Flat Bed Pick-Up at Hooks

[rumplecat]

Made it to Hooks right on time, traveled across the base to find my trailer and no trailer, they had given my trailer with the tool boxes still on it to someone else and no more trailers with boxes were available!!!! They are so strict on not moving a step without some one with you and then they loose my trailer which stood out being the only one with the tool boxes! Anyway with an eleven hour drive invested I was not leaving with out a flatbed, and they did find one that the buyer had defaulted on paying for? It was fresh out of rebuild(manual still strapped to the axle) and it had two spare tires, still with sticker on the tires! After close supervision of the army guy on the two story high forklift moving a half dozen trailers out of the way and using a chain not the forks to move mine out to where I could hook up to it, I made it away with my trailer and compressor in good shape and ready for the low speed run home! Trailer pulled fine behind the Armada as lone as I stayed under 52 mph, over that speed and fish tailing turned the trip into a butt puckering experience. Stopping was no problem, I did have to stop one time pretty had and the trailer stopped ok but I could smell the breaks didn't like it. Two down and seven trailer to left to pick up.
James

 

[NDT]

What a bunch of CRAP! GL better not pull that on me when I go to pick up my M871 trailer at RRAD very soon. Anyway at least you more or less ended up with a nice trailer.

 

[Nonotagain]

Happy to hear that you didn't have any major issues pulling the trailer. They do pull heavy don't they?

You did real good with getting the second spare tire. Interested in selling it?

I imagine a day in the not too distant future where GL is going to be sued for their gloss neglience with giving away property that has been purchased by one party and given to someone else unrelated.

GL's attitude of too bad, don't take it is getting old. You invested your time and gasoline in performing the recovery which GL seems to think dosen't matter.

Hopefully you won't have a problem getting a SF-97 or title for the trailer.

Two down, six to go.

 

[1stDeuce]

You may already know this, but the reason the trailer was fishtailing above 52 is that you have it loaded really tongue light with the compressor way to the back... That's scary, 'cause if you happen to be heading uphill, it'll stay stable to a higher speed, and then you crest over, and it'll start swaying, and it won't stop, and climbing on the truck brakes usually makes it worse, not better. That's how people end up backwards upsidedown in the ditch wondering what happened... NOT COOL!! For future recoveries, please ensure that when you tow a 5000+ lb trailer with your Armada, there is a good bit of squat to it... You really want a min of 10% tongue, and it looks like these trailers are light tongue to begin with. Probably fine for 45mph and under around the base, but not so stable at speed. This will keep you and the rest of us on the road safe.

Good luck with future pickups!! BTW, what are you all planning to do with these traiers?? They're kinda heavy for general use... Good for dragging with a Deuce I suppose. The 200lb landing legs at each corner would be good for jacking up houses perhaps...
C

 

[rumplecat]

I want to use the trailer with my 5 ton wrecker, now when I pick up something I have somewhere to put it! I loaded the compressor on the rear of the trailer to help out the trucks load leveler, it sounded like it was having a hard time raising the tongue to level, the compressor helped balance it out, maybe too much?
James

 

[Nonotagain]

I want to use the trailer with my 5 ton wrecker, now when I pick up something I have somewhere to put it! I loaded the compressor on the rear of the trailer to help out the trucks load leveler, it sounded like it was having a hard time raising the tongue to level, the compressor helped balance it out, maybe too much?
James

How much trouble did you have lifting the lunette off the pintle?

My receovery involved a loaded laundry unit and I had over 1200 lbs of tongue weight. 52 MPH was also the magic number which I encountered.

These trailers fishtail over 52 mph due to the short length and the wheels being mounted in the center of the trailer. If the boggies wern't welded in place I would have moved the wheels closer to the rear.

 

[rumplecat]

The trailer ID tag shows 352lbs on the tongue, it felt like a good deal more weight than that. I used one of the leg jacks to raise the lunette, one was enough since my drivers side front leg will not roll down for some reason?
James

 

[1stDeuce]

Yeah, the axles in the middle thing is less than ideal. Weight at both ends instead of centered makes swaying worse when it does happen... Perhaps with the strange tandem bogey setup, high speed tracking is never going to be good... Either way, if tongue weight was <400lbs empty and you put a big compressor on the back, that's pretty tongue light for a 5000lb trailer... I'd rather go heavy on the tongue than light, but with a trailer like this, it sounds like it doesn't matter.

Sounds like you're being careful, just keep it up!
C

 

[Stretch44875]

I took the 4 leveling jacks and spare and put them in the towing truck for extra weight. Towed it with a 3/4 ton truck and still wasn't happy with 5000lbs pushing me. Only way the trailer moves now is with the deuce towing it.

The brakes are really nice on these when hooked to a MV, it will lock them up. Also, if you have the air tank full on the trailer when you park it, it locks the brakes, have to drain tank or hook up air again to move the trailer.

