My old brick saw finally gave out on a job in Tacoma last Thursday.

The motor just seized up halfway through cutting a batch of pavers, and I had to finish the day with a hand chisel. What do you guys do for a backup when your main gear fails on site?

4 comments

4 Comments

anderson.taylor1mo ago

Ever notice how we're all one broken tool away from going back to the stone age? My truck's alternator died last month, and suddenly I'm a guy with a pressure washer he can't start. It's not just about having a backup tool, it's about the backup plan for your whole process. I keep a smaller, older machine in the van, not because it's great, but because it keeps water flowing. The real fix is building a system where a single point of failure can't stop the whole job.

robinp891mo ago

Carry a spare motor, not a whole backup saw.

rowanw111mo ago

But what's the backup plan for the backup? That old machine still needs fuel, hoses, and fittings to work. A single spare part won't save you if the whole support system fails.

paige16610d ago

Man, that "one broken tool away from the stone age" line hits hard. I had a mixer die right before a big pour once, and it was pure panic. Now I keep a cheap, beat-up hand mixer in the truck. It's slow and awful, but it'll get the mud out of the barrel. That's the whole point, right? Just keep moving.