We found a sealed gallon of water that was around 17 years old… and somebody actually took a drink before realizing what it was. Then the week got even better: our crane truck went down, the suspected fuel-pump repair turned out not to be the issue, and a small non-serviceable electrical module became a $500 lesson.[Attachment]
In this episode of Kraken Off the Clock, Jeremy and Austin talk through the real-world chaos behind keeping trucks, hydraulic equipment, service vans, and a growing repair business moving.
We get into:
• The disgusting discovery of old bottled water from around 2009–2011
• Diagnosing a crane truck failure and avoiding an unnecessary fuel-pump job
• Why a small electrical module can cost hundreds of dollars
• The truth about the cost of hydraulic hoses, uncommon fittings, truck parts, tires, tools, and downtime
• A damaged excavator cylinder after equipment was overloaded and used beyond its limits
• Why customers are paying for experience and results—not just the time on a clock
• The difference between a fast diagnosis and a cheap repair
• Expanding a blue-collar service business into new counties and when a satellite shop makes sense
• Using Meta smart glasses and job-site video for documentation, estimates, and customer communication
• The off-the-clock conversations that happen when the tools are put down
Running a hydraulic repair and mobile equipment business means solving problems fast, keeping customers moving, and dealing with failures that never happen at a convenient time. If you run equipment, own a service company, work in construction, trucking, diesel, heavy equipment, hydraulics, or just enjoy real blue-collar shop talk, this one is for you.[Attachment]
Drop a comment: Would you rather pay a mechanic for five hours of trial-and-error—or pay an experienced tech to correctly diagnose it in 30 minutes?
Subscribe for more real conversations about hydraulic repair, heavy equipment, business growth, truck problems, job-site stories, and life at Kraken Hydraulics.
#KrakenOffTheClock #Hydraulics #BlueCollar #HeavyEquipment #DieselMechanic #TruckRepair #ConstructionEquipment #SmallBusiness #Podcast #EquipmentRepair

A hydraulic repair goes sideways when a hose fails and sprays hydraulic oil everywhere, leaving a mobile mechanic covered from the collarbone to his shoes. But the biggest problem? The crew wouldn't shut the PTO off.

On this episode of Kraken Off The Clock, we talk about what it's really like working in the blue collar world, from emergency night calls and mobile hydraulic repairs to massive cylinders, construction sites, customer service, safety classes, and the challenges of running a growing hydraulic business.

We also get into fully autonomous vehicles, Tesla's self driving technology, modern vehicle safety systems, construction wages, Fast & Furious cars, working in the Florida heat, and why attitude and communication matter so much when you're dealing with customers.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro
01:00 Florida heat and blue collar life
02:15 Emergency hydraulic night call
03:00 Hydraulic hose failure
04:00 Covered in hydraulic oil
05:00 Why the PTO should have been shut off
08:00 Night crews vs day crews
12:00 Growing the hydraulic business
15:00 Taking the small jobs with the big jobs
18:00 Customer service and attitude
21:00 Construction site safety classes
25:00 Motorcycle safety
28:00 Excavator hits a high voltage power line
32:00 Massive hydraulic cylinders
38:00 Planning equipment downtime
40:00 Self driving cars and Tesla
45:00 Would you trust a fully autonomous vehicle?
48:00 Blue collar wages and the future of construction
51:00 Working in the Florida heat
53:00 Episode wrap up

Kraken Off The Clock is a blue collar podcast covering the real world of trades, hydraulic repair, construction, mobile mechanics, business, equipment, and life in Florida.

Subscribe and let us know what you think in the comments.

A customer called us out because a big box hydraulics company showed up, looked
at the job, and couldn't do it. Why? Because their management took the portable
crimp machines away.

If a hose is 25 feet long with 16 bends inside the boom of an aerial truck and it
just blew the end off, you should be able to clip it and put a new end on. Big box
looked at that and decided it cut into revenue, so now the only option they'll
sell you is a whole new hose. Then they hand you 30% off a part they marked up
from $20 to $50 and call it a discount.

We don't give discounts, because we're not priced like that. We're not the
cheapest and we're not the most expensive. You know the number before we charge
it, and you say yes or no. That's it.

Also in episode 13: social media decided gravity was shutting off for seven
seconds at 2:33 PM, Ford pushed an update to Austin's truck over WiFi for a
problem it never had and a commenter called him a crybaby, a pole saw got dropped
straight through a bucket truck's hydraulics, and Austin explains how he set his
own motorcycle on fire and rode 200 feet looking like Ghost Rider.

Recorded at 5:36 PM, still in the same clothes we worked in.

CHAPTERS
0:00 A guy with 35 years told us we were wrong (and he was half right)
3:35 Ford updated my truck over WiFi and a guy called me a crybaby
5:20 When the machine you're under starts moving by itself
7:10 Bambi the cat crashes the podcast
7:40 Welcome to Kraken Off The Clock, Episode 13
8:30 Gravity was supposed to shut off for 7 seconds at 2:33 today
13:25 Slade wants "LUCKY" tattooed on his chest — vote in the comments
14:45 Florida in August: 911 after 911 in a Freightliner with no AC
17:30 A pole saw dropped clean through a bucket truck's hydraulics
19:15 The marina travel lift: replace everything but the tires and frame
22:25 The day I dropped a crane through a $120,000 truck
26:00 Why the big box company "couldn't do the job"
26:50 The portable crimp machine their management took away
29:35 "Our oldest employee has been here seven months"
30:55 Discount math: a $20 part, a $50 price, and 30% off
32:45 What 60 feet of 3/8 hose actually costs you, line by line
34:30 Honest review of the worst work pants on Amazon
37:10 I set my own motorcycle on fire and looked like Ghost Rider
44:20 Tannerite, grenades, and people trying to trade guns for dirt bikes
47:55 Five counties, one dispatcher, and an hour-and-a-half parts run
49:20 It's not hot for you — it's hot for the oil
51:05 When it gets busier, I just buy another van
53:20 Fred the Fly declares war
57:25 Austin's getting married next Friday
59:10 The 8-to-10 rule: plan two hours, then the day owns you
64:05 Goodbye (we said it about six times)

NEED HYDRAULICS WORK?
Kraken Hydraulics — Eustis / Lake County, FL
Call 407-780-0610
Hose, cylinders, field service, and mobile repair across Lake, Sumter, Seminole,
Orange and Volusia counties. Full transparency — you know the price before we
charge it.

Follow Kraken Hydraulics and Kraken Off The Clock on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook,
YouTube and Spotify. Bambi the cat is on TikTok at Bambi's Vlog.

Two questions for the comments this week:
1. Should Slade get "LUCKY" tattooed on his chest?
2. Is ice food?

New episodes every week.

#hydraulics #heavyequipment #bluecollar #hydraulichose #smallbusiness #bucketttruck