RowdyRebel

Your grandpa was a smart man. Have you seen what they call "entertainment" on TV these days? Pathetic, really. If it weren't for Fox News and Nascar, I wouldn't even own a TV. I'd probably get more done around here though.... Damn Fox News and Nascar! And the interweb too!

Heck, ya might get 'er in the garage and thawed out and everything will be working fine. A little moisture in the system tends to freeze up valves on cold days and make things not want to work. That's also the easiest kind of repair to make...providing you have an indoor heated facility large enough to fit the truck & trailer, which I'm guessing you probably do.

So let's see if I got this straight... Pedestrian is jaywalking Driver #1 hits the jaywalking pedestrian and flees the scene Driver #2 hits the now injured jaywalking pedestrian and also flees the scene Kind lady runs to help dying jaywalking pedestrian and is hit by driver #3 Driver #3 stops to help kind lady & dying jaywalking pedestrian and is attacked & robbed by a mob Driver #3 then flees the scene to avoid further pummeling I wouldn't want to stop either if that's how the locals treat you.

I got a 4th for ya:

...and to think the current & former & the former before that administrations have all felt it would be a good idea to allow trucks like that full access to our roads.

I have always had a few sets of keys. Each of my vehicles has their own key ring that ONLY has keys to that vehicle....no house key, no "extra" keys...only that vehicle. That's the key ring that goes in the ignition (I hate having a million keys hanging out of the steering column). I've got a second set of keys...used to be in a key ring on my belt...now it's in another little thingamajigger that holds 'em real nice in my shirt pocket...anyway, that's got a key to every lock for everything I own...every vehicle, both houses, and even my parent's house. Anyway, one day, I was needing to run into town before the post office closed, so I jump on the bike and away I go. When I got home, I reached for the set of keys that was SUPPOSED to be on my belt...but it wasn't there. I was locked out, and ended up having to break into my own home. Luckily it was BEFORE I acquired my gut, so I still fit through the doggie door that the previous owner had out there in the garage. I doubt I could squeeze through there anymore. When I got inside, I figured I'll NEVER leave the house without my boots on, so I've got a spare keys on a few different pairs of boots. I have a house key and a 3rd key to the Mack on my work boots. I've got a house key and a 3rd key to the F250 on the pair of boots I usually wear when I'm out & about in that truck. I figure even if I lose the keys I use in the ignition, I've STILL got 2 vehicle keys and 2 house keys....and if I forgot the keys I keep in my shirt pocket, I've still got the ones on my boots. I think I might even have a couple other pairs of boots that have a house key on 'em...I hate being locked out. I don't like hiding keys on the vehicle. If someone happens to see you put 'em there or stumbles across 'em, they have full access to your truck.

It uses a little oil...no more noticeably than it did running Rotella, Delvac, or Bulldog oil though. ...but at the $0.50/quart that I paid for this oil, it don't hurt near as bad to have to add oil between oil drains. I've never had oil samples run to be able to give any more of a comparison than that, though. I change the oil somewhere between 20K & 30K depending upon weather....if weather sucks, it'll get stretched longer because I'd rather not be outside wrenching on it when it's 35 degrees and pouring rain. ...but if the weather is nice, it'll get changed a little earlier just because with my luck if I stretched it out, I'd HAVE to be outside in the rain on a 35 degree day.

Name: Mack CH613 (daycab) (2001) Date Added: 19 July 2008 - 03:44 PM Owner: RowdyRebel Short Description: E7-460, 2180B, 4.17 Mack rears on air ride, 240" WB & 11R24.5 rubber. Only 260K miles on the clock when I bought it 5/12/2008! It has two PTO's, set up for pneumatic dry bulk tank and end dumps. View Vehicle

When my great granddaddy bought his first house with indoor plumbing, the FIRST thing he did was build an outhouse out back.... ....because you don't do THAT in the house. Not even a dog will shit where he sleeps, unless he's locked up and just can't hold it any longer. I'd say a dog won't shit where he eats, too, but a lot of them will turn around and eat their shit.

