Durallymax
New member
- Aug 5, 2012
- 341
- 0
Hello, new guy with a different operation and task than many. We run a large dairy farming operation and have a large fleet of primarily late model equipment that gets extremely dirty on a weekly and daily basis. I oversee the maintenance of the fleet and the shop. The problem I often run into is time. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love too , I can't take the time to clean everything to perfection each week like I would like to. I have to spend most of my time doing repairs and preventative maintenance while also keeping the shop stocked and cleaned.
Cleaning is a full time job for me it seems. I'm a neat freak and get very stressed whenever there is a mess, clutter, and especially avoidable messes being made by lazy people or those who don't see cleanliness and appearance as a value. I spend 1-2 hours per day cleaning and re-organizing the shop, enough of that time is spent finding, cleaning and putting away the shops tools which I don't even use as I got fed up with the mess and abuse and bought all my own, that started my quality addiction I think and I now have a problem with never being able to buy something cheap or "good-enough", I always use the excuse of "buying it for a lifetime" haha, oh well, anyways. Most of our employees aggravate me with their "slob" characteristics, The people who grind hay with the door open on the loader because they claim its a waste of time to close the door everytime they get in and out every 5 minutes. The people who drive through the puddle instead of around it. The people who spread manure into the wind. The ones who insist on letting their pop top cans or big gulps bounce around with them, sweating and spilling everywhere then thrown on the floor behind the air ride seat to crunch around a slobber everywhere making a nice substance when mixed with their chips and other spilled items . The guy who decides to drive the freshly painted and perfectly buffed tractor through trees, the guys that uses the tractor hoods and fenders for a standing place etc etc. I could go on forever. My point is that I spend so much time keeping things nice, then just get to see them go to he'll immediately the second they're out the door. It really kills my mood and motivation. Im much more happy and motivated to keep things nice clean and well serviced when I feel others respect the work I put into them, even if it's just as simple as cleaning the trash out of the cab at the end of the day.
Now I know many detailers on here will say they know the feeling, but Id say its a little different. Many of you are getting paid to detail the vehicle. If the owner is willing to spend the money, they have at least a little respect for it. All of our operators don't have to pay for anything and enough of the detailing I end up doing off the clock anyways because most of them don't see it as real work. Same reason I try to do all of the restocking on weekends or at night because they don't see computer work as shop work. Many have the attitude that its just going to get dirty again anyways, or its a farm tractor its made to get dirty not look pretty, or were a dairy farm not a grain farm, we don't have time to sit around polishing things 50 weeks out of the year like them. (The last one is kinda true, and funny, most grain farmers do spend a lot of time washing and waxing when their done working one more day than santa claus.
My boss(dad), understands the importance of cleanliness and likes clean polished stuff, but doesn't want it to get put ahead of other repairs and doesn't want to spend too much extra on it. He really doesn't like seeing me with the pressure washer, wants one of the lower paid help to do it. This is okay with me somewhat. But my Spanish is poor, I'm not the best authorative person all the time (just want everybody to be happy) and nobody else really takes the pride in ownership of the equipment like I do, which I don't expect, but its basically non existent in everybody else's brains. They just point the wand and go, missing all of the important areas that need to be washed, not using caution where needed and thus ruining seals, decals, radiators and other coolers and getting the interiors of some cabs soaked as well as other things wet that shouldn't be. The hispanic guys aren't afraid to get dirty but the older americans working for us would rather stand outside the shop with a blow gun for an hour rather than pressure wash the thing for 30 minutes and get better results, and actually get the entire machine clean instead of blow stuff around. If they ever do wash stuff its an embarrassment, my OCD kicks in and I have to go rewash it because there is soo much left on the machine. Only half of the wheels are done usually and you can see nice pressure washer lines everywhere, not to mention every nook and cranny they skipped because they couldnt figure out how to use the pressure washer properly to clean that area without getting a face full of junk. I don't expect the others to get plastered head to toe cleaning, that takes dedication. Theres been enough days I'll be laying underneath a tractor or combine swimming and washing away at every last little bit.
The pressure washer we use is a 1500psi 5gpm Alkota. It is a hot water model. I try to get them to use variable guns but its a waste, they never dial it down and they just cost more to replace when they run them over. They usually have a 15* tip in the gun. We started to set up this stationary unit because I wanted to make washing as easy as the flip of a switch so there was no excuse for things to not get washed. It is centrally located in our calf barn and plumbed to all 4 bays because they use it to sterilize each bay before the next lot of newborns starts filling it up. I plumbed it to the exterior of the bays where we have mildly sloped concrete pads, I installed remote switches as well to turn the washer on and off. I plumbed everything with shutoff valves and quick couplers. Made multiple 50' hoses with quick couplers and put together a few different guns. The idea was that you simply would have to walk in, grab however many lengths of hose you needed, the gun you wanted, the nozzles you needed and with the push of a couple connectors, the turn of a couple valves and the flip of a switch, you were washing. However the project (as usual) never got fully completed or maintained and has turned into a bit more of a mess than expected but none-the-less is still far better than the old system of first finding the portable hot water pressure washer, then filling both the gas and diesel/kerosene tank but only after finding the gas and diesel cans which were always empty, meaning a trip to the pumps(located on farm), then finding a garden hose with both ends and no leaks, then turning the key only to find the battery dead and resorting to hand starting it, then usually fixing the high pressure hose, or wand which has been "fixed" with nitrile gloves and duct tape by the previous operator. Needless to say abuse and lack of care is a huge issue on our farm largely due to a lack of authority, everybody knows they wont get in trouble so who cares, but thats an issue unrelated to detailing that would make this post longer than it already is.
I realize nobody will ever clean to my expectations. But I'm trying to come up with a plan of action on how to reduce mistakes and increase quality of work. For the workers we have doing the work , this means making the task easier. We are working on a penalty plan for mistakes, but we have to implement it farm wide all at once to be fair and its taking some time to come up with the best approach.
A reward system is an idea that works very well too. We use it for our milkers and calf feeders, however giving them a couple hundred dollar bonus for not loosing the quality milk premium or not loosing a calf for a month, is very cost effective due to the fact they save us thousands of dollars per month. washing equipment well doesn't provide as dramatic of a payback. I still wouldn't mind doing something though.
In my ideal world we would have a full time worker doing the bulk of the pressure washing, hand washing, interior cleaning, and grounds maintenance. I feel those things could be easily trained into a good employee without breaking the bank. With the size of the fleet we have, and the dirtiness that is created daily, we certainly could keep a guy full time cleaning and doing grounds maintenance as well (mowing, weed eating, spraying, washing buildings, etc). I would also build a dedicated wash bay in my ideal world, with an array of tools and supplies needed to do the job right. It would also double as a regular maintenance bay because that is what I like to perform immediately after the wash. The two complement each other well. You need it clean to inspect the machine well, it also makes any repairs or maintenance much easier, neater, and faster and thus more likely to get done. In addition, extensive washing forces water into many of the greased areas and through some oil seals. Greasing after wash is vital to force any water out. I prefer to do the greasing, everybody seems to use too much or too little, and the most important part of greasing and washing to me is getting a good examination of the machine for anything out of the ordinary.
Basically as of now I'm just working on getting this guy trained to get the rough wash work done well. Ill still do all of the detail work, but I really need a good person sticking with a good wash schedule to preserve the appearance and reduce the need for finish detail. His job essentially is grounds maintenance and washing , but they still use his help when needed for cows. He's not the sharpest tool enough days, but I think with enough time and some incentives he could do pretty well at this job. So far he does the best of any of them.
anyways. What I am mainly asking for is some advice on setting up a good wash schedule and even more importantly, some tools and products I could Implement to make the job easier for everybody.
