rmgill
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Sunday Norman (Brigand) came down from Northern Virginia. He'd won an M818 5-ton Semi-Tractor in an Auction on Gov Liquidation. Sunday was spent going over details of the truck, getting some dinner and chattin a bit. Then we rose at 5am and made a 4ish hour drive to Huntsville to recover the truck from the DRMO lot at Redstone Arsenal. We got on the base easy and according to Norman, the security inspection was pretty lax. He's recently been to Iraq for the 3rd time iirc so he's seen a bit of security. Course he also worked for NATO in Europe for a while so he got to see the higher security environment there too. I guess we just don't have as many bomb throwers here.
Anyhow, we found our way over to the GL/DRMO building got signed in and then signed in again at a different building where the yard was. We then spent the next 2 hours going over the truck. Even with a slave cable hooked up, it wasn't starting. The batteries were dead dead dead. The yard had a BUNCH of M35A3s, other deuces and a few 5 tons that were in various states. I didn't look too closely at them as I didn't have any notes to work from to see what was and as not coming up for sale. While I was working on the truck, a couple of M109s came in on low loader trailers from Montgomery, AL.
So, while I worked on the truck, Norman was working on insurance. And due to the way the sale was done didn't have the VIN until we got there. His Insurance company HAD said, just get to the vehicle, give us the insurance and we'll add it to your policy. Well, he tried that and they balked once it was time. They would not insure this vehicle. Typical. So, he tried another backup company but they were being slow to return phone calls (they had not done so by Tuesday COB). I started looking at onther things, found the transfer case was low on fluid and that the master cylinder, was more critically, low on brake fluid. So, even if we got 2-4 new batteries, we'd still be bleeding the master cylinder to get the truck to stop and even then we had a suspect transfer case. And even then we had no insurance to drive the truck with. Not good. Time for plan B. The GL folks were starting to get antzy and wanted to go to lunch.
So we packed tools up, let them know we were headed to lunch and headed out of the yard in the van. I had started making phone calls to try to get Plan B into effect. Plan B was to get the truck towed 90 or so miles to Gadson, AL to another MV collector's home and then go from there. Norman had a good bit of cash to handle such problems but as WE got to Redstone road (not far) when I had the epiphany that we could probably wave some cash under the nose of the trucker and get him to carry a load. He'd be empty leaving Huntsville, and if he was headed back to Atlanta, would LOVE to have a load. So, we turned around and drove back to the lot and waved down the first of the 2 trucks leaving. We chatted with him, he couldn't carry the load as he had another one to collect in Montgomery on Tuesday but would be able to get Norman's truck on Tuesday and drop it in Atlanta, the same day. That worked. So we called his dispatcher to make the arrangemnts and talk price with his company (had to go through the trucking agency, no propblem). We setled on $650, given the distance thats about $3/mile, which ain't bad considering our near desparate straights. This is of course plan C.
We went to get some lunch and headed back to the yard to see about going over the truck a bit more and deal with the paper work. I finshied a few things ont he truck but still need to go over a LOT more. The engine oil looked good, no smoky/cloudy water in it. The Coolant looked good, nothing amiss there. New Fan Belts and hoses are on the truck. The tires are all brand spaking new with the casting 'nipples' still on them. The spare is even new. The truck looks like it'd been in an accident or damaged and repaired. There's a new right side door, the hood is bent back into shape and rusty in spots and the left fender is repaired with some fiberglass and bondo that is on the underside but not clear on the top. Some motor pool sgt spent some time getting this truck right. My only worry is the transfer case.
The next day (tuesday) we called the Truck Dispatcher to sort out the shipment and figured we needed to head back to my place to meet the truck. I got some 3/8" chains out to use to move the semi-tractor off the deuce and warmed up the Deuce. While waiting on the truck driver to arrive, we drove the deuce around and I had Norman drive around a little to get used to the big truck drivers seat. Though, the Deuce and 5 ton are in different driver classes, they're nearly identical in operation and nearly the same size. The deuce is sort of a size 8 while the 5 tons are as size 11. Most parts are exactly the same just scaled up.
