# Anybody want anything from Ontario?



## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

Dispatch is making noise about sending me to Alberta. 

Don’t commit to buying anything or send money unless it’s a for sure thing, but if any of you western Canada guys want something you see over here.....don’t be shy to ask, at least for this trip anyway. 

I’ll know more come Friday morning but I “should” have some free deck space. 

@Brent H anything heavy to go to @YYCHobbyMachinist?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

Probably gonna jog from North Bay to Sudbury up to Sault St Marie and around the lake to Thunder Bay then across to Winnipeg. I’m thinking Winnipeg to Saskatoon then Edmonton. Seems to make sense anyway


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## Brent H (Feb 5, 2020)

Hey @Chicken lights 

I have a small spindle to ship him but that is not worth any kind of trip.  Could send him the Lathe base if you don’t need it???

could ship him the 3 phase motor as well if he wanted it???


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## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Hey @Chicken lights
> 
> I have a small spindle to ship him but that is not worth any kind of trip.  Could send him the Lathe base if you don’t need it???
> 
> could ship him the 3 phase motor as well if he wanted it???


Wait and see if he gets on here tonight, I’ll be through your area tomorrow sometime, probably late afternoon (if nothing goes wrong, I tell everyone don’t plan on it until I’m actually loaded and driving)

While I will need a base for my lathe it would kind of be neat if he had the correct one


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## Brent H (Feb 5, 2020)

Ok- let me know on my cell.  Dropping off a steel job tomorrow mid morning


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## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

Will do


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## YYCHM (Feb 5, 2020)

David... you keep the base, it's too heavy and awkward to move into my basement.  Discussed this with Brent already.

Brent... No use for the 3 phase motor, not wired for it.  As for the 6" long tailstock spindle, just mail it.

Thanks,

Craig


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## YYCHM (Feb 5, 2020)

So how does this work?  Does dispatch have loads lined up for you to pickup and deliver between all the mentioned destinations?


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## Brent H (Feb 5, 2020)

Ok!

safe drive David.  We will set up a time for your visit - if you are by tomorrow I can have the stand set out with a 1/2 hp motor - you would need to modify the stand a bit and add the chip tray but at least you would be on the way..


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## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So how does this work?  Does dispatch have loads lined up for you to pickup and deliver between all the mentioned destinations?


Oh, nope. Loading in North Bay ON. Delivering west of Edmonton. One load, one trip.

But if anyone was wanting anything they could check kijiji or what not and figure out if it I was going by.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 5, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Ok!
> 
> safe drive David.  We will set up a time for your visit - if you are by tomorrow I can have the stand set out with a 1/2 hp motor - you would need to modify the stand a bit and add the chip tray but at least you would be on the way..


I’m happy to stop in to say hi or for coffee but I wouldn’t grab the base to take all the way out to AB and back, I’ll run up in my little truck one day. 

I was more throwing this out there if anybody else needed anything


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## Janger (Feb 5, 2020)

You rock!


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## YYCHM (Feb 5, 2020)

Janger said:


> You rock!



Yup.... That's been said before.


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## Hruul (Feb 6, 2020)

Heads up Chicken Lights, another oil train derailed on highway 16 east of Saskatoon.  They might still be doing detours next week, depending on how long the clean up takes.  It is burning right now, and the highway is closed.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 6, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Heads up Chicken Lights, another oil train derailed on highway 16 east of Saskatoon.  They might still be doing detours next week, depending on how long the clean up takes.  It is burning right now, and the highway is closed.


Thanks for the heads up!!


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## Chicken lights (Feb 7, 2020)

Look at all that empty deck space....

Wagons west we gonna see if we can find Alberta


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## Tom O (Feb 7, 2020)

Spread out a blanket and suntan in this heat wave!


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## YYCHM (Feb 7, 2020)

Hey David, how about providing daily sit reps so we can track your progress?  This sounds like a real adventure.

What's your load consist of?  Looks like 5 pieces of rusty pipe to me.  There must be something special about them to justify trucking them across the country?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 7, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David, how about providing daily sit reps so we can track your progress?  This sounds like a real adventure.
> 
> What's your load consist of?  Looks like 5 pieces of rusty pipe to me.  There must be something special about them to justify trucking them across the country?
> 
> Craig


Sure. Left Gravenhurst this morning, loaded in North Bay, left North Bay about 3:00 and got up to Kapuskasing for the night.

It is 5 pieces of rusty pipe. They first said tarped then the shipper said no tarp. They said the buyer was worried about the open pipe getting magnetized from the wind going down the road. The engineers said the pipe would be getting magnetized before it was coated, whatever that means. So not tarping it was fine.

It’s pipeline pipe, so it’s special rusty pipe I guess

Gonna aim for Kenora tomorrow but that’s a long pull.


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## trlvn (Feb 8, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Kapuskasing for the night. ...  Gonna aim for Kenora tomorrow but that’s a long pull.



It is easy for me to forget how big Ontario is.  Staring in the middle of Northern Ontario, you can drive for nearly 12 hours--and still be in Northern Ontario!

Craig


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## Janger (Feb 8, 2020)

What’s the bill to haul that pipe out here?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 8, 2020)

Janger said:


> What’s the bill to haul that pipe out here?


Probably around $8000, I’ll know when I see the pay report


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## Chicken lights (Feb 8, 2020)

trlvn said:


> It is easy for me to forget how big Ontario is.  Staring in the middle of Northern Ontario, you can drive for nearly 12 hours--and still be in Northern Ontario!
> 
> Craig


Testify!!!
Almost 12 hours of drive time today and still in Ontario 

You’ve done this drive before?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 8, 2020)

680 miles today or about 1100 kilometres got me up to Kenora. I purposely quit here I’m not wanting to go anywhere near Winnipeg and try to find parking. 

Fun fact it IS uphill all the way to Regina, and once you hit Saskatchewan you’re always driving into a head wind. Even if you turn around to go the other way it’ll be into a head wind. 

Goal is to get ‘er into Alberta by tomorrow night. We’ll see if that happens


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## trlvn (Feb 8, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Testify!!!
> Almost 12 hours of drive time today and still in Ontario
> 
> You’ve done this drive before?


One day I'll head that way but I haven't yet.  I just checked a map app.

Craig
(Cheating, I know.  )


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## Chicken lights (Feb 8, 2020)

trlvn said:


> One day I'll head that way but I haven't yet.  I just checked a map app.
> 
> Craig
> (Cheating, I know.  )


I would highly recommend anyone travel through Canada. The list is endless on things to check out and go see. 
https://www.listchallenges.com/canadas-50-places-of-a-lifetime

That’s one good list!

Other than that, just physically seeing how large and diverse Canada actually is, is eye opening. West coasters are different than prairie boys who are both different from east coasters, and nobody is like Quebecers! 

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say driving west into the Rockies is my favourite. It’s hard to compare with the Great Lakes, but then again BC or PEI with the oceans are pretty cool. 

I would suggest skipping Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan


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## historicalarms (Feb 9, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Probably around $8000, I’ll know when I see the pay report



  I see things haven't changed in the trucking industry since I left..."just go pick that load up and take it where we tell you too...and we'll pay you what we want 6 weeks later...we cant tell you yet what that amount is yet...ohh, by the way your fuel card price went up 20 cents retroactive to 4 previous loads " . 

    Safe trip man!!!  Highway conditions in Ab. are very good for this time of year...subject to immediate change of course .


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> I see things haven't changed in the trucking industry since I left..."just go pick that load up and take it where we tell you too...and we'll pay you what we want 6 weeks later...we cant tell you yet what that amount is yet...ohh, by the way your fuel card price went up 20 cents retroactive to 4 previous loads " .
> 
> Safe trip man!!!  Highway conditions in Ab. are very good for this time of year...subject to immediate change of course .


It’s a bizarre industry. That’s for sure. 
I’m very surprised how little snow is out here so far, hoping to get in and out without a blizzard.
Thanks for the well wishes!


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

12 hours of counting telephone poles. Pics are random from first in Manitoba, before Regina then coming into Saskatoon. 

700 miles today. Got lost in Saskatoon a couple times. 

Having stoplights on the Transcanada Highway always baffles me. Im guessing it was cheaper to build that way instead of overpasses and on/off ramps....but it’s not a very efficient highway? 

The ring roads get me confused too. If I ran out here more I’d get to know them, I’m sure. 

Probably about 6 hours left tomorrow I’m hoping to deliver early.


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## YYCHM (Feb 9, 2020)

Where have you stopped for the night?  I'm plotting your progress on google maps LOL.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where have you stopped for the night?


Tonight? There’s a Flying J outside Saskatoon 

I’ve only ever trucked the Transcan and points south of there we in uncharted territory for sure


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## YYCHM (Feb 9, 2020)

Google maps tells me you're into this for 29hr 2750km so far and well with in striking distance of your target for tomorrow.

BTB - Traffic lights on a hwy make way more sense to me than traffic circles.  The circle on hwy 1 outside of Banff was a death trap.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Google maps tells me you're into this for 29hr 2750km so far and well with in striking distance of your target for tomorrow.
> 
> BTB - Traffic lights on a hwy make way more sense to me than traffic circles.  The circle on hwy 1 outside of Banff was a death trap.


Yeah, about that, probably closer to 32 hours drive time since leaving North Bay

When I think highway I think straight pavement, with off ramps and on ramps. Traffic circles (roundabouts) or stoplights don’t belong there 

We have a slightly different system than the USA but it’s close, a 4 series highway has no stoplights or traffic circles, similar to their interstate system. Much of Quebec and the eastern provinces are similar. 

Anyway not saying it’s wrong just saying it’s different. If you came to southern Ontario you’d probably think we were the backwards ones

I like it out west....it’s just not what I’m used to


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## Hruul (Feb 9, 2020)

Did you take the new bypass around Regina or come into the city to take the ring road?  No traffic lights on the bypass.  Even though it is out of the way for me I still use it to get to the east side of Regina. Better than going through the city and the ridiculous drivers here, not to mention the traffic lights that seem timed to make you stop at everyone.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Did you take the new bypass around Regina or come into the city to take the ring road?  No traffic lights on the bypass.  Even though it is out of the way for me I still use it to get to the east side of Regina. Better than going through the city and the ridiculous drivers here, not to mention the traffic lights that seem timed to make you stop at everyone.


New bypass....

I’m guessing I missed it, there was a spot the road split but I wasn’t sure where it went.


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## Hruul (Feb 9, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> New bypass....
> 
> I’m guessing I missed it, there was a spot the road split but I wasn’t sure where it went.


Ya it would have taken you south just before you got into the city.  It goes south and then joins back to the trans Canada west of the city then continues on to highway 11 towards Saskatoon just north of the city, just north of the weigh station.  The bypass has been in construction for three years in total. Just opened this fall.


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## YYCHM (Feb 9, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> New bypass....
> 
> I’m guessing I missed it, there was a spot the road split but I wasn’t sure where it went.




You don't use a GPS?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Ya it would have taken you south just before you got into the city.  It goes south and then joins back to the trans Canada west of the city then continues on to highway 11 towards Saskatoon just north of the city, just north of the weigh station.  The bypass has been in construction for three years in total. Just opened this fall.


