HiSpec tanker gets cracked chassis repaired

In this video I repair the chassis on a HiSpec slurry tanker.
The chassis had cracked on both sides where the spring hangers had been welded on, a bit of a poor design and the fact the bar from one side to the other had broken out resulted in there being too much flex.
I gouged out the crack with the plasma and grinder then welded back up. To add extra strength into the area and transfer the load further up into the chassis I cnc plasma cut some plates out, pressed them to shape then weld over the affect area. Gussets from the spring hangers onto the new plates were then welded in. The ends of the old broken tube were cut out and a new replacement tube was welded in.
The same process was then repeated at the back due to cracks starting to emerge there also.
Last job was to weld up a crack that had starter on the end of the tanker where the boom folded up into. This was also plasma gouged out and rewelded with an extra gusset added in.
Hope you enjoy the video.
Thanks for watching.

[@stugreenhalgh6285]

I used to live near a pig farm about 40 years ago. The smell is so ingrained I can literally smell that tank through my tv.

[@gerardcallan5655]

As a truck driver I delivered lots of Hi Spec tankers to dealerships in the UK back in the 80s and 90s. Am hoping someone from the manufacturer is watching this. Great job.

[@bobhudson6659]

Agreed. Manufacturer should give Ollie something for the repairs that keep their eqpt working. Manufacturer has a lot more engineers than a one man show at Snowball and Ollie has shown them how it should have been manufactured. This field repair only enhances the manufacturer's reputation in the real world. That has to worth heaps to them and they should at least acknowledge Ollie. On paper is one thing. Monetarily is another. We'll see how "big" they are. But I would not hold my breath.

[@josephcooksley3219]

Yes Hi Spec built a price .... operator error as well ... generally cheaper than other equipement to do same work ... not first or the last to be repaired ...

[@graemewhite5029]

Or they might just quote the same line as Titanic's Belfast shipyard, "It was fine when it left here !" ?

[@aserta]

I can predict based on the thinness of the material and poor quality of weld, that they wouldn't care about this. CEOs aren't in on it for the growth of the business and the satisfaction of their clients. They're in on it to make fat stacks so they can hang out with other oligarchs on their equally (irony in that) cheaply made (but expensive) yachts that they have to change every few years because they break just as fast as these machines do. Garbage in, garbage out, in short. It's gotten to the point where my brother (a farmer) has genuinely put the question to me (an architect, who does his repairs every season end, because he's rubbish at mechanical stuff, and he knows it) if i could transfer all the guts and glory from a newly bought tractor, unto a frame that he would have custom made to be properly built. If you'd tell me i'd be (also) genuinely considering this 23 years ago, when we agreed on this (i got away from the family business, he got saddled with it all on the account that i would help him) i would've laughed in your face. It's ridiculous that either of us even thought this in the first place, let alone consider it. You cannot even buy new stuff anymore, because it's even worse than eastern made products. K@rcher, allegedly made in Europe (with some stuff outside), is garbage. Literal garbage you pick off the shelf and throw in the bin. Alfred would've been ashamed of what his children did with the brand.

[@ShainAndrews]

What does your alleged job have to do with anything?

[@derekcomer4858]

I’m impressed that the owner spotted the cracks so early, could have been disastrous if they were left long term. Another top notch repair, wish I lived nearer so I could bring my jobs to you.

[@fowletm1992]

They prob know what happened to the original tube, prob hit something

[@daleolson3506]

99.999 percent of people are normal. We have.00001 percent dictating the rest? Freaks go back into the closet.

[@ianmckay1780]

@@fowletm1992 That was my thought, knowing what usually happens to them!

[@snowballengineering]

They’re pretty good at looking after their gear. The tube missing isn’t something easy to notice unless you already know it should be there.

