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Another related short Deuce Story
While working as the Division Transportation Officer in the First Calvary Division, I often wandered down to the motor pool to look at the great diversity in the Division rolling stock. On one particular trip I could not help but notice the deuce slowly making its way to the maintenance bay since it was roaring at near max RPM coming across the pavement. After it got in the driver shut it down and the mechanics attacked it.
I stood by and watched as they pulled into the bay and glanced down in the hood as the mechanics peered in. I causally remarked that the throttle was jammed WOT and that they should address that immediately. Getting looks that would kill from the mechanics I turned back out into the warm Texas sun and walked back to Division HQ.
No sooner did I get back than a phone call came in from the motor pool that a truck had driven through the motorpool wall and crashed right through before they could stop it. I went back down to the motorpool to see for myself and sure enough as I thought the same deuce that I saw earlier was indeed the one that crashed through the wall.
The mechanics were all stating that it popped into gear jumped the chock blocks and took off while they were testing it running in the bay. I immediatly detected a BS signal in my brain and took a closer look at the maintainance bay. (I might have believed them if I had not lost a shift link in my CJ3B as a teenager out in the Indiana sand dunes and try as I may I could not get it in gear without a clutch. In that case I had to start it in low gear low range and drive it grinding gears from there to the pavement where we could rig a Mcgiver clutch link. ) Anyway the pavement in the motorpool where the truck had been had major tire marks on the cement right where the rear duals were chalked. I asked who started the truck and what happened after he started it. He told me he climbed in from the passenger side, checked the shifter for neutral and then started the truck and climbed out. He said it took off after he walked back to the fuel pump side of the truck.
I took the maintainance sergeant over to the bay and explained what I thought happened: Soldier started truck in gear, rear wheels began to spin on the semi oily bay floor and when heat from the turning tires burned the coating of oil residue off the floor they got traction and climbed the chalks. The Soldier who started the truck was listening and he violently protested that the truck popped into gear after he left the cab.
With the maintainance sergeant and Soldier in tow we went over to the truck and I aske the Soldier to start it and get it in gear without the clutch. Of course he could not and the point was made that short cuts in maintainance situations often turns a simple process very ugly.
Cost to repair the building was over $50K and damage to the deuce was non existant.
God bless America,
Very Respectfully,
David
While working as the Division Transportation Officer in the First Calvary Division, I often wandered down to the motor pool to look at the great diversity in the Division rolling stock. On one particular trip I could not help but notice the deuce slowly making its way to the maintenance bay since it was roaring at near max RPM coming across the pavement. After it got in the driver shut it down and the mechanics attacked it.
I stood by and watched as they pulled into the bay and glanced down in the hood as the mechanics peered in. I causally remarked that the throttle was jammed WOT and that they should address that immediately. Getting looks that would kill from the mechanics I turned back out into the warm Texas sun and walked back to Division HQ.
No sooner did I get back than a phone call came in from the motor pool that a truck had driven through the motorpool wall and crashed right through before they could stop it. I went back down to the motorpool to see for myself and sure enough as I thought the same deuce that I saw earlier was indeed the one that crashed through the wall.
The mechanics were all stating that it popped into gear jumped the chock blocks and took off while they were testing it running in the bay. I immediatly detected a BS signal in my brain and took a closer look at the maintainance bay. (I might have believed them if I had not lost a shift link in my CJ3B as a teenager out in the Indiana sand dunes and try as I may I could not get it in gear without a clutch. In that case I had to start it in low gear low range and drive it grinding gears from there to the pavement where we could rig a Mcgiver clutch link. ) Anyway the pavement in the motorpool where the truck had been had major tire marks on the cement right where the rear duals were chalked. I asked who started the truck and what happened after he started it. He told me he climbed in from the passenger side, checked the shifter for neutral and then started the truck and climbed out. He said it took off after he walked back to the fuel pump side of the truck.
I took the maintainance sergeant over to the bay and explained what I thought happened: Soldier started truck in gear, rear wheels began to spin on the semi oily bay floor and when heat from the turning tires burned the coating of oil residue off the floor they got traction and climbed the chalks. The Soldier who started the truck was listening and he violently protested that the truck popped into gear after he left the cab.
With the maintainance sergeant and Soldier in tow we went over to the truck and I aske the Soldier to start it and get it in gear without the clutch. Of course he could not and the point was made that short cuts in maintainance situations often turns a simple process very ugly.
Cost to repair the building was over $50K and damage to the deuce was non existant.
God bless America,
Very Respectfully,
David
