Has anyone had a lorry transported? Is it hi - NOW BODGE 50 HORSEBO11OX THREAD (Now with added turtles)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

yeah thats interesting, I hadn't spotted that. I did have a look at the parts catalogues and the 5.6 tonners appear to have a 3-leaf spring but they do have a unique part number so its possible that it should have more leafs. I think I will take some soundings on the Dodge 50 FB page

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Well I have just had a quite a long convo with Owen Jones who to be fair to them seem interested in getting to the bottom of it at least. I am gonna take the springs off (again) and whizz em back up to Rotherham where they will put them on their test rig and work out the spring rate. When we know what that is, we will see what's the best way to get to a situation of 2-3" camber remaining with the truck sat on its wheels, i.e with something like 950kg load on each spring. I hope they don't say 'yeah we will just do you an extra leaf each side, that'll be another £200 please' but I'll cross that bridge when i come to it I guess!!!!!

[Mr Laurence]

@Mr_Bo11ox how long did it take for your plates to arrive? I ordered a set from the same guy on the 25th, but I haven’t heard from him at all since sending the payment over. I know these sorts of things take a long time, and I really don’t want to come across as an impatient dick, but I’m starting to wonder what’s happening with them.

 

Also, any turtle/horsebollox updates?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yo @Mr Laurence, Yeah sounds like a problem there. I paid him on the saturday night, on about Wednesday he sent me some screenshots off his computer of what the design looked like, I OK'd it and the plates arrived on the Friday so a pretty rapid turnaround really. He genuinely seemed like a super sound feller and not a scammer so hopefully it will work out. I've just checked my plates to see if there is any phone number or owt in with the paperwork, but theres nothing. I would say just keep messaging him or reply to a post next time he posts something on FB.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just noticed he's got a phone number on his page actually,

07447 138052

 

Have you tried that?

[DSdriver]

In my alcoholic stupor, fucked springs on a horsebox make me think it has been carrying too many fat bastard shire horses and not enough Shetland ponies.

[Mr Laurence]

1 hour ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

Yo @Mr Laurence, Yeah sounds like a problem there. I paid him on the saturday night, on about Wednesday he sent me some screenshots off his computer of what the design looked like, I OK'd it and the plates arrived on the Friday so a pretty rapid turnaround really. He genuinely seemed like a super sound feller and not a scammer so hopefully it will work out. I've just checked my plates to see if there is any phone number or owt in with the paperwork, but theres nothing. I would say just keep messaging him or reply to a post next time he posts something on FB.

Thank you! You got your plates so I’m sure he’s genuine, I’ll send a message and see if I get anywhere. I sent the payment as goods and services, so worst case I can at least try to get my money back. I know it doesn’t sound a fortune, but £40 is a lot  for me to just lose at the moment

[Mr_Bo11ox]

No other news on the horsebox just now though, I've got the springs back off and theyre up at Owen Jones' gaff for testing and 'rework', which is taking absolutely freakin ages, for some reason I am having to repeatedly explain to them in great detail how to test the bastards. I'm dealing with some lass on the phone who seems well-meaning but fairly clueless, I asked her if they could do a load-deflection curve but she had no idea what I was talking about. Le sigh.......

[FM155]

Finally made it on here to see how your Dodge is getting on.

Good to see this progressing, bloody fantastic work on the bulkhead! You definitely made good use of Lockdown 1.0.

Pity about the springs though, pretty sure the airbag idea is the best way forward, saw a local chap here recently doing a 'restomod' build of a 1953 GMC truck complete with 6BT Cummins and mid 90's DAF axles and airbags. 

Cheers, Fergus 👍

[Mr_Bo11ox]

hey Fergus!!!! Nice to see you on here!

Yeah I have lost 2 flippin months fannying about with these springs now. I am about to go and pick them back up having achieved precisely zero with them, I still have a pair of saggy unsatisfactory springs, but am £400 lighter and 2 months nearer to death. I just can't face wrangling with Owen Springs any more, they are really the worst company i have ever had to deal with!!!

