By Tim Leeds
Local businessman Dave Chinadle's writings are becoming a hot commodity in nationally published trade magazines.
Chinadle, owner of Chinadle's Cooling, had an article published in the July/October issue of Cool Profits, a trade magazine for the automotive radiator and air conditioning service industries.
The article, titled "Life on the road, or, in the field as the case may be," described what working in the area of mobile air conditioning is like.
Chinadle, who has been doing this work for the last five years, said he wrote the article for people who might want to go into this business.
"Until you've been there, you don't know what you need," he said.
The article compares the old situation for heavy equipment air conditioning with the current time. It tells people what equipment they will need, what kind of work and situations to expect, and what challenges would be ahead of them if they enter this business.
Chinadle said he has also submitted material for publication in an upcoming issue of Successful Farming Magazine. He said Cool Profits is interested in additional articles.
He said in the past, mechanics may have gone to the field to work on air conditioning in tractors or combines or other heavy equipment, but his specialization is part of a new and growing area.
"This is all I do," he said. "There's not a lot of it in the country, but it's a growing niche."
Business is slow in the winter, although some producers have air conditioning work done while their equipment is in the shop for other repairs, Chinadle said. He said he has to have warm temperatures, at least 60 degrees, to finish any work, so it normally has to wait until later in the year for completion.
Chinadle said he keeps busy in the winters doing other shop work at Northern Equipment Repair for owner Tom Vinberg.
Chinadle said Chinadle Cooling has been in operation for the last five years. He said by 1995 he could see changes in laws and in air conditioning technology were creating a market for what he does today.
Business is heavy enough in the summer that Chinadle is looking into expanding his business, he said.
Chinadle said interest in the field seems to be increasing on a national basis. He said after his Cool Profits article was published he had a lot of responses.
"People from all over the country were calling and e-mailing after the article came out." he said.
Chinadle said he recently attended a conference in Las Vegas hosted by the Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS). He said the conference gave him the chance to talk about issues in mobile air conditioning with head air conditioning engineers from companies like John Deere Industries, Case IH, Caterpillar and others.
MACS does a lot of work in his field, Chinadle said. He said the organization is the leader in mobile air conditioning practices. He said they help the Environmental Protection Agency make some of their policies, and generally set the standards for mobile air conditioning repair.
Chinadle said he has hosted an informal conference for the last two years himself. He said he holds the conference for people in Montana who work with heavy equipment air conditioning
"After the first time I didn't think that I would do it again," he said. "There was a pretty poor turn-out. People convinced me to do it again and we had a good turn-out (last year). Maybe I'll do it again."