The trailer does sway slightly behind a deuce when empty. Not enough to pull on the truck, you can just see it barely moving in the mirrors. One thing that helped is to run the tires at 45psi when empty, 75psi loaded.

Dennis

 

[rumplecat]

I really like the trailer and it will be a great addition to the wrecker, with all the predrilled holes in the trailer bed I may set it up with the "new" compressor, along with making a quick mount for a gen. set and welder along with a tool box I will be ready for anything! I have to try out the compressor, all fluids were drained which is good since they stored it on it's side! The only damage to the compressor was an air line of some sort was pulled out of the pressure gage mount and the oil drain spigot on the compressor was knocked out.
James

 

[Speddmon]

That air line you have pictured comes out of your unloader/pilot valve. It may have stripped the threads in the valve body, from the amount of nipple left showing, I doubt that the nipple broke off in the valve. You'll need that hooked up. If your compressor has head unloaders, one of those 1/8 or 1/4 inch lines (whichever they are) will go to the unloader, and the other should go to the throttle actuator of the engine to slow it down when not needed. Looks like a real nice trailer and compressor either way.

Sorry to hear that GL screwed you as well. I'm still not very trusting of them after they screwed me out of my exhaust kits in Columbus, OH. I have another pick-up scheduled for there on Monday morning. I hope all goes well.

 

[rumplecat]

I think I came out better for the first time on a GL deal, the trailer I won, had the tool boxes but no spare tire and you could tell from the photos it was a little scuffed up and tan! This trailer is in premo condition, one reflector is crushed and the rest as it should be. Even with me there when the guy was moving the trailers out of my way he was really rough with them, several slipped as he was moving them and you could hear things being crushed and broken loose! Most already had some pretty bad handling damage and he was not helping!
I am going to see about starting up the compressor this next week so I will need to get it hooked up right. I don't have an internet connection out in the boonies so I may need to head to the college to get on line for help if I can't figure out were the loose tubing goes.
James

 

[KsM715]

Just curious, how were the trailers sold? by individual lot, with vins or serial #'s or just first come first serve? Does the auction state that the trailer you receive may not be the one in the pic?

 

[rumplecat]

No, each trailer had an individual photo or three, the lot number was in large white numbers on the trailer bed or landing leg, clear to see in each photo. There were only about eight or so flatbed trailers up for bid. I think mine was the only one with the two tool boxes still attached, i think?
James

 

[rumplecat]

Here is a shot of the trailer I won, it was clearly marked and the only one with tool boxes still attached, who ever got it knew it was not his trailer, I just thought it was tan.
James

 

[KsM715]

If Your happy with the trailer you got I supose all is good...... but This is the second or third time in less than a year I have seen GL do this. They need to straighten up before someone with money and lawyers gets taken like this. The guy that bid on the trailer you got might really want it just for the principle of gettting what he bid on. I think with a good lawyer and some research that GL has knowingly given out the wrong property, someone could make them track down who they sold it to and get it back so they could get it to the rightful owner. At GL's cost of course.

I'd be afraid of taking a piece of property that has a serial number, that I willingly knew was not mine, in fear of the next guy wanting it back.

 

[Nonotagain]

KsM715,

Rumplecat already stated that the trailer that GL gave him was a lot that was defaulted on. Not saying it's correct, but I guess that GL figured that if he filed a claim, that they would be paying a whole lot more in mileage and time than just finding another trailer to his liking.

As for getting the SF-97 or title, that might be the next hurdle.

 

[doghead]

Might be a good idea from now on, to call the GL lot the day before you go to recover your items, and request a confirmation that the item is actually there! I bet they will refuse, but I bet with all of us doing it, and calling Arizona to explain why and demand they do it, they may(slight possibility) actually go look and confirm it for you. yeah, probably not....

 

[KsM715]

Yeah I realized I missed that. When I went to pick up my M818 last spring when I showed up they had my name and city/state painted on the front. When I asked about it, the Sgt said he went on leave and left some private in charge of the GL lots and he screwed it all up and shipped the wrong trucks to the wrong people. Now if that had been done to me I would have faught it. I had the paid in full invoice ,euc approved and they already had my money, I wouldnt stand for them saying sorry take this other truck or get a refund. Its not right and needs to be taken care of if GL wants to get the next contract.

 

[rumplecat]

I have been to Hooks many times and this is the first time my item has been missing, they are normally very careful about the paperwork and not letting people just wander around the property. Now they have told me one thing on the phone and the truth turns out to be something completely different(pure fraud), like the tow bar fiasco early this year, now that really p..ed me off in a big way, this time I think I came out better in the deal. The main problem I think they are having at Hooks is they are using a lot of temp. labor that turns over pretty regularly and the flat beds and bolster trailers are not stored under their control, they are across the base on an unsecured lot. The base personnel are loading the trailers under a GL temp. employees directions, too many cooks!
James G.