0645 Start. An empty run out this morning, off to Newport near Saffron Walden to collect a groundworkers Volvo ECR88 8t machine. They loaded it straight on, and had put the buckets in a quite unorthadox way. They seemed tight enough so I made my way to Bocking, nr. Braintree to drop the machine at a large site where there have 3 other 8 tonners working already. They jump up and run the machine off but the buckets aren't playing ball and end up everywhere. It's not my problem though and they soon get it sorted.
After collecting some keys from another groundworker I head off to Hinxton just by the A11/M11 split.
To load these, a 5.5t Hyundai and a 3t swivel skip dumper.
It's a nice easy load and I'm out the gate again shortly afterwards and headed for Felstead to their yard.
The 3t S/S dumper is coming off but the buckets need to stay on. What you need is a Hiab to lift the buckets out of the dumper. Or failing that some other lifting equipment.
I need the baby one on next.
I managed to find some new ones after one broke last week.
It's about time I stopped for a while so I take a break at their yard before heading off to Wickham Bishops to drop these two off. It's a bit of a maze through the lanes but I find the site 1st go and soon have the machines off. I get out of the way and find a quiet spot to park until I get confirmation of my next job.
Our other driver Norm has been delayed and cannot complete his last collection so I make my way over to Target Plant at Colchester and load a 6t dumper.
Back at our yard, I have to reload it tight to the headboard so I have enough space to get one of our 5t dumpers on the back. They are both chained down nice and tight ready for the morning and I'm off home at 1645.
Distance 315Km
Tuesday
0645 Start. It's a local job this morning and one made easier still by the fact that Bob is taking a Daewoo 130 13 tonner there on his lowloader. - Anyone remember the bloke who demolished the house last year and got done for attempted murder?
Yep, it was one of these that did it. Not sure which though as we got 2 or 3 Daewoo 130's
The site was a turf farm near Maldon, and both Bob and I were unloaded quickly and off to our respective next jobs.
My next job was to call at Brooks Brothers in Danbury, it's a large timber yard tucked away down an unlikely little narrow lane. I'm loading one of their sideloaders a Fantuzzi Mr Whippy or something similar and taking it to their Maldon yard. Their driver loads it on and tells me that he will be at the other end as he is going there to drive it.
It's only a 10 minute hop down to Maldon and I unchain the machine, drop the ramps and get the kettle on and have a brew whilst waiting for the driver. In the end I get fed up waiting and consider getting one of the Maldon sideloader boys to run it off. But hey that's not very adventurous and I've never driven a sideloader before, how hard can it be? Not very it's pretty idiot proof and soon it's back on the ground floor. Matey arrives in his car as I am just about to leave.
Next job is a crap one, clearing building materials from a site in Great Baddow, on the south side of Chelmsford. It's started to rain and then starts to hammer down and I'm stuck out in it keeping my eye on the forkie who is loading up. There's 2 packs of Osma drain pipe, 1 huge pack of electrical duct, a pallet of manholes and two pallets of steel road plates. These are loaded on and I take them to another site at Great Dunmow where they are unloaded in a fraction of the time.
When I was loading they told me I'd got to collect some Hairy Arse fence panels (HERAS) from Generation's yard and take them to a different Gt. Baddow job when I'd done the Dunmow run.
I arrived at Generation's yard at 1200 and I'd just given my load sheet to the yard wallah when their wagon rolls and I'm told they are going to load him first as he's got to go to Beccles. 45 minutes later they forklift 3 packs of panels on in the lashing rain and it takes all of 10 minutes. It's literally 5 minutes from the yard to the site and it's not the best news as there's no forklift on site. No-one wants to handball 80 panels off, but there is another of the groundworkers sites across the road and apparently their forkie will unload me in 10 minutes. 20 minutes later I'm told that the driver is due back at 1330 (now) and will unload. Finally about ten to two he appears and starts to unload. Overall it has taken about 2 hours to load 80 panels and deliver them about 2 miles away.
I am absolutely dripping wet when I get back to the yard, I load this 7t Yanmar ready for the morning and head for home at 1515.
Distance 120km
Wednesday.
0645 Start. No rush this morning as the first job was back at the site in Great Baddow, where the fencing went yesterday and it's only 5 minutes away at the bottom of Danbury Hill. It's a simple unload and I'm off out to Lt. Waltham on the top side of Chelmsford to my next job. I arrive at the yard and call the Landscaper whose machines I'm moving, he's a bit surprised to hear from me as he'd been told I'd be there at 1100. It's not a problem though and he is soon in the yard and we load the 3t dumper and the 'Kermit' Hyundai 5.5 tonner. He's an old acquaintance of mine and we have a good old natter before taking them the short distance to Lt. Leighs.