Build an outhouse....locate the toilet inside.

With all that shakin' goin' on in that petercar ya got, ya better put one of these on there...

MMMMMMMMMMMM....coffee

That's how I've seen it done, but never drove a truck with that capability...those 39' frameless trailers are a little too tipsy to be spreading with.

ROTFLMFAO!!!! This was the company owner.... http://www.semissourian.com/story/1163291.html http://www.semissourian.com/story/1175525.html I worked there in 2005, so this happened less than a year after he made the truck boss fire me.

Company owner was having a bad day...wanted to take it out on someone....and I was expendable. Couldn't fire the office staff, because then HE'D have to do the paperwork to keep the operation running & compliant. Wasn't going to fire his son, no matter HOW much money he lost the biz. Couldn't fire the only profitable timber buyer he had. Couldn't fire the truck boss....who knew more about the truck part of the operation than the company owner. That left me.

So here I sit wasting the day away when there is a rare knock on the door. It was an unexpected but familiar face to me, but Dozer wasn't too thrilled. It was the old truck boss from the log-hauling outfit I used to work for. Hadn't seen him in years (holy crap...6 years?) and have often wondered how he was doing...a real good guy & old school trucker/logger. I know I wouldn't have had the confidence to do half of the maintenance/repair type stuff I do if not for what I learned while working for him. Funniest thing he told me was the log company had called him to see if he still had my number because they wanted to rehire me. Although it was probably the most fun I've ever had driving trucks, I doubt I would have gone back. Makes no difference now, though, because they are out of business. He told 'em when the owner of the company told him to fire me that they better not ask him to hire anyone else....that he FINALLY had good help and he has to let 'em go. He quit less than 2 months later when he was told to hire another driver. Anyway, we had a good catching up and I gave him my card (with my contact info on it) to keep in touch. Best part is, now I can once again say that EVERY company that has EVER fired me is no longer in business. There are 2 of 'em. Any of the other places I've worked, I could make a phone call and be back to work because I always try to leave on good terms...do the best work I can while I'm there, and don't burn bridges when I leave.

Most of the time, my tools are used to help another driver who broke down & didn't have the right tools with him to get back up & running. I've even got breaks on service work when I had a tool a shop mechanic needed, since it saved him having to take time out of his work day and running to the store to try to find & buy it for his own tool box. I've never NOT stopped to help another truck owned or leased to the company I work for, and I nearly always at least ask (if I don't stop) whenever I see another companies truck broke down. I carry tools...and I'd much rather use 'em to help fix someone else's truck because that don't cost me nuthin' but time. When you run local, it's good to have a reputation for helping others....might come a time when you are the one needing help and if you're known to only look out for yourself, who's gonna want to stop to help you? There is ONE O/O leased to the company I'm with who I would have to give it some serious thought if I saw him on the side of the road....it's his own damned fault, though. You get what you give.

