Hey all, super singles, well OK thats not really the term used anymore. What I mean is wide base tires, commonly referred to as super singles. What are they? They are a wider based tire designed to take the place of where you commonly see two tires on an 18 wheeler. Your seeing more and more of these on the road (tractors and trailers) and probably for a pretty good reason. About 5 or 6 years ago these wide base tires were introduced to the trucking industry for OTR (over the road) applications. The claim to fame is saved fuel economy and less weight so you can haul more. GREAT for liquid and fuel haulers. The less your trailer weighs the more product you can haul. There are other advantages of wide based tires like less landfill waste per truck, some say more stability, and perhaps even cost. Think about this, there was a test ran in Canada on the fuel savings of wide based tires and the conclusion was 10% less fuel consumption. Now in the real world it is far less then that controlled testing area however there is a proven fuel savings with running wide base tires. One of the main disadvantages people state is the fact that if you have a tire failure your done where you sit and this is true but if your a fuel hauler your done anyway and in reality having one blow out and continuing to limp down the highway is really not that safe, and will deminish the life of the tire that has not blown out so what are you saving? These tires are readily available from the dealers Nationwide so thats really not a feasible argument either. If I were a fleet owner I would seriously look for things to reduce my opetaing costs and wide base tires is something I would consider. Fuel is one of the largest expenses out there for trucking and any reduction leads to major savings when you do the math. If I could gain .5 tenths per mile lets see what that equates too. For arguments sake let’s say I am getting 5 miles per gallon today. for every 100 gallons of fuel I travel 500 miles. If I can increase that to 5.05 miles per gallon I will gain .25 miles per 100 gallons. Doesn’t seem like much until you broadcast that math out over a year and over numerous trucks in your fleet. Even a small savings is very significant if it offsets the cost of the change and yes there are other factors, less tire repairs, more weight in freight = more money per load, less downtime etc etc. So are super single – wide base tires the way to go? I would run a test and see if its feasible or talk to a tire professional or someone who has done the testing and has solid results and make a decision based on those facts. Now you know as I do, please be safe out there!!
Hey all! Ok were in 2010, is there really anyone out there still that does not realize the benfits of synthetic oils? YES there sure are, and plenty. For the record before I really dig in to this subject, we here at Truckerzparadise – Pacific Automotive Rv and Truck Supply sell both conventional and synthetic oils and are happy to sell you whatever you prefer. OK now that were clear on that lets first look at the history of oil. For starters the first oils were not from the ground. Oils are mentioned in almost all the ancient texts. Oils were harvested from plants and animals and used primarily for medicinal purposes and later for fueling light sources. To that point the first “crude” oils found in the United States were in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky and once again used for medicinal purposes by Seneca and other Indians. It wasn’t until the late 1850′s Edwin Drake (is credited for) drilling the first US oil well (in Pennsylvania) and that sparked the oil boom. Crude oil is called crude for a darn good reason. The oil must be refined to be useful. Typically there are several stages of refinement with tar being on one side of the scale and gasses being the other. Somewhere in the middle we get motor (lubicating) oil. Now let’s get back to today. Natural oil refined also comes with detergents, corrosion inhibitors, anti wear additives etc, etc. In short lubrication has come a long way and improved significantly. What are some of the pit falls or disadvantages of conventional oils? For starters they contribute to each of our carbon footprint (loosely how much we each contribute to pollution). Conventional oils do not have the same heat limits of synthetics, the longevity or cleaning power. We use more convetional oils the we would synthetic. Synthetics were used in WWII in planes and tanks by both the Germans and the US. Cold temperatures were not an issue, they needed a reliable and stable oil. It was after WWII when synthetics really hit the aviation and automotive industries. “The first synthetic oil developed for automotive combustion engines and fully recognized by the American Petroleum Institute (API) was produced by the Hatco Corp.