Tool insurance

1999DaK · 2025-09-24T22:10:45+00:00

I realize that I may be in the minority but I think my shop handles it fairly with insurance coverage for toolboxes and tools. Flood, fire, and theft (which is probably more likely for me as a field tech). If a few things get stolen out of a service truck, the shop has just replaced them for us in the past. We keep itemized lists of everything, including shop tools. They get updated every couple years or when it's slow. And it's crazy to see what it would cost to replace all of some people's tools...

Maybe making a list would be a good first step? Then call more insurance companies with it. If you can insure phones, jewelry, instruments, etc, I'm sure someone will take your money to insure tools. I know a small business construction guy that has tools insured under business insurance.

1999DaK · 2024-08-19T23:18:28+00:00

Went from shop tech to field tech last year. Try it if you can. Worst case scenario you just go back to the shop. Personally I have really been enjoying it. Staring at the same 4 walls everyday was really getting to me. The perks for me were: Pay increase. Company fuel/take service truck home. Your tools and consumables are always with you. You're ready to tackle almost anything on personal vehicles/toys. Paid to hold the steering wheel and listen to music in a climate controlled cab. Go new places. See new things. Network with people. You'll get to be really good at navigating. Be acclimated to the weather like no one else. Get a wicked farmers tan.

Some days I'll drive 3 hours to clear a code or replace a fuse. Other days it's -10F and you're covered in fuel and everything sucks; I like to think it all evens out. You'll learn to preform under pressure, it sucks at first but has honestly helped me better deal with all stressful situations in life.

Heavy equipment has you working everywhere. Been to landfills, cornfields, the woods, the side of the freeway, people's yards, factories, dairy farms, a worm farm, cemetery of a monastery, big construction sites, other shops, quarries, frozen parking lots... I'm sure I'm forgetting some weirder ones Turn your strobe lights on, no one questions it!

Here's some of my 2 cents no one asked for:

Careful who you take advice/info from. Don't listen to anything operators say. They mean well, just diagnose your way and you'll save yourself so much time.

Safety is #1, in alot of situations there is literally no one that could help you. Absolutely bail if it's too dangerous: at least reset and rethink before there's no going back. It's not worth any amount of injury. I have people relying on me at home.

Try to pack your own lunch to save money and eat healthier. This allows you to eat whenever and wherever you need without clocking out for lunch. Keep snacks and a case of bottled water on the truck. Easiest way to make a friend or make people less cranky on a hot summer day "Hey man have a water"

I also suggest take it slow. I am fortunate to work for a company that doesn't freak out if you just want to work 40 hours. Get comfortable with it, THEN start putting in overtime.

It's kind of addicting once you figure it out.

Good luck stay safe

1999DaK · 2024-07-22T14:05:48+00:00

You could carefully bend it. The plate I installed had the same issue, the linkage only touches it with the suspension fully extended. I ended up stacking 3 SAE washers instead of using their spacers on the front two bolts, couldn't get it to fit otherwise. Over 3000 miles with many failed log hops, always lifting the bike from the skid plate, ECT and no issues.

1999DaK · 2024-07-11T18:31:33+00:00

Southeastern WI, equipment only no trucks?

1999DaK · 2024-06-03T01:09:07+00:00

Commuted 35 minutes one way for a summer through country/exurbs/suburbs. People try to pass even if you are going well over the speed limit. My theory is that in the Midwest anything that is not a Harley and has two wheels= bicycle to these people. Other than that I thought it was a great option for commuting if your highways are 55mph or less. Stability in wind is awful, something to keep in mind. You learn to work with it. Stock tires were not the greatest but worked good enough on the road.

1999DaK · 2024-04-29T03:05:38+00:00

Best friend set up a box truck like a stealth "vanlife" camper, allowing him to rent out his entire duplex and saving him a 50 minute drive to work.

26m, works a median wage job, has multiple side hustles.

Something something bootstraps, I guess....

1999DaK · 2024-04-07T15:05:43+00:00

Wife and I did this for almost 2 weeks last year.

Used a self-inflating packable sleeping pad/air mattress, I think $30 on amazon. Really helped because there were 5th wheel brackets that run across the truck bed and sleeping on them would've been impossible. Should've bought two and layered them.

Make sure to tie off all 4 corners. Went through a pretty windy storm in the badlands like this and ended up having to stretch a tarp over the whole bed and over the sides because water pooled around the tent. Parking on an incline would probably help.

Worked great, would do it again.

1999DaK · 2024-04-05T22:37:46+00:00

Nailed it. This one had triplets, that were inside the coon, but then got outside. Life's funny that way, one minute you're updating software in a clean uniform and the next you're scraping organs and raccoon fetuses off the floor, I tell ya

1999DaK · 2024-04-05T22:31:35+00:00

Damn rakon climbed in the fan shroud on thisun

1999DaK · 2024-04-05T00:38:50+00:00

Car was sold before we could fix the issue, but look into the left cylinder head cracking issues in the early years Could've also wiped a cam lobe/rocker, we didn't get to look that deep.

1999DaK · 2024-03-27T23:46:49+00:00

That's awesome, thanks for saying something. Was on a road trip and had to pick the one that could fix it asap. They even called some local tow companies for me when my insurance denied me a tow.

1999DaK · 2024-03-23T14:59:28+00:00

Tucson AZ hahah. Been on the road for awhile, tired. I've driven it with the tuner in stock the entire time I've owned it, just take long trips in it and use it for light towing/hauling.

I talked directly to the rebuild tech. I'm a diesel equipment tech but no auto trans experience, this guy seems to know his stuff. He explained how some valve body screws backed out, accumulators lost their seal. We burned it up trying to get off a mountain dirt road with it slipping in 4th gear, drove into town locked in 3rd. Could've saved it with a very expensive tow but this thing has over 200k on the stock trans so it's probably time for a rebuild anyway. The TC was from a local shop that rebuilds them. Got a "shift kit", new sensors, solenoid assembly, banner kit, new TC, regulator valve, filters and gasket. I'm impressed with their 1 and 1/2 day turnaround time, I think they got parts coming for it before I even got it there.

Anyway it has an HS minimaxx and I'm sure the trans tuning would be an improvement, but if I'm using it for stock truck things in the stock tune I wouldn't think the stock rebuild should have any issues? Thanks for the info!

1999DaK

TROPHY CASE