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5 degrees here today YUCK


Brian

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Anybody want to help with some service work

 

Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

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Brian.  I feel your pain  - but you get no sympathy from Kansas City.   I'm wearing so many layers I can hardly move around.  

Cool thing, though - I bought a 12 volt heat blanket that I put around the hydraulic cylinder on the ladder truck.  Keeps the fluid warm.  And, sometimes I wrap it  around me. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I need help sometimes too Brian.  But not sure you would like it here.  Sometimes the climate can be unbearable along with work conditions here too.

 

Sometimes you have to get up SUPER early at the crack of dawnIMG_5498.JPG

 

The view isn't always great, but it's work and I can't complain too much, but it is what it is. 

So I pretty much just deal with it.

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Work conditions can suck, and sometimes it's a pain to even get out of bed and begin your day.  It can be too windy, too sunny, to distracting

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At times you even have to work until the sun goes down, this might mean your family is eating dinner at home without you

 

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Just remember, when you think YOU have to bad, some others have it even worse. 

At least you can make snow angles and snowmen, have a white Christmas.....we can only make snow angels in sand. 

But I DO feel for you, as I feel the same pain.  I hope there is some comfort in knowing "The grass is NOT always greener on the other side."

 

Cheers!  :thumbs:

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. - Winston Churchill

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5 degrees would be a warm spell for us...we are 80 miles NE & across Lake Michigan from Green Bay WI...it was -30 (yes 60 degrees below the freezing point) her a week ago. Bundle up and get it done!

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you guys and your warm pics can kiss my butt!!!     -2 here today

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Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

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35 minutes ago, Gremban said:

5 degrees would be a warm spell for us...we are 80 miles NE & across Lake Michigan from Green Bay WI...it was -30 (yes 60 degrees below the freezing point) her a week ago. Bundle up and get it done!

We can dress in layers and keep somewhat warm, jumping in and out of the truck for warmth....But I'm just in constant cringe mode when running our trucks in this weather. What do you guys do for warm up procedures on the hydraulics after driving your truck to the job site?

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14 minutes ago, tdewitt said:

We can dress in layers and keep somewhat warm, jumping in and out of the truck for warmth....But I'm just in constant cringe mode when running our trucks in this weather. What do you guys do for warm up procedures on the hydraulics after driving your truck to the job site?

It is nearly impossible to operate the trucks when the temps are that cold...say air temp of -10 is about the cutoff point where we won't send the trucks any real distance...Although I have been out installing with the air temp at -23...factor in a little wind and it can pretty easily feel like -40...not enough coffee to keep you warm then.

We average 180" of snow per season...anyone looking for help in Florida?

Diving into the office...just aim between the trees ;)

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NO FLIPIN WAY!! We run our business all day every day, but on a day like that we would not make our employees come in. I know bills need to be paid and if we're not open or not sending the trucks out we don't make any money, but there is a time when the install or service call would cost you money to complete. I seen one of the other service companies out yesterday servicing a Jimmy Johns logo, -5 degrees with -25 wind chills, it just didn't make sense to me to send out your truck and employee to service a sign in those conditions, by the time you figure the cost of extra fuel and time because the employee is sitting in the truck warming up every 15 minutes... I know the equation of just passing the buck onto the customer but when he gets a bill for 350.00 vs the 175.00 bill he got last time all you may be doing is pissing off a customer.

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2 minutes ago, tdewitt said:

NO FLIPIN WAY!! We run our business all day every day, but on a day like that we would not make our employees come in. I know bills need to be paid and if we're not open or not sending the trucks out we don't make any money, but there is a time when the install or service call would cost you money to complete. I seen one of the other service companies out yesterday servicing a Jimmy Johns logo, -5 degrees with -25 wind chills, it just didn't make sense to me to send out your truck and employee to service a sign in those conditions, by the time you figure the cost of extra fuel and time because the employee is sitting in the truck warming up every 15 minutes... I know the equation of just passing the buck onto the customer but when he gets a bill for 350.00 vs the 175.00 bill he got last time all you may be doing is pissing off a customer.

