A question for the drillbitists

[Trevorleach]

Would you not be better off finding an axle from a commercial breaker, a lot easier replacing an axle or even the hubs, and then you would have some spares to fix at your leisure.

The discs do not fare well if stood up for some time, they rust real bad, the pads weld themselves to the discs, and its a slippery downward slope from there, though they will quite happily pass the roller brake test empty and fully loaded even when they are in a state to make most people wince.

If people really knew what went on in the commercial transport world they would not drive so close to the trucks/cut them up/check brake them etc!
Ignore the glossy mags with happy drivers and spotless mechanics, there is a good reason drivers are in short supply and mechanics are almost non existent.

 

[Johnnybravo]

W

Maybe that is how you took my writings and made them fit our own thoughts?
Granted that is how some people think, I of course cannot stop what goes on in peoples minds, naive or not.

Whatever mate

 

[Trevorleach]

W

Whatever mate

No worries.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

There is a good reason drivers are in short supply and mechanics are almost non existent.

Saw a job for HGV mechanics the other day, 47k + OT.

It's tempting.

 

[Old Dog]

Wonderful Daf, spent hours drilling those B******s out, it is possible with HSS drills but you have to keep them sharp! Cobolt drills might be better. If the bolts are the early type with a 13mm head they are not to bad, the Torx ones are a total pig. Cut the bolts off close to the hub and grind them flat and with a bit of care it's not to bad with a hand drill. We have a local very good engineer that made up a jig to make his job easier but then again he spends days driving around doing various fleets repairs. Best of luck.

 

[Trevorleach]

Saw a job for HGV mechanics the other day, 47k + OT.

It's tempting.

Theres loads of adverts out there for hgv techs, you do have to read between the lines though, plus local knowledge goes a long way, ie they are carp to work for/the foreman is a knob, they pay decent money/sick pay etc
Some fo the adverts are run non stop, which tells you what their staff turnover is like.
Also have to watch out for shifts/weekend work and total hours for basic pay.
Main dealers are go go go, time on jobs is everything but normally best pay, earning over 60k on early/lates with decent amount of overtime wont be hard, general hauliers more relaxed/less money/normally let you use the shop for your own car.

Dont forget 40 percent tax over 48 something K

 

[Bornfree]

Saw a job for HGV mechanics the other day, 47k + OT.

It's tempting.

It's also incredibly hard dirty work with a lot of responsibility and little thanks.

 

[Old Dog]

If the studs are long enough try these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irwin-Bolt...07&hvtargid=pla-479440078527&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 but use a hammer and punch to beat the S**t out of the stud first to break the rust in the threads(it works well with the different steel in the cast hub/tensile bolts)

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Theres loads of adverts out there for hgv techs, you do have to read between the lines though, plus local knowledge goes a long way, ie they are carp to work for/the foreman is a knob, they pay decent money/sick pay etc
Some fo the adverts are run non stop, which tells you what their staff turnover is like.
Also have to watch out for shifts/weekend work and total hours for basic pay.
Main dealers are go go go, time on jobs is everything but normally best pay, earning over 60k on early/lates with decent amount of overtime wont be hard, general hauliers more relaxed/less money/normally let you use the shop for your own car.

Dont forget 40 percent tax over 48 something K

This was at a Merc dealer. I did try a while ago to get into a Daf dealer but they pretty much mugged me off. (Story of my life.)

I'm used to long hours and shifts, working in roadside assistance. It's just boring and unsatisfying.

 

[Old Dog]

It's also incredibly hard dirty work with a lot of responsibility and little thanks.

Been in the HGV trade my whole life, hard, dirty work and strange hours. Left to go to the PSV side, cleaner and easier but in the end I couldn't stand the way it's run so walked out. In cold weather I suffer from old injurys to fingers, knees, lower back, elbows, bad hearing and torn mussels, old age doesn't help of course! Everything is heavy, dirty, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Break downs on the road you take your like in your hands.

 

[premmington]

It's also incredibly hard dirty work with a lot of responsibility and little thanks.

My Father was an agricultural engineer he worked till he was 76 and he will be 90 in Sept.

