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All- I know I seem unusually attached to my 5 ton, but here's why....
In 2007, I bought my M35. It was a '69 A2 and my introduction to "big" MVs and this site. In '14, at the urging of my ex, I sold it and immediately regretted it.
Fast forward to 2016, and im just not feeling right. I go to the dr to get a checkup and get some shocking news. Cancer. Doc said hopefully treatable. So I underwent surgery.
Fast forward 6 months after I'm cleared to work and I get another shock. My wife of almost 10 years decides married life with me isn't what she wants, so she leaves.
While dealing with THAT battle, custody of my son, untangling 10 years of financial and emotional knots, I go for a routine checkup in July of 2017 and once again cancer had reared its ugly head. Round 2 starts with radiation. Keep in mind I'm still in the process of a divorce, custody battle and also working a new job 50+ hours a week to keep the lights on.
By the end of 2017 I am drained. Emotionally, physically and financially; but the cancer has receded, the divorce and custody are finalized and I'm prepping to go back offshore. Things are looking up.
In 2020, I've been back offshore a while, my son and I are living that sweet batchelor life and I met my sweet lady @IRIS_Always and we begin our life together. In August of 2020, my doctors nurse practitioner tells me "your cancer is back for the 3rd time. We need to get a base line reading and compare it in 4 months so see how aggressive it is and what our treatment options are".
So began 4 months of hell. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't concentrate on my day to day activities because of the worry I had about my future, or lack thereof.
In November of 2020, i got my results back. False positive due to different testing methods between labs. After the initial anger, I realized how precious life is. I also have to say that without my sweet lady, I probably wouldn't have made it through that time. She was my rock.
SO... in December of 2020, I decided I wanted to get back into the M/V world, as I fully intended to live life to the fullest, and one of my regrets was selling the deuce.
I spoke to my lady about it and I put wor d out i was looking.
I contacted @timntrucks and he told me about a mutual friend of ours, @Trailboss who had some deuces for sale.
I contacted him and we began the discussion about the purchase of one of his deuces. While there, he asked me if I had ever considered a 5 ton.... I hadn't, but I took pictures and went home to discuss it with my lady.
I showed her the deuces, then the 5 ton and a pic of a 5 ton next to a deuce for size comparison and asked her what she thought about maybe buying a 5 ton.... her response? "F*CK YEAH LETS DO THAT!"
So, we decided to buy the 5 ton.
It was one year ago today that I went to recover my 5 ton... the original thread is here: Happy as a fat kid with a donut
To say the last year has been amazing is an understatement! Between learning about everything from an "unloader valve" to learning about and rebuilding a PCB, it has been a year of learning.
From deciding what color to painting to adding various "needed" accessories, I have had a year of busy days and nights!
My sweet lady and the kids have discovered the "Green Iron Flu" and are always quick to jump in to help fix/install/update the old girl and jump in for a parade, camping trip or even just a "maintenance run" to get the fluids warm.
Shortly I'll be putting new shoes on her (16x20 AT3s!!!) and that will pretty much stick a fork in the major projects I have lined out for her. At that point I'm going to focus on the M105 trailer and M37!
Here's to a year with Bertha!
The day I saw her:
Recovery day:
She needed a bath!
Cleaned up with the cargo cover installed the first time
Camping
Parades and car shows
So... for me, Bertha is more than "just" a truck.
She is a symbol of my new lease on life, the support and strength my lady has given me and of all of the people who have helped me along the way with her, whether is was @Csm Davis for the new tarp and bow set, @fuzzytoaster for answering his phone at zero dark thirty when my alternator crapped out, @CGarbee for being patient with me when I was lost installing my convoy lights, @m715mike for advice on miscellaneous stuff I call and bug him about and @Soupermike for not buying her in 2018! @Valence has been patient with my "hurry up I need my straps!" and @Guyfang for all of his TM guru help...
This is by no means a complete list of everyone who has helped me by any means, just the ones I can think of off the top of my head... so if I missed you, don't think it was intentional or your contribution didn't matter, it's just that I'm a little overwhelmed right now.
So, if I seem a little attached to old Bertha, please understand, she isn't just a 5 ton, she's a symbol. A symbol of me getting my strength and life back. A symbol of all of the people who have been there for me and helped me. A symbol of firmness and strength.
