Easy choice between Blue Top and Redhead steering gear

[Littlebeefy]

Unfortunately we won’t be able to argue over which one is better anymore. Blue Top is officially going out of business.

[Gary Lewis]

Oh no!  My SiL, TJMac, was just about to order from them.

Here's a screenshot from their website:

[Gsmblue]

That is unfortunate.

[Machspeed]

Well that's a dang shame! I was very pleased with both the service and the product they provided me with. Interesting that their reason for closing is an inability to find help. I see that in my own area of work. We pay $18 an hour to answer phone calls and address customer service and also struggle to find help.

[ckuske]

I wasn't planning on purchasing one right now, but it was definitely on my list.  My steering has some slop in it.

I don't want to take my truck off the road right now to do the work and return the core...

Hmm.... what to do.  Well, I guess I should buy one while it is in stock and worry about the core after that...

Ok, purchased.  Sad to hear though.

[Rembrant]

Littlebeefy wrote

Unfortunately we won’t be able to argue over which one is better anymore. Blue Top is officially going out of business.

I wanted to try a Blue Top as well, but when I finally did get a chance to buy one during a sale...Red Top had Ford boxes in-stock and Blue Top did not. Kind of a sin really.

I want to buy another one now...I was waiting for the fall sales...either Thanksgiving or Christmas they both usually did a $20 off sale...which isn't much, but it is something.

I guess it will be a Red Top again...

Everybody is having trouble finding workers now. It's really bad where I live...there's so much available work now for skilled trades. Our local shipyard has 30+ years of worked booked, and they're doing job fairs all over the world looking for workers.

Our two main suppliers at my work...(one in NC, the other in upstate NY) are both having issues with not enough skilled trades people.

[85pig]

Think it's bad now - it's only going to get worse.  Once the "boomer" generation starts to retire en masse, there will be HUGE shortages in skilled trade positions.  One reason I told my sons to forget about college, and look into the trades.  You'll be able to name your price for labor costs, as there will be no one to do it.  Two or three generations sold on going to college, and not into the trades is going to leave huge holes in the labor market.  

[ratdude747]

Rembrant wrote

Everybody is having trouble finding workers now. It's really bad where I live...there's so much available work now for skilled trades. Our local shipyard has 30+ years of worked booked, and they're doing job fairs all over the world looking for workers.

Our two main suppliers at my work...(one in NC, the other in upstate NY) are both having issues with not enough skilled trades people.

I work for a Toyota supplier (as a Manufacturing and Controls Engineer), and we've been having issues finding workers for some time now. Not just the main plant in Madison, IN... all of our satellites in the states and our Canadian plant too. Seems everybody else in town is more attractive; we've lost operators to Walmart and even the Louisville Ford truck plant, but one other manufacturer in town seems to be the #1 beneficiary of our losses.

Not even "skilled" work... heck, we trained a bunch of salaried people from the HQ office who volunteered to run some our lines part time for a week. But we've had issues with skilled workers too (especially forklift drivers, maintenance mechanics, and die maintenance welders/machists).

I won't speak publicly about the causes of our troubles (for the sake of my continued employment)... but if you're at the show in a couple weekends, I'll be happy to tell more!

[ckuske]

It looks like they changed their mind??