Semi-retired, still consult. Picked out a nice diesel to pull a 5th wheel around and see some of the country. Used to travel for work, saw a lot of the country from 35,000 feet up. Not so interesting that way.

 

BS in Paper Science & Technology Engineering, NCSU, 1985 (ChemE for the Pulp & Paper Industry). Now have over 35 years in the industry in various technical and engineering positions throughout the manufacturing and engineering/consulting sides of the business. Currently in manufacturing admin as Tech Director for a large integrated mill in Catawba, SC (Process Engineering, Environmental, and QA departments for the plant). Still have another 8-10 years to retire, unless I find some large influx of cash and get to retire at a normal age before then.

Started wrenching (a bit) while in high school just because I wanted to do things on my own. Got into it much more so once I picked up my current (and first) 7.3 in my '02 F250. I've had this truck for 15 years now, purchased with 114K on the clock and turning a tad over 338K at the moment. Also had a 7.3 Excursion for about 7 years, and was "blessed" to help my oldest son with his three years of owning a 2002 F250 like mine (but extended cab instead of crew). I've always been "all things DIY" just because I felt like I could figure out a way to do it better than those who focused on profiting from the work, and have used all my DIY skills to upgrade/modify/restore each of my houses throughout my married life as a means of "sweat investment", and it has really paid off pretty well for us. Exceptions to my DIY are few, but they include roofing (have the skills, but have outgrown the ladder/roof work), masonry (no skill), intricate electronics work (minimal skill), and welding (no skill).

Met my wife the spring before I graduated from NCSU while she was working on her PhD in 17th century Spanish Literature at Duke. She's a first-gen Cuban-American, know-dead gorgeous, smarter than anyone I know, has the most pure heart I've ever been exposed to, and is gifted with the highest degree of godly wisdom of anyone I've ever met! In our 35 years of marriage, we have 6 children who are scattered between Charlotte (NC), Birmingham (AL), Brooklyn (NY), Nashville (TN), and Anchorage (AK). We've been empty-nesters for about 4 months now and continue to thrive in the the quietness and peacefulness of it being "just the two of us".

When not wrenching on the truck, my favorite past time activities include woodworking (primarily furniture design/build and wood-carving).

 

Hello fellow OWSI!

 

Its like a AA meeting.
i admit i have more than twice as many scuba cylinders as i have 7.3 trucks. Im not sure if i have more money in the trucks or the diving? Unfortunately this year i didn't do a new year's dive, the lake looked good too!

 

O man, I feel for you. That spot means laying down regs for folks who do not want to hear it and/or imagining how the existing process fits the regs. Best of luck.

 

Thanks, but actually, the plant personnel and company management are all on the same page, and we are continually driving towards increasing "stewardship" which is the step beyond mandatory "compliance". The REAL problem I'm fighting (daily) right now is how the company lawyers simply do not understand real world functional dynamics, and they (lawyers) then simply roll over and just accept every legislative overreach being imposed on us by the regulatory agencies - it galls me to no end!

 

This sounds like most mechanical engineers I've dealt with. They do not understand real world functionality of equipment. I think this is why you hear a lot of mechanics and technicians bash engineers.

 

My Brother is a mechanical engineer and I'm just a mechanic. I remind him occasionally that an engineer can make a rooster lay an egg ..... on paper!

Can't count the number of times I was working at 3 am in freezing cold or soaking rain, trying to get fasteners in or out that can't even be seen only felt. All I wanted was an engineer to strangle. McDonnell Douglas was horrible about using nuts where nut plates would have made component replacement much quicker. When you have a hundred plus passengers sitting in airplane waiting to go and it takes 3 times as long to replace the hydraulic pump or air cycle machine because your trying to remove and install nuts and washers that are behind hydraulic lines, stringers and formers and almost impossible to reach the money they saved in the building process by using nuts instead of nutplates doesn't make much sense. Boeing was much better to work on.

I have a lot of respect for engineering, how can you not when you see buildings, airplanes, bridges, heavy equipment, space ships, and any number of things we use everyday, all designed to last for long periods. I just think before an engineer is allowed to design anything they should be required to work in the real world, hands on actual products for a couple of years to understand how things they may design will affect assembly, production, maintenance and use.

 

Yep. Probably the biggest point of success I had in my 14 years of Engineering/Consulting was the fact that I had already spent nearly 20 years in manufacturing/operations prior to becoming a process design/engineering consultant. I walked into my clients' plants with instant "street cred" because I had already lived with enough engineering goof-ups to make sure my team never did those things to someone else. The Operators and Maintenance personnel are always included in my kick-off and scope-setting meetings so we can address the real world issues up front. Thus far, my projects normally work out the way they are designed to, and I rarely ever hear anything more about them after startup.

 

I remember Boeing made a big deal about using CATIA in their Design For Maintainability intiative. I agree that a lot of engineers do not have enough practical experience.

