Bad Luck? Good Luck? You Decide!

[flyboy553]

I went to deliver a cord of red oak firewood this morning. I load 1/3 cord on the truck and 2/3 cord on the trailer, same as always.
About 1 mile from customers home, my faithful GPS says to turn right so I turn right. Suddenly there is a very strange noise and a bit of a bump in my ride. I am thinking something happened to the trailer. I go a bit farther so as to get all the way through the intersection, except I didn't get that far; right side of the truck sank to the ground.

I got out, took a quick look, and even to my non mechanic eyes, I knew what the problem was! Passenger rear tire was laying along side the trailer, shiny aluminum side up. That aint where it's supposed to be!:msp_unsure:

I took a look around and what do ya know! A service station not a half block away! I walked over there, and the owner had watched the entire episode unfold. He had a guy already in the office with a jack and a box of lug nuts, ready to assist me!

Only one stud was left that was usable, but it was enough to get back to the garage and get it fixed right. 5 new studs and lugnuts to go with them!

$90.00 later I'm on my way. Kinda took the profit out of that load of wood, but coulda been way worse in a lot of ways.

So, good luck, bad luck, hard to say. I don't even care about banging up the bottom of the fender back there; after all, it IS a wood truck! But I am very thankful to that shop for seeing the situation and immediately helping out!

A county sheriff drove by several times, but didnt stop to offer help. No money in helping, I guess.

Ted

 

[tbow388]

Helping

Goes to show that some people are still interested in helping. Now if you think about it, the service station had no idea of whether you were going to have them fix it or not.

If that was me I would be thinking "God sure was looking after me".

Now it's time for you to stop and help someone at some point in time.

 

[REJ2]

good luck for sure, in the sense it could have been a lot worse and more expensive:eek2:

 

[Hedgerow]

In a sick sort of way, I'd call that pretty fortunate... :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[flyboy553]

Goes to show that some people are still interested in helping. Now if you think about it, the service station had no idea of whether you were going to have them fix it or not.

If that was me I would be thinking "God sure was looking after me".

Now it's time for you to stop and help someone at some point in time.

Funny you should say that. I have always been a "pay it forward" person.
It seems what goes around comes around!

 

[CrappieKeith]

Good luck all the way around...open your eyes for goodness sake. 1st nobody got hurt 2nd the shop was right there and ready to help.3rd the cop could have written you up for something with all of the laws on the books these days.4th your lack of maintenance caused this...90$ was a cheap out!
5th...you are at home having a good hot meal looking back & making the judgement call..plus you made the delivery...keeping your customer happy.I bet you didn't even have to off load the wood and then reload it to only have to offload it at the customers while replacing the hub bolts and nuts.

 

[Farm Boy]

A county sheriff drove by several times, but didnt stop to offer help. No money in helping, I guess.Ted

In the midwest, you need to place a box of donuts on the roof of the cab. He drove by a couple times looking for it... :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[flyboy553]

I bet you didn't even have to off load the wood and then reload it to only have to offload it at the customers while replacing the hub bolts and nuts.

You are right, Oh Wise One! Used the trailer jack to lift the back of the truck higher so we could fit the floor jack underneath to the axle; got the wheel on with only 1 lug and nut, and slowly moved it to their lot where I parked the trailer in the shops' yard and they put the loaded truck on their hoist and life was good! Very fortunate for sure! I WAS really surprised the cop didn't find something to write me up on!
Ted

 

[branchbuzzer]

I walked over there, and the owner had watched the entire episode unfold.

You might say he watched the whole thing go down, eh?:jester:

 

[Circle B MN]

Good thing it was the Sheriff and not the DOT man...



So did the nuts back off, or did you snap studs...? One time before I knew any better over loaded a trailer and broke the studs off the hub. Not all of them but enough to get educateon the matter.