[@WhiskeyGulf71]

It’s crazy these days with so many ‘Fast’ tractors available, that the road trailers don’t need inspections, but then the tractors don’t get inspected either. The geometry was clearly a miss on this tanker, I would bet that if it had to stop hard on a wet road from 40mph, it would jackknife.

[@harkbelial]

This should have been recalled by the manufacturer and repaired by them. You can't have 4 year old equipment break like that. Great job at repairing factory cockup

[@stephenkelly2067]

Hi spec are complete rubbish like this though heavy enough not near enough support in numerous places where needed

[@robinparkes988]

Yet another job where you not only do you do a brilliant repair, but leave the vehicle structurally more sound than when it left the factory. Well done again Oliver. Thanks for posting the video. Best wishes from Rutland

[@VladimirAmis-tf1mu]

Привет "Профессор" За месяц я пересмотрел все твои ролики ты ас ремонтник. Мне нравится твое уважения к Бати , твой колхозный подход и качественный ремонт с русским запасом прочности и гениальном решением. А кому не нравится твой прикид -забей , главное чтоб тебе было практично и удобна в любой одежде.

[@AW-Services]

Another brilliant Sunday video & repair Olly. These poor vegans will starve if they see this. Pig poo on food OMG. For the rest of us who support farming and agriculture, we appreciate what you all do

[@andywindy]

Let's hope they don't rely on their vegetables being harvested or delivered by diesel powered Adblue engines, either!

[@gbentley8176]

Sign of the times, when most kit is built down to a price and not up to a rugged spec required by agricultural use. Superb job and great to see the Major in action. Thank you for posting.

[@Elmo-ri9ko]

Manufacturers will build whatever you want. Problem is when farmers buy the cheapest…….instead of the best.

[@snowballengineering]

The HiSpec is £40k cheaper than some of the other big names. That takes some justifying to spend that much extra

[@beakittelscherz5419]

What I like about your work is that you notjust repair to spec and give it back. You sort every job out in a way to improve the structure and comunicate the how and why in the Video. This shit is GOLD! Thanks Mate🤓👍

[@BruceBoschek]

I could not help but notice how the cows approved of your gorgeous welds. There have been so many comments about the failures of that tanker I won't mention it, but your repairs were excellent, as always. Thanks for another wonderful video I appreciate the way you walk us through your thinking. Hope you are having a pleasant and peaceful Sunday.

[@wallbawden5511]

i don't think anyone could call any of your jobs a repair anything short of a proper job you would not do there always over engendered use steel way over sized for the job needed and professionally welded every time you young man are a credit to yourself and your trade even the job you did for your Dad on the farm trailer was 100 percent professional job using your skills to there best i tell all that in your area those farmers have got one heck of a professional engineer fabricator welder for sure only thing is i hope you charge them for your skill set as you deserve it for sure Cheers

[@jasonhovey815]

Good thing you’re a little guy Oliver that didn’t look to fun. Another manufacturer design flaw corrected great job.

[@philhermetic]

It looked like it should have been built like that in the first place! One can only imagine the forces on the spring hangers when using the axle steering to turn a full load into a tight gateway, and hitting a pothole or two!! We have near identical fordsons! Mine is a major with the square rops and the wide reinforced(jcb?) rear wheels too! Nomex used to be the name of choice for fireproof overalls. Another brilliant watch! Phil

[@nighttrain1450]

Taking of fireproof overalls. I was doing a welding job in a food factory and the manager wanted me to put on those food safe tyvek paper overalls. It was a very short conversation. Roman candle anyone??🤯 Love the Channel.

[@Colin56ish]

That's hilarious. Poof.

