Gmerrill0516

I just started looking for tires today as I gotta get moving on the 815. It has 1100R24 tires on it. I need to either get the steers capped with waste hauler lugs to replace two bad or mismatched tires in the back. Then I plan to get two new steers. The 1100r24's are a bit scarce so far and I'm wondering if I can find 1100r24.5's instead. Do the same wheels (spoke type hubs) fit 24's and 24.5's knowing that I can't interchange the rubber and need to use proper sets of wheel and tire? I'm on a budget and would appreciate some guidance. Thanks Those wheels look excellent!!! Nice work Vlad. Really nice work.

Arthur, You are in a good place as I'm confident the guys on here can figure out pretty nearly anything as long as you give them good information. From a maintenance perspective, I dabble in antique cars, tractors and trucks. I'm least experienced in trucks so I'll let the gang help you there. I am also the maintenance manager for a manufacturing facility with $350 million in annual sales and rising. We have wrestled our way to 85% operating efficiencies which is world class. With that said, you need to quickly figure out how to proceed. Take nothing for granted and question everything. I would first get with every mechanic and find out what he thinks he needs to be successful. Get them the tools they need to do the work. A well armed mechanic is a happy and productive guy. You also need to figure out who knows there stuff and who if anyone is dead wood. You will either need to train up the bad ones or get rid of them but treat them with respect and listen to and address as much of what they complain about as you can. Once you have a handle on the good and bad, you can make changes as needed to get enough staff to do the job. I'd find one good electrical guy and several nuts and bolts guys. I'd even offer to dig in with them to help you learn what they know and to gain their respect. You will need to establish a minimum acceptable condition for each vehicle. Go through each one and fix what needs attention. Grease, oil and filters are very important as are the safety items like brakes and tires. Put them all on a routine and track each vehicle in terms of parts, labor and down time when it isn't available to work. This data will tell you when you need to either commit to a major overhaul or dump it in favor of a newer vehicle. If you are spending as much as they are worth and they still don't run, you are throwing away your maintenance dollars. Remember, you need to find problems before they cause a break down so inspect everything and adjust frequencies as needed to stay ahead of the problems. This is not necessarily intuitive to guys so stress to look everything over and find possible problems in advance. This is preventive maintenance as opposed to reactive break down maintenance. Figure out what you need on the shelf for parts and either keep them handy or make your supplier stock them for you so you don't spend the money until you use the part. Consignment or vendor managed inventories save your time and can buy you better parts prices based on your commitment to the vendor. It's leverage you can use. If you really want to get organized get a maintenance software package (CMMS or computerized maintenance management systems). They are simple to run and you can get into one cheap. It will track all your spending and inventory and each piece for you. The reports they can generate are invaluable and can prove to the boss you know your stuff and when you say junk that truck you can tell him why. I can recommend a company that can set it up and show you how to do it. If you are not a computer guy, find a kid in the business and make him do it. Its not hard and is worth the investment. PM me if you want a guy to talk to and I am happy to give you pointers on anything. So, build a good team, track what you do and learn from it as you go. Get a subscription to Plant Engineering, and visit the AFE (Association for Facility Engineers). These are good maintenance sites and machines are machines when you break them down to their components. The technology and philosophy is all pretty much the same. Good luck and holler if you need help with management parts of it. There is more truck experience here with all the guys on BMT than you can shake a stick at! Greg

Yes, good article and a good read overall as well. The calendar is very user friendly as well. Greg

You know I never made that connection in my mind that those can blow out. I know tires are dangerous as the volume and pressure are significant. I think that every time I get near an 1100R24. The bags look little and mild. Thank you for the education on the matter. I will remember that every time I get under a truck or trailer from here on out. I'm praying for Mike as well. With God, all things are possible! Greg

Welcome. What do you have or hope to have?

That is expensive. The truck is probably totaled and if he spilled one drop of diesel, it will cost a mint to clean it up, upright the truck and haul it away. Driving a big truck is a massive responsibility. I'm new at the whole thing and I pay a lot of attention to my driver friends who put their license on the line to help me out. It's easy to tip trucks over. The point is to avoid that problem at every corner and every situation that comes up. I hope I have better luck than that guy. Greg

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Freedom is not free. Every American owes a debt of gratitude to every man who left his home and dedicated his existence to the creation and protection of this country. The very freedom to write these types of statements is a direct result of what those men have done. We honor them by remembering and by fighting for each and every individual freedom we enjoy. Every ounce of freedom we give up puts us one step closer to socialism, communism, and a dictatorial government worse than the one that we tossed out of here starting in the 1770's with muskets, bravery and shear determination. I fear that we do not live up to the gift we have been given and will toss it away like it is some meaningless concept that has gotten old and out of touch. We must rally behind leaders who value the constitution, uphold the law, and enforce it equally, always, and as it is written. Selective enforcement, and treatment must be treated as a high crime and even treason. We are throwing away the right to vote and all that it once meant to be a citizen and are becoming the united caretakers of the third world at the expense of our children and all future generations...We need to think about the sustainability of our country at this point and wake up to the fact that we will not exist as the country we now know if we do not return to the rule of law and the will to enforce those laws that we have walked away from. It is a sad time and it makes me mad as hell. This is the only place I have seen any reference to D-day in any source of media. I'm proud to be associated with a group of guys who actually get it and care enough to say so. God bless America!