[10] in 1972 as per specific specification requirements by Albert J. Amatuzio, current President and CEO of Amsoil Inc. This first API-rated synthetic motor oil was distributed exclusively through Amsoil Inc.” (source Wikipedia) OK so what makes synthetitc better? The fact that synthetic oils are made from chemicals and chemical reactions. Synthetic oils can tolerate longer useful life, higher temperatures, clean more effectively, may improve fuel economy, better lubrication in cold environments, longer engine life and more. The down side is the COST of synthetics which we will talk about in more detail. Before we get in to cost advantages or disadvantages lets look at the 3000 mile oil change myth. Yes, folks this is a MYTH. Where did this myth come from?? Well if you remember back in the days when 10W40 was the predominant oil in the marketplace (the 1970′s) it was recommended to change 10W40 every 2000 miles. This is not the case of oils today, trust me. The 3000 mile myth was derived from the 70′s and adopted as standard operation principal by service stations, the general public and oil change shops everywhere. I highly suggest you read your owners manual and if your car or truck is 1985 or newer I guarantee 90% of the time the manufacturer does not recommend oil changes every 3000 miles. The industry is trying to change the public’s belief on this slowly and surely but it is taking a loooooong looooong time. The manufacturers recommended standard oil change interval for conventional oils today is somewhere between 4000-5000 miles. You really need to review your owners manual to know for sure. Many car manufacturers now, especially foreign ones, run synthetic oil stright from the factory and have 15,000 to 30,000 mile oil change intervals depending on the manufacturer and engine in the car. Now let’s look at cost. Let’s say your changing your oil every 3000 miles and your running conventional oil. Your also running standard oil filters. The normal person will change their oil some where between 3-5 times per year in this scenario. Lets say your garage is charging you $25.00 for every oil change. So it is costing you $75.00 – $125.00 per year. If you were running synthetic oils and long life filters the scenario might change to this – One oil change per year @$60.00-$70.00. Yup, theres an actual savings there. Not to mention your saving TIME and how valuable is that??, and for the environmentalists out there your causing less oil waste, less trash and reducing your carbon footprint. Let’s look at a large truck for a moment. Typical conventional oil change we will peg at $100.00 and let’s say for arguments sake your having 10 services per year for a total yearly cost of $1000.00. Now we make the jump to synthetic oil and long life filters and we cut our services to 4 per year at a rate of $200.00 per service. Thats only $800 per year instead of the $1000 for conventional. Also there is speculation you will gain longer engine life with synthetic oils along with an increase in MPG and a cleaner engine that will lubricate better in colder climates and hold up to higher heat and more severe environments. These are just examples but yes you can actually save money and prolong engine life using synthetics. For the best results for your specific application refer to your manufacturers guide, call us or talk to your most trusted shop. As with anything there are benfits on every angle you can look at. The proof is in the pudding and your specific application. If you choose to make the jump for savings you will need to have a documentation program in place to document everything. Now you know as I do, until next time, happy driving, safe travels!!
Happy Saturday all, being almost middle aged myself I know what it is like to live through the “I’m invincible” stage of your 20′s. Dong things to your body that doesn’t hurt or bother you today certainly can impact how it makes you feel down the road. A perfect example of this is your knees. Mechanics and truckers alike lean, bend, crouch, kneel, and crawl around on concrete, pavement, dirt, rocks and other not so comfortable surfaces often. Doing this for years most certainly will effect your knees, back and joints in the middle ages of your life for most. What do we do about this? It is always best to use kneelers, pads or something that protects your knees and joints. If your doing alot of lifting it is always best practice to utilize some sort of support and lift correctly but what about kneeling or standing for long periods of time? Will that effect my back and joints too? Most definitly it can for sure. We have talked about this topic before but certainly we feel it is an important one. Some where around 92,000 hours is what the typical person will work in a liftime, muliply that with bending, lifting, kneeling, standing etc. and you can see how this can effect your overall health and body condition. What were trying to convey here is protect yourself! Make sure your working comfortably and safely, the right clothing for your industry, the right protection (eyes, ears, breathing, guards, back, knees, elbows, padding, mats, gloves etc) We currently offer many safety items available on our site. We also carry a line of high quality standing mats and kneeling protective products. Please take the time to protect yourself or your workers and if we can help design a better, safer working environment for you or your workers – CALL US! (888-586-2323) We would be happy to help you! Now you know as I do, PLEASE be safe out there and always work safe every day!!
