Worked as a industrial maintenance mechanic for 25 years stuff breaks all the time and stuff breaks that is "never" supposed to break.thats why I don't ride roller coasters.
Yeah i've worked under excavator buckets here and there because the odds of it happening are like winning the lottery... But then you see the booms freefall to the ground when a line breaks and it's not worth the risk.
Hiring a full time mechanic who does constant PM and inspection, and is instantly available for emergency repairs is a LOT cheaper than major repairs and lost time, and will boost your reputation. Also, when an owner says anything that alters your plan...write it out and make him sign it.
motokmac very good point. ive been an owner operator driver for 20 yrs so far and what ive learned is catching small problems in a pretrip possibly avoided huge problems...an engine just doesnt blow up either operator error or neglegence occured..id be pissed if one of my trucks popped a motor i would find our why for sure.
I have been watching a few of your vids....Thank you for being honest. Been in business 34 years and no matter how good you are, no matter how well you plan, the gremlins are going to get you. Best of luck!
Gear constantly breaking down is indicative of a lack of preventative maintenance. Stuff will go down, but that should not happen regularly. Man... that boulder hack is eyewatering.
Wow! Back in the 1960's my dad (general contractor) did a job for a wealthy man who lived near us. He wanted his whole house redone. No problem. Dad drew up an estimate, it was signed off on and the work began. As the job progressed the owner's wife would say, "Can I have some shelves here?" and we'd put in shelves there. "Can I have a book case here?" And we'd put in a bookcase there. At the end of the job Dad gave the guy a bill and he went through it and refused to pay for all those "extras" his wife had requested. We had nothing on paper to prove she'd asked for them. Dad took it to court, he had no evidence, the case went against him. He lost something like $13,000 (in 1960's dollars). The next day Dad went out and bought those triple copy job ticket machines for each company truck and said, "Not in writing? No signature by the customer? We don't do the work." It was the end of the "gentleman's handshake" style of doing business. I was just a kid but I vividly remember the change. It was really sad. Contrast that with my grandfather (also a general contractor) who built the Moorland Farms estate in Far Hills, NJ on the strength of his personal integrity and a handshake. Today that'd be a $25 million job. Never a paper signed, all done in good faith. In the 1920's. Not these days. Sorry for your rough job in the vid. Hope you get some "gravy" to make up for it along the way. :(
spin230 those days are gone forever, in today's world sure, you can get a job done on a handshake, but it'll never be a "BIG" job. The first thing that'll happen the first time something goes wrong? Those same guys that shook your hand, will be lawyering up!
Home owners typically don't recognize that every little thing costs $ , bidding the job low to win it does not leave any room for errors or extras . Turn changes into your profit center , estimate the job in the best case scenario and then advise on what additional costs may be incurred in the process should [ fill in the blank ] occur , include dollar amounts and time , fully document changes with all relevant parties and get them signed off before advancing any further. A previous boss taught me this and it helps the operation run smoother , as some people weasel their contractors intentionally and then accuse them of fraud and deception or incompetence should they get charged a dollar more .
Oh yeah. In car repair and especially restoration we get those customers doing that all the time. When told it'll cost them more, some try sneaking off to talk to the mechanic trying to get extras for free. Happens all the time, and it's a major pain to have to deal with. But just what You said, write it all down, get customer approval and signatures always!
I just had a hell of a landscaping season, Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Thankfully I had worked through a lot of it and am grateful for the million things I learned from the million mistakes made my fault and not, but seeing this really encouraged me. To see you incur all the same types of silly to seriously unfortunate losses and hear you explain it the way you did really made my day. I'm looking forward to crushing next year and handling everything that comes my way with grace. Thank you Stan, you kick so much ass!
As a Custom Furniture Manufacturer, we run into issues all the time. I appreciate hearing your encouraging words. Putting out fires is what I do best. Of course I wish they didn't come, but when they do I have to resolve them. Thanks, brother. Enjoy your videos.
You have to get them to sign a waiver stating their permission and exactly what they want. Preferably with a diagram on it showing what you're doing and where. If you don't they pull a "Well I never said that!" and it's an endless argument. A lot of people will do it on purpose to try and con you into paying for extra repairs.
You said it , it is those kinds of challenges that can give you health problems or make you strong. And you sure proved yourself on that one. Thats integrity and shows your company to be one of the real good ones. Thanks for the video and like another guy said , I hope you get some gravy jobs you sure deserve it.
Mid West I don't know about Minnesota, but here in Alabama, as an employee of a municipal water and sewer works, specifically a construction and maintenance equipment operator, I can tell you that our responsibility for sanitary lines ends at the boundary to the right of way. Most plumbers do not install tracer wire from the junction between our stub out and the customers infrastructure. We CANNOT and will not assume responsibility to locate customer lines. There are obviously some alternatives available from the locating community, some are prohibitively expensive, but rarely as expensive as rework. As an operator, my philosophy has evolved, due to reworks like this, to simply restore the lines to thier original state.
James Payne Was going to write the same thong. Some municipalites only own to the curb, and that's the end of marking responsibility. Hell, some municipalites around me don't own the entirety of the lateral/building sewer, they just own the main line and that's all they maintain and Mark.
nope city workers of every municipality just dont give a damn about those who live in said municipalities and its part of the stupidity problem hey james payne we the people hate people like you city workers are stupid irresponsible and dont care about those that that they serve
hagus the mad No. It's those in said municipality that expect everything for free, even when it's a problem that is on private property. It not that we don't care, usually our hands are tied by "rules and regulations" set forth by a board of trustees. Also our budgets don't call for exteme amounts of money for regular collection system infrastructure maintenance, only emergency maintenance, hence the reason most only own to the property line. The general population doesn't get it, so many customers that have monopolized city water in conjunction with an authority or private sewer don't pay their bills because their is no recourse to not paying. I run into people all day that ask why they have to pay for water twice, one when it comes in and again when it goes out. People also don't realize how much damage they do with what they flush. Just because it says "flushable" doesn't mean it's flushable. Everything you flush instead of just throwing away, we pull out of the water and throw it away for you, and those systems aren't cheap to buy or maintain. There are so many factors into all of it, I can keep going. But most of the time it's the customer that is clueless and negligent, not on purpose, but because of ignorance and lack of education.
Dave They didnt have to worry about the sewer line because it was under the walkway, infront of the house, the one they were told to remove was the swimming pool which was about 4 feet without an end, so they removed it, The sanity or "poop line" was never damaged. :) even with any damages, They fixed it as they offered, even though they had to fix the swing line on the machine and the other big rig. so all in all about 13,000 and 15,000 or more equaling in.. $28,000.00 Dollars plus tax max. so all in all, even expensive if you know how to fix lines and or other issues, it saves you alot without having to pay more. ect.
Maddy Bellisle - no... I believe in the end it turned out that it WAS an sewer line running under the pool... If it was just a line from the pool there would have been no need to reconnect it.
You earned my trust with this one. I'm so sick of the duck and run contractors I could spit. I'm a guy with integrity like you, that would make it right at my expense should it be warranted. This quality will make us rise above the rest.
I dug up a sewer line before, want to know how I determined if it was an old dead pipe or a good one. Just go inside and flush 3 times, if water comes out the end you better repair it. Simple and fail safe.
Thanks Stan for doing these videos. They are a BIG help. Back 7 years ago I decided that come MAY 31st (2012) I would start my own Taxicab Company. Well I was being told by people that "You CAN'T do this" or "You CAN'T do that". Well thankfully my AUTISM makes me VERY stubborn. I persevered and got my Company up and running. I could not find HONEST, LOYAL, TRUSTWORTHY drivers at all. I literally drove myself into the ground healthwise. I wound up with PTSD due to people pulling guns and other weapons on me. I didn't understand what was going on and started GAMBLING. I shut my Business down at that point. I later found out that I had PTSD. I also found out that ROOT BEER(WAS my fav pop/soda) was my number 1 trigger. BUT I am going to PERSEVERE and start my Company again THIS year in a different location.
Unless depreciation on the truck is long gone, and youd be better off getting a new one. Also you can deduct all of the 5 years in one now, so it pays off fast. Thanks to trump
I actually had a shitty day, my truck broke down (AGAIN) which is a huge issue for us! But after watching your video, I feel confident and refreshed. We will overcome this bump
You're absolutely right. i'm a bmw master technician and i notice technicians trying to hide mistakes all the time. everyone screws up and things break. it happens. its part of what makes you a better person and technician.
Well said! It's not how you "Fall" it's how our teams get up and keep going that makes the difference. Employees fearing a punishment over occational "Oops" creates much more damage than the occational errors, breaks or oops. Creating a culture of trust and ownership over the project is long term the better way. Cry, bleed, sweat...get through it and get to the next one as best as you can with the best way you can. Hopefully, learn something on the way! There are no books for this stuff we do, just the day to day grind.
