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another slow day…so the boss asked if i wanted a new bench top, so i said YES- the top is really oil soaked and has alot of damage- so off they went to the lumber yard, good one side ¾ plywood….
removed old ½ top, cut the ¾ sheet a little wider than the old top ( 30.5 inches vs now 32 inches wide, 8′ long) actually worked out pretty damn good, a little more room on top, then re-organized the battery chargers and tools, made it look purdy…

then more organizing of the bolt /parts bins…
NOTHING came in for me to fix….so the boss said i could leave at 3:30 if it is slow….he left at 3:15, i left at 3:40….again, clock till 5….

[top [email protected]]

Just waiting for the Spring rush when all hell breaks loose?

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Just waiting for the Spring rush when all hell breaks loose?

yup, people leave their stuff until the last minute….then complain that it cant be done the same day…
when i started there back in june , they were at least 30₄₀ units behind, telling people it would be a 2 or 3 week minimum turnaround on their item..
i remember moving those lawnmowers out every morning, then back in at night…..you could hardly walk thru to the back man door, tripping over lawnmowers…
i should have taken before and after pictures of my work area… there was so much random junk just piled up, be it electrical or gas…junk taking up valuable floor space, junk taking up shelf space…nothing organized….
if i am working there, it needs to be cleaned up, sorted, organized, so i know where everything is, and what i have on hand for used parts…
i found items with repair tags dating back to 2007 random boxes of stripped random engines under the shelves….leaking oil everywhere….
engines tagged as good, only to check them to find broken crankshafts / flywheels/ connecting rods….

and when i was caught up between customers, i would diagnose mowers left for salvage, to see if they could be fixed, or were too far gone to put back in service…

so far , there are 9 mowers, two weed whippers, two gen sets, and a propane powered floor burnisher (think gymnasium wood floors) that i have repaired , some of that stuff has been sitting there for years, others are units left for salvage by customers, or abandoned by customers (unpaid repair bills) or just dropped off by people , cuz they bought a new one….

the boss was buying them from people, but i told him that its a repair shop, NOT a pawn shop…
just like he bought 2 from an auction…but by the time they were repaired/ tuned up, there was no money to be made…told him to stop that as well.
people dont take good running stuff to the auction…

…another day of cleaning up….i dont mind it , better me getting paid for it, than his kid….

[fireflyse]

: '‘why does it do that’'

Oh no, he’s Darwin food.

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again, another day of sorting bins….nothing came in for me to fix….oh well, another day of being off at 3:30, clock till 5….

and the boss bought a portable hydraulic lift table no more lifting stupid heavy items onto the bench, no more sore back from being hunched over working on stuff….

[Walt]

Nice
A Hydraulic lift table.
That is a great work shop up grade
Enjoy it

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there are some items on sale that i would like the boss’s to purchase….hand tools that would make life a little easier, like a slide hammer for removing stators and flywheels- no more pry bars and hammers on crankshafts… new c clip removal pliers, the ones at work are all '‘modified’' and worn out, dangerous…new hammers, the heads have random screws thru them holding them to the handles…dangerous…screwdrivers are worn out….there are no impact sockets, only the kit i have brought from home….they would always use chrome sockets on the impact…

i have more tools than what they have, and i do personal stuff, no public work…

i believe the previous owner took all the decent tools home, then sold the business to these 2 guys….

at least a few items came in yesterday, kept me busy enough…

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made a list of stuff for the boss to pick up…he said as long as its not over $100….told him the one tool was on sale for $74, a slide hammer kit ….''do we really need it" he replied…
um, yes, cuz i’m not bringing mine to work anymore…unless you pay me $50 per use….he laughed at that, but i said '' no, i am serious"….i already have some of my extra tools there….
this shop did have alot of different tools, that '‘went missing’'- like a small metal lathe, slide hammer kit, bearing pullers, misc electrical testing kits, hand tools, etc…
those tools are at the previous owners home shop…. cleaned out the good stuff before he sold the business…
alot of the hand tools i use there are worn out , broken and outright dangerous…they didnt even have ANY Robertson screwdrivers , and only one Robertson bit to fit a drill…. (square bit)
the boss has aspirations to be an auctioneer, he went to a course and got a degree, showed me some video of his skills at an auction and people were heckling him…
he goes onto auction sites to bid on stuff for work, i tell him the average price of stuff, plus its stuff that can be bought on sale for cheap….one lot i told him bid no higher than $25…
he bought it for $80 … plus he has to go pick it up….an o-ring kit, a grommet kit, and some sockets… i showed him that they were on sale at a local place, all could have been purchased NEW for around $35 -$45…..

he has no clue . just like we had him convinced that the ratchets needed to be turned off on week-ends, or else the springs get weak

oh, and his kid , that just had all that work done on the sonoma, now has convinced daddy that '‘dual exhaust’' will make the truck WAY BETTER for fuel economy
and he went for it

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wow
i wrote a small list of items for the shop, mostly daily consumables, but 3 tools on the list….i got the tools! new slide hammer kit, snap ring pliers kit, and a 4 lb hammer….
i told them a little every month needs to be spent on buying new tools/ replacing worn out tools…and that you cant count '‘consumables’' as buying tools…those items are a necessary that are needed daily …
i told them next month i want a new floor jack….the one i use is weak and wont lift to full height….yes, the oil is good and the air bled out of it….its just…cheap, old and worn out….

now the boss wants to use his '‘auctioneering’' skills and have an auction at the shop… he wants us three employees to be ring masters and my wife to take down bid #s…
how convenient, no matter the week-end, we are all busy…
plus, i actually will be busy….i have to remove, and install new siding on my house….i went thru insurance, then opted for the pay-out, i can do it for cheaper than what the company quoted the insurance company…good bye vinyl siding, hello tin siding….bright white, easy peasy to install, can replace a sheet if it gets damaged rather easily…. vinyl siding? nope, gets brittle with age, and they change the way it interlocks every few years, making the product '‘better’'….no, you made it so i have to replace ALL my siding, ‘cuz the ’‘new and improved’' interlocking design is different than my old siding, and they wont lock together…and my siding isnt that old….

anyways

more stuff is starting to come in for repairs, so the day goes by quicker…

and the guy down the street at the muffler shop told the boss its of no benefit to put dual exhaust on his son’s sonoma…thats after 3 of us told him that…

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wow work has picked up alot since the nice weather has arrived….more mowers, tillers, trimmers and what not….busy busy!