Why people don't keep older equipment running

[dnw64]

I was looking for anti-vibration Marretts and was talking to a girl on the phone at the hardware store, trying to establish the size of the ones they had. She indicated that one was the size of a yellow or orange marrette, the other a red. Man was I impressed. Makes me realize though how low the bar has gone for expecting anyone to know much about anything.

Never heard that terme before. I am amazed as well!

 

[k0ua]

When manufacturing moved off shore the demand for millwrights and mechanics went with the manufacturing equipment. Then the managers wanted the R&D people and engineers to be close to the plants so they could tweak the practice or the product. We lost a great pool of institutional memory and talent. When my neighborhood had a "community building" activity installing new equipment at local playground I discovered many of my neighbors, although they might be financial wizards, did not know which end of a screwdriver to grasp.

In the electronics industry, we used to say "they don't know which end of the soldering iron to pick up"

 

[fried1765]

I was looking for anti-vibration Marretts and was talking to a girl on the phone at the hardware store, trying to establish the size of the ones they had. She indicated that one was the size of a yellow or orange marrette, the other a red. Man was I impressed. Makes me realize though how low the bar has gone for expecting anyone to know much about anything.

If you were in the US, and asked for a "marrette", VERY FEW would know what you were looking for.
If you asked for a wire nut..... it would be easy!
Some terms/items are more readily apparent though.

For those in the US reading this...
Can a customer pay with, or get change in pennies in Canada?
Nope! Canada no longer uses pennies!
Everything is rounded to the nearest 5 cents.

You can dock your boat in a US harbor.
But in Canada, you would dock at a Harbour.

 

[beenthere]

Or worse yet, have to say it in French...

 

[Industrial Toys]

Everyone including me was sure that they didn't make the wirenuts with the brass insert and set screw anymore. But T&B and IDEAL still make them. I use them for wierd stuff like connecting heating elements, or underground connections where I can't solder for some reason or another..

 

[BrokenTrack]

I suppose walking in the salesman's shoes for awhile would be an eye opener too. I couldn't do it.. hard time even selling stuff on Craigslist..

I could not either, but for a different reason.

This past fall a local tractor dealer was hiring, and so I thought about working there, but then my friends and wife said the same thing. "You would make a great mechanic, but not a salesman because you would not oversell a tractor."

It is true. I LOVE doing big jobs with small equipment, and the biggest mistake I see on here is people getting too big of a tractor. With new tractors you can do a lot already.

I would make for a horrible salesman because I would size the tractor appropriately for the person, and if they had existing implements, I would help them use what they already got to get the work done that they need too.

I am a minimalist by nature, and think outside the box, and that is not conducive to being a salesman that wants a farmer to think they can save money by spending lots of it.

 

[Hay Dude]

So anyhow,,,,ahem,,,,I think one of the reasons people dont keep older equipment running is because they actually get an attachment to these inanimate objects, they even NAME them! And when they break, they feel scorned. Not much unlike a person in a relationship that cheats on them. :laughing:
If it happens too many times, they sell it instead of fix it. Like breaking off a relationship.
I mean, let’s face it, there are some guys here more in love with their tractors than their old lady. :laughing:

Or it’s just that it became unreliable and they want a new ride......

 

[dnw64]

...when they break, they feel scorned. Not much unlike a person in a relationship that cheats on them. :laughing:
If it happens too many times, they sell it instead of fix it. Like breaking off a relationship.

Interesting, and possibly quite true.

 

[rScotty]

I could not either, but for a different reason.

This past fall a local tractor dealer was hiring, and so I thought about working there, but then my friends and wife said the same thing. "You would make a great mechanic, but not a salesman because you would not oversell a tractor."

It is true. I LOVE doing big jobs with small equipment, and the biggest mistake I see on here is people getting too big of a tractor. With new tractors you can do a lot already.

I would make for a horrible salesman because I would size the tractor appropriately for the person, and if they had existing implements, I would help them use what they already got to get the work done that they need too.

I am a minimalist by nature, and think outside the box, and that is not conducive to being a salesman that wants a farmer to think they can save money by spending lots of it.

I was a minimalist in my youth as well. Nothing was more fun than doing a big project with minimal tools. My buddies and I once built a barn in under two weeks using nothing but hand tools. That barn is still in use and perfectly straight & sound 50 years later.

But as I got older I found myself appreciating more and more that using larger tools enabled me to compensate for everyone's aging body.

And now I can see that same advantage was always there; an advantage that applies equally to both young and old....and that it was just my youthful pride that kept me from using the larger tool to get more work done faster, easier, and better in the first place. Much of the time, the larger tools are the proper tools to make the best use of everyone's time.

You don't have to use the larger tool to do more or go faster. You can go as slow as you want. But the reverse isn't true.
Lots of times the older larger tools cost about the same as the newer smaller ones
rScotty

 

[Hay Dude]

I was a minimalist in my youth as well. Nothing was more fun than doing a big project with minimal tools. My buddies and I once built a barn in under two weeks using nothing but hand tools. That barn is still in use and perfectly straight & sound 50 years later.

But as I got older I found myself appreciating more and more that using larger tools enabled me to compensate for everyone's aging body.

And now I can see that same advantage was always there; an advantage that applies equally to both young and old....and that it was just my youthful pride that kept me from using the larger tool to get more work done faster, easier, and better in the first place. Much of the time, the larger tools are the proper tools to make the best use of everyone's time.

You don't have to use the larger tool to do more or go faster. You can go as slow as you want. But the reverse isn't true.
Lots of times the older larger tools cost about the same as the newer smaller ones
rScotty

Agree. In my youth, Id have no problem mowing 30 acres with an 8 foot MX-8. Now I have kids that have sports and I want to coach them or watch them. The 15’ CX15 cuts the 30 acres in 1/2 the time. That saves me the precious hours I have left with my family before my kids grow up and are gone.
Even a 1/2 hour saved is a big deal to me. I love my jobs, but value my freedom of time more. It gives me more freedom and choices.
Today, I would rather have a lightly used larger piece of equipment than a smaller new piece of equipment because it gives me more freedom