I've been in the sewer and water industry for 25 years...recently my wife and i went on our own. I totally and completely get your headaches. I have not come close to what you have. We have only started out with one machine and my truck...but I've had my truck for one year and it's been one problem after another after another. Thus video is inspiring to say the least...and I've heard this advice from a friend and fellow business owner before. God bless buddy! Keep at it
I recently learned this lesson and ended up having to buck up and take the loss. It sucks when you feel like you are doing everything you can to deliver quality and value yet when something happens, the contractor must assume responsibility. At 23 I was hoping these problems were just age related than universal across the construction industry.
How ironic that I should come across your video to-day. Just yesterday I was in the field to do an inspect and verify the part of a building that was being demolition back to its original state, and in accordance with the current plans recorded on Public Record. The building and the plans did not match, of course. They are in the middle of a sale of the building when the inspectors caught the obvious discrepancy. My company was called in to verify what needed to be demoed, because three years ago my boss did their electrical and HVAC plans. I work for two Professional Engineers, and one Architect as a Draftsman specializing in MEP. So, I was sent out to inspect, verify and sign-off on the work that needed to be done to return the building back to its original state. So, they made the changes to the building without a permit. Lots of people do. However, in this case, they got caught, and there is a ironic twist to the story that thickens the plot. As I was verifying what had to be removed I get a call from one of my P.E.'s telling me to cease and desist from my inspection. The obvious question is of course, "Why and what's going on?" I was told that hey never paid the original invoice for the work that my boss had done. ($3,200.00) So, now, I could not sign off on what needs to be done for the inspectors to give the okay for the building until they paid their unpaid bill. *Get this...it's a church.* So, as I am about to leave the Pastor pulls in to the parking lot. I suspect one of the demolition guys called him and informed him of the now impending delay, which was going to cost them a whole lot more. Of course he wants to know why I can't sign-off. I call my boss on my trusty iPAD and he informs this Pastor of the record of not paying their previous invoice. He assures him that we would be happy to sign-off when the previous invoice is paid-in-full. Needless to say this Pastor was not very happy. *But, then again, who is he not to be happy about these circumstance that their negligence got them into.* He and his congregation are the debtors, and I am pretty sure he could not fine a verse in the Bible to excuse himself from paying what they had agreed to pay for work that had already been done. Now, after the current job is completed what is to insure that they will not do the same thing again? I am glad you asked. What I DID, I did WITHOUT my bosses knowledge of what I was doing prior to doing what I did. I informed my bosses after the fact. I spoke directly to this Pastor Rodney and warned him, if you do not pay the current bill for the current job, we will not sue you in a court even though we have a justifiable cause of action to do so. We will go after your tax-exempt status and have it revoked for failure to pay your contractual obligations in a timely fashion as you are obligated to do. Yes, I did say this to him. And, I told him what FORM I would file with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to have their Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID) do what no court can get done in only a couple of weeks. And, since my iPAD is Internet capable, I showed him the IRS Form, and I explained to him that by not paying your bills you have actually violated your Tax-Exempt status. (I know a little something about 501(c)(3) and IRS Form 1023. He responded to me, "YOU WOULD DO THIS TO US...to a church of Jesus Christ?" I said back to him, *"How have your actions of not paying a legitimate bill that you owe for labor done proven that you are a church of Jesus Christ? Show me the Scripture where Jesus teaches you do that."* He was silent. What could he say to that? The icing on the cake to all of this was just then Duke Energy pull up with an order to cut off their power for failure to pay their bill in the last three months. So you asked how I and my company have overcome some of the issues we have faced for unpaid bills, how does this stack up to what some of you others have experienced? To tell you the truth, I do not expect this "Religious Organization" to pay their bill. It's like that famous line said in all the Star Wars movies, "I've got a bad feeling about this." I think that feeling was affirmed by presents of Duke Energy at the end.
Hey...I really like your attitude. I am a Civil Engineer Technologist living in Kingston Ontario. I am well aware of the trials and tribulations of construction and yes you are totally right when you say the public has no idea how tough it can be to deal with the unknowns let alone the breakdowns. Fortunately I work for an excellent company (Len Corcoran Excavating) whose owner has a great attitude such as yours. I am 48 and this Boss is by far the best employer I have ever worked for hands down. You Sir seem to be cut from the same cloth as him and I am sure your employees recognize this. Although it can be very hard sometimes maintaining this attitude when you are getting kicked in the balls over and over keep that mindset of yours and battle on. Cheers and I hope you are very successful with your endeavours.
I commend you guys, as a person who does contract work, and has used a lot of contractors, I respect far more the contractor that discusses and makes right a fail, than the one that covers it up and does a crap job
Thank you for this. I am a fence contractor in Massachusetts and I recently backed myself into a corner financially, I'm fighting with everything I have to keep it alive but right now it feels like the bottom is falling out. Thank you for your inspirational words and sharing the issues that face. I too also face issues/problems on the job. And you are right, it's how you face them and handle them.
I had a problem on a job with a cranky home owner upset at how part of the job was left by one of my employees. When I arrived on the job the home owner was spoiling for a fight. One look at that part of the job it was obviously incorrect. I told the home owner that it was incorrect and it would be fixed. Home owner settled right down and told me it was hard to argue with someone who wouldn't argue back. Winning. Job got fixed and everyone is happy.
I Love thinking outside the box to fix things to make them work to get by. I'm glad you have those guys working for you. Great Video. Thank you for it.
16 years of landscape construction business ownership tells me the same thing, my friend. No way to stop these things from happening. Impossible. All we can do is get creative (like your demo rock - hilarious!) and keep on going. Good video glad you're showing the reality of the matter.
Builds character and teaches you alot when things break, I love your videos man, im just starting in the lawn care and snow plowing business and your channel has been very helpful, im starting from nothing like you did, I love that you got farming background, we used to dairy farm but auctioned everything on june 20th and in july i started investing into lawn care and snow removal equipment, keep up the good work my friend!
i locate for a large city in Ohio and private lines are not located which the sewer was a private line going to septic or the city main , it would not be marked and sewers don't freeze and bust like a water line if install they should drain and the heat from the main keeps it warm
Loved your video I am a foreman for a excavating company in New Jersey we get all the jobs nobody will touch, I have been doing this for 35 years and every day something still suprises me! The best was it took 4 days to get a sewer line 20 feet across the road!
private line contractor or home owner to pay to have it located call before you dig states the not all lines are located and private lines will not be also it is the contractors job to call the locator if he thinks there is or if he finds a line to see who's it is i try to tell my contractors of abandoned lines in the dig area main contractors have my city cell #also
I have had a couple problems learning to run my business. They didn't come in the form of equipment failures, but communication failures or dishonest clients. I own a small custom lumber company with mobile milling capabilities and fire wood processing. In the winter season I also deal in snow removal because the equipment lends itself to doing both well. The first lesson I learned was always get the job in writing and have the homeowner sign the contract. Last year, I received a call to clear some snow out of a driveway. I asked him if he wanted it pushed out or blown out. When he found out I had a blower on a bobcat, he added a lot more area to the job. When I showed up, the business owner was not there so I started anyway. I cleared his driveway, his parking lot, his loading bays, and his alley access. All said and done, about 4 hours worth of labor. As I was loading up, the owner showed up so I handed him the bill. He was not happy. He then went back on our conversation and said he never authorized all the work. I said you did and he said prove it...Wow, slap in the face. He said there was no contract and be happy I was getting anything. I smiled and left. Nothing I could do. Wasted hours of work and the fuel to go with it. Turns out I have the only blower in the area able to do what he needs. Guess who called me this year lol. When actually he had his office manager call me. Soon as I heard the address I requested to talk to the owner. He reluctantly called my the next day...Im sure he was dreading it. Long story short, I charged him triple my normal rate and he signed the contract before I even loaded my equipment. The second learning issue I had was not asking enough questions. Sometimes clients don't thing about what they are asking for and if your product will work. A homeowner call me and asked if I could mill him some 2x6. That's all he said, I want 200 2x6x8. I said no issure, I can cut them tomarrow and deliever them in 2 days. I showed up to his house with the lumber and he came out. This is were things went wrong. He didn't tell me what the lumber was for so I cut him pine lumber (not really the best for framing which is what he was doing). He said this wont do, I want doug fir. Then he said, this isn't even the right size. I asked him what he meant. The said all 2x6 rough cut, not dimensional. I asked if he went to my website and he said yes. I added it clearly states on the website that all lumber is rough cut unless otherwise requested, that's why its cheaper. Long story short, he did want any of the lumber I had just wasted the resources cutting for him. I thanked him for his time and began to leave, taking the lumber with me. He stopped me and said he still needed some lumber. This time, I asked all the right question. What is the lumber being used for, do you understand what your getting, est. I wasn't going to cut a bunch more lumber and go through this again. I recut his order and all was good in the end. I put the rough cut in the kilm and dried it out...sold it a couple months down the road. Those are just a couple of the stories from my growing pains.
