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Message |
R TERRY (152.163.252.163)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 3:33 pm: | |
The local salvage yard was unlike any I had ever seen. I thought of Dorothy's infamous words, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Apparently not. Who, but an angel, would put an automobile wrecking yard in the forest on top of a mountain? Could a place this ugly look any lovelier? Is there any way we could make this a Federal Law?
Inexcusably, we wasted half a day looking for a lever to go through the bus lug wrench. The price at the wooded salvage yard for the tire iron was pretty good, though: No charge. The day wasn't entirely wasted, either. One of the tire shops recommended a place called Arche's Recaps for some used truck tires. We checked it out.
Arch was a 220 pound man in his late sixties, covered head to foot with tire rubber residue, grease and various industrial cements. In his "office", stacked on several filing cabinets, were boxes and boxes of Twinkies, Moon Pies, and Snowballs. (?) Outside he had two perfectly good, used, 20 inch tube-type road tires for 40 bucks each, which included mounting! WOW! Did I hear him right? Doesn't that mean the tires were FREE and it only cost 40 dollars to slap them on those old rusty split rims? What a deal!
Back at the bus, Ryan held the 4104 lug wrench firmly on the lugnut. I slid the tire iron through the hole and tried popping the veins out of my neck. Nothing. Then, I held the lug wrench firmly on the lugnut and Ryan stood on the tire iron until it began to bend like a pretzel. OK, maybe they invented cuss words for a DIFFERENT reason.
Trying to control my temper, we went back to one of the tire shops that I thought should have been able to help us in the first place. I IMPLORED them to help us, PLEASE. They acquiesced by loaning us some of their tools: a one and a half-inch socket, a 3/4-inch drive long-handled breaker bar and a three-foot length of cheater pipe.
He said not to worry about breaking his wrench because it was a Craftsman.
I said not to worry about breaking my thousand-dollar Nikon digital camera because if he touches it before we get back, I'll kill him.
R TERRY |
Paul Tillmann (Paultillmann) (152.163.252.163)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 4:15 pm: | |
You should definitely have a column in one of the Bus magazines. Incredible story! Excellent writing! Thanks.
Paul |
two dogs (67.30.23.28)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 4:59 pm: | |
there are moble tire trucks with air compressors & one inch air wrenches...if you got it jacked up he will spin them off for a six-pac & spin them back on for another six-pac |
Phil Dumpster (12.230.214.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 1:56 am: | |
Forget that - you have compressed air on the bus, just plumb in a suitable fitting and buy a .75 or 1 inch impact driver. If you own a bus, you'll need one sooner or later. That and a combination lug socket with 1-1/2 inch hex and 13/16 square.
Bus air brake pressure of 125 psi is plenty for the rattlebox driver. |
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