Main dealers fitters

[Renaultman]

Are they not a Dark Art rather than a skilled job

No that's balers.

 

[Highland Mule]

I have read this thread with great interest.
I am looking to employ 2 Engineers to work on site and in the workshop
Both positions come with a van, laptop and yearly training.
If anyone on here is interested then please inbox me, but I want engineers not "fitters" and yes we are a main dealer or main stealer as quoted on here

I suspect you don’t actually want engineers - that is a level of academia somewhat removed from practicality and requires an engineering degree and likely a membership of a chartered institute.

 

[ACEngineering]

I suspect you don’t actually want engineers - that is a level of academia somewhat removed from practicality and requires an engineering degree and likely a membership of a chartered institute.

Engineers make stuff, Mechanics fix stuff

 

[Highland Mule]

Engineers make stuff, Mechanics fix stuff

We don’t even make much - just run a few calcs to make sure it’s sized correctly on paper.

 

[Hilly]

Engineer

 

[sjt01]

I suspect you don’t actually want engineers - that is a level of academia somewhat removed from practicality and requires an engineering degree and likely a membership of a chartered institute.

I am in the process of recruiting a graduate engineer for the farm. Last year I took on a technician engineer who had done a full apprenticeship. He was capable of repairing stuff, but I need a graduate level to be able to diagnose why it broke, how to redesign it so it does not break again, or even reconfigure the whole process so the fragile bits are not needed.
As a graduate engineer myself with a PhD in control engineering, and Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers I have designed and built a lot of equipment around the farm, particularly to get the digester to work, and for cheesemaking, so need someone to take over as I age!

 

[thesilentone]

The Ag machinery business is unique. Supplying such a vast range of expensive kit, and then to be fully conversant with all the service and repairs required. I can't think of many other businesses that would take that on. You certainly do need to have an engineers/farming instinct to be able to deal with all this kit as well as dealing with the 'customers'. From simple hay tedders to top end combines and tractors all supplied and serviced from the same company. Specialist one product manufacturers/dealers obviously have a big advantage when it comes to service, so you really can't compare the two. In previous times, new employees went around with the service engineer, hopefully learning the trade, before manufacturer service training came along. It's a funny old world when the practical type folks in overalls, that keep the world operating, aren't always well rewarded...

Spot on !

That's what used to make it one of the best jobs going if you were good with your hands and mechanically minded.

Years ago, an ' Agricultural Engineer ' had to be a jack of all trades. On day fitting a clutch into a tractor, or re-building an engine, next threading pipe and installing water-bowls, or milking parlours, or slurry/grain towers and equipment. Then onto chainsaws or lawnmowers. Next could be fabrication, welding, bending pipe/sheet steel and manufacturing. then balers/mowers/tedders/combines etc, etc

When I was an apprentice, I even got sent to re-build a wall knocked down by our lorry driver.

Tractors were fairly basic, so you worked on all brands, an adventure and learning environment that is dead and gone.

Everything was done on farm/site and no one every used the words ' I can't ' somehow a solution was always found no matter the challenge.

Times have changed, diagnostics, warranties, servicing etc has to be ' by the book ' these days. The word fitter is also outdated, many of these young people today are very skilled and competent Mechanical Engineers, and should be given the respect they deserve.

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Spot on !

That's what used to make it one of the best jobs going if you were good with your hands and mechanically minded.

Years ago, an ' Agricultural Engineer ' had to be a jack of all trades. On day fitting a clutch into a tractor, or re-building an engine, next threading pipe and installing water-bowls, or milking parlours, or slurry/grain towers and equipment. Then onto chainsaws or lawnmowers. Next could be fabrication, welding, bending pipe/sheet steel and manufacturing. then balers/mowers/tedders/combines etc, etc

When I was an apprentice, I even got sent to re-build a wall knocked down by our lorry driver.

Tractors were fairly basic, so you worked on all brands, an adventure and learning environment that is dead and gone.

Everything was done on farm/site and no one every used the words ' I can't ' somehow a solution was always found no matter the challenge.

Times have changed, diagnostics, warranties, servicing etc has to be ' by the book ' these days. The word fitter is also outdated, many of these young people today are very skilled and competent Mechanical Engineers, and should be given the respect they deserve.

Doing my apprenticeship I did a bit of servicing, some fabrication, some repairs, a bit of modifying, pdi, assembling new machines, prepping second hand, painting, preparation and spraying, washing and polishing, loading and unloading lorries, moving machines, building repairs, mixing cement, operating excavators, moving stuff with dump trailers, digging holes, shotblasting and whatever else was going.Even build a lot of the stores, painted it and kitted out. All part of the parcel wasn’t it

 

[Doing it for the kids]

We don’t even make much - just run a few calcs to make sure it’s sized correctly on paper.

sized correctly!?

more like x25 over designed to cover your PLI

 

[Steevo]

sized correctly!?

more like x25 over designed to cover your PLI

Isn’t that just what farmers usually do?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Isn’t that just what farmers usually do?

yup but with out the letters after their name, the PLI or the fees that go with it!

 

[Highland Mule]

sized correctly!?

more like x25 over designed to cover your PLI

X25 would be correct, if I were supplying you…