Shopping Cart
Your Cart is Empty
Quantity:
Subtotal
Taxes
Shipping
Total
My Blog
Blog
What makes a good Tire, wheel & rim Serviceperson?
| Posted on 15 June, 2020 at 14:04 |
comments ()
|
What makes a good Tire, wheel and rim serviceperson? A lot of things have changed in the 40+
years I have been working with tires, wheels and vehicles. One of the things
that has not changed is people and attitude.
There are some people that “know it all”. I will call them “know it
all’s.” They have learned some things and as far as they are concerned, they
have nothing more to learn. Then there are
some people who want to question everything. They ask questions about
everything they encounter. What is this? What does this thing do? Why does this
look the way it does? Much of the problem with the “want to know’s” is that
they don’t retain anything. They don’t really want to know, they just want to
question everything. The
ones who impress me most are the “sponges”. These guys and gals will soak up
everything. They don’t have preconceived notions about anything. If it is
knowledge they want, then they will accept it from any source. The problem with
these people is that they are willing to absorb knowledge no matter what the
source. Like unfiltered water, as they absorb everything, they sometimes pick
up contaminated material, and information. That can be hazardous. The people who end
up being the most successful are the ones who absorb knowledge like a sponge,
filter the crap out of it, question everything, and end up with a lot of
knowledge. But they are willing to accept the fact that they do not yet know it
all. They are prepared to continue learning, adapting and filtering knowledge.
They are also the ones who do not jump to conclusions, they are diligent about
following the rules of safety and are willing to pass their knowledge on to the
“newbies”. The most important
characteristic of the most successful people is that they learn from everyone.
They learn what not to do from those who will not do it right. They are willing
to learn new methods and ways of doing things from those with a better idea,
and they are a good example for those who are willing to learn from them. |
What makes a good Tire, wheel and rim serviceperson?
| Posted on 7 March, 2020 at 14:05 |
comments ()
|
A lot of things have changed in the 40+
years I have been working with tires, wheels and vehicles. One of the things
that has not changed is people and attitude.
There are some people that “know it all”. I will call them “know it all’s.”
They have learned some things and as far as they are concerned, they have
nothing more to learn. Then there are
some people who want to question everything. They ask questions about
everything they encounter. What is this? What does this thing do? Why does this
look the way it does? Much of the problem with the “want to know’s” is that
they don’t retain anything. They don’t really want to know, they just want to
question everything. The
ones who impress me most are the “sponges”. These guys and gals will soak up
everything. They don’t have preconceived notions about anything. If it is
knowledge they want, then they will accept it from any source. The problem with
these people is that they are willing to absorb knowledge no matter what the
source. Like unfiltered water, as they absorb everything, they sometimes pick
up contaminated material, and information. That can be hazardous. The people who end
up being the most successful are the ones who absorb knowledge like a sponge,
filter the crap out of it, question everything, and end up with a lot of
knowledge. But they are willing to accept the fact that they do not yet know it
all. They are prepared to continue learning, adapting and filtering knowledge.
They are also the ones who do not jump to conclusions, they are diligent about
following the rules of safety and are willing to pass their knowledge on to the
“newbies”. The most important
characteristic of the most successful people is that they learn from everyone.
They learn what not to do from those who will not do it right. They are willing
to learn new methods and ways of doing things from those with a better idea,
and they are a good example for those who are willing to learn from them. |
ARE MY TRUCK AND TRAILER ALUMINUM WHEELS CSA APPROVED?
| Posted on 30 April, 2018 at 10:44 |
comments ()
|
THE QUESTION WAS ASKED - Are my truck and trailer Aluminum wheels CSA approved? CSA
International (Canadian Standards Association), a member of the CSA Group, is a provider
of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical,
plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. They do not test or approve
wheels or tires for highway vehicles. Wheels
and tires are covered under the jurisdiction of Department of Transportation
(DOT). All wheels that are imported into Canada have this validation. DOT
covers all of North America. The standards are the same for Canada, US and
Mexico for all tire and wheel configurations used on highways. There
are wheels and tires that are designed for off road use and they are not
required to have DOT approvals. That simply means that while they are not
required to have DOT approval, in many cases, a DOT approved wheel or tire is
best suited for the application. If a tire, for example, is not designed for or
capable of being run on roads at highway speed, it must have a stamp that says
NHS or Not for Highway Service. For farming applications, tires and wheels are
often required to be on roads for short distances, transporting equipment from
one location to another. They are capable of handling this scenario, but are
not capable of enduring the stress and strain of high speed operation. So,
to answer the question- Are my truck and trailer wheels CSA approved? No. Are
my truck and trailer tires and wheels DOT approved for highway use? Yes. |
WASH BEHIND YOUR EARS
| Posted on 7 April, 2018 at 16:17 |
comments ()
|
Wash behind your ears When your mother used to tell you to wash your hands, brush
your teeth and be sure to wash behind your ears, she was trying to instill good
habits pf cleanliness. After all, good habits are what make things easier and more reliable. The same holds true for installing wheels on highway trucks
and trailers. When you get into the habit of cleaning the mating surfaces, it’s
no longer hard work or an arduous task, it’s habit. Good habits are just as hard to break as bad habits. When
you repeatedly do the same task the same way every time, it doesn’t matter
whether you do it right or you do it wrong, you will be consistent. If you consistently make the bad choice of not cleaning the
mating surfaces in preparation for installing wheels, eventually one of them
will work its way loose. When that happens, you had better hope that it doesn’t
happen on a highway where other motorists will be at risk of a 200 lb tire and
wheel smashing through their windshield and fatally injuring innocent people. When you take shortcuts, or fail to pay attention to the
details of good wheel installing hygiene, you will eventually pay the price.
