GUS' GARAGE AND TOWING KEEPS OHIO ON THE ROAD
Some people are fixers. Jon Snyder is one such person. He’s been fixing things all his life, starting as a kid when he’d tag along after his father and older brother hoping to fix the family’s farm equipment. Today, Jon is the owner of Gus' Garage and Towing in Versailles, a long time Ohio institution named after his father in law.
Jon and his team of two mechanics work from three bays to keep cars on the road. His tools include a welder, oxyfuel torch, and Hypertherm Powermax plasma system. Jon was first introduced to plasma years ago when working at a machine and fabrication shop. He knew what it could do and how it could make work in his garage easier and faster.
 
Even still, it took Jon a while to finally get one. “I put off buying a plasma…because I had to justify the cost first,” he explains. “Now, I use it more than I ever realized that I could. I’m finding new uses for the plasma all the time, especially because it’s fast.”
One of the things he uses the plasma for is to trim the tail pipe on exhaust systems. Because many of today’s exhaust systems are made with aluminum, he can’t use an oxy torch. He attempted it once with not so good results. “The flame just makes a mess and the metal globs,” Jon says. In comparison, he says cuts with his Powermax are “clean and quick, with no slag.”
In addition, Jon likes using the plasma to remove the rusted and corroded nuts and bolts that hold exhaust and suspension systems together. By gouging away the old metal, Jon and his mechanics can often reuse parts saving customers money.
“Some jobs you just hate doing because they are tedious and a hassle. It takes a lot of time to get some jobs done, which costs us time and the customer money. Plasma makes a bad job easier and has saved us hours of work.”
The hours of work saved means Jon has more time to spend on his hobbies like helping his church youth group, riding motorcycles, water skiing and playing with his four grandchildren.
Learn more about Gus's Garage at www.gussgarage.com. |
