Recent content by trog

When the brakes are already hydraulic, I would fit a surge actuator tongue, because surge brakes are smoother than electric, and don't need wiring or controller.

I always replace DOT 3 with DOT 5 because there aren't enough days on the calendar to bleed 20 vehicles every two years. Try to run an old lattice boom crane that uses brake hydraulics to control all of the clutches and brake bands, after the government didn't bleed the system for many years...

I use a Bicron Corp. model Surveyor M, scintillation counter. It looks like a geiger counter, but a scintillator uses a scintillating plastic and a photomultiplier tube, and is much more sensitive. The Bicron is well designed and runs on one little 9 volt battery. Purchased at a swap meet for...

Some "professionals" just hit the ring with a sledge to loosen the bead, and that, of course, is how rings get damaged and dangerous. If you drive a duckbill between the ring and tire with soapy water, or use a hydraulic bead breaker, then the ring is not damaged. A tire cage will only save...

Large cylinders favor good ignition because less compression heat is lost to the metal -- so direct injection engines usually have displacements greater than 55 cubic inches per cylinder. Smaller cylinders usually have precombustion chambers, glowplugs, maintenance misery, and much lower...

Videos are useless for us hillbilly dial-up customers who are too cheap to subscribe to satellite access.

Stumps is right. Also, minimum bids were the discretion of the contracting officer, and undisclosed, so you would travel to different locations to inspect and then bid on an item that wouldn't sell. Thirty years ago, condition of most equipment was rough. Most deuces were just target practice...

A common problem on older commercial trucks with hydraulic brakes is the brake light pressure switch. The contacts get hot and cook the plastic, until it breaks apart. Having little valves to isolate troubles would be nifty.

Grab each propeller shaft and shake it to find any looseness. Check shaft flange bolts with wrenches to be sure they are tight. Turn all the shafts by hand to see if anything is off-center anywhere. I am the fourth owner of a CCKW that had one little u-joint needle bearing out of place and...

I would check the definitions of terms that should be at the beginning of the zoning ordinances, to be sure there isn't a definition different from the vehicle code. If there is any discretion involved, then I politely ask the enforcement officer, in writing, to show me the relevant "policy and...

It was bought "off the shelf". If your P&H has hydraulic actuated controls like mine, originally filled with DOT 3 brake fluid, then I suggest switching to DOT 5. Sticky, corroded slave cylinders can be dangerous, for example, in losing control of the swing. Another maintenance item is...

I avoid the combination lug nut impact socket intended to fit both inside and outside nuts. It will not connect with either nut completely, so the nuts get damaged. Separate sockets cost just a little more.

Axle ratio is important with respect to engine reliability. Most truck diesels are most efficient around 1700 rpm, and mechanical stresses are much less at 1700 than at 2100. Low axle ratios are not necessary for offroad trucks. Commercial FWDs and Oshkosh use ratios around 4.5 -- 5.3 to...

California DMV uses a computer program to determine fees, (of course), and some statutes are not in the program, so there are errors that need to be corrected by a supervisor. Regarding fees incurred before an innocent purchaser buys a vehicle, there is Vehicle Code section 9562. Section...

Muriatic acid strips zinc very quickly, and I would never use muriatic in a fuel tank. To get debri out of a dry tank, I have used a 150 cfm compressor, tying a 3/4 inch pipe in the tank so it can't fly out, and letting the air blast through until no more dust emerges. Takes forever. May...