Most of us of a certain age had the benefit of growing up around an old man who could fix nearly anything with a handful of tools, baling wire, and the use of creative language. These men had won World Wars, fought back recessions, and watched as family farms were sold off or became the huge corporate farms of today.
The simple tractors and trucks of that generation gave way to computerized models with triple and quadruple the power and refinements those men could never envision, and gave rise to an entirely new industry – mobile mechanics and technicians to work on today’s more advanced farm equipment and machinery.
Now, “mobile mechanics” aren’t really new, but the work they need to do is far more advanced than in generations past. A big corporate farm might have a team on site to handle repairs, while a wheat farmer out past Empress may depend on a contractor who travels as the season progresses.
Either way, times have changed!
Imagine how you’d describe Bluetooth to your great grandfather? Or telling those men that a pair of Vise Grip pliers, a couple box end wrenches, and some twine were no longer the only tools they’d need to repair a combine?
Imagine explaining to that generation GPS, or remote software troubleshooting, or dozens of things that have changed in agriculture?
And while the era of fixing farm equipment with some number 9 wire has sadly passed for many farms, especially as the size and scope of managing those assets has increased, there are still plenty of repairs needed on the farm. The trucks that are used to handle those repairs? They’re still muddy, there’s still dust on the dashboard, and while they might have things like cruise control or power seats, you can bet there’s tools and parts and duct tape to be found in them.
But the trucks today that help manage successful farms aren’t just reliable old high mileage units purchased to never go to town again, they’re new – or nearly so – models purchased with an eye to the tax benefits and depreciation schedules.
And at Expertec, we see more and more of these trucks upfitted by fleet managers and owners to support complicated – and often remote – fleets of agricultural equipment that today’s larger farms operate.
One very common upgrade we’re called on to do is to install one of our Canadian-built Aluminum Slip-In Service Bodies.
There’s a few of really good reasons for this:
- The units can be easily transferred to another truck
- The units can make use of the truck’s tailgate
- Each one of these offers a variety of ways to organize and store gear, tools, and cargo
What’s most important, though, is how flexible even a modestly upfitted truck can be for servicing agricultural equipment. It’s easy to understand that even traditional equipment – tractors, combines, and harvesters – has gotten more technical, but if one of those units goes down in the back forty, having the right tools with you saves hours of time.
And today? There are a lot more tools.
The three SAE wrenches grandpa fixed everything with have grown into full sets of SAE and metric wrenches, sockets, deep well sockets, those oddball Torx wrenches, metric and Allen keys, winches, impact wrenches, air compressors, and even a laptop for troubleshooting the software that some manufacturers like are now using.
Of course, you can’t forget you’ll still need some #9 wire, a couple rolls of Duct tape, screwdrivers, a pry bar, a fence stretcher, and seemingly miles of rusty chain.
The good news?
Expertec can upfit that farm truck to handle ALL those tools for every situation – even onboard air, 120V power, and welders, and with the Aluminum Slip in Service Body, every tool, every part, and every piece of equipment you need for the job will fit perfectly.
If you’re wondering what the best way to handle servicing a farm fleet is, and you can’t seem to ever have the right tools with you, then give our team a call to learn more about how upfitting a truck properly can change everything for the men and women who support farmers and agricultural operations. Reach out to our team right here or ring them on the phone at 1-888-435-6466.