It all depends on what you get used to...it snows here before Halloween and I have seen it snow as late as Memorial Day weekend. We can go weeks subzero...

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the grass is always greener, but it still needs mowing.

nothing like turning on neon torches in the winter, just the ribbon burner flame makes you feel warmer.

 

 

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On 1/13/2018 at 10:42 PM, imanut said:

Boy, if that young lady hits rebar it'll snap her wrist in a heartbeat. 

I thought that, and throwing her off that ladder!!  First thing I thought.  

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Luckily we have the luxury of deciding not to go out in the stuff unless and emergency.   There is some benefit to being the owner.   It will be hell the first few days we go out though.  So far no customers are bitching they are all pretty reasonable

Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

express%20neon%20sig.jpg

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2 hours ago, Brian said:

Luckily we have the luxury of deciding not to go out in the stuff unless and emergency.   There is some benefit to being the owner.   It will be hell the first few days we go out though.  So far no customers are bitching they are all pretty reasonable

 

I don't send my guys out in bad weather either.  I don't require them to do anything I wouldn't do myself, and working on electricity in the rain or extreme weather is one of them.  My customers raise hell all of the time though, so I need some customers like yours!!  LOL

 

 

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Been extremely cold here in Kentucky.  Had slick road several days so far this year.  We've only worked outside 5 1/2 days so far this year and we had the entire month of January booked in early December.  We have installs out the wazoo and about 40 service tickets, everyone's complaining, but tough shit.  I don't put my trucks on the road when it is slick, and I won't ask my guys to go out in weather I won't go out in.  They'll just have to wait.

 

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21 hours ago, eugene@signmakershc.com said:

Been extremely cold here in Kentucky.  Had slick road several days so far this year.  We've only worked outside 5 1/2 days so far this year and we had the entire month of January booked in early December.  We have installs out the wazoo and about 40 service tickets, everyone's complaining, but tough shit.  I don't put my trucks on the road when it is slick, and I won't ask my guys to go out in weather I won't go out in.  They'll just have to wait.

 

I have people bitch all of the time because I won't send my guys out in down pours. They always say "electric companies do it" - I always say I refuse to put my guys out in something I wouldn't go out in myself and sure not going to take a chance of getting one hurt. Workers' Comp insurance is high enough with no claims. Can't even imagine what it would be after one. Glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks that way. I wad beginning to think based on what they say that I'm the only one!!

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Travis asked about warming up the hydraulics.  I bought a 12 volt electric car seat warmer and wrapped it in a plastic trash bag; zip-tied  it around the hydraulic pump and reservoir.  Got an SJO cord wired straight onto  to the truck battery, runs up to the warmer.  Plug it in before we move the trucks outside and unplug it at the end of the day.  Looks silly as hell, but it seems to help quite a bit. 

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Travis asked about warming up the hydraulics.  I bought a 12 volt electric car seat warmer and wrapped it in a plastic trash bag; zip-tied  it around the hydraulic pump and reservoir.  Got an SJO cord wired straight onto  to the truck battery, runs up to the warmer.  Plug it in before we move the trucks outside and unplug it at the end of the day.  Looks silly as hell, but it seems to help quite a bit. 

 

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In the old days I put a 110v, hot water heater element in my 85 Skyhooks tank and tied heat guns to the electric motors and ran everything off the generator. It was 40 below and were sent to Calgary. I can now officially sing the 40 below song. 

The greatest asset to dressing for the winter is insulated coveralls, hoodie, toque and good insulated boots. Used to dread on jobsites where they forced you to wear a hard hat.

After getting frost bite one year on the fingers, I have never found a good pair of winter work gloves. Any you guys in Alaska have a choice.

Thankfully now 65yrs old and after 40 years of doing installs, I don't have to go out. But always bring any installers i see coffee.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry everyone, it's 86 degree's in So Cal today and our guys are sweating in the field. They are turning on the air conditioner's to keep cold. :thumbs:

Tough life we live.

Great weather, lot's of people, cars and ego's. 

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