Need Deuce Mechanic in NW Missouri -- Fair Pay Scale

[Lust4GreenSteel]

First a little background on the situation.

After lurking here for several months, I began putting in some "lowball" bids on that popular auction site. At a particularly inopportune time, I won a Deuce. (Why do they call it winning when you agree to pay more than anyone else in the world was willing to pay?) The truck was 600 miles distant from me, so I listed it on uShip and had it delivered to the family farm - 90 miles from where we actually live. It was my intention to start spending more time at the farm, and to learn to maintain the truck myself even though I had never turned a wrench in my life.

That was a year and a half ago. In that time, I have driven the truck on the farm a handful of times, putting probably less than twenty miles on it. Twice, when I wanted to play with it, the brake pedal went to the floor. Filling the master cylinder and pumping the pedal for about a half hour restored brake function enough to drive it a little in the field.

Since I have owned it, I have never checked anything/ topped anything, adjusted anything, etc. other than putting a charger on the old batteries and the aforementioned brake "fix".

Further lurking here, my limited driving experience with the truck, and a bit of common sense tell me that I need to either get rid of the truck or find a mechanic that I trust to do the work that I am not going to do. I am not interested in maiming or killing myself or any innocent bystanders.

My wife has a ton of cousins on her father's side of the family. At every family gathering, they all want to know when they are going to get to see and play with the Big Green Truck. The last time this happened, I said that they probably weren't ever going to get to play with it because I didn't know how to maintain it and I didn't want to even risk driving it the ten miles from our farm to their base of operations. One of my wife's younger (adult) third cousins asked me about the truck. He volunteered that he didn't know much about the deuce because his experience in the local reserve was with the newer 5 tons. He asked if I knew about TMs and I told him I had a complete set. He said he could probably "help me with the truck if I got stuck or in over my head". I explained that what I wanted was someone to do the work FOR me, not help me. He said he could probably still help me if he could use the shop and tools at the family's base of operations.

My problem now is that I don't know what to offer to pay him. I want the truck completely checked out - fluids and filters changed, Brake system repaired/replaced (I already have the parts), wheels serviced, Fuel system checked and maintained, etc. I see this as an ongoing project. I am hoping I can get him to work 8-10 hours a week on the truck. If things work out and he is still interested, I am sure that the BGT would appreciate some company.

So, what is a fair pay rate (cash money, American)? How many hours a week/month does one need to work to keep a truck maintained once it is in good working order. How many hours does it take to replace the components of the brake system (new lines, new MC, new wheel cylinders, remote reservoir, etc). How many hours to completely service the wheels/hubs/etc.


I don't want to give up my truck. I think I have found the right mechanic. I want to keep him interested. What do you think would be fair.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[gimpyrobb]

[h=3]Salary Overview[/h] The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the mean annual salary for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists as of May 2012 was $43,660 (www.bls.gov). The bottom 10 percent of these workers earned $26,820 a year or less, and the top 10 percent earned $63,250 a year or higher. When you first start out, your earnings may be less than the average. PayScale.com reported that most diesel mechanics with less than one year of experience earned between $9.72 and $13.36 per hour as of January 2014.

Its heavy dirty work. I wouldn't work as cheap as the stats I just posted, but I know enough to get the work done much quicker than most. He is probably going to have to do a lot of reading of the TMs. At 8-10 hrs a week, I bet it will take a couple months to go through the axles alone.

 

[wreckerman893]

If he is doing this as a favor and not to make a living I'd offer him ten bucks an hour and you pay for all needed items (to include frosty beverages to increase morale). If he has worked on military vehicles before he is prob familiar with TM's and can muddle through them.
If you take it to a pro you are going to pay shop labor rates plus parts and fluids. Shop rate in my area is around 75 bucks an hour depending on if they like you or not.
If I were you I'd be right there with him learning at least how to do basic maint and repair. Being stuck out in the boonies over a minor problem is a frustrating experience and tow bills aren't cheap.
The deuce is a pretty bulletproof beast and will serve you well if you give it some love.

 

[Lust4GreenSteel]

His original offer to help me out was mostly as a favour to a family member and he knows that frosty beverages are always included in any activity. He has a good job, but is newly married and has kids. I am sure that a cash paying part time job would be of some interest to him - at least at first. He has worked on the newer bigger military vehicles, so he is familiar with green iron and TMs in general. I was thinking along the lines of $10-12/hour to start, but had no idea if that was reasonable or not. After a while, if I see that the wrenching time exceeds the reading time, I would voluntarily up the rate. If I have to pay shop rate for all of my maintenance, I have to dump the truck. If I can keep my maintenance costs down under 40% of shop rate, I can justify this as being cheaper than bass fishing.

A thought just occurred to me. if all of the other cousins gather around to "supervise", the beverage incentive could break me.

 

[rustystud]

Salary Overview

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the mean annual salary for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists as of May 2012 was $43,660 (www.bls.gov). The bottom 10 percent of these workers earned $26,820 a year or less, and the top 10 percent earned $63,250 a year or higher. When you first start out, your earnings may be less than the average. PayScale.com reported that most diesel mechanics with less than one year of experience earned between $9.72 and $13.36 per hour as of January 2014.

