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Where's Cranetruck?

Recovry4x4

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How did the test drive go? I'm really curious as to how the M757 tows. When Bjorn gets back and recaps this trip he's going to need to write a book. What an adventure!
 

cranetruck

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Left the "compound" this morning. Spending the night in Russelville Arkansas.
The test run yesterday with the M757 was off road with plenty of mounds and dips. The towed well untill I hit a particularily large mound. The tow bar snapped in two...The main reason was due to the fact that the adapters were installed upside down.Doh!?
Anyway, we pulled out a spare, put 45 psi in all tires and suspended the rearmost axle so that I would have a spare tire.
Also all foure drive shafts were removed.

Drove about 250 miles today at a speed of 40-45 mph. Heavy load at 16,000 lb plus my deuce.
Ran very well, but a small amount of fishtailing was noted when going downhill with zero boost. A bit unnerving, but no problems.

The deuce runs good as it has all week.
 

cranetruck

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Ryan, this truck does not have a "service" coupling. We experimented with a number of connections until we found a connection that gave us some braking power while rocking the truck back and forse. A glad hand was plumped in. It now brakes pretty good considering. Also, no trailer connections, so a long trailer cable was wired in. This site had so much equipment, that we could find just about anything, although now most has gone to the scrapper or was burnt.

The "spare" tow bar was found in the weeds, didn't think it was going to be needed. The adapters were not damaged (it will all be returned to Jason when this is all over). Found a much bigger set, which fits perfectly on the gin pole holders along the sides on the pipeline truck bed. :)
Many of the items I ended up with were a trade for crane services. It was a good week and the people were the greatest..kind of emotional to say "good bye' yeterday.

David Doyle, I have the tag from the M50 with the numbers you asked for, but it is stowed on the truck with tons of other stuff, so unless I remember where it ended up, it will have to wait until I start unpacking. The remains of that tuck will also go to the scrapper...
 
So I am not the only one up at 3am. :roll:
Good to see you back on the road heading home again, Bjorn.
I want the rights to the movie. :lol:

I forgot to ask you in your travels, if you happen to find or locate a master cylinder cap, lid, cover - whatever the correct name is, could you grab one for me. Or anyone else that may know where one is. I just want a spare top that you remove to add fluid for a project I want to try.
 

BFR

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cranetruck said:
The "spare" tow bar was found in the weeds, didn't think it was going to be needed. The adapters were not damaged (it will all be returned to Jason when this is all over). Found a much bigger set, which fits perfectly on the gin pole holders along the sides on the pipeline truck bed. :)
wow another towbar from hades :twisted:
please note the correlation between the owners of that towbar and the owners of hydraulic cranes. guess kenny will need to start looking for one now :jumpin:
 

Recovry4x4

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Guess what Joel, I have a towbar here and another one under a Jeep at Cabell Garbees house!
 

OPCOM

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This is all really fascinating and I can't wait for the next instalment! It's a real shame about the fire but I'm glad Bjorn was able to help with some things. Still running on WVO?
 

CGarbee

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Recovry4x4 said:
Guess what Joel, I have a towbar here and another one under a Jeep at Cabell Garbees house!
Actually, it is sitting on the M1016 trailer next to your whiffletree... I had to move some stuff around the yard last weekend and was too lazy to go around the house to get mine...
 

BFR

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I was commenting on the size of the tow bar it sounds like he found one the size of ron's...

fits perfectly on the gin pole holders along the sides on the pipeline truck bed
 

Elwenil

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So let me get this straight, Bjorn is towing the 8x8 home from Oklahoma with a towbar? Or was he just moving it around? I bet that thing steers wonderful on the towbar since both front axles steer. If he's towing it, somebody has to get a pic of that! That's probably borderline scarier looking than some of Desert Rats road trains, lol.
 

ken

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Elwenil, I've looked a bit like Jed Clampit myself comming down the road a few times. But i don't think any of us could aspire to the level of a desert rat road train!! LOL!!!
 

jasonjc

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Just got off the phone with cranetruck he is in eastern Ten. at exit 4 I 81
all is well and he should be home tomrow. I think I see a book in the near futre???
 

cranetruck

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Arrived home at 1800 hrs today. Not without last minute happenings, of course, a tire blew out on the 8x8 in tow. It was the second tire on the driver's side.
Eastbound at MM22 on I-81 in Virginia I heard a "thud" over the engine noise and my earplugs, I was doing about 45 mph and was thinking how well I was keeping to today's schedule.
I was able to pull over without much problem.
The plan was to use one of the tires suspended on the rearmost axle, but after several unsucessful attempts to loosen the lug nuts with my trusty 3/4" impact, I ended up lifting the axle with the blown tire and suspended it too with a chain.
The load on the left front tire was now doubled, so the rest of the trip was completed on back roads and driving on the interstate shoulder (10 miles of it alone). Max speed was now 25-30 mph.
Images from the tire work below.
 

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Recovry4x4

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Can't wait to read this book. Congrats on one heck of a deuce trip Bjorn. Perhaps the greatest deuce adventure yet. Once you get all situated, lets hear all the stories. Welcome Back!
 
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