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  #1  
Old 21st February 2009, 15:19
Western SMT Western SMT is offline  
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Imperial/Metric

Years ago there were many screw thread and spanner sizes, Whitworth, BSF, AF etc then some bright spark introduced metric as well just to confuse us and bulk out our toolboxes.

http://www.vars.freewire.co.uk/tech/charts/spanners.htm

http://www.boltscience.com/pages/screw1.htm

Another long forgotten problem was hitching up a trailer with a 2” coupling to a vehicle with a 50mm tow ball.

Any Imperial v’s Metric stories
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  #2  
Old 22nd February 2009, 00:07
G-CPTN G-CPTN is offline  
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Originally Posted by Western SMT View Post
Another long forgotten problem was hitching up a trailer with a 2” coupling to a vehicle with a 50mm tow ball.
Indeed - one way you risked losing the trailer, the other you couldn't get the trailer unhitched . . .
I believe the metric ball has a flat on top, but I don't know of any obvious identification on the 'socket'.

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Any Imperial v’s Metric stories
Just the one about the (maybe apochryphal) factory in Ireland where the clocking-in clocks were installed a couple of feet above eye level due to confusion between imperial and metric dimensions on the installation drawings

Though there is the space shot that went wrong because the calculations were done in the wrong system.
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Old 22nd February 2009, 12:56
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Bobjork Bobjork is offline  
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The onlyu metric/imperial type of stories I know are from the swedish railway.
But then it was not metric but the old swedish system. So they sometimes used "imperial" feet instead of swedish. And such things. But I dont know any modern stories. But here we always use metric. (But for some reason some nuts in my Volvo are som strange non metric measurement. (american I think))

The metric system is taking over. Inch by inch!
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Old 23rd February 2009, 13:23
Western SMT Western SMT is offline  
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The metric system is taking over. Inch by inch!
Nice one Bobjork


Found this photo

http://www.mconie.com/sam/qdig/?Qwd=...&Qiv=num&Qis=L


Vehicles are advertised as capable of doing xx miles to the gallon yet fuel is sold in litres.
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Old 23rd February 2009, 14:59
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....and charged per litre so 1p on a litre = 4.5p a gallon we're ripped off at every turn.

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Old 23rd February 2009, 18:09
G-CPTN G-CPTN is offline  
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Having landed in Helsingborg in Sweden (before the bridge was built) I proceeded to drive north (over snow-packed roads) heading for Stockholm.
I stopped after a while to ask how far I still had to go and was told '10 miles'.
I hadn't realised that Sweden used miles, but I was even more confused when I hadn't reached my destination after 10 miles. I later discovered that Swedish miles are 10 kilometers long . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_mil
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Old 23rd February 2009, 19:45
Western SMT Western SMT is offline  
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I know it's the Truck and Bus forum but is worthy of a mention in this thread.

http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html

Same story wikipedia style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
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Old 23rd February 2009, 20:54
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I now remember an episode when our school was in London. We asked for the way to some museum and were told to go "200 meters" in that direction. We walked and walked... and we found the museum. More like 2000m (2km)...
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Old 23rd February 2009, 22:02
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Re:- Gimli Glider thanks for the link Western SMT

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Old 23rd February 2009, 22:31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Western SMT View Post
I know it's the Truck and Bus forum but is worthy of a mention in this thread.

http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html

Same story wikipedia style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
Great story Western SMT keep em coming
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