My first parade

[JCKnife]

When I bought the deuce I never really planned on doing parades. But a local guy who knows I have one called and asked if I would drive the local Marine Corps veterans in the Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival parade. What an honor. I had such a blast. I'll attach a couple pics. The guy who called me is in the rear-view mirror shot.

The deuce ran great. So many other firsts today:
* the engine was running for 4-hours straight, longest I've ever...
* about halfway through I had the bright idea to put her in low-range. Never done that before...
* on the highway coming home got up to 54 MPH!!! (tires get a little squirrely at that speed, no thanks!)

My daughter rode in the front with me. It was such an honor and a privelage to see how the crowd responded to the Marines. Really restored some of my faith in America.

Amazing that buying this rusty ol' truck could do that for me. Thanks.

 

[Brutusdog]

Did you drive home through Pewee Valley tonight about 7:30?

 

[drgreg]

Parades are fun. I really enjoy how much the kids, big and small, like our trucks. Every Vet that gives a salute makes the event worth while. Our last parade was a 500 mile round trip.
Glad to see you are doing the hobby well.

 

[cessnatwin]

Semper FI! Devildogs!

 

[Jimma]

Thats great. I am glad you got to use your truck and let people really appreciate it. I have had mine in a few parades and people really responded positively. At Christmas mine will be in about 5 parades hauling the American Legion Guys and our local ROTC - Raiders group.

 

[JCKnife]

Did you drive home through Pewee Valley tonight about 7:30?

Ha! Yep.

 

[Brutusdog]

Pewee Valley

Ha! Yep.

PM Sent

 

[Stan Leschert]

You're hooked now. Parades are way too much fun. Keep up the good work. Toys for Tots will be coming up, soon, if you can, get involved with that.

 

[mcmullag]

2nd gear, low range

The local Marine Corp League adopted me two years ago when they saw my truck on display at a gun show. I do 4 or 5 parades a year with them and we also use it for displays at some of their functions. They pay my truck storage costs and slip me funds for fuel a couple times a year. Works out good, met some nice folks. For parades, I learned to put it in 2nd gear, low range and pull out the hand throttle on the dash to set the speed, works like cruise control, ya just sit there and steer.

 

[mistaken1]

Fun ain't it?

 

[steelandcanvas]

While I agree with you Glen, putting the 2 speed in low, and the main box in 2nd, I'm a little uneasy about using the hand throttle in a parade. Too many little ones darting out into the street, picking up candy left by the previous entrant. This was especially true last Saturday at the Arvada Harvest Celebration Parade. I had kids so close to the truck, I couldn't see them. I waited until their parents grabbed them, pulled them back, and then I resumed. Don't let this put a damper on your parade fun JCKnife, just make sure extreme caution prevails, as not all the parents are looking, or respect the danger involved. Enjoy the crowd and have fun, the only bummer is you don't get to see the parade.

 

[JCKnife]

There was a no-candy rule at this one for that very reason. And I did use the floor pedal, not the hand throttle, but ours must have been a slower-speed parade 'cause low-range first gear did just fine. Almost at idle.

 

[bratpackdad]

Good parade tips

 

[91W350]

A deuce or 5 ton is a treat to drive in a parade compared to a Model T. That holding the low gear pedal down all the way through makes for an aching thigh, not to mention all the stops as the T seems to need a little rpm to keep from getting involved in the bucking game.

I have been in a lot of parades, probably my favorite parade vehicle is the Remington Armory 1941 American La France 750 in my buddies car museum. That V12 is sweet! Not to mention driving a cool piece of history. You are right though, they are much more fun than I expected....

One year I was in a small town parade and the guys behind me had a M715 with a remote control water jet on the front. The had a 300 gallon tank and I think half of it found the truck in front of them. I am betting they were laughing harder than I was, that would be hard to imagine though...

The only thing I do not like is some of the parents not keeping the kids from charging the vehicles looking for candy. I would really hate to see an accident.... Glen

 

[Varyag]

Yeah, they are too much fun. My wife is always scouting them out.

The little kids scare the crap out of me. I am always white knuckling waiting for them.

 

[digitaldust]

Tire Pressure 50 for high way should help keep it controlled and jack up the truck front axle to check tie rod ends maybe getting bad.

have fun

 

[Lifer]

2nd gear/low range/hand throttle is the combo I've always used in parades. I've never had a problem, but I always have both feet ready to stab their respective pedals while the truck is in motion, just in case. That said, I'm glad to see that more and more parade organizers/communities are going with the "no candy" policy. Some kids who have gotten used to candy at parades may be disappointed, but they'll get used to the new rules eventually.

 

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

Until this year I've never liked parades. Then I got hooked up with drgrege and poof and the reast as they say, is history. Keep going and keep posting the pics as you do more.

 

[mcmullag]

no candy policy, good policy, for parades

Just about all the parades I do have police holding folks back, even motorcycle cops going up and down the line making sure folks stay back. I too am worried about crushing somebody. I used to participate in a Mardi Gras parade in St. Louis, not with military vehicle, just floats pulled by pickups and scuh, they had a policy of every float had to have wheel walkers, people walking alongside any tire on the ground to avoid people getting crushed. We did have some lady in front of us stumbe and fall as she was tossing beads and me and another fella picked her us as the bumper of the pickups tow vehicle was just coming over her. Also a few years ago, in Westcliffe CO they had a parade and a teenage girl got crushed by tires on a tractor trailer towing a float. I am very aware of the dangers.

 

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

I know the candy tossing is what so many of the kids love, but there is that dark side of it too. In one of our parades this year there was a candy tosser in front of us and we watched a little girl, about 3 years old, walk in between the deuce and it's trailer. It was stopped at the time but there is no way on the curve it was stopped the driver would have ever known she was there. The one thing I have learned this year with the parades is how diligent the drivers and riders have to be of all the spectators. I can't imagine how quickly it would ruin a good time if some one got hurt.