Let's see....my 36" box won't hold TOO much more. I've got a 5-drawer Craftsman box inside to try to keep things a little organized...with the top lid removed so the drawers will open. The top shelf is home to a bunch of miscellaneous items....duct tape, electrical tape, thread tape, anti-seize, electrical splices, extra barrel nuts & lug nuts (10L & 10R of each), bailing wire, 30" cheater bar, 40" 3/4 drive breaker bar, a pair of 36" tire spoons, a 36" pry bar, ether, WD-40, and an air line coiled up inside a 5 qt. oil drain pan. This is also where I keep my full set of external easy-outs. Oh yeah....my "custom-made" no-bounce rubber mallet with the 36" sledge handle. The top drawer has about 20 different sizes & lengths of screw drivers, 5 different sizes & shapes of pliers & cutters, strippers/crimpers, zip tie gun, scissors, a couple rolls of wire (10, 12, 14, & 16 gauge), allen wrenches in both SAE & metric, a test light, and I'm probably forgetting something.... The next drawer is home to one of every size & shape vice grip I've ever come across (including a pair that has a chain that locks around whatever you're trying to grip), as well as 6 or 7 different sizes of both channel locks and crescent wrenches. Also in this drawer are ratchets (1/4", 3/8", 1/2" drive) and an 18" t-slide in 3/4" drive....as well as extensions of varying lengths for all drives. There is a pair of fence pliers in there, too. Next drawer down has my combination wrenches, both SAE & metric, from the tiniest little ignition wrench all of the way up to around 36mm & 1-1/2" The next drawer houses all of my sockets...same sizes & varieties as the combination wrenches....in 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2" drive....both in standard and deep well....and in a lot of them, both 6-point and 12-point varieties. Also, there are universals to help get the sockets to those tough-to-reach spots, as well as adapters to go from one size drive to another. I've got torx bits, both internal and external. I've got the 3/4" drive impact sockets for the 1-1/2" lug nuts, as well as the 13/16" square in 3/4" drive for the barrel nuts....and the external easy-out to remove broken barrel nuts. There's probably more in this drawer, too... The bottom drawer has 2 different size pipe wrenches...a short steel one and a large (can't fit a bigger one) aluminum one. There's a 16 oz claw hammer, a 24 oz. ball peen hammer, and a 4 lb. engineer mallet. I've got a glad hand lock, at LEAST 6 brake cage bolts, strap filter wrench, bolt cutters, a wire brush, a set of chisels & center punches, and a set of files. There's also a mini-pry bar, a grain lock for the dump trailers, and I'm probably forgetting a few things here, too. Between the craftsman box and the front side of the side box, there is a nut-driver set. I also keep some magnetic parts trays in that space. In front of the box, I keep the emergency triangles. On top of those sits an ammo can containing a 1/2" impact gun, 3/8" air drill, 3/8" air ratchet, 3" air cutoff tool, a drill bit set, air-tool oil, and spare cut-off discs. Next to the ammo can, there is a gallon of washer fluid. A chunk of 2x6 goes between that stuff and the door. Then there's a gallon of oil and a gallon of anti-freeze to fill in the space between the box door and the front of the drawers. On the side between the craftsman box and the rear-facing side of the side box, there is enough room to keep my 25' 2-gauge jumper cables rolled up in an old 2.5 gallon rotella jug. I've got a small bucket that I bought a tow-chain in that now stores miscellaneous air fittings, pipe fittings, and some extra 1/4" air line. There's a funnel, as well as a long, slender "behind the seat" type tool box which keeps a pressure gauge for the hydraulic system. In a gallon-size rotella jug, you'll find a 25' 3/8" grade 70 chain, as well as a 6' 1/4" chain and a 1/4" binder (used to secure plastic rolls to the catwalk when hauling dirty dirt). A 20-ton bottle jack sits here, too, along with a short piece of 2x4 and a small piece of mudflap, and a few different sizes/lengths/strength plastic zip ties. I'm probably forgetting something here, too. In the driver's door pouch, you'll find the air gauge, dual chuck tire inflator with a male 1/4" quick connect, valve tool, blue stick lock-tite, a utility knife, and I think there's still a couple hose clamps in there too. I keep my multi-meter and a 35' tape measure in the overhead compartment. In the center section thing on the rear of the cap, there's a glad-hand with a female 1/4" quick-connect, and a pair of male 1/4" quick connects coupled together with a valve. I have a bucket secured to the frame in front of the side box, too...with about a half dozen holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Originally intended to temporarily hold doggie droppings, Dozer's been a pretty good dog and hasn't gone anywhere I couldn't either just leave 'em or scoop 'em into a nearby dumpster. So, along with the scooper, this is the easy-access place where I carry fuel treatment when they are expecting cold temps, and there's usually a can of WD-40 in there, too...along with whatever else happens to get tossed in there....bungee cords, etc. On the catwalk, I have a couple gun racks mounted...which USED to hold a shovel and a broom...but the shovel & broom are now up on the exhaust brackets. My tractor mudflaps also reside on the catwalk....they only get mounted behind the drive tires when I don't have a trailer....keeps 'em from getting ripped off. I bought 8 tire chains from a guy not too long ago.....4 brand new in the bag, 4 used....for $100. I took the 4 used ones and put 'em in a milk crate that finds it's way onto the back of the trailer (these tanks have a spot that holds 'em quite nicely) to make sure I can get myself home or to a SAFE spot to lay over if the roads get too bad. Last winter, it would have saved me about 3 hours after I guessed wrong regarding a construction road closure in close proximity to where I was going with a load of rock. I realized about half way down a hill that the road hadn't been cleared & it was pretty iced over....and I slid to a stop MAYBE 5 feet before crashing through the "road closed" sign. I backed up as far as I could...then started chopping ice with the shovel to clear 10-15 feet behind the drives....and a little in front of the drives...and between the drives. Then I'd roll forward into the cleared spot so I could chip away where the tires had been sitting....then I'd get another run at the hill and go 'til I couldn't go no more before grabbing the shovel and getting back to work. If I even had just 2 friggin chains...one on each side of one axle....I could have backed up that hill and been on my way in about 15 minutes. The 130 pounds them 4 chains add when they are on the truck ain't nothin' I'm going to lose sleep over....especially if I run into a situation like that again. When they ain't calling for nasty weather, though, and the roads are clear, the chains stay in the garage. I'm sure there's a lot on my truck that I'm forgetting....but I think I got most of it covered. Oh yeah....couple more rolls of duct tape in the space under my driver's seat....no such thing as "too much" duct tape.