Ahh no the one I’m thinking of was over by Balgonie

That seems confusing...to take a southbound ring road to grab a northbound road?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> You don't use a GPS?


I do but generally not on the big roads 
I don’t trust it to get me where I want to go. Atlas and maps for the most part

I’ll use it to find the delivery address for instance but I don’t use it much for city to city. 

For instance to get to Calgary from Ontario its really one road. Sure it’s 900 miles but there aren’t many turns


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## Hruul (Feb 9, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Ahh no the one I’m thinking of was over by Balgonie
> 
> That seems confusing...to take a southbound ring road to grab a northbound road?


It ties into the highway to the us border back into the trancanada, the new global transportation hub, highway 11 and several roads around Regina.  It was likely the most open route to get them all.  The off ramp at Balgonie would have taken you into north east Regina down a two lane highway.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

Hruul said:


> It ties into the highway to the us border back into the trancanada, the new global transportation hub, highway 11 and several roads around Regina.  It was likely the most open route to get them all.  The off ramp at Balgonie would have taken you into north east Regina down a two lane highway.


That makes sense 

The southern detour is faster than the two lane from Balgonie?


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## Hruul (Feb 9, 2020)

The bypass turn off is east of Pilot Butte.  I am guessing you stayed on the #1 into Regina,  down Victoria to the ring road and then out to highway 11.  I am not sure if the bypass is any faster than going through east Regina, but it sure is a lot nicer not having to stop or even slow down for the city or traffic.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 9, 2020)

Hruul said:


> The bypass turn off is east of Pilot Butte.  I am guessing you stayed on the #1 into Regina,  down Victoria to the ring road and then out to highway 11.  I am not sure if the bypass is any faster than going through east Regina, but it sure is a lot nicer not having to stop or even slow down for the city or traffic.






On paper that doesn’t look faster?

I’ll agree going into downtown wasn’t much fun and wasn’t very fast, it seems to me the southern ring road adds miles but skips the scales?


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## Hruul (Feb 10, 2020)

Last time I checked it added about 5 min. to my trip from the northwest of Regina to get to the east end by using the bypass.  I have to go west to get to the bypass from my house, so it involves going the wrong way for a bit.  Much nicer drive in my opinion though.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 10, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Last time I checked it added about 5 min. to my trip from the northwest of Regina to get to the east end by using the bypass.  I have to go west to get to the bypass from my house, so it involves going the wrong way for a bit.  Much nicer drive in my opinion though.


I always seem to learn about these bypasses after the fact haha

My first trip ever out west a few years ago I ran solo. Got out to Chilliwack and found out there was a couple drivers who ran together because one was new. They asked how I liked the Calgary bypass.....

...what Calgary bypass..?

Haven’t been back to Calgary since to find out 

Thanks! If I go home that way I’ll remember that!


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## Chicken lights (Feb 10, 2020)

The ol’ GPS says 3700 kms to get home from here. 

The receivers said not to show up after 3:00 pm...we got there about 3:20...pulled the ol’ “I just wanted to make sure I knew how to find you guys in the morning” trick....they got me unloaded so now I’m empty a day early.


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## YYCHM (Feb 10, 2020)

Where did you deliver to (nearest town will do)?  Where are you now?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where did you deliver to (nearest town will do)?  Where are you now?


Whitecourt and Whitecourt


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## YYCHM (Feb 10, 2020)

Let's see if this works.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...eca92968b!2m2!1d-115.6654225!2d54.1273952!3e0


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## Chicken lights (Feb 10, 2020)

Storytime for @YYCHobbyMachinist 

Couple years ago, crossed at Sweet Grass into Montana. I had a triaxle stepdeck loaded heavy and tall. I was heading to the Gold Butte area. Looking at it all the roads were unpaved (conditions vary- consult locals). I called and asked directions. The guy had a heavy accent and was standing in a wind tunnel. All I got was such and such road, turns to gravel turn left at the Y bear left right at the T and 3/4’s of a mile you’re there. No road names, just landmarks 

Well, I figured I’m not scared of gravel roads. I have a GPS, how bad can it be? 

I turned left at Sunburst. Nice wide paved road. 10 miles it turns into narrower paved road. 10 miles it turns into narrow gravel road. 10 more miles I’m on skinny, narrow twisting, hilly goat path starting to get worried. Another 5 miles I’m really getting worried about either tipping the trailer or not being able to get out again. Come to the top of a hill and see the road is no longer goat path quality it gets worse. I jam the trailer up into a muddy field and went BACK through that horror filled gauntlet to find actual roads. 

Came at it again from around Galata and got hopelessly lost again. Passed a wee sign at one point that said “Canada 2 miles” and was tempted to go home and try again in the morning. 

Now it’s dark. I’m lost. No cell service. Keep driving until I get some semblance of cell service and call this guy back. He says I’m a mile away and keep coming. 

Got unloaded and drove to Shelby where I promptly bought paper maps of Montana. Since then I’ve started collecting paper maps of cities and states. 

Montana is beautiful!! Especially the back country


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## Chicken lights (Feb 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Let's see if this works.
> 
> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...eca92968b!2m2!1d-115.6654225!2d54.1273952!3e0


You forgot the parts where I got lost and drove around aimlessly!
Yes, partS 

But other than that that’s pretty accurate!!


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## historicalarms (Feb 11, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> You forgot the parts where I got lost and drove around aimlessly!
> Yes, partS
> 
> But other than that that’s pretty accurate!!



   "drove around aimlessly" was commonplace back in the Ab oilfield hayday before GPS. Those little green Range Road & Township road signs we see today are a result of the oil companies complaining of the cost of "lost truckers" for hours on end. Now they have somewhat of a reference to go by.

    We used to just get a LID rig location # and a verbal land mark description to places 15 hrs away. One time I was dispatched out of Leduc up into the Simonette region (60 r 70 miles north of Whitecourt) to a drilling rig. Firstly I was dispatched at 4 in the afternoon, broad daylight, the first direction was "up 43 to just passed the "Little Smokey" bridge to a big spruce tree and turn west"... 75 million spruce trees in that country...but this one had been struck by lightning so with the limited amount of daylight left by now, I did spot it . Second instructions: "go west for 45 minutes or so until you see 3 red grain bins beside the road, turn north here"...darker n hell now but their close to the road so when I see 3 "black hulks" beside the road I turn. I'm now supposed to go 1/2 hr north until I see a barn with a cow hide nailed to it...now its close to mid-night and darker n that cows a$$...and he neglected to tell me that that barn is 300 yard off the road, impossible to see so I miss that one. A bit later I spot a rig derrick light so find my way over there but it's the wrong one but they do know where the right one is ( always someone on one rig knows somebody on the other one...or they had a fight over who could make "better hole" in a local bar recently)...just a common "everyday excursion" in the booming oilpatch for hundreds of truckers back then.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> "drove around aimlessly" was commonplace back in the Ab oilfield hayday before GPS. Those little green Range Road & Township road signs we see today are a result of the oil companies complaining of the cost of "lost truckers" for hours on end. Now they have somewhat of a reference to go by.
> 
> We used to just get a LID rig location # and a verbal land mark description to places 15 hrs away. One time I was dispatched out of Leduc up into the Simonette region (60 r 70 miles north of Whitecourt) to a drilling rig. Firstly I was dispatched at 4 in the afternoon, broad daylight, the first direction was "up 43 to just passed the "Little Smokey" bridge to a big spruce tree and turn west"... 75 million spruce trees in that country...but this one had been struck by lightning so with the limited amount of daylight left by now, I did spot it . Second instructions: "go west for 45 minutes or so until you see 3 red grain bins beside the road, turn north here"...darker n hell now but their close to the road so when I see 3 "black hulks" beside the road I turn. I'm now supposed to go 1/2 hr north until I see a barn with a cow hide nailed to it...now its close to mid-night and darker n that cows a$$...and he neglected to tell me that that barn is 300 yard off the road, impossible to see so I miss that one. A bit later I spot a rig derrick light so find my way over there but it's the wrong one but they do know where the right one is ( always someone on one rig knows somebody on the other one...or they had a fight over who could make "better hole" in a local bar recently)...just a common "everyday excursion" in the booming oilpatch for hundreds of truckers back then.


A friend of mine is up in Grand Prairie and we were swapping stories yesterday. 

He said his Dad was driving a 32 wheeler up a hill that was a pretty good grade. Well they spun out at the top of the hill. The trailer jackknifed the jeep and the jeep jackknifed the truck and however it all worked out the whole mess straightened out but now they were going DOWNhill the wrong way. They dodged traffic and got to the bottom of the hill to a chain up area and pulled in to assess things 

He was telling me they used to have little pagers, one button paged the office, one button paged emergency services. He said guys would ping the office, they’d drive a half hour, then ping the office. The office would give them a yes or no if they were going the right way. 

Another one was he was in a sand truck with 19k kg in the box. Lost, snowing, dark, he made a rh turn onto an uphill climb, looking for a drill site. Spun out, hit the brakes, started sliding backwards. He said he bets he was doing 60 kmh BACKwards heading to this turn he just made at about 30 kmh. He pointed the drives at the snowbank, the truck hit the snowbank at 50-60 kmh and sucked him right around the corner. 

He said those were both in no way driver skill 

We were laughing pretty good. His old man used to log as did I, although we use line skidders and I think you guys are mostly grapple skidders. 

Alberta is crazy how tough the trucks are!


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

Hey David..

What's your planned route home?


Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

Ummm that part I’m kind of making up as I go. I’m thinking to drop down and cross at Sweet Grass into Montana. Then grab Hwy 2 over to Duluth, MN. 
That’s the “plan”

What’s the best way around Calgary to get to Lethbridge?


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> What’s the best way around Calgary to get to Lethbridge?



Coming from the north (as in Hwy 2), Stoney Trail East also known as 201 takes you around the city center and links back up with Hwy 2.  I don't think there are any lights on it either.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Coming from the north (as in Hwy 2), Stoney Trail East also known as 201 takes you around the city center and links back up with Hwy 2.  I don't think there are any lights on it either.


I’ll probably be sneaking in the back door from Cochrane on the 1A. 
Thanks!


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

Cochrane?  How did you end up at Cochrane?  I would almost say take hwy 22 south from Cochrane and link up with Hwy 2 well to the south of Calgary.  1A towards Calgary does not sound like a good idea.

Maybe 22 south to 8 and over to 2.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

I’m southwest of Rocky Mountain House, I figured to try to get back to Sundre, then down 22. It looked like another 20 km over to 2. 
Better to keep going to 2?


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I’m southwest of Rocky Mountain House, I figured to try to get back to Sundre, then down 22. It looked like another 20 km over to 2.
> Better to keep going to 2?



I would say so.  You have to come east to hit Sweet Grass as it is.  Might as well get on 2 sooner than later.  Then Stoney will get you around Calgary nicely.

There is no nice way around Lethbridge on Hwy 2 and it's not the greatest place to have to drive through.

