What did you do today?

[nickel-city-fab]

Tell your boss you want a wide floor squeegee for Xmas.

squeegee no problem, we just didn't have the time. Not that it matters anyway, the floor is so rough you could use it in a movie.
Got my Xmas from them already, they are gonna be teaching me Kenworth/Cummins on the company dime.

[nickel-city-fab]

Both trucks had decent (not great) 318 motors. But the old one had a slipping trans and a parking sprag that sounded like a frog on acid.
The new truck has no glass or dashboard, but cloth seats (soaking wet). Also has one good tire.

BTW they didn't want the thing welded -- the wanted it bolted. Thats why it was such a huge PITA. Had to save all the original plow frame parts, wiring harness etc etc, and make them fit the new truck.

Working on plow trucks is fun.....if you are a sadist. Look on the bright side, At least you got paid to work on it.

For those of you in warmer climates who don't know what a plow truck is, it's a vehicle that should have went to the scrap yard 5 years ago, but was spared the crusher because it runs ok enough, and the frame contains just enough weldable metal to attach a plow to. . It lives out the rest of its days being beat to death with zero regard for maintenance, and every repair thereafter is completely cobbled together to get it through the next snowfall until it is forgot about. It's used and abuse until there is just not enough metal left to weld together or a rod goes through the block, then the plow is cut off and welded to a new victim.

If the radio works it's a bonus. If the heater also works you just might have the most luxurious plow truck around and neighbors might consider you yuppy city folk. .

[Bented]

Job from hell, the customer drawing describes a 2.376"- 2.377" bore that is 11.812 inches deep to a flat bottom.
Not asking for much.

[nickel-city-fab]

Job from hell, the customer drawing describes a 2.376"- 2.377" bore that is 11.812 inches deep to a flat bottom.
Not asking for much.

I would have been very tempted to make a one-off reamer. How did you do it? Lots of spring passes? Carbide bar?

[PStechPaul]

Unless there is a separate tolerance for sharp edge radii and fillets, you could probably get away with anything reasonable. I think a CAD monkey just used three decimal places as default for the equivalent non-critical fractional dimensions. The bore diameter seems to be the only critical dimension - probably a sliding fit for a 2.375" diameter mating piece.

[Bented]

I would have been very tempted to make a one-off reamer. How did you do it? Lots of spring passes? Carbide bar?

Not done yet and it will likely take 10 hours to finish my part of it.
There is also a 3/8" wide X 3/16" deep keyway 11" in to the blind bore which someone else has to do (-:
As an added bonus the material is 304 SS

[Tom S]

Working on plow trucks is fun.....if you are a sadist. Look on the bright side, At least you got paid to work on it.

For those of you in warmer climates who don't know what a plow truck is, it's a vehicle that should have went to the scrap yard 5 years ago, but was spared the crusher because it runs ok enough, and the frame contains just enough weldable metal to attach a plow to. . It lives out the rest of its days being beat to death with zero regard for maintenance, and every repair thereafter is completely cobbled together to get it through the next snowfall until it is forgot about. It's used and abuse until there is just not enough metal left to weld together or a rod goes through the block, then the plow is cut off and welded to a new victim.

If the radio works it's a bonus. If the heater also works you just might have the most luxurious plow truck around and neighbors might consider you yuppy city folk. .

You forgot the stack of Timmie's empties tossed in the back and the pack of darts within easy reach.

[Richard P Wilson]

When I lived in North Yorkshire in the UK, the road authority had 6 Mack 6x6 ex American Army trucks with snow plough blades fitted. When the modern snow clearance stuff couldn't cope, it was time to fire up the Macks. They would shift anything! They still had the original petrol engines, so did about 1 mile per gallon when ploughing, maybe about 2 mile per gallon when just travelling. Very basic cabs, one at least only had a canvas roof, no heaters, no power steering, no synchromesh on the gears. The guys who drove them were all old, and had driven such things when they were in the army in 1944, so were used to them. When they, and the fitters who maintained them retired, and the supply of spare parts dried up, the Macks had to go. The younger drivers didn't want to know.

[Alan Smith]

Probably couldn't double de-clutch!

[Bented]

I would have been very tempted to make a one-off reamer. How did you do it? Lots of spring passes? Carbide bar?

Time and a 1 1/2" diameter boring bar hung out 12", it was not pretty, it took over 8 hours.

[Bruno Mueller]

We have very small turning steels to machine small holes. The manufacturer is the company Horn. For these tools you need a special holder, which you can buy for a lot of money.
I have made myself such a holder.
It consists of two parts and was soldered together with tin solder. The inner contour was sawed with a saw blade and the central web was broken out. This part was soldered into a hole and the rest was turned off. Two more threads for two grub screws and the part was finished.

This is what these turning tools look like.


This is the holder with its mounting slot.

[Bruno Mueller]

Another picture from it.

[nickel-city-fab]

Time and a 1 1/2" diameter boring bar hung out 12", it was not pretty, it took over 8 hours.

... that thing probably cost 2 weeks of my pay ...
("Its huge.", she said)

[Dave C]

Took the plow frame off a 20-yr-old dodge truck (going to the crusher)
put the same plow frame on a 14-yr old dodge truck.
Both are "yard trucks", never going on the road again.

Tooling involved torch, sledge, 7-ft pinch bar (made of 1-1/4" octagon stock)
floor jack, drift pins, and new words. Boss wanted it today, was given the job at 9 AM.
The snow is melting tomorrow, but that doesn't matter: I'm already drenched from rolling around on the shop floor while it melted.

Job is done, BTW. I'm soaking in a hot bath. Laters.

Now you understand why I left Erie for mid Mississippi Yesterday I was bitching about being cold in the garage at 62 degrees F.

[Bented]

... that thing probably cost 2 weeks of my pay ...
("Its huge.", she said)

The next larger bar that we have is 2 1/4" in diameter, it needs a minimum 2 3/4" rough hole to pass into.
It is also very heavy and I am lazy (-: