So, today I responded to a moderator whom I have the utmost respect for. I was sitting in a fast food joint at the time, my truck parked taking up
15-20 places in a grocery store parking lot. I suspect he thought I was "whining". Perhaps I was. He said I was "tougher than that". Maybe, I
dunno. Anyway, then this happened...
I left the parking lot after my "lunch" and headed north. I was hauling hay today. Fifty miles north I was loaded with 31 tons of hay (I have three
more loads to haul this year...and this is my third load). I was heavy. Sixty two thousand pounds, (62) bales at 1,000 pounds/ea on a 53'
trailer.
[There was some question about whether or not the world would end as a result of my complaint. I hope not. (grin)]
62,000 on the back, on a single lane road with no shoulder will keep your attention (anyone's attention). Our Pete 379 will "TUG". Big (black) smoke
with the Cat 3208 twin turbos. Wife didn't want to ride today, so I drove alone. (well, me and the dog).
Checked all the tires before I got loaded (all good). Road was a little rough pulling out around the feed lot. No matter.
So what's the point????
Headead south (back to the ranch), running about 70mph. Single lane, no (zero) shoulder. Looked back in the mirrors and saw a wildfire rig coming up
behind me (FAST), lights blazing. Started braking and downshifting. In front of me...flashing yellows...wide load!!! HOLY CRAP!! I'm on the jake
and this fire truck is passing. The rig coming the other way is a lowboy with a CAT 637 Scraper on it. There's NO way we can pass!! He's braking,
I'm braking...and the fire truck is up beside me on the left.
The lowboy was over 100,000 and I'm about 62,000 (both trucks well over 120,000 lbs GVW). I'm trying to keep my rears on the road. White smoke on
both sides. I'm hitting the trailer brakes (they're locking up). The fire truck (an old Hummer) is still passing. I'm just trying to keep it on the
road...so is my opponent coming at me with a Scraper. Pilot truck goes by me and off the shoulder into the ditch. Fire truck goes around me, hauling
ass. (Still have to brake and avoid a collision). I got my mains off the shoulder (trailer too) on the right side...hard braking now.
Figured for sure I was gonna' put it in the ditch!! (especially once I got off in the gravel). There was NO shoulder! ((In fact, I was already
mentally having the conversation with my wife about wrecking the Pete)). I could see the whites of that KW driver hauling that scraper as he went
by!! I honestly could. He was off on the other (non) shoulder too. I figured for sure I was going to dump it; the trailer leaned WAY over sideways
as the rears went down into the ditch. (praying on my strap job). Honestly, I wasn't even watching my trailer at that point. (I figured it was a
wreck for sure). I saw that lowboy (with the scraper) go down into the ditch, and the huge dust cloud behind it. I figured he was going to come up
and go around sideways and bad wreck, but he held on.
JEEZUS!!!
I came back up out of the ditch with the trailer and took my foot out of the throttle (I'd had my foot in it the whole time...only way to survive).
He'd done the same thing. There was a monster cloud of dust behind me and we were both braking hard to a stop (traffic in tow). HO-LY S###!!! My
heart about jumped out of my chest!!!! His pilot got stuck in the soft stuff off the shoulder, and he'd passed him by about 1/4 mile.
I drove about 15mph for the next few miles...scared the crap out of me!! (unhappy campers behind me, but oh well!!).
edit on 11/6/2016 by Flyingclaydisk because: (no reason given)