Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

This is what I do for a living

qslim said:
Man that hits a nerve with me. When I was fixing cars for a living decades ago I always loved the fact that I could literally work anywhere. "My toolbox has wheels" was a very common saying, and it was true; if you were an accomplished technician you could almost write your own ticket as you pleased.

I've since changed careers via a stint in the military, leveraged my G.I. bill into a couple of engineering degrees and moved on to work in the defense sector doing technical junk on fighter aircraft. Don't get me wrong, I really love what I do - but I'm pigeon holed in this weird little industry. My career options now are extremely limited, and I routinely look back to my 20-something year old self who always looked sideways at my buddies who had to move somewhere they didn't like "for their career". I didn't understand how they ever let themselves be put in that position, yet here I am! Maybe I'll start a sprinkler company...



Did you make that up? It might be the whiskey talking, but that is fucking salient.
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Yes, America gets fixed in America , I have been saying that for years...these are jobs that can’t go overseas, and “overseas” can’t serve them here.


You are an awesome example ...that trade skill you have took you far , and it is always with you . No matter what happens ,you will be ok. You have the skills to survive. Every generation owes it to the next to help them find that , and we are producing young men now that literally can’t use a can opener . I know of an 18 year old recently that had never pumped his own gas . That is failing a child.
 
I’ll add one other thing ...life isn’t always easy , but it is way easier here than in most of the world. It is a disgrace if a young person isn’t taught to prosper here with all we have ...and our own affluence is the very reason we have extended adolescence and career students ...Young men were forced to leave home a century ago because parents couldn’t feed them .

I truly hope we don’t blow it . If Americans are productive and stable , America will be too.

I know I’m the biggest clown on here likely , but at heart I love this country , I love people , and I want to see people prosper the right way...apply themselves , earn it , and end up with something that can’t be taken away , and satisfied with a job well done , and a life well lived.

You don’t have to lie , cheat or steal a dime here ....America rewards effort and integrity is a sought after commodity in the market .

I hate the big lie that college is the only answer , because it never was until here were lots of colleges and money to send kids there.

The real answer is work. A college degree may give you an edge , but only if it is in the direction you need to go , and you put in the work with it.
 
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As a blue collar, hands on guy, I’m enjoying this thread.

About 15-18 years ago, the outfit I work for instituted a crap policy that no one could advance to a management position without a college degree. Current managers who didn’t have a degree were grandfathered but were ‘advised’ to get one. That left me out of ever advancing to management (thank you, thank you, thank you). My boss doesn’t have a degree and just gave the framers of said policy the middle finger.

Fast forward to today. After a relocation and several reorganizations, our department(Field Service and Repair)still does not have one person with a degree in it and is the least screwed up in the outfit. We are the guys that get things done and if you piss us off, it’s at your peril.

This isn’t to say a degree isn’t necessary for certain professions. Both my daughters have have Masters and are doing well in their chosen professions. But, there are times, I just shake my head at them.
 
Cheesy said:
As a blue collar, hands on guy, I’m enjoying this thread.

About 15-18 years ago, the outfit I work for instituted a crap policy that no one could advance to a management position without a college degree. Current managers who didn’t have a degree were grandfathered but were ‘advised’ to get one. That left me out of ever advancing to management (thank you, thank you, thank you). My boss doesn’t have a degree and just gave the framers of said policy the middle finger.

Fast forward to today. After a relocation and several reorganizations, our department(Field Service and Repair)still does not have one person with a degree in it and is the least screwed up in the outfit. We are the guys that get things done and if you piss us off, it’s at your peril.

This isn’t to say a degree isn’t necessary for certain professions. Both my daughters have have Masters and are doing well in their chosen professions. But, there are times, I just shake my head at them.
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It's the guys that know the nuts and bolts of an operation that need to run it ....most degrees are irrelevant to the job at hand , as much as diagramming sentences helps you after English class is over .

