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I found it interesting that his entire crew working on the Steigers and Rome are from South Africa..like half a dozen of them. Does that mean America doesn’t h

I found it interesting that his entire crew working on the Steigers and Rome are from South Africa..like half a dozen of them. Does that mean America doesn’t have enough mechanics who have experience with these machines? Steigers are big in Australia acc to the article. South African crew seems a tad odd but I wonder if it’s just availability of the labour rather than any other specific reason.

vagrantJin 6y ago
> South African crew seems a tad odd but I wonder if it’s just availability of the labour rather than any other specific reason. That's an underhanded comment or do you assume Africa can't produce any technical skills? Agriculture and agri-machinery is big business in SA which is similar to AUS who have generational farmers aplenty and new entrants alike.
- doublerebel 6y ago
  On HN please assume a charitable interpretation. America is short on good mechanics. This is about qualified South African labor imported because Americans are underqualified, not the other way around. America has an annual shortage of around 39,000 techs... https://www.carparts.com/blog/mechanic-shortage-in-america/ https://www.carparts.com/blog/mechanic-shortage-in-america/
- poulsbohemian 6y ago
  >That's an underhanded comment or do you assume Africa can't produce any technical skills? Lighten up a bit, eh? The parent didn't say anything negative about South Africa, rather he plainly wondered about the labor market for these skills and why it was necessary to bring talent from another country. It is an interesting and valid question that seems to imply a lack of homegrown US skills. Personally I wondered if the make of tractor was South African and thus the likely source of trained technicians, but that's not the case here. Which leads us back to the root question - why SA? Good trade schools? Organizations that are helping people find apprenticeships around the world? Familial connections on the part of the subject of the article?
  - JamisonM 6y ago
    If I had to posit a theory it would be that increasing farm sizes came to North America first, and so a full generation+ of American "farm boys" are long gone to the city. In South Africa I believe the trend came later so now there are a lot of said "farm boys" with some experience but no farm to work on anymore, looking for work.
    - poulsbohemian 6y ago
      That sounds like a good working theory.
zwayhowder 6y ago
I can't speak for South Africa, but here in Australia if you have old equipment you get real good at fixing it yourself because you can't just overnight parts to your door like Reed does, you have to trawl through Ebay looking for the part and someone who will ship it around the world at a reasonable price. I used to bring an empty suitcase on my trips to the US and return with many parts for my "vintage" '81 Yamaha motorcycle.
rconti 6y ago
I'm guessing seasonal labor in the southern hemisphere off-season? I can't speak to why he wouldn't have seasonal labor from (say) Australia, unless maybe the country's big enough that they can travel domestically to places that have less of an off-season?
mulmen 6y ago
I wonder about this and the (perceived?) lack of mechanics in the states. It could be down to centralization into large corporate farms and the shift in ownership preferences favoring leased equipment with factory support. But as a one-time farm boy myself I wonder if it isn’t simply a lack of opportunity or the presence of better opportunities? I work in tech now because I can but my first career path was auto tech/farm hand. I worked on a farm to pay for school but as soon as I could get a better paying career I did. I also don’t miss the stereotypical trade work environment. Lunchtime conversation on the farm or auto shop would be fireable in the tech world. Lots of “locker room talk”. I wonder how many people that kind of culture scares off.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

vagrantJin 6y ago

> South African crew seems a tad odd but I wonder if it’s just availability of the labour rather than any other specific reason. That's an underhanded comment or do you assume Africa can't produce any technical skills? Agriculture and agri-machinery is big business in SA which is similar to AUS who have generational farmers aplenty and new entrants alike.

doublerebel 6y ago
On HN please assume a charitable interpretation. America is short on good mechanics. This is about qualified South African labor imported because Americans are underqualified, not the other way around. America has an annual shortage of around 39,000 techs... https://www.carparts.com/blog/mechanic-shortage-in-america/ https://www.carparts.com/blog/mechanic-shortage-in-america/
poulsbohemian 6y ago
>That's an underhanded comment or do you assume Africa can't produce any technical skills? Lighten up a bit, eh? The parent didn't say anything negative about South Africa, rather he plainly wondered about the labor market for these skills and why it was necessary to bring talent from another country. It is an interesting and valid question that seems to imply a lack of homegrown US skills. Personally I wondered if the make of tractor was South African and thus the likely source of trained technicians, but that's not the case here. Which leads us back to the root question - why SA? Good trade schools? Organizations that are helping people find apprenticeships around the world? Familial connections on the part of the subject of the article?
- JamisonM 6y ago
  If I had to posit a theory it would be that increasing farm sizes came to North America first, and so a full generation+ of American "farm boys" are long gone to the city. In South Africa I believe the trend came later so now there are a lot of said "farm boys" with some experience but no farm to work on anymore, looking for work.
  - poulsbohemian 6y ago
    That sounds like a good working theory.

zwayhowder 6y ago

I can't speak for South Africa, but here in Australia if you have old equipment you get real good at fixing it yourself because you can't just overnight parts to your door like Reed does, you have to trawl through Ebay looking for the part and someone who will ship it around the world at a reasonable price. I used to bring an empty suitcase on my trips to the US and return with many parts for my "vintage" '81 Yamaha motorcycle.

rconti 6y ago

I'm guessing seasonal labor in the southern hemisphere off-season? I can't speak to why he wouldn't have seasonal labor from (say) Australia, unless maybe the country's big enough that they can travel domestically to places that have less of an off-season?

mulmen 6y ago

I wonder about this and the (perceived?) lack of mechanics in the states. It could be down to centralization into large corporate farms and the shift in ownership preferences favoring leased equipment with factory support. But as a one-time farm boy myself I wonder if it isn’t simply a lack of opportunity or the presence of better opportunities? I work in tech now because I can but my first career path was auto tech/farm hand. I worked on a farm to pay for school but as soon as I could get a better paying career I did. I also don’t miss the stereotypical trade work environment. Lunchtime conversation on the farm or auto shop would be fireable in the tech world. Lots of “locker room talk”. I wonder how many people that kind of culture scares off.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]