15th - 20th July 2007

Monday 15th July - Day off


Tuesday 16th July
0645 Start. Out empty to Felsted for a booked 0800 pickup, I was sure I'd be OK earlier and sure enough the machine driver was waiting ready when I arrived just before 0730. It was a Volvo BL71 Backhoe loader (think typical JCB and you'll get the picture) for a groundwork company that we do a lot for. It was soon and secure thanks to the driver Ken, who is always ready to help. It's a short hop to Gt. Dunmow where I pick up the A120 with him following in his van, from there it's across to Stansted and up the M11/A505 to Royston before taking the A10 towards Cambridge to the first village Melbourn.

It's a funny one this site, we have to run round the bypass to the far end and drop back down the main road so we can reverse into the narrow lane that serves as access. There's walls on either side and often cars parked outside the shops opposite and it's a funny angle but it's not too bad today, at worst we could have unloaded on the main road and driven the machine down. The next job is Colchester and although I'm spoilt for choice of route I head back down to Stansted and across the A120 to make my way to the Garrison where I am to collect one of our old machines a Hyundai 5.5t, I find the machine easy enough on the huge site (it's pea green, like Kermit) although the key is not obvious.

One of my Hitachi ones fits but there's an immobiliser so it's back on a treasure hunt. 1st stop is one of our machines working there but he has no key and points me to the contractors office. No joy there either so I bell the guy who had been on it last week and he tells me where they are hidden. Caked in grease I get the thing going and loaded before heading back to the yard. It had been clunking a bit when I moved it about and I discover the problem is one of the sprockets which is badly worn and being replaced whilst it is in the yard. I'm just glad that the track didn't come off, I had one go on a brand new machine last week and could do without it again.

At 1340 I get asked if I'd nip down to Dartford to switch a machine over, take one of ours down and collect one that had been hired in, and offhire it in Basildon. It seemed straightforward enough and the run down was uneventful. It started to unravel when I got to the site at Green Street Green as the machine wasn't ready etc. and I was there longer than planned. Then the tunnel had backed up and to cap it all the A13 was partially blocked on the way into Bas. Finally got the machine off and back to the yard for a 1715 finish. 257km


Wednesday 17th July 2007
0530 Start. First stop Winnersh near Reading, there's a bit of traffic on the M25 but it's not too bad although the M4 was tricky as a squaddie Landrover had lost a wheel in lane 3 and had gained quite a queue to get past. I arrived on site at 0800 though and they were slowly getting into gear and set about unloading a load of kitchen units from a wagon.

My collection here was a 12m Telehandler for Bovis, although this transpired to include a 1000l diesel tank (IBC) & pump, shovel bucket and 3 tipping skips. The forkie driver was Eastern European and not much cop with the machine, managing to knock a cupboard over and running over some cornice or pelmet stuff that had just been delivered. I let him sort himself out and I managed to get a 45 in before he was ready to start loading. Finally it all went on and after securing everything I am ready to leave about 0915.

It's down the A329M to Bracknell and out to the M3, up to the M25 down the M23 and onto the A27 at Brighton heading towards Lewes. I'm headed for Peacehaven and the map looks good for the Bwhatever to Rottingdean, as usual they wait until you are comitted to that route and virtually there before spring the 7.5t limit. There's no weak bridges on the new Truckers atlas and it's an except for loading "nimby" type so I just ignore it as it'll probably cover the area I need to go anyway. It's a bit tight in the town centre but I'm soon on the right track and pick up the Bovis site traffic signs. I'm on site with just over 2 hours driving remaining and I wonder if I'll get back in one hit.

They don't seem too keen to take the extra bits here, but as they had loaded them at Reading I make them take them anyway. I pull off site and decide to see how I go for time and take a different route back, first to Newhaven, on to Lewes and then Tunbridge Wells for the A21. It's all familiar after Newhaven and it's quite enjoyable as this is my only booked job for today. I forgoe my usual stops in this part of the world and decide to try for home on my remaining time. Tunny Wells goes behind me with 1hr 15min on the clock and I'm in with a slim chance. The Dartford Tunnel is clear and I blast through and up to the A12 at J28. I get stopped for about a century at the lights and am watching the timer like a hawk. Push push push all the way back to Danbury. In the yard, handbrake on, engine off and timer stopped at 19sec. Finished at 1500. 435Km


Thursday 19th July.
0530 Start. I'm booked to Hewdens all day today although not to the usual depot at Dagenham, my first call is their Ashford yard for 0800. I make good time and arrive at 0715 and there's activity already, another haulier loading a 13 tonner on a lowloader. The bloke in the office (who is smoking, despite the new signs everywhere) grumbles cos I'm early and tells me to wait a while. I grab a 15 and go in again when the lowloader leaves. I get another earful about how lucky I am as they don't usually load until 0800 to get the lowloaders out of the way. Bollox to that. Anyway they trundle out a CAT TH63 12m Telehandler and on it goes along with a sheaf of paperwork from the workshop as it is being transferred from one depot to another.

