Is A Tire Repair Job Dangerous

(Our Rural Roles series features different voices within the agriculture manufacture who make a divergence.The rural ag scene is fabricated up of many people who often go unrecognized.)

CANTON, Ohio — Rick Petrick is used to the impromptu calls that come from a frantic farmer stranded in the field during the middle of harvest season in need of a new tire. Right now.

Petrick has seen a lot in over 30 years of existence in the tire business concern, and at present, at 54 years former, he spends more time behind the desk in his office at Ziegler Tire and Service in Canton, fielding those telephone calls.  But he still takes advantage of an opportunity to get his hands dingy.

"Changing tires is a hard chore," said Petrick, and sometimes it is a dangerous job.

While Rich Petrick said he is semi-retired from the from service end of the business organization, he however enjoys an opportunity to get on the road and go his hands dirty. He leaves most of the heavy lifting to his mechanic, Rob Biltz, who has been working with Petrick at Ziegler Tire, for around v years now. (Catie Noyes photos)

Dangerous

"I had a tire accident upwards on me one time," he said, recalling one of his more memorable moments as a tire repairman. Petrick collection out to the site and set up to work on a tractor that was down in the heart of a field.

It was one of the small front tractor tires, but at that place was a defect in the tire, and Petrick had no way of knowing.  "I bent over to put the valve cap on and (the tire) shot upwards (in the air)," catching Petrick's paw and face in the process. "It picked me up off the footing and threw me for probably 10 feet," he said.

The farm possessor was close past and saw what happened.  "He helped me pack my truck up and take me to the hospital," he said. Petrick concluded up with a busted hand and stitches under his eye and chin. "It looked like someone hit me with a baseball game bat," he said. "That'south one of the things you'll never forget," said Petrick.

Risky business

The tire jobs may basically be the same, just they take place in different situations, he said. Sometimes it's changing a tire in the heart of a field during a 100-degree day with the sun beating down, or it's 20 below in the center of winter. "The places you take to work, some are convenient and some are not and then convenient," he said.

For instance, changing the tire on a combine sitting on a hillside was 1 of those times that was non then convenient. Having no mode to motion the large machine to level footing, Petrick said he and the farm owner had to get creative. The farmer drove a big four-wheel bulldoze tractor along the topside of the combine and wrapped a concatenation from the combine axle to the tractor to stabilize the combine.

As Petrick raised the combine on jacks, the farmer continued to support, putting tension on the concatenation and keeping the combine from sliding down the hill. Information technology's not a job for the weak or faint of heart.

Summer task

Petrick got his beginning in the tire business during the summer of 1979. "I was just looking for a job in between my inferior and senior yr (of high school)," he said. He took a role-time job in service working for Doyle Schmucker, who owned Schmucker Tire Service.

When school started support again, Petrick continued to piece of work for Schmucker during his senior yr every bit part of a piece of work-schoolhouse plan — he attended schoolhouse for a one-half day and worked for a half solar day. "1 thing led to another and when I graduated I ended up working full fourth dimension," he said.

I was just looking for a chore in betwixt my junior and senior year (of high schoolhouse)…And but like that, a part-time task became a career.

Petrick worked for Schmucker for 10 years until Schmucker sold the business organization to Ziegler Tire.

"I went to a couple other places because (Ziegler Tire) didn't need me and then," he said. But when Schmucker took the chore behind the desk, managing sales calls, he called in Petrick to take on the service calls. "And simply like that, a part-fourth dimension job became a career," said Petrick.

Metropolis boy

Every day, Petrick was on the road by 6 a.one thousand., sometimes not catastrophe his day until nine p.chiliad. He traveled to farms and businesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania and some in W Virginia. He said meeting new people in the concern and helping get them up and running is ever a good feeling. But he has also learned a lot along the way, peculiarly well-nigh agriculture and farming.

"I was just a metropolis kid looking for a job," said Petrick. Having no groundwork in farming, Petrick said he learned a lot just being on his own. "I was always by myself, so you had to effigy it out one way or some other to get the job done," he said.  Talking with the farmers he served, he not only learned a thing or two virtually farming, he also made some good friends in the industry.

Cheque out other stories in our Rural Roles series:

January: Amish farmer and author shares story of the elementary life.
Feb: Mary doesn't have a piffling lamb, but she is a friend of the sheep industry.
March: Connie Finton volunteers off the farm to build quality of life for her family.
April: Conservation and cattle: Pete Conkle knows them both.
May: Gerards helped give equine trail riders miles of opportunity.
July: Passion for the fair runs deep: Tanya Marty.
August: Tuscarawas Canton farmer answers the telephone call of his manufacture
September: It's all because of the Jersey moo-cow
Nov: Family tradition, trees and rescue

Semi-retired

"I've been in the business organization for almost 38 years now," said Petrick, who now considers himself semi-retired. He spends most of his time behind the desk now, taking in those impromptu calls from farmers and relaying the message to his service man, Rob Biltz, who has been working for Petrick around five years now.

"The guy knows what he is doing, I've learned a lot," said Biltz, who added Petrick'due south guidance has helped him out "tremendously."

"He's kind of the man effectually here," Biltz added, noting he has some "big shoes to fill." But Petrick still takes on a service job from time to time.

With Biltz existence Petrick's simply service guy on the route, if he is sick or taking vacation fourth dimension, Petrick runs the truck. You lot might also find Petrick back in the shop at Ziegler Tire, helping get the service section out. "I'g not agape to become my hands dirty," he said.

5 minutes with Rich Petrick

Rich Petrick of Ziegler Tire, in Canton.

Family: Wife, Amy; children Roger, 42, Michelle, 37, Michael, 31, and Tami, 27

When y'all were a kid, what did you desire to be when you grew up? A race care commuter like Dale Earnhardt

What is your best family memory? The nativity of my children

Favorite holiday destination: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

One thing on my saucepan list: Go to Las Vegas

Burger or steak? Steak

Advice for someone interested in the tire business: Yous can have training courses and classes, merely the best way to learn is to get out there and do information technology.

Source: https://www.farmanddairy.com/top-stories/risky-business-tire-repair-has-its-share-of-dangers/375193.html

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