Where is everyone #5

We had a tire man that had only one lung. He had to take a little slower pace because of that but he'd go steady all night long. He was grouchy and we mostly left him alone. He knew his job and he knew the trucks, he didn't need some office person breathing down his neck. He worked for us for almost thirty years and he still works part time for the local Les Schwab store.
The one thing I learned from watching him was that a pro makes it look easy...and I know for sure it's not easy. Not for me anyway..

 

Man, i never could get the hang of the Golden Tool. Not sure why, but for me it just seemed like a PITA, and heavy, versus two tire bars.

But, I had a scrawny guy workin for me that couldn't work a tire bar, and loved the Golden Tool.

K-tool, I think it was stamped, had one way back that had a cammed, curved long bar, and a fork that you kicked under the bead. It sure made those stiff, early chinese tires a lot easier to get off.

 

It took me awhile to get the hang of it not gonna lie . I had to watch a bunch of YouTube videos to figure out how to get the tool on the 2nd bead.. I will say It still kicked my ### no matter what.

 

When I still had Budd wheels I got to where I wouldn’t let anyone but me touch it. Unless Lee himself done it. His help was as bad as everyone else’s. Nothing makes you any more sick to your stomach than the 2nd day after having a set of wheels off than to walk around it and find a broke barrel nut. More than half the time it would crack a wheel. When you’re a long way from home that’s the ####s.



There is a tire machine up at Dads. Leave the heel standing up and it clamps like an outside lathe chuck to center of wheel. Then you just raise and spin. But you still gotta work the bars. It’s slower, is way less work. I’m not stove up enough yet so quicker is still important to me. Course wasn’t no buying that while us boys was still home. Lmao. I do also like it cause you never have to lay the wheel down so less chance of missing something left on the face of the wheel.


He was dead serious about tire rotation at X miles then flip them around at X. Moving the wheels was an option he wanted them broke down and remounted. Always watched the tires getting thin because he was all about using his carcass to put a cap on for trailer tires. He said the carcass was as important as the guy doing it. We honestly didn’t have much trouble. However there was enough trucks it was a helluva lotta work

 

Florida

 

I hate doing tires in general. Was working on a gooseneck a while back that needed new tires. Even with a tire machine it sucked.

 

I will install and remove mounted tires all day no problem. Mounting tires on rims is a somebody else job. I'd much rather drop them off at a shop and go grab lunch while they do all 8 in less than an hour.

 

Happy Thanisgiving to everyone, and be safe, whether you're out on the road, or at home.
Beating the rush.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everybody