It's a good run back to Essex to J26 where I come off and take the machine to their Waltham Cross yard where it gets offloaded. In return they give me another 12m to load, a more modern machine and this one is going to Chelmsford. It's one of 3 going there today, 1 has already gone and the last is my second load. The job at Chelmsford is to Hylands Park where the V festival is held, at the moment they are setting up the World Scout Jamboree and I was here a couple of weeks ago for Hewdens dropping off forklifts on day 1 of the setup. After stopping to fuel up on the way back I calculate I'm getting approx 10mpg I'm soon back in Chelmsford.

It's got more organised? now and there seems to be a system. I am told to follow the track to the carpark and turn left into the plant area at the end. The entrance in to the yard is exit only and the next one in is outside of the Heras compound where there about a dozen other Hewden forklifts and Telehandlers already alonside access platforms and tractors and allsorts. There's a gateway of sorts in the Heras so I unload and aim the machine for it only to get stopped by some nob why doesn't want me to drive it across his cables. The only access is through the gate where the 'security' who directed me initially are stationed beside.

I get stopped by some over zealous volunteer with a HiVis and a clipboard and he gives me a bollocking telling me he's going to give me a 'plant notice' presumably assuming I'm working there. he doesn't like the fact that I am travelling with the mast raised and the forks up high as there are some cables across some of the gateways. These are just the PA and comms one not High Voltage power and I'd dropped the mast to go through. Apparently the site rules are that the forks must be kept low. I tell him it's a load of Bollox as you have limited vision to the offside front and have forks jutting out at pedestrian level. I drop the machine, get the paperwork signed and park up on the access road for a quiet 30 min.

Back down to Hewdens and the yard is full. They have got an old spunker R Reg 18t DAF 55 sitting there being unused which is presumably being replaced by the '07 Scanny 6 wheeler at the back of the yard. Blocking the reamaining space is their other 6 wheeler which is being driven by a Eastern European who looks like he sleeps in a hedge. Fair enough it's a dirty job, but i reckon he goes home cleaner than when he started. He's tossing about with a little 7m telehandler and I decide to squeeze my 12m past so I could load outside. I'm away before he's got his ramps up and he'd already started when I arrived. Straight back to Hylands and this time I drive straight into the plant yard to tip off. Another officious sort rolls up and starts checking everything on the machine, he's not able to fault it as it's one ex Ashford and Waltham Cross have checked it too. Finally he decides to measure the boom as it can't be a 12m in his opinion. After pointing out that 12m is it's height and that with the boom flat it will be less I show him him the capacity plate in the cab and finally he signs it off.

I'm away about 1430 and trundle into Great Baddow to see if tomorrow's machine is ready for collection. I have to wait while they are finishing off the Unimog that I'm collecting, but I grab a cuppa and chat to the guy who runs the place as I've known him for a few years. Finally the beast is ready and they give it a quick test before loading it straight on. When I get back to the yard the boss had just phoned them to see if it was ready only to be told I'd loaded it already. Cool. Finshed 1630. 392Km


Friday 20th July.

0530 Start. Another early one, the weather people were predicting torrential downpours and I wanted to clear the worst hold ups early. Back into Kent and along the well trod A21 I follow the road to Flimwell and turn off towards Rye on the A268. It's a pleasant area although the weather is misty, dark and generally dank. No rain though. I arrive at the mushroom farm at 0715 which is 45 minutes eralier than I'd said so I fired the beast up and let it build up air whilst I unchained it. It's a left hooker and a little bit odd, but mechanically simple and I soon get the old girl off and safely on the ground. It's proud new owner arrives and I hand him the keys in exchange for a wodge of cash.

A 15 minute here with a cuppa and I cut across to Rye to go back via Brenzett and Ashford, I'm not a big fan of going out and back the same way if there is another route of similar length and I know this way to be a nice straightforward route with only a little traffic. My next job is 2x brand new JCB 8018's from the dealer in Braintree and after a 30 enroute I'm there to load around eleven. These machines are destined for the waterboard and are have worklights on the front (OK) and the back (Why lights on the back of machine that rotates?) Also they have got number plates both registered GN07 XXX, I've never seen road registered minidiggers before.

They're loaded side by side and a pallet of buckets up front. It's lashing down as I lash them down and I hhurry to get them on their way. They're headed for the resrvoir at Hanningfield, near Chelmsford which is the local Water Authorities main depot. At the barrier I'm told to head for stores, where I'm directed to the vehicle garage in search of Clive.

Clive has gone out and is the only man who can sign for the machines but thankfully he reappears before I leave. When I ustrap the machines I discover that in my hast to get them strapped down, one of the ratchets cannot be undone as it cannot be fully opened to release the tension as it's tight to the machine. There's nothing for it but surgery with a knife and I now have a ratchet strap about 8' long. The first machine is gingerely unloaded in the torrential rain and as I start the second one I notice that the fule gauge is on empty, I make a mental note to tell Clive when it's off. However as the machine changes angle at the top of the ramps it coughs and splutters and I switch it off before it finally conks out. Luckily they have got a drop of fuel in a can and as I'd not let it run dry I was able to get it going without bleeding the air out. I leave the site drenched despite the waterproofs and head back to the yard via the Unimog dealer to drop the cash off. I'm off home at 1430. 357Km