General News
11 February, 2025
Monk shortlisted for award
Allan Monk has spent over 20 years changing tyres and there’s hardly one left in the industry he hasn’t worked with. It’s one of the reasons he’s a state finalist for his work.
Alongside two other Victorian finalists, Allan Monk from Redpath Tyre and Battery Service is a state finalist for Agricultural, Construction and Industrial Tyre Fitter of the Year, supported by Harvest Tyres and Jonair Workshop Equipment.
With over twenty years in the industry, over 12 of which have been with Redpath Tyre and Battery Service, Mr Monk doesn’t spend much time in the shop.
As a field fitter he’s changing tyres wherever they are found. It could be smaller equipment right through to heavy industrial tyres larger than he is tall on machinery that’s 50 to 70 tonnes.
“We could be sitting in the middle of a thousand acre paddock,” he said.
When there’s a piece of machinery with a flat tyre that’s weighed in the tens of tonnes, Mr Monk is left with his tools and his experience. It turns what sounds like a mundane job into a physical and mental challenge.
“Shop fitters, you can teach people to change on machines. There’s techniques and that. Field fitting, you’re out there on your own. You’ve got to be able to problem solve and work out how you’re going to get 20 tonne up off the ground,” he said.
But the reward of overcoming these challenges is also the jobs danger, one that Mr Monk bears in his smile.
“Over the years, yes, you have the occasional [close call]. But on the whole you jack everything up, you check it all 10 times, and then you start doing the job,” he said.
“Because if you have 30 tonne or 50 tonne drop to the ground you don’t have anywhere to go with it and then it’s four times as much work getting it back up again.”
A tyre that blows at high pressure or a vehicle that drops to the ground are just some of the reasons why Mr Monk often checks in when out on a job.
It’s also how his front tooth was broken, sheared in the middle and busted his lip. It’s a persisting reminder of the dangers of field fitting.
Although he’s replaced any tyre someone can imagine that isn’t slowing him down.
“I do enjoy the challenge of field fitting. You’re constantly problem solving, you’ve got to be able to fix stuff,” he said.
“You see a bigger reward from the field fitting. You take something that’s [totally busted] to having them back up and running in an hour or so.”
At the end of February the National Tyre Fitter Awards will announce the national winners including which state finalist will take the ultimate title.