Last time I moved them, which was the first time he'd had them moved I'd advised him to remove the beacon off the dumper roof before transport in the future. Needless to say we both forgot about it and I found the beacon (intact) in the road just outside the second site.Back at the yard, there was not much doing so I get the errand boy job and go collecting parts for the fitter in one of the vans. When I get back the boss asks if I'd be prepared to drive Baker's little lorry as their driver was sick. I was unsure if it would have a digi card and no-one there had the faintest idea what I was talikng about. It's only a five minute walk, so I clump round and have a look for myself.
It's got an analogue tacho, so it's OK and after finding out what needs to be done I run it back to our yard to collect my tachos, gloves and safety gear.
Make way for Noddy.
It's a dinky little MAN 8.150, with a Lego crane and a tipper body.
First call is to Travis Perkins in Chelmsford for a tonne of ballast, a few bags of cement and some kerbstones. I get the ballast loaded up the front as I'm doubtful about the capacity of the 'crane', still it's got a better chance of lifting it off the front.
Next up they want me to collect a few bits of Oak from a hardwood company at Gt. Baddow and take it to Shenfield. The oak isn't ready so that job gets scrubbed and I take the rest to the TA centre at Warley next to Ford's HQ. It takes a while to work out how to switch the crane on, where the PTO is and how to set the engine speed but eventually we get it sussed and it's a no brainer to use and lifts the ballast easily and even the jib will extend which surprises me. It's then back to their yard at Danbury to drop off the toy and a short walk to our yard where I reflect on the following.
Having mirrors is a good thing as it extends your visibilty rearwards.
Having so many mirrors that they restrict your frontwards vision isn't so clever.
Being able to do a U-ey in a T-junction is much easier than a 3 pointer.
Nobody gives you any respect in a little motor. No-one flashes you in or out, or lets you through gaps. OK so in a bigger wagon it's hardly a lot better but there's often someone who takes pity on you trying to thread a big wagon in or out of somewhere.
However it was a little bit different and all helps the day pass.
Distance 47Km - Scania / 68Km MAN
Total 115Km
Thursday
0645 Start. It's a cold start this morning and a short run to Bocking near Braintree to load an 8t Kobelco. I'm more lethargic than usual as I have to wait whilst they get the machine ready for me. Unfortunately it's got thick mud hanging off it so I end up digging the worst out so that it doesn't fall off enroute. The site it's going to is in Melbourn, Cambs (where it came from about 2 weeks ago) down this little lane.
They are building some uber posh houses down here.
Not sure what they'll have to say about illegal stoways arriving though.
Unfortunately the job order is the wrong way around today and I have to trail back down to Maldon in Essex for my next load. This over size Tonka toy is a Hydrema articulated swivel skip dumper.
I'm heading off towards Reading, thankfully avoiding the Dartford Crossing which has tailbacks past J27 for the M11. There seems to be plenty of oversize loads being moved about the moment, this was one was being moved swiftly along no bother.
My 4.5 hours was getting close so I stop at South Mimms for a break, I've never seen the place so full. Everyone avoiding the monster queues further round the 25 I expect.
After leaving South Mimms I have a good run round to Reading, it's an old airfield just off the A329M where I'm headed.
These Hydrema's are weird looking things a bit like a combine without the blade. I used to know a guy who had one but he'd never let me have a play in it, todays the day though and I have a little play after I take it off the wagon.
Time is ticking and I leave Reading about 1430 and I really don't want to get stuck in jams or catch the traffic. There's a bit of a slowup where the M25 goes from 4 lanes to 3 up a hill around Watford. The culprit is this big old crawler, being lugged by a big old crawler an 8 leg F12 doing about 20mph. He was so slow that a mobile crane was actually in lane 2 overtaking.
I have a lucky escape with the traffic and arrive back about 1630, I find out about tomorrows adventures and head off home at 1645.
Distance 498Km
Friday.
0630 Start. I'm out on hire today to Hi Reach platforms at Grays. it's a new one on me and I find their yard in an old chalk pit (eventually) Soon after I arrive someone opens up so I back in to the yard and see what I'm doing today.
There's all manner of boom and scissor lifts there and my first job is to load a diesel powered boom lift. It's a 60' lift on this one and it actually weighs over 11t. I'm given a brief demonstration and left to load it myself.