[@davidegan4124]

Good morning Mr Snowball!!! What a great start to Father’s Day!!! Kids still asleep and another video for me!! Thanks buddy!!! 😂🎉

[@boikebeagle]

You are real craftsman’s Ollie. I see you had the ‘apprentice’ finish painting the trailer😉 well done mate, another great video

[@paulhammond7489]

Lovely job Olly, not just a repair, that was an upgrade... As you said a big fella would have found it near impossible to do that rear axle. If you'd been forced to use the same cross-tube wall thickness (like the one that had failed). I'd have considered capping the outside ends (to keep out rain and other contaminants) As there appeared to be a degree of thinning by rust inside those sections you had to gouge out. That thinning probably added to the susceptibility for sheering with the forces applied by the rear wheel steering with a full load. Another great episode, thanks for sharing :)

[@davetaylor4741]

Nice, interesting little job. That plasma table earns its keep every week and helps make for a very professional job.

[@englishbruins8405]

That 390 made it look like Clarkson's Farm in reverse. Good advert for just about any other make of tanker as well.

[@allanfisher8248]

I like it how you talk us through the project Ollie, great work as always. 👌👌

[@782sirbrian]

A top quality repair to a poorly designed tanker. The design and materials used originally down to the cheapest, thinnest, possible. I smiled when you said finish with a coat of Red Oxide ! that's your catch phrase. Thanks for sharing the repair on this tanker. Brian from South Yorkshire.

[@robinbarden1326]

Your a fantastic problem solver and your standard of work is 100%. You always go above and beyond. Well done Oliver 👍🏻

[@TheGrimReaper1]

That plate you put on looks really nice. Top drawer.

[@jacobpace4716]

Hey Oliver top job as always! You would think the manufacturer would have put a 12mm plate on the underside of the chassis flush with both sides then weld the spring hangers onto that, It would avoid a lot of repair work. But hey these jobs are what keeps a Lad employed. Cheers for the content

[@glentyan2505]

A brilliant repair and better than new as widely suggested. It did cross my mind that perhaps this tanker was on a regular rally cross on the way to and from the fields with bar bent a broken from speed over rough terrain, just a thought.

[@melbice9906]

So refreshing to see great quality engineering content. It's so impressive to see your problem solving process and fabrication skill, very inspiring. 🇭🇲

[@joemcgarry6915]

Great well thought out difficult job. It's good to see your ability to get problems resolved. Keep your great videos coming.

[@aeros4me]

Nice work Ollie! Loads better than the original ;) A pleasure to watch you in action! Cheers Ray

[@ianmckay1780]

Oliver Snowball does it one more time. This was a journey into how not to make a slurry tanker to last more than 5 yrs. Oliver's refreshment of the original design, has improved the life expectancy of this tanker to at least 10 yrs . When you were stuck into some of those places, I would never have got into, not even close! You are the perfect size to get into most of todays machinery, where they try to get as much into small packages for as much as they can. Then they find that cutting corners, doesn't work if you have to repair something that is probably hidden under or behind something else. Love your work Ollie, you never fail to improve whatever you work on. Thanks for what you do,

[@johnbewick6357]

Lovely job there Ollie. Only thing I would have prefered to see would have been a triangulated cross bracing for more rigidity. Having just a single bar is making a parallelogram which is not so rigid. Probably why the original one broke out.

[@pbysome]

Bang on.

[@lrdisco2005]

I remember those wee MF tractors were everywhere. Most are stuck behind barns rusting away. Great to see one still working away.

[@mikebarton3218]

Yet again, Mr. Snowball corrects the design engineers’ shortcomings. Well done sir! Chicken casserole, dumplings and roast potatoes with a side order of Snowball Engineering. Fabulous lunch. Let me know when you are ready for more Anchorlube. You ought to use it for drilling and reaming - I dread to think how much that 2 inch reamer you used a couple of weeks ago cost but AL will greatly extend its life. Thanks for sharing your excellent video Oliver. All the best. Mike, the UK Anchorlube man.

[@texxasal]

This job certainly qualifies as better than new.