I would suggest that you head east on Hwy1 at Calgary and catch Hwy 36 south to Warner.  That will bypass Lethbridge all together.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I would say so.  You have to come east to hit Sweet Grass as it is.  Might as well get on 2 sooner than later.  Then Stoney will get you around Calgary nicely.
> 
> There is no nice way around Lethbridge on Hwy 2 and it's not the greatest place to have to drive through.
> 
> I would suggest that you head east on Hwy1 at Calgary and catch Hwy 36 south to Warner.  That will bypass Lethbridge all together.


Thanks!!
I don’t know how far I’ll get tonight, I’m loaded but still gotta tarp it


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

This is getting interesting.  What's the load, where was it picked up at, and where is it going?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

Some type of plastic wood that can’t get wet. Superior, WI, the other side of Duluth


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

Hey David.... how about a sitrep.   Where are you and where are you intending to hole up for the night?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 11, 2020)

Red Deer for the night. It was the closest parking from where I was. 
Also I needed fuel


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## YYCHM (Feb 11, 2020)

How long is that trailer that parking is a logistical challenge?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

53’ long. Makes me about 72-74’ long overall


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## historicalarms (Feb 12, 2020)

Probably a little late to the party no as your probably clear of the border by now but hope you didn't do the Hi 36 south from Taber route...last time I was down that way, even riding on 10 air bags the last 40 miles or so would jar your teeth out. Might be a half dozen lights going thru Lethbridge but it is still a much better "ride".

    Thinking of the lights in Leth. and you going south to head east reminded me of your earlier post on Inter-states...gotta love them...60-70 MPH thru town centers past the court houses with the local Sherriff's  that are hanging around, waiving at you as you go by. 

     If you do go south to Great Falls and then east...gotta stop at 
Jakes Corner  diner for Corn Beef Hash & Eggs...best in "merica" and Ive tried it all over LOL.

    Did you have a "back haul" that routed you south...not sure I would have recommended that route if your just hauling Sailboat Fuel or Motorcycle doors for a way home this time of year...winter road maitainance southside in the winter isn't tackled with the same fervor as we do in the frozen north.


     Again man safe ride!!!


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## historicalarms (Feb 12, 2020)

Well damn, just read your last post and I'm 35 min from RD, I could have come and met for a coffee or, for that mater I have lots of room to park here in the yard and a plug-in for the truck... and a spare warm bed that doesn't have a noisy 600 hp diesel motor heating it...and 21 hi is 4 miles east of my place that will pretty much lead you right to Sweet Grass.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Well damn, just read your last post and I'm 35 min from RD, I could have come and met for a coffee or, for that mater I have lots of room to park here in the yard and a plug-in for the truck... and a spare warm bed that doesn't have a noisy 600 hp diesel motor heating it...and 21 hi is 4 miles east of my place that will pretty much lead you right to Sweet Grass.


I’m just getting going here now. It takes awhile to do the customs paperwork and now on e-logs you have to take 10 off straight 
If you see this in time let me know where to point the big horse sir


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Probably a little late to the party no as your probably clear of the border by now but hope you didn't do the Hi 36 south from Taber route...last time I was down that way, even riding on 10 air bags the last 40 miles or so would jar your teeth out. Might be a half dozen lights going thru Lethbridge but it is still a much better "ride".
> 
> Thinking of the lights in Leth. and you going south to head east reminded me of your earlier post on Inter-states...gotta love them...60-70 MPH thru town centers past the court houses with the local Sherriff's  that are hanging around, waiving at you as you go by.
> 
> ...


Yes I loaded last night out of Rocky Mountain House heading to Wisconsin 

It’s six to one half a dozen to the other. I prefer trucking in the USA for the most part, but I really don’t know border crossings out here. I probably should have run back to SK or MB then dropped down but I have no idea where to cross unless I go to the one south of Winnipeg 

I know Hwy 2 in the USA and I know there’s interstate south of that so I’m heading there, but may hate life later with this blizzard warning I’m seeing


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 12, 2020)

Looks like #2 south to Sweet Grass is your most direct and prudent option.  Maybe Lethbridge has a bypass route now, I haven't been down there since 2014.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

Whoops 

I picked up Alberta maps this morning to add to the collection. I should’ve done that sooner


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 12, 2020)

Hey David.... Where are you?  Did you take Hwy 2 south?

That Whoops looks like me trying to back our travel trailer on to our parking pad LOL.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David.... Where are you?  Did you take Hwy 2 south?
> 
> That Whoops looks like me trying to back our travel trailer on to our parking pad LOL.
> 
> Craig


We took Hwy 2 to Lethbridge then Hwy 4 the rest of the way. 
Now we’re on Hwy 2 eastbound in Montana. Plan is to follow Hwy 2 all the way


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

Thanks for the help, fellas!


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Thanks for the help, fellas!



How was the drive through Lethbridge?

Be Safe, and let us know where you crash for the night.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How was the drive through Lethbridge?
> 
> Be Safe, and let us know where you crash for the night.
> 
> Craig


Lethbridge was fine, I must’ve missed the turn for Hwy 4 from 3. Not a huge deal 

Made it to Harlem, MT




The mountains are pretty over towards Shelby.


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 12, 2020)

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...0549fc4e2!2m2!1d-108.7840463!2d48.5333309!3e0


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 13, 2020)

Glad your clear of the border...but don't be inter-stating goods while down there...that can get real expensive real fast (unless your married to a y'all)...ask me how I know. LOL.

    This aint much of a "machining thread  now but seems to have a bit of interest all the same...anybody want to hear more "trucking lifestyle" posts just to break the "norm"??


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 13, 2020)

Hey David,

You're heading into parts of the US and Canada I've never been to.  Feel free to post some daily images of the what's it's like along the way.

BTB - Was that Whoops a jackknife or did the driver clip a parked trailer coming around it?

Thanks,

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 13, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Glad your clear of the border...but don't be inter-stating goods while down there...that can get real expensive real fast (unless your married to a y'all)...ask me how I know. LOL.


Ok...how do you know??


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David,
> 
> You're heading into parts of the US and Canada I've never been to.  Feel free to post some daily images of the what's it's like along the way.
> 
> ...












Some from today. We made Williston ND but gotta stop to get some hours back. 



The whoops was a day cab pulling two 53’s that jackknifed the whole mess somehow


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 13, 2020)

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...cfeb0f1e3!2m2!1d-103.6179745!2d48.1469683!3e0

Running out of Google Maps weigh points LOL.

You say We, do you have someone with you?

What does "get some hours back" mean?

Last image looks like single lane gravel?  Is it?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...cfeb0f1e3!2m2!1d-103.6179745!2d48.1469683!3e0
> 
> Running out of Google Maps weigh points LOL.
> 
> ...


You know, you’re not the first person to ask me that. I’m not sure if it just sounds cooler to say “we” or if “we” actually means me n the big horse 
Like - We GOTS to go
We way behind 
We catch you on the flip flop
We gonna run it through the woods 
Just doesn’t have the same patter as - I need to hurry 
I’m running late 
See you on the way back 
I’m going to run backroads to avoid law enforcement officials 

Hours of service (HOS)- I can only work so many hours in a set time period. In Canada that’s 70 hours in 7 days. (For simplicity sake ignore the fact that right now I’m in the USA) 
So I worked last Wednesday which is day one. Tuesday of this week is day 7. On Tuesday I had 6 hours left that I could legally work, or, I’d burned 64 hours of my 70 

It’s a rolling 7 days but I’ll really confuse you if I get into that. 

So pretend today is Tuesday, I worked my 6 hours and I’m still in Canada. Now I have to take 36 hours off in order to get a new 70 hour work week again, or “get some hours back”

Um I’m not sure if that was one lane, it’s probably two lane but I doubt I’d want to meet another truck on those roads


----------



## kevin.decelles (Feb 13, 2020)

Are you on electronic logs? If yes, what system are u running?

I work for a trucking company and do the IT side including HOS etc 

I know the process well




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 14, 2020)

kevin.decelles said:


> Are you on electronic logs? If yes, what system are u running?
> 
> I work for a trucking company and do the IT side including HOS etc
> 
> ...


Yes. Omnitracs

It’s garbage for the most part, I’ve gotten more HOS violations since we went to elogs than I can shake a stick at. So now I run with a jacked book that nobody looks at because “it’s an elog and must be legal” 

Yet it’s hotter than a smoking pistol 
I don’t understand it at all, to be honest


----------



## kevin.decelles (Feb 14, 2020)

Sorry to hear about the Omnitracs 

We finally moved our drivers off of that a couple of years ago after a 20+ year run.  They aren't progressive enough and are behind the times.

But, it can only get better.......


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 14, 2020)

Ahh yes the "log book "dance...never ends, must be the same with digital as it was with book copy. Digital wasn't a "thing" when I quit highway hauling. Back then "log book rest time" was a complete oxymoron...seen many a driver sitting i na truck stop stressed to the limit of a nervous breakdown trying to juggle 3 log books at a time just to be able to buy shoes for the family.  2 logs were common but it took somewhat of a genius to juggle 3 without getting slapped...hard!!!

   Ah yes...inter-stating....back on new years day 1978 ( I know the year because I got married in Aug of 77) 8 of us truckers & a truck push in a pick-up tried to clear the Sweetgrass border all at the same time, we were loaded with 8" drill casing pipe to drop at a threading plant in Casper Wy. and then down to Abilene Texas (yes there are two Abilene's, one in Kansas and one in Texas) to pick a drilling rig up for delivery back to Calgary. There were 3 company owned truck & the rest of us were Owner-Op. (I was a hired driver in one of the O-O units). While clearing, one of the company driers was told to "park over there in that fenced area and attend the desk inside", while the rest of us were cleared to carry on...but we had to stick together as a group so we all found place to park for what we thought would be a few minutes, this was about 5:30-6 pm (all except the truck push who did carry on, trying to find us a night parking spot that would hold all of us).  After an hours wait (you never want to rush anything at a border crossing eh) another driver and I went inside to find out what was keeping the guy (Keith was his name from Blackie Ab.)...he wasn't at the counter anymore, he was in a side room that we could see from the counter with two other suited dudes with military sidewalls  and very serious looks on their faces...the side room windows & door had bars on them!! this wasn't going to end quickly was my first thought. When we asked the counter person what was up with Keith we were asked to kindly take a seat on the bench, also adding that it was now 'after hours" so she couldn't buzz us back out to the parking lot until our business was completed and Keith was our business so we would be a while.

     Finally just before mid night the two dour looking dudes in the barred room came out to us and informed us that Keith had been observed inter-stating by border patrol on an earlier trip  and either he had to pay a $3000 U.S cash fine (no credit card or check, it had to be cash) or he could wait till morning and take a ride with them to the Shelby court house in the morning to see a judge. If he paid the fine he could continue with us on the probationary condition that he be back at the border in no less than 16 days (our trip was supposed to take 14 days total). We all didn't want to wait for the court house so we all pooled our U.S. food & fuel traveling money and bailed him out for the trip...

    For the folks reading this that don't know what the trem "inter-stating" reefer's too, it is a non US. citizen picking up a load from anyplace in U.S. and delivering it to another destination also in the U.S., it is considered taking work away from their citizens. A Canadian can deliver a load anywhere in the U.S. that originates in Canada and pick up a re-load backhaul to a Canadian destination but not point -to-point in the U.S. It sucks that American truckers can legally go point-to-point in our country but not us in theirs. 