The "good" news is that the IRS will soon be administering our health care. If that isn't a cause for concern, I'm not sure what is...I'm going to register independent just to be safe. When Grandma dies cause she was a conservative and couldn't get the meds she needed....you do the math. Nothing to see here, move along, nothing to see...

I do need to look the lines over pretty hard. I may just make new ones as you recommend. I will have all the components overhauled and new fles linew are in order. The originals are pretty stiff and I would be afraid to use them. Thanks Greg

Sounds like a good spot for an episode of "Bait Car" where they leave one unlocked with the keys in it. Once someone grabs it they catch up and hit a remote kill switch while locking the doors so they can't get out. It's good tv and these idiots would certainly fall prey to the bait. They get a quick introduction to the local constabulary. I'm sure these are some dudes who need a good swift kick in the shorts (edited for family types). There is no way to fix what they have done either. Bring back the stockades is all I can say. A few days in the town square in the stocks would change their mind for sure. Think about how much good that would do for societies problems.

SUCCESS!!! I swapped in a better set of points and condensor along with a coil I had floating around (I think the condensor was bad). I also rewired her as the motors book said at the coils for positive ground and she fired up nice. I advanced the timing a bit by ear and she runs awesome! The charging system works well, she has 40+ pounds of oil pressure and the tachometer from the factory at the pump panel even works! I'm going to keep checking things off the list like brakes! and with a bit of luck, we will be taking a ride before too long. I took a video and am working out getting it posted. Thanks a million for the tech support guys. Some sound advice really helps. I hope to eventually get it to pump too. One issue at a time....It's nice when almost two years of work pays off. Thanks again guys! Greg

I swapped it around to positive ground today and the high current draw has gone away. I resorted to an aftermarket electric fuel pump to establish fuel flow and now I just need some spark...I'm going to file the points and set the gap as well as double check the coil wiring as it is different in the positive ground trucks according to the "Motors" book. With a little luck I'll get her back to life...hopefully at least one of the coils is good. I'll be sure to wire it all up properly with a fuse and with an easily reached shut down for the fuel pump... Greg

Nice B model and the landscaping looks pretty good too. Enjoy.

Plastic can be plated. The knobs on all our favorite 60's era cars used to be and some were plastic. I'd google and find a plater who is experienced and find out what the requirements of theplastic are before jumping in too deep. It sounds like another run is in order from Watt's. A good used set can be copied too...a small foundry can make up patterns and pour new ones. Still need B-815 emblems if anybody has some that can be coppied....

I got the last two slices of bacon from the pound, the last two slices of tomatoe and some left over lettuce...dug out the Mayo myself and made a feable attempt at a BLT. The chips made it a meal...

Ok, I'll swap her around and see what the current draw does with a positive ground. Hopefully I didn't cook anything... Any other info or opinion is welcomed. Thanks again Greg

Does anybody know who makes the one in the fire engines and maybe a part number? Thanks Greg

Souondds like a good lead. Thank you! Greg

It does as at least I know what to call it. I'll search on that and see what turns up. Any electrical guys know how to test one out? Thanks

I happen to think a guy ought to be able to use his land as he sees fit as long as he is not poisioning the water and ground and making a hazard such as fire or safety if kids are likely to poke around, and thats what fences are for. I own a rental property in a near by town. When I got my 815 I called to see if I could park it there. They told me it was not legal to park ANY commercial vehicle of any kind on the property even if it is my own work vehicle that I use every day. The town I reside in allows a single commercial vehicle of my own to be parked in the driveway. I sure would like to figure out a way to take away the ability of folks to engage in their own personal devices like they do ours. That would make us no better than them but I'd feel a whole lot better about it. I am likely yo inherit my Dad's John Deere collection of 4 at some point down the road and I'm already worried about where I can/could keep them. I guess I need to fund a place with a BIG barn with sturdy floors...maybe on a slab. Still ticks me off that people want to "help" us keep our own property how they see fit. Good luck with your "comrad" neighbor and that whole thing. Get a plan. Going in on fire will only get you locked up...crowbar hotel is not a place to be, let alone in July. Greg

The 1949 LS85 I'm working on was retrofitted with an alternator some time in her service life. Now that I am working one problem at a time to starting it, I have come up with a 60+ amp current draw. The 6x6x6 finned cube (resistor/heat sink?) was quite hot and made a little puff of white smoke so I shut the power off. To confirm the issue, I disconnected the five or six wires from it and sure enough the draw issue stopped when I flipped either ignition on. The test light says there is one hot wire going to this unit when the ignition(s) either one or both are turned on. (Dual ignition obviously). I'd like to know for sure if this is a problem and what I need to do to solve it. Is this thing shorted out? Is there a test to prove it out? Does anybody sell new or rebuild them? The book says to look for bad points or a bad coil but I determined that these are normal and still powered despite disconnecting the finned unit and the high current draw is not there at this point. She cranks over great now that I have adequate batteries. The starter is overhauled and has fresh brushes. It is a 12V system and I've hooked it up negative ground. The wiring is not great but is not shorted. The hot spot is clearly this item. See pic. All help and guidance is appreciated. Greg

I'd love to see a video of that thing running and driving!

Make sure you get some pictures up here when you get a chance. We'd love to see her. Good luck Greg

Oh that is a sharp lookin truck. I hope you stretch her legs regularly. Nice...