find work in an established shop. If you prefer not to move, then you need to look around to judge whether demand for the work you envision would exist in your local area.

Starting any new business, one must be prepared to lose money for the first year or three. Until you establish a reputation and become known there will be few customers calling on you. In my area, ten years ago there were at least 6 independent repair shops doing the type of work you contemplate. Today I know of none. The only people I know of who are doing that type of work are employed by dealers. I do not know if that indicates there is an unmet, and potentially profitable, need for people to do the work, or if it reflects an inability to make a living doing it.

 

[fields_mj]

I know a guy who does this as his main gig in retirement. He used to own a dealership, but the manufacturer's minimum annual sales quantities got to be so high that he told them to pound sand, and went to work as a prison guard. The dealership was in his back yard, so he kept everything and did the repair work on the side, also doing some "horse trading" with used equipment and such.

Based on his experience, the problem you will run into is that dealerships won't pay squat for a good mechanic. They have to increase their sales of new equipment every year in order to maintain their dealership status. Thus they make no money fixing stuff and only pay minimum wage. When they do luck out and get someone like yourself, who's really good at it, that guy leaves after a few years of low pay and either starts his own business so that he can afford to actually eat 3 meals a day, or moves on to a different career. If you can get hooked up with a logging outfit, you might be able to find some work that pays decent. Otherwise, the work you are looking for is going to be better suited as a side hustle of some sort.

Just my 2 bits,
Mark

 

[thenne1713]

Hey everyone as a professional motorcycle technician needing a job but living in a motorcycle poor area(for now). Is there any need for a equipment maintenance and repair technician for a tree service. I like working on small engines as they are pretty simple and I love chainsaws and cutting wood. I can also weld or fabricate things to fix broken equipment in the field if need be and every evening I could clean equipment and sharpen each saw for the next day. Stuff like that. I could also manage simple on hand maintenance parts for anything that way you wouldn't be down a peice of valuable equipment because of a simple part thats known by the crew to wear out on a regular basis.

Most every small engine shop around me gives 6-12-week turn around, so they are short on Mechanics and parts, I suspect? You just have to convince them that you have skills that can make them money, without being a thief?

 

[REJ2]

The “small engine“ mechanic has went the way of the dodo bird with many small engine box store items being “throw aways” nowadays, as far as making a living wage is concerned anyways. People wont pay a repair cost of 50-75 percent of brand new. Industrial mechanic and larger machines is a different story, many of those require a good bit of high voltage electrical knowledge as well.