What is 91D (generator mechanic) active duty life like?

SGT Jonny Wright — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 16:10:08 -0400

Did 4 years active infantry, now reclassed to 91d in the NG. Thinking of going back active but want to know the day to day info. I know infantry was always on the go and doing something, just curious on some of y'all experience as a 91d. Good or bad lol any information would be appreciated. Thanks y'all.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jun 10 at 2019 8:18 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:18:38 -0400

SGT Jonny Wright so from a maintenance unit stand point, As a Shop Officer I had among other shops, a Heavy Junk....errr construction and utility equipment shop with what were 52D (forerunner of 91D), 62E (construction equipment repair), 52J (utility equipment), refrigeration and air conditioning technicians. It used to be a cross training opportunity as the 62E were buried as engineers break everything they touch. If. Never see a M9 ACE again it will be too soon. All 6 in the AcR would go down all at the same time. The containerized reefers can also be a challenge because the get neglected. And like any HVaC equipment, if they get clogged with crap and no air flows, you burn out pumps and motors. Facts....

So back to power generation. The problems with generators are typically tied to not enough load. When they run way under Load, they wet stack. Blown heads and engines. They also have secondary and tertiary fuel filtration which will sometimes cause you problems. They'll run for a while and then quit. You have a mix of older generators side by side with newer Tactical Quiet generators. youll also be pulling services on the generators. When you go to the field, you'll get told to Service and operate the generators. Learn about Load banks. Learn about ways to distribute power from fewer generators to run a field site. The problem usually isnt having enough gen sets, it's having the means and knowledge to link it all. Also running aux tanks will reduce having to feed the beast. Small generators usually need more lovin by way of oil changes. I used to have a 5K skid mount for the field and it never let me Down.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2019 9:11 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 21:11:27 -0400

You may end up working on more HMMWVs than generators.
Every guy that ever turned a wrench on my truck on active duty was a generator mechanic, or me.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Jun 11 at 2019 5:01 PM

MSG Danny Mathers — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 17:01:17 -0400

Fixing what's broken or will not start, basically smal engine stuff. The MOS is dead end. Most guys I know that went into generator mechanics could never get promoted past E-5.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2019 12:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 12:31:18 -0400

As a 91D myself I can definitely say from a maintenance company standpoint you will work on basic faults for the generator. Rarely anything to complicated unless your company is in the field a lot and never takes care of their equipment. Even still you shouldn’t have anything too difficult.

However once everything is fixed you’ll definitely be working mostly on vehicles since there are usually way more broken vehicles than generators and the vehicle Soldiers need the support.

If not that you’ll be tasked with additional duties like signing for extra equipment, HAZMAT, POL etc…

Just like someone said earlier. If your not doing civilians or military classes to set yourself apart you’ll be stuck at SGT. Usually this happens and people will reclass.

In my experience if you ruin garrison you barely get to do your job at a 91D. It’s not really until deployment or when your in the field that you really get to “shine” and/or do your job.

Response by SGT(P) Christopher Poole made Jun 21 at 2019 2:41 PM

SGT(P) Christopher Poole — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 14:41:38 -0400

From my personal experience as a 91D this year, it could be a great MOS to learn from. But, depending on the unit you would be attached to, that will determine how much work on Generators you will actually do. 91D work is mainly finding faults, figuring out what doesn’t work and fixing the issue. Trouble shooting wires, doing regular maintenance services and keeping the generators up to their best performance. I unfortunately have had the unlucky draw of not doing much of my current MOS due to certain reasons within my unit. So gaining the work experience in this MOS is a hit or miss.

Promotion point wise?
From my understanding and research, there are way too many 91Ds in the Army. The promotion points are Very high, max (700+) and the lowest I have seen it is 589-590. Which is why I am considering to move out of the MOS when the chance is provided to me for further career progression and promotion.

From a maintenance stand point the experience and knowledge gained is pretty worth it.