mike white I shall learn from others mistakes to prevent my own I plan to start my own roofing business I'm 17 and at 18 I finish school I have experience in roofing with my step dad I will work at the company he works as the owners already know me have been working with him since I was 13 my first truck will be an F-250 I hope latter on I plan to buy my own dump trailer cost $10 to $20 thousand depending on the size and weight capacity I plan to begin all work with contracts that have owner or someone who approves of the work I will try to prevent mistakes by learning from others hope it goes successful
HERPY DERPEDY. Have owners, mom & dad+trustee sign. If no dad, have mom & ALL legal age = 18+ kids sign. Most times, trustee name will be on bank check, if not , good for you & take a picture, better yet a video/smart phone = NO clicking. The Judge will thank you, for making his job ez. Maybe i should write a book on how people, lie & cheat in business. Me 90%+ honest, 50+years. No body perfect but Lord Jesus. and if you give God 10% back, off the top. Satan can't legaliy touch/steal your 90% money= blessed business. DoC. Christopher
HERPY DERPEDY. Have owners, mom & dad+trustee sign. If no dad, have mom & ALL legal age = 18+ kids sign. Most times, trustee name will be on bank check, if not , good for you & take a picture, better yet a video/smart phone = NO clicking. The Judge will thank you, for making his job ez. Maybe i should write a book on how people, lie & cheat in business. Me 90%+ honest, 50+years. No body perfect but Lord Jesus. and if you give God 10% back, off the top. Satan can't legaliy touch/steal your 90% money= blessed business. DoC. Christopher
Great video Stanley. Most people don't see what happens behind closed doors in business. I tell people I'm in firefighting business, because there's constantly a fire to to attend lol, weather broken equipment, running behind schedule and clients screaming in your ear the list goes on. Great vid, thanks for sharing.
Heh... I was repairing a cracked connection where my sewer main comes out of the basement wall. I exposed the pipe, and then made sure my wife & kids knew not to use any water or flush the toilet while I had the pipe open. Down in the hole, I had just cut out the broken pipe, when my 5yo appeared at the bathroom window overhead, crying, "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry, I forgot". She got about as far as the first "sorry" and I just FLEW up out of the hole... just in time to avoid the toilet flush. :-)
Funny I see this video tonight after I tipped our dingo today. These scars are great reminders to the lessons we learn each day. We just change our approach keep at it! Love all the content brother! Keep up the great work!
Robodude 80s and 90s, but you have to figure in the humidity that puts it over 100. you always here people in Arizona saying that it is a dry heat, humidity makes a big difference
I know how you feel. No one would believe the things that go wrong unexpectedly. Clients are rarely sympathetic, everyone become a superior expert. The final straw was when my machine was in the dealers for repairs, and got stolen overnight. Now, I have concluded that it MUST have been an "inside job" because the never usually parked machines in the dark, near the back fence to a very quiet street. The catch was that the Insurance company went broke and we were lucky to get a replacement machine at all. Into the bargain, I was even accused of stealing the machine myself! How ridiculous!
Hey Stanley, thanks for this channel. It's growing on me more and more. Hearing these things from a guy like yourself who is out there getting battle scars has a lot of punch to it. I remember your words when I have those days where it seems like the world is caving in on me.
U are absolutely right about that. I was talking with town worker last year. The town just bought a new $100,000 diesel dump truck and if the engine is off and outside for more than 10 minutes on a cold winter day, it can't be restarted.
I have 3, class 8 trucks that have the full emission systems. They go down at least once a month and costs me 2-5 grand per visit. Always some sensor buggered not letting it burn off. It is pretty sad when you have to use all your old trucks more often just to afford the downtime and repair cost of the new trucks. It should be the other way around. Avoid DPF/SCR at all cost, it is killing small businesses and owner/ops everywhere because it is a mandatory system, that does not work. Good luck in the new year Stan.
No kidding! Im hoping i can afford to do a delete on my mack dump truck within the next few months. It hasnt caused any trouble yet but those egr systems will cut an engines life in half. DAMN the bastards that invented that garbage lol
Thanks for sharing this video. I honestly thought I was the only one that had days where it seems everything can go wrong... makes me feel better and less paranoid, lol.
Could not be more true, Run towards your problem, not away. Have done 1000s of electrical jobs, not one that I can remember went without a hitch, some minor, some major. You explained perfectly, Thanks
36 years in the Machine Shop biz....... Gotta remember most times problems come in waves. Usually several crop up at the same time, just when you think you're set, another thing breaks down. Sometime things need to be fixed TWICE! But persevere, don't let Mister Murphy win! Soon things WILL settle back down again.....for awhile at least.
very true! I run a large operation and find that we go though about 3 week waves. then we get months where everything is smooth. it's quite strange but let me tell ya sometimes things will break in several spots across 3 different locations all in the same time frame.
Brian R it's not that strange, is it really? you have service intervals, so etching is missed, it breaks down and puts pressure on some either part of the chain which is over the design limits and the snowball escalates.
Been doing lawn care for the past few years at the moment I'm out of money my only weedeater has a blown motor my push mower is on it's way out and my rider is falling completely apart so I don't know what to do any tips??
I agree, Line was exposed and fixable, The property owner made the call and said "do not fix" at which point he as assumes the responsibility. My judgement call would of been to fix the line, i'd rather have a line in working order that is not in use or not connected to anything, then to have a line broken and connected to something. Just a bad call on the part of the property owner which a 13k bill would of taught him a valuable lesson.
I would have at least presented the bill for the line repair to the homeowner. Maybe he would have paid for it knowing that it was his responsibility. if not at least you tried. I would not have just paid for it in myself without at least trying something first.
This bloke is absolutely awesome. Wish I could be a boss or have a boss like this at no point did he say die and I believe he took the best and almost craziest ideas of his employees and made them work in his favour. My hope is that this guy goes on to bigger paths like motivational speaking. Good on ya Stanley..
It is good to see someone try to address the psychology of this business for what it really is. I agree with you 100% that a problem must be understood completely, that the wise never assume anything, and going above and beyond just "CYA" is a mature and high integrity way of doing things that saves big money, preserves productive relationships, and makes for a good reputation in the long run. Thank you for the video.
I'm 12 I have a lot of problems bc I mow lawns all day and my zero turn mower broke Dow so I went to the store got the part and installed it then my weed eater carborator went out si I re fixed it and got back to work
I'm in the landscaping business and when things break it comes more that one thing at a time and always at the worst time. He is so right it's how you over come and still get the job done and done right
It sucks about the truck engine going out, but that happens. It's inevitable. I'm trying to figure out how that engine costs $15,000 though. That's insanely high. It costs $3500 for a rebuilt engine to go in a big over the road 18 wheeler, and it can't be that much difference. High end might be $6k. $15k is whole nother truck with very little wrong with it. That sounds like you're getting ripped off.
15k Sound about right. a tow company I work with just put a max force 7 in there international (think ford 6.4) and just the engine about 16k no labor. you can't hardly rebuild a small block chevy right with labor for 3500.
That's a different class of engine. It's like comparing repairs done on a Bobcat to repairs on a Cat D9 bulldozer. Totally different. And they should not have had a Duramax in an International in the first place. They were just asking for it. (the Ford 6.4 is also crap. Stick with the 7.3 or get a Cummins) As for a small block Chevy, a friend of mine picked up a 350 built into a 383 for his 64 Malibu for $800. Complete engine, ran like hell. $3500 would buy you the whole car.
ummm who said anything duramax in a international? There has never been a duramax in a international. I agree a 6.4 is a crap engine and yes they were stupid for running that piece of crap to start with. One of the most common big truck engines is 12.7 Detroit 60, so just go online and price me a reman, it will not be no 3500, hell the core charge will be that much, your looking at 12-14k plus install. Ive been looking for a used 60 detroit for a friend of mine, i cant find a wore out motor in need of a rebuild for under 5k, and i cant find good shop that will do a inframe (with the head work a bull gear and warranty) for less than 17k.
matt eatmon From your comment above: "a tow company I work with just put a max force 7 in there international" I thought that was a bit odd, but I don't keep up with what nefarious shenanigans GM is currently up to. As far as finding engines, a lot depends on demand. The 12.7 Detroit is a VERY popular engine, because it's that good. Very reliable, not the best on power, but really good fuel mileage. That's why you can't find one, even though there's so many of them. Everybody is fighting over them, especially the older non emissions ones. If it was a Cummins red top you'd already have one. I was hoping Stan would say what engine that truck has in it. I'm honestly curious why the cost is that high. Maybe it's a Volvo engine (ugh).
