DIY Maintenance

I used to carry a 3/4 inch drive ratchet and put my winch bar on it. Now i use a 1/2 drive battery powered impact i bought at harbor freight. Earthquake brand. Was 225ish and has paid for itself ten times over doing different things. Just in the last few months: all six shocks plus the 2 cab shocks. Loosened all the frame bolts to move the fifth wheel sliding rails back, then tightened them back up. 1 drive axle tires to replace the brake shoes. Both steer tires. Pulled another drive tire to patch a bolt hole.

I had serious doubts it would do lugnuts on a truck, but it did. No problem. However i do recharge the battery which takes less than an hour or swap it out with a fresh one, before tightening them back down. And i checked them with a torque wrench the first time.

 

The primary liability will fall on whomever did the work although the truck owner still has a shared responsibility for choosing the repairer. Where you will have increased liability by doing the repair yourself is if you can't show you are qualified to do the job or prove you used the proper procedures.

Here is an article I wrote for Tow Industry Weekly, an online publication of American Towman about garage liability. Although it doesn't apply directly to an owner operator most of the concept does.

Tow Industry Week - Lug Nut Day: The Importance of Routine Training

 

I do my best to micro-manage the repairs of my vehicle, but the heavy labor I leave to the professionals. For my engine only Detroit does the work. I have a local tire shop that stocks my size Michelin tires which I buy thru my companies fleet discount. Luckily where I park has 3 very good mechanics that I can get to do odds and ends when needed. I will slip plate and lube it myself. I like to get under it with a creeper a couple times in between quarterly DOT inspections, I have step blocks to drive up on to make this easy. I have a good local shop on both ends of my regular territory and they both are very familiar with carhaulers. One works almost exclusively with car carriers and the mechanics have repaired things in minutes that would have taken me an hour or two. It is amazing how quick an experienced car carrier mechanic can fix a hydraulic hose that is behind several other lines. Less than an hour fix that would have taken me several hours.

 

Several things:
I had a 3/4" Snap-on breaker bar that I broke, their warranty replaced it free,
and I paid the difference on buying the next longer bar. That, w/a torque multiplier,
and Snap-on 1/2" battery impact - are always on my truck.

Went on Craigslist found the impact only, no charger, for $80.00 in upstate New York,
then I got charger, and 2 batteries, from a guy's garage in Allentown when some fool stole his gun.
"Guess I don't need them now, how's a hundred bucks?" (Not the same stuff - It was 6 months apart.)
The old guy that had the gun was not the thieving type, he just didn't use it much, and charger burnt up.

 

If a 3/4 inch breaker bar broke then they were over tightened. 500 ft lbs is plenty tight enough.

 

Wasn't on lug nuts.
And wasn't me.
Oliver Cleat-track Antique Dozer.
After the guy broke it; I came over and heated 2 1/2" nut with a torch,
and took it off relatively easy.

 

Or they were left hand threads. Found that out the hard way once.