I did a bad thing last night

LoneCowboy · May 25, 2007

But not on purpose

Went off doing manure removal. put the small tractor (MF1433) in the dump trailer, chained it up and went off. Loaded up 3 loads (where is my skid steer???? this thing is so slow) and dumped it.
Came back and put the tractor in and got paid. It's now about 7:30pm, I've been at work since 7am.

Drive home, back in, go to unload the tractor and ummmmm, hey, where's the chain???
Oh, there it is, in the back of the truck.

Yep, i forgot to chain it up

it didn't move, but I'm still not happy about it
gotta make a pilot's checklist or something for use when tired.

scott_vt · May 25, 2007

Mornin Brian,
Well you got lucky !

Glad nothing was damaged ! Ill bet you had it in gear with the brakes on, and thats what probablly saved you ! Sometimes when your tired, you just plum forget !

Kendall69 · May 25, 2007

Yes a "preflight" checklist is a good thing. Over on theeRV site, one guy didn't tie down his tow vehicle, and never did miss it till the next stop many miles down the road. The vehicle came off and rolled into the sholder, no one hurt ..BUT. He called the highway patrol to find it, and yes they had it.
Another guy didn't release his emergency brake on his tow vehicle, towded it with the braked ON - ouch!

mjarrels · May 25, 2007

Even with a "checklist"... I've seen many aircraft land with wheels up!

mark

Bird · May 25, 2007

Kendall69 said:
Yes a "preflight" checklist is a good thing. Over on theeRV site, one guy didn't tie down his tow vehicle, and never did miss it till the next stop many miles down the road. The vehicle came off and rolled into the sholder, no one hurt ..BUT. He called the highway patrol to find it, and yes they had it.
Another guy didn't release his emergency brake on his tow vehicle, towded it with the braked ON - ouch!

We encountered a couple in Virginia who were towing a Suzuki Samurai behind their motorhome from California to Maryland to visit friends. He had hooked up the Suzuki and forgot to put it in neutral before he took off; destroyed one engine. And I watched a fellow in Canada starting to unhook his fifth-wheel travel trailer when he decided to move the trailer forward just a little bit to get more level. He forgot that he'd already pulled the release on the fifth-wheel hitch. It actually did relatively little damage, but sure was a loud bang, when the front of the trailer fell onto the sides of the pickup bed.

kwolfe · May 25, 2007

Honest to goodness story. Last fall I was driving home from work and noticed something odd on the other side of the highway. I was a 5'x10' single axle going to other direction at about 65mph. You guest it, no truck pulling it, sparks flying from the jack post.

The amazing part is it was going straight as an arrow. It passed to owner in the passing lane as I saw him pull off to the side. Had to rub my eyes after that one.

rback33 · May 25, 2007

Way back when was hauling crude oil, I decided I should drop my trailer real quick one morning to grease my fifth wheel. That old freightliner's release would not stay out so I had my wife jump in and pull her forward while I help the handle out. Wasn't going to leave it, so I left the air lines and the lights hooked up... She pulled 'er forward, I am screaming for her to stop cuz she was moving a it fast.. Just then there was thunk as the trailer dropped down on the tractor frame... I forgot to drop the landing gear..... My neighbor had to bring over he big JB loader tractor and help me get it situated.... he got a good laugh outta the deal... bad thing was that at first the wife though it was something SHE did.... i told her nope.. just cranial rectal instertion by me....

bx23barry · May 25, 2007

When I was a dumb kid in Vietnam we never chained the D7s down on the lowbeds. Only lost one.

RobertN · May 25, 2007

Saw a boat on a trailer do that once. Came disconnect at an intersection that had a big crown in it. Guy was doing 40-45mph. I do not know how it came disconnected(Chains, latch or?). It dropped the tongue to the pavement, and slowly veered to the right, into the bike lane, through a shallow ditch/swale, and in to a small field. Missed a fire hydrant and telephone pole by inches...

Everything was fine except for some wear on the tongue.

kwolfe said:
Honest to goodness story. Last fall I was driving home from work and noticed something odd on the other side of the highway. I was a 5'x10' single axle going to other direction at about 65mph. You guest it, no truck pulling it, sparks flying from the jack post.

The amazing part is it was going straight as an arrow. It passed to owner in the passing lane as I saw him pull off to the side. Had to rub my eyes after that one.

JoeinTX · May 26, 2007

Odd things you see on the highway-

I was heading southbound on the highway here while back and I noticed what appeared to be a wheel cross the lane in front of me. Almost simulataneously, in the corner of my eye I see another wheel heading northbound straight down the opposite lanes of traffic across the median.

Then a few moments later I see the Ford dually pickup, less the two rear wheels on the driver's side, just having ground to a halt on the shoulder of the road in a small cloud of dust. Poor guy had a real blank look on his face.

machmeter62 · May 26, 2007

mjarrels said:
Even with a "checklist"... I've seen many aircraft land with wheels up!

mark

They are also called "SPARK ARRESTORS!!"

workinallthetime · May 30, 2007

ok since we are in the story tellin mood here i thought i would chim in with a couple.
i was driving down a city street and there sat this little honda kinda funny in the road as i passed it i saw the tire rolling down the road. it went across the road and hit a curb where it creamed the side of a new full size pannel van. I had to pull in and watch this unfold, out of the store comes this huge country boy to see what hit is van and the 2 little arabian guys just stoped in their tracks as he walked out. That was funny.
this one is not so funny

my wife worked in the er for awhile and there was this couple in their 70's who were hit on the highway by a semi tire that came off and hit them head on. He didnt make it through the night and she was so messed up she probably didnt want to make it.

rback33 · May 30, 2007

workinallthetime said:
this one is not so funny
my wife worked in the er for awhile and there was this couple in their 70's who were hit on the highway by a semi tire that came off and hit them head on. He didnt make it through the night and she was so messed up she probably didnt want to make it.

