From: Winget, William A CONT JTFCS5G (winget@jfcom.mil)
Date: Tue Oct 15 2002 - 07:17:14 PDT
Having hauled a US Halftrack unsuccessfully back from Tennessee to Virginia,
I'm qualified to give advice. HIRE a Lowboy or Dropneck Semi-Tractor. DO
NOT try it with a pickup truck (I don't care whether you try an F-350 or a
SUPER Diesel F450 Ford, it's NOT safe....)
We loaded an unrestored halftrack on a six wheel (three axle) utility
trailer, tied it down well (After the roll, it was still attached to the
trailer)
Went down the highway, almost burned the transmission out on a Dodge
extended cab pickup truck (friend insisted on using his truck, not my
flatbed F-350 Ford)
I was merely headed to the FIRST truckstop I could get to on Interstate 40
to HIRE a flatbed and use a Heavy wrecker as a crane to transfer the load.
I had NO perception that we would EVER make it home down a mountain alive,
and he refused to drive the truck after we loaded it......Too
uncontrollable...
We made it UP the Oak Ridge mountain, and I was at the base of it coming
down, almost home free when a trucker blew by me at 80+ mph coasting down
into the valley. That's all it took to begin the sway from his draft, and
the rest was History. The trailer swayed out of control, hit the guard
rail, then went back toward the centerline, turned severely in the counter
sway and a front tire gave way, allowing the rim to dig into the pavement,
commencing the roll. Fortunately the trailer lunette (which had been welded
by a previous owner) broke the weld and rotated, NOT flipping the truck we
were sitting in, but raising the rear end 6 feet in the air and bending the
receiver hitch in a "U" shape.
Get this, I was doing 35mph at the base of the hill, and it rolled at about
20-25mph........
$650 wrecker cost, $2200 bill to haul the wrecked load and trailer home,
$3500 totaled trailer cost...... Would have been much cheaper to PAY
someone to pick it up on a flatbed, haul it home, then have a roll back
wrecker back up to the flatbed and off load the semi.
Alternative" Find a local outfit with a roll back with a tandem axle truck.
This is a CHEAP way to ensure a safe trip.
YOU can TRY it if you want, but if your using anything short of a F-650
class truck with a goose neck and brakes is your risking not only your life
but Others as well, and that would be highly irresponsible.
Been there, Don't want to Re-enact it..... (Note Mandatory Re-enactment
content for the Mil Veh Digest)
W. Winget
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