kingofdodge7131

Yeah there massive. Most of what we work on are heavy trucks. fresh this fall we got a new cummins that i had the pleasure of breaking in. We did a overhead on it just to get everyone familiar with engines. had some detroits and what not but the new cummins whats the only dual cam, and i got stuck with the girl. No offence to the women i just cant have any fun im 19 shes 30 some haha. And she keeps trying to compare it too working on her bfs truck 12 years ago. but anyway when we were putting the intake and exaust cam back in i told her to wait till i had the torque settings to put it back on. Went to get a 3/4" breaker bar to turn the engine over for timming and come back and shes tighting down the bolds which at first im like ok as long as shes not crankin them ya know. nope she had her 1/2 breaker to make sure they were tight, well she twisted the head of one bolt right off. And i broke her drill bit trying ot get it out haha. Oh well. But yeah we also got a v-16 new this year, to us anyway from the local train yard. that is freakin massive. I do like the simplicity of fixing those from what i see though, how all the cylinders come out thats pretty nifty

Monty

Freightliner Service Tech here. The average pay for a knowledgeable tech is around 20 bucks an hour. I believe the last time I checked, the highest paid techs were around 30, and they mostly worked on transmissions.

Dl5treez

EVERY tech school and their recruiter says you can make 100k as a diesel wrench.

You can, IF you want to work in Iraq, or on a boat out in the middle of the ocean for companies like Western Geophysical, etc., or working 80+ hours/week busting your butt out in BFE with nothing but you, your truck, and your brain to keep you going working on some drill rig, mine shovel, or generator in the Arctic tundra.

Mine jobs pay very well(upwards of 60k) but you have a lot of overtime, work outside in the crap--Blue Thunder and those up in Gillette pay very well, but like I said before--you earn it.

Most in house mechanics at a truck/equipment shop make between 30-40k base. Field service techs make the most but imagine how much fun it is replacing crowd cylinders on a 245 Cat shovel 55 miles up in the Oympic Nat'l Forest at 930pm Christmas Eve with freezing rain blowing up the crack of your ***.......by yourself. Then, when you're done, you get to drive 4 hours home....yeah the money is great....... ;D

4x4

TN. has a diesel tech school that you can enter. A 2 year graduate earns 25 bucks an hour. They also help you find a place to work.

4x4

msparks

You know what, it would seem that if you were a good diesel mech, that specialized in Pickups like those featured on here you would do pretty good. Your compentition would be only the dealerships as I don't see many diesel shops that cater to the pickup market, and since the late 90's more and more of the Dogdes, Fords and Chevy's will be comming out of warrenty you should have a good source of business. Especially if you do good work.

french277

i work as diesel mechanic and electrican and i am working on my own bussiness for over 10 year( in usa ) and plus 8 years in france ... please do not bash me for being forgien person here but i do respect every one here and my catoargy ( sorry for spelling ) mechanic - off road equimpet , generators , staionary engines[ aka industrail engines]

electrical stuff : master electrican for resdential, commercal , industrail and few other area

yeah i have few specal tools for both area but the pay will varis depending what you are doing with it mechanic and electrican are almost the same with pay scale but but bear in mind the mechanic and electrican do have to go to one area to take a test every few years to keep the licsine ( perments) current and some case it is not cheap but there are alot of opeing for trades but just wish the luck to find a good spot where you will be happy with it

merci , marc

pappyman

After 37 years as a diesel mechanic before I started my own company.....This is my feelins about the trade
1- In my younger years it was about money
2- Then it became a point to become a better mechanic
3- I would listen and watch the older mechanics
4- As I became more skilled pride in my work grew
5- Then my work environment became important
6- Being happy at work was more important then money
7- I moved into management of a shop
8- As shop supervisor I tried to make each mechanic feel that what he repaired was important
9- Hiring diesel mechanics is becoming harder due to lack of new mechanics entering this field
10- Shop managers are willing to pay a mechanic more based on that mechanics skill level which comes more from years of experience not schooling
11- Senior mechanics are the best teachers in a shop for younger mechanics
12- Its hard, dirty, heavy work....but very rewarding knowing you fixed that truck and helped to get that load delivered

JKE

I'm with pappy,

I am proud to know that every b engine and many others have my touch...I cannot elaborate.
FWIW

John

Monty

I agree with Pappyman, no amount of schooling can equal the amount of knowledge that you will learn through older mechanics.

98Rammer, You are not going to find many schools that offer a 3 month training course with a job waiting on you. And, to be honest, how much can you learn in that short amount of time and feel okay with yourself stepping right in and doing it? I just dont see how a person can comprehend all the knowledge needed in that short amount of time. I wouldnt waste my money on it. Wyotech is a good school, and its name is out there, but again, you go back to the short amount of time they give you, and then you have to find a job. If you are looking for a school that offers the CAT program, which is fully ran by Caterpillar. My college offers it. Paid internship every other 7 weeks for 2 years, with an Associates. They also offer Freightliner, Komatsu, etc. And, you have a job with them waiting on you when you get out.

http://www.osu-okmulgee.edu/academics/diesel_and_heavy/

geer

Hey 98, Go do the Buckhorn roll and everything will look better. ;D ;D

Monty

JKE

If it is that bad, do not waste your time...enroll elsewhere and get what you need/want..........I know on this one....been there done that....

I really need to get to work

kingofdodge7131

All make good points, and a lot of it is about the work. ( i come from a farming and tourism ( both parents are buisness owners) backround so i have a good sence of work. And the diesel mechs i know all made purty good money. the lowest of 28 a hour. the highest of 40 somethin. the 28 was a Case IH and the other was a performance hotrod shop and he only did diesel and i guess he was worth it. Thats what id like to get into somewhere.

98rammer

[quote author=kingofdodge7131 link=board=8;threadid=18913;start=15#msg184600 date=1063574692]
the 28 was a Case IH and the other was a performance hotrod shop and he only did diesel and i guess he was worth it. Thats what id like to get into somewhere.
[/quote]

ditto!

KatDiesel

[quote author=98rammer link=board=8;threadid=18913;start=15#msg184078 date=1063410783]
well, the past couple weeks of wyotech here i've absolutely hated. sure, i've learned some things, but not a lot. i am forced to learn a/c in order to pass (i like knowing the basics, but hate refrigeration thereof). and my current teacher is a real jerk and, i'm realizing that i'm not going to get a whole lot more out of my education here. [/quote]

You'll have a degree with Wyoming Tech's name on it, don't underestimate the value of that. It will net you many oppurtunities that you wouldn't have without it. Regardless of what you learn in school, you'll learn more with on the job experience.