18 wheels on that semi or 10 ?????????????????????????????????

Semi !!
Just look at it like this.
We were the fore runner to this technology revolution of today. As we were being replaced some of our replacements were not so work orientated and had to find a way to not do the job that required physical exertion.
We had no problem breaking a sweat getting the job done back then. Not so with today's replacements.

How did we do the job we did.?
We had No electronics, No cell phones, No lap tops ,NO GPS, No electronic controlled engines, No automatic slack adjusters. A/C was limited if we had any. What we did have was a work ethic, we were true to family values. We were not afraid to sweat to get the job done,We had a paper Road atlas and a lot of common sense.
Needed to call dispatch or home? phone banks in rest area or truck stops was the answer.. One of the most important ingredients was camaraderie between drivers and families.

 

I know Gordon, like mattbnr writes here, why not use a gauge first, we didn't have gauges. A truck gauge was something you went to the shop and asked if you could borrow it. I don't mean any disrespect, matt, but with only a few years under you're belt, there's no way you could possibly know what it was like back then, and that's ok. I'm just glad young people still decide to be truck drivers, but it was a whole different job back then.

 

Yep... don't need no stinkin' teknolgy, Only 'em stinkin' prissy l'il ol' new-fangled drivers need that teknolgy!

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4029524]Thanks Gordon, I guess I can't blame youngun's for loving their "technology", they really don't know any different,but I was curious as to how that auto inflation worked, and ,to me, it looked pretty complicated, with valves, and "processing units" and that seal through the axle housing.Just like most of that junk today, it's great when new, but I just think of 5 years in the "salt bath" of the mid-west, and trying to get it repaired, as I'm sure those parts ain't cheap. Like these "electronic " motors and fuel pumps, give me a metal rod from your foot feed to the pump any day, and remember the screw on old Cummins fuel pumps, to override the electric shut off, turn the screw, get a pull start, and off you go![/QUOTE]

Your 100% right & they looked for every opportunity, some of them, to put us down.

I call this little story the story about "The Know It All Bird." Lots of them around that refuse to listen to expereince.

Once there was a very cute little bird born, its mother was so proud of her baby, for it was so pretty. But sad to say it grew up to be a know it all. Anything that come up, this little bird knew more about it than its mother. It finally came the time of year for all birds to fly south. This young bird would not listen to its mother. It said, “The weather is so nice and pretty, we’ve got plenty of food, why leave?” Its mother did all she could to help her cute one understand f they did not leave now there would not be enough food to get them to their southern home.


Finally is desperation the mother left with her other friends leaving her dear one behind. The young bird enjoyed everything to its most, but it did admit it was kind of lonely without all of its bird friends. The bird would eat each day to its content, them set in several of the trees and sing joyful songs.


One morning the little bird awoke to a white world, something this bird had never seen before, plus it was quite cold. The snow having cover up all its food it could find nothing to eat. Finally it dawned on this bird that its mother tried to tell it about this. The young bird set on a tree limb thinking, “I should have listened to mother, but still I feel sure there is time for me to fly south,” so the young bird took off flying south.


For a while everything was going good, the snow had stopped, but them it started raining. Rain is bad on a bird flying south when the temps bet down below freezing, and that day it was way below freezing. The rain started freezing on its wings. I was getting harder and hared to stay in flight. Finally this bird got so tired that it fell into a cow pasture right out of the sky.


It laid there shivering and cold, thinking about the big mistake it ad made. Of all those times mother had tried to teach it things, yet I though I knew more than my mother. Finally it was so cold it lost conscience. It just so happened a cow came walking by, and it just so happened that cow took a dump right on top of the little bird. All the warmness from the dump melted the ice, and warmed up this little bird and had woke up. The little bird started fluttering its wings. But about that time the farmers barn cat. It saw the movement and came to investigate. Realizing what it found he picked up the little bird, slowly with his warm tongue cleaned the little bird off. The little bird had about completely come to itself, all warm, the ice all melted off, thinking I can get back in the air and continue south. But the cat had another idea. After clearing this bird off he had his evening meal.