The best people know the field side , and the technical side .

Really , if you get to the bottom of that requirement...you will find no reason to support it.

The requirement itself is now the only reason for the degree.
 
When I was college age and drew #2 in the draft lottery my choices were a student deferment or Vietnam. Da Nang could wait. I chose college

When I graduated I lost my student deferment and was reclassified 1A, ready for immediate induction. While waiting for the draft notice that would surely come any day, I took a short term job as a bartender in a local roadhouse in Southern California where by chance I met the crew from a travelling circus. They looked like they were having more fun than me so I quit my bar tending job and left with them.

The very next morning the boss walked up to me and demanded to know who I was, then stopped himself and said, "Oh yeah, you're the college boy. Can you count?" I assured him I could, after which he gave me my first job as a carny - making change in his "coin joint," a pinball and arcade game concession.

Who says an Oxford education doesn't pay off?
 
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Mr. Bills said:
When I was college age and drew #2 in the draft lottery my choices were a student deferment or Vietnam. Da Nang could wait. I chose college

When I graduated I lost my student deferment and was reclassified 1A, ready for immediate induction. While waiting for the draft notice that would surely come any day, I took a short term job as a bartender in a local roadhouse in Southern California where by chance I met the crew from a travelling circus. They looked like they were having more fun than me so I quit my bar tending job and left with them.

The very next morning the boss walked up to me and demanded to know who I was, then stopped himself and said, "Oh yeah, you're the college boy. Can you count?" I assured him I could, after which he gave me my first job as a carny - making change in his "coin joint," a pinball and arcade game concession.

Who says an Oxford education doesn't pay off?
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Man I guarantee you you have some stories... Ran away and joined the circus. Wild.
 
Really nice bathroom Andy — nice work!
Here is what I do-irrigation large scale- pivots, traveling guns, pumps, water hookups, piping, service entrances, frequency drives---I design and sell them and NEVER think to go get a finished project pic- mine are always from early project stage when i am them to document site needs.
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Thank you , that's my personal bathroom , some of our clients have the really upscale ones .

Your pics remind me ....there are so many ways to make money out here ...and serve others.

All the best , good job out there,
AndyG
 
AndyG said:
Thank you , that's my personal bathroom , some of our clients have the really upscale ones .

Your pics remind me ....there are so many ways to make money out here ...and serve others.

All the best , good job out there,
AndyG
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I can see that you take pride in doing it right- same here. When a project gets christened it all better work perfect and that is how we sleep at night.
 
Phil Younger said:
I can see that you take pride in doing it right- same here. When a project gets christened it all better work perfect and that is how we sleep at night.
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Thank you . Doing it well will cost you 10-20 percent more , doing it poorly will cost you everything.

We straighten all framing , flatten floors , add blocking for towel bars , air seal every window , wire , pipe penetration before we insulate, and clean every step of the way.

Every shower is built like a steam shower .

We use the best setting materials and equipment we can afford , and never rush steps, such as walking on tile before it cures.

I built the vanity in my cabinet shop , my wife supplied a pic and all the ideas .

Working with your heart and hands is immensely satisfying. And , like college, it takes your head as well .
 
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Phil Younger said:
Really nice bathroom Andy — nice work!
Here is what I do-irrigation large scale- pivots, traveling guns, pumps, water hookups, piping, service entrances, frequency drives---I design and sell them and NEVER think to go get a finished project pic- mine are always from early project stage when i am them to document site needs.
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OK, here's a question I have in my head every time I see one of those but forget to google it by the time I get home - how do those things rotate without putting too much stress on the pipe? Are the wheels driven? Every wheeled point describes a different circumference around the central plumbing point, so if the entire assembly rotates the wheels at each section have to rotate at different speeds... PS I don't know anything about farming.
 
If I took every time someone told me no to heart, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

I have a degree I don’t use. Paid for over a ten year period. One class at a time.