Man you said a mouth full. Every day starts out with a call or two, I am sick, I will be late. There is not a day that goes by without some kind of trouble. So when I get home and my wife ask about my day, I say we had a good day. I never though about it, that is just the way it is.
Did mechanic work for a contractor, i was an apprentice and he just picked me up because I was cheap... Made me work on his trucks even though i specialize in tractors and hydraulics, so my skill set was fucking useless
Man and i thought it rains when it pours on me, dude your attitude is awesome, you made a real funny video, take care buddy. Only luck you will ever get in life is bad.
Your video is spot on. Every business will encounter issues. but the dirt business takes a LOT of hits on a daily basis. A lot of support equipment to rely on. you just need to keep on keeping on. .
No luck ! You are Blessed or Cursed ! Tithe = Give GOD back 10% of All and you will be Blessed ! GOD bless everybody. Love everyone. 100% Glory be to GOD ! Jesus is Lord GOD ! DoC. Christopher
Grew up in a family business of contracting (various trades) and as a full time musician this video sums up working for yourself period. It also made me realize I am playing a NYE gig without a back-up amp. Hmmmmm Good vid, neat ch!
A number of years ago, I had what should've been a simple driveway rough-cut and ISDS leach field excavation. Almost immediately on that site, I started having hydraulic hoses rupturing left and right. I lost count of the times properly inflated equipment tires had their beads break. It was a rather rocky site, the leach field needed to be blasted. The first time the blasting company shot the field, they didn't use big enough charges. They came back and overcharged the remainder, launching typewriter-sized boulders onto a neighbor's house about 500 feet away. That cost their insurance a lot, one boulder went through their roof and another through their deck, destroying a sailboat they stored under it. While I had my backhoe parked out of the way down on the road so the blasters could access the leach field site, one of the boom swing pistons had its knuckle weld break, while it was parked. I don't even think someone backing into it with a truck could've caused that, but there it was, broken after a couple days of being parked. The fuel tank also cracked & started leaking partway through that job, it was one of those Case 580K backhoes with each frame rail boxed to make the hydraulic and fuel tanks. I also had a u-joint on my truck tractor break while I was hauling the crawler loader up a steep grade about a quarter mile from the jobsite. My crew and I spent so much time on that site it was ridiculous, I think we spent more time on the delays due to repairs than actually working. It was like the site was cursed, hopefully the client did eventually get a home built on it without so much grief.
Stanley, this is the most positive message for the New Year. I love construction and heavy equipment and have experience in that line of work. Thank you.
Very true words .. agree 110%. We are in Earthmoving & our boss does not admit to anything AT ALL he blames everyone around him.. even if he sees it happen in front of him he’ll try blame the client for an un-safe site or the truck .. anyone or everything except saying it’s ME it’s MY business I’ll stand tall stand proud & say YEP that was us now let’s work together to fix it.
Well done and very interesting, Stanley!! I could apply all the same things you were talking about to my decades-long career as an auto service tech...sometimes shit just happens no matter how careful and professional you are!
Just stumbled onto this channel. Interesting perspective here. I wish all contractors had this good attitude and seemed as easy going. I have spent 21 years as a different member of the "fire squad" involved - constantly dealing with the stuff they break, always in the middle of a job and it has to be repaired RIGHT NOW or they'll loose a contract for a ton of money. It always seems to me that most contractors never want to say "no" to work, so they promise work that requires 100% of their fleet of equipment 100% of the time...leaving no time to ever inspect and replace those chaffed hoses, or leaking motors (indicating wear), before they fail during a job. No preventive maintenance, only crisis management repairs.... I process an average of 30 jobs a month through my shop. Being given a piece of machinery to just evaluate and repair issues beginning to show themselves and plenty of time to do so is really only about maybe 6 jobs out of a whole year.....oh, and thanks to computers and gov't mandates, stuff is getting more unreliable, not better....you used to be able to band-aid problems along to get through a job, but now a computer fault will shut the whole machine down with no work-around until you fix it right......good luck out there...
Your are right. It never hurts if someone say to not worry about that pipe, get out the paper and pen and have then sign it. If someone make a change write it out and have them sign it. A signature stating even something close will be in your favor later. No matter how they want to change it. They signed for it. Good video. Good contractor is someone who can deal with the issues that come up.
I in the past was a heavy equipment mechanic for a construction company. Some days you just can't win! People cry and complain when they receive the bid on jobs, they just don't understand how much it takes to maintain heavy equipment! Just a single tire for an end loader can be thousands of dollars. A complete undercarriage rebuild on a dozer cost as much as a new truck. Repair welding and hard surfacing cost a small fortune. Contractors go through hell and high water and handle a ton of money only to keep just a little bit of it! Today is a hard world it cost a lot of money to hire and keep decent help let alone good help. It cost even more to find good and trustworthy companies to do mechanical and welding work on the equipment.
This was a good post! Project work even simple stuff, always has some kind of stooge field break out. If it's strong enough, stuff breaks or is done wrong.
We're there any warning signs of these equipment failures? Did the operators speak up about possible issues, or did these things just appear out of thin air?
Yep, I was a heavy highway builder.37 years, It was a ticking time bomb when the trucks were loaded with asphalt. Break downs were the worst. But just as bad was, NOT getting paid for work done!!!
Great content. Watching from a few hours north. Nice knowing I'm not the only one with major breakdowns but like u said all u can do adapt and conquer.
explosion!!!! this vid was amazing, I came here for a lil giggle but I'm truly inspired and never watched any of these fake motivation compilation's. this gives me that look ahead for 2017 bud I wish you good luck and hope it all goes smoothly for me aswel
Thanks for putting this out there. As a small business owner myself, I always try to be transparent about the good and the bad.
Worked as a industrial maintenance mechanic for 25 years stuff breaks all the time and stuff breaks that is "never" supposed to break.thats why I don't ride roller coasters.
Brad Beining I work in a boiler room and that is the damn truth. if it can break it will break. not if but when and how bad
😄Yes- I totally agree.
I’m a maintenance electrician at a large university. Stuff breaks all the time. Funny it’s usually at 3 o clock in the after noon too.
Yeah i've worked under excavator buckets here and there because the odds of it happening are like winning the lottery... But then you see the booms freefall to the ground when a line breaks and it's not worth the risk.
@@wkeil1981 3:00 pm on a Friday. Lol.~: \
Hiring a full time mechanic who does constant PM and inspection, and is instantly available for emergency repairs is a LOT cheaper than major repairs and lost time, and will boost your reputation. Also, when an owner says anything that alters your plan...write it out and make him sign it.
Good Ppint!
motokmac very good point. ive been an owner operator driver for 20 yrs so far and what ive learned is catching small problems in a pretrip possibly avoided huge problems...an engine just doesnt blow up either operator error or neglegence occured..id be pissed if one of my trucks popped a motor i would find our why for sure.
Always get the change order signed first.~; )
I have been watching a few of your vids....Thank you for being honest. Been in business 34 years and no matter how good you are, no matter how well you plan, the gremlins are going to get you. Best of luck!
Best of luck to you too Denis and thank you !!
Gear constantly breaking down is indicative of a lack of preventative maintenance. Stuff will go down, but that should not happen regularly.
Man... that boulder hack is eyewatering.
This contractor is a CLASS act, I would hire him with NO hesitation!!!
Wow! Back in the 1960's my dad (general contractor) did a job for a wealthy man who lived near us. He wanted his whole house redone. No problem. Dad drew up an estimate, it was signed off on and the work began. As the job progressed the owner's wife would say, "Can I have some shelves here?" and we'd put in shelves there. "Can I have a book case here?" And we'd put in a bookcase there.
At the end of the job Dad gave the guy a bill and he went through it and refused to pay for all those "extras" his wife had requested. We had nothing on paper to prove she'd asked for them.
Dad took it to court, he had no evidence, the case went against him. He lost something like $13,000 (in 1960's dollars).
The next day Dad went out and bought those triple copy job ticket machines for each company truck and said, "Not in writing? No signature by the customer? We don't do the work." It was the end of the "gentleman's handshake" style of doing business. I was just a kid but I vividly remember the change. It was really sad.
Contrast that with my grandfather (also a general contractor) who built the Moorland Farms estate in Far Hills, NJ on the strength of his personal integrity and a handshake. Today that'd be a $25 million job. Never a paper signed, all done in good faith. In the 1920's. Not these days. Sorry for your rough job in the vid. Hope you get some "gravy" to make up for it along the way. :(
Those days aren't totally over. You just have to pick and choose who you work for, stay away from home owners and stick to builders..
spin230 those days are gone forever, in today's world sure, you can get a job done on a handshake, but it'll never be a "BIG" job. The first thing that'll happen the first time something goes wrong? Those same guys that shook your hand, will be lawyering up!