[@Tafs315]

I like how you think and am so glad that I have seen your channel and your work. I made many comments here. Tell the people that this is going to spend the rest of its life on the farm 90% will be working. If the farmer who owns this wants to get the correct paint he could. The red oxide is a great primer and will last a long time. I do like how you made sure it wouldn't fail totally and tried to make it look factory. This is what makes you different from a just-fix-it person you take pride in your craftsmanship. Keep up the great work!!!!

[@angusshapland2273]

Worth giving the owner a reminder to check the wheel nuts after a bit of use.

[@richarddey6793]

Smashing it again Oliver, love your approach to solving problems always a good watch,

[@jasonkary8431]

Oliver. Anything you do looks like it came from the factory! You’re a master!

[@Mishn0]

US Air Force flight suits are made of Nomex so they're basically fire-proof coveralls. Maybe you could find surplus RAF flight suits? Or racing coveralls? They might be fire resistant too.

[@Icebuntrucker]

Another master class Oliver , Its when doing jobs like this your glad its not A thousand degrees outside . Build quality is crap for something only a few years old

[@Diederik240]

Another difficult professional job and even an upgrade completed. Beautiful content video. Thank you

[@w270rab]

Excellent repair/upgrade & the shots of the tractors are a bonus; @42:26 Fordson diesel Major, I had one like that back in the early 80s, @42:51 Austin Gipsy & that Massey-Ferguson 390 looks brand new.

[@stuartmorris4694]

You need 100% cotton no polyester. I wear Port West jackets and cotton denim jeans. A very nice job Oliver.😊

[@darrylwagar4144]

Nice repair on a difficult area to access. Too bad you couldn't flip it over like the flat bed 😂. Your getting awesome in designing parts on the kutvar . great video, cheers.

[@joannepeterson2631]

You need to include your dad more in the videos we need to hear his words of wisdom im sure he has had a huge influence in your life dads are awesome

[@RGSABloke]

Another awesome job Oliver. Regarding strength, Camarata got adverse comments about the strength of the welding on his roof, he welded a couple of plates together with 25mm weld then proceeded to pick up massive ‘H’ beams then finally the front of his dumper truck/lorry.

[@Trains022]

Another well done repair, better than new. I'm sure the coat of 'snowball red' will be just fine 😀

[@mattt7970]

Another great piece of work. Always a pleasure to watch a craftsman at work

[@theessexhunter1305]

Cracking repair (pardon the pun) I could not get under there these days well for a short while. Very nice fix well done

[@beakittelscherz5419]

SNOWBALL - CRACKING REPAIR Ain't that a Slogan! lol. good one for a Logo as well😁

[@Deebo1812]

Great work as usual! Another vote for Portwest FR coveralls here!

[@jimallen9442]

HiSpec, with a name like that you would think it would last more than 4 years.

[@joevalencic5275]

It’s possible the company name was chosen because of its marketing appeal. It’s obviously not because of the quality. Having spent decades as a machinery designer, I was often told to "value engineer" a job so it could be sold at a more at a price point more favorable to the company…not necessarily the customer/end user. Failures just meant the ability to sell repair components. The failures were always "operator error," not quality issues. Very sad how bean counters run companies, not craftsmen.

[@GrahamWP58]

Great work Ollie, a job well done as always. The manafacturer needs to strenghthen up the area which is prone to cracking if they are offering a repair kit.

[@fowletm1992]

I'm a farmer but australian, no slurry tankers here, I knew what they were but never knew they worked off air, very intresting

[@theoldbigmoose]

You are an absolute wizard with the CNC table and the press brake. I have watched so many of your reinforcements fit perfectly... the mounts on the pulling tractor were a joy to behold a while ago. You inspire us all to do better in our work Oliver!

[@robertevans9456]

Put your inductance on about 70% this will control spatter but also give you a hotter arc as there is more arc time to short circuiting time, very useful when vertical and overhead welding with solid wire.

[@daveA2024]

Another great job Oliver, again you have made the extra effort to do the best job possible for your customer.

