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So recently I had the privilege of picking up a genset from Abilene KS for @Light in the Dark . A buddy and i were already going, and the plan was to simply add the genset to the load and drive the 50 miles or so and drop it at Fastenal and then go have a steak.
I had some pelican type containers, an enormous 3phase electric motor, and a small safe with a Group 1R S&G 8500 series lock to pick up.
My buddy had battery chargers and a godforsaken barrier trailer to get.
So here's the thing about the trailer - I saw it at auction the day before. I contemplated it and then decided that even at the opening bid it was simply more trouble than it was worth, so I didn't even throw the opener at it. I just knew it was trouble....
We arrived, and all seemed to be going well. The motor got loaded into the bed of my truck. The safe got loaded into the back seat and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to open the lock using the factory default. I chained it in with a 3/4" grade 100 chain and used my change key to reset the combination while waiting for LID's genset. Now I have secure storage in the truck.
LID's genset went in the bed, easily fitting transverse and happily settling in.
And so we went to hook up to the trailer. The trailer was listed at 2400lbs. The fact it took a 2 5/16" ball made me suspect it was a bit heavier than that. It had onboard hydraulics, and the two yellowtop batteries were flat dead so nothing is moving under hydraulic power. Manual override didn't do anything. It had a hydraulic leg up front in the down position, dug in. We couldn't get it to move. We opened the hydraulic line to release pressure, resulting in the GP guy getting sprayed. But that didn't free it up either. LID's genset watched attentively as we removed the hydraulic cylinder from the leg. No go. GP's little forklift was unable to lift it, so off they went to get the enormous articulated loader.
LID's genset watched as the front of the trailer was hoisted into the air and my buddy and I alternated for 20 minutes beating the leg out of the socket with a 25lb sledgehammer. It had something like 2 feet of travel, and begrudged every millimeter, but finally it came out.
So we finally got hooked up... and the tires were about half flat. So LID's genset watched as we tried to air them up with GP's compressor which gave up the ghost..
We decided we could limp to the truck stop and air up there. The trailer felt *heavy*. Like a loaded gooseneck...
So off we went, with an enormous amount of tongue weight and the front of the trailer far too close to the pavement for my liking.
LID's genset happily rode in the bed, keeping a close eye on the trailer. And at 31mph the trailer rebelled.
If you've never experienced it, it's hard to describe what it's like to try to tow a trailer that has the weight biased towards the back. Any oscillations suffer positive feedback and become a violent thrashing with no warning at all. The trailer was trying to buck itself off the redtruck, swinging >2 feet each way. Very very difficult to control, and redtruck weighs close to 10k.
The decision was made to not do anything that would cause us to go anywhere other than my buddy's place by the shortest possible route.
We aired tires and proceeded the 90miles or so at a whopping 28mph. KS back roads. No traffic but us. No big deal.
We didn't make it.
Suddenly and with no warning beforehand, there was a loud bang and a shock to the truck. I immediately stopped, right in the middle of the road. I figured we blew a tire.
Nope. We lost a wheel. Sheared the wheelstuds. At which point the front of the trailer met the pavement. Completely unharmed, as the trailer is something like 1.5" solid 8x20 foot plate....
So there we sit, contemplating our next course of action. I suggested we just push it off onto the grass and take the hub off and go fix it and come back for it...
And within just a couple of minutes a guy shows up with an enormous floor jack in the bed of his truck. Now we have 3 minds thinking of a solution. And a guy shows up with a battery powered chainsaw and some cribbing to cut. And then a 3rd guy shows up with a straight drawbar that would allow the front of the trailer to be high enough that the absence of the front right wheel wouldn't result in anything dragging the ground.
And in just a few minutes, down the road we went, on 3 tires, and even slower than before.
We got to my buddy's place well after dark, and got the trailer off the redtruck. Steak was ribeye at Tailgaters in Clifton KS, and was the best steak I've had in a while.
I got home an hour later, and LID's genset slept in the field with the wrecker.
The next day I transferred the genset from the redtruck to Janet's Gladiator and we drove to Manhattan and dropped it at Fastenal...
