[AT] How not to load a tractor - or he's finally gone

David Bruce davidbruce at yadtel.net
Tue Apr 10 04:38:46 PDT 2007


I had some timber cut here. It was a small plot (about 25 acres) and I
used a small operation a friend had used before with no trouble. Things
worked fine until last fall when he ran into a combination of money
problems and broken equipment. He went to work for another logger and

left his equipment here over the winter - a small timber harvester, a
small JD log skidder, a Ford Industrial tractor with a front end loader
and a 24 foot equipment trailer.
Finally a couple weeks ago he came back to get some of the equipment.
They brought his bosses semi rig and his log skidder. Loaded the JD
skidder and timber harvester - this was Friday - (using the bigger
skidder to pull the equipment on the flat bed - his boss returned early
Monday to get his skidder. Now down to the Ford and the trailer. The
following Friday (last Friday) he and his bosses father returned with a
three axle log truck to haul the tractor and trailer away. Then the fun
began. Of course, the tractor never started. I towed the tractor up to
the barn (loading site) with my JD 2010 diesel. I made the mistake of
shutting down the JD while things were prepared for loading. Of course
it doesn't start well when hot (vapor lock I think). Pulled out the MF
35 to pull start the JD. Then to loading the Ford on the trailer.
Tried loading it with the JD and a chain - got about halfway (on the
ramp) and the JD started spinning (of course no wench or come along).
Finally we loaded by pulling with the MF and pushing on the forks of the
loader on the Ford with the loader bucket on the JD.
Then they chained everything down and started off with expired tags on
the trailer. Since it was nearly dusk and the trailer light wiring
wouldn't connect to the truck and the trailer tags were expired I'll bet
they had some fun with THE MAN on the road.

David
NW NC




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