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Posted

What do you guys use to push cars into the shop that are dead? Whenever possible I have the tow truck drop the car in a bay, but if it's busy that's not always an option. We currently push them in the old fashioned way - by hand or I use my truck. Risk of damage is high if I use my truck, we've been lucky so far using old tires as a cushion but there has to be a better way.

 

I was thinking about rigging up a push bar to my farm tractor bucket and using that, I tried using a garden tractor (20hp craftsman mower actually) but that didn't work out so well, it is useless on the ice.

 

Pictures would be nice, with the cold we have been pushing in 10 cars a week and it's stressful.

Posted

Pushing car's in with anything is a no no at -40. and with 1 bay we have cars coming in and out a lot!!! I will have pics in a second but infront of my tool box I have a 2in receiver mounted to the floor and a 8000lb winch in a cradle and a battery quick connect with a wireless controller. by the door are studs to put snatch blocks making 1 person able to pull a car in.

Posted

The sell they "CarCaddy". Cost is $3,999 according the their web site.

 

 

car-vehicle-pusher.gif

That looks like it would work great in the summer time, but I think that if it is -25 where the swag master is at he is going to be damaging cars and have no traction on ice and snow.

Posted

We rely on the "all hands on deck" routine. Everyone goes out to the vehicle and we push it into the shop. Any vehicles that get towed in are always dropped on the high end of my lot so the push isn't bad. Snow and ice complicate the matter so we try to keep the lot as clean as possible.

Posted

We use good ol' American muscle! I have used a car caddy before and they work great, but most of them are pretty expensive.

Posted

Hey Guys I may be able to help you out with your problems getting vehicles in your shop even in extreme cold weather.

Operating a shop in Fairbanks Alaska and temperatures down below -50 below at times.

We built a 10' push bar 2" square this bar has frame hooks on one end and a regular chain hook on the other end.

We use a 4 wheel drive to push and pull vehicles around the lot and into the bays. My service truck has a chain mounted

to the front of the frame of the truck hanging down far enough to attach the hook bolted to the bar and like I said

the other end has body hooks that attach to the under side of most vehicles with frame holes.

I will attempt to post a video showing how this works later on today. I will also attempt to post pictures.

 

Bob Violett

Alaska Chevron Service

Posted

I've hurt myself to many times to count pushing cars in with snow and ice on the ground. If it comes down to pushing by hand or waiting to work I'll be waiting. Got plenty of customers and work, only got one body.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Posted

Today I had one with a broken control arm. No amount of pushing was going to move it. I called my rollback guy in and he put it in the bay gracefully. I'll add $60 to the bill if they charge me. Only in NY, 10 year old car with the control arms rotted off.

  • 3 months later...
Posted

I saw a friend of mines shop and he has a riding lawn mower and it has a place he can put a strap. I would imagine if you run it with the blades disengaged and the transmission in low gear it should do fine. cheap used riding mowers are about $100-200 and you dont really care about the deck or blades. I have thought of the winch idea.

Posted

We have 3 options.

 

1. "All Hands on Deck" is used for collector cars (non daily drivers)

2. A 4 wheeler (ATV) with a push bar on the front or a blanket over the snow plow blade during the winter

3. Bobcat with tires attached to the front to push with. We picked it up off Craigslist for $2500 a few years ago. It isn't pretty but has a bucket and pallet forks and been worth the investment, especially when clearing the parking lot of snow.

Posted

We do mostly trucks, but I made a push bar that has a clevis on one end and a two inch ball coupler on the other. Hooks between the receiver hitches and with my truck can move most anything. Even moved a tour bus once [snapped the input shaft in my tfans but got it moved].

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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