[cort1977]

That's shit Bol, sorry to hear that.

I would agree about the airbags, they are quite commonly fitted to heavy duty pick up trucks in the states for towing 5th wheel trailers.  Might even be worth having a look on Rockauto or similar for a kit?

[Ian_Fearn]

I fitted some US sourced Firestone bags to the back of my mk1 Caddy a few years back. Pretty straightforward to do and really effective. Was significantly less than the cost of custom leafs.

[Angrydicky]

If it helps I've just had a set sorted by Jones Springs in Birmingham. They replaced 3 leaves and retempered the lot. Cost circa £75 per spring but to be fair they are much smaller being car springs. I estimated they had sagged by 2" and they've now got a good curve to them. 

They were quite slow. I waited four weeks before chasing them and was told they'd be done early next week, chased them the end of that week and was told Monday. This went on for yet another week and when the bloke told me they'd be done next week I told him "you've been telling me that for the last three weeks" which seemed to shame them into doing them. Also, the replacement leaves were a few mm wider than the originals so I had to grind down the new leaves where the U bolts go as they just wouldn't line up with the holes in the axle. Oh, and the new bush "eyelets" they made I asked on my covering letter for 11/16" and 1" and although they got the 1" ends correct, the other end they made 3/4" meaning the bushes slopped around in the holes. Had to faff around sleeving them at work. The new U bolts they made or had made for me were great though.

Not amazing either but they do a lot of commercial springs so probably know what they're talking about with your Dodge ones.

 

[SiC]

55 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

I fitted some US sourced Firestone bags to the back of my mk1 Caddy a few years back. Pretty straightforward to do and really effective. Was significantly less than the cost of custom leafs.

As a sidenote, I wonder if some of them would fit in place of a hydrolastic/hydrogas displacer?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I wish I had just fitted some air bags now but things have gone too far for that!!!

So I got OS to make me these new springs. Cost £400 (original estimate £300, job scope never changed but price went up £100 for some reason)

1. They made the springs, I brought em back and fitted em, they were just as saggy as the old ones!!!!
2. Asked OS what the spring rate was, they had no idea as they had never tested them.
3. Asked OS what the rate was meant to be, again they had no idea as that inexplicably the fucking spring rate 'is not given in their spec'.
4. Arranged to take them back for testing. Gave a specific instruction to test at 950 and 1800kg and tell me the deflection.
5. After a long wait, springs tested at 2750kg, potentially hugely overloading the spring
6. Had a long argument about how the rate of the springs changes depending on how heavily loaded they are hence this test is meaningless.
7. Complain to the MD that I having the piss taken out of me.
8. Eventually won the 'rate' argument and they tested them properly after another week-long wait
9. Looking at the graph I suggested  myself (absolutely zero constructive input or comment from their side of course) the rate was actually OK and the springs would be alright with an extra 2" of camber, and would they do that. (During all this, I realised that they had measured the camber of the old springs (3.75") and inexplicably made the new springs with less camber than the fucking worn out old ones, at 3.5". Their spec is seemingly 4", but 3.5" is still supposedly 'within spec'. Fuck off man.)
10. After another long wait they said they would recamber them, for only £180!!! I said GTF, I was up for making a contribution but that was a piss take.
11. Another week of waiting and they said they would do it for £140
12. No thanks, I can't take any more, i'm coming to take them away. Just got back from collecting them now.

 

[Tickman]

What a shit show.

 

[meshking]

Fuck, what a load of shit. Sorry to hear this - hopefully you can put this crap behind you and solve it. Really enjoying this thread and in awe of the work ongoing.

[Dick Longbridge]

I'd be making a claim against them. The springs are completely unfit for purpose and they haven't given you  the product you paid for. 

Alternatively, could you build a ballista and using the spring to create some inertia, launch some rocks through their shop window? Just a thought. 