   Of course Keith denied doing such a dastardly deed when accused  but those boys with the military sidewalls showed him ( & us before we paid his fine) a photo album of a two week trip he had made weeks before that he had inter-stated on...they had photo's of him at every stop he made weather it was to load or unload, stop to piss or have something to eat...somebody in a black sedan followed his every move for two weeks and journaled everything...over a $400 lumber haul from Montana to North Dakota and then another from N.D. into Colorado. 

     I will never be amazed at the lengths the U.S. government will go to to to stop what we might consider a small insignificant infraction after that day .

    We continued on with our planned itinerary for the rest of the trip, dropped pipe in Casper, hiked on down to Boulder Colorado and pickeu up a load of lumber at a re-load yard & drove it on down to Childress Texas and unloaded at a trailer manuf. yard...if you've ben paying attention you will recognize that we just inter-stated again...on the very same trip...very young and even more foolish eh.

    Oh ya... the rig was still being sandblasted & painted when we arrived to pick it up so had to wait a couple days for it...Keith had 6 hours left on his 16 day probation period when we crossed back.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 14, 2020)

There’s so many towns with the same name in the USA it’s not even funny. I just drove past Joplin Montana, until then I only knew of the one in Missouri. I always doublecheck the state before heading out. I’ve heard of guys going 10 hours drive and dispatch calling to find out why their going the wrong way. 

The border can be “fun”. I swear the agents screw with you just to see how you react. I’ve been x-rayed, searched, had the truck searched, been given a breathalyzer, handcuffed, had the trailer searched, its ridiculous. Then the next time they’ll barely look at you and wave you on through.


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 14, 2020)

So.... when you left ON with the pipe, was this plastic wood haul to Deluth already booked?  If so, was this 36hr hiatus factored into the delivery schedule?

What's a HOS violation and what are the consequences?

Let us know when your making miles again.

Thanks,

Craig


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 15, 2020)

I've heard battlefield vets say that war is "many many days of boredom punctuated with seconds of incredible terror & stress...Trucking is somewhat similar...only in a battlefield situation it is someone with a distinct thought process tryin' to kill you...in a trucking situation it is usually someone in a four-wheeler with  absolutely  *no thought process at all trying to kill you   *LOL. 

    Reminiscing about that trip to Texas (absolutely the best trip I ever had down south that has a couple more amusing chapters)  has got me remembering a lot of sometimes amusing or terror situations that happened in my -before marriage-  heavy hauler days. Alto, as a I said before this aint machining but fro the comments I have received, some are finding it interesting and a bit of a break from the norm. 

    I will try to relate a short blurb every day or so...until someone tells me to shut my yap pls. LOL.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So.... when you left ON with the pipe, was this plastic wood haul to Deluth already booked?  If so, was this 36hr hiatus factored into the delivery schedule?
> 
> What's a HOS violation and what are the consequences?
> 
> ...


No, they found this load on Tuesday from the sounds of it. Nothing I drag around is really time sensitive so delivering Monday instead of Friday isn’t a huge deal, other than wasting my time. On paper logs I could’ve made Friday delivery easily. 

HOS violation- anywhere from a warning, to a fine and points, to being placed out of service (OOS). 
Truckers have two driving abstracts. Your personal one then a commercial one

We gonna amble east bound see if we can find Minnesota


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 15, 2020)

Where did you end up tonight David?  Got any pictures to share?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

North Dakota


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

Minnesota 

Canadian Pacific locomotive, I’m guessing that’s Canadian oil heading south?


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 16, 2020)

Yup...Canadian trains still running on the "right side of the border" but not so much, this side these days...


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

https://www.hostfest.com

Passed a billboard for that in Minot, ND. “Pure scandamonium”. Sounds like fun!!

Rugby, ND is apparently the geographical centre of North America 

We almost in Duluth, gonna try to drop the wagon and check out the aerial bridge


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Yup...Canadian trains still running on the "right side of the border" but not so much, this side these days...


Those two crashes near Guernsey aren’t good news. Is the rolling stock worn out or the tracks in bad shape?


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 16, 2020)

Last place I recorded you at was Williston ND.  Where did you stop next?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

Bemidji, MN


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Bemidji, MN



Well within striking distance of Duluth now!

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...c8df095e306!2m2!1d-94.8826861!2d47.471573!3e0


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 16, 2020)

Letts go heavy-hauling in the Ab. oilpatch in the early to mid 70's.

First of all the readers have to realize that this was before the aforementioned log book regulations or any regularly scheduled  Commercial vehicle in safety inspections (CVIS stickers, Chicken will know all about these). In all heavy haulers of the time, there were four things that were important to us...first & foremost was equipment durability, safety was included here but was of small consideration compared to durability of the iron...those machines had to be able to withstand the abuse of hundreds of miles of just bush road dozer trails for days on end sometimes carrying 200,000 lbs or more... we were so busy that we didn't have time to fix junk...a common statement heard back then was " if it cant stand the pace ,we'll have a new one here tomorrow"...expense was not even a consideration. More on the trucks later.
The second consideration in order of importance was to "not be $hit-faced drunk during the day...work needed to be done when it needed to be done!. Not saying that a drink of whiskey or beer to wash the hair out from between your teeth from the night before was frowned upon in the least, just being sh!tfaced behind the wheel was an unwritten rule that nobody ever crossed...if a guy did he would be changing tires for a living for the rest of his life, he was unemployable as a driver forever.
     Third consideration in importance was partying & getting Sh!t faced at every opportunity. We were young, making lots of money and every peeler bar between Indian Cabins and Nisku ( The Airliner Motor Inn was "the place" to find your buddies) were the main center of "Safety Meetings" where we all gathered waiting for dispatch's.
     Fourth...and a distant fourth from the previous 3 was sleep. Life with unending of work and no log books is a world completely foreign to Chicken Lights. We went days and days with little or no sleep. The longest stretch I can remember personally was 4 1/2 days with 4 hrs sleep. Another driver (Billy R, lots more about him later) and I left Nisku on a Monday morning , dispatched to a new silver mine in NWT (Cadelac Mine, 5 ranges deep in the MacKenzie Mountains). and got back Friday afternoon, we stopped for two hours at the mine to unload and a meal and then asked to "leave immediately" as the yard was becoming contested with other trucks from the flat land. We stopped at a Manning motel to shower and sleep 4 hrs and then back to Nisku.. Eating was the same as sleep, wherever possible if it didn't interfere with our schedule, sometimes at a rig or sysmic camp or more usually a loaf of bread & a tube of "pony pr!ck (garlic sausage).

    The "freedoms we had on the road back then, Chicken can only dream of these days.


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Those two crashes near Guernsey aren’t good news. Is the rolling stock worn out or the tracks in bad shape?


  Nope got nothing to do with the derailments...the first nations are protesting & blockading a few crossings so they stopped all rail traffic across Canada.


----------



## Tom O (Feb 16, 2020)

I think some protesters should go down and surround the protesters!


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

That bridge is way too cool!


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

They had a polar bear plunge, so they had all these big blocks of ice littered all over. A couple locals were building a wall with them, I wandered over to see what was going on. Somehow got myself roped into helping build that.

Which, didn’t take much arm twisting


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 16, 2020)

Duluth?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

Yes, sir!!


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 16, 2020)

The aquarium was cool! 
A sturgeon, a turtle fossil and a little painted turtle named Squirrel. 
The history of great lakes ecology and fish species is interesting. The sturgeon are a very very old fish, one of the few who thrive in Superior.


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 17, 2020)

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0

What's the plan for getting back to Gravenhurst?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0
> 
> What's the plan for getting back to Gravenhurst?


There isn’t one yet. Probably gonna go find some hot water for the driver


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 17, 2020)

Nice Photo's Chicken, one thing I regret is not having many photo's of the guys or places we visited in my trucking life...no cell /digital stuff back then.

    One short trip that had lasting lifelong consequences.

    Four of us left Nisku loaded with nice clean 4-chains apiece loads of Sysmic drill equipment one morning.  I will use first names and last initials to keep the boys identifiable to you. Lance J had a Nodwell fuel service machine, Billy R and myself each carried a Nodwell with charge hole drill apparatus and Billy S carried an empty fuel tank on Nodwell tracks. These machines were going into a Sysmic camp in the Swan hills NE of Whitecourt...not mountains but still a bit of rough going. Pavement from Nisku to Whitecourt, high grade gravel out of "the court" for a bit then onto an oilfield lease road for an hour or so, still easy going...until we started down 40 miles of just dozer trail through the bush. These hills arn't high but can be very steep sided so on dozer trails it was customary for the lightest load to go first(in this case Billy S) and on steep downgrades the first truck went all the way to the bottom first & reported back on the CB what the heavier trucks could expect.  So Billy S idles his way down this first 1/2 mile long decent to the bottom and discovers a small creek that the dozers had pushed a fill across for us to cross on. This crossing had a big culvert in it for the creek to run through but the beavers had dammed it up in the fall and some water washed some very big ruts into this crossing before freeze-up. It's now early winter so those ruts are very rough and very hard. Billy S radio's back up to us to "not hit the bottom hard" but that damn CB squelched out at the beginning and up on top all we got from him was "hit the bottom hard" so down the hill goes Billy R thinking he had to hit it hard to make the hill on the other side...If you've ever heard the C.W Mcall song, picture him going down Wolf Creek Pass thru downtown Pagosa Springs . Billy S had a front row seat watching this all transpire, he figured Billy R was doing close to 50 mph when he hit those frozen washouts. He claimed the 100,000 lb truck & load became airborn for 30 ft or so before bouncing to a pretty much uncontrolled stop and stalled out. 
    Billy R was in no condition to have anything to do with stopping that rig at the time, he was a bit of a mess. When he hit, the bottom of his belly and top of his thighs...and everything in between had ben jammed up against the steering wheel , peeling and stretching a lot of hide and bruising to the extent he could hardly walk for a while. He hit so hard that it broke the seat base loose from the floorboards of the truck (amazingly that was all the damage to the truck we could find)...he was hurt'n. That Nodwell that had been chained so nicely to the trailer...was still on the trailer but (and we don't know how) was now sitting crossways with one slack chain still holding it. Eventually we al got that Nodwell back where it was supposed to be and the seat somewhat chained and bungy corded back to where it was supposed to be and by now Billy is back to life enough to finish our load. He drove all the way into the Sysmic camp and back out to Nisku with his jeans around his knees because he couldn't stand anything touching his skin.