It is going to Sutton in Surrey and I'm fearing the worst of the traffic when I leave their yard at 0820. To my surprise the Dartford Crossing is clear, as are the roadworls and it's a fairly clear run all the way to the site just off the A217. It's an easy place to find, a steel framed building going up. Up I go in the basket and trundle the machine off, it's a weird experience driving something from such a distance. After a 15 minute break I head back to Grays, but one of the tunnels has got a lane out and the queue is back to J2.Back at the yard there are two jobs that can be loaded together, first on is a little electric boom lift that I have to manouevre out of the workshop. It goes on fine and I go and get an electric scissor lift and follow the same route. This will not go up the ramps on it's own so I am forced to use the winch remote in one hand and the Genie's joystick in the other. After it goes on, one of the blokes there tells me that he could have forked it on if I'd asked.
After the two small one are on I get another diesel boom lift (a 45') and manage to get it on board and inboard.
By the time I'm done it's just after 1230 and I've about an hour left of my 4.5 so I make it to South Mimms for a 1/2 hour break. I'm done there just past 2pm and I'm headed for White City so it's M25 / M1 / A406 / A40 and then I hit the traffic on Wood Lane opposite the BBC. It takes me about 20 minutes to travel the 200yards to Ariel Way and I discover that the site is actually the Westfield development, probably the biggest construction project in London.
After getting told numerous times I've got to go to the booking in office which is round the other side of the site and served by it's own sliproad off the dual carriageway. Eventually I get in to the site and quickly get the machine off before leaving there at 1630.
I've said I can't complete the last job in the city, but I head in on the A40 Westway as it's solid going outbound. There's a lot of phone calls trying to sort the last drop out as they need the machines for the weekend, in the end I decide it's probably just as quick to go and do it and head straight through the middle to get to Mincing Lane off Fenchurch Street.
Luckily I have delivered to shops all over London and even knew the building where the two machines were going and I pick a route that is fairly clear of traffic. Once I get to the site I get the machines off as quick as, but the bloke there is useless and I end up making a makeshift ramp to get them on the pavement for him. I leave him about 1730 and head off for the road home through Wapping and the Limehouse Link Tunnel. The traffic is horrendous all the way from the Link to the A13 at Barking and beyond but I gamble on the A406 and M11 and luckily it's not too bad. Back at the yard at 1715.
Distance 391KM
Total for the week 1439Km
Just one of numerous lines of tractors.
We'll take this one an E reg MAssey Ferguson 3070.
After lunch I head into Layer and load a 1t skiploader and our Komatsu 27R 3t minidigger, I can't be arsed to take the windy road back through Maldon so I cut through the south of Colchester, past the zoo and out to the A12.
Passed this beast on the A12, It's a Hitachi ZX 470 with a long reach boom. Ordinarily it'd be clclassed as a 50t machine but with the long boom it's anyones guess. Either way it was very heavy, very long and very shiny and being dragged by an 8 leg Scania unit.
Back at the yard the 27R comes off. Followed by the skiploader. Tip the buckets out. Skiploader back on.
Followed by a Hitachi ZX 50, just a tiddler it's a 5 tonne machine. I'm back down to Purleigh to drop this at the side of the road where the water board are trying to mend a water main. Then it's round the corner to Lavenham Plant at Cold Norton to offload the skiploader. Somehow there seems to be an overload of work and I am now heading off out rather than back to the yard. Next call is to a place called Bobbingworth it's just off the A414 near Ongar and I'm collecting a roller for CRH plant. It's a winch job this one as it's a towed roller.
It's also bloody massive and weighs about 6t. What you need to pull it is a CAT D6, which deliver the thing to the bottom of my ramps. The winch isn't the best of things with anything on it and progress was painfully slow, in fact I'd probably still be trying to winch it on now but for matey in the D6 giving it a shove. I had to keep my eye on him as he'd have probably driven it straight on the back. I set to with the chains and chained the back down as tight as I could, then did the same at the front. Right that's secure I'm off. Despite the chains being solid the roller is seesawing up and down and the ride is choppy to say the least. Imagine driving an unbaffled tanker that's half full down a bumpy ride and you'll get the idea. It's only a short hop to North Weald where I stop to collect a 1400mm self propelled roller. I now get the ratchet straps out and pull the back of the big roller mega tight, surely now it can't move. There's a noticeable improvement on the howeward journey but it's still rocking slightly. Back in the yard at 1730 and off home by 1745.
(Friday - As I was heading into London on the A11, there was a police convoy of three cars escorting an old (J reg or so) Seddon Atkinson 6 wheeler, same dark blue unmarked) they were bocking side roads and making a right noise about it. True to form though, I saw the Sed. quietly trundling on its own back down the M11 south of Loughton when I headed back out)
But that's what I'm paid for, to overcome these little challenges and I'm off out loaded with a Hitachi ZX75 for the amusingly named.................
