Dallas' Story

From a young age off of small dusty farm in Alberta, Canada I was always fascinated and drawn to all things mechanical. I had a glorious self start at taking things apart, which to my delight I was very good at! To my surprise most of these things were built with extra pieces, well that is what seven year old me had discovered. My dad and older brother were, well delighted to find out what a talent they had at their disposal. Well I progressed to small engines at age nine and you know that darn go-kart didn't quite have enough power. Well several trials and errors I finally made an engine that would really put the GO back in go-kart. I called this engine my Briggs&Cumseh as I used a good 8 Hp Tecumseh engine and a carburetor from a 12 Hp Briggs & Stratton. Well let me tell you it worked a treat except for the extra chores I had to do to fill the tank.

I then progressed to working on cars doing maintenance service work which lead me to highway trucks and transport trailers. I worked for a very talented man who was into buying and selling trucks, trailers and parts. His main passion was restorations on old trucks and at age fourteen I watched him work miracles in awe. He always told me " I might not teach you how to be a mechanic, but you will definitely know how to work with rusty bolts when you are done". Believe me he wasn't kidding as I was wheedling an oxyacetylene torch like a pro by age fifteen!

I had an opportunity to get an apprenticeship through a local garage working on cars, my mentor encouraged me to accept to continue learning. I worked on all types of light vehicles here and changed tires and completed services. It was great and I was quite good at it but I missed the larger trucks and the variety. I found a transport workshop that was in need of an apprentice and with great excitement I was off and running. I was taught many different things at this shop but the greatest thing I learned wan not how to do certain jobs or what common failures were and the parts to change to fix it. Rather I was taught how to think like a mechanic with sayings like "general rule of thumb is ..." and "how was it meant to work" being part of everyday life.

With the knowledge gained from this place I was well equipped to take on all things that may break along the way. I came to Australia and found myself working on some cars and equipment I had never seen before but was expected to repair. Armed with all those old "Rules of thumb", I was never left scratching my head for too long. I then returned to Canada and found myself working for a heavy equipment repair shop who specialized in Cat and undercarriage solutions. I worked on everything from large excavators and dozers to small compact equipment. I then worked with a John Deere construction equipment dealer and was exposed to all the new electronic and electrical excitement. I was introduced to GPS systems and after a short while was in field diagnosing and repairing them.

Five of the most terrible winters happened and my warm blooded Australian wife was missing home ( being a field mechanic I was missing it too!) We moved back to the sunshine and I took up work with John Deere agriculture. I worked on many tractors and learned the GPS guidance systems enough to fault find and repair. Splitting tractors and major repairs proved to be very fun, and tracing out the intricate circuits were an absolute joy! Meeting and working with some of the most hard working people off the land has been a truly great experience, and I look forward to being of assistance in all areas I can.