Our main battle is manure. It sticks to everything and cakes on thick. It instantly ruins paint and in short time will strip the paint off. Many people are using diesel fuel or veggie oil as a protectant against the manure. They will use a garden sprayer to apply it evenly across the piece of clean equipment before using it. This works well for those only using their manure equipment a few times per year, but we use ours much more often. Some people say,"its just a manure spreader", most are in shock when they learn that 7300 gallon tank on wheels costs over $90,000. In comparison to our other equipment, its not too expensive, but when you think about it, at its core its a tank on wheels to haul poop, its a pretty sophisticated one, but when you break it down, its still just a tank. I wouldn't want to know what it costs to paint one either, that's a lot of surface area. This tank, one of our skid steers, and our other manure spreader are the main things I am interested in coating as they will be constantly coated in manure throughout the week. I know its much easier to wash off fresh manure, but its also impractical. I am wondering if anybody out there has had any success with any form of a coating, my guess is not too many but I only need a couple opinions. Thanks.
My next question is washing. I don't think ill ever really be able to teach this guy two properly use a two bucket system with grit gaurds and a mitt while making sure his body doesnt scratch the paint either, so what are my options here? Obviously something like the manure spreader ill just have him do with a brush, and scratches aren't much of a concern on it. But on the semis, cars, trucks and tractors I'd like to keep a somewhat nice finish. Do i just try to teach him and the scratches he makes are the scratches he makes, or do I just do it myself, which means it would get done less often, but be done better. I guess theres only so much paint to sand and buff, but where do you draw the line?
Cleaners, are there some cleaners out there he can spray on and let them "soak" to help remove the mud, manure, oil, grease and whatever else?
I am looking at trying to get things on a weekly wash schedule based on appearance and use. Some things are dirty in a day, other things may sit for a week or month. Currently the milk tanker and the Semi pulling it get the best treatment, (the milk plant provides warm wash water in various places, wash buckets and brushes to clean while you want to unload and sanitize)
Any other tips or tricks for maintaining the appearance of a large fleet?
I plan to do all of the buffing (working on learning that), and currently do the metal polishing (working on some new stuff in those areas too), been reading on here for the paint care mostly, and working to find the best products and procedures for maintaining the appearance of our stuff without breaking the bank, but without wasting too much time on the project either.
This is one of my favorite "hobbies" because you really feel like you accomplished something after it. Metal Polishing (especially aluminum of course) is by far my favorite (aside from the safety gear and health affects), something about taking the ugliest piece and turning it into a mirror gives me more satisfaction than anything. Unfortunately, I have to work on a tight budget of both time and money, and finding a balance of how far to go because I know that my work will be ruined shortly thereafter.
Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations and sorry for the rambling long post.
Cleaning is a full time job for me it seems. I'm a neat freak and get very stressed whenever there is a mess, clutter, and especially avoidable messes being made by lazy people or those who don't see cleanliness and appearance as a value. I spend 1-2 hours per day cleaning and re-organizing the shop, enough of that time is spent finding, cleaning and putting away the shops tools which I don't even use as I got fed up with the mess and abuse and bought all my own, that started my quality addiction I think and I now have a problem with never being able to buy something cheap or "good-enough", I always use the excuse of "buying it for a lifetime" haha, oh well, anyways. Most of our employees aggravate me with their "slob" characteristics, The people who grind hay with the door open on the loader because they claim its a waste of time to close the door everytime they get in and out every 5 minutes. The people who drive through the puddle instead of around it. The people who spread manure into the wind. The ones who insist on letting their pop top cans or big gulps bounce around with them, sweating and spilling everywhere then thrown on the floor behind the air ride seat to crunch around a slobber everywhere making a nice substance when mixed with their chips and other spilled items . The guy who decides to drive the freshly painted and perfectly buffed tractor through trees, the guys that uses the tractor hoods and fenders for a standing place etc etc. I could go on forever. My point is that I spend so much time keeping things nice, then just get to see them go to he'll immediately the second they're out the door. It really kills my mood and motivation. Im much more happy and motivated to keep things nice clean and well serviced when I feel others respect the work I put into them, even if it's just as simple as cleaning the trash out of the cab at the end of the day.