Hey all! What keep my engine cool you may ask, while there are several important things that help keep your engine cool lets look at the engine fan clutch. The fan clutch has one major job and that is to keep the engine at a constant temperature. Well that is actually the job of the fan however the fan clutch plays an important role in that. The fan clutch itself is a thermostatic controlled device which means its speed is determined by temperature. So when the engine is cool the fan clutch will partially disengage to allow only a certain amount of air flow and to keep the power requirements of the engine down to help save fuel and keep the eingine from working harder then necessary. Most fan clutches work like a thermostat, when the heat of the engine rises the fan clutch will speed up to pull more air in to help cool the engine and in most cases to help cool the a/c system of the car as well. As the engine temperature lowers the fan clutch will allow the fan to slow and pull less air in. When fan clutches fail the following symptoms may occur – overheating at idle or in heavy traffic, poor performance of the cars A/C system, and if the heating system only blow luke warm air and not enough hot air in cooler climates. There really isnt much more to know about these critters except they are mounted behind the fan itself. Not all vehicles have fan clutches and we can talk about other types of cooling fans at a later date. Now you know as I do – be safe out there and peace!
Hey all!! Its Saturday and hope life is going as good for you as it is for us!! Todays topic is cavitation. Don’t know what it is?? No problem read on and it will become clear. Cavitation can be very damaging for pump impellers and even more so for diesel engines. What cavitation is – is the formation of tiny air or gas bubbles in a liquid which are propelled by force. Now in our infinate wisdom many of us may say “So what, small air bubbles running around” what we dont understand is that as these microscopic air bubbles are propelled they ultimatley hit something. If your talking in terms of a diesel engine these microscopic air bubbles will hit the wall of the cylinder sleeve. When the bubbles hit the wall they implode and actually begin to pit the metal. Once this happens these small “pits” actually attract more bubbles and can degredate pretty quickly. Over time this action will create weak spots or create a crack or hole in the cylinder sleeve causing severe engine damage. What actually causes cavitation?? (Source Wikipedia) ”diesel engines suffer from cavitation due to high compression and undersized cylinder walls. Vibrations of the cylinder wall induce alternating low and high pressure in the coolant against the cylinder wall. The result is pitting of the cylinder wall, which will eventually let cooling fluid leak into the cylinder and combustion gases to leak into the coolant.” How do you stop or hinder cavitation? With the use of coolant additives designed to combat the effects of cavitation. Also it is imperative you run the coolant that the manufacturer reccomends for that engine. Anything less can cause cavitation and result in engine damage. Now you know as I do about cavitation and the devistating effects it can cause. Hope your weekend rocks! Stay cool and by all means be safe out there!!
Batteries. What would life be without them?? Where to begin, ok history is always a good place to start. Batteries date back longer then you would think. While Alassandro Volta is credited with the first battery in the late 1790′s it is speculated that Ben Franklin was playing around with crude “batteries” around 50 years earlier and even better, artifacts have been found which are thought to have been batteries dating back perhaps 1000 years earlier then Mr. Voltas discovery! Batteries have come a log way and recent advancements in technologies have made them stronger, last longer and perform better however the most common car/ truck type battery out there is the lead-acid battery. Lead-acid batteries have been around since the 1850′s and are pretty much credited in being the oldest type of rechargeable batteries. Inside the battery a chemical reaction takes place between sulfuric acid and lead and lead oxide to create electricity. There are typically 6 individual cells in a 12 volt battery. Inside these cells are lead coated plates both positive charged and negative charged. The plates are kept from touching and shorting each other out by separators. What happens during this chemical reaction is that the chemical process allows the plates to swell and actually lose particles during use. Some batteries over time would actually short out and fail because of this however now a days this is extremely rare as battery manufacturers have designed batteries now where this doesn’t happen. The main factors in battery failure are, overuse (asking the battery to run more accessories then it is designed to) heat, corrosion, vibration and plain old life cycle. As with many parts on cars and trucks this is one that is designed to fail over time. Not that manufacturers want their products to fail it is simply the nature of “parts” in general – they have a usable life span which is typically less then what a car or trucks life span is. The lead-acid battery is perfect for automotive applications as these batteries can provide a lot of juice to start the vehicle up, and run accessories. Again it is important to remember the more demands you put on your battery the less life it will give you. If your running extra accessories then what your car or truck came with your asking your battery to do more then it was originally designed to do. Its like asking a pack mule to carry 500 pounds instead of the 250 it is used to. High temperatures will also speed up the life cycle of batteries. High heat is more detrimental to batteries then freezing cold temperatures. Cold can also help speed up the life cycle however heat is a big killer. While battery manufacturers have made significant advancements in helping batteries withstand vibration it is important to understand that vibration is a battery killer too. All it takes is for a plate to vibrate loose or crack or a separator to fail allowing the plates to touch which causes short circuits and premature failure. The very worst thing you can do is to point your finger at batteries being a problem when it can often times be your cables. Battery cables fail more often then people think. Also it is good practice to change your cables out when you change your battery. Cables can corrode inside the jacketing or covering and you may never see it or know it, you may continue to believe your having battery problems when all the time it is faulty cables. Replacing battery cables when you replace your battery is like replacing your oil filter when you change your oil! You can check your battery cables for failure if you choose to by examining them for bulges under the jacketing or covering, if you see bulges there is corrosion or if you see corrosion at the battery post it is likely your cable is also corroding from the inside out. Copper wire in the cable acts like a candle wick and will allow corrosion to “wick” up inside the cable. Corrosion also prevents your battery from charging correctly and degrading the current it is putting in to the system to run your accessories!! Rememeber these things about battery life - high vibration could result in less life, high heat could result in less life, corrosion can and will result in less life, cables should be changed when the battery is changed, continued battery problems are usually not the problem of the battery but can be traced elsewhere. Now you know as I do, take care, be safe!!
