Best Tools for apprentice agricultral.hgv mechanic

Man of Aran

Any of the Sears tools carrying the CRAFTSMAN badge used to carry the lifetime guarantee, no questions asked - take it in and replace on spot in the USA. Not sure how that would work if tools are brought to Ireland and how about the freight over? Grab them if you can get, by all means.

Aye, memories of early 1980's , working on the formwork (shuttering) with the Local #608 in NYC Lower Manhattan as a "concrete animal" - many's the '28 oz (2lb) rip claw shuttering hammer and 25ft tape were well dogged and yet replaced out in Sears store Corona,Queens!
Sears is more a dept store and catalogue sales, more like a Dunnes Store ,,, don't see them on van sales 'garage to garage' like Snap On. But world is changing .....

valtra8150

sure theyd stilll replace it probly if you send it over or if you knew somebody going back give it to them and get them to go to it. i reckon in a few years that craftsman will do what snap-on are doing and get dealers to go around in vans

gofaster_s13

Craftsman went the same way as Britool, Teng etc and started production in China their current stuff isnt up to the standards of their older gear and is on a par with Draper and Halfords pro tools which is no bad thing but you can get warranty on Draper and Halfords stuff no problem(ie not have to post it to the U.S.).

kitbuilder123

If i could offer one bit of advice i would say spend what you can on an empty tool box and fill it bit by bit. You dont need a snap on hammer, a cheap one will do. However i dont think ive ever used a better ratchet than a 1/2 inch snap on one. My point is buy piece by piece. Buy with warranty if you can and look at what the people around you are using. Dont mind the fella with the snap on socks because hes going to point you in the wrong direction straight away!!
Forget your imperial ratchet spanners if they are only for old tractors because a 3/4 nut on a 1965 ford 5000 is going to break your ratchet trying to open it!
I have snap on, teng, blue point, draper, facom, sealey, and lots of "no name" tools as well. Buy what you need when you need it and buy the best you can afford. The combination sets contain lots of crap you will never use.
And lastly, the lads above are right, learn the diagnostics, learn the wiring but just remember its not the be all and end all. It might tell you the fuel pressure is down on the rail but it wont help you take the sender unit out of the diesel tank and clean the filter to solve the problem. Hope this helps and hope it wasnt too long winded

Apprentice Mechanic

Cheers for all advice,I am still learning everyday at work and day realease, since I was on this last I assiting rewiring two tractors which is real enjoyable work,I don't want to a apprentice as a part fitter I want to know what causes the part/s to quit working if need to be investage further if need to be,

quietsailor

Apprentice Mechanic wrote: »

I don't want to a apprentice as a part fitter I want to know what causes the part/s to quit working if need to be investage further if need to be,

Your an aprentice already so this information is probably too little too late but you sound like the kind of person that works on ships engines - a Marine Engineer smart enough to realise you DON'T know everything and are willing to go and find out the story behind the fault/machine rather than just changing parts.

If you ever get bored of the current job & wouldn't mind travelling for work take a serious look at it. There's a few of us here boards and we post on the CIT forum about the Nautical college so you can get information.

** I've left the ships a few years ago but am thinking of going back during summers and Christmasses while I'm back in college

Apprentice Mechanic

quietsailor wrote: »

Your an aprentice already so this information is probably too little too late but you sound like the kind of person that works on ships engines - a Marine Engineer smart enough to realise you DON'T know everything and are willing to go and find out the story behind the fault/machine rather than just changing parts.

If you ever get bored of the current job & wouldn't mind travelling for work take a serious look at it. There's a few of us here boards and we post on the CIT forum about the Nautical college so you can get information.

** I've left the ships a few years ago but am thinking of going back during summers and Christmasses while I'm back in college

Do you know if you can do an apprentice as marine engieer if I could I can stil attend my day release course in Omage and my leaving cert wouldn't do as a entry requirment as I did LCA,how did you find it as a job?

oflynno

I also fekk arouond with tractors and heavy stuff, i got most of my imperial stuff from the army surplus shops (midleton, killarney ) and at the innishannon steam rally, as the others said keep an eye on donedeal or adverts, specifiy what you need and also ebay.co.uk

you could find old tools for a tenth of the price and there are alot more options for shipping them to here, regardless of the weight

quietsailor

Do you know if you can do an apprentice as marine engieer
The way the course is structured you do 4 yrs in college (Engineering Degree) followed by 9 months on a ship as a cadet (apprentice but we call them cadets)
Once you finish the 9 months and have all your training logs up to date you go to the Dept of the Marine (Think its called the Dept of Communications, energy and Natural resources now) and sit a written and oral exam. Then your a qualified 4th Engineering Officer.

