Fri, Feb 17, 2023 5:00 AM
Ollie Sutton just loves fixing tractors
Ollie Sutton loves tractors. Photo: Supplied.
Barbara Stuart
Ollie Sutton was raised at Brightwater, attending Brightwater Primary and then Waimea Intermediate and College.
When he left high school Ollie did the pre-trade mechanical engineering course run by the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. He says, as a mechanical engineer he’s worked at a few different things but it’s the field service role fixing tractors, he loves best.
His first job was on the Westcoast with Oceana Gold in their maintenance team. After a year in the job he shifted back home to work for Waimea Contract Carriers for four years before eventually going to work for ‘Willfix,’ at Tapawera. There he worked on farm machinery and found his perfect niche.
Ollie says, Tractors are like Swiss Army knives with all sorts of attachments and uses. Every farm he goes to the Tractors have different fixtures and fittings for a range of jobs which gives him heaps of variety.
Believe it or not one frustrating breakdown call out turned out to be no fuel. On arriving Ollie asked, “does it have fuel?” And, was assured, “yes it does.” After two hours of checking everything Ollie discovered, it was empty! No two days are the same, he says with a smile.
Currently he works for Brian Miller Truck and Tractors (BMTT), he mostly works out in the field anywhere from Murchison, Golden Bay, Rai Valley, Tapawera and the Waimea Plains servicing and repairing farm equipment. Over the summer months he’s kept busy with call outs to traditional farms repairing machinery so that farmers can make hay or get crops in.
With a change in land-use to Hop farms he’s noticed their tractors only have seasonal use therefore they don’t get the same wear and tear and there’s less maintenance work. In the quiet winter months BMTT sends him off for product training.
He’s also completed his apprenticeship while working for them and now is qualified in Agricultural Machinery.
