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Posted by Joe Cimoch [68.116.181.98] on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:45:22 :
Being laid-off has afforded me the time to go on some Power Wagon adventures with long time friend Dennis Sherman. Yesterday was no exception.
We planned on leaving Dennis' shop at 7:30 to pick up the first of seven Power Wagons that Dennis acquired in Western Massachusetts. I grabbed a coffee at the local Dunkin Donuts and headed out to meet Dennis. The first order of business was to remove the newly acquired Holmes dual boom wrecker that was sitting on the trailer. Dennis started up the Power Wagon with the gin pole, hooked on the Holmes, and quickly determined that the dual-boom wasn't coming off the trailer with the diamond plate bed attached. So he dropped the cable, and went inside the shop and grabbed the gas axe. Two minutes of cutting and the diamond plate was free. Dennis used the gin pole to pick up the wrecker, and them the diamond plate bed. A quick sweep of the trailer to get rid of and dirt and rust, and we are on our way.
We figured about a two hour scenic fall-foliage ride on the Mass Pike another 30 minutes to our destination, 30 minutes to load up, OK we'll be back around noon. Well you know what they say about best laid plans. We hit a little traffic on the way out, but for the most part, it was a nice ride, good conversation, while taking in the nice fall colors, and quaint New England towns along the way.
We arrived at our destination, and met the seller, Ken, while he was clearing wet leaves off the dirt road that led up to his small mountain retreat. The road that led up the hill was barely wide enough to allow the Dodge 3500 dually and trailer safe passage. Dennis shifted the Dodge in Four Wheel Drive, revved up the Cummins, and started the ascent.
First indication of a problem was that the duallies were spinning in the gravel road, and we didn't have the traction needed to get up the hill. The transfer case was engaged, but the front axles weren't cooperating. No problem, Ken said he would tow us.
Ken headed up the hill. After a few minutes we heard an engine come to life, a few minutes later we were greeted by Ken, and his John Deere 350 crawler. Dennis connected the chain between the JD and the Dodge, and we started our slow trek up the dirt road. Riding shotgun, I had a good view of the hill side, hoping the entire way that my view didn't change from the top of the hill to the bottom. Well the JD didn't disappoint, we made it up the hill in one piece, trailer still in tow.
We did a quick survey of the site. Ken runs a saw rig, and sells lumber, which accounted for the rows of lumber, stickered, air-drying, and the piles of logs. Amongst the lumber, were the Power Wagons, visable through the trees, along with early 70s Ford trucks, Ford Country Squire Wagons, assorted machinery, and Ken's cabin. There were also two Braden MU2 winches hanging in a tree about 20 feet off the ground for safe-keeping. Ken asked us to take the blue Power Wagon first - it was close to the cabin, and the roughest truck of the bunch. We cleaned off the pine needles, shoveled out the bed, and planned our method of retrieving the Power Wagon.
The plan was to have the JD crawler pull out the vintage Dodge, then line up the trailer, and push the Power Wagon onto the trailer for the ride to its new home. We shifted
the Power Wagon into neutral, then tried to move the transfer case levers from their 4 wheel drive low position. The levers wouldn't budge, even with some persuasion from a 3 lb. hammer, and a 10 lb. sledge. We chained up the Dodge, and started the pull. The truck was moving, but none of the wheels were turning. After a few maneuvers in the limited open space, the front wheels began to turn, and the JD positioned the Power Wagon for a straight push on to the trailer. We connected a chain into the passenger side rear Budd wheel, figuring we could tug on the wheel to unfreeze the wheel. Right-rear free, we proceeded to try the same approach to free the left side.
Well that little JD has some grunt, we watched the chain tighten, give a tug, and saw the birth of our new swivel-frame Power Wagon, except the bed was swiveling about 90 degrees from the cab. The frame was weak, and tore apart behind the driver's side cab, the other side of the frame had a plate welded to it, but wasn't much better. Now we were faced with getting both the power end, and the Wagon end on the trailer. No Problem, Ken fired up the Ford backhoe.
We chained up the bed half, Dennis jumping up and down from the bed into the Ford's bucket to secure the bed. The bucket slowly lifted the bed, and maneuvered it on to the trailer. Crunched a trailer fender in the process, but we would be OK. The front would present its own challenges. The front was too heavy to lift up to place on the trailer. We decided to try chaining the frame behind the cab, and pulling the cab to the end of the trailer. Ken got back in the JD, and pulled the cab down a little incline near the back of the trailer. Then chained up the cab to the Ford's bucket and swung and pulled the Power Wagon on to the trailer - success!!! OK, so the cab now has a tiny crease where the rear window used to be.
"Hey lets use the bulldozer to straighten out the cab on the trailer". That sounded like a good idea at the time. With all that weight and frame scraping on the trailer bed, who would have thought that the whole front end could roll off the trailer? Guess what happened? It seems funnier now. You know the routine, JD, Ford, chains, more crunched fender, more crunched cab, no more adjustments. Hurry up get it chained down before anything else happens.
We made it down the hill under our own power, and started the ride home. Lots of stares and finger pointing from people passing us. Stopped at a construction site, we saw a State Police Trooper glance at the load and laugh, uttering "Oh Christ". That helped to confirm that there was some kind of divine intervention that got us home in two pieces.
Call Dennis to reserve a spot for your own Power Wagon High Adventure Tour. :o)
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