Yeah not funny... the company I worked for hauling crude oil had some LAZY drivers... one driver had that happen to him TWICE because he was not really doing his inspections and the trailer wheels were cracked out and fell off... one of the times he saw it happen in his mirror and used his trailer to knock them over.... I never understood it... you HAVE to look at your equipment close in the oil field... that stuff gets abused daily on those roads...

woodlandfarms · May 30, 2007

This commecial won major awards... There is a whole series, but this one is quite on target...

Funny Commercials | Funny Ads | Funny Video Clips » Bangkok Car Insurance Funny Commercial - Probability

Lindblom Lawn Care · Jun 3, 2007

machmeter62 said:
They are also called "SPARK ARRESTORS!!"

You know you landed with your wheels up when it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.

sandman2234 · Jul 2, 2007

I was sitting at a light when a tanker truck rounded the corner. A set of duals went straight across the intersection and into the bushes surrounding a gas station. A couple kids grabbed the tires and started rolling them down the road before I could get turned around. I hollared at them and they dropped them and ran. I called the police and they tried to load them in the back of a Crown Vic. I suggested we put them in the back of my p/u and that I would ride around with them for a couple of days to give the officer a chance to locate the owners. If no owners, then I would dispose of them for nothing.
They never did find that tanker and a friend wore out the tread before disposing of them.
David from jax

tallyho8 · Jul 2, 2007

That reminds me of an incident I had about 10 years ago. A couple of my buddies and I loaded up into my Ranger to go hunting and were on the highway going about 55 mph when my left front wheel came off and passed us up as the sparks were shooting up from my front hub dragging on the concrete. It was going straight so I just let up on the gas and held the wheel straight. My buddy in the middle just sat there frozen and my buddy by the right door was shouting "Stop!!! Hit the brakes!!!". It seemed like an eternity before the truck coasted to a stop with my buddy yelling the whole way. After we finally stopped and got off the road I had to explain to him that if I had hit the brakes, the right front wheel would have stopped and spun the truck to the right and with it already leaning to the left would have flipped us over for sure.

He realized what would have happened and said he was glad he wasn't sitting in the middle or he would have stomped the brake pedal himself without realizing what would have happened.

When I got home I discovered 4 of my 5 lug nuts on the ground next to where I had my truck parked and realized someone was trying to steal my wheel and had 4 lugs off when I probably surprised them by getting up early to go hunting.

A $75 wrecker charge and $2 for a lug bolt and I was up and running again. My backer plate was worn down on the bottom but not enough to have to replace it. A safe ending for what could have been a disaster.

kbota · Aug 4, 2007

Two stories; 1. Wife and I were sitting on front porch one Sunday afternoon, and I could hear this aweful racket that sounded like a sewing machine on steroids loud enough to compete with front row seats at a rock concert. It was loud and unusual enough that I stood up and walked into the yard aways when I could see a rather large motorhome coming down the hwy. At first I thought something was wrong with the motorhome, but as he passed, I saw the source of the problem; There was a Volkswagen Beetle hitched up to the rear of the MH. I could visualize them (pro'ly ol what's her name") driving the bug behind the mh in first gear and hubby hooks up the towbar. Someone forgot to place the transmission in neutral. At one time I actually calculated the engine rpm's in first gear at 65 mph, and it was pretty darned high. They blew right by us fat, dumb, and happy....at least until they got home and tried to start the vw bug. I'll bet the battery was well charged though.

2. A couple of years before the MH incident, an 18 wheeler lost a set of duals on the hwy in front of our property. The duals ran across the road, and straddled my fence. Snapped off 17 posts like toothpicks before tangling in the hogwire, and turning sideways. I called the sherriffs office in case there was a related incident. The deputy told me over the phone, that they would come pick up the tires. I responded, "Not until my fence is repaired your not" He was not conditioned to being talked to like that. He said, "Well they are not yours sir." I said, "there not yours either, and they are on my property, so as far as I'm concerned, they are mine until someone wants to claim them, and I will trade them for enough money to fix my fence."

No one ever called, and six months later I sold them for $150. Didn't near bout cover the fence repair cost, ...but...that's life. I still chuckle when I think about those two stories, and I'll never forget what a vw beetle sounds like in first gear at 65 mph. Had to be close to 9000 rpm or more.

k

Bird · Aug 4, 2007

I'll never forget what a vw beetle sounds like in first gear at 65 mph

During our years of full time RVing, we once met a couple from California who were on their way to visit friends in Maryland and were towing a Suzuki Samurai behind their motorhome and had done that same thing. Completely destroyed the engine in the Suzuki.

JoeinTX · Aug 5, 2007

Everyone, no matter how meticulous and **** we may be, have that "oh ****" moment where we slap our foreheads and wonder where it went wrong. It's just that some get lucky and some............do not.

No worries and another lesson for the future.