Justin39640
Illuminator
- Joined
- May 22, 2009
- Messages
- 4,202
Reminds me of,,,,,,(anecdote time),,,,
When I was 19 I was on a forest fire fighting crew. Our bush camp site had a helipad and thus several barrels of fuel on site. However some dumb bunny had simply reused gasoline barrels, refilling them with jet A, or whatever the Bell Ranger is supposed to use. So, since fuel was scarce, and the helicopter busy, and these barrels needed to go back to the city logistics warehouse, someone had to take them back in a pickup truck. That someone was the then junior guy, me. I am not sure how much five 45 gallon drums of fuel weighs but I do know that my front wheels were barely touching the road. I would take my foot off the gas in turns in order to bring the front down a bit to get more friction and ensure that turning the steering wheel actually turned the truck. I drove fifty kilometers down the highway at fifty km/hr in ninety zone, all the while illuminating the interior by the white of my knuckles, I do not think I blinked the whole time. The logistics guy at my destination asked if I had enemies at the camp as it looked like someone had been trying to kill me. (He was joking,,, I hoped). He said he would send a one ton truck out with fuel barrels later in the day, as he cursed our camp officer over the radio.
Return trip was just foodstuffs. Much better both in weight and subsequent handling of the truck, as well as in not having to constantly put out of mind the imagery of what would happen if I , and my cargo, were in an accident.
Ha! Years ago, my work van broke down and I had to call a wrecker in. The guy showed up with another car on the bed. He put my full size work van on his tow bar. My van, with parts, tools, and equipment runs about 9500lbs. So, I ask the guy while we're driving what the tow bar rating is. He tells me it's about 4k. Panicked I tell him my weight. Just then we hit a bump (intersection) on the service road of the Long Island Expressway. I felt the wrecker rear up and I look at him. He's spinning the wheel back and forth like the steering is disconnected. In unison we both give a "HOLY ******" and then it came back down. It was a very slow ride back after that. lol