Home owners typically don't recognize that every little thing costs $ , bidding the job low to win it does not leave any room for errors or extras . Turn changes into your profit center , estimate the job in the best case scenario and then advise on what additional costs may be incurred in the process should [ fill in the blank ] occur , include dollar amounts and time , fully document changes with all relevant parties and get them signed off before advancing any further. A previous boss taught me this and it helps the operation run smoother , as some people weasel their contractors intentionally and then accuse them of fraud and deception or incompetence should they get charged a dollar more .
l8tr597 aaaaaaamen !!!!
Oh yeah. In car repair and especially restoration we get those customers doing that all the time. When told it'll cost them more, some try sneaking off to talk to the mechanic trying to get extras for free. Happens all the time, and it's a major pain to have to deal with. But just what You said, write it all down, get customer approval and signatures always!
I just had a hell of a landscaping season, Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Thankfully I had worked through a lot of it and am grateful for the million things I learned from the million mistakes made my fault and not, but seeing this really encouraged me. To see you incur all the same types of silly to seriously unfortunate losses and hear you explain it the way you did really made my day. I'm looking forward to crushing next year and handling everything that comes my way with grace. Thank you Stan, you kick so much ass!
As far as the excavator breaking, I would of had those two dudes pushing the bucket back and forth until I got the machine fixed. Problem solved.
Haha funny for sure but obviously with weight in the bucket it would be impossible
As a Custom Furniture Manufacturer, we run into issues all the time. I appreciate hearing your encouraging words. Putting out fires is what I do best. Of course I wish they didn't come, but when they do I have to resolve them. Thanks, brother. Enjoy your videos.
Thanks Kevin!
The owner said to take the pipe out so why didn't he take responsibility?
You have to get them to sign a waiver stating their permission and exactly what they want. Preferably with a diagram on it showing what you're doing and where. If you don't they pull a "Well I never said that!" and it's an endless argument. A lot of people will do it on purpose to try and con you into paying for extra repairs.
But then they can't ever sleep at night knowing someone could be out to get revenge and rightly so.
Because its expensive to fix and he doesn't want that repair bill.
So true Kajidono!
I would have increased his bill by $13,000
You said it , it is those kinds of challenges that can give you health problems or make you strong. And you sure proved yourself on that one. Thats integrity and shows your company to be one of the real good ones. Thanks for the video and like another guy said , I hope you get some gravy jobs you sure deserve it.
With the sewer dept giving the "all clear" was there any point that they would have taken responsibility?
Mid West I don't know about Minnesota, but here in Alabama, as an employee of a municipal water and sewer works, specifically a construction and maintenance equipment operator, I can tell you that our responsibility for sanitary lines ends at the boundary to the right of way. Most plumbers do not install tracer wire from the junction between our stub out and the customers infrastructure. We CANNOT and will not assume responsibility to locate customer lines. There are obviously some alternatives available from the locating community, some are prohibitively expensive, but rarely as expensive as rework. As an operator, my philosophy has evolved, due to reworks like this, to simply restore the lines to thier original state.
James Payne Was going to write the same thong. Some municipalites only own to the curb, and that's the end of marking responsibility. Hell, some municipalites around me don't own the entirety of the lateral/building sewer, they just own the main line and that's all they maintain and Mark.
nope city workers of every municipality just dont give a damn about those who live in said municipalities and its part of the stupidity problem hey james payne we the people hate people like you city workers are stupid irresponsible and dont care about those that that they serve
hagus the mad No. It's those in said municipality that expect everything for free, even when it's a problem that is on private property. It not that we don't care, usually our hands are tied by "rules and regulations" set forth by a board of trustees. Also our budgets don't call for exteme amounts of money for regular collection system infrastructure maintenance, only emergency maintenance, hence the reason most only own to the property line. The general population doesn't get it, so many customers that have monopolized city water in conjunction with an authority or private sewer don't pay their bills because their is no recourse to not paying. I run into people all day that ask why they have to pay for water twice, one when it comes in and again when it goes out. People also don't realize how much damage they do with what they flush. Just because it says "flushable" doesn't mean it's flushable. Everything you flush instead of just throwing away, we pull out of the water and throw it away for you, and those systems aren't cheap to buy or maintain. There are so many factors into all of it, I can keep going. But most of the time it's the customer that is clueless and negligent, not on purpose, but because of ignorance and lack of education.
Dude, this world needs more like you....Awsome story and POINT well made!
How did you get stuck with the sewer pipe fix if everyone is telling you to rip it out?
Dave They didnt have to worry about the sewer line because it was under the walkway, infront of the house, the one they were told to remove was the swimming pool which was about 4 feet without an end, so they removed it, The sanity or "poop line" was never damaged. :) even with any damages, They fixed it as they offered, even though they had to fix the swing line on the machine and the other big rig. so all in all about 13,000 and 15,000 or more equaling in.. $28,000.00 Dollars plus tax max. so all in all, even expensive if you know how to fix lines and or other issues, it saves you alot without having to pay more. ect.
Maddy Bellisle - no... I believe in the end it turned out that it WAS an sewer line running under the pool... If it was just a line from the pool there would have been no need to reconnect it.
You earned my trust with this one. I'm so sick of the duck and run contractors I could spit. I'm a guy with integrity like you, that would make it right at my expense should it be warranted. This quality will make us rise above the rest.
I dug up a sewer line before, want to know how I determined if it was an old dead pipe or a good one. Just go inside and flush 3 times, if water comes out the end you better repair it. Simple and fail safe.
Thanks Stan for doing these videos. They are a BIG help. Back 7 years ago I decided that come MAY 31st (2012) I would start my own Taxicab Company. Well I was being told by people that "You CAN'T do this" or "You CAN'T do that". Well thankfully my AUTISM makes me VERY stubborn. I persevered and got my Company up and running. I could not find HONEST, LOYAL, TRUSTWORTHY drivers at all. I literally drove myself into the ground healthwise. I wound up with PTSD due to people pulling guns and other weapons on me. I didn't understand what was going on and started GAMBLING. I shut my Business down at that point. I later found out that I had PTSD. I also found out that ROOT BEER(WAS my fav pop/soda) was my number 1 trigger. BUT I am going to PERSEVERE and start my Company again THIS year in a different location.
Glad the videos have helped and best of luck to you !
In frame rebuild the Mack like 1400 in parts not 15k
Unless depreciation on the truck is long gone, and youd be better off getting a new one. Also you can deduct all of the 5 years in one now, so it pays off fast. Thanks to trump
I actually had a shitty day, my truck broke down (AGAIN) which is a huge issue for us! But after watching your video, I feel confident and refreshed. We will overcome this bump
You're absolutely right. i'm a bmw master technician and i notice technicians trying to hide mistakes all the time. everyone screws up and things break. it happens. its part of what makes you a better person and technician.
Well said!
Well said! It's not how you "Fall" it's how our teams get up and keep going that makes the difference. Employees fearing a punishment over occational "Oops" creates much more damage than the occational errors, breaks or oops. Creating a culture of trust and ownership over the project is long term the better way. Cry, bleed, sweat...get through it and get to the next one as best as you can with the best way you can. Hopefully, learn something on the way! There are no books for this stuff we do, just the day to day grind.
Thanks Anon !!
I like the hooks you have on your shop wall....good idea buddy
Thank you!
I've been in the sewer and water industry for 25 years...recently my wife and i went on our own. I totally and completely get your headaches. I have not come close to what you have. We have only started out with one machine and my truck...but I've had my truck for one year and it's been one problem after another after another. Thus video is inspiring to say the least...and I've heard this advice from a friend and fellow business owner before. God bless buddy! Keep at it
The part where Tim and John are swinging the excavator like a toy is hilarious!
hahahah😄
Yeah...when big boy goes running over and how's sliding backwards I don't think he expected to be sliding backwards either! LOL!
I thought the forklift throwing the bolder was hilarious
I recently learned this lesson and ended up having to buck up and take the loss. It sucks when you feel like you are doing everything you can to deliver quality and value yet when something happens, the contractor must assume responsibility. At 23 I was hoping these problems were just age related than universal across the construction industry.
How ironic that I should come across your video to-day. Just yesterday I was in the field to do an inspect and verify the part of a building that was being demolition back to its original state, and in accordance with the current plans recorded on Public Record. The building and the plans did not match, of course. They are in the middle of a sale of the building when the inspectors caught the obvious discrepancy. My company was called in to verify what needed to be demoed, because three years ago my boss did their electrical and HVAC plans. I work for two Professional Engineers, and one Architect as a Draftsman specializing in MEP.
So, I was sent out to inspect, verify and sign-off on the work that needed to be done to return the building back to its original state. So, they made the changes to the building without a permit. Lots of people do. However, in this case, they got caught, and there is a ironic twist to the story that thickens the plot.
As I was verifying what had to be removed I get a call from one of my P.E.'s telling me to cease and desist from my inspection. The obvious question is of course, "Why and what's going on?" I was told that hey never paid the original invoice for the work that my boss had done. ($3,200.00) So, now, I could not sign off on what needs to be done for the inspectors to give the okay for the building until they paid their unpaid bill. *Get this...it's a church.*
So, as I am about to leave the Pastor pulls in to the parking lot. I suspect one of the demolition guys called him and informed him of the now impending delay, which was going to cost them a whole lot more. Of course he wants to know why I can't sign-off. I call my boss on my trusty iPAD and he informs this Pastor of the record of not paying their previous invoice. He assures him that we would be happy to sign-off when the previous invoice is paid-in-full. Needless to say this Pastor was not very happy. *But, then again, who is he not to be happy about these circumstance that their negligence got them into.* He and his congregation are the debtors, and I am pretty sure he could not fine a verse in the Bible to excuse himself from paying what they had agreed to pay for work that had already been done.
Now, after the current job is completed what is to insure that they will not do the same thing again? I am glad you asked. What I DID, I did WITHOUT my bosses knowledge of what I was doing prior to doing what I did. I informed my bosses after the fact. I spoke directly to this Pastor Rodney and warned him, if you do not pay the current bill for the current job, we will not sue you in a court even though we have a justifiable cause of action to do so. We will go after your tax-exempt status and have it revoked for failure to pay your contractual obligations in a timely fashion as you are obligated to do. Yes, I did say this to him. And, I told him what FORM I would file with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to have their Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID) do what no court can get done in only a couple of weeks. And, since my iPAD is Internet capable, I showed him the IRS Form, and I explained to him that by not paying your bills you have actually violated your Tax-Exempt status. (I know a little something about 501(c)(3) and IRS Form 1023. He responded to me, "YOU WOULD DO THIS TO US...to a church of Jesus Christ?" I said back to him, *"How have your actions of not paying a legitimate bill that you owe for labor done proven that you are a church of Jesus Christ? Show me the Scripture where Jesus teaches you do that."* He was silent. What could he say to that?
The icing on the cake to all of this was just then Duke Energy pull up with an order to cut off their power for failure to pay their bill in the last three months. So you asked how I and my company have overcome some of the issues we have faced for unpaid bills, how does this stack up to what some of you others have experienced? To tell you the truth, I do not expect this "Religious Organization" to pay their bill. It's like that famous line said in all the Star Wars movies, "I've got a bad feeling about this." I think that feeling was affirmed by presents of Duke Energy at the end.
Wow
Hey...I really like your attitude. I am a Civil Engineer Technologist living in Kingston Ontario. I am well aware of the trials and tribulations of construction and yes you are totally right when you say the public has no idea how tough it can be to deal with the unknowns let alone the breakdowns. Fortunately I work for an excellent company (Len Corcoran Excavating) whose owner has a great attitude such as yours. I am 48 and this Boss is by far the best employer I have ever worked for hands down. You Sir seem to be cut from the same cloth as him and I am sure your employees recognize this. Although it can be very hard sometimes maintaining this attitude when you are getting kicked in the balls over and over keep that mindset of yours and battle on. Cheers and I hope you are very successful with your endeavours.
You look like Richard Rollings of the landscape industry.
I commend you guys, as a person who does contract work, and has used a lot of contractors, I respect far more the contractor that discusses and makes right a fail, than the one that covers it up and does a crap job
I agree, thanks for the input!
he sounds like a pretty cool dude, anyways my question why would you have to pay for the repair line after the homeowner told you to take it out?
Tony Quartermain "told" not wrote that's why
Thank you for this. I am a fence contractor in Massachusetts and I recently backed myself into a corner financially, I'm fighting with everything I have to keep it alive but right now it feels like the bottom is falling out. Thank you for your inspirational words and sharing the issues that face. I too also face issues/problems on the job. And you are right, it's how you face them and handle them.
Stay strong Greg! Good luck in 2017!
It's been 5 years since you wrote this. How did your company come out?
I had a problem on a job with a cranky home owner upset at how part of the job was left by one of my employees. When I arrived on the job the home owner was spoiling for a fight. One look at that part of the job it was obviously incorrect. I told the home owner that it was incorrect and it would be fixed. Home owner settled right down and told me it was hard to argue with someone who wouldn't argue back. Winning. Job got fixed and everyone is happy.
My dad taught me that as well Phil, its so easy to defuse an argument by siding with them.
Well did you fix it- or just *tell* him it was fixed.
I Love thinking outside the box to fix things to make them work to get by. I'm glad you have those guys working for you. Great Video. Thank you for it.
I work for a contracting company - we do jobs like the one in the video - and all I can say is, Amen.
16 years of landscape construction business ownership tells me the same thing, my friend. No way to stop these things from happening. Impossible. All we can do is get creative (like your demo rock - hilarious!) and keep on going. Good video glad you're showing the reality of the matter.
Thank you!!
A little maintenence goes a long way ?
Builds character and teaches you alot when things break, I love your videos man, im just starting in the lawn care and snow plowing business and your channel has been very helpful, im starting from nothing like you did, I love that you got farming background, we used to dairy farm but auctioned everything on june 20th and in july i started investing into lawn care and snow removal equipment, keep up the good work my friend!
Thanks a lot Jordan, I am happy to have you here. Best of luck in you new business !!
i locate for a large city in Ohio and private lines are not located which the sewer was a private line going to septic or the city main , it would not be marked and sewers don't freeze and bust like a water line if install they should drain and the heat from the main keeps it warm
Interesting
Loved your video I am a foreman for a excavating company in New Jersey we get all the jobs nobody will touch, I have been doing this for 35 years and every day something still suprises me! The best was it took 4 days to get a sewer line 20 feet across the road!
You just never know what will be thrown at you from one day to the next.
The ticket said Clear. I don't pay!
Jack Bower THAT A GOOD IDEA ..
Just common sense to me.
Jack Bower HAPPY NEW YEAR.
private line contractor or home owner to pay to have it located call before you dig states the not all lines are located and private lines will not be also it is the contractors job to call the locator if he thinks there is or if he finds a line to see who's it is i try to tell my contractors of abandoned lines in the dig area main contractors have my city cell #also
Hi Stan, was the swing motors giant pain to fix, did you buy Kobelco or aftermarket replacement parts?
I have had a couple problems learning to run my business. They didn't come in the form of equipment failures, but communication failures or dishonest clients. I own a small custom lumber company with mobile milling capabilities and fire wood processing. In the winter season I also deal in snow removal because the equipment lends itself to doing both well. The first lesson I learned was always get the job in writing and have the homeowner sign the contract. Last year, I received a call to clear some snow out of a driveway. I asked him if he wanted it pushed out or blown out. When he found out I had a blower on a bobcat, he added a lot more area to the job. When I showed up, the business owner was not there so I started anyway. I cleared his driveway, his parking lot, his loading bays, and his alley access. All said and done, about 4 hours worth of labor. As I was loading up, the owner showed up so I handed him the bill. He was not happy. He then went back on our conversation and said he never authorized all the work. I said you did and he said prove it...Wow, slap in the face. He said there was no contract and be happy I was getting anything. I smiled and left. Nothing I could do. Wasted hours of work and the fuel to go with it. Turns out I have the only blower in the area able to do what he needs. Guess who called me this year lol. When actually he had his office manager call me. Soon as I heard the address I requested to talk to the owner. He reluctantly called my the next day...Im sure he was dreading it. Long story short, I charged him triple my normal rate and he signed the contract before I even loaded my equipment. The second learning issue I had was not asking enough questions. Sometimes clients don't thing about what they are asking for and if your product will work. A homeowner call me and asked if I could mill him some 2x6. That's all he said, I want 200 2x6x8. I said no issure, I can cut them tomarrow and deliever them in 2 days. I showed up to his house with the lumber and he came out. This is were things went wrong. He didn't tell me what the lumber was for so I cut him pine lumber (not really the best for framing which is what he was doing). He said this wont do, I want doug fir. Then he said, this isn't even the right size. I asked him what he meant. The said all 2x6 rough cut, not dimensional. I asked if he went to my website and he said yes. I added it clearly states on the website that all lumber is rough cut unless otherwise requested, that's why its cheaper. Long story short, he did want any of the lumber I had just wasted the resources cutting for him. I thanked him for his time and began to leave, taking the lumber with me. He stopped me and said he still needed some lumber. This time, I asked all the right question. What is the lumber being used for, do you understand what your getting, est. I wasn't going to cut a bunch more lumber and go through this again. I recut his order and all was good in the end. I put the rough cut in the kilm and dried it out...sold it a couple months down the road. Those are just a couple of the stories from my growing pains.
mike white writing a book
mike white I shall learn from others mistakes to prevent my own I plan to start my own roofing business I'm 17 and at 18 I finish school I have experience in roofing with my step dad I will work at the company he works as the owners already know me have been working with him since I was 13 my first truck will be an F-250 I hope latter on I plan to buy my own dump trailer cost $10 to $20 thousand depending on the size and weight capacity I plan to begin all work with contracts that have owner or someone who approves of the work I will try to prevent mistakes by learning from others hope it goes successful
ROFL nobody said you have to read it.
HERPY DERPEDY. Have owners, mom & dad+trustee sign. If no dad, have mom & ALL legal age = 18+ kids sign. Most times, trustee name will be on bank check, if not , good for you & take a picture, better yet a video/smart phone = NO clicking. The Judge will thank you, for making his job ez. Maybe i should write a book on how people, lie & cheat in business. Me 90%+ honest, 50+years. No body perfect but Lord Jesus. and if you give God 10% back, off the top. Satan can't legaliy touch/steal your 90% money= blessed business. DoC. Christopher
HERPY DERPEDY. Have owners, mom & dad+trustee sign. If no dad, have mom & ALL legal age = 18+ kids sign. Most times, trustee name will be on bank check, if not , good for you & take a picture, better yet a video/smart phone = NO clicking. The Judge will thank you, for making his job ez. Maybe i should write a book on how people, lie & cheat in business. Me 90%+ honest, 50+years. No body perfect but Lord Jesus. and if you give God 10% back, off the top. Satan can't legaliy touch/steal your 90% money= blessed business. DoC. Christopher
Great video Stanley. Most people don't see what happens behind closed doors in business. I tell people I'm in firefighting business, because there's constantly a fire to to attend lol, weather broken equipment, running behind schedule and clients screaming in your ear the list goes on. Great vid, thanks for sharing.
this might sound a little dumb but why didn't somebody go flush the toilet and see where it went?
We did- it was backed up inside the pipe.
Heh... I was repairing a cracked connection where my sewer main comes out of the basement wall. I exposed the pipe, and then made sure my wife & kids knew not to use any water or flush the toilet while I had the pipe open. Down in the hole, I had just cut out the broken pipe, when my 5yo appeared at the bathroom window overhead, crying, "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry, I forgot". She got about as far as the first "sorry" and I just FLEW up out of the hole... just in time to avoid the toilet flush. :-)
Funny I see this video tonight after I tipped our dingo today. These scars are great reminders to the lessons we learn each day. We just change our approach keep at it! Love all the content brother! Keep up the great work!
Why would you ever build a swimming pool in Minnesota? does it ever get warm enough to swim lol
Matkat Music - Yes, it reaches over 100°f in MN summer months. Inground Pools can be used from May thru September, since most are heated!
Yeah it gets hot as hell here in the summer and cold as hell during the winter
We have a short swimming season. But it is completely worth it.
Robodude 80s and 90s, but you have to figure in the humidity that puts it over 100. you always here people in Arizona saying that it is a dry heat, humidity makes a big difference
Minnesota heat is humid and muggy and everyone expects you to do your outdoor work no exceptions.
I know how you feel. No one would believe the things that go wrong unexpectedly. Clients are rarely sympathetic, everyone become a superior expert. The final straw was when my machine was in the dealers for repairs, and got stolen overnight. Now, I have concluded that it MUST have been an "inside job" because the never usually parked machines in the dark, near the back fence to a very quiet street. The catch was that the Insurance company went broke and we were lucky to get a replacement machine at all. Into the bargain, I was even accused of stealing the machine myself! How ridiculous!
Sorry to hear ll that Rod!
Great Testimony Bro! Lord Bless you and yours!!
Hey Stanley, thanks for this channel. It's growing on me more and more. Hearing these things from a guy like yourself who is out there getting battle scars has a lot of punch to it. I remember your words when I have those days where it seems like the world is caving in on me.
Awesome Jeremy! Thank you! Stay strong👍
Any of your equipment or trucks have DPF/SCR/EGR yet? If you want problems wait till your dealing with that garbage on a daily basis.
NOPE- I try to avoid that crap.
U are absolutely right about that. I was talking with town worker last year. The town just bought a new $100,000 diesel dump truck and if the engine is off and outside for more than 10 minutes on a cold winter day, it can't be restarted.
I have 3, class 8 trucks that have the full emission systems. They go down at least once a month and costs me 2-5 grand per visit. Always some sensor buggered not letting it burn off. It is pretty sad when you have to use all your old trucks more often just to afford the downtime and repair cost of the new trucks. It should be the other way around. Avoid DPF/SCR at all cost, it is killing small businesses and owner/ops everywhere because it is a mandatory system, that does not work. Good luck in the new year Stan.
No kidding! Im hoping i can afford to do a delete on my mack dump truck within the next few months. It hasnt caused any trouble yet but those egr systems will cut an engines life in half. DAMN the bastards that invented that garbage lol
My biggest hope is that Donald Trump will disband the EPA and they will bring back the old time diesel engine.
What happened to the truck's engine ?
Its just did the floppy croppy and needed to be rebuilt.
Thanks for sharing this video. I honestly thought I was the only one that had days where it seems everything can go wrong... makes me feel better and less paranoid, lol.
Im glad to hear that-it was the message I was going for. Thank you!
My boss has them all the time. Always seems to be 3 or 4 at once.
@@cr1msonth1ng that is commonly known as "Murphy's law" everything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong...😂😂
it never rains but it definitely pours. I wish I could work for a company with a boss with such a positive attitude
Thanks Matt!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 and may God bless your family & company as well
Happy new year to You!
Could not be more true, Run towards your problem, not away.
Have done 1000s of electrical jobs, not one that I can remember went without a hitch, some minor, some major.
You explained perfectly, Thanks
Thanks Charles!
36 years in the Machine Shop biz.......
Gotta remember most times problems come in waves.
Usually several crop up at the same time, just when you think you're set, another
thing breaks down. Sometime things need to be fixed TWICE!
But persevere, don't let Mister Murphy win!
Soon things WILL settle back down again.....for awhile at least.
very true! I run a large operation and find that we go though about 3 week waves. then we get months where everything is smooth. it's quite strange but let me tell ya sometimes things will break in several spots across 3 different locations all in the same time frame.
Well said - Thank you!
Brian R it's not that strange, is it really? you have service intervals, so etching is missed, it breaks down and puts pressure on some either part of the chain which is over the design limits and the snowball escalates.
What is your local dealers turnaround like during peak season for major repairs?
sounds like the equipment needs to be looked at more often than usual now.
Been doing lawn care for the past few years at the moment I'm out of money my only weedeater has a blown motor my push mower is on it's way out and my rider is falling completely apart so I don't know what to do any tips??
You should not eat the 13k for the line. You offered to repair it and were told to remove it.
I agree, Line was exposed and fixable, The property owner made the call and said "do not fix" at which point he as assumes the responsibility. My judgement call would of been to fix the line, i'd rather have a line in working order that is not in use or not connected to anything, then to have a line broken and connected to something. Just a bad call on the part of the property owner which a 13k bill would of taught him a valuable lesson.
I wonder if the prop owner did take responsibility for the sewer line as he never said if he did
Dave Bogusky that where a disclaimer should've been signed.lesson learned.
Dave Bogusky the key word here is "told", nothing in writing.
I would have at least presented the bill for the line repair to the homeowner. Maybe he would have paid for it knowing that it was his responsibility. if not at least you tried. I would not have just paid for it in myself without at least trying something first.
This bloke is absolutely awesome. Wish I could be a boss or have a boss like this at no point did he say die and I believe he took the best and almost craziest ideas of his employees and made them work in his favour. My hope is that this guy goes on to bigger paths like motivational speaking. Good on ya Stanley..
Holy cow. How much aspirin and/or whisky do you go through to do this job!?
hahahaha- Plenty😄
It is good to see someone try to address the psychology of this business for what it really is. I agree with you 100% that a problem must be understood completely, that the wise never assume anything, and going above and beyond just "CYA" is a mature and high integrity way of doing things that saves big money, preserves productive relationships, and makes for a good reputation in the long run. Thank you for the video.
Fire your maintenance guy.
You earned my subscription today with this video and what you had for advice.
I'm 12 I have a lot of problems bc I mow lawns all day and my zero turn mower broke Dow so I went to the store got the part and installed it then my weed eater carborator went out si I re fixed it and got back to work
Stay Strong- you can do it!
Learning to wrench is one of the best life skills you can have.
Geek Outdoors well done and best of luck 👍
I'm in the landscaping business and when things break it comes more that one thing at a time and always at the worst time. He is so right it's how you over come and still get the job done and done right
Thanks Justin😃
Do a fleet overview
I will start do more behind the scenes videos as I can.
Takes the meaning "save for a rainy day" to the next level. Solid real content Stan!
Thanks Steve!