The truck arrived and we had a quick chat with him on how we'd unload and where to spot things. He was getting nervous because he was worried he'd not be able to get his truck out of the neighborhood and be stuck there without having a wrecker to help move things around. I assured him that I thought we could get him out no problem, and if I had to, I'd help ground guide him for hours. We hopped in Norman's van and drove the path and I talked him through my thoughts of the path out (there were of course 2 plans, allway have a go to hell plan!). The driver was a little more settled and we drove back around and started unloading. The Driver unhooked the gooseneck from the lowloader trailer and of course one of the ladies in the neighborhood came around with her 2 kids so they could watch. He liked trucks and this was of course FUN stuff. I directed them up into the drive way so they could get a good view and be out of the way and not get squashed.
The 5 ton still would not start, though the driver said the GL folks had driven it on his trailer. They possibly were able to slave start it or perhaps pull started it. Either way, it WAS running a while ago so that's a good sign. I rolled it off the trailer with norm pushing (not too hard but it didn't want to go beyond a certain spot so I grabbed the deuce and we pulled it clear of the lowboy trailer. The trucker hooked back up and then we took care of business. I suggested to Norm that he tip the driver a $50 and he had been thinking JUST that. Norm got the driver's paper work signed, payed the company and tipped him and I jumped in the cab with the driver to ground guide him around the neighborhood. Norm lead us out in his van. We got to ramble and the driver was pleased as punch. We got him out without busting anything AND without any difficulty or reversing at all. He was quite pleased, quite happy and probably was used to people getting their stuff and then expecting the driver to get out on his own. We bid each other good by and he headed off. Norm and I drove back around to finish spotting the truck and park the deuce.
We then spent the next 30 minutes removing the batteries from his truck to get them charged (really see if they'll take a charge), inventoried the extra bits he got from in the truck (sometimes they have extra tools the army leaves in them). His GL gravy was 2 Budd wrenches and breaker bars, a 12 ton bottle jack, a wheel chock a long tapered drift punch and some random cotter pins and the like. The truck is complete but needs a new muffler, mirror and has no heater. We knocked off about 8pm and headed out to go get some dinner. We drove to Carrol Street Cafe and Norm had the mussels. He's had a LOT of good food in Belgium and the like from living there for several years and found the food there to be excellent (as good as the Mussels in Brussels
). We begged off dessert and headed back to chat for a bit and then hit the sack again before midnight (unusual for me, late for Norm.
Norm just left at about 4am to drive back to Arlington and I'm letting some chamomille tea percolate to help this cold I feel coming on. There's another truck to work on and I have lots of things to do at work. It's going to be a busy next couple of months. I have to get this truck ready to drive north on the East Coast Convoy to the MVPA Aberdeen Prooving ground rally.
Anyhow, we found our way over to the GL/DRMO building got signed in and then signed in again at a different building where the yard was. We then spent the next 2 hours going over the truck. Even with a slave cable hooked up, it wasn't starting. The batteries were dead dead dead. The yard had a BUNCH of M35A3s, other deuces and a few 5 tons that were in various states. I didn't look too closely at them as I didn't have any notes to work from to see what was and as not coming up for sale. While I was working on the truck, a couple of M109s came in on low loader trailers from Montgomery, AL.
So, while I worked on the truck, Norman was working on insurance. And due to the way the sale was done didn't have the VIN until we got there. His Insurance company HAD said, just get to the vehicle, give us the insurance and we'll add it to your policy. Well, he tried that and they balked once it was time. They would not insure this vehicle. Typical. So, he tried another backup company but they were being slow to return phone calls (they had not done so by Tuesday COB). I started looking at onther things, found the transfer case was low on fluid and that the master cylinder, was more critically, low on brake fluid. So, even if we got 2-4 new batteries, we'd still be bleeding the master cylinder to get the truck to stop and even then we had a suspect transfer case. And even then we had no insurance to drive the truck with. Not good. Time for plan B. The GL folks were starting to get antzy and wanted to go to lunch.
So we packed tools up, let them know we were headed to lunch and headed out of the yard in the van. I had started making phone calls to try to get Plan B into effect. Plan B was to get the truck towed 90 or so miles to Gadson, AL to another MV collector's home and then go from there. Norman had a good bit of cash to handle such problems but as WE got to Redstone road (not far) when I had the epiphany that we could probably wave some cash under the nose of the trucker and get him to carry a load. He'd be empty leaving Huntsville, and if he was headed back to Atlanta, would LOVE to have a load. So, we turned around and drove back to the lot and waved down the first of the 2 trucks leaving. We chatted with him, he couldn't carry the load as he had another one to collect in Montgomery on Tuesday but would be able to get Norman's truck on Tuesday and drop it in Atlanta, the same day. That worked. So we called his dispatcher to make the arrangemnts and talk price with his company (had to go through the trucking agency, no propblem). We setled on $650, given the distance thats about $3/mile, which ain't bad considering our near desparate straights. This is of course plan C.