[@Ivc406]

Hi Oliver once again you have taken this repair to another level,the finish on this trailer is very disappointing for the price of these i bet there not cheap,the gusset was a touch of pure genius i am retired shipbuilder and would have loved to have worked with the likes of you,for someone so young you have a great understanding for fabrication and repair work,have you ever thought of bringing on a apprentice to pass on You're skill and knowledge, as the farming community realy needs guys like you,, regards as always take. care 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🚜⚙️📹 😂

[@ShainAndrews]

Tankers always get tore up. A lot of weight. Fields induce a lot of stress. Operators turning sharp when loaded. The list goes on. Solid repair. See what the next weak point is in a couple/three years.

[@BrucePierson]

Your repair once again adds much more strength than how it was originally. It seems that you know more about how strong something should be than some designers. You must have lost count of how many repairs you've done over time that needed doing because the original design was not strong enough and broke.

[@williamthomas9463]

It’s partly due to the fact that he actually operates most of this equipment if only occasionally and understands what stresses it endures. That operating experience has truly helped me in my business over the years.

[@alandawson2813]

Yes another Oliver installment, Awesome job and keep up the great work

[@oldschool1993]

Old trick I learned when I had a logging truck. Jack your wheel up and slide a piece of steel under the tire, grease or oil the steel and then let the wheel back down until it just touches the steel. Your tire will slide right off with no lifting and when you put it back it will slide right in with studs aligned.

[@garysizer2268]

As usual oliver ,far better than the original

[@duggyblu]

You do very professional work. I enjoy watching your videos. Cheers Doug. QUEENSLAND Australia.

[@michaelpage7691]

The manufacturers are trying to skimp on construction to keep costs down, it looks like. Pay big money for crap quality. Great explanation of why you do each step. Great job on the unit. 👏👏🇦🇺😁

[@alexannal]

Great video, as always. One thing I was thinking I wondered if the tanker got stuck in the mud and that broke the bar between the axle. Or someone was pulling on it, and that's why it starts to crack. If they had just fixed that first it all been OK. So welding in a big box section, maybe stiffened it all up. Thanks for the entertainment

[@kenwood8665]

Your fabrication skills are off the chart.

[@troubleis5271]

very nice work Oliver, thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[@boogiewoogiebubbleboy2877]

Great work, Oliver. It's very satisfying to watch. Good luck at the tractor pulling competition. See you next time.😁👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚒️

[@StanMourning]

You're one of the best fabricators I have seen. Keep up the good work and the videos. Thanks.

[@ChrisDevismes]

Up to your usual high standards, Snowball Engineering. If only manufacturers took consultancy from them what know.. but then you'd have now't to fix 😃Great well executed vid too. Certainly made my Sunday.

[@welshfarmer]

Nice job again, my least favourite welding jobs are under chassis, always trying to get your head in the right position and having to weld out of the corner of your eye but those welds are something to be proud of in those conditions. That 390 is mint as well.

[@alshore6168]

Cracking video as always Ollie, hope someone from Hispec is watching and takes on board your improvements, could prevent a nasty accident or at least an expensive failure. 👍

[@user-iv2uc8nf8y]

another first class repair job keep up olly

[@spencermcginty9812]

The one thing that I always found interesting is how quiet you are when you work on stuff and maybe that’s just for video purposes. Me on the other hand I’m making all kinds of racket, singing, tough talking stuff that won’t fit together and asking if you can hold that for me when there’s nobody there😂 always enjoy and look forward to your videos.

[@walterrobbins4470]

That CAD program was nice for designing the reinforcement plates

[@hemibreath]

Ooh - to be young and flexible ! I have done the similar repairs to “on highway” trailers. Very similar suspension. Most things have air ride now ! Very nice repair 👨‍🔧 Slurry 😆 Pig-Sh*t 😮 Good thing we don’t have smell-o-vision

[@aeros4me]

Hi Ollie. For fireproof overalls have a look at RAF surplus Nomex flying suits and RAF surplus soft leather flying gloves. All available quite cheap at air show stalls or surplus military clothing shops. You need to try them on to make sure you have good movement. Cheers Ray

[@davef7171]

nice job Oliver 👍👍

[@LarryYaw]

Awesome work Oliver! I look forward to seeing your new projects. Keep up the good work. You put so much in to everything you do.

