Do you all remember the little toy that we played with as kids that had the different shaped holes that you had to put the corresponding block into the proper hole? I’m pretty sure there are those that walk among us who repeatedly put the square peg into the round hole and when it didn’t fit, they beat it with their toy hammer until it went through. They grew up into adults, and all became mechanical engineers and designed things like DPF sensors and engines that require pulling the battery out just to get to the oil filter to change it during an oil change. At a young age, they didn’t learn that all the pieces have to fit just right, so they have made it their life’s mission to make everyone else’s job a living nightmare.
I am convinced that most people who design the machines that farmers and ranchers use on a daily basis never spend a single day working on the very machines that they have designed! Just because something works on a computer screen and fits in the special little spot on the machine, does not mean that it is practical! Being a mechanic is not something that I claim to be any good at. I can change oil, patch tires, change basic parts like starters, alternators, belts and hoses, but when it comes to getting serious about fixing big problems, I call for professional help. I cannot for the life of me understand why it takes hours to change a $3 sensor. Why can’t they put things where they are easy to work on? I do not have the hand size of a small child, my large frame size prevents me from fitting into the contorted positions that are often required to reach said problem sensors, and when you add onto that everything is likely covered in grease and oil, mechanic work is not my favorite.
Long gone are the days of being able to open the hood and see the ground underneath the pickup. These days everything is covered in layers of shields held together with fifty different styles of fasteners that all require a different tool to remove. Once you get the shields removed, you then need to be a master electrician to remove the million miles of wire, then you will actually see a motor somewhere underneath all the mess! I may be old fashioned, but things that were designed to be mechanical instead of electrical sure make a lot more sense to me. There was a time when all you needed to make a motor run was fuel, air and spark. Kind of hard to diagnose a problem when it comes to a rat’s nest of sensors and wire that might be causing a foul up!
For years we have been telling students that they should aspire to go to college and choose a career that doesn’t require them to work with their hands. Aside from the shortage of blue-collar workers that this has created, we now have people that design equipment and other products that have likely never spent a day in their life working on the machines that they developed. I for one believe that there should be real world practical experience tied to any degree before it is awarded. Lessons learned from experience differ from those taught in a classroom.
I suppose that is the end of my rant for this week. I’ll go back to turning wrenches in blind spots and wondering what idiot designed the equipment the way it is. Remember to give grace to others, watch for flying wrenches if you are walking past a shop, and keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire. God Bless.