Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
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pigtin Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject: Rotten Jobs. |
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Just done a rotten job, from the ministry of rotten jobs designed by a graduate of the university of rotten jobs and he was probably trained by Joe Lucas.
In order to get the "good ship" Sea Breezes from Pigtin Towers, to the sea 2 miles away I needed a towing bracket fitted to my Kia Rio.
Having been given several outrageous quotes (or so I thought) I decided to purchase the items off ebay and fit it myself; after all, the blurb said about one and a half hours to fit.
It had a lot of bol****s about the correct 'manufacturer approved' harness being fitted to preserve the warranty so I stifled a sob and bought one of them at immense expense.
Now I should not be bad at this sort of job, after all my work used to involve training technicians, teaching them how to interpret instructions and drawings and even writing up complex electro/mechanical instruction sheets and manuals myself.
Some prat once said; 'one picture is worth a thousand words'... Not true; if all you have is a set of primitive sketches. I imagine the manufacturers were trying to avoid having to write instructions in the hundred or so forms of gibberish that the foreigners tend to speak, but even a few words would have helped.
I started with the heavy ironwork, laying on my back trying to manoeuvre
a half-hundredweight frame between the (lowered) exhaust system and the bendy rear bumper thingy, the bumper had to be bent outwards to an alarming extent in order to force the ironwork in and then the holes were almost impossible to line up without using a great deal of force. After an hour of struggling, sweating and swearing I got the thing in position and then crossed one of the threads. Then the swan-neck hitch would not fit without grinding quite a bit off the spacers.
Now for the electrics: With "Rino's bum textured" plastic mouldings you are never sure where they are fixed and it was traumatic having to remove so many on an almost new car and little popper things shot everywhere. A lot of thought and guesswork went in to interpreting the instruction sketches and eventually I completed the wiring with the exception of the replacement 'bleeper thingy', as there was nothing under the dashboard remotely resembling it.
I cannot help but think that if the manufacturers had known the Serbo-Croat, or Inuit word for 'bleeper thingy' they could have made things a lot easier by writing a few words of instruction.
Looked again at the prices I was quoted; dunno how they manage to do it so cheaply?
Don. |
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Uncle Joe Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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Pigtin, I'm going to try to console you by telling you how it is here when you have fitted a towbar. In other words, I'm trying to cheer you up!
Tomorrow you would have tried to get an appointment for our version of an MoT. That would take maybe 2 weeks to a month, depending on the size of your car. Technically, you would have been committing an offence DRIVING the vehicle before the test......
At the test, your would have failed.... (towbars never pass first time) but at least then you could use the car for 30 days..... by which time the 'repairs' would have to have been satisfactorily carried out, or the prohibition would automatically be in force again....
You have things so easy in the UK!
UJ |
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buzzy bee Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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Hi
Explain this to me, I am unable to tow a decent trailer with a car, untill I pass my trailer test, but I am aloud to tow silage trailers with a Tractor, with many tons of grass in the back!
I just don't understand the logic.
Granted the tractor won't go as fast as some other towing vehicles, but I could do alot more damage witha 8000 series john deere than any car at speed! Also with the tractor test you are aloud to drive tractors at 14, but have to wait untill you are 16 to ride a 30mph restricted 49cc moped/scooter!
Again, can anyone explain the logic?
Cheers
Dave |
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pigtin Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Logic; you expect logic from a government department? If logic prevailed all the ministers etc' would be sweeping the streets, cleaning toilets or, most likely, in jail.
The only man ever to enter parliament with honest intent was Guy Fawkes.
Sorry about the rant. Don. |
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Penman Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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Hi buzzy
As an instructor I can't explain the anomaly, though I would come from the angle of "Why on earth can you tow that weight behind your tractor without a further test?" now that they have brought in a trailer test.
I believe (Might be wrong on this as I am not an LGV instructor) you could drive a FastTrac on a motorway with a bloody great trailer on it, yet other people have to do Cat C and then Cat C+E.
I was in full agreement with bringing in the +E Cat for cars but there are some strange anomalies even round that.
The basic 750kg MAM limit seems logical as that is the cutoff above which brakes are required, but you can go over that provided that:
A) The Gross Train Weight is not more than 3500kg
or
B) The Gross trailer weight is less than the Kerbside weight of the towing vehicle.
There is a further anomaly in that a 3500 vehicle can still tow a 750 kg trailer even though the train weight is now 4250kg. |
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buzzy bee Guest
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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Hi
I think you can have a fastrac on the motorway, and like you say you can pull a wagon, it is classed as a haulage vehicle, and I have a feeling disc brakes has something to do with it. They can go mighty quick, I have only ever driven a fastrac a few times, but I found them to be quite quick and hairy to attach up to stuff, as you can't see the linkage through the back window, all you can see is a demount spot.
This is besides the point but they also drift around corners very well, off road I hasten to add!
Cheers
Dave |
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