0645 Start. A change of seat this morning, demoted to 340hp. First up is a local one, dropping off an 8t Yanmar down at Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation in Little Baddow. Unfortunately the bridge over the canal is a weak 7.5t one so I have to back into their little car park and go the long way round, if I could go over the bridge I'd be at the A12 at Hatfield Peverel in about 5 minutes. Via Danbury it's about 20 minutes to the same spot.
The reason for the different motor is that there's a container to shift and the other driver has got today off, so I head up the A120 towards Clacton and nip down to Elmstead Market to a farm to load. I quickly get the crane unstowed and the container chained but it won't budge so I have to get a van moved so I can get closer in. I rechain the container and get it on (of sorts) It's not the neatest bit of loading but it's a 24 footer with jacklegs as well using a crane that I've only used a couple of times before.
Safely strapped (no twistlocks) I head off to Earls Colne to unload outside some flats being refurbed. There's 2 other containers neatly positioned and they want this one alongside, secretly I have my doubts about how neat it will be especially as it getting a bit windy. However I soon get it hoiked up and recruit a volunteer just to stop it spinning and give me some indication of where it's going. To my surprise we nail it first time and I pack up and head back to the yard.
I could stay with this motor all day but I decide to go back and swap to mine as the gearbox is doing my head in. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just the standard 4 over 4 but the range change is the splitter switch on my 3 over 3 and every so often I knock it into high range at a junction subcontiously changing back to high split.
Back at the yard after a quick cuppa (another good reason to change, no kettle) I head off to Maldon to load a groundworkers 8t Komatsu. It's a simple move across to Rayne near Braintree where I swap it for a slightly battered Hyundai 5.5t machine. It's about 1300 when I leave so I head out towards Stansted on the A120 and stop for a break. Back on the go it's all the way down the M11, A406, A12, A13 to drop the 55 off at Poplar about 1500.
After a quick turnaround I make a hasty exit from East London and head back to the yard and load our Kobelco 7 tonner ready for the morning.
Finished at 1645. Distance 331Km
Tuesday
0645 Start. I'm out the gate fairly prompt this morning and off with the traffic over the bridge into Kent, traffic is fairly light (for the time) and I come off at J1a and take the old road through to Gravesend. I've just got to deliver the 7 tonner to a park in a residential area and on the map it looks like it will be tight as. I'm pleasantly surprised by nice wide roads that weren't clogged by school run mums. It's just possible to back into the park entrance and get off the road to unload and before long I'm on my way back. I decide to follow the signs for the (A2) Dartford rather than go through central Gravesend again and when I'm almost at the A2 the signs announce that the London bound entry is not available and you have to turn towards Canterbury and double back further up the road. Handy sign that, just a shame there wasn't one 5 minutes ago.
The traffic is still running well all the way along the A2 to the M25 although sadly the new slip road is not yet open. I'm through the tolls almost without stopping and back through the tunnel into Essex and back at the yard by 10.00
Spent the rest of the day on errands fetching bits and pieces and loitering around the yard. Home at 1615. Distance 134Km.
Wednesday.
0645 Start. There's no jobs on the board this morning for me, the lowloader is also yard bound and the other 6 is in until about 10.00 so there's not a great deal to do in the rain but keep out of the way. Someone decides to get the 2 6's booked in for a smoke test today and I'm told that I've got to be at the VOSA site at 1100, be able to jack the cab and have the engine number clean and visible.
We decide to investigate the whereabouts of the number at jack my cab to have a look, I climb in and have a good look around but cannot find the engine number, our other driver Bob is none the wiser and we decide that I'll run it down to Truck East at Witham and get them to show me. Down at Witham I jack the cab again and one of the fitters hunts around for 10 minutes before finding it. Cab down I head over to VOSA at Chelmsford in their shiny new facility. When I get called in I start to jack the cab (again) and all of a sudden one of the inspectors shouts 'whoa mate you've forgotten about your kettle' I reply that it's OK cos it's empty and continue to pump the cab, 'But it'll go through the screen' he says, 'No it's OK it's screwed down' I reply. He looks bemused and gives up that line of enquiry when he sees it not moving, although he's probably wondering how I actually use it.