   All the way back to Edmonton we tried to get him to stop at a hospital but no damn way was he going to let any nurse laugh at his bruised up "junk" as it is commonly referred to now . Back in Edmonton , Its time to eat so we stop at the Husky Truck stop on C & E Trail ( common gathering spot for oilfield trucker to congregate at the time).  So were in there grabbing a bite and don't you know it...to add insult to injury...the waitress spins around with a full pot of coffee fresh from the burner, whacks a table corner and spills 2/3rd of that pot right on Billy R's lap...sh!t that must have hurt...but the good thing about it he has no choice in the matter, were taking him to the Grey Nuns Hospital.
     He got patched up a bit (and we didn't see any nurses laughing) and the doc told him to come back in a couple days for another look and some more salve for his skin.... He told them that that wasn't going to happen as he could be 600 miles away in Rainbow Lake in 2 days...however there was a young nurse there that still lived with her folks on a farm east of Leduc and that she could meet him in Nisku to change the dressings if that suited him better...it must have...he married her 2 years later and they have 3 grown daughters now ...the forever consequences LOL.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 17, 2020)

I had a small taste of the freedoms you’re talking about, my first couple years driving was all paper logs. One trip I’ll never forget was right before Christmas. I had barely two months experience at the time, never driven a big truck in snow before. I was coming back from somewhere in the USA, and a scale put the trailer out of service. That’s fine, I dropped the trailer and carried on home, I was due to leave the next day for Labrador. Of course it snowed on the way back and I got on the CB to ask about winter driving. Went out the next day with a buddy of mine to play around in some hills and snow to practise a bit. That truck had a manual 10 speed tranny. I left later that day with the trailer, I’m pretty sure this was a Saturday and I think Christmas was a Wednesday. 

So off we go trucking. Get up around Kingston, stopped in to see some family for the night. Get up Sunday morning and hit the road....and the truck breaks down. Get it off the road in Brockville and find out this isn’t an easy fix. So they decide to send me another truck. Great. Wait around all day, grab all my junk out of one truck and throw it in the next truck. First thing I notice is there’s no gear shifter, it’s an automatic. Great. 

So now have I not only never driven a truck in the bush, or in snow, now I’m being given a truck I’ve never driven and it’s an auto. 

So off we go trucking again, I think as far as Quebec City Sunday night. Up early the next day get up to Baie Comeau in the afternoon. Grabbed a shower and a meal, filled the tanks had a nap. I think about 7:00 that night I hit the road again, I’d drive 2-3 hours, nap, drive 2-3 hours then nap the whole way there. Got into Happy Valley Goose Bay about 6:00 pm Tuesday night. Delivered the next day, turned and burned back to Baie Comeau that night, then if I remember right got to Quebec City Christmas Eve, then I easily made it to Kingston for Christmas supper. 

Holy moly is that a wicked goat trail out of Baie Comeau, a bunch of hills by hydro dams, twisty windy hilly the whole way. No FM radio, scattered AM radio, no cell reception, it hit -38 at one point, there had to have been 6-8” of snow the day before I got there, it is one wild drive in the winter 

I don’t remember what I did to “fix” my log book but it more or less got thrown out the window.


----------



## Janger (Feb 17, 2020)

good stories guys.


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 18, 2020)

Hey David,

Are you still in Duluth?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David,
> 
> Are you still in Duluth?
> 
> Craig


Nope! 
Went to Superior WI to splash some hot water (shower), then went over to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) and grabbed a load last night. Heading up to Manitoba with it now


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 18, 2020)

Had to start a new map LOL.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...86a8aea420!2m2!1d-93.2009998!2d44.9374831!3e0

What's the load this time and where in Manitoba is it going?

Is this typical?  Head out with one load and then get ping ponged all over trying to return?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Had to start a new map LOL.
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...86a8aea420!2m2!1d-93.2009998!2d44.9374831!3e0
> 
> ...


Plate steel up around Winkler 

It seems to be the norm for me on these trips LOL. 

Last time I was out to Alberta I crossed at Sweet Grass, down to Shelby area like I mentioned, down to Missoula, up to Winnipeg, down to Fargo and back to Bolton ON I think

The ol’ atlas gets a work out that’s for sure 

Dispatch yesterday said because of the holiday in Ontario not much was happening, so I said to look for anything to Winnipeg


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 18, 2020)

You must be at Winkler or close by now?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...bae94ab4f8!2m2!1d-97.9389474!2d49.1801103!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> You must be at Winkler or close by now?
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...bae94ab4f8!2m2!1d-97.9389474!2d49.1801103!3e0


Yup, I’m hiding outside Winkler. Gonna deliver first thing and see what dispatch has to say. Talking about a load out of the Peg, I said any  direction is good. 

You watch I’ll be on ice roads or some dam thing soon


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 19, 2020)

Time for nuther story;

   in a previous post Chicken alluded to the toughness of oilfield haulers and my last story attested to that as well, now Chicken has brought up the gearing/transmission topic, I think a lot of machinist will have an interest in all things mechanical so I'll cover some of the equipment we used.
     This stuff was built to the roughest treatment we could dream up when it was manufactured...if it wasn't tough enough we'd build it tougher next time. This equipment was built to be stuck to the floorboards/flat deck in muskeg mud, hook onto it with 2 D8's and pull. Every winch tractor & bed truck had a big 4-6 inch heavy wall pipe bumper and was "skid plated" underneath from rad to drive shaft. The trailers we pulled would be very foreign to Chicken & his fellow deck hands, his will be a 3 axle, 12 wheel "2 center rail frame" trailer built to be light...ours were 2 axle 16 wheelers, 4 rail (2 center,2 "outside") with a heavy steel back bumper with a "live roll" to winch loads up over. A 400" bed truck and a float ( or Wheeler as we refereed to the trailers) was almost loaded weight for what Chicken would weigh with a full legal highway load.
    Winch Tractors: The workhorse of the highways. these trucks could be powered from 300-450 hp (mechanically fueled, no computerized hi horsepower engines back then), We geared them to handle big loads with the limited hp of the time. All of the older trucks used still had the old 5x4 transmissions but current models of the time came from the factories with 13 or 15 sp main transmissions, then went into the shop to have a 4 sp A-box added behind the main...now we had upwards of 60 forward speeds & 6 reverse...and we sometimes used them all. Chickens rear end gearing is probably in the 3:90 up to 3:42 for fuel millage, ours were in the 4:11 to 4:30, much slower at a given RPM. These trucks had 30-50 ton winches mounted tight behind the cabs with "doghouse door" single bunk sleepers...none of these 60 or 80" double bunk "walk-ins for us.
     Bed Trucks; The work horse of the lease sites. These trucks were used to "place" all parts of a rig to be pinned together by the rig crew. A small bed was 300" wheelbase, big was 400 -500". they were all equipped with a "Texas Rigging"steel flat deck-gin pole set up and 50-80 ton winch. These trucks carried 120,000 lb rig components around the lease's on their decks, no trailers, so they were geared slower than the winch tractors ...top highway speed was usually 45 mph. 

     This leads into todays story...finally eh...
     After a rig was all set up we were turned loose to head back to our base...the peeler bars if before "last call" or base yard if not. The bed truck drivers didn't want to arrive hours later than us and be left out of all the fun so we had methods to look after them.  If it was to be a "highway in daylight" trip back, one of us winch tractors would load the bed truck  on our trailer and another would piggy-back his trailer....however if it was an "after dark short 2 or 3 hundred mile trip" we had other "quicker" options, once we hit a suitable road one of the 65 mph capable winch tractors would nudge his oilfield bumper up to the rear apron of the bed truck trailer and push him home...the bed truck driver takes his truck out of gear, sets the throttle at about 1200 rpm to keep some heat & oil pressure up in engine & power steering and away we went.
      One night, 3 winch tractors , again Billy S and Billy R and myself, along with one bed truck being pushed by Bill R. The bed was being driven by a fellow we called "Fuzzy", he was of Ukrainian decent and spoke with a very heavy accent. It's about 3 or 4 in the a.m. and we were coming into a little town called Calmar that the highway goes right through the middle of town. Its 3 in the morning and bars all closed so Billy cant see any reason at all to slow down and Fuzzy is at his mercy. About 1/2 way thru town Fuzzy starts hollering on the CB in his Uk accent , the first transmishion that Bill S and I hear is "Billy, Slow down for F$%k sakes Billy, there's a cop over there" But Billy R doesn't hear the transmission meant for him, as anybody used to using CB's knows if your too close together, they don't work, and Bill was only the length of a trailer behind Fuzzy...he didn't hear a thing.  The last transmission Bill S and I hear from Fuzzy is "awwww f#$k Billy its too late" ...but that cop must have been dead to the world sleeping or he was still "occupied" with one of the local bar beauties as we four straight piped rig trucks thundered through town at 65 mph and he paid us no mind at all


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## Chicken lights (Feb 19, 2020)

Dispatch asked me if I want to go to Texas. Heck yeah I do!! It’s another load of pipe. That’s fine sign me up. 

Then dispatch sends me a message asking if I have tow hooks on my truck....

Pipe, Texas, tow hooks..... what god forsaken part of the patch am I getting sent to?

Wagons west we going back to Regina. Hope @YYCHobbyMachinist is enjoying mapping this


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## YYCHM (Feb 19, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Hope @YYCHobbyMachinist is enjoying mapping this



That I am, keep it coming

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...6b77b54b1!2m2!1d-104.6188943!2d50.4452112!3e0

Let us know when you're in Regina.

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 19, 2020)

So, I delivered to a fab shop this morning. While I was there I had them whip me up some pipe stakes. This Regina load needed four of them. 
I’ve never used pipe stakes, not once. I have no idea if there’s a proper way to make them or what. 
They’re also asking for two 50’ straps. Why, I have no idea yet. Luckily there was a place in Regina that stocked them. A normal strap is 30’. I have a couple 40’ straps for goofy stuff. 

It’s been a weird day. Not a bad day just weird


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## Brent H (Feb 19, 2020)

Wow Dave, 

You will be so ready to pick up that lathe base for your South Bend!  LOL   Great adventures !  You may need a smaller truck for the base though, unless we get carried away ....hahaha


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## YYCHM (Feb 19, 2020)

Let me see if I have this right.  The place you delivered to in Winkler fab'ed the pipe stakes?

Who is demanding pipe stakes, 50' straps, and truck hooks?  The shipper or the receiver?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 19, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Let me see if I have this right.  The place you delivered to in Winkler fab'ed the pipe stakes?
> 
> Who is demanding pipe stakes, 50' straps, and truck hooks?  The shipper or the receiver?
> 
> Craig


Yep! The place in Winkler where I delivered fabbed them up for me. Great people 

To be honest, I don’t know who’s asking for all of this extra stuff. I got an email stating a whole bunch of specifics, I think it’s kind of like a general contractor who’s running the trucking part of their project. They could possibly be the receiver down there


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## Brent H (Feb 19, 2020)

If the guy looks like some Harrison Ford type or the dude from Jurassic Park.....re-think the load........


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## Chicken lights (Feb 19, 2020)

Brent H said:


> If the guy looks like some Harrison Ford type or the dude from Jurassic Park.....re-think the load........


Ha!!
I’ll let you know how it goes


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## historicalarms (Feb 20, 2020)

Did they send a specific design spec for the pipe stakes. The need for these "stakes & the 50 ft straps makes me think this is some sort of manufactured contraption from pipes but has long lost its basic "pipe form. usually these type of loads need pre-fabed support racks that are specifically designed for some really weird shape.