After that you can work your way up to 3rd, 2nd and Chief Engineer over the next ten years. I realise that the initial training (College and 4ths exams) sounds long winded but its about the same as a normal engineering degree and the graduate work you'd do for a year after - its just the Dept of the Marine exams that are extra.

if I could I can stil attend my day release course in Omage
There is only one college in Ireland that has that course the Nautical College which is a department of CIT and is located in Ringaskiddy by the sea.

and my leaving cert wouldn't do as a entry requirment as I did LCA
What's the LCA, i never hard that term before? Its gotten more mainstream since I went there 1993-1996 but they prefer people with mechanical aptitude rather than book smarts - you'll be welding, milling, lathe work, wiring, programming cndustrial computers as part of your projects

You COULD go the old fashioned route - get a job in an engine room as a wiper (basically the ships version of a labourer on a building site) but I really, really don't advise it. You still have to sit exams in the same subjects as college but they are repeated for every level ie 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, Chiefs. Instead I got rid of them in college and only had practical topics for the 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, Chiefs - Marine Engines and General ships engineering were the two topics


how did you find it as a job?
The Good;
I loved it at the start, I never went outside the place I grew up before I went to college in Cork and even incollege never went abroad - then within 3 weeks I saw Felixstowe (UK), Le Harve (France) and Montreal (Canada). It got really intersting when I got my 4ths ticket (qualification) - that ship travelled around Europe, down to Jamica, through the Panama canal and stopped at ports all down the Pacific coast of South America before returning to Europe and starting the whole thing again.

They were long trips (periods working on board) 4-5.5 months, usually 4 months and 2 weeks. Good money though. Back then as 4th I'd expect to earn £2500sterling per month that I worked onboard and as I was out of the country for more than 6 months of the year (4 months on & 2 off was the routine) I legally didn't pay income tax. That plus everything on board was so cheap meant you saved a lot of money - On a really great month that you got ashore in S.America a lot and you'd spend $500 per month - you were still saving £1800 - £2000 as there is nothing to spend money on in a ship :cool:, all your food, light heat etc are paid for. If you managed (back then) to spend £100 stg in the ships bar in ONE month the Captain would give out to you for drinking so much, things aboard were that cheap.

Travel - my one regret from back then is that I didn't stay for a week or two in whatever country I left the ship, the company would still have flown me home after my holiday but I would have gotten to see Texas, Charleston, New York in N. America. Peru Brazil, Jamica in S. America. South Korea, South Africa, most of Europe. All it would have cost me is the price of the hotel.

The Bad;
Hard hard work, your expected to work 10 hrs a day, 7 days a week for 4&1/2 months. That is a lot. Most engine rooms average 35-40 Celsius = great for the waistline and you will be called out in the middle of the night to answer alarms if something fails one night in three. Also if the ship is coming into port someone has to be in the engine room. You normally work 8-5 and then you make the extra hours your missing from the daily ten by getting up in the middle of the night to answer alarms or watching the engine when you come in and out of Port.

It's intensely physical. On any ship over 2-3 yrs old when the routine maintance has built up you are constantly ripping machines apart, fixing / maintaining them and then putting them back together. If your in port its the only time the main engine stops so it HAS to be maintained then and there. - We're talking cylinder heads weighing 2.5 tons, with a single exhaust valve of 400mm diameter and a piston that has a stroke of 2.5 meters and weighs a few ton as well( and i sailed on smaller ships compared to todays stuff) Not easy to work with.Nice though i you like fixing something and get satisfaction from pressing start and seeing it run properly.

The long periods away working got annoying as your mates will start to enjoy life when they get money - go on holidays, etc. You can still do that and spend a lot more on holidays then most but if your only home in Feb and March odds are no-one will want to go on holidays then. If your a home bird though its not a good job - long periods out of contact - well you can call on the satellite phone but at ~$5 a minute its bloody expensive but as a way to travel and see places its unbeatable

A family member got sick though and I gave up the sea to spend time at home. The conditions are better now, shorter trips and better communication

Apprentice Mechanic

quietsailor wrote: »

Do you know if you can do an apprentice as marine engieer
The way the course is structured you do 4 yrs in college (Engineering Degree) followed by 9 months on a ship as a cadet (apprentice but we call them cadets)
Once you finish the 9 months and have all your training logs up to date you go to the Dept of the Marine (Think its called the Dept of Communications, energy and Natural resources now) and sit a written and oral exam. Then your a qualified 4th Engineering Officer.

After that you can work your way up to 3rd, 2nd and Chief Engineer over the next ten years. I realise that the initial training (College and 4ths exams) sounds long winded but its about the same as a normal engineering degree and the graduate work you'd do for a year after - its just the Dept of the Marine exams that are extra.

if I could I can stil attend my day release course in Omage
There is only one college in Ireland that has that course the Nautical College which is a department of CIT and is located in Ringaskiddy by the sea.

and my leaving cert wouldn't do as a entry requirment as I did LCA
What's the LCA, i never hard that term before? Its gotten more mainstream since I went there 1993-1996 but they prefer people with mechanical aptitude rather than book smarts - you'll be welding, milling, lathe work, wiring, programming cndustrial computers as part of your projects

