Quote Originally Posted by Ledo View Post
Oh man that pains me just to consider that. Besides I don't have a jack handle for my bottle jack.
I will admit I would rather eat bees than horse 142 pound tires around. But the advantages of doing them myself outweigh the effort. First, I ain't getting any younger and it is so easy to justify sitting on my butt watching others work so I lie to myself and convince myself there are benefits doing this kind of work. First, it is an ideal opportunity to really get a close look at stuff not usual visible with the wheels and tires in place. The bus is supported on stands and I can pull all the wheels and go ever everything slowly. I need the time to sit on my butt so this is as good an excuse as any. I look for hub seal leaks, cracked discs or drums, check hoses, and maybe even take on some other work as long as the wheels are off. I am due for drive axle shocks so that may be on the agenda.

After I break down the tires and wheels there is no better time to give the wheel a good going over with my buffer. This is especially true of the drive wheels whcih are a pain to buff and polish when the hub is sticking through them on the bus.

When I mount the tires I get a chance to mount them so the date code is actually visible. Little stuff like that makes me happy. Finaly when I mount the wheels back on the bus I am pretty sure I will be more concerned about the torque than the tire guys who normally crank up the PSI and drive the nuts home with the 1" impact wrench. Finishing the job provides me with an excuse to treat myself to an adult beverage.