[@howestimothy7820]

It looks like a difficult job in the cramped space. Well done, it’s definitely an upgrade but I was a bit surprised by the dubious quality of the original structure of the HiSpec muck spreader. I suppose it’s all down to price.

[@FredMiller]

Awesome Job Ollie. Hopefully someone from the company that made this is watching!!

[@johndouglasdawson7298]

I like watching your vids, its good too see someone doing things right. that was a great repair when finished it looks great.

[@crazyjoe6679]

Great work I know it sounds weird but I can’t wait for Sunday Morning to come to see what you have planned for us to watch. Love the channel keep up the great work 🎉

[@dieselfan16]

The Black Stallion FR coveralls have served me well. Lots of different colors to choose from. Cheers

[@TYSuggested]

Proper repair on that. Much better than factory. Well impressed with how you fixed that!

[@robertstewart7744]

Great work very skilled. Like the old Land rover outside the shop. 👍

[@tunintunin3417]

Great job. I am sure your customer is pleased to see this content and the work you did. It is such a shame that this type of equipment is so poorly designed.

[@everestyeti]

It's the same old story, build it as cheaply as possible and charge the earth. The farmer was very lucky, I wonder if they heard something and thought they'd better check it out. I wonder how many other farmers or contractors have checked these trailers as well, perhaps after seeing this they might do. As per usual you've looked at the problem and worked out an appropriate fix, then carried it out with a high level of work. Hopefully the trailer company is watching this, if they are they should make you a preferred contractor. 👍

[@royflint3551]

"if you are a big unit you will struggle to get in from the back". I fell off my chair 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Great problem solving again fella. Have a great week. Looking forward to next Sundays episode. 😆😆👊

[@peteb3365]

really nice having an explanation of the item and how it works, although i am very farm savvy we were only arable. never realised they run on compressed air!.

[@gdmonks1959]

Another great Sunday Ollie, yet again better than new, with well thought out solutions, upgrades and workmanship! Another happy customer I’m sure 👏👏👏

[@stephenmeeks684]

Amazing work to reinforce the weak areas on the tanker frame.

[@kennethstorey3974]

That was a first class job on that chassis repair, I thought that pipe you knocked out was to thin, as you stated, I did not know anything about welding, great stuff, good videos, keep it up.

[@windycity8761]

Tidy work again Olly. Nice one👌🏻

[@carloskawasaki656]

Thank you for sharing, another great sunday who start very well with your project and my coffee, have a nice day 👍👍👍👍

[@ianmarsden8568]

Thanks for explaining what the equipment does and why they need you to fix it. Great job.😊

[@johnbanfield4179]

Great job Oliver, I think HiSpec should employ a quality controller to inspect the construction and welding on these tankers during there manufacture. Also a larger thickness steel should be used in critical areas.

[@stephenbrockway1626]

Well done Ollie , professional top job as always . Not just a weld up and bodge it job . You understand the forces involved . 👍

[@stuartlockwood9645]

Hi Oliver, great repair and upgrade on this tanker, and not a comfortable place to work in, better than new whith the extra steel supports, as usual top grade work mate, always a pleasure to watch, and I see dad's giving the straw trailer a coat of what looks near enough british racing green,lol.thanks for another interesting video, stay safe, best wishe's to you and your's, Stuart UK.

[@jackdawg4579]

Those are the units the farmers use to let the council know how they feel down the high street!

[@franciscoceruti4379]

Imagine Curtis from CEE working together with Olly...these 2 could build anything....then throw in a little Andrew Camarata and WOW...a new space station !