Rules for GL pickup,m(Deuce Tales)

Well gang, here are a few steadfast rules one should stick by when picking up property at unmaned GL sites. Background, yesterday I went to Camp Blanding (FL NG HQ) to pick up the M146 shop trailer. The trailer had no landing gear and was nose down in the dirt.
1) These guys will NOT help you. They must have told me that 20 times in spite of the fact I told them I was self sufficient. Once I had access, I did my thing without delay.
2) Don't assume anything will go as you plan. I must have been around that reservation 4 times going to buildings that didn't exist or following bad directions. Once I found the right guy, the trailer was at the opposite end of the reservation. Took another 1/2 hr to find somebody to babysit me while a loaded.
3) Don't arrive on site with only 1/4 tank of fuel. [!) See those Jerry Can mounts, use them, trust me. With as many trips as I made around base I was easily able to use up all my fuel. At 20 miles from nowhere significant, this became a problem. Went as far as I could and when I ran dry I was still 12 miles from nowhere. After and hour of pondering my situation, I managed to contact an unselfish Deputy Sheriif who transported me to the closest supply of fuel and waited as I bought 4 gas cans and 5 gallons of diesel, then took me back. Once running I went right back to the same station and got my due supply of fuel.
(Note to self, add extra can mount, fill both cans before flight and consider them reserve)
4) No matter how nice things look, don't assume they can be operated to any extent. This trailer had no tail lights. I figured that I might be able to bolt on some temp lighting and plug it right in. NOT! The NG had mutilated the wiring beyond recognition. Fortunately, I did rig a temporary light bar and was able to put that together in spite of the fact that I left all my solderless terminals at home. Brake parts? Haha, there wasn't any brake parts left outside the drum. Glad its a light trailer.
Synopsis; The M146 at 7330# tows like it isnt there. The single axle configuration was a dream. The cannibals at the NG reservation stripped of almost anything they could. All lights including marker lights, Master cylinder and brake chamber, relay valve, landing gear, shore cable, rubber donuts from gladhands, tire chocks and everything. Buying a semi trailer is always an adventure since you never know whats in the back. I ended up with a new stack for the deuce, some shackles, 5 ton aircleaner housing some small parts and oh yeah, a 28 Volt 1.5 HP pump with an explosionproof motor. Has a NATO slave on it and looks nice. Has camlocks on suction and discharge. The body on this trailer is real nice for a 1961 but every single inside light was taken. I think this one is going on the ground as storage for now but it tows so nice who knows.

I had similar problems when picking up my duce from a naval airfield in Imperial Beach, Ca. (right next to the Tiajuana, Mexico border)

Bad directions led me to a open gate which read "Authorized Personel Only" but i figured that i was probably authorized so went right ahead. I found myself at the end of a naval airstrip with huge helicopters flying 50 feet over my car and ammunition storage bunkers to my right. Thats when I decided that i should probably turn around.

When i finally found the GL building and got the paperwork done, the axle lift tow truck called to tell me that he wouldnt tow it (too heavy) so i had to call a big rig flatbed for $370/hour. Once the flatbed arrived the squids at the gate wouldnt let me back inside the base despite the fact that i was just in there 15 minutes ago. I told them to look on the list but they werent listening. Finally someone with some sense said "oh, look, he's on the list, let him in" That was about a 20 minute delay. Then when we tried to get to the duce we were stoped again and told we needed my sales invoice which i had given earlier to the site manager which i then had to find and bring the invoice back to the DRMO lot. (another 15 minute delay) So finally we got to the duce and loaded it up. He drove it the 30 miles home in stop and go traffic on I-5 through San Diego (which has to be one of the most congested freeways in the world.) Once at our destination, the driver wouldnt back his rig over a little drainage ditch so we had to call and wait for an axle lift truck (the kind i wanted to use in the first place) to pull it down the driveway into my friends backyard. Total cost was over $400 for the tow when i could have got it towed for free with my AAA membership if they would have just let me use the axle lift in the first place. But they were too scared to tow a duce!

Caustic, I feel not so bad now. In spite or running out of fuel miles from no where, my total loss was a few hours and $15 in gas cans I surely don't need. I guess worse things have happened.

Back to the top for Rayzer. My M146 tale!

Recovery,

I've been meaning to ask: Why are you no longer the "Mr. Minimum bid" man? What happened? Did you win too many items at one time?

Rick

Rick, my finances are in such decline that I can no longer afford the minimum bid. Guess I shoulda just changed it from "Mr Minimum Bid" to Mr" Can't Afford to Bid" LOL

Kenny don't ever feel like you can't call on one of us. I was close and had the 816 even closer in Keystone.