Then there is the joke about the mathematician on an airplane:
A mathematician is afraid of flying due to the small risk of a terrorist attack. So, on every flight he takes a bomb with his hand luggage. "The probability of having a bomb on a plane is very low", he reasoned, "and the probability of having two bombs on the same plane is virtually zero."

 

I'll play along as I find this very interesting. It is also interesting how many engineers there are on here, the fact they are here and working on there trucks makes me believe that only make them better as engineers and gives them an appreciation of of what mechanics go through when things are not designed with maintenance in mind.

I started with bicycles and mini-bikes before I worked at service/gas stations starting at 15, where I started learning and working on cars. At 18 I worked the parts department of a Dodge dealership. Then went to a speed shop selling parts prior to leaving for boot camp. Got trained as a engineer equipment mechanic by the Corps. Worked several times for that speed shop selling parts on weekends and being the mechanic during the week doing everything from carbs to differentials including custom exhaust. I was taught and did automotive machine work there for a few years as well. Became a fleet maintenance mechanic for a large commercial glass company were I got myself certified by ASE in 4 categories. Went back to the speed shop before working at a Midas for a short time. Was hired as millwright/maintenance mechanic for Del Monte where I designed items and did installation, fabrication and maintenance of plant equipment. This is where I honed my tig welding skills. Left that for law enforcement in my early 30's for a better pension and to support my family. My mechanical background has helped my current career several times including promoting. Assignments there have included time on SWAT, SAR, FTO, dive, snow cats, boats, snowmobiles and OHV's where I operate and maintain them. Been doing welding, fab and mechanical work as my side hustle my whole time as a LEO. My side business includes everything from working on snowmobiles to heavy equipment and fabrication for local contractors. I have a half dozen different welders, several tool boxes full of everything from electrical to body work, sheet metal brake, shear, English wheel, slip roll, knee mill, metal lathe, bead blast cabinet, Hotsy, lift, etc.... All of which I am hoping to use more after May when I plan to retire with just over 30 years of service.

I am more into the older iron and bought my truck as a workhorse. I joined FTE as I knew there were nuances that only the good folks on here would know and would be willing to share. I found the old truck side of FTE where I spend more time but I try to help here when I can as well. My crown jewel though was having my '69 Mustang in several magazines and on the cover of the November '84 Car Craft.

 

Is this it? My favorite Muscle car is this era of Stangs

 

Yes, mine is the blue one in the background, The guy on the cover was a friend of mine(long story) who took it to the shoot as I was in Hawaii when they wanted to do the shoot.

 

They just want to go home and eat dinner like everybody else in the world. I'm sure there's other factors...company brass incentivizing them to cheap out and cut corners when they think they can get away with it...hubris that because they designed it nobody will probably ever have to fix it. Reminds me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode when Geordi LaForge's idol, the beautiful "engine propulsion design lady", came on board the ship and scoffed at all the improvements he'd made. These are rarely the same personalities.

Isn't the probability 100% if he brings his own? Anyway, terrorists don't get anywhere near commercial airplanes unless the government allows it. Maybe in quainter times they did but likely not since I've been alive and I turned 40 last year.

 

Well.... this is quite the thread. I feel like matt damon in downsized, roght after the procedure....

Highschool and life education, primarily. 7 homes by age 14. (Same family, dads a pastor) but he is also a hobby woodworker, and an okie dairy farmer. Dont throw anything away, and fix everything yourself. My first job was mowing, did some home health care aide type work in highschool. Learned how to trim trees, climb, rigging etc, paid for emergency school with tree work. Learned how to run loaders, and heavy trucks, as well as pull tandems from my boss then. Got out of school with my emt, my nasi cert. And a decent grasp of rigging, high angle, and fire fighting, both structural and wildland from that. Basically enough to know firefighters are nuts. Nothing but respect, but no thank you, not for me. Spent a year installing satellite internet dishes around texas, oklahoma and kansas. Went into school for my emt-i and then got a job on trucks. Got tired of the medics dumping the runs they were to good for on me, so i went to paramedic school. Met my wife there, finished school, but swapped fields, sold vehicles for 8 months, while i hunted for a better job. Found a job driving kenworths for a wireline company. Spent almost 5 years with them, jamming gears on an eaton fuller 10 speed. Got out in early 2015 less than 2 months before the bottom fell out and the company shrunk 60%.
since the ive mostly mostly been self employed, handyman, jack of all trades(definantly master of none) had a couple other jobs, but mostly now i do yards, help on the family farm, some tree removals etc.
I like wood turning, and stick welding whenever i can. Im very much a visual learner. Write something out, and i may not get it. Show me... and i probably wont ever forget it. I found this site when i was trying to decide if i wanted to get a diesel again, and its been nothing but a good experience