Port of Galveston, Texas to Branch, Louisiana

[EZFEED]

OK, this is just a feeler and I'm in no imeadeate need at all. All I'm looking to see is if someone can assist me in transporting one of my trucks to my home in Branch. I will happily pay your fuel and transport fee if requested.

I was actually bidding on one of the 5 ton wreckers for this but Ilost the bid. I "might" try to see if the little deuce will tug this thing the 227.10 mile distance to my house.

I will be needing transport from the port of Galveston hopefully in or around late Febuary or March. Ocean transport time is dependant on what my carrier will schedule me for since he's pulling some strings for me. It will be 21 days from Bremerhaven, Germany to Galveston so I will have this time for a heads up.

Customs, DOT, EPA, ATF are my issues. I just need someone to transport with trailer or tow it to my house.

Vehicle specs
weapon weight(vehicle w guns): 11.5 T
weapon width: 7'4"
weapon height: 9'8" (to the top of turret)
weapon length: 22'8"

Pics
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/EZFEED/My vehicles/EZPLDVK1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/EZFEED/My vehicles/EZPLDVK2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/EZFEED/My vehicles/EZPLDVK3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/EZFEED/My vehicles/EZPLDVK4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/EZFEED/My vehicles/EZPLDVK5.jpg

Now it is fully restored and does run and drive but I don't want to chance something breaking along the way. My oplan is to pull the driveshafts, check the axles for lube, and tow it back with my M35A-2.

I know 11.5 tons is allot for the little deuce but I figure if I take it slow I should be able to roll it home with no trouble. Might take me 4-5 hours but she'll get home
....or am I dead wrong???

 

[TheBuggyman]

23k is alot of weight but I imagine that it would pull just fine, especially in an area without alot of hills. Stopping may be another matter entirely......

 

[EZFEED]

I'm thinking of maybe having another person ride in it and turn the engine over to keep the compressor going for the brakes. Like the Deuce this has hydraulics as well. I figure stopping can be a combined effort.

My address so anyone can preview the route is:
531 Link road
Branch, LA 70516

From the Port of Galveston to the above address.

 

[TheBuggyman]

Let me ask you this, is there any way to tie into the air brakes on the new truck from the glad hand on the back of your Deuce? My 813 is setup to receive braking air while being towed so maybe........

 

[TheBuggyman]

Sorry, you said brakes and I am assuming air over hydraulic, is this correct?

 

[EZFEED]

I do believe they are air over hydraulic. I havent gotten around to translating that part of the manual just yet but from what the illustrations show it is definitley not just an air system.
Only thing is I think the connections are totally different due to it being a foreign vehicle. I also don't think I have connections up front. I do have tow hooks but no air lines unless I plumb into them and run the lines through the engine air port in the front. It's an aircooled Tatra engine.

 

[TheBuggyman]

Translating the manual?!? Good luck with that, I have enough trouble with a manual that is in English. Even though it is a foreign vehicle surely you could find a metric to standard adapter assuming that the vehicle is metric. I wish you the best of luck and wish I could help more but I am one of those "idea" guys that has to see it to figure out a way.

 

[EZFEED]

Translating the manual?!? Good luck with that, I have enough trouble with a manual that is in English. Even though it is a foreign vehicle surely you could find a metric to standard adapter assuming that the vehicle is metric. I wish you the best of luck and wish I could help more but I am one of those "idea" guys that has to see it to figure out a way.

LOL!!!! It's been a trying ordeal but slowly I'm getting it done. No way in hell I'm relabelling everything in the truck to english now since I've ended up learning what certain words are!

Here is a pic of the rear air connectors. It's similar but not quite.
http://www.militaryvehicles.cz/files/cz/8-detail/010det/010det021.jpg

Here is a photoalbum of this type of truck. You'll love the offset axles I ordered one front and rear axle from their parts yard for another project vehicle here at home. You wanna talk about an axle built like a brick sh*touse, these praga axles are and they are much thicker and heavier than they look. I'd almost say a good quarter heavier duty than the deuces axle, especially the fronts. The added gear reduction you get from the dropped helical gear housings just adds to the rockcrawling suitability for these.