Its heavy dirty work. I wouldn't work as cheap as the stats I just posted, but I know enough to get the work done much quicker than most. He is probably going to have to do a lot of reading of the TMs. At 8-10 hrs a week, I bet it will take a couple months to go through the axles alone.

Our "base" rate for a journeyman mechanic is $64,896 a year. If your on a swing or graveyard shift that "base" rate goes up. 10% for swing and 15% for graveyard.

 

[rhurey]

You're in King County, WA. He's in MO.

Cost of living is a bit higher out here. No comment on why.

 

[Lust4GreenSteel]

Cost of living is a bit higher out here. No comment on why.

Because my brother lives out there?

 

[m109a2]

Heck man half the fun of having a deuce is getting to know it.Al

 

[rustystud]

You're in King County, WA. He's in MO.

Cost of living is a bit higher out here. No comment on why.

Your right Ryan . I think we will be moving soon to a better state.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I vote for Ohio!

 

[rchalmers3]

My problem now is that I don't know what to offer to pay him. I want the truck completely checked out - fluids and filters changed, Brake system repaired/replaced (I already have the parts), wheels serviced, Fuel system checked and maintained, etc. I see this as an ongoing project. I am hoping I can get him to work 8-10 hours a week on the truck. If things work out and he is still interested, I am sure that the BGT would appreciate some company.

I may have missed it being suggested previously, but have you considered having a direct conversation with the cousin about what he wants to be paid? The way I see it, it's between you guys anyway, since you both have the most skin in the game! You will have to come to terms on the hourly rate and then project that over the scope of the work. It will be your responsibility to gauge the completion rate in relation to the budget you must have in mind.

I'd suggest:

a) make a prioritized list of service items you wish to accomplish
b) discuss them with us in order to create a reasonable budget
c) attack them in order and monitor your progress in relation to your budget

Cheers and please, make this situation work for you, that cousin and everyone! This is a great hobby that requires a tribe to operate!

Rick

 

[Lust4GreenSteel]

I agree about discussing it with the cousin. But, I think he will let me lead the discussion, and I wanted a feel for what would be reasonable as a starting point.

This truck will not be driven more than ten miles away from where it is garaged until it has been thoroughly serviced and checked out. Not too worried about breakdowns leaving me stranded as I will be within easy reach of needed help and I am not depending on the truck for specific tasks. Safety is my main concern.

The original post contained my initial priorities in a vague sort of way.

The truck starts and runs, shifts properly, and stops when brake fluid is present and "pumped up". I have not noticed any major problems with the operation of the truck. There are some minor issues (one wiper has an intermittent problem, one side of the windshield is cracked, the cargo cover has some small holes, there are minor rust problems around the doors, etc.)

My greatest concern is making sure that the truck will stop. The master cylinder leaks. Replacing it and adding a remote reservoir would be priority one. I thought it might make some sense to replace the brake lines and wheel cylinders at the same time. That way we would only have to bleed the brakes once. I have the parts.



Priority two would be normal PM. I think the previous owner changed the oil about four thousand miles ago, but I have no idea when that was. Other than that, I have no idea of the maintenance status. The truck appears to have been maintained, but based on what I read here I suspect that I should have all the filters changed, and at least check all fluids for condition and level.

I am totally open to suggestions for what to do next.





Other things I have seen that cause me concern but have not actually caused problems yet are ---

One of the front boots is split.

There is some sort of growth or scale on exposed surfaces inside the fuel tank.

What would you do with these issues to keep them from becoming problems?


If I get the needed maintenance done and find that I can afford the work, I will have many projects to make the truck "mine". I would like to use it as a family "party" vehicle at times and would also like to use it at times as a farm maintenance truck with removable generator, air compressor, welder, pressure washer, crane, gin pole, etc.

Oh, I also want to just drive it around and listen to it whistle. And maybe take it into town to get a DQ or a few 2X4s

 

[m16ty]

The split front boots are a common problem but that alone isn't of major concern, just don't drive in any deep water until fixed. When you fix, go ahead and get the one piece silicone boots. They are much better than the zipper boots and you need to tear it all down and service everything anyway.

I've seen the scale inside the tank and is fairly common. I don't know what causes it and it's not easy to get rid of. I'd clean it out if I could but doesn't seem to cause major problems with it there. You can remove the in-tank pump and the filler screen and get to most of the tank to clean.

 

[rustystud]

I vote for Ohio!

Ohio isn't a "tax you to death" state is it ? I'm retiring and I need a place that is cost of living friendly.

 

[jasonjc]

Our "base" rate for a journeyman mechanic is $64,896 a year. If your on a swing or graveyard shift that "base" rate goes up. 10% for swing and 15% for graveyard.

Gee I don't make half that working for a school district as a bus mechanic with 9yr's. At lest that's $0.90hr more than the lawn mower guys make.

 

[rhurey]

AR: Average home price: 118K
Woodinville, WA: 590K.

Work in high cost of living state and save to retire in a low cost of living state.

 

[rustystud]

AR: Average home price: 118K
Woodinville, WA: 590K.

Work in high cost of living state and save to retire in a low cost of living state.

Right now Montana or Idaho is looking real good.