Just another day in Paradise

[LonnieB]

A typical week around the tire shop, although fun, usually isn't very exciting. We do a gazillion safety inspections, several oil changes, brake jobs, alignments, rotate & balance, and more flats than I care to count. We sell alot of passenger, light truck, trailer, agricultural, and big truck tires.

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Once in awhile though, someone will come in with special needs, or something out of the ordinary, like the vehicle in the pictures below. The guy had a flat on the right rear, and wanted both rear tires balanced. None of the tire shops in Clovis would even consider trying because of the width of the tires. Just the kind of job we like . This guy left our place humming a happy tune, saying he would tell all his buddies about us. I hope that's a good thing, lol.

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Then, there are the sales that put the frosting on the cake. These 2 are 1050/50R32 Michelin Radial 18 ply combine tires. They are 41.4 inches wide, 73.6 inches tall, almost as scarce as teeth in a chickens mouth ( these were the only 2 available in the US ), and the cost would make a grown man quiver in his boots.

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If the pictures are too big, or the post is too long, I apologize. Let me know and I'll attempt to fix it. I just wanted to let you fulltime, longtime, and part time fun-have'rs know what I've been up to.

[Wrenchtraveller]

Lonnie, you have a nice career going there and I like your post, great pics. All the best and I have three more years of pulling wrenches and I do some relief supervisor work which pays better but is a little boring at times. I prefer to fix things and work with my hands but sitting on your butt and making 40 bucks an hour is hard to turn down so I don't.

[bsmeaton]

I love it Lonnie! I want some of those big narley ones on my truck!

Do you get a chance to get the Monty out too?

[Ozz]

Lonnie, good to hear from you. It's fun to get some insight into what some of us do to make a buck. How did the new guy's training go? Will you be able to meet us in Branson next year?
Like Brad said, get that Monte out and enjoy life on the road a bit.
Great pictures, love that Red hot rod. BIG bad tractor tires...

[LonnieB]

Wrenchtraveller, it sounds like you have a pretty good plan in motion, and 3 years will be over before you know it. I know just how you feel about being a hands on kind of guy, I'm the same way, and yes it's hard to watch someone else work, but not unbearable, .

Brad, what can I say? Get'er down here, we'll jack her up like Bigfoot and fix you up with a set of 4, hahaha. As far as getting out in the Monty.............soon, very soon, even if it means running over the cell phone with the truck on the way out, lol. BTW, I like your new sig pic, looks very peacefull.

Ozz, your post on the furnace installation was my inspiration for posting this. I too thought it would be fun to see what some of us do to be able to do what we like to do, lol. The new guy now works for someone else. There are several reasons why, but the most important one was customer complaints, evidently the phrase "The customer is always right", meant nothing to him. A new man starts tomorrow, so we'll start the training process again. No promise on Branson, but it is my plan to be there.

[padredw]

Lonnie,

I enjoyed seeing the pictures and the kind of work you do.

Sometime I will swing a bit further south on my way to Colorado so we can stop by and say "Hello".

If you ever come through East Texas, give us a call. There is a special welcome mat out for our Montana friends. We are just 20 miles north of Longview and I-20.

[Tom Gina 06]

So do we need a thread so we can show a little of what us left workin do? I liked the pics Lonnie fun to see your specialty.

[txkrumm]

B-Man!
Where ya been? Good to hear you are still alive out in New Mexico.
I love the pics of those great big tires! Bout how much does one of them cost? Just curious.
Take care partner,
t

[LonnieB]

Hey Tara.

I've been around here and there, still alive and kicking here on the border of The Land of Enchantment, and The Lonestar State. Glad to see you guys are also in an upright position.

To answer your question about the tires, a little over 10 thousand for the pair, mounted on the machine.

On Edit - A couple of semi loads of these, and I could join the ranks of the fulltime crowd, .

[sreigle]

Slow speed maneuvers must do nasty things to those tires! Good post. Thanks.