The DOT man wants you every day to torque all your lug nuts, check all the fluids, inspect the steering, etc. and sign off on it as sworn testimony that you have thoroughly inspected every part of the vehicle, all before you even turn the key in the morning. I figure you could spend near an hour doing it right.

 

[flyboy553]

Good thing it was the Sheriff and not the DOT man...



So did the nuts back off, or did you snap studs...? One time before I knew any better over loaded a trailer and broke the studs off the hub. Not all of them but enough to get educateon the matter.

The DOT man wants you every day to torque all your lug nuts, check all the fluids, inspect the steering, etc. and sign off on it as sworn testimony that you have thoroughly inspected every part of the vehicle, all before you even turn the key in the morning. I figure you could spend near an hour doing it right.

Put brakes in it a couple months ago. Forgot to recheck the lugs after a couple hundred miles. I think the lugnuts backed off and then the studs broke.

 

[sbowman871]

I would say that the wood delivery gods were watching over you.

 

[lone wolf]

You could only be more lucky if it broke when you got home in your own driveway after the delivery!

 

[CWME]

Good luck is my vote. You could have been going 50mph down the road when it all let go.

 

[cantoo]

We had a dodge 1 ton at work and last year all the lugs but 1 broke off while turn at an intersection. The truck is never overloaded it only hauls tools. The shop blamed it on impact gun being used a little too often. Said the bolts get tightened too much and snapped over time, domino effect.

 

[jam4430]

Good thing it was the Sheriff and not the DOT man...

that was the luckiest part of it all. if it was a dot and he found out you was delivering firewood to a customer then that makes that a commercial vehicle and he could of busted you for not having a cdl , usdot# , possibly being overwieght and tons of other things depending on his mood. when it comes to a commercial unit anything is game whether its a company truck or a tractor trailer. id count your blessing and and try to give that service station some of your business if you can.

 

[turnkey4099]

You are right, Oh Wise One! Used the trailer jack to lift the back of the truck higher so we could fit the floor jack underneath to the axle; got the wheel on with only 1 lug and nut, and slowly moved it to their lot where I parked the trailer in the shops' yard and they put the loaded truck on their hoist and life was good! Very fortunate for sure! I WAS really surprised the cop didn't find something to write me up on!
Ted

Odd that none of you thought to borrow a lug nut or two from another wheel. Me and my brother in the wilds of Idaho way back when had to do that.

Correctin - just recalled that you said all the other studs were ruined - that old "borrow" trick wouldn't have worked.

Harry K

 

[flyboy553]

Correctin - just recalled that you said all the other studs were ruined - that old "borrow" trick wouldn't have worked.

Harry K

All but 2 studs were gone, and one studs' threads were jimmied beyond use. Let alone no jack that would hold that much weight( loaded pickup box, 1/3 cord).

 

[olyman]

Good thing it was the Sheriff and not the DOT man...



So did the nuts back off, or did you snap studs...? One time before I knew any better over loaded a trailer and broke the studs off the hub. Not all of them but enough to get educateon the matter.

The DOT man wants you every day to torque all your lug nuts, check all the fluids, inspect the steering, etc. and sign off on it as sworn testimony that you have thoroughly inspected every part of the vehicle, all before you even turn the key in the morning. I figure you could spend near an hour doing it right.

which you can rest assured,,they do that to any DOT vehicle they drive,,before they get in it!!! and they do the same,,to all their vehicles at home!!!!! and if you believe that,,i gots some land id like to sell you......................

 

[olyman]

We had a dodge 1 ton at work and last year all the lugs but 1 broke off while turn at an intersection. The truck is never overloaded it only hauls tools. The shop blamed it on impact gun being used a little too often. Said the bolts get tightened too much and snapped over time, domino effect.

yup!!! when i worked at a ford dealer,,we got a pickup in,,that the tire shop in town,,had been some hard on the tightening of the nuts,,needless to say,,we replaced nearly every stud..................................................they didnt know what a torque wrench was...