OldIHC

I applaud your decision and knowing "its time". My wife and I aren't there yet, you are a little farther down the road than we are. We still enjoy getting out when we can. I can relate to the growing traffic, we often remark to each other how we know we are close to home as the idiocy increases the closer we get. Our '06 Kawasaki 2K Vulcan has treated us well, no problems. Congrats on nearly 6 decades of keeping the shiny side up !

Getting old sux's! This am I started with the rear diff in pieces, Assembled the spider gears, bolted the case halves together and got the assembly in the center section, set the backlash and tooth contact and got the whole pig in the hole. Put the axles in, hung the driveshaft and filled with oil.
I called my customer and told him I could be there tomorrow. They said "get here early 'cause were only working 1/2 day". So after all the hard work I knew I couldn't get up early enough to make it, so got cleaned up and left today. Its a toss up if I sleep sound or be up all night from the aches and pains.
Big Truck diffs, aren't very different than the lighter trucks and cars, but everything is heavier and the torque values on fasteners is much higher.
Even with my K-7 doing the heavy lifting, I am sore!

Geez CB , I was going to comment on that very same thing when I read your post the other day, but I didn't get around to it. Workin on a pick up is one thing, but big trucks, you're right, it sucks. Mounting tires, climbing up the frame rails to get to the motor, the shear size and weight of everything. It was never easy but the older we get, whew! Glad I don't have to do it as much anymore, I feel your pain.

Put 500 miles on the diff, quiet and runs cool, so I think I did good. Like many things that go bad slowly, you don't notice any of the noise, slop etc until you remove them, then you wonder why you didn't notice the signs of it wearing? I'll run it for while then dump the oil and re fill with fresh, then call it done.

I like short runs like that, last one was 1100 miles, and did not pay near enough for the hassle and being soaked for 9 hours.

Well, That was just going and picking up the load and coming back to the house, Sunday I take off for SLC and that is 1000 miles, then I don't know what.

You have a safe trip! Watch the Snow in the passes. Salt Lake is about a 4.5-5 hr drive from my home. Got relatives there. Ever get out by Boise ID, let me Know, I will buy you a cup.

Most times when I leave SLC, I either head back east or due north up 15 to MT, but if I do get out your way I will give you a shout.
Already visited a old truck guy from the ATHS in Meridian. I think he my have been on this site briefly many moons ago.

When my Dad came of age, most all jobs included health care and a pension, either by the employer or a union. By the time I entered the workforce that was still true to some extent, but the health care wasn't as good and most pension plans didn't survive the multiple changes in ownership of the companies I worked for.
By the mid 80's pension plans were totally gone replaced with 401k's where much more of the burden is placed on the employee, and health coverage changed from group insurance plans from places like Blue Cross to "self insurance" plans that fall outside the jurisdiction of state insurance regulators.
People who have spent 30,40 or more years in government where health and pension is assured, have no idea the divide that occurred between upper management's benefits and those, if provided at all, to hourly workers.
Unless the people who make the decisions have to live by these same choices we haven't a chance.

Sir, you and I are in complete agreement! The folks in Government, no matter the position should have to live under all laws that they create. Now, I will say, that for our elected officials, WHILE they are there, should be well taken care of for Health reasons, but should NOT have special things that no one else is able to get. Once they are Out, Then they again live under the SAME retirement and Health as everyone else. They should NEVER be able to start government and become Multimillionaires. They should only be able to serve for a set period of time.