Today was about the lousiest day I've had since being in business. My guys have been real careless lately and are costing me a bundle. In the past 2 weeks, one has hit a well casing with the Z rider, $200 in parts for the machine, damaged the conduit on the casing, stuck the Z rider in the mud, and then since he hadn't caused enough problems, buried my F-550 to the axles next to the Z rider in an attempt to pull it out. Did I mention he was off route which left him working alone at the time? It will cost me between $300 to $400 to repair the clients lawn when conditions are dry enough.
Shortly after that episode the transmission went in my F-350, the third time in 60,000 miles. The truck was down for 2 weeks, fortunately the tranny was still under warranty but I had to swap in the new one myself. 1 1/2 days labor there.
Yesterday one of my guys calls me and says the walk behind blower stopped running and wouldn't restart. I had a good idea what had happened, I have 2 Fradan blowers with Briggs motors and they are notorious for using oil. I've told my guys to be sure and check the oil at every stop and there is a good supply of oil on the trailer. Checked out the blower this morning and it is seized up and the dipstick is dry. $550 for a replacement Honda engine.
Next to the Fradan lay my Red Maxx backpack, also sized up which they hadn't told me about. The gas tank was bone dry, I checked the 2 stroke mix can on the trailer and it was empty. Anyone want to guess why the Red Maxx seized? Piston was scuffed bad, I had to drive it out of the cylinder with a hammer and punch. Jug and piston will cost $130.
All this has occurred during a period where the market in my area has gone flat. My income level at this point is at a record low and I'm not sure how long we'll be working. Days like this make me seriously consider selling the whole mess and punch a clock somewhere. Talk about frustrating!! My crew will be getting a "pep talk" in the morning!
Thanks for listening