Just think, the same kind of clearance as the Humvee but all the way across and no CV or control arms to worry about! And this from a vehicle built in the 1970's!!!!!

http://www.militaryvehicles.cz/index3.php?sek=200-10&lang=en

 

[TheBuggyman]

Hmmm.....
Portal axles like a Unimog? Cool. A very interesting design for actuating the brakes, it would seem to be all mechanical from the external actuator into the drum, no hard to get to wheel cylinders. Is that actuator is air or hydraulic?
You said the engine is air cooled, is it a straight six?

 

[EZFEED]

That's an air line in it's holder. There's a little spring just behind the panel that keeps the rest of the length retracted and puts tension on the connection to keep the line secured in the holder. Maybe I could plumb a line into that but isn't there a check valve in air brake lines? I'm thinking of unscrewing the line from the compressor and then I could hook a rubber line to that and snake it out the front either oput of the hood or the air intake vent. I have a bunch of sections of line from one of my old ammo trailers I could use, that would give me the U.S. connection.

The brake linkage is mechanical but the pistons are air/hydraulic. It's kind of like my Model T's brakes where you have an arm that turns a cam to spread the brakes against the drum. There's also all wheel emergency brakes. One lever for those and I can adjust all 6 drums under my console.

Powerplant is a Tatra 912 6 cylinder aircooled diesel. This one is supposed to have a sort of add-on multifuel upgrade on it too but once again, I havent gotten to translating that part of the manual yet LOL!

 

[ken]

I may be able to help a bit. I work at the POG alot. I have a pass and i can take you to inspect it while your waiting for it to clear customs. I strongly sudjest not sending it through houston. It will be tied up for days!!!!

 

[EZFEED]

Thank you much!!!!!

I'm sending you a PM for your contact info to let you know when it's coming.

I've heard the same about Houston too and that's why I chose Galveston. I was told that with all of the stuff coming in daily it would get backed up and I would have to wait till they got around to inspecting it.
I wish New Orleans or Baton Rouge was available to me but sadly they are not.

 

[Stan]

Just courious, what sort of towbar arrangement are you going to use?

 

[mcinfantry]

ez, i have a medium towbar and axle clamps

 

[EZFEED]

Hey guys!

I was thinking of using the same towbar as what I'll be using on my deuce but if I can rent yours Mcinfantry then that'll be cool! The towbar I currently have is constructed of two 4' peices of heavywall pipe with chain strung through them and three shackles. One in the middle of the V for the pintle hook and two on the ends for the bumper/tow hooks.

 

[mcinfantry]

no problem!

 

[Stan]

In the pics it looks like it has independent front suspension. Would you be able to clamp to the A arms or would they hold on the tow hooks? Just wondered.

 

[EZFEED]

Nope it's a straight axle just like the rears. I will snap a couple pics of the extra set I have at home so you can see.

 

[disco]

If you take I-10, the weigh station just inside Louianna is pretty much always open. Just about the only time I've seen it closed is when they turns the lights on to bypass because the trucks are backed up all the way onto the freeway. I think they will hassle you about the weight. That station must be a money maker because somebody is always pulled over in it.

The bridge in Lake Charles will be fun too. The 210 loop isn't much better. I have had the wheel spin light come on going over the bridge in Lake Charles pulling a load with a single axle tractor in the rain. Although, the good part about being slow going up the bridge is that when you come blasting down the other side, nobody is in front of you.

I haven't been off of I-10 but these are only two snags I see and if you can get a big enough truck lined up, those won't be a problem.

 

[EZFEED]

If you take I-10, the weigh station just inside Louianna is pretty much always open. Just about the only time I've seen it closed is when they turns the lights on to bypass because the trucks are backed up all the way onto the freeway. I think they will hassle you about the weight. That station must be a money maker because somebody is always pulled over in it.

The bridge in Lake Charles will be fun too. The 210 loop isn't much better. I have had the wheel spin light come on going over the bridge in Lake Charles pulling a load with a single axle tractor in the rain. Although, the good part about being slow going up the bridge is that when you come blasting down the other side, nobody is in front of you.

I haven't been off of I-10 but these are only two snags I see and if you can get a big enough truck lined up, those won't be a problem.

I thought about the bridge but not the weigh station........

Maybe it would be wise to spend a little more time and stick with the backroads and bypass them altogether. I'm sure I can find a route around this?