It sucks about the truck engine going out, but that happens. It's inevitable. I'm trying to figure out how that engine costs $15,000 though. That's insanely high. It costs $3500 for a rebuilt engine to go in a big over the road 18 wheeler, and it can't be that much difference. High end might be $6k. $15k is whole nother truck with very little wrong with it. That sounds like you're getting ripped off.
15k Sound about right. a tow company I work with just put a max force 7 in there international (think ford 6.4) and just the engine about 16k no labor. you can't hardly rebuild a small block chevy right with labor for 3500.
That's a different class of engine. It's like comparing repairs done on a Bobcat to repairs on a Cat D9 bulldozer. Totally different. And they should not have had a Duramax in an International in the first place. They were just asking for it. (the Ford 6.4 is also crap. Stick with the 7.3 or get a Cummins) As for a small block Chevy, a friend of mine picked up a 350 built into a 383 for his 64 Malibu for $800. Complete engine, ran like hell. $3500 would buy you the whole car.
kajidono $800 for a 383 do u have guys number?
ummm who said anything duramax in a international? There has never been a duramax in a international. I agree a 6.4 is a crap engine and yes they were stupid for running that piece of crap to start with. One of the most common big truck engines is 12.7 Detroit 60, so just go online and price me a reman, it will not be no 3500, hell the core charge will be that much, your looking at 12-14k plus install. Ive been looking for a used 60 detroit for a friend of mine, i cant find a wore out motor in need of a rebuild for under 5k, and i cant find good shop that will do a inframe (with the head work a bull gear and warranty) for less than 17k.
matt eatmon From your comment above: "a tow company I work with just put a max force 7 in there international" I thought that was a bit odd, but I don't keep up with what nefarious shenanigans GM is currently up to.
As far as finding engines, a lot depends on demand. The 12.7 Detroit is a VERY popular engine, because it's that good. Very reliable, not the best on power, but really good fuel mileage. That's why you can't find one, even though there's so many of them. Everybody is fighting over them, especially the older non emissions ones. If it was a Cummins red top you'd already have one. I was hoping Stan would say what engine that truck has in it. I'm honestly curious why the cost is that high. Maybe it's a Volvo engine (ugh).
Man you said a mouth full. Every day starts out with a call or two, I am sick, I will be late. There is not a day that goes by without some kind of trouble. So when I get home and my wife ask about my day, I say we had a good day. I never though about it, that is just the way it is.
Well said- great attitude!
points the fingers at somebody else...lol..... this is why I dont contract work... Id go nuts
Northern farmer yep.. if it’s outside the scope then change order is more money
Did mechanic work for a contractor, i was an apprentice and he just picked me up because I was cheap... Made me work on his trucks even though i specialize in tractors and hydraulics, so my skill set was fucking useless
Man and i thought it rains when it pours on me, dude your attitude is awesome, you made a real funny video, take care buddy. Only luck you will ever get in life is bad.
thats because your best "equipment" isnt from japan, its between your ears!
Well said!
Your video is spot on. Every business will encounter issues. but the dirt business takes a LOT of hits on a daily basis. A lot of support equipment to rely on. you just need to keep on keeping on. .
You are very right Steven!
No luck ! You are Blessed or Cursed ! Tithe = Give GOD back 10% of All and you will be Blessed ! GOD bless everybody. Love everyone. 100% Glory be to GOD ! Jesus is Lord GOD ! DoC. Christopher
Cynthia Harlowe YOU ARE RIGHT ON 100% it's all God's anyway but he want us to realize it and give him are first fruits
Clearly an ex meth head! Or still on it....
Great attitude....does great work !
Grew up in a family business of contracting (various trades) and as a full time musician this video sums up working for yourself period. It also made me realize I am playing a NYE gig without a back-up amp. Hmmmmm Good vid, neat ch!
Thanks Nick-PS get that back up amp ready brother!
Why did the miniexcavator or bobcat not have a breaker attachment?
how's the quality of those bobcat weel excavators? do theay last long?
A number of years ago, I had what should've been a simple driveway rough-cut and ISDS leach field excavation.
Almost immediately on that site, I started having hydraulic hoses rupturing left and right. I lost count of the times properly inflated equipment tires had their beads break.
It was a rather rocky site, the leach field needed to be blasted. The first time the blasting company shot the field, they didn't use big enough charges. They came back and overcharged the remainder, launching typewriter-sized boulders onto a neighbor's house about 500 feet away. That cost their insurance a lot, one boulder went through their roof and another through their deck, destroying a sailboat they stored under it.
While I had my backhoe parked out of the way down on the road so the blasters could access the leach field site, one of the boom swing pistons had its knuckle weld break, while it was parked. I don't even think someone backing into it with a truck could've caused that, but there it was, broken after a couple days of being parked. The fuel tank also cracked & started leaking partway through that job, it was one of those Case 580K backhoes with each frame rail boxed to make the hydraulic and fuel tanks.
I also had a u-joint on my truck tractor break while I was hauling the crawler loader up a steep grade about a quarter mile from the jobsite.
My crew and I spent so much time on that site it was ridiculous, I think we spent more time on the delays due to repairs than actually working. It was like the site was cursed, hopefully the client did eventually get a home built on it without so much grief.
Stanley, this is the most positive message for the New Year.
I love construction and heavy equipment and have experience in that line of work.
Thank you.
Very true words .. agree 110%. We are in Earthmoving & our boss does not admit to anything AT ALL he blames everyone around him.. even if he sees it happen in front of him he’ll try blame the client for an un-safe site or the truck .. anyone or everything except saying it’s ME it’s MY business I’ll stand tall stand proud & say YEP that was us now let’s work together to fix it.
Well done and very interesting, Stanley!! I could apply all the same things you were talking about to my decades-long career as an auto service tech...sometimes shit just happens no matter how careful and professional you are!
Just stumbled onto this channel. Interesting perspective here. I wish all contractors had this good attitude and seemed as easy going. I have spent 21 years as a different member of the "fire squad" involved - constantly dealing with the stuff they break, always in the middle of a job and it has to be repaired RIGHT NOW or they'll loose a contract for a ton of money. It always seems to me that most contractors never want to say "no" to work, so they promise work that requires 100% of their fleet of equipment 100% of the time...leaving no time to ever inspect and replace those chaffed hoses, or leaking motors (indicating wear), before they fail during a job. No preventive maintenance, only crisis management repairs.... I process an average of 30 jobs a month through my shop. Being given a piece of machinery to just evaluate and repair issues beginning to show themselves and plenty of time to do so is really only about maybe 6 jobs out of a whole year.....oh, and thanks to computers and gov't mandates, stuff is getting more unreliable, not better....you used to be able to band-aid problems along to get through a job, but now a computer fault will shut the whole machine down with no work-around until you fix it right......good luck out there...
Yes- Those computers just make things unmanageable.
Your are right. It never hurts if someone say to not worry about that pipe, get out the paper and pen and have then sign it. If someone make a change write it out and have them sign it. A signature stating even something close will be in your favor later. No matter how they want to change it. They signed for it. Good video. Good contractor is someone who can deal with the issues that come up.
Thanks David!
Excellent advice for ANY business!
Do you have a way check the machine before go to the job site ???
what was the pipe too actually
I in the past was a heavy equipment mechanic for a construction company. Some days you just can't win! People cry and complain when they receive the bid on jobs, they just don't understand how much it takes to maintain heavy equipment! Just a single tire for an end loader can be thousands of dollars. A complete undercarriage rebuild on a dozer cost as much as a new truck. Repair welding and hard surfacing cost a small fortune. Contractors go through hell and high water and handle a ton of money only to keep just a little bit of it! Today is a hard world it cost a lot of money to hire and keep decent help let alone good help. It cost even more to find good and trustworthy companies to do mechanical and welding work on the equipment.
This was a good post! Project work even simple stuff, always has some kind of stooge field break out. If it's strong enough, stuff breaks or is done wrong.
How come nobody uses the terramite backhoes anymore?
Im a fresh enterpenur . i wanna thank you for the time you take to make this videos i know its a lot of time cossuming . thanks again
Thank you and best of luck in your business !
We're there any warning signs of these equipment failures? Did the operators speak up about possible issues, or did these things just appear out of thin air?
Yep, I was a heavy highway builder.37 years, It was a ticking time bomb when the trucks were loaded with asphalt. Break downs were the worst. But just as bad was, NOT getting paid for work done!!!
You know it Denny!
Great content. Watching from a few hours north. Nice knowing I'm not the only one with major breakdowns but like u said all u can do adapt and conquer.
So true Brandon!
So whats the actual job name general contractor, demolition, like what is it.
I totally dig this guys attitude and aenae of humor for sure!
Thanks tony!
explosion!!!! this vid was amazing, I came here for a lil giggle but I'm truly inspired and never watched any of these fake motivation compilation's. this gives me that look ahead for 2017 bud I wish you good luck and hope it all goes smoothly for me aswel