Kingstanding's working vehicles sleep on the drive outside the house, and that is precisely where a new commercial cover goes on, rating checked against the sidewall first.
A good many trades are run from the B44 semis: joiners loading on Kings Road, parcel drivers picking their way round the estate grid, care workers shuttling to Perry Common and Old Oscott. Most mornings start with the A453 towards Perry Barr or the A34 up to junction 7, and a van full of tools presses hard on the rear pair. Circle kerbs and Warren Farm Road cushions finish plenty off.
Everything we need is written round the tyre. A commercial cover shows C immediately after the size, 205/65 R16C say, then a load figure that appears twice over on vans with doubled rear wheels, and a speed letter to close. Some car-derived vans wear XL markings instead. Read the characters out, or simply give the plate; whatever comes to the B44 address matches those numbers or exceeds them, is balanced, and goes on at the maker's torque.
Drives and open kerbs everywhere between Warren Farm Road and Old Oscott, plus the level Leisure Centre car park. Verges will not take the weight, deliveries need the Hawthorn Road loading bays, and neither motorway junction is somewhere we work.
| Postcodes | B44, B23 |
|---|---|
| Typical arrival | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
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Ground beats everything else when a laden van needs lifting. The concrete drives on these semis are perfect, and the Leisure Centre tarmac is flat enough too; the grass verges that edge half the estate are useless under a jack. Take the heaviest gear out of the back first. Electric vans stack battery weight on top of whatever is loaded, so the rating on the old cover is a minimum rather than a target.
Kingstanding van tyres changed on the drive, so the morning round still happens.