     I've hauled some pipe and never used anything more than a little dunage under it and a few "belly wrap" chains (unless it was yellow jacketed pipe, then we spread a bit of concrete powder between pipes)...and check the boomers/strap ratchets often. Budy of mine did have a load of yellow jacket come thru the cab on him one time, loaded in the winter, pipe had some ice stuck to it and then drove through a warm Chinook wind...ice melted,straps loosened and when he had to stop a a set of lights it all slid. 6 joints came right through the cab and were setting on the Kenworth front hood when I got there. He lost the skin on one knuck when one pipe skimmed the steering wheel...he was already leaning out the door or his guts would also be on the hood.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 20, 2020)

I’ll never understand trucking 

Supposed to show up at 6:30 am for orientation. No orientation 
Supposedly needs to be tarped. No tarping 
Fancy pipe stakes and straps? Not needed 

This turned into a permit load. Supposedly going through Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. I really hope there’s no snow I don’t have tire chains with me. I won’t lie I’m not happy about going to Wyoming, I’ve never been there but I hear horror stories all the time. That and Colorado I’ve heard is no joke 

Nothing special at all for loading, wood dunnage on the deck, craned 4 sticks on then craned 3 more on top. Tossed straps, hung flags n banners and rolled 

It’s ironic I was joking with the fab shop people that I was skeptical I needed all this junk. I’ve had it before where the shipper says “driver MUST have 12 4x4s or will not get loaded”. Then they use four of them 

Some days I think it’s just one big game for these people


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## YYCHM (Feb 20, 2020)

How about posting a pic of the load.

What's the destination and planned route?

What's being a permit load mean?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How about posting a pic of the load.
> 
> What's the destination and planned route?
> 
> ...


I can snag a pic later for you. 

It’s going down around Odessa TX. So far I only have permits for Montana. Kinda zigzagging over towards Sheridan WY

There are set legal weights and measurements for trucks. Once you go outside of that you’re considered oversized and have to buy permits in order to move. I’m too long to be legal


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## Chicken lights (Feb 20, 2020)

Longest pipe is 60’ long. Pretty easy load honestly. This will likely deliver Monday sometime. 
Glendive MT for the night.


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## YYCHM (Feb 20, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...eacacd0e83!2m2!1d-104.7107931!2d47.106401!3e0

So that extra 7' pushed you into the oversize category.  Is that 7' hanging off the back of the trailer?

Where's your fancy pipe stakes?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...eacacd0e83!2m2!1d-104.7107931!2d47.106401!3e0
> 
> So that extra 7' pushed you into the oversize category.  Is that 7' hanging off the back of the trailer?
> 
> Craig


Roughly 18” off the front and roughly 65” off the back.


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## historicalarms (Feb 21, 2020)

Go'in to Texas is hell of a lot better than Go'in to Winnipeg...I'm envious. Texas was one of the best trips I was ever a part of, mind you as I said before there was 8 of us and we had a sh!t load of fun & memories on that one.
   We probably went the same basic route you are headed east side of Montana (Hardin Mont. Custers last stand 30 mi east of there), Wy, Col, into panhandle of Texas. their weather should be closer to our spring time now and I cant remember any big pulls that whole trip.     
       Does your over-length permit specify daytime travel only. We were permitted on the way back from Texas and limited to 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weather permitting. If the weather turned the roads even a bit snowy we were instructed to sideline until roads were absolutely clear or they would pull our permits and never have them returned to us...different crew would have had to take over. We did get snowed off the road at Stratford Tex. for more than a day, conditions would have barely been considered winter driving conditions up here but down there considered 'treacherous". Of course Stratford was a biblebelt "dry" county, still from the old prohibition era...and the bank wouldn't exchange any of our Canadian currency..."don't want any of that colored monopoly sh!t down here in my bank" were his exact words LOL. 

   Two truck stops on your route very memorable, Lamar Col. because it was so big. Brand new at the time (1978) there must have been 80 acres or more of truck parking, It had it's own radio station transmitted from inside the building and had an elevated "cupola" that a guy sat in with a CB and transmitted on a specific CB chanel where there was an empty parking spot so we didn't have to drive endlessly around looking for one, he would say "Black Peterbuilt coming in west entrance with deck load of lumber to section b, row 12, spot 10 ...It worked well.
     The second was at Amarillo Tex.  Just because....it was a Friday evening when we arrived and couldn't unload until Monday morn so spent an entire weekend there...and Amarillo isn't a "dry county" .

     More on the "good things about Amarillo"  tomorrow , Safe drive my man!!

    Oh yah would really like a photo of your tractor as well, weve had lots of road & a couple of the trailer, need one of the power end pls.


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## YYCHM (Feb 21, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Go'in to Texas is hell of a lot better than Go'in to Winnipeg...I'm envious. Texas was one of the best trips I was ever a part of, mind you as I said before there was 8 of us and we had a sh!t load of fun & memories on that one.



8 rigs rolling together..... YEE HAW....  Looks like we got us a CONVOY


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## Chicken lights (Feb 21, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Go'in to Texas is hell of a lot better than Go'in to Winnipeg...I'm envious. Texas was one of the best trips I was ever a part of, mind you as I said before there was 8 of us and we had a sh!t load of fun & memories on that one.
> We probably went the same basic route you are headed east side of Montana (Hardin Mont. Custers last stand 30 mi east of there), Wy, Col, into panhandle of Texas. their weather should be closer to our spring time now and I cant remember any big pulls that whole trip.
> Does your over-length permit specify daytime travel only. We were permitted on the way back from Texas and limited to 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weather permitting. If the weather turned the roads even a bit snowy we were instructed to sideline until roads were absolutely clear or they would pull our permits and never have them returned to us...different crew would have had to take over. We did get snowed off the road at Stratford Tex. for more than a day, conditions would have barely been considered winter driving conditions up here but down there considered 'treacherous". Of course Stratford was a biblebelt "dry" county, still from the old prohibition era...and the bank wouldn't exchange any of our Canadian currency..."don't want any of that colored monopoly sh!t down here in my bank" were his exact words LOL.
> 
> ...


I can only imagine the shenanigans you guys got into!! 

Yes and no- 
Sask- don’t need the paper permit, so can’t answer that since I didn’t read it 
Montana- yes, daylight only, specific routing to follow, banners/flags/lights on, must carry paper copy of the permit 
Wyoming- I’m not oversize to them, strip the banners and front flags, it’s a ticketable offence to run banners, lights on, drive where and when I want 
Colorado- Not oversize, but recommended to run banners and all flags, drive where and when I want 
Oklahoma- back to permits, lights/flags/banners, specific route to follow, daylight hours 
Texas- permits, lights/flags/banners, specific route, daylight hours 

I carry a printer on the truck so I can get permits printed easily. I do actually have to go through Lamar to get to OK. I’ll stop and check out that truckstop. My last Texas run I delivered on a Friday but didn’t reload until Monday so went over to San Antonio. Had a blast there 

I think those fancy pipe stakes get used at delivery, they’re “stringing pipe” as I get unloaded. Basically they lift off one stick, place it in the ditch, I move forward and we grab another stick. 

The tow hook is for “when” I get stuck 

I’ll grab you a truck pic when she’s all dressed again


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## Chicken lights (Feb 21, 2020)

Never mind that last bit about Colorado. 
They screwed up my permits, they had my overall length down as 70’0”, instead of 80’0”. I called Montana and had them amend it, but OK and TX wanted new permits pulled. Dispatch emailed me my new ones and I see a Colorado permit now. 
I pulled over to figure out where they have me going now.


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## YYCHM (Feb 21, 2020)

Whoops.  Who spotted that discrepancy?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 21, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Whoops.  Who spotted that discrepancy?









I did. I usually print off the permits, go through them with a highlighter checking everything over, then look at the route they give me. 
It’s faint but you can see I ticked off beside the 80’0” spot but not the 70’0” one 

And where it says “ViaRoute” that’s the route I’m expected to take. Some are more detailed than that some are pretty bare bones


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## YYCHM (Feb 21, 2020)

Where are we hiding tonight?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 21, 2020)

Cheyenne WY for the night. 

Gotta look at the hours I have left in the morning and the weather reports. Tomorrow is 65 mph winds and Sunday is snow....ssssoooo.... I think I’d rather run in windy


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## YYCHM (Feb 21, 2020)

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...18f972d2b!2m2!1d-104.8202462!2d41.1399814!3e0

Is 80K the load weight or total including the tractor and trailer?

Why is route important to them?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...18f972d2b!2m2!1d-104.8202462!2d41.1399814!3e0
> 
> ...


80K is legal weight in the USA. We’re just a little long, we’re not heavy. 

Route is determined by where they think you’ll fit best. Construction zones, low bridges, cities, weight restrictions, there’s a ton of reasons why they pick routes. The dumb part of that is they insist you follow the route but it’s up to the driver to not hit anything. They take zero liability for any issues

For instance I ran 47 and stayed out of Billings. Maybe it’s shorter miles or maybe they don’t want oversize in Billings. I never know


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

@historicalarms 
Does that look like the place you remember?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

All dolled up again we got 7 hours we can run today, try to get ahead of the snow 

She’s overdue for a bath I know.


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## YYCHM (Feb 22, 2020)

Hmmmm….. I see the licence plate dilemma now.  Could you not mount it on a fender above the head light?


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## historicalarms (Feb 22, 2020)

Not sure about the place , cant remember any names but it was real close to where 3 major north-south-east-west shipping highways converge and truck traffic was many many time busier than I was used to in the frozen north of Ab. LOL.

    I owned a 2005 Nav at one time, solid black 9900 I with one o' those red 550 Cum. that the hired driver always tried to turn the hood/front rad about 45 degree's every time he started out....loaded or empty...I swear he tried to torque the frame and lift one of the steering tires off the ground just to see if he could do it.


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## historicalarms (Feb 22, 2020)

You have to remember, my trip was 42 yrs ago...that Truck stop or parts of it may very well be a residential development now the way land use has evolved.
     But back then those folks knew that the trucking industry buttered their bread...and they buttered both sides at every opportunity.
    One of the most embarrassing moment of my life happened at that truck stop restaurant that exemplifies that in spades. It was noon lunch time when we got there and 5 of us walked in in a group...the place was packed full. The head waitress took a look at us & recognized us a a group of drivers wanting to eat...without a word of a lie , she walked over to a large table that a vacationing -like family was sitting at already eating, obviously not truckers, and she took a bunch of paper plates and brown paper lunch bags to their tables and told them they had to leave as some working truckers needed a place to sit. ...We tried to change her mind when we realized what was going down but she was having none of that ...they were leaving and we were staying...42 years later and that still bothers me a few time a year.
    We didn't stay there for a night...more miles to make...but one other thing I remember about the place was that there were dedicated shuttle buss's from each parking section to the building itself. It was over 300 yrds from some of the parking stalls to the building and some of them "old boys" with 8 million miles & 30 yrs of truck stop eating couldn't walk 30 yards. LOL

    Edit:    Oh yah forgot to mention, watch out for those boing 737's...Driving through Denver or Boulder (cant remember which it was now) and interstate I was on was about to go under an overpass...nothing new here...until a frickin Boing 737 or somesuch BIG F#%N PLANE landed on the overpass about 200 ft in front of me...what I thought was another interstate going over the top was a runway ...That catches your attention in a big way and keeps you awake for a few more miles I can tell you!!!