My '86 Ranger was painted with a few rattle cans...

What'd they do, haul radioactive waste to a nuclear dump site?

Don't you mean a female quick-connect? The male ends do not restrict airflow when uncoupled, so it would drain the air tank the moment the shop air was disconnected. On my truck, there are two tanks in front of the passenger side fuel tank. The top one is the one that has the most oil/water to drain if/when necessary...so that's the one I put a female quick-connect on. Then, I took 2 male ends and a simple valve in between and use that adapter to hook up to shop air (or to service truck air if necessary). I carry various male ends in my tool box, because it seems like you can go to 3 or 4 different shops and find 'em using 3 or 4 different styles of quick-connects....easy enough to swap out for the one you need on your adapter IF you have it.

There'd be a couple dead city employees if that was my car. Hell, when I was 15 I damn near took a kid's head off. He was twice my size, but he had a coat hanger down the window of my dad's pickup so I chased him down and kicked the crap out of him. Once he was able to talk, he claimed he just wanted to get a reaction out of me. Hell, that truck used to have an ugly-ass topper on it with plastic bubble windows. I HATED that topper....truck beds are s'posed ta be open. Anyway, my best friend found it amusing to punch those plastic bubble windows to make them cave in the wrong way....until I chased him down the block with a ball bat. There ain't much that sets me off like that...messing with my ride is one of 'em.

I s'pose I've been pretty lucky. I've had a lot of old-school mentors throughout my career. You can learn a lot more in 5 minutes from an old-school hand than you will in 6 months from a 90-day-wonder.

If the leak is occurring when you supply air to the brakes to release the spring brakes, then and ONLY then do you need to cage the brake. Remove the supply line and use one of the fittings in your tool box (if you have one) to plug the line...or pinch the line off. If the leak is only occurring when you apply the service brakes, however, you do not need to cage the brake. There is no leak on the spring-brake-release side, so the air can continue doing that. Just remove the service brake line and plug it....or pinch it off.

Ain't had time to look at that yet. I told 'em when I dropped it off, I needed the lights to work...because the DOT don't like ya rolling around with lights not working. If they had time, they could look into the non-DOT issues....but they didn't have time. Next scheduled shop time is a 4 day weekend in Feb. while I'm celebrating my birthday at the motorcycle show.