And the manufacturer lists the weight of the trailer, empty, at 15,000lbs. I knew it was trouble....I just knew it.
I had some pelican type containers, an enormous 3phase electric motor, and a small safe with a Group 1R S&G 8500 series lock to pick up.
My buddy had battery chargers and a godforsaken barrier trailer to get.
So here's the thing about the trailer - I saw it at auction the day before. I contemplated it and then decided that even at the opening bid it was simply more trouble than it was worth, so I didn't even throw the opener at it. I just knew it was trouble....
We arrived, and all seemed to be going well. The motor got loaded into the bed of my truck. The safe got loaded into the back seat and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to open the lock using the factory default. I chained it in with a 3/4" grade 100 chain and used my change key to reset the combination while waiting for LID's genset. Now I have secure storage in the truck.
LID's genset went in the bed, easily fitting transverse and happily settling in.
And so we went to hook up to the trailer. The trailer was listed at 2400lbs. The fact it took a 2 5/16" ball made me suspect it was a bit heavier than that. It had onboard hydraulics, and the two yellowtop batteries were flat dead so nothing is moving under hydraulic power. Manual override didn't do anything. It had a hydraulic leg up front in the down position, dug in. We couldn't get it to move. We opened the hydraulic line to release pressure, resulting in the GP guy getting sprayed. But that didn't free it up either. LID's genset watched attentively as we removed the hydraulic cylinder from the leg. No go. GP's little forklift was unable to lift it, so off they went to get the enormous articulated loader.
LID's genset watched as the front of the trailer was hoisted into the air and my buddy and I alternated for 20 minutes beating the leg out of the socket with a 25lb sledgehammer. It had something like 2 feet of travel, and begrudged every millimeter, but finally it came out.
So we finally got hooked up... and the tires were about half flat. So LID's genset watched as we tried to air them up with GP's compressor which gave up the ghost..
We decided we could limp to the truck stop and air up there. The trailer felt *heavy*. Like a loaded gooseneck...
So off we went, with an enormous amount of tongue weight and the front of the trailer far too close to the pavement for my liking.
LID's genset happily rode in the bed, keeping a close eye on the trailer. And at 31mph the trailer rebelled.
If you've never experienced it, it's hard to describe what it's like to try to tow a trailer that has the weight biased towards the back. Any oscillations suffer positive feedback and become a violent thrashing with no warning at all. The trailer was trying to buck itself off the redtruck, swinging >2 feet each way. Very very difficult to control, and redtruck weighs close to 10k.
The decision was made to not do anything that would cause us to go anywhere other than my buddy's place by the shortest possible route.
We aired tires and proceeded the 90miles or so at a whopping 28mph. KS back roads. No traffic but us. No big deal.
We didn't make it.
Suddenly and with no warning beforehand, there was a loud bang and a shock to the truck. I immediately stopped, right in the middle of the road. I figured we blew a tire.
Nope. We lost a wheel. Sheared the wheelstuds. At which point the front of the trailer met the pavement. Completely unharmed, as the trailer is something like 1.5" solid 8x20 foot plate....
So there we sit, contemplating our next course of action. I suggested we just push it off onto the grass and take the hub off and go fix it and come back for it...
And within just a couple of minutes a guy shows up with an enormous floor jack in the bed of his truck. Now we have 3 minds thinking of a solution. And a guy shows up with a battery powered chainsaw and some cribbing to cut. And then a 3rd guy shows up with a straight drawbar that would allow the front of the trailer to be high enough that the absence of the front right wheel wouldn't result in anything dragging the ground.
And in just a few minutes, down the road we went, on 3 tires, and even slower than before.
We got to my buddy's place well after dark, and got the trailer off the redtruck. Steak was ribeye at Tailgaters in Clifton KS, and was the best steak I've had in a while.
I got home an hour later, and LID's genset slept in the field with the wrecker.
The next day I transferred the genset from the redtruck to Janet's Gladiator and we drove to Manhattan and dropped it at Fastenal...
And the manufacturer lists the weight of the trailer, empty, at 15,000lbs. I knew it was trouble....I just knew it.
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