Now I know many detailers on here will say they know the feeling, but Id say its a little different. Many of you are getting paid to detail the vehicle. If the owner is willing to spend the money, they have at least a little respect for it. All of our operators don't have to pay for anything and enough of the detailing I end up doing off the clock anyways because most of them don't see it as real work. Same reason I try to do all of the restocking on weekends or at night because they don't see computer work as shop work. Many have the attitude that its just going to get dirty again anyways, or its a farm tractor its made to get dirty not look pretty, or were a dairy farm not a grain farm, we don't have time to sit around polishing things 50 weeks out of the year like them. (The last one is kinda true, and funny, most grain farmers do spend a lot of time washing and waxing when their done working one more day than santa claus.
My boss(dad), understands the importance of cleanliness and likes clean polished stuff, but doesn't want it to get put ahead of other repairs and doesn't want to spend too much extra on it. He really doesn't like seeing me with the pressure washer, wants one of the lower paid help to do it. This is okay with me somewhat. But my Spanish is poor, I'm not the best authorative person all the time (just want everybody to be happy) and nobody else really takes the pride in ownership of the equipment like I do, which I don't expect, but its basically non existent in everybody else's brains. They just point the wand and go, missing all of the important areas that need to be washed, not using caution where needed and thus ruining seals, decals, radiators and other coolers and getting the interiors of some cabs soaked as well as other things wet that shouldn't be. The hispanic guys aren't afraid to get dirty but the older americans working for us would rather stand outside the shop with a blow gun for an hour rather than pressure wash the thing for 30 minutes and get better results, and actually get the entire machine clean instead of blow stuff around. If they ever do wash stuff its an embarrassment, my OCD kicks in and I have to go rewash it because there is soo much left on the machine. Only half of the wheels are done usually and you can see nice pressure washer lines everywhere, not to mention every nook and cranny they skipped because they couldnt figure out how to use the pressure washer properly to clean that area without getting a face full of junk. I don't expect the others to get plastered head to toe cleaning, that takes dedication. Theres been enough days I'll be laying underneath a tractor or combine swimming and washing away at every last little bit.
The pressure washer we use is a 1500psi 5gpm Alkota. It is a hot water model. I try to get them to use variable guns but its a waste, they never dial it down and they just cost more to replace when they run them over. They usually have a 15* tip in the gun. We started to set up this stationary unit because I wanted to make washing as easy as the flip of a switch so there was no excuse for things to not get washed. It is centrally located in our calf barn and plumbed to all 4 bays because they use it to sterilize each bay before the next lot of newborns starts filling it up. I plumbed it to the exterior of the bays where we have mildly sloped concrete pads, I installed remote switches as well to turn the washer on and off. I plumbed everything with shutoff valves and quick couplers. Made multiple 50' hoses with quick couplers and put together a few different guns. The idea was that you simply would have to walk in, grab however many lengths of hose you needed, the gun you wanted, the nozzles you needed and with the push of a couple connectors, the turn of a couple valves and the flip of a switch, you were washing. However the project (as usual) never got fully completed or maintained and has turned into a bit more of a mess than expected but none-the-less is still far better than the old system of first finding the portable hot water pressure washer, then filling both the gas and diesel/kerosene tank but only after finding the gas and diesel cans which were always empty, meaning a trip to the pumps(located on farm), then finding a garden hose with both ends and no leaks, then turning the key only to find the battery dead and resorting to hand starting it, then usually fixing the high pressure hose, or wand which has been "fixed" with nitrile gloves and duct tape by the previous operator. Needless to say abuse and lack of care is a huge issue on our farm largely due to a lack of authority, everybody knows they wont get in trouble so who cares, but thats an issue unrelated to detailing that would make this post longer than it already is.
I realize nobody will ever clean to my expectations. But I'm trying to come up with a plan of action on how to reduce mistakes and increase quality of work. For the workers we have doing the work , this means making the task easier. We are working on a penalty plan for mistakes, but we have to implement it farm wide all at once to be fair and its taking some time to come up with the best approach.
A reward system is an idea that works very well too. We use it for our milkers and calf feeders, however giving them a couple hundred dollar bonus for not loosing the quality milk premium or not loosing a calf for a month, is very cost effective due to the fact they save us thousands of dollars per month. washing equipment well doesn't provide as dramatic of a payback. I still wouldn't mind doing something though.
