Featured My wood, mud, and snow adventurefront-

Had to do some business in Gettysburg, Pa and knew that a man a few hrs north of there was selling some huge, old, aged oak beams very reasonably, so I took a trailer and did both errands. I can use the oak for cannon carriages (that’s why he had it) or machine bases, heavy-duty moving dollies, etc. The beams were part of a band shell built in 1946 and demolished in 1999. He had a tractor we used to pull the beams out of his storage barn and put them in the trailer. They weren’t man-portable, I think they weighed over 250 lbs. each. My van wouldn’t budge the full trailer due to the muddy ground so he had to tow me out with his 4WD SUV. Then it started snowing steadily. The trailer wasn’t loaded front-heavy (couldn’t do it with those beams) and fishtailed badly over 45 mph so drove all 7 hrs home at 43 mph.

 

...wasn’
???
-
Was it a Suburban doing the pulling?

 

Spring said his "van" wouldn't budge the full trailer out of the mud.....question what he meant by 'van'.....? Would think at least 4WD if not AWD.............but with the weather, would also hope it was good sized......

 

The white Nissan van in the photos is 2WD, why it couldn’t do the mud.

 

Gotcha.......!!!! Looking at that load of wood....WOW....just a little HEAVY????

 

Chevy Tahoe!!

And glad you got home safely with THAT load, Spring!!!!!!!

 

Thanks. The “little” pieces shown in the back of the Tahoe went inside my van, they were from his workshop, must total about 300 lbs. I’ll get the medium-sized pieces in his barn on the next trip, as soon as I have something else to do in the direction of Hazleton, PA., where he is. I could have fit those in the van easily this trip, but they were in the barn’s loft, I was about burned out physically after loading all the other stuff, and the snow was still coming down.

 

glad you got home safe.....without spillin the load on the road..!

 

I just don't see how a guy like you wouldn't own a real truck and trailer.

 

I think he spends his cash on what he's hauling...
not what he hauls it with !

 

Correct! I always own one vehicle that has enough room for most hoarding trips but not all. I take reasonably good care of that vehicle until it is well beyond making sense to keep it, last two were Chevy vans I drove for avg 12 yrs each until they crumbled into un-usable hulks. Last one was 1998 one-ton Chevy diesel van I drove for over 13 years-started to think of replacing it when one of the front wheels broke off while doing 70 on Interstate hwy with 2 tons of cargo inside. Present one is 2012 Nissan 3500 V-8 “high top” van I hope to use till about 2025, then get another one just like it. Zero mechanical downtime since bought in 2012-I like that. Being able to stand up and walk around in the cargo area is an advantage you can’t fully appreciate until you move a truckload or two of stuff with it.

I don’t want to own a trailer because in long run is much cheaper for me to rent when needed, and a given trip may need any one of several very different trailer types; in past year I’ve rented the 6x12 open one like yesterday’s many times ($20./day) a 17’ heavy flatbed a few times ($100-$120/day) and hydraulic drop-bed trailers twice ($120/day, but I’d be happy to pay much more to rent that type if it cost that.)

 

So right now I’m thinking about how to get all the wood out of the trailer quickly and easily by myself so I can return the trailer before they charge me another $20. Was great having a helper and a tractor to load it but haven’t got a helper today. I’m going to wrap a heavy towing strap around the end of the wood bundle in “choker” pattern and attach the free end’s eye to the forklift forks and mast, set the truck parking brake, put a monster pallet between trailer tailgate and forklift, raise forks and pull with forklift in reverse. One-shot deal. If I have time I’ll set up video camera; if it goes well I’ll have an instructional video. If it goes way wrong I’ll still post the video on my you-tube channel (“cannonmn”), let them put advertising on it, and make a little more money.

 

I made a film once....on how to Not make a Film !

 

The Video: Fat Old Arthritic Driving A Forklift

 

I’m still wondering what pulled it all out of the mud.

 

U can see “Tahoe” in corner of one of the pix of that vehicle

 

AH! OK!
CHEVY BABY!
Baby Burb.
~
When I looked yesterday not a ONE of those photos showed!!!
TWICE!

 

old geezer on the forklift did ok!