I tell my kids learn a trade. Learn how to do something. Not just spend money. My oldest is learning how to repair sheet metal. The daughter is up next in two years. I’m anxious to see her start her path.

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qslim said:
OK, here's a question I have in my head every time I see one of those but forget to google it by the time I get home - how do those things rotate without putting too much stress on the pipe? Are the wheels driven? Every wheeled point describes a different circumference around the central plumbing point, so if the entire assembly rotates the wheels at each section have to rotate at different speeds... PS I don't know anything about farming.
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The drive wheels farthest from the center point drive to whatever speed is required to apply the water the producer needs. All other drive towers have alignment rods and switches to turn on/off the drive motors to stay straight with the end tower (inside circle drives on/off a lot). If something goes wrong there is a second switch in each tower that then sees it went too far and this "breaks safety" and kills all power. These things are super reliable- many machines around here last 30-45 years. The machine in the pic is what is called a Corner Machine and those have last tower swing in/out to help machine water a square field. They are not so simple and require more maintenance and trouble shooting skills.
Today many of these units are updated to start the pump and water the field remotely because the grower does not have time to run around turning them on/off and just checking to see if all is well. Now they can write watering programs to vary the water application by degree angle, zone, or even on some- by sprinkler (where each sprinkler on the pivot has an IP address). If one shuts down- it calls him with a fault code like your jeep ECU/PCM. He can also equip it to stop automatically if a rain bucket/weather station says it rained a certain amount. So much more water efficient than the flood irrigation one can still see out west.
 
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Phil Younger said:
The drive wheels farthest from the center point drive to whatever speed is required to apply the water the producer needs. All other drive towers have alignment rods and switches to turn on/off the drive motors to stay straight with the end tower (inside circle drives on/off a lot). If something goes wrong there is a second switch in each tower that then sees it went too far and this "breaks safety" and kills all power. These things are super reliable- many machines around here last 30-45 years. The machine in the pic is what is called a Corner Machine and those have last tower swing in/out to help machine water a square field. They are not so simple and require more maintenance and trouble shooting skills.
Today many of these units are updated to start the pump and water the field remotely because the grower does not have time to run around turning them on/off and just checking to see if all is well. Now they can write watering programs to vary the water application by degree angle, zone, or even on some- by sprinkler (where each sprinkler on the pivot has an IP address). If one shuts down- it calls him with a fault code like your jeep ECU/PCM. He can also equip it to stop automatically if a rain bucket/weather station says it rained a certain amount. So much more water efficient than the flood irrigation one can still see out west.
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Interesting. How is the drivetrain driven - electric? If so how is the infrastructure set up across all those fields? I always wondered if the wheels were driven hydraulically via water pressure.

Edit - I just reread your post talking about IP addresses, so I'm assuming there's electricity involved lol.
 
qslim said:
Interesting. How is the drivetrain driven - electric? If so how is the infrastructure set up across all those fields? I always wondered if the wheels were driven hydraulically via water pressure.

Edit - I just reread your post talking about IP addresses, so I'm assuming there's electricity involved lol.
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Drive wheels are 480V 3 phase (in 96% of all pivots- 4% is one brand which is hydraulic) 480V is used to avoid need for heavy gauge wire on machines that can be up to 1/2 mile long. Drive motors are 6/10 to 3/4 HP (low speed) and 1.2 -1.5 HP (high speed) ratio is so low that torque is adequate for machine to drive over the top of any vehicle left in the wheel track. Wheel speed at 100% (max) is 5-10' per minute typical.
Control circuits are generally 120V down the machine.
 
Great work everyone!
I worked in IT for 24 years and was the regional IT manager for one of the countries largest aggregate producers. I started up a contracting business 5 years ago doing general home maintenance and it exploded on me and allowed both my wife and I to quit our careers. In two months I'll be opening the doors on a new pest control business. Working for yourself is hugely rewarding to a man.
 
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