In my ideal world we would have a full time worker doing the bulk of the pressure washing, hand washing, interior cleaning, and grounds maintenance. I feel those things could be easily trained into a good employee without breaking the bank. With the size of the fleet we have, and the dirtiness that is created daily, we certainly could keep a guy full time cleaning and doing grounds maintenance as well (mowing, weed eating, spraying, washing buildings, etc). I would also build a dedicated wash bay in my ideal world, with an array of tools and supplies needed to do the job right. It would also double as a regular maintenance bay because that is what I like to perform immediately after the wash. The two complement each other well. You need it clean to inspect the machine well, it also makes any repairs or maintenance much easier, neater, and faster and thus more likely to get done. In addition, extensive washing forces water into many of the greased areas and through some oil seals. Greasing after wash is vital to force any water out. I prefer to do the greasing, everybody seems to use too much or too little, and the most important part of greasing and washing to me is getting a good examination of the machine for anything out of the ordinary.
Basically as of now I'm just working on getting this guy trained to get the rough wash work done well. Ill still do all of the detail work, but I really need a good person sticking with a good wash schedule to preserve the appearance and reduce the need for finish detail. His job essentially is grounds maintenance and washing , but they still use his help when needed for cows. He's not the sharpest tool enough days, but I think with enough time and some incentives he could do pretty well at this job. So far he does the best of any of them.
anyways. What I am mainly asking for is some advice on setting up a good wash schedule and even more importantly, some tools and products I could Implement to make the job easier for everybody.
Our main battle is manure. It sticks to everything and cakes on thick. It instantly ruins paint and in short time will strip the paint off. Many people are using diesel fuel or veggie oil as a protectant against the manure. They will use a garden sprayer to apply it evenly across the piece of clean equipment before using it. This works well for those only using their manure equipment a few times per year, but we use ours much more often. Some people say,"its just a manure spreader", most are in shock when they learn that 7300 gallon tank on wheels costs over $90,000. In comparison to our other equipment, its not too expensive, but when you think about it, at its core its a tank on wheels to haul poop, its a pretty sophisticated one, but when you break it down, its still just a tank. I wouldn't want to know what it costs to paint one either, that's a lot of surface area. This tank, one of our skid steers, and our other manure spreader are the main things I am interested in coating as they will be constantly coated in manure throughout the week. I know its much easier to wash off fresh manure, but its also impractical. I am wondering if anybody out there has had any success with any form of a coating, my guess is not too many but I only need a couple opinions. Thanks.
My next question is washing. I don't think ill ever really be able to teach this guy two properly use a two bucket system with grit gaurds and a mitt while making sure his body doesnt scratch the paint either, so what are my options here? Obviously something like the manure spreader ill just have him do with a brush, and scratches aren't much of a concern on it. But on the semis, cars, trucks and tractors I'd like to keep a somewhat nice finish. Do i just try to teach him and the scratches he makes are the scratches he makes, or do I just do it myself, which means it would get done less often, but be done better. I guess theres only so much paint to sand and buff, but where do you draw the line?
Cleaners, are there some cleaners out there he can spray on and let them "soak" to help remove the mud, manure, oil, grease and whatever else?
I am looking at trying to get things on a weekly wash schedule based on appearance and use. Some things are dirty in a day, other things may sit for a week or month. Currently the milk tanker and the Semi pulling it get the best treatment, (the milk plant provides warm wash water in various places, wash buckets and brushes to clean while you want to unload and sanitize)
Any other tips or tricks for maintaining the appearance of a large fleet?
I plan to do all of the buffing (working on learning that), and currently do the metal polishing (working on some new stuff in those areas too), been reading on here for the paint care mostly, and working to find the best products and procedures for maintaining the appearance of our stuff without breaking the bank, but without wasting too much time on the project either.
This is one of my favorite "hobbies" because you really feel like you accomplished something after it. Metal Polishing (especially aluminum of course) is by far my favorite (aside from the safety gear and health affects), something about taking the ugliest piece and turning it into a mirror gives me more satisfaction than anything. Unfortunately, I have to work on a tight budget of both time and money, and finding a balance of how far to go because I know that my work will be ruined shortly thereafter.
Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations and sorry for the rambling long post.
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