Old timer told me my buffer weights were way off on a mod in Cleveland

Had this 30 year guy from Otis watch me do a full modernization last month. After I finished the test runs he pulled me aside and said my buffer weights were all wrong for the counterweight ratio. I argued back at first but he showed me the math right there on the job site. Redid the whole setup and the car rode way smoother. Has anyone else had a senior mechanic call them out on something they thought they had right?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryantorres1mo ago

That exact thing happened to me on a job in Toronto. I was dead sure my numbers were perfect until this 50 year TKE guy walked me through the buffer stroke calculations on a napkin. Rewired everything after he left and the difference in the ride quality made me feel like an idiot for not asking sooner.

joel_martinez1mo ago

Man that napkin math is a whole other kind of humbling, right? It's like when you're cooking dinner and you've been using a certain spice for years, then someone shows you you've been measuring it wrong the whole time and suddenly your chili actually tastes like chili. I've seen it in my own life with stuff like fixing a leaky faucet - YouTube tutorials make it look simple until some old plumber uncle comes over and shows you the actual trick with the washer placement that nobody mentions. It's wild how many shortcuts we convince ourselves are correct just because nobody tells us otherwise. That's why I always try to ask the crusty old guys at the hardware store for their weird tips now, even if it feels embarrassing. You end up saving yourself a bunch of stupid mistakes later.

carr.lee1mo ago

Wait, wait... Otis guy? The old timer was from Otis and he gave you the buffer weight math on a napkin @ryantorres? I literally had a 40 year Schindler guy do the same thing to me last month with my buffer travel stops, and I thought I was going crazy until he drew it all out with a dry erase marker on the job site window. That feeling when someone shows you clear math that completely flips what you thought was right is brutal, man. I felt like I'd been doing it wrong for years even though my old setups technically passed inspection. The ride quality difference is honestly embarrassing when you realize how much smoother it could have been the whole time. That's the kind of stuff you never forget though.

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