Equipment and Employees

C

Chris Tharpe

New member
Why is it i can run a machine thats brand new for 60 days and then the day after i turn it loose to an employee it won't start after they used it for 10 hours. This is not the only problem however it kills me that i can fix something, have it working properly, and then use it myself for hours on end without problems then the minute it gets turned on by an employee problems start happening. I am not acquising anyone of damaging property intentionally however it starts to throw red flags after a while. This is just the start of my rant but its not worth the time complaining about it.



Does anyone else have these types of problems?
 
Do you have strict systems set up for operating the equipment? Everything we do is done in a certain way every single time. This keeps operator error from happening as much.

However, stuff still gets broken once in a while, just part of the deal i guess.
 
there is a set system in place that requires each engine and pump oil levels to be checked every night before commencing operation. It just kills me that i can run something with absolutely no problems for so long and turn it over to an employee and recieve a call that the engine is not working properly. It would be different if these machines were 2 years old but this one may have 100 hours on it at best. It is not getting fuel for some strange reason however i have no clue why.

GX620, getting spark, air, but no fuel. If you pour a little bit of gas into the carb it will start and run till the fuel burns off. There is no blockage in the lines, but it seems to operate on vacuum so the fuel pump is not working properly for some reason. Any ideas on that part?
 
I had an employee let the air out of a tire on the truck so he didn't have to do a big account that day.
 
mobilewashpros said:
there is a set system in place that requires each engine and pump oil levels to be checked every night before commencing operation. It just kills me that i can run something with absolutely no problems for so long and turn it over to an employee and recieve a call that the engine is not working properly. It would be different if these machines were 2 years old but this one may have 100 hours on it at best. It is not getting fuel for some strange reason however i have no clue why.

GX620, getting spark, air, but no fuel. If you pour a little bit of gas into the carb it will start and run till the fuel burns off. There is no blockage in the lines, but it seems to operate on vacuum so the fuel pump is not working properly for some reason. Any ideas on that part?
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When you turn the key to the "on" position, can you hear a click sound near the carb? There's a solenoid on the carb that shuts the fuel off. I have seen the wire that goes to it break loose from the key switch.
 
tighten the hose clamps on the fuel line. you try that?
 
Training,hands on training,PW service training,and a written test everyother month to keep it fresh.most times i get a new worker and find myself too busy to train them and thats when the probs start. now I sit them in front of the comp, watching youtube vids for a day to see if they like it,next comes the hands on training. i am always present when they are working anyway. Mabey to much training, but it sucks when you ask the guy to add another link of hose and he cant even work the coupler.
 
Thats just one of the pleasures of having employees. They dont have the same attitude as an owner. Not my problem attitude. Im a real hands on guy. Ive spent many hrs on the phone with a service tech walking him thru a fix. It was either that or he rolls it up and goes home.
 
Michael T said:
Thats just one of the pleasures of having employees. They dont have the same attitude as an owner. Not my problem attitude. Im a real hands on guy. Ive spent many hrs on the phone with a service tech walking him thru a fix. It was either that or he rolls it up and goes home.
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.... and they never will have an owner's attitude as long as they are an employee.
It's very hard for me to leave an employee on the jobsite without my being there. I know for sure they will not do it properly.


"Good help is hard to find"

If they lose anything ( tools) leave it behind or break something to their own fault...... they get docked or pay for it.

I am not even ready to take on more help as busy as I am because it cost me time training ( most time to no avail). I don't have the time for that. Catch 22 sort of but I just keep pushing on.
 
mobilewashpros said:
Why is it i can run a machine thats brand new for 60 days and then the day after i turn it loose to an employee it won't start after they used it for 10 hours. This is not the only problem however it kills me that i can fix something, have it working properly, and then use it myself for hours on end without problems then the minute it gets turned on by an employee problems start happening. I am not acquising anyone of damaging property intentionally however it starts to throw red flags after a while. This is just the start of my rant but its not worth the time complaining about it.



Does anyone else have these types of problems?
Click to expand...


I have extra equipment, and yes they are gone if it become cronic. Maybe they are smoking cronic...
 
Welcome to management. I have found that the most unreliable part of my buisness is the people who work it. Equipment breaks but people can just " have a bad day" and ruin the best laid plans.
 
Comes down to the fact that since it is not theirs then they don't take pride in it. You begin to make them more responsible for it and they either start caring or they are gone. Adrian nailed it with "Good help is hard to find."
 
wow so im not the only one! i have an employee, well had an employee that called an x-jet an egg after i have repeatedly told him what it was. he calls a surface cleaner a space thing and is very seriouse about it. he has been working for about two weeks now and just can now hook up the surface cleaner. hhe forgets everything and lost his first check and expects me to cut him another one at my expense:mad: today was the last straw i had him cleaning gutters and he didnt do the downspouts and right in front of me did only the top of one. aaaaahhhhhh!!!! ok sorry i was so long winded
 
I'm old school and started working on lawnmower engines when I was 12 out of necessity. Cars followed. If my car broke I usually fixed it. I know that's not possible now unless you have diagnostic gear. Everybody talks about the "younger generation" well it's true for most. They can tell you how to enter a secret code on a video game. But they never had to fix anything. Most don't know what a choke is, let alone what it does. All I ever ask is "try" to figure something out. Don't just look at it. No effort is what gets me. The young people on here are here because they are willing to work.

Then there is the whole work ethic issue. That's the biggest problem. If you ever have a guy apply that was raised on his family's farm don't let him get away. They work hard, don't whine, and will show you how they fixed something with baling wire and duct tape so they could finish the job when they get back to the shop. I've had a lot of people work for me over the years and I can tell by noon the first day 99% of the time if they will work out. My first unscientific test when I'm looking for help is simple. When they answer an ad I get their name and number tell them to call me tomorrow at 6:00pm sharp. It's amazing how many will forget or just can't use a clock. 90% won't call at all, 5% will call on time and 5% will call days or weeks later. I don't waste my time on the 95%.

El Flojo has the right idea for training. It's easier to make the time to train than take the time to drive around to fix stuff. I need to work on that.
 
everyone tells me its because he is young. and what makes me so mad about that is that i am only three years older than him. i am 20 years old he is seventeen. i go to bed late and wake up early every morning for work. this morning i coudnt even get him up. i am struggling to find good work what is it. i blame it on the parents. my parents made me work hard all my life now days kids just work hard on the computer and when it comes to physical labor they dont know what to do. Well, i guess i will start looking for farm kids:D
 
This is really a funny ending to this story.


Asked if the fuel tank had fuel in it, reply was yet. I got to the machine this morning and looked into the tank, seemed dry to me so i put in about a half gallon of fuel, after trying to start it. Low and behold the machine was out of fuel
 
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