500th brake job today and I finally stopped guessing torque values
We do about 15 brake jobs a month at our shop outside Cleveland, so I was around 490 when I started keeping count back in March. Hit number 500 this afternoon on a 737 main gear. What got me is how consistent the wear patterns are once you track them. Every 300 cycles on this regional route, the rotors come in at the same thickness, within a few thousandths. That data let me order parts ahead and cut each job from 90 minutes to under an hour. Anyone else track component lifespans by cycle or flight hour instead of just calendar time?
Stop the presses, 500 brake jobs is one thing, but tracking wear to a few thousandths across 300 cycles is some next-level nerd shit that I genuinely respect. I've seen guys guess torque values with a grunt and a prayer, but you're out here running a science lab on a regional jet. That consistency data is the kind of thing most shops would kill for, and it's wild you got it just by paying attention.