Leaving rust and/or dirt between the wheels or on the brake drum will result in
what is called “Joint Settling”. When the wheels rotate, the debris works free
and wheels come loose. When that occurs, bad things happen. So, listen to your mother every time you install a wheel. "Wash behind your ears". |
TRICKING A TORQUE WRENCH
| Posted on 17 March, 2018 at 17:11 |
comments ()
|
 "TRICKING A TORQUE WRENCH" When it comes to applying the proper force to installing wheels on highway trucks and trailers, the torque wrench has become a valuable tool. When I started working in the tire industry, the method of installing wheels was to tighten them with a 1" impact until they would not turn any more. That made them tight. What we didn't know was that to get proper tightness, the bolt needs to stretch slightly but be able to relax when the pressure is removed.by loosening the wheel nuts. A properly calibrated torque wrench set to the proper torque value will alert the technician installing the wheels, that the torque value has been reached. There are many things that can "trick" a torque wrench. 1. Applying oil where the torque setting requires dry torque. 2. Not applying oil where the torque setting requires oil. 3. Using Anti-Seize material on any nut or bolt fastener. 4. Not properly cleaning the mating surfaces of oil, dirt, rust or other debris. 5. Applying additional force after the torque wrench has clicked. 6. Adding an extension bar or snipe to the end of the torque .wrench. 7. Using more than one extension on the end of the torque wrench. Properly installing wheels on highway trucks and trailers requires trained people who will diligently follow proper practices and procedures. |
WHAT DO ZIPPERS HAVE TO DO WITH TIRES?
| Posted on 30 January, 2014 at 8:20 |
comments ()
|
What does a zipper have to do with tires?  Zippers have become a very dependable wardrobe accessory. They come in a lot of lengths and styles. Zippers form a tight closure on jackets, pants, shoes and many other clothing accessories. When zippers are closed, they form a good seal against the cold, wind, snow and rain. When opened, they allow things to come apart. There is another kind of zipper that is related to truck tires. A truck tire zipper can be dangerous and when this type of zipper opens under the wrong conditions it can be fatal.I will try to explain by telling you how truck tires are made and how they work. A steel radial truck tire is made with several hundred cables of steel made up of individual strands of steel wound into cables. These cables are then placed side by side and imbedded in rubber to make up the structure of the truck tire. An air tight inner liner molded to the inside of the steel cables holds the air inside the tire.  Tires are designed to hold air. That’s what makes them work. It is only when tires are inflated to working pressure that they are able to carry the weight of the vehicle and the load. Tires properly inflated are rounded in shape with a flatter portion forming the tread or wearing surface. A typical truck tire is inflated to 100 psi (pounds per square inch). With several hundred square inches of internal surface, there are several thousand pounds of internal air forcing the tire to maintain it’s shape as it rolls along, carrying the load.As a steel radial truck tire loses air, the sidewall begins to lose it’s rounded shape and the sidewalls begin to bulge out, creating an oval shape. As the steel cords flex between the oval shape that is in contact with the road, and rounded shape as it goes through the remainder of it’s rotation, the steel cables begin to break down. Steel is very strong, especially when bundled into cables. But when steel flexes, just like bending a coat hanger, the strands start to weaken and eventually break. As more and more strands break, the cable begins to weaken. As long as the air pressure inside the tire is low, there is little threat. When air is added to the tire to bring it back to it’s natural rounded shape, the cables begin to fail one by one. An attentive tire technician will hear a popping sound as the cables give way until the pressure is too great and a zipper rupture occurs. The sidewall of the tire explodes as all of the air inside the tire exits the rupture like a shot from a cannon. Anyone or anything in the trajectory zone will suffer the consequences - serious injury or death. When proper procedures are followed and the tire is being inflated in a safety cage, and no one is standing in the trajectory zone (directly in front of the tire), the blast does no damage. When safety procedures are not followed, the result can be fatal. Bill Vanderwater, Norcan Training |