     Amarillo tomorrow morning


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

Any of that look familiar? 
It looks like it hasn’t been updated or paved in 40 years. It’s on the north end of town by the weigh station, in Lamar CO


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## YYCHM (Feb 22, 2020)

Did you time out at Lamar?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Did you time out at Lamar?


I have 1 hour 43 minutes left I can run, I’m looking at the permits/maps trying to figure out where to go from here. TX is always screwy


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## Perry (Feb 22, 2020)

This is a great thread.    I look forward to it each time I check in.    

Safe travels.


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## YYCHM (Feb 22, 2020)

Where did that 1 hour 43 minutes get you to?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where did that 1 hour 43 minutes get you to?


Boise City, OK


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## YYCHM (Feb 22, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...4ae895843!2m2!1d-102.5132419!2d36.7294675!3e0

You're down for 36 hrs in Boise now correct?

Here is a question for you.   Since leaving Gavenhurst, how many times have you had to re-fuel and what's a stop at the pumps worth?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...4ae895843!2m2!1d-102.5132419!2d36.7294675!3e0
> 
> You're down for 36 hrs in Boise now correct?
> 
> Here is a question for you.   Since leaving Gavenhurst, how many times have you had to re-fuel and what's a stop at the pumps worth?


Nope, I can run on “recap” for now. I get 8ish hours back tonight and the same tomorrow night 

You’ll hate life trying to figure out HOS

I’d have to look but around 8 fuel stops, usually about $750 per fill up


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## historicalarms (Feb 23, 2020)

If it is the same place it sure isn't as busy  (someone may have built a "more modern, better place somewhere along one of the interstates that has become the place to be seen at) and the building had to have had a re-mod, I don't see any "elevated " 2 story high cupola for the "parking director" to operate from.


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## historicalarms (Feb 23, 2020)

Sooo, this is my first trip to Texas & was hoping Billybobs at Fort Worth might be a possibility...it wasn't but "The Cattlemans Club" in Amarillo was, I remember the name of that place because 40 yrs later the wife still reminds me once in a while...She's got the memory of an elephant.
     We rolled into town on a Friday evening and since we couldn't unload until Monday, we parked the trucks at a truckstop ,then got some motel rooms...it was long past needing "shave & shower" time for us.
    Friday night was calm, eat & relaxed a bit, Sat morning we washed trucks and in the afternoon polished tanks & wheels... between visits by the black guys carrying suitcases of every type of dope you could imagine, uppers-downers. I had never experienced this side of life before, dope dealers in broad daylight in the middle of a busy parking lot...brazen as hell and we tried to ignore them at all cost. LOL.
       After supper that night we decided to stick together and sample some of the nightlife, a good country music bar was the majority choice. We asked a cabby if he knew a suitable place and said he did so off we went.
    At first glance this place didn't seem to meet our expectations of what we had in mind but he assured us it would suffice. It was a very spartan place,  a dozen or so community hall style plywood tables, dance floor showing almost wore through spots,  a small band stage off to one side consisting of 3 or 4 plywood sheets nailed to 4 or5 upright 2x8's and an old jukebox on the other side.  Maybe 6 or 8 other patrons in the place...not a good "first impression"...but that changed big time!!!
     The owner, a big old grey haired lady in a moo-moo & a perpetual cigarette in her mouth sat us down, took our drink orders and asked us where we were from. !/2 hour later the door started to open quite steadily for people and then a band showed up and set up. The band singer  (a thin dude with a big black hat and dark blazer) pulled the plug on the jukebox (they needed the plug for their own equipment).
    Shortly after the band started ( and they were good) , that old girl brought 6 or 8 of Texas's best over & sat them down beside our table, loudly proclaiming to us "that these girls come here to dance and don't you boys be bashful" Wow...not a tire biter among them and one even looked like Farrah Fawcett on a real good day... One of the ladies told us later that the old girl was a friend of hers and phoned her up to tell her that 8 Canadian truckers were in the bar and would she and a few of her friends like to join us....Texas service is beyond wonderful...
      But remember from my first post that I am newly 5 months married and had to be a good boy as far as the girls went...drinking was a different story tho... The pairing off & dancing was going well for the other guys on into the small hours of the morning, continuing up to almost breakfast time. Sometime after mid-night the band members mostly went home so the lead singer plugged the juke back in and sat back down to plunk along on his guitar to what was played. I ended up sitting beside him the rest of the night drinking away the rest of the night and discussing my Canada and his USA. He said they were the clubs regular "house band" when they didn't have a "paying gig" mostly somewheres close to Amarillo or where he lived on a ranch. 
     At breakfast time he went his way and I went mine and the guys& girls went the same way mostly.
   That was the end of that story or at least I thought it was...until 3 or 4 years later. Now, I'm back working close to home mostly and one night the wife informs me that there was going to be a concert on TV that she would not miss under any circumstances...this guy was just so hot and looked good in a pair of jeans and on and on she went...there would be no hockey  that night on TV as she would be taping the whole concert and further more I had to go to Red Deer and buy 3 new VHS tapes so she was sure one would work...and Im smart enough o know by now that if someone on TV is considered "real hot" by her it is only going to turn out really really good for me.
        So the night of this concert special arrives & we're all ready for it...and out and onto the stage walks this same thin dude with a big black hat & dark blazer on that I sat and drank with all night in Amarillo. Yes, it was the same guy and it was George Straight, he wasn't a big star at the time in Amarillo but he sure was now...and the wife went ape-shit when I told her it was the same dude ( she knew the story of the partying already). 

     So on & on it has went for the last 40 yrs every time "George" as she refers to him, comes on the radio...I get the "look". 

    This is getting long so a bit of an "epilog" & "rest of the story" tomorrow.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 23, 2020)

Hey @historicalarms was this here when you were down here? It’s on the west side of Amarillo off I-40


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## Brent H (Feb 23, 2020)

@historicalarms when do you publish the book!  That is an awesome bit of history!


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## Chicken lights (Feb 23, 2020)

Or this crazy RV park?


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## Chicken lights (Feb 23, 2020)




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## YYCHM (Feb 23, 2020)

Where are we parked tonight David?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Feb 23, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are we parked tonight David?
> 
> Craig


Lamesa, TX


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## YYCHM (Feb 23, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...e7cebcff3f!2m2!1d-101.950992!2d32.7376001!3e0

Is this route correct?  I don't see HWY 27 on your permits?

Well within striking distance of Odessa for tomorrow.


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## historicalarms (Feb 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 7793View attachment 7794View attachment 7795
> Or this crazy RV park?


  Don't remember any of that stuff from Amarillo but sure do wish I had seen that 2nd amendment plaque tho...Its been the bible I wish I could preach with forever LOL.


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## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...e7cebcff3f!2m2!1d-101.950992!2d32.7376001!3e0 Is this route correct? I don't see HWY 27 on your permits? Well within striking distance of Odessa for tomorrow.


You might need a new map just for Texas LOL. What you have is close enough. I went Boise City OK Dalhart TX Vega TX Amarillo TX Lubbock TX Lamesa TX 
Basically 385 to I-40 to I-27 to 87


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Don't remember any of that stuff from Amarillo but sure do wish I had seen that 2nd amendment plaque tho...Its been the bible I wish I could preach with forever LOL.


You said you didn’t get any pictures so hopefully I can share these ones with you this way


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

Welcome to the patch 

Motor ran away on the sucker unit. They say they bringing out another unit. 

So now we wait....


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2020)

I can see why they demanded truck hooks now.  What's a sucker unit and why would it hold up unloading your load?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

That’s a sucker unit.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

Hey @YYCHobbyMachinist 

Can you use google maps to check out two routes for me? 

Odessa TX to Albuquerque NM to Salt Lake City UT to Shelby MT

versus 

Odessa TX to Amarillo TX to Denver CO to Shelby MT

Please/thanks!


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Hey @YYCHobbyMachinist
> 
> Can you use google maps to check out two routes for me?
> 
> ...



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ode...f559b0feb!2m2!1d-111.8561447!2d48.5066603!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ode...f559b0feb!2m2!1d-111.8561447!2d48.5066603!3e0

What's taking you back to Shelby?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ode...f559b0feb!2m2!1d-111.8561447!2d48.5066603!3e0
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ode...f559b0feb!2m2!1d-111.8561447!2d48.5066603!3e0
> 
> What's taking you back to Shelby?


You’ll never guess....

A load of pipe to Edmonton


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> You’ll never guess....
> 
> A load of pipe to Edmonton



Where is the pipe being picked up at?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where is the pipe being picked up at?


Midland/Odessa TX


----------



## Brent H (Feb 24, 2020)

Wow, that is a lot of trucking for pipe.....sounds like these pipe guys work for the government!


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

I’ve honestly never hauled this much pipe before. But I know how trucking lanes work and it makes sense that oil fields are going to trade pipe like this. 
Although the last time I was in Texas I brought pipe home for agriculture use out of Houston, to Ontario 

Oil fields are funny, a lot gets shipped in but not much gets shipped out. Mines are the same way


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2020)

When do you pickup the pipe?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

Apparently 1:00 appointment but I’m going to try to get loaded earlier than that


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Apparently 1:00 appointment but I’m going to try to get loaded earlier than that



AM or PM?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> AM or PM?


PM

I’d have laughed really really hard if they said 1:00 am


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 25, 2020)

Wow how thing have progressed, that "sucker" unit is first rate. Any pipe we stung was just chain wraped with a chain that was anchored to a cat or something and then we rolled the truck ahead, just dropped the pipe off the back of the trailer.


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 25, 2020)

Time for a new map.  Is the load in Midland or Odessa?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...17f061bf9!2m2!1d-102.0779146!2d31.9973456!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 25, 2020)

Midland 

We puttin’ ‘er in the wind for Roswell NM then north to Utah


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 25, 2020)

Roswell is a neat city 

The UFO museum is out of this world


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 25, 2020)

Where are we parked tonight?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 25, 2020)

Rest area north of Roswell


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Rest area north of Roswell



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...474cfd77e!2m2!1d-104.5230242!2d33.3942655!3e0

I'm thinking this route isn't accurate or is it?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 25, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...474cfd77e!2m2!1d-104.5230242!2d33.3942655!3e0
> 
> I'm thinking this route isn't accurate or is it?


It would’ve been Lamesa down 87 to I-20 to Big Spring, then to Midland and up to Roswell like you have 

Both work


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 26, 2020)

The forecast is pretty good (above freezing for the next 10 days and no amounts of snow)  for up here so the roads should be like summer driving. Cant say about the Utah- Idaho, it can be pretty rough through there with spring heavy snows....Good luck man.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 26, 2020)

I finally got to use my fancy pipe stakes. 
Why? No idea. I think it’s a safety thing for loading/unloading


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 26, 2020)

Is that drill pipe you're hauling north?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 26, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is that drill pipe you're hauling north?


Yes sir


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 26, 2020)

The Ute Mountains are neat


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 26, 2020)

How far did we get today David?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 26, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How far did we get today David?
> 
> Craig


580 miles, up around Green River UT


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 26, 2020)

Utah is pppprrreeetttyyy!!