We went to get some lunch and headed back to the yard to see about going over the truck a bit more and deal with the paper work. I finshied a few things ont he truck but still need to go over a LOT more. The engine oil looked good, no smoky/cloudy water in it. The Coolant looked good, nothing amiss there. New Fan Belts and hoses are on the truck. The tires are all brand spaking new with the casting 'nipples' still on them. The spare is even new. The truck looks like it'd been in an accident or damaged and repaired. There's a new right side door, the hood is bent back into shape and rusty in spots and the left fender is repaired with some fiberglass and bondo that is on the underside but not clear on the top. Some motor pool sgt spent some time getting this truck right. My only worry is the transfer case.
The next day (tuesday) we called the Truck Dispatcher to sort out the shipment and figured we needed to head back to my place to meet the truck. I got some 3/8" chains out to use to move the semi-tractor off the deuce and warmed up the Deuce. While waiting on the truck driver to arrive, we drove the deuce around and I had Norman drive around a little to get used to the big truck drivers seat. Though, the Deuce and 5 ton are in different driver classes, they're nearly identical in operation and nearly the same size. The deuce is sort of a size 8 while the 5 tons are as size 11. Most parts are exactly the same just scaled up.
The truck arrived and we had a quick chat with him on how we'd unload and where to spot things. He was getting nervous because he was worried he'd not be able to get his truck out of the neighborhood and be stuck there without having a wrecker to help move things around. I assured him that I thought we could get him out no problem, and if I had to, I'd help ground guide him for hours. We hopped in Norman's van and drove the path and I talked him through my thoughts of the path out (there were of course 2 plans, allway have a go to hell plan!). The driver was a little more settled and we drove back around and started unloading. The Driver unhooked the gooseneck from the lowloader trailer and of course one of the ladies in the neighborhood came around with her 2 kids so they could watch. He liked trucks and this was of course FUN stuff. I directed them up into the drive way so they could get a good view and be out of the way and not get squashed.
The 5 ton still would not start, though the driver said the GL folks had driven it on his trailer. They possibly were able to slave start it or perhaps pull started it. Either way, it WAS running a while ago so that's a good sign. I rolled it off the trailer with norm pushing (not too hard but it didn't want to go beyond a certain spot so I grabbed the deuce and we pulled it clear of the lowboy trailer. The trucker hooked back up and then we took care of business. I suggested to Norm that he tip the driver a $50 and he had been thinking JUST that. Norm got the driver's paper work signed, payed the company and tipped him and I jumped in the cab with the driver to ground guide him around the neighborhood. Norm lead us out in his van. We got to ramble and the driver was pleased as punch. We got him out without busting anything AND without any difficulty or reversing at all. He was quite pleased, quite happy and probably was used to people getting their stuff and then expecting the driver to get out on his own. We bid each other good by and he headed off. Norm and I drove back around to finish spotting the truck and park the deuce.
We then spent the next 30 minutes removing the batteries from his truck to get them charged (really see if they'll take a charge), inventoried the extra bits he got from in the truck (sometimes they have extra tools the army leaves in them). His GL gravy was 2 Budd wrenches and breaker bars, a 12 ton bottle jack, a wheel chock a long tapered drift punch and some random cotter pins and the like. The truck is complete but needs a new muffler, mirror and has no heater. We knocked off about 8pm and headed out to go get some dinner. We drove to Carrol Street Cafe and Norm had the mussels. He's had a LOT of good food in Belgium and the like from living there for several years and found the food there to be excellent (as good as the Mussels in Brussels
). We begged off dessert and headed back to chat for a bit and then hit the sack again before midnight (unusual for me, late for Norm. Norm just left at about 4am to drive back to Arlington and I'm letting some chamomille tea percolate to help this cold I feel coming on. There's another truck to work on and I have lots of things to do at work. It's going to be a busy next couple of months. I have to get this truck ready to drive north on the East Coast Convoy to the MVPA Aberdeen Prooving ground rally.
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