What is the moral of this story? There’s defiantly a moral in this story that can even save a life. Have you figured it out yet?


The one who comes along in life and takes a dump on us, is not necessarily your enemy, and the one who comes along and picks us up from the sewers of this world, cleans you up, is not necessarily your friend. Yet more than that, our father and mother with the wisdom from life’s experiences can save us from falling into the sewers of this world. Instead of always thinking we know it all, perhaps we should listen to the wisdom our father and mother has, even seeking guidance from them at ever opportunity, for they want what is best for us. The day will come when they will not be around. In the mean time, don’t wind up like the know it all bird, for your father and mother will never devour you as the hungry cat did the young bird in this story. If your father and or mother picks you up out of the worlds sewer, them clean you off, you will be safe, they are not out to devour you. All they want is what is best for you.

 

All I know about SS's are that every winter I see drivers whom have them stuck in snow or ice. This winter in Wyoming saw two different drivers with SS's that couldn't make it up a small hill west of Laramie. Then in that ice storm in the DFW area two Conway drivers were stuck on an iced over bridge on I-20. They couldn't get any traction with those SS's and I got over the bridge just fine, empty, with my duels.

 

Simply because those drivers are not trained to drive in the snow with SS's or, the SS's didn't have enough tread. I feel SS's need around 15/32's at a minimum during the winter months. I have never had a problem running SS's in the winter. I also know some trucks don't have a locking diff and that could make a difference as well. You do have to drive different with SS's in the winter but not too much.

 

You probably have 2 drive axles. They had 1...

 

The real difference in super singles is the tread and shoulder design. Some are closed shoulder designed for maximum fuel mileage with no concern for snow, mud or off road capabilities like Conway and rhoel run on the tractors. Now the super singles we run are open shoulder and aggressive tread since we go in the mud to deliver to farms and ranches and what not. It's all in how you set up your trucks. Conway sets up with max fuel mileage with no concern for winter conditions or off road abilities in mind. Terrible idea which leads to stuck drivers and bad reviews for the tires.

 

Are you old timers telling me that the only people that had a tire pressure gauge was the mechanics? I am only 46 yrs young but I have seen tire gauges all my life, although I can't remember the first time.. My dad drove for 35 years and he passed on from "C" in 1996 so, I can't ask him for reference.

Also, you old timers did things "to get the job done" because you had no choice. We have choices today that allow drivers to not have to do some of the things you all did.

I will say again, I respect you old timers for what you had to do back then. I couldn't imagine having to driver with no PS, or AC,,well, I could drive without AC but, PS.... I remember riding with my dad and his truck having that above dash mounted fan...lol Sure blew alot of air,,,hot air that is..

 

Meaning no offense to any driver.
We old timers did the job because that was the way it was. It mattered not what kind of truck or color was offered us to drive. .Today it is text this text that, wireless , instant communications, Let someone else do it, I don't care if the tire is flat its not mine and I will park on the lines if I want to attitude. Back then There was no whining, not setting the rules Not making any demands on anyone but our selves..
We did it rain or shine. We did what today's drivers will not do. They are strong of thumb but ability to function with out the perfect environment is the wall to exceptional ism.

Tire gauges back then were not in the arsenal of our tools. . Then it was a different world. different equipment.different skills.

Remember this.
Back in the day there was no such thing as radial tubeless tires. We had tubes in our tires so either the tire was flat or it was not flat. Very little middle ground. No real need for tire gauges. Shops used them to properly inflate to the right pressure after repair. No Budd wheels. We had Dayton wheels and split rings that injured and often killed or seriously injured the person changing the tires. The split ring was the reason for the tire cage that is in every tire repair shop today.

In lieu of power steering we had the next best thing on some trucks. Center point steering. . Still ,to ease the muscle strain you kept the truck moving when turning the steering wheel to park and or set up for maneuvering.
The difference between the trucker of days gone by and today's drivers is a distinct difference, It is night and day difference. Few of the drivers today would last a week back then. Unfortunately.
It was hard work all the time.