John Deere dealer provides hands-on exposure to well-known brand

Plasterer Equipment Co. Inc., a longtime John Deere dealer in the Lehigh Valley, recently provided a 310SL backhoe for short-term educational use at Penn College's Schneebeli Earth Science Center.

Students had the opportunity to service the equipment and better understand the John Deere brand, capitalizing on access to the machine for repair and maintenance.



"Heavy equipment operators performed a 2,000-hour service on the machine, with all parts supplied by Plasterer," explained Chris S. Weaver, assistant professor of diesel equipment technology. "By doing this service, the operator will have a better understanding of what a technician goes through on a daily basis. Service work can go easily but, at the same time, go badly – damaged parts, broken or leaking components, etc. This was a great experience that we cannot always duplicate on our current lab machines."

The arrangement with Plasterer included an October visit by Brandon S. Uhrich, a connected support specialist, who provided a technical presentation for instructor Bill J. Bashista Jr.'s Electronics & Diagnostic Procedures class. Uhrich, a May 2020 graduate in the college's heavy construction equipment technology: technician emphasis, demonstrated troubleshooting software of benefit to students enrolled in the major's operator and/or technician emphases.

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