Hey all, another day in the books, hope yours was awesome! Today I wanted to touch on chrome. What the hell is chrome anyway?? Well, lets explore some of chrome’s history shall we? Chrome as we see it in common use is a plating on steel, well ok, lets back the chuck wagon up a thread and really look at chrome. Chrome is really known as chromium. Chromium is a chemical element discovered back sometime around the late 1790′s. Chromium is resistant to corrosion and its hard. One of the great discoveries of the uses of chromium is when added to steel the steel would become resistant to corrosion and discoloration. Voila! Stainless steel! Yup, thats right stainless steel is steel with a content of chromium of 11% (by mass). Pretty cool huh? Now your everyday chrome comes in the form of plating. Basically a thin layer of chromium is electroplated to metal. In laymans terms electroplating is when electricity is used to bond one thin layer of metal to another – too deep for me to explain how the process works in detail – Wiki it if you must know. So, we now know that stainless steel is part steel and 11% choromium and chrome as we see it is a thin layer of chromium electroplated to steel or another metal which in turn makes it harder (more resistant to scratches etc,) shiny and resistant to corrosion. Chromium is our friend! Oh Yeah and if you need chrome stuff for your boat, or hot rod enigne or truck - Call Us we can help! Now you know as I do. Peace everybody and until next time, be safe out there!!
Happy morning all, after our little three day hiatus were back to talk about how air conditioning in cars and trucks works, or better yet how it should work. Probably the biggest misconception about air conditioning is that is cools by pumping cool air in but in actuality air conditioning systems cool by removing heat or hot air which gets cycled through the system, cooled and pumped back in. So the basics of air conditioning are it is a heat removal system. To understand A/C systems a little better and how they cool air we must know some of the components. There is a compressor, freon, coils, an expansion valve and a few other parts however were going to focus on those mentioned for a moment. Hot air is cycled through the system from the cab of your car or truck. The air conditioning compressoritself compresses the freon gas (not the air), when this happens the freon expands and heats up. This heated freon compressed gas travels through a set of coils. As it does the freon gas cools and will condense to a freon liquid. This is where the expansion valve comes in to play. As the cooler freon liquid runs through the expansion valve it evapoartes in to cold freon gas which is forced through another set of coils. These coils with the cold freon gas running through them are what cools the hot air. Then this cooled air is pumped back in to the Car or truck cab. This cycle is repeated over and over again until the air inside the cab reaches the temperature you have set on the thermostat on your A/C controls. That is the simplest form of how air conditioning systems work. In future posts we will look at different parts of the systems, why they fail, preventive maintenance etc. One of the things that makes A/C systems fail is contamination. It is probably the single thing that causes the most damage when repairs are done to A/C systems. If systems aren’t flushed and certain parts not changed contamination happens and hence the reason there are numerous failures after a repair is made. You really need to know what your doing to tamper or attempt to fix an A/C system so I wouldn’t advise tearing into it. Also many State and Federal laws are associated around freon and A/C system service – go to a reputable shop to have your A/C systems service. Know you know as I do. Have a great day – be safe out there!!
Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I made the statement we would be updating the blog witn informative, good information on a regular basis and i have slipped again. Why?? Well as luck would have it growth may be in our future. This has been absorbing every second of the days here recently and I just haven’t had the time to keep blogging on the things I want to blog on – like parts! Don’t worry or fret I am determined to get posting again on a daily basis. I felt it necessary to update everyone, keep you in the loop. I will be posting a second blog post on some parts this evening so stay tuned my friends! Good things coming down the pipe!! Peace! Be safe out there!
Hello all, sorry, slipped in to a couple days of missing regular posts. Remember I am trying real hard not to let that happen! I wanted to get in to air brake chambers a little bit, talk about their function, what typically goes wrong with them, why they fail, what the differences are etc. For those that don’t know an air brake chamber is the actuator that takes supplied air and applies the brakes on air brake systems, commonly found on tractor trailers, buses & larger vehicles. The first air brake system was invented by George Westinghouse in the 1860′s! The first air brake designs were for trains. Westinghouse’s air brake company was founded and still exists today, you might recognize the name WABCO which stands for Westinghouse Air Brake Company. (If I am not mistaken WABCO is owned by Arvin Meritor now – but I don’t know that 100%) Anyway Let’s take a look at some of the different types of air brake chambers you will find out there today. First is what is called the Service Chamber. The service chamber is a single diaphragm brake actuator commonly found on front (steering) axles, trailer drop or tag axles and are used in some other specialty applications we wont get in to in this post. Second is the Double Diaphragm Spring Brake Chamber which is a two function actuator acting as the main application brake actuator as well as the parking / emergency brake actuator. Almost always found on a minimum of the last axle on trailers, on drive axles of trucks and in some other applications. How a brake chamber (actuator) works is pretty simplistic but brilliant. Inside a brake chamber you will find the following parts: a return spring, a main spring, a rubber diaphragm or two, a long rod, a couple seals and really thats about it. The brake chamber is a sealed unit so no air can escape – that would pretty much defeat the purpose! An air line will connect to the chamber to supply air. Now as you step on the brake pedal air will enter the sealed section of the chamber. This air will push the rod out which actuates the brake and makes you stop. Now knowing the internal components of air chambers its pretty easy to determine what fails. I want to stress NEVER EVER under any circumstances disassemble an air chamber unless you know exactly what it is your doing! Theres no reason for you to be inside a break chamber and disassembly can cause harm, pain, injury and even death so dont take them apart. Safety lesson for the day – follow it. We know we have two springs in the chamber. If contamination enters the chamber it can weaken the springs and cause them to fail. Pretty common. Internal spring is broke – chamber don’t work. We also know there are a couple seals inside so if one leaks it will cause a chamber to not function properly. We also know there is a diaphragm inside the chamber which can tear or rip and will also cause the chamber not to work. In severe weather applications where road salt, calcium chloride, salt spray etc are used the brake chamber can literally rust or corrode off the truck. Also you can find bent rods from time to time but that is usually another issue we wont go in to here much (its a wrong part or installed incorrectly) So thats pretty much what can go wrong with the chambers. On a double diaphragm spring brake chamber there is two compartments – one for your everyday braking applications and one for parking which is referred to by the industry as “emergency” but in my world these should never be called emergency brakes because that is not their real function. Their function is to park a truck or trailer and keep it there however in an emergency braking situation they do serve a purpose and we will talk about that another day. So we already know how the chamber works when we apply pressure to the brake pedal and if you dont re-read up above. Now how the parking side of the chamber works is this – when you sit in your truck and pull the dash valve you can hear a rush of air escape, that is how your parking brakes are applied. When you push the valve back in the air system pressurizes and air is fed to the upper portion of the double diaphragm spring brake chamber. As this section fills with air it takes pressure off the larger of the two springs. As this happens it allows the chamber rod to be pushed back in to the chamber releasing the parking brake. So when your running down the road your parking side of your air brake chamber is full of air. Once your stop and apply your parking brake that air is released from the parking side of the chamber and the rod is extended applying your parking brakes and that truck or trailer will not move until you have sufficient air in the system to fill that section of the chamber and release the parking brakes. It is important to note that air brake chambers come in different sizes for different applications so it is vital we have your help to get you the right chamber to fit your specific needs. So thats it in a nutshell – thats the basics of how air brake chambers work and fail. You can find all your air brake chamber needs HERE on our air brake chamber web store page. We will special quote bulk purchases as well so dont be afraid to ask!! Now you know as I do – until next time be safe out there!!
