I spent a LOT of time in “Stewie” today. First, in the early AM, I hitched up the M1102 trailer to the M1084A1 truck, and drove them over the Lake Michael to do some minimum turn radius testing, which happens to be ~62 feet (OD). Then, I bought a M322 LT 10-ton equipment trailer in another GovPlanet military surplus auction, and took Stewie out to pickup the trailer. Talk about your butt-puckering ride home. Yikes. The whole way home I was worried about the last 3 turns, all single lane, 90 degrees. The guys at the equipment yard that help me hitch the trailer to the truck (not easy!) told me the last guy that picked up the same trailer, with the same truck, turned too sharp and severed one of the two compressed air lines that feed the trailers air brake systems. No air … brakes lock up (safety feature). Imagine doing that at 55 MPH on a highway. I made it home safelly, but did indeed pinch and sever one of the two gladhands couplers, rendering the trailer an instand 36,000 pound boat anchor. Brakes locked. Managed to get the truck unhitched, then drove across town to pick up my neighbor’s backhoe buckets and a big ol’ John Deere 410 spare rear tire. LONG day! But … a GOOD day.
Learning to live a permacultural life … one day at a time! … by Damon E. Farnham