The examiner notes the number on the ECU and I drop the cab and stow the bar, he puts the probe on the stack and starts the test. It's a simple test that doesn't take long and results in a pass. To my surprise and disappointment (hoping I'd fail and the other 6 pass) it looks like I'm still OK for London next year then.
Back at the yard the boss is well pleased that it's passed the test and saved him £4-5k and I even manage to get a brand new magnetic flashing beacon to attach to the back when moving protruding loads.
After more little jobs in the yard I call it a day at 1545. Distance 55Km
Thursday.
0645 Start. Off to Rayne in the rain this morning, back to the farm from earlier in the week, I'm there at 0720 and the gate is shut so I settle down and wait. And wait a bit longer. Then some. I call the contact number at 0745 and apparently they're in traffic and will be along soon. Eventually I'm in and we load the buckets into the dumper and back it on up front. The 7 tonner sits on the tail and the boom hangs out the back, now neatly marked by sparkly beacon plugged into newly installed socket.
It's back to Maldon to where it came from, but it's just the digger & buckets off and another dumper goes on. The two dumpers are taken back to the contractors yard nearby and dropped off next to their lowloader. That'll be a shiny lowloader that's obviously not getting much use at the moment then.
Next on the list is a collection in Stevenage, so it's a drag round the M25 and up to J7 on the A1M to the site which is right beside the junction. I'm loading a 7t dumper loaded up with buckets off a 20 tonner, as usual it's an old dog and it's also got a puncture.
Usually dumpers get a single chain, but when they are old and knackered and especially when loaded they get a bit more attention.
One chain across the towpin with 2 dogs.
Two single chains on the front. And a strap over the buckets to hopefully keep it all in place.
I decide to wander back along the A602 to Ware and take the A10 / A120 through to Braintree before finally dropping down in Witham. It's a good route, one I'll probably use again. Down at Witham the dumper is off and I make my way back to Danbury. Left for home at 1615. Distance 289Km.
Friday.
0645 Start. Nothing on the board this morning, so confined to the yard for the better part of the day. In an attempt to get the winch refitted I jack the cab for the 4th time this week and enlist one of the two machine drivers who are also spare today to help me get it back in it's regular slot in the bulkhead. It's still not aligning right though so I decide to remove it again and get the cab back down again, not least so I can retrieve my sandwiches. There is a job to do at 1430 it's only local but it's still a chance to get out, I'm off to the canal to collect the Yanmar that I dropped first thing Monday. It's a roadside load job but there's three of them of traffic control, slightly overboard but handy nonetheless.
A quick 3 point trun into their yard and it's back up the hill to Danbury and down to Great Baddow to excahnge it at a site there. The Yanmar is replaced by an 8t JCB that's on hire to us.
The Jake is then taken back to Jovic Plant in Sandon and offhired, before the last leg of the jourey back to the yard. I'm all wrapped up and ready to go at 1645. Distance 22Km
Just as I'm about to get in the car our driver Bob rolls in the yard with the lowloader, he's running late as the A12 has been blocked most of the day and he's got to reload. Rather than disappear I grab my gloves and lend a hand, there's a Hitachi duck to come off, and then reload a 5t dumper, 20t Hitachi and a 120 roller. Once we get it all loaded in the dark, I leave him to chain it all on and head for home.
Total Distance 750Km - Must be a record.
5 comments:
why do old and kackered dumpers get more securely chained than new and shiney ones?
It's more to do with the condition, they're nearly all battered being the most abused piece of plant on the building site.
The very worst ones are often completely knackered and have iffy brakes. A single chain over the centre will hold it down but will allow it to rock back and forwards a few inches. That's enough to damage something else, and in extreme circumstances snap a chain or get enough slack to throw the hook off. If I think the brakes are likely to be shot I'll secure them front and back pulling in opposite directions to keep them planted firmly in place.
Hope this has made it clearer.
Ahha with you. Thought it would be something along those lines, wasn't sure if it would be you trying to avoid damaging new ones yourself, or whether it was more a case of damage to the fixing points of the dumper.
Cheers for answering and keep up the blog, its always an interesting read.
Thats some good pictures of the chains in action Graham, just what I needed to see. I'm jealous of these two piece ramps. The shift I was on had one piece ones and weren't in the good nick yours are.
Are you talking about the Toolbox blog or just the info on here.
If you haven't looked yet, follow the link to the 8wheels toolbox
Post a Comment