Master Mechanic, Jacko (Stephen Jackson) started at P.V. Dobson in 1975! As he approaches his 50 years of service with us, Aggie caught up with him to reminisce, share funny stories and discover what his plans are for retirement when he finally decides to hang up his tools!
Jacko’s first day at P.V. Dobson dates to 5th of June 1975.
He knew P.V. Dobson from a very young age as his Grandad was a dairy and sheep farmer and a customer of P.V. Dobson back then. Jacko used to help his Granddad on the farm and would come to visit P.V. Dobson for spare parts or if their Nuffield or Great Fergie needed repairing. Back then P.V Dobson was a Nuffield tractor dealer.
After Jacko finished school, there was no doubt what he wanted to do for his career as he was always interested in agricultural machinery. P.V. Dobson was the first job he tried for and when he asked Alan Dobson if there was any chance for a job, after answering just one question asked by Alan he was secured the job.
So what was your first job?
To start I wasn’t sure whether I was going to be a mechanic or a builder! My first days were spent helping Percy Victor to lay the foundations for the shed down the road. PV asked me if I was able to drive a digger, “no, I’ve never been on a digger” I answered, and I was told to jump on and reassured that I will soon learn. I was digging footings for the girders. I did a lot of work with PV, including putting a roof on the shed opposite the parts department, dug for the garages erected for Alan’s Dobson private car collection, knocked down a stone barn, that was on Morags Farm, before building the current building.
I was about 20 years old when I started going out in a van to do repairs, mainly on the West Coast.
What did you like about your work?
I liked the variety. You never get bored. You would do something different every day. Time wasn’t such a pressure like it is these days.
Were you going out on your own for the repairs?
I was going out on the van with Tom Addison (retired in 2021 after 50 years at P.V. Dobson) and Chris Smith (retired in 2018 after 51 years at P.V. Dobson) Lots of people have been and gone since I have been here although it doesn’t feel like a long time. Time flies… As you get older, it seems to pass even quicker.
Did you have to face problems you could not resolve / repair by yourself?
There was always someone older, more experienced you could talk to.
But back then there were no mobile phones, no internet, no sat navigation. How did you cope?
Well, you had to fight for yourself. If you couldn’t find a farm, you couldn’t ring them and ask for directions. Once happened to me that I ended up in a village of the same name but in a different county! I used to use the phone box to ring back to the office…
How does that compare to today, with all the technology available?
In the past I just had a toolbox, there was no electronic parts these days. But with the technology changing, I soon learned. I was the first at P.V. Dobson to be appointed a FENDT mechanic. Chris and Alan asked me when they took on the franchise. They sent me to AGCO training for Fendt tractors. I was originally the only one trained to repair Fendt tractors. I liked the challenge; it was something different.
I had to learn about computers and software. I had to adapt. It took a while, but you soon learned. In my days, when I went to school, there were no computers! In the past we just had workshop manual, that was all!
How has P.V. Dobson changed over the years?
The biggest change I noticed over the years is technology and it is still developing. Faster and faster!
Lots of changes throughout the years were to do with the expansion of the P.V. Dobson business. Extensions and new build - Where we now have the parts department, it was the workshop, the current workshop was built later. The parts department was where the showroom was. To start with we were trading cars from a wooden hut from the top of today’s car park at Ivy House… Later, the Bridge End was purchased (1979). The building was hugely extended and transformed into a few franchises’ dealership (sold to Lloyds in 2022). I remember knocking off some of the old building and digging the foundations for the new one.
What about the management style? You have worked for three generations of Dobsons: Percy Victor, the founder of the company, brothers Alan and Chris, and now you work for Alan’s son Andrew Dobson?
Dobsons are decent people, Percy Victor – if he could help you, he would. He will not see you stuck. When I started building my own house, he just said to me: “if you want a digger or anything, just take it”. He was very helpful. Alan and Chris were very easy going and generous to employees, especially when they were getting married and starting families... Dobsons are a nice family to be working for, to be fair. But it works both ways. If you treat people right, you get it back in loyal employees. I have been offered jobs in the past by competitors, but I declined.
Tell us about your career at P.V. Dobson
It progressed from a young lad with not much experience, learning to drive a digger on the spot and helping to build new buildings, through becoming a mobile mechanic, repairing tractors on the side. Later, I was asked to be a workshop foreman and trained as a Fendt specialist. Supervising the workshop is a constant challenge. Dealing with and managing staff requires a different set of skills. I found that if you treated people the same way, you would like to be treated, then you can’t go so far wrong. That job kept me busy for about 30 years… Recently my role changed slightly and now I am busy demonstrating machines and installing newly bought tractors to customers.
What do you like about your job?
There are never two days alike. There is always a challenge. I get on with farmers pretty well. Understandably, you must be able to talk to people and to be able to put yourself in their shoes. When a machine breaks down at the most unwanted time, it can become fiery. Staying calm in a situation like that is the key.
Have you enjoyed working with our young apprentices, who are at the beginning of their career. Somewhere where you were when you were starting?
They are good lads. Just the same as we were…
What are your plans for retirement?
I will still work; I am not one for sitting about, as long as I am fit enough. Through all these years I hardly took time off. It is not a 9 till 5 job and I used to work a lot of weekends and nights, there was that much work going on… In the past the tractors would come without cabs, and we had to fit them on the tractors in our workshop. We used to assemble tractors, some of which were delivered in crates. Alan was a very crafty man. Once a batch of 75 tractors were built in the factory to go abroad. When the deal failed, Alan was able to purchase the whole lot. Imagine the storage issue, the tractors were parked everywhere!
Now I don’t work Fridays, it is a difference. I used to work six days a week all my life. I would have worked over 100 hours within a week…(!) Luckily, I was, and I am fit to do so.
How many children have you got?
I have got two daughters: Michele and April, and three grandchildren - two granddaughters and one grandson. I took them to school this morning and my wife helps looking after them few days a week.
Any funny stories you remember?
One Saturday morning me and Ian Boustead drove to Lancaster University to peg the steps with a Kubota digger. I drove a wagon with the digger and a telehandler to lift the cab off on the site to fit the digger through the entry. After finishing the job, we put the cab back on and drove back to Levens.
Another time we came back with a digger to the yard and when I went on the digger to drive it off the wagon I was surprised how light it was and realised that the roof had blown off as we were transporting it…
Chris Dobson and I carried big rocks purchased from Home Scale quarry into the river Kent to place them in certain spots. Chris liked fishing! We delivered them to Levens Park with a tractor and trailer. I presume that the fish liked hiding behind the rocks…
We wish Jacko and his Family all the best and many more happy and healthy years with exciting adventures and interesting jobs to accomplish!