Thanks everyone for being so awesome.
In 2007, I bought my M35. It was a '69 A2 and my introduction to "big" MVs and this site. In '14, at the urging of my ex, I sold it and immediately regretted it.
Fast forward to 2016, and im just not feeling right. I go to the dr to get a checkup and get some shocking news. Cancer. Doc said hopefully treatable. So I underwent surgery.
Fast forward 6 months after I'm cleared to work and I get another shock. My wife of almost 10 years decides married life with me isn't what she wants, so she leaves.
While dealing with THAT battle, custody of my son, untangling 10 years of financial and emotional knots, I go for a routine checkup in July of 2017 and once again cancer had reared its ugly head. Round 2 starts with radiation. Keep in mind I'm still in the process of a divorce, custody battle and also working a new job 50+ hours a week to keep the lights on.
By the end of 2017 I am drained. Emotionally, physically and financially; but the cancer has receded, the divorce and custody are finalized and I'm prepping to go back offshore. Things are looking up.
In 2020, I've been back offshore a while, my son and I are living that sweet batchelor life and I met my sweet lady @IRIS_Always and we begin our life together. In August of 2020, my doctors nurse practitioner tells me "your cancer is back for the 3rd time. We need to get a base line reading and compare it in 4 months so see how aggressive it is and what our treatment options are".
So began 4 months of hell. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't concentrate on my day to day activities because of the worry I had about my future, or lack thereof.
In November of 2020, i got my results back. False positive due to different testing methods between labs. After the initial anger, I realized how precious life is. I also have to say that without my sweet lady, I probably wouldn't have made it through that time. She was my rock.
SO... in December of 2020, I decided I wanted to get back into the M/V world, as I fully intended to live life to the fullest, and one of my regrets was selling the deuce.
I spoke to my lady about it and I put wor d out i was looking.
I contacted @timntrucks and he told me about a mutual friend of ours, @Trailboss who had some deuces for sale.
I contacted him and we began the discussion about the purchase of one of his deuces. While there, he asked me if I had ever considered a 5 ton.... I hadn't, but I took pictures and went home to discuss it with my lady.
I showed her the deuces, then the 5 ton and a pic of a 5 ton next to a deuce for size comparison and asked her what she thought about maybe buying a 5 ton.... her response? "F*CK YEAH LETS DO THAT!"
So, we decided to buy the 5 ton.
It was one year ago today that I went to recover my 5 ton... the original thread is here: Happy as a fat kid with a donut
To say the last year has been amazing is an understatement! Between learning about everything from an "unloader valve" to learning about and rebuilding a PCB, it has been a year of learning.
From deciding what color to painting to adding various "needed" accessories, I have had a year of busy days and nights!
My sweet lady and the kids have discovered the "Green Iron Flu" and are always quick to jump in to help fix/install/update the old girl and jump in for a parade, camping trip or even just a "maintenance run" to get the fluids warm.
Shortly I'll be putting new shoes on her (16x20 AT3s!!!) and that will pretty much stick a fork in the major projects I have lined out for her. At that point I'm going to focus on the M105 trailer and M37!
Here's to a year with Bertha!
The day I saw her:
Recovery day:
She needed a bath!
Cleaned up with the cargo cover installed the first time
Camping
Parades and car shows
So... for me, Bertha is more than "just" a truck.
She is a symbol of my new lease on life, the support and strength my lady has given me and of all of the people who have helped me along the way with her, whether is was @Csm Davis for the new tarp and bow set, @fuzzytoaster for answering his phone at zero dark thirty when my alternator crapped out, @CGarbee for being patient with me when I was lost installing my convoy lights, @m715mike for advice on miscellaneous stuff I call and bug him about and @Soupermike for not buying her in 2018! @Valence has been patient with my "hurry up I need my straps!" and @Guyfang for all of his TM guru help...
This is by no means a complete list of everyone who has helped me by any means, just the ones I can think of off the top of my head... so if I missed you, don't think it was intentional or your contribution didn't matter, it's just that I'm a little overwhelmed right now.
So, if I seem a little attached to old Bertha, please understand, she isn't just a 5 ton, she's a symbol. A symbol of me getting my strength and life back. A symbol of all of the people who have been there for me and helped me. A symbol of firmness and strength.
Thanks everyone for being so awesome.
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