Oh Dear Lord! I just bought a 5 ton from Ft Rucker in AL. Now what?

[Csm Davis]

Hey who's the little old guy with the hat and coffee?

 

[aspann]

Thats none other than Lamar Roland. If you talk to him just right, he'll sell you a military vehicle.

 

[moretoys]

We

This morning we replaced the seal around the hub and bypassed the CTIS system. Almost to Montgomery. So far so good. Making some improvised modifications to the convertible top, as it's starting to rain

 

[moretoys]

Darn iPhone. That was supposed to say "we are rolling!"

 

[Csm Davis]

Yeah he is a good guy have known him for a bit, next time you see him tell him I didn't recognize him with that cheap coffee cup,see what he has to say about this old Csm.

 

[moretoys]

We've dodged two deadly bullets inthe last two hours!

We were just south of Montgomery when the retaining pin shook loose from the spare tire crane and a 4 foot section of heavy Iron pipe came flying off the back of the truck. It bounced past me in the Chase vehicle and fell harmlessly shoulder. Then, A few minutes ago south of Birmingham, the half inch bolt that holds the spare tire retaining plate snapped in two. A 50 pound chunk of plate steel bounced 200 ft down I-65, and for an awful moment, I thought that 400 lb spare was going to roll off onto the interstate. Some one somewhere is definitely praying for our safety!

 

[212sparky]

After that first incident I would have put a safety strap on the tire. it is not worth the risk. I, have a safety chain on my spare for if the hoist failed and the 2 bolts failed.

 

[jedawson1]

You guys getting some bad weather? Columbia and most of Nashville is under a Tornado warning. Hope you haven't lost anymore parts.

 

[romanservices]

Good luck in your recovery... what a blast you must be having!!

 

[moretoys]

Coming up on Huntsville now. Haven't lost any big chunks of the truck recently, which is pleasant change. Lots of rain, both inside and outside the truck. Lesson learned: gorrilla tape sticks to wet glass and rotting canvas better than almost anything.

 

[Artisan]

Just ...

 

[jedawson1]

It's amazing how long trips become when you run 60 or less. Bet you will be ready for bed tonight.

 

[moretoys]

Home At Last

Wooo-Hooo! What a wild ride! Made it home with all our fingers and toes, and minimal collateral damage. To everyone who told me I should trailer it home to avoid a potential disaster, you were right. We had a couple of really close calls today.
And to everyone who said to me, fuel it up, check the tires, and go have an Adventure.... Well, you were right too.
Thanks again to Andy Spann for his over the top assistance to us on site, and to everyone who offered information and advice. I'm sure I'll have even more questions over the coming weeks and months, so thanks in advance for your patience with a Noobie.

BTW, the two big chunks that fell off the truck today were recovered, and can be seen leaning against the rearmost tire in this Pic.
GP

 

[aspann]

Glad to see you guys made it home safe and sound.
Andy

 

[jedawson1]

Congrats on the successful recovery, bet you were glad to be home. Now what are you planning to use the truck for?

 

[moretoys]

Congrats on the successful recovery, bet you were glad to be home. Now what are you planning to use the truck for?

I've got property out on the Piney River near Bon Aqua, TN, and I hope to build a cabin there this spring. I'll be using the truck to transport materials and my Case XT85 Skid steer.

 

[Scarecrow1]

I am glad you made it home safe and sound . Even with some close calls you were lucky as I am sure you know now. But all being said and done you bought a truck and created a life long memory . Now it may take you a good week to get that well earned grin off your face ......