Bit of variety

I'm having some camera issues at the moment so I'm not blogging as usual, the camera phone quality is not great so it's not really worth bothering with. However I did know that today might be quite good so I borrowed a camera so I could make a one day entry.

Friday 25th April 2008
0630 Start. Off down the A12 to Romford this morning, in to school early to pick up our mini, it's going direct from one job to another so I refuel it in the school car park and slosh diesel over the ground. It quickly gets loaded and I'm off to nearby Upminster to deliver it.


Next is a job that never got done yesterday, it's a collection in Harlow which is a short hop around the M25 and up the M11, in fact it takes as long to get acoss Harlow as it does to get there on the motorway. I'm loading a 5t JCB that we'd cross hired in for a customer, after it's on I get under way and suddenly realise that I haven't had a cuppa this morning. I'm drying out and looking like a walnut when I stop at 0945 on the way out of Harlow.



The 5t machine goes back to Chelmsford, and I trundle over to Great Baddow to load a Unimog from the dealer there.





Just the one today, this one has come from Ireland and has been sold in as is condition. Starting it is done with a crowbar across the solenoid. No doubt a few quid spent here or there will improve things a bit, there's some iffy looking hoses on the crane but it's anyone's guess if they'll get changed by the punter before they blow. I like Unimogs, they are interesting bits of kit and actually one you've worked out what everything does fairly easy to operate. They are easy to chain on and sit nicely unlike a wheeled digger which is a similar size and weight.

This one is going over the water, well to Sutton Valence in Kent in fact. It's just round the corner from a piling company I used to go to so directions are no problem. Time is starting to catch up with me however so I stop for half hour at the bottom of Bluebell Hill on the way in.

The yard where the 'mog is bound for is down a twisty lane, I've been down some of these and when the guy reckons I won't make it I don't argue. There's a handy layby on the main road where we offload and he drives it up the road himself.

My next job is over at Dagenham Dock, yesterday morning I dropped a tractor off for a drilling company at Hanson's Wharf. It's ready for collection today at 1600 and I head straight there, I'm early on site at just past three but I wanted to the next bit so I parked up on the jetty out of the way.



The tractor had some drilling equipment mounted on it and had been working on a barge.











Whilst wandering about I noticed a little crane for hoisting a gangplank out with, this panel on it made me laugh.



Once everything was craned off the barge, they simply chugged off.



The tractor was loaded at 16.05 and I left Hansons at 1620. Unfortunately the traffic in Essex was horrendous and I didn't reach their Latchingdon yard until 1800. After a quick unload it was off back to our yard for a 1830 finish. 386Km

Welcome Back.

I wasn't going to bither posting this week as I've only done two days, however today was a little different so I figured it'd be worth posting.

Friday 18th April 2008

0630 Start. I'm off to Alconbury this morning and happily trundling along the A130 between Chelmsford and Great Dunmow when I suddenly lose power, the engine has cut out and won't restart whilst I'm rolling. Luckily I'm just coming up to a side turning where there is space to stop, actually that's really lucky as there are very few places on a busy, narrow and windy road.

I'm unable to shed any light on the problem, it starts and runs for a second or two before cutting out. I assume that is a fuel problem and call the office who promise assistance in one form or another. This turns out to be our fitter who services and repairs the machines, as I demonstrate the problem it has miracously fixed itself and is running happily. We decide to Jack the cab up anyway and see if anything looks wrong. Nothing is amiss so I restart my journey with him following as far as the M11 in case of trouble.

Everything is fine all the way up to Duxford and then the problem reoccurs between J10 / J11 I coast to a stop on the hard shoulder next to an emergency phone and let the Highways Agency know I'm there and am dealing with the problem.



I wait a while and try again, nothing doing so I call the office. We agree that I should wait a while longer and see if I can get off the M11 rather than call for recovery. At 0930 I decide that as it's not going and I'm freezing it is now time to throw in the towel and inform the office. I've just finished on the phone when I suddenly have an idea, there's a hidden deadman switch and when I look the switch is worn and presumably jumping to off. After taping it up, everything is fine and I'm able to get under way again.

I'm going on to Alconbury airfield to load a couple of Unimogs. They're by the gatehouse and I have my doubts if they're going to both fit on, however I like a challenge and get them both fired up and belching out smoke in the direction of the gatehouse.

The first one goes on, and I get a chain through the front eye before driving it tight up against the bulkhead.



The second one is slightly smaller but has a big winch and a towing hitch on the front, the hitch has to be removed to reduce the length. This one is then driven up behind the first one until it touches the front one.



There's abit of work to do chaining them both on.



But after an hour or so of trying different options they just manage to fit with the ramps almost folded upright behind.



I'm off back down the M11 to drop them off at the Unimog dealer in Chelmsford.

He's got some better pictures on his website.
http://www.parkagri.com












After I've done here things are a lit more straight forward, there's a Hyundai 55 and a dumper to move a couple of miles locally.



I get back to the yard about 3pm but immediately get sent out to Takeley to snatch back one of our Yanmar 75's, the company it's on hire to has just gone into receivership and we want it back ASAP. I take one of the machine drivers from the yard to help speed things up on a Friday afternoon.



Back at the yard it is offloaded and I'm home at 1700.

USA

I've been in the States for a couple of weeks driving this.



It's a Ford E350 Superduty with a 5.4l V8 engine, it's also available with a V10 engine.

That's petrol mind, good job it's only about 50p per litre as it only did 17mpg

Whilst taking the little wheels around the Disney empire, I stumbled across a whole bunch of old Ford Cargo's working the backlot studio tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios.