As most of you know, Doug is an excellent backyard mechanic and does so much pre-long-trek maintenance. For weeks, he checks everything and then checks it all again. Sometimes, however, things just go wrong.
After Kamloops, we smelled brakes. Kamloops is full of long steep hills, nothing unusual. About an hour later, Doug noticed something fly off the lead trailer tire. More brake smell and then it seemed like the brake was stuck on hard. We pulled over.
Long and short of the story, in layman's terms, the grease seal that holds the grease for the bearing had completely blown out. The bearing was "fried".
About supper time Good Samaritan #2, the parts place manager, comes to check on our progress.
After a sleepless night, Samaritan #1 comes to pick Doug up. Wrong parts! He will order the right to be picked up on Salmon Arm in a few hours.
At this point Doug has decided that if one seal has failed, he is not taking any chances, he will replace them all. So that he can keep on working, I drive the 30 k to Salmon Arm, armed with a picture of the right part. Back I go, right part, but the mounting pieces are not included. Back to Salmon Arm, get the mounting pieces, A-okay but the washer is wrong. Back to Sorrento for right washer. Oops, we need two. By 4:30, a very exhausted Doug declares it is done. All is fixed.
We made Salmon Arm, dirty, tired and hungry. Over-nighted in the parking lot of the shopping mall Doug's brother owned until last year. Much much quieter.
This is a picture of the proximity of the "home" Doug's mother is in and our rig. The window you see in the upper corner is her room.
but not much sense. Then she had an episode. We thought we had lost her and that's what she wants, but she came around. Doug will visit later today.
Tomorrow, we are off again. Next is Cranbrook, BC before we leave the province.
5 comments:
You made me dizzy just reading about it.
We are going back and forth and back and forth but it's for fun stuff. I think Doug made the right decision to fix them all. And I'm so glad you are safe.
Glad you are safe. Am still amazed at what all Doug can fix. Wish he was here to find my fuse. :)
Oh dear. So very sorry you had so much trouble but so thrilled that there were so many people who were willing to help out.
Paul would have done exactly what Doug did. Get it all done at one time. No use taking chances.
Better to be safe than sorry. It was probably a good idea to make sure this doesn't happen again but in a different place.
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