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I've been occupied the last few days transporting a Halftrack 1600 miles.
It started off innocuously enough - loading was easy. In fact , it was so much fun we did it twice. The first time we loaded it forwards, and the weight distribution was suboptimal so we unloaded it and turned it around.
I drove 300 or so miles and stopped. Checked the trailer hubs and nothing was hot.
Took off the next day and got about an hour into the drive and saw the hubcap pop off my trailer. I immediately stopped on the shoulder and the bearing was hot. I waited til it cooled and then limped 5mph down the shoulder to the next exit.
I consulted GPS which indicated a heavy truck repair facility 6 miles away, down back roads. I decided I could limp it that far at 10mph, with frequent stops to cool it.
Upon arrival, the repair facility was a figment of GPS's imagination. There was no such place. I'm in the middle of nowhere....
So i got on the Web and found a place and called to make sure it really existed. 12 miles away, and I'm facing the wrong way on a narrow road.
I gave GPS another shot at me, finding a place to turn around that didn't involve backing or a tight turn. GPS got me again. The selected turn around didn't exist, and the road dead ended. As soon as I tried backing, the lateral force finished off the bearing and I lost the wheels....
Ok, time to chain up the front trailer axle, and limp along. No go. I really needed multiple jacks. I conceded defeat and called for roadside assistance.
They sent a truck and air tools. We chained up the front axle and limped it the 12 miles to the repair place. The rear axle was severely overloaded and it was evident even at 20mph. The suspension bottomed and damaged 2 rear tires. We stopped again just a couple of miles into it and blocked the suspension to limit travel.
I spent the weekend in a motel. The halftrack and my trailer spent the weekend in the shop bay. Parts arrived Monday and the work was finished about 8pm. I had them put new bearings on both sides of the front axle, replaced all the brake hardware while we were in there, and inspected the rear to make sure there wasn't any impending doom back there. Two new 14 ply tires and it was done.
I departed Tuesday morning, and finished the trip uneventfully. The bearings are all evenly warm, and only mildly warm to the touch.
We unloaded today and the halftrack is safely ensconced in its new indoor living habitat. It's in good company - look what we used to pull the halftrack off the gooseneck....
It started off innocuously enough - loading was easy. In fact , it was so much fun we did it twice. The first time we loaded it forwards, and the weight distribution was suboptimal so we unloaded it and turned it around.
I drove 300 or so miles and stopped. Checked the trailer hubs and nothing was hot.
Took off the next day and got about an hour into the drive and saw the hubcap pop off my trailer. I immediately stopped on the shoulder and the bearing was hot. I waited til it cooled and then limped 5mph down the shoulder to the next exit.
I consulted GPS which indicated a heavy truck repair facility 6 miles away, down back roads. I decided I could limp it that far at 10mph, with frequent stops to cool it.
Upon arrival, the repair facility was a figment of GPS's imagination. There was no such place. I'm in the middle of nowhere....
So i got on the Web and found a place and called to make sure it really existed. 12 miles away, and I'm facing the wrong way on a narrow road.
I gave GPS another shot at me, finding a place to turn around that didn't involve backing or a tight turn. GPS got me again. The selected turn around didn't exist, and the road dead ended. As soon as I tried backing, the lateral force finished off the bearing and I lost the wheels....
Ok, time to chain up the front trailer axle, and limp along. No go. I really needed multiple jacks. I conceded defeat and called for roadside assistance.
They sent a truck and air tools. We chained up the front axle and limped it the 12 miles to the repair place. The rear axle was severely overloaded and it was evident even at 20mph. The suspension bottomed and damaged 2 rear tires. We stopped again just a couple of miles into it and blocked the suspension to limit travel.
I spent the weekend in a motel. The halftrack and my trailer spent the weekend in the shop bay. Parts arrived Monday and the work was finished about 8pm. I had them put new bearings on both sides of the front axle, replaced all the brake hardware while we were in there, and inspected the rear to make sure there wasn't any impending doom back there. Two new 14 ply tires and it was done.
I departed Tuesday morning, and finished the trip uneventfully. The bearings are all evenly warm, and only mildly warm to the touch.
We unloaded today and the halftrack is safely ensconced in its new indoor living habitat. It's in good company - look what we used to pull the halftrack off the gooseneck....
Time turns pucker factors into campfire stories.
