One year ago today

[kendelrio]

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.

 

[marchplumber]

Congrats......"Life is for living"......God's got a plan for ya!

 

[Bill Nutting]

Ken,
You and I share some things in common. we both have a caring and supportive lady in our lives. We both use our MVs to keep our focus on something other than the bad stuff that came our way. And we both have found friendship and fellowship in this hobby and on this site.
I got into this hobby by mistake. I just wanted a 4x4 truck to play around with. I was able to buy an M37 for a fraction of the price of a beat up Ford or Chevy pickup. Owning this truck opened up a whole new world for me. That was in 2001. This spring I will be passing ownership of my first MV on to a friend and member of our local MV club. I’ll still have two vehicles. It’s just time for me to downsize my stuff.
Recently I got a close look at my mortality. I have been through three hard months. I am recovering and see daily progress. I know for sure I couldn’t have faced this without my wife. She is my rock and continues to do her part and mine around our home while I recover.
You and I are both blessed. Sometimes we go through our day to day without realizing just how lucky we are. I don’t do that anymore…

 

[kendelrio]

Ken,
You and I share some things in common. we both have a caring and supportive lady in our lives. We both use our MVs to keep our focus on something other than the bad stuff that came our way. And we both have found friendship and fellowship in this hobby and on this site.
I got into this hobby by mistake. I just wanted a 4x4 truck to play around with. I was able to buy an M37 for a fraction of the price of a beat up Ford or Chevy pickup. Owning this truck opened up a whole new world for me. That was in 2001. This spring I will be passing ownership of my first MV on to a friend and member of our local MV club. I’ll still have two vehicles. It’s just time for me to downsize my stuff.
Recently I got a close look at my mortality. I have been through three hard months. I am recovering and see daily progress. I know for sure I couldn’t have faced this without my wife. She is my rock and continues to do her part and mine around our home while I recover.
You and I are both blessed. Sometimes we go through our day to day without realizing just how lucky we are. I don’t do that anymore…

Absolutely. It's a cold sobering look in the mirror when you realize just how for granted you took each day. I've been following your posts and progress and know I'm sending you strength and mojo.

As far as this site and the members, they have truly been a blessing, whether it is advice, knowledge about fixing something, passing word about parts/accessories needed or even just picking up the phone or returning a text.

I was discussing this very thing with a fellow member the other day and we both realize what a great group of people are here.

And yes, our ladies, I hope realize just how important they are to us. Whether it's jumping up to help hold a piece of gear in place while we work or even just silently listening and tolerating us telling them about the minor thing we did to our MV, but it IS SO IMPORTANT TO US!!! (You should have seen how excited I was just to get the convoy lights flashing, much less installed! I was like a 4 year old at the park, and my lady just smiled, congratulated me then asked me when the hell I was gonna clean the mess I made on the porch up! ).

 

[m715mike]

@kendelrio , buddy, I am grateful that this website brought us together. It didn’t take long for me to know that you are a man of great character and integrity. And I didn’t have to read many of your posts to know that you are extremely talented and hard working.

You have my respect. I value our friendship and look forward to it continuing for a long time to come.

 

[M35fan]

Way to go, Ken! Your story is inspiring. Here's to you and your family enjoying many more happy years with Bertha (and the new members of your fleet).

 

[Mullaney]

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.

View attachment 858865

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:

View attachment 858857

Recovery day:

View attachment 858858

She needed a bath!

View attachment 858859

Cleaned up with the cargo cover installed the first time

View attachment 858860

Camping

View attachment 858861

Parades and car shows

View attachment 858862

View attachment 858863

View attachment 858864

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.

View attachment 858866

.
@kendelrio ,

Thanks for taking the time to write that story. I'm proud to be associated with people like you and a lot of others in this outfit as well.

 

[cucvmule]

Many people lose sight of everyday, Living.

I lit the candle at both ends plus for a long time. My MIL told me one day to "stop and smell the roses." Not knowing or understanding what she was showing me I put it in the back of my mind.

Then one day I understood completely. And it was there all the time only when mortality hits you between the eyes and you personally see what many have witnessed and seen, my MIL was 100 and 10% right.

WWII, her a nurse in the Army and my FIL a Tanker in the Pacific. They knew very young what life and death was about.

We are here all but a short time, and time gets shorter, quicker as life continues on. And although I never left anyone out I never thought about, myself. I am not a vain person to a fault. And now I stop and smell the roses as in the end all we have is what is very personal, family, friends, God.

