Sometimes it’s not the big hills or heavy loads that cause trouble — it’s the unexpected things right in front of you.
This customer was out on a rural delivery run, hauling a tautliner behind their white Mercedes-Benz truck, when they came across a fallen tree across the road. No time to stop. No room to swerve. The driver did what they could to get through — but in the scramble, they hit a hidden stump dead-on.
The truck kept going, but something didn’t feel right.
A few kilometres down the road, they pulled over to inspect — and it was worse than they thought. The steer drum had cracked, and the only thing keeping the wheel attached was a single wheel bearing hanging on for dear life.
That’s not just bad luck — that’s a breakdown waiting to happen at 100km/h.
They got it to us at Webbie’s Mechanical as fast as they could. Our team got to work straight away, stripping back the damaged front end to get a clear look at what had copped the worst of it.
What we found was a near miss: shattered drum, warped components, and a bearing that had no business still hanging on.
We replaced the steer drum, installed a fresh bearing, and gave the rest of the front end a thorough check-over. No shortcuts. No bandaids. Just a proper, lasting fix.
Once everything was back together, the truck rolled out of our workshop smooth, stable, and — most importantly — safe.
What’s the lesson here?
It doesn’t take a full rollover or fire to end a job — sometimes, it’s just a split-second hit to a stump you never saw coming.
If something doesn’t feel right — even just a little off — trust your gut and get it checked. We’ll be here, tools in hand, ready to keep you rolling.
