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Tools and Preventive Maintenance
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Mike SE IL
Posted 3/20/2014 07:36 (#3764877 - in reply to #3764006)
Subject: RE: Tools and Preventive Maintenance



West Union, Illinois

BluebarnL&C - Were you successful?
Depends on how you gauge success. I have a little personal shop at home and a farm shop.  They are handled entirely differently because of how they are used.  My shop is at first glance a disaster area. But I am the only user and if I lay it down I know where to pick it up.  It seems at home I never have enough time to finish anything in one session. But since it is just me it's OK to leave the tools where they are being used.

The farm shop has several users.  When you get done wipe it off (I'm a little OCD about that after grabbing a couple greasy wrenches) and put it away so someone else can find it.

The last place I worked the Boss (I love him like a brother ... which means you want to kill him about half the time) arranges his service vehicle chronologically by height.  The last thing he used is on top of the pile. I was taught to use a service truck by Charlie.  That means you know if you walk up to the center door, reach in your right hand and grab there will be a 10" and a 12" Crescent wrench hanging there.  Open the door to your left, reach in with your left hand and on the right side of the top shelf will be a ... well, you get the idea.

You could always tell when the boss grabbed your truck for an  after hours service call because none of it got back in the right place.  The Hardees cup and wrapper in the seat was also a giveaway.

I'm telling you all that to tell you this:  Success is relative.  Is your goal to have perfectly organized trucks or get a job accomplished?  We don't know how your trucks are being used or the folks using them.  But I do know different people approach things differently.

Craig and I would leave about the same time each day.  He'd go left and I'd go right.  We usually got back within 15 minutes of each other unless an emergency came up.  Doing an installation John would grab a bunch of stuff and throw it in the truck.  I'd sit down an plan where I was going and what was needed for each job.  Doing the same job we'd get done about the same time.  He and I just approached it differently.

If possible assign each guy a truck.  Give him the tools and training to do what he needs to do. And let him do it.  As long as the truck is maintained and the work gets done let each guy's style and manner be his.  Wrenches get lost.  Things get broken. Important things get put off or forgotten. But in the end are the things getting done that need done?

They need to understand from time to time Joe will use John's truck because it is suited better for something he is doing. And John may need Harry's while he does so he can pull the gooseneck, which is OK because Harry was sick that day and didn't come in.  But if Harry comes back and finds his tools in John's truck he has a right to gripe.  Yes, it introduces a new set of dynamics.  

Have fun ! 



Edited by Mike SE IL 3/20/2014 07:39
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