No pics because I wasn't happy, but the track that came off last week came off again today. It's so stretched that there is no adjustment left. They said run it, I said ok it's your money.
Easy day with the schwing today. Then next week off, headed to camp. Hopefully get some meet for the freezer. my happy place.
Resealed the steering gear box, replaced the hood stops, new front brakes and drums, and replaced the air horn valve.
The smart owners know enough to let an intelligent mechanic/equipment manager make that call. "Send it and hope" is not a smart business plan. Doesn't work in Vegas either. Why wouldn't you let the guy that knows the equipment, parts, and labor costs the best make the call? Downtime is almost ALWAYS the most expensive and unpredictable variable. Empowering that competent employee builds the ownership mentality that every employer wants in their workforce but (often) struggles to achieve. Slides soapbox back under his desk.
You are right. We are a independent company, very small. I guess the owner just wants to get all he can out of the replaceables.
I'm sure their line of thinking is "I'm going to have to replace this anyways, maybe I can get another job or three before I'm forced to spend the money." The magic happens when the thinking shifts from "What's it gonna cost me to replace this?" to "What's it gonna cost me when it breaks?" This simplifies finding the balance in proactive/preventative maintenance vs waiting for breakdowns to happen. It's also why many high-volume BTOs (Big-Time Operators) lease new vs maintaining older equipment. This is predictable and stable (makes accountants happy) but generally costs more than excellent maintenance of equipment in good condition. Smaller operators know/feel this. My line of work, the equipment is highly specialized, and parts are not always available on short notice. Many can take 6 months or more to obtain. There is not a part on the equipment that's worth more than a few hours of downtime (and we run 24/7). So, we do a lot of disassembling, adjusting, and diagnostic monitoring on equipment that is still performing well. I have a very robust cache of spares because every quick temporary fix means we'll have to do that job at least twice. I'm very good at diagnosing specific root causes of an issue, especially in moments of crisis, but I'm ultimately tasked with ensuring that I rarely have to.
I think your right. Except for the dozers we can get most anything loaded and to the shop for major repairs.
Unfortunately the cam lobe took a beating as well. They didn’t want to spend the time/ money to replace the cam. Just stick a follower in and see what happens. Hope it holds together as these motors are and have been for quite a wile on intergalactic back order….