You COULD go the old fashioned route - get a job in an engine room as a wiper (basically the ships version of a labourer on a building site) but I really, really don't advise it. You still have to sit exams in the same subjects as college but they are repeated for every level ie 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, Chiefs. Instead I got rid of them in college and only had practical topics for the 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, Chiefs - Marine Engines and General ships engineering were the two topics


how did you find it as a job?
The Good;
I loved it at the start, I never went outside the place I grew up before I went to college in Cork and even incollege never went abroad - then within 3 weeks I saw Felixstowe (UK), Le Harve (France) and Montreal (Canada). It got really intersting when I got my 4ths ticket (qualification) - that ship travelled around Europe, down to Jamica, through the Panama canal and stopped at ports all down the Pacific coast of South America before returning to Europe and starting the whole thing again. They were long trips (periods working on board) 4-5.5 months, usually 4 months and 2 weeks. Good money though. Back then as 4th I'd expect to earn £2500sterling per month that I worked onboard and as I was out of the country for more than 6 months of the year (4 months on & 2 off was the routine) I legally didn't pay income tax. That plus everything on board was so cheap meant you saved a lot of money - On a really great month that you got ashore in S.America a lot and you'd spend $500 per month - you were still saving £1800 - £2000 as there is nothing to spend money on in a ship :cool:, all your food, light heat etc are paid for. If you managed (back then) to spend £100 stg in the ships bar in ONE month the Captain would give out to you for drinking so much, things aboard were that cheap.

Travel - my one regret from back then is that I didn't stay for a week or two in whatever country I left the ship, the company would still have flown me home after my holiday but I would have gotten to see Texas, Charleston, New York in N. America. Peru Brazil, Jamica in S. America. South Korea, South Africa, most of Europe. All it would have cost me is the price of the hotel.

The Bad;
Hard hard work, your expected to work 10 hrs a day, 7 days a week for 4&1/2 months. That is a lot. Most engine rooms average 35-40 Celsius = great for the waistline and you will be called out in the middle of the night to answer alarms if something fails one night in three. Also if the ship is coming into port someone has to be in the engine room. You normally work 8-5 and then you make the extra hours your missing from the daily ten by getting up in the middle of the night to answer alarms or watching the engine when you come in and out of Port.

It's intensely physical. On any ship over 2-3 yrs old when the routine maintance has built up you are constantly ripping machines apart, fixing / maintaining them and then putting them back together. If your in port its the only time the main engine stops so it HAS to be maintained then and there. - We're talking cylinder heads weighing 2.5 tons, with a single exhaust valve of 400mm diameter and a piston that has a stroke of 2.5 meters and weighs a few ton as well( and i sailed on smaller ships compared to todays stuff) Not easy to work with.Nice though i you like fixing something and get satisfaction from pressing start and seeing it run properly.

The long periods away working got annoying as your mates will start to enjoy life when they get money - go on holidays, etc. You can still do that and spend a lot more on holidays then most but if your only home in Feb and March odds are no-one will want to go on holidays then. If your a home bird though its not a good job - long periods out of contact - well you can call on the satellite phone but at ~$5 a minute its bloody expensive but as a way to travel and see places its unbeatable

A family member got sick though and I gave up the sea to spend time at home. The conditions are better now, shorter trips and better communication

That was one great review about the job

LCA is other alternativate to leaving cert which you do cointinous assignments to get credits but you sit a leaving cert complety different leaving,& aslo with the LCA I enquired full time course I wasnt allowed according to the carrer advisers at the school I went to,That is why I chose an apprentice as I prefer hands-on work

quietsailor

Apprentice Mechanic wrote: »

That was one great review about the job

LCA is other alternativate to leaving cert which you do cointinous assignments to get credits but you sit a leaving cert complety different leaving,& aslo with the LCA I enquired full time course I wasnt allowed according to the carrer advisers at the school I went to,That is why I chose an apprentice as I prefer hands-on work

I'd say give them a ring or send an email - here is the contact details National Maritime College of Ireland.

When I was there it was an restricted application - you had to attend an interview. People from my school who had higher results in the leaving didn't get into the course where-as I did - I showed I had an interest in engineering in general -- When they asked me how to wire a plug I repled "what do you mean - there are domestic plugs, industrial plugs, 3 phase plugs" they laughed and said to get the points and I could take the course = they want people who are already interested in machinery and are exploring things even bfore you leave school.

Now that interview process is gone but they would be still interested in people with good hands.

Apprentice Mechanic

quietsailor wrote: »

I'd say give them a ring or send an email - here is the contact details National Maritime College of Ireland.

When I was there it was an restricted application - you had to attend an interview. People from my school who had higher results in the leaving didn't get into the course where-as I did - I showed I had an interest in engineering in general -- When they asked me how to wire a plug I repled "what do you mean - there are domestic plugs, industrial plugs, 3 phase plugs" they laughed and said to get the points and I could take the course = they want people who are already interested in machinery and are exploring things even bfore you leave school.

Now that interview process is gone but they would be still interested in people with good hands.

Cherrs for your help your posts have been real helpful:)

And also everyone else