[puddlethumper]

That's really bad. Hope you gave them a right Bolloxing at least. I've been following this thread and really rate what you are doing. Top Bollox in my book.

[dozeydustman]

They sound like a right bunch.

[Isaac Hunt]

How did you pay  Bol, if it was by credit card, just raise a dispute with the card company, provide them the details and let them put the zebeddies through their dispute process.

Poor  show is all of this.

[jonathan_dyane]

Bad times

Could you write in to You and Yours on Radio 4? I’d love to hear a segment on the purveyors of dodgy leaf springs.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

16 minutes ago, Isaac Hunt said:

How did you pay  Bol, if it was by credit card, just raise a dispute with the card company, provide them the details and let them put the zebeddies through their dispute process.

Poor  show is all of this.

Damn right Isaac, that is my plan as i did indeed pay by credit card

[twosmoke300]

3 hours ago, Angrydicky said:

If it helps I've just had a set sorted by Jones Springs in Birmingham. They replaced 3 leaves and retempered the lot. Cost circa £75 per spring but to be fair they are much smaller being car springs. I estimated they had sagged by 2" and they've now got a good curve to them. 

They were quite slow. I waited four weeks before chasing them and was told they'd be done early next week, chased them the end of that week and was told Monday. This went on for yet another week and when the bloke told me they'd be done next week I told him "you've been telling me that for the last three weeks" which seemed to shame them into doing them. Also, the replacement leaves were a few mm wider than the originals so I had to grind down the new leaves where the U bolts go as they just wouldn't line up with the holes in the axle. Oh, and the new bush "eyelets" they made I asked on my covering letter for 11/16" and 1" and although they got the 1" ends correct, the other end they made 3/4" meaning the bushes slopped around in the holes. Had to faff around sleeving them at work. The new U bolts they made or had made for me were great though.

Not amazing either but they do a lot of commercial springs so probably know what they're talking about with your Dodge ones.

 

“Two minutes Turkish “

[Angrydicky]

9 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

“Two minutes Turkish “

Que?

[rusty998]

12 hours ago, SiC said:

As a sidenote, I wonder if some of them would fit in place of a hydrolastic/hydrogas displacer?

That is a interesting idea 

[twosmoke300]

53 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

Que?

 

[SmokinWaffle]

10 hours ago, Nyphur said:

That sounds like a fucking shit show of an operation.

Owen Jones are shit you say? Owen Jones scam customers? Poor service Owen Jones?

Owen Jones review. Owen Jones bumbaclot battyman rip-off merchant shite-hawks

Genuine chuckle.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

13 hours ago, SiC said:

As a sidenote, I wonder if some of them would fit in place of a hydrolastic/hydrogas displacer?

They probably could be made to fit in place of a hydro displacer, but they dont provide any damping at all, so you'd then need to sort out some external shock absorbers, which even if you do fairly well will leave you with something probably 40% as good the original set up

[Zelandeth]

That's a ridiculous performance you've been through...If it were me, I'd absolutely make sure that you leave a suitably toned review on Google to help make sure less folks are subject to such idiocy.

Bit like when I had some work done on my van by the mob who maintain about half the buses and ambulances in my home town and I got it back with a massively overfilled brake fluid reservoir (it was pouring over the bulkhead), a handbrake which barely worked (most of the £600 odd they charged was to overhaul the rear brakes) and finger tight wheel nuts.  They were given ample opportunity to make things good but after the only thing I got was a verbal "all I can do is apologise" on Google went the review and I vowed to never darken their door again.

Air bags are never really going to be a good solution for a small, light vehicle.  They can work well on bigger stuff like buses and trucks, but with appropriately stiff dampers (to account for the very non-linear rebound characteristics especially around centre) you would likely end up with a very jittery ride in something as light as a car.  At least that's what I was told when having a conversation about this very topic with a PSV mechanic a few years ago.