I am a car mechanic and I am 55 in May and still at work six days a week.

My Brother was a lorry fitter - worked nights all his life (four 12hr shifts a week). He is 57 and will never work again due to a bad back.

 

[brightspark]

My Father was an agricultural engineer he worked till he was 76 and he will be 90 in Sept.

I am a car mechanic and I am 55 in May and still at work six days a week.

My Brother was a lorry fitter - worked nights all his life (four 12hr shifts a week). He is 57 and will never work again due to a bad back.

not nice supposed to have an op on mine but im not. just have to put up with it

 

[roofman]

I seem to spend my life deciphering/Googling nerdy pooter speak

Bob

me too...i must hit the google button 6 times a night reading on here. Was i knocked out for 20 years in a bar fight or has all this "coded" malarkey been sent to wind me up in the last 12 months

 

[8ob]

I don't know what sort of money they charge but @8ob but worth an ask .
https://www.cvhubs.co.uk/services/daf-wheel-hub-services/

A bargain, £60 a hub and they can do it while you wait. Only problem is they are oop north and two of the four discs have gone walkabouts in the post, if they turn up I will send the nipper up there with them. JB is on standby if I have to slap it together with just the two discs/hubs.

Bob

 

[Trevorleach]

This was at a Merc dealer. I did try a while ago to get into a Daf dealer but they pretty much mugged me off. (Story of my life.)

I'm used to long hours and shifts, working in roadside assistance. It's just boring and unsatisfying.

Tbh Daf dealers are normally pretty accomadating if people are not qualified etc
Mercs arent bad trucks, though their dealers do tend to be all posh out the front and bit of a dump out the back!

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Tbh Daf dealers are normally pretty accomadating if people are not qualified etc
Mercs arent bad trucks, though their dealers do tend to be all posh out the front and bit of a dump out the back!

Well i spoke to a guy there who told me they had a program for people switching from light to heavy vehicles. Sounded perfect. Then i couldn't get hold of him, didn't answer my calls, etc. I gave up.

The Merc job i saw is with Motus. I know one of their dealers, but haven't seen the workshop properly. I did my Class 2 in an 18T Antos, it was a very nice truck.

 

[Trevorleach]

Well i spoke to a guy there who told me they had a program for people switching from light to heavy vehicles. Sounded perfect. Then i couldn't get hold of him, didn't answer my calls, etc. I gave up.

The Merc job i saw is with Motus. I know one of their dealers, but haven't seen the workshop properly. I did my Class 2 in an 18T Antos, it was a very nice truck.

Maybe have a go at working for Mercedes for a while and then you will have that on your CV and then you could try some other places?
In my eyes a wrecker driver could be a very handy guy to have in a truck workshop

 

[premmington]

A bargain, £60 a hub and they can do it while you wait. Only problem is they are oop north and two of the four discs have gone walkabouts in the post, if they turn up I will send the nipper up there with them. JB is on standby if I have to slap it together with just the two discs/hubs.

Bob

£60 a hub is a "no brainer" - send the child north.

 

[8ob]

£60 a hub is a "no brainer" - send the child north.

I would of but the little hit went awol and the second set of dics were on back order so I couldnt smash the last two off the hubs in case the new ones never showed up.

Anyway, a big thank you to all the drillbitists for all the advice, I will never cheap out on drill bits ever again I bought some cobalt drills from my local nutnboltist and with the aide of a jig managed to drill them all out. They are a tad brittle and I did snap a few off but did get there in the end, took about an hour per hub.

Just need to find a big lump of round to make a pressing tool to push in the reluctor rings.

 

[premmington]

I would of but the little hit went awol and the second set of dics were on back order so I couldnt smash the last two off the hubs in case the new ones never showed up.

Anyway, a big thank you to all the drillbitists for all the advice, I will never cheap out on drill bits ever again I bought some cobalt drills from my local nutnboltist and with the aide of a jig managed to drill them all out. They are a tad brittle and I did snap a few off but did get there in the end, took about an hour per hub.

Just need to find a big lump of round to make a pressing tool to push in the reluctor rings.

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Well done...