I would not forget my Dogs, all of them through the years as they have given me smiles when stress pushed me harder.

I feel I must delete this, but we all must meet the inevitability of time, time is short.

Thanks Ken Happy Anniversary

 

[Guyfang]

To quote Led Zeppelin, "Good times, Bad times, You know I've had my share". We need those Good times and Bad times. The Good times, to get through the Bad times, and the Bad times, to really appreciate the Good times.

No one makes it through life, without that Rock. I have been married to mine 45 years. Hasn't always been a bed of roses, but would not trade it for my own life. Without my wife, I would be dead, or a junky living under a bridge. Or worse.

And we can not forget our Lord. He held my hand when no one else would.

I am truly Honored Ken, to be a Friend of yours. Over the last few years, I have found that there is one heck of a Great bunch of people in this forum. I owe all of you a heart felt THANKS.

 

[cattlerepairman]

@kendelrio What a journey! Thank you for sharing and tons of fun enjoying your pretty 5ton!

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[Soupermike]

I am glad that I could play a very small part of your story!!

 

[kendelrio]

I am glad that I could play a very small part of your story!!

Probably the most important! If you had pulled the trigger on buying her, none of the past year would have happened!!!

 

[dmetalmiki]

Many mentions of being grateful for good health..Not to be 'Bought' at any price.
About six months ago I nearly stopped carrying out my usual exercise routines...Then one of our members dropped out of the hobby quoting " I am too old", "I get tired"..."I can't be arsed any more".."Look I have chicken wings and my skins gone all wrinkly"...."My arms only move up this high and I can't open the cupboards and get tea or cans of soup out of them"
SHOCK HORROR!!...I had chicken wings n' flabby outer covering!..I could hardly get cans of soup tea or whatever either!.( from a wall cupboard)...It was too painful to lift my arms up (To that height)..get out of a chair with ease..AND get in my trucks without difficulty.. ..I could not even attempt to climb up and in the OT 65 G FUG...

Me' thinks NO way hoosay!,, So, SLOWLY with care I promptly went back to resuming my exerice routines (twice a week)..
No chicken things..OK outer covering!..I can open full height cupboards..I have 100% range of movement in both arms and legs.
NO pains...including that nagging lower back ache.
HUGE relief..I can now climb on up in my trucks including the FUG.
Did it hurt? Yes. Did I persist? Yes. Am I glad I did? Yes. Does it hurt now? (doing the exercises) NO.
Do I often say to myself..I really can't be arsed today.. meb'e tomorrow ? Yes.....Hmmm.. well 'Arsed or not.. I DO do em'.
I am NOT wonder man..The joints click n' grate but **Function** as they should..
I am MOST thankful.
Oh..(But) by the way... **I AM 'knecking' 14 Health capsule/tablets TWICE a day**
I was riding skateboard well over age 70!. (Though I did 'test' ride one of the members kids new skateboard today much to the...surprise / disbelief ( Nay Horror?! )..Of all.
A positive attitude and a (This) Great hobby go 99.99% of the way to keep me doing all this.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Probably the most important! If you had pulled the trigger on buying her, none of the past year would have happened!!!

You are exactly correct. In fact.. ( as 'they' say )..You have, the nail, On the head..Hit!.

 

[dmetalmiki]

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.

View attachment 858865

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:

View attachment 858857

Recovery day:

View attachment 858858

She needed a bath!

View attachment 858859

Cleaned up with the cargo cover installed the first time

View attachment 858860

Camping

View attachment 858861

Parades and car shows

View attachment 858862

View attachment 858863

View attachment 858864

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.

View attachment 858866

Well done you...I wish you to be happy lucky and successful all the rest of your days..You have accomplished a great deal within your hobby..
The 'Craze' WILL keep you a' going. So enjoy

 

[71DeuceAK]

Ken, I feel ya. These trucks aren’t just a truck. This hobby changed and probably saved my life. My current circumstances are entirely a result of these trucks. Thanks for sharing.
There is nothing like these trucks.

 

[cattlerepairman]

My full time job is stressful, responsible and has nothing to do with trucks or mechanics. I have my truck activities as a vent and to balance my brain. I even transport 50,000 lbs excavators for a company I know, on the side, just because I love heavy trucks, hold an unrestricted CDL and it occupies a different part of my brain than my day job. I do not consciously do that as a mental health measure - but maybe that is what it is.