when did you last change a flat wheel or spend time in yard changing wheels done loads today
I’ve never changed a lorry wheel myself.
tippertom:
when did you last change a flat wheel or spend time in yard changing wheels done loads today
Must admit i have never “changed a flat wheel”.
a
In my heyday as a young blade I used to be a fleet fitter contracted to TIP, I once changed 8 11-22/5 tyres in one hour and a quarter, old ones off and new covers fitted, that was removing the wheels and refitting too - phew, makes me sweat to even think about it now, it was a Saturday morning with snow on the ground and the driver was waiting for it. Miserable bugger never even gave me so much as a “cheers mate”.
Last time i changed a wheel on a truck was about 20 yrs ago when i was double manning with my uncle in italy ,it was ■■■■■■■ it down and pitch black ,super single on the trailer ,a east west driver stopped and gave us a hand no problem at all we was all caked in ■■■■■ ,we ran back together and ended up gettin him a breakfast at alconbury ,with chips,its ats nowadays thank god 
november 13… in the yard git er done, if we find a bad tyre in the yard you change it ,on the road either bring out a new one(we have airline fittings on the unit for jacks etc) or pull into a tyre yard.
If anybody needed assistance out of hours within a 40 mile radius Swindoncestershire between 1978/82,it was was me that turned out in my trusty Leyland Fg.
Where I last worked they’re now expected to do this and repairs etc. ■■■■ that, not paid to be a fitter after a days work on DRIVERS wages.
Do drivers (o/ds excluded) not do enough these days that they’re expected to service and repair the vehicles aswell? Why not get the driver to use his own phone to ring around for work at his expense? While we’re at it, let’s pay for the diesel aswell… 
I had my first blow in five years on the free way about two months ago. I get paid per load, so spending twenty mins changing a tyre instead of waiting hours for the tyre fitter is a no-brainer. However, were I paid by the hour, I, too, would make myself comfortable in the cab. 
I have at my last firm and would at the current company. The boss looks after and respects me so i’ll do my best to keep the lorry/van moving.
there can’t be many firms left where you pull into the office and the boss has waited back to give you a crate of beer and say thanks for your work this week 
Two weeks go in Lidl Weston Super Mare only person to offer a hand was a Latvian driver who then got his mate to help too, not the first time when changing a tyre British drivers have completely blanked me. My take on it is that most drivers don’t know how to change a tyre and rather than be seen as unable to do something would rather just ignore the person who needs a bit of help. To be fair the only UK driver to help me out with a tyre change was a Stobart driver after watching me ask a driver from Turners for help and the driver just driving off in response.
Not changed a wheel/tyre but I have bought a tyre inflator that connects to the airline, ideal when you’ve got a slow puncture that needs topping up, then it can be repaired/changed at the weekend. Saves downtime during the week which loses time/money for me.
it was common on muck away work years ago to change your own and help others as well
it came as second nature if you had a good group of drivers the job was made a bit easier
sat mornings were cash in the hand grease and do bits to keep the waggon right and ready for the
Monday how times change
Changed one Thursday in the yard first time in a few years. We have a tyre fitter but he was out so saved waiting round.
Only took 20 minutes as we got all the gear in the yard. Haven’t jumped up and down on a scaffold bar for a good few years though.
Standard practice at one time, if you had a puncture or a worn tyre you changed the wheel and thought nothing of it. You also greased around your lorry, adjusted brakes if need be and we were on far less money than drivers today. All part of the job for a lot of drivers (unless you worked for a large company), everybody mucked in together and got things done. Some firms had drivers coming in Sunday mornings to check around and grease up, and at no extra pay. Oh and yes, I HAVE used my own phone at times to find work, it was either that or have no work? Called pride in the job, it seems lacking these days reading some postings on here and it appears, to me at least, that a large percentage actually hate going to work? 
Well the Dole doesn’t pay nearly as well guys!
Rant over, back to my bunker now as the Nurse is due soon with my pills!!!
Pete.
I did the same Pete. Changed wheels on the side of the road,used a bar to get the inside wheel on a back axle into place if that was the one to change,just a wheel brace and a piece of pipe. Also changed tyres in the workshop and vulcanized punctures.
No tyre fitters years ago, you just got on with it, also changed springs and half shafts etc, all part of the job at one time.
I have memories of changing wheels where the wheels were so rusted on to the rims, that I had to put a couple of wheelnuts back on, turned just a couple of turns, and then corkscrew around in circles until the wheel fell off…
I do actually keep the kit on board to fit and remove tyres from the rims rather than changing wheels.
If you’re experienced in doing it then you’ve got a chance but I think most drivers are going to really struggle. Particularly if it’s a wheel that hasn’t been off in a long while. If you are going to do one and you have a spare on board and a tool kit you will most likely just have a brace and tommy bar and possibly a jack. If no jack and an axle on air suspension you can lower and ratchet strap it up and stop the air supply to that bag and then raise, make sure there is little or no pressure in the bag before starting work.
You almost certainly won’t have a torque wrench, there might be some table based on standing on the brace at a certain point based on driver’s weight to obtain the required torque. I would mark the wheel nut position prior to removal and make sure the holes match the studs they came off when it goes back on.
Thd other obstacle other than getting the wheel off the ground is getting the nuts off. If jumping up and down on he tommy bar gets you nowhere and there is no torque multiplier type tool in the kit you can try rigging up some ratchet strap arrangement to pull on the bar.
Once the nuts are off the next problem may be the rim is stuck to the hub. You can try kicking at opposite sides to free it but if that fails lower and drive forward a bit and slam the brakes on and this should free it. To get the wheel off and on it is easiest to lift with your back to it. Other options are putting the bar underneath it to lever it up or lowering the axle hooking on the top studs and raising again.
When you put the nuts back on tighten them by hand so the rim is flush on the hub. Then do the final tightening in a star pattern ideally to the original marks you made if possible.
Then if you don’t have a tyre inflator on board get it properly inflated and the wheel nuts properly torqued at the nearest opportunity.
Where I last worked we had alloys that stuck to the front hubs, I would be thumping away with a sledgehammer at the tyre trying to shift the wheel to no avail. The Gaffer would come and put the kettle on to make me a brew and then pour the rest of the boiling water over the wheel so that it ran between the wheel and hub, after a few minutes the wheel would go ‘clonk’ and be free! Saved a lot of hard work. 
Always been wary of torqueing wheels after ATS changed me a front at Trafford Park, the thing came lose at Doveholes and I had to get the wheelbrace on it! 
Pete.