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 26, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> 580 miles, up around Green River UT



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...8435ef5ba!2m2!1d-110.1596352!2d38.9955607!3e0

Nice pictures!  Keep them coming.

Craig


----------



## Brent H (Feb 27, 2020)

Wow!!!


----------



## trlvn (Feb 27, 2020)

I'm surprised there is no snow there.  Wikipedia says that Green River, UT, is at about 4,000 feet of elevation!  I'm interested to see and hear where your route takes you next.

Craig


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 27, 2020)

Hey Chicken , I may have fed you a red herring on the forecast for Ab. , They changed it last night to "possibility of 10 cm snow from central Ab. (Red Deer) on into the north" for Saturday.


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 27, 2020)

How about another oilfield trucking story to give you something to ponder  on your journey.

    You are no doubt very familiar with the yearly CVI certification that is required by every commercial truck on the road now.
    back when I was trucking heavy haul stuff, there was no CVI in Canada but it was a "thing" in the States that we had heard of. Eastern Canada (Ontario & Quebec) was the first to copy & implement this program here and wanted a "National Safety Program" that would be country wide. In Ab., the farmers & oilpatch fought this initiative vigorously...the farmers were successful (until the recent NDP govt.) but the Oilpatch haulers weren't...because of two brothers I knew quit well back then. It was rumored that one of the brothers name became very prominent at the policy meetings over the provincial CVI....
        The two brothers were Randy & Steve B from Leduc and both pulled for a company out of Nisku called To-Tran. It was quit common for trucks to be sent out from a base with a load that would take them into some remote areas, once in these areas, truckers would rent rooms at the nearest rig camp and "short-haul" some hotshot loads from rig move to rig move until they could secure a back-haul all the way back to civilization.
   This is what happened to the brothers, dispatched out of Nisku to a lease site close to Zama Lake ( very close to the NWT border). They remained at the rig camp for a week or so before they got a pipe haul back to Edmonton. A rig had got "stuck in the hole" and stretched their drill pipe when the "jars" went off. Drill pipe that is suspected of being stretched has to be all inspected at a pipe yard in Ed. 
    Randy & Steve both loaded one afternoon and the plan was to leave the camp together after breakfast the next morning (6 am). 
      There was one fly in the ointment for that plan...both brothers were sweet on the same bar maid at the Airliner peeler bar...It was quit a competition that the rest of us watched with amusement.
      Randy decided sometime during the night that he didn't need his brothers interference back in town so decided to take action that would hold Steve back for a while...or so he thought. 
    Long before the planned wake-up call, Randy sneaks out of the camp to Steve's truck, unscrews the nut holding the steering wheel to the shaft, pulls the steering wheel out and heaves it as far as he can out into the deep snow in the bush, then starts his truck and heads for this lady, hoping for a "not to be interrupted" reunion.
     Steve, hearing Randy's truck start says he immediately put 2 +2 together and heads out the door to catch his brother...but when he gets into his truck he is met with just a shaft spline sticking out of the steering column. Now Steve was raised on a farm & made his living since high school in the heavy construction & heavy hauling industries so he knew how to improvise with the best of them...he snapped two sets of vice grips to that spline as tight as he could get them...and hit the road, and this "road" is about 8-900 miles back to Edmonton with just vice grips to steer with. 
     He claims he was doing real good...until he hit an open scale house on 43 highway and the  scale guy noticed something was amiss and flashed the "pull in & park, bring in your papers" light at him. Steve said he didn't have to "bring his papers in as requested, one of the scale DOT cops met him in the lot before he even got parked, quite interested in his steering arrangement .  They pulled his licence, operating authority, and imponded the truck-trailer and load for some time until the legal ramifications were ironed out.
     It was rumored that Steve's name was very prominent in the discussion over the oilfield request for a deferral from CVI...we didn't get very far. 
    It was also rumored that Christmas was a little "strained" for the brothers that year.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

trlvn said:


> I'm surprised there is no snow there.  Wikipedia says that Green River, UT, is at about 4,000 feet of elevation!  I'm interested to see and hear where your route takes you next.
> 
> Craig


Once north of Albuquerque I was around 7000’ elevation for most of the day. I’m not really sure what elevation you get more snow? I can see snow on the taller peaks around me


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Hey Chicken , I may have fed you a red herring on the forecast for Ab. , They changed it last night to "possibility of 10 cm snow from central Ab. (Red Deer) on into the north" for Saturday.


I should be parked for the weekend by Saturday, but thanks for the heads up


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

It was pitch black when I parked last night, this is what dawn showed knocking at my front door


----------



## Brent H (Feb 27, 2020)

Looks like you parked at a dirt bike racing track!  

Crazy scenery....you could shoot Mad Max 4 there


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

Easily makes my top ten list for prettiest drives. The mountains just keep going, I wish I had some sense of scale on how high they are.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

Saw this crazy thing by the aquarium in SLC. The band U2 used it on one of their tours, where it was purchased from. Shipped from PA out here where they’ll turn it into part of a new exhibit


----------



## francist (Feb 27, 2020)

Reminds me a little of the Thompson canyon in central BC, lots of colours in hills. Makes me want to go on a road trip again!

-frank


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 27, 2020)

francist said:


> Makes me want to go on a road trip again!



That makes two of us!


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

Going from Edmonton through Jasper was great, then I took Hwy 5 down to Kamloops one trip. GREAT scenery through there, and Hells Gate was good times. I forget what they said, I think it was 500 vertical feet drop from one side to the other side where you can walk around


----------



## francist (Feb 27, 2020)

Yeah, it is really nice country. I grew up in the Peace Country of northern BC so am no stranger to running those roads along the big rivers. And my mom absolutely loved the gentle hills of the Cariboo. I think that's part of what I like so much about your photos -- the open vistas seem so familiar. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

-frank


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

So back up to when I went to Labrador. Spent Christmas with my family then drove back to the yard. Dispatch asked if I wanted to go to Chilliwack. 

Sure. Where the heck is Chilliwack?

 So off we go. This is Dec 28-29. Never been north of Sudbury before in my life let alone out west. Trucking all day the first day I got to Nipigon, just outside Thunder Bay. Got up to Brandon the next night, New Year’s Eve. I got looking around for something to do, this was my first holiday on the road. Turns out Brandon has a peeler bar, I wanted to go see how bad of an idea this was gonna be. Took a cab “downtown”, walked in paid the $10 cover and grabbed a beer. 10-15 minutes goes by....no dancers. Got chatting with a local the bar gave the girls the night off. 

What the...?

Got trucking along, stopped somewhere before Calgary the next night. Ran it the rest of the way into Chilliwack the next night I think. 

It was freezing cold all the way across Ontario and the prairies, -25 mostly, then I get into Chilliwack and it’s +7. That made no sense, Jan 3 and +7. 

Delivered that morning, went to Abbotsford and rented a car. Drove up the coast to Whistler where it was back to -25. On the way back helped a lady change a flat tire on the side of the road 

So in about a 3 week span I drove coast to coast in Canada 

Part 1


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 27, 2020)

And... we are parked where tonight?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 27, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> And... we are parked where tonight?


640 miles to get to Boulder MT today


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 27, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> 640 miles to get to Boulder MT today



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...4adf4a52d!2m2!1d-112.1208336!2d46.2365947!3e0

When crossing the border, which direction typically gives you the most grief?  Entering the US or exiting?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...4adf4a52d!2m2!1d-112.1208336!2d46.2365947!3e0
> 
> When crossing the border, which direction typically gives you the most grief?  Entering the US or exiting?
> 
> Craig


Entering the USA by far


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

Time to go have some fun


----------



## trlvn (Feb 28, 2020)

Wikipedia says that Boulder, MT, is at almost 5,000 feet of elevation and that it is just east of the Continental Divide.  You must have gone over some pretty high mountain passes on this route.  Wonder what the highest elevation was that you hit?

I went skiing in Colorado one time many years ago.  Denver is the "mile high city" so 5,200 feet elevation.  When you get through the Eisenhower Tunnel--which is also on the Continental Divide-- the valley floor is around 9,000 feet and the peaks go up to around 14,000 feet.  Lots of people get altitude sickness at those heights.  I had headaches and fatigue the first few days.  Very weird for a guy who grew up in Ontario (500 to 1,000 feet elevation)!

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 28, 2020)

Update time please.  You across the border yet?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

We just made Edmonton


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 28, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> We just made Edmonton



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...c4af6155d!2m2!1d-113.4938229!2d53.5461245!3e0

WOW....  I figured Lethbridge, maybe Calgary today.  How many miles on this leg?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...c4af6155d!2m2!1d-113.4938229!2d53.5461245!3e0
> 
> WOW....  I figured Lethbridge, maybe Calgary today.  How many miles on this leg?
> 
> Craig


628 miles today 

Hitting Calgary around 3:00 on a Friday was a mistake apparently


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 28, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> 628 miles today
> 
> Hitting Calgary around 3:00 on a Friday was a mistake apparently



Stoney was a little backed up was it?


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Stoney was a little backed up was it?


There was a 3 car pileup that wasn’t helping


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 28, 2020)

This demands a re-cap.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...e7cebcff3f!2m2!1d-101.950992!2d32.7376001!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...c4af6155d!2m2!1d-113.4938229!2d53.5461245!3e0

Where does dispatch have you going next?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 28, 2020)

Dispatch hasn’t said anything yet. I did ask if there was anything on the load boards heading to Alaska or the Territories but I’m not holding my breath. I’d like a northern BC load or something down to Washington/Oregon just fine too 

I need to get a couple things fixed on the truck and a medical done before we go too far next week anyway


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 29, 2020)

trlvn said:


> Wikipedia says that Boulder, MT, is at almost 5,000 feet of elevation and that it is just east of the Continental Divide.  You must have gone over some pretty high mountain passes on this route.  Wonder what the highest elevation was that you hit?
> 
> I went skiing in Colorado one time many years ago.  Denver is the "mile high city" so 5,200 feet elevation.  When you get through the Eisenhower Tunnel--which is also on the Continental Divide-- the valley floor is around 9,000 feet and the peaks go up to around 14,000 feet.  Lots of people get altitude sickness at those heights.  I had headaches and fatigue the first few days.  Very weird for a guy who grew up in Ontario (500 to 1,000 feet elevation)!
> 
> Craig


I had to look it up but I believe Soldier Summit at 7447’ of elevation would have been my highest elevation. Off Hwy 6 in Utah. 

Agreed, when I left Roswell area and spent most of the day around 7000’ I had a headache most of the day and wasn’t feeling very energetic.


----------



## historicalarms (Feb 29, 2020)

Shouldn't be hard to chase down a load to the docks (for summer distribution to outlying settlements on the lakes) at Hay River or Yellowknife this time of year, usually big push to "git-er-done" before spring break-up slaps a ban on the roads or in the case of Yellowknife, the ice bridge at Providence goes out. 
     Grimshaw Transport, Points North Transport, Robinson Transport out of Yellowknife, Mullens out of Alderside would all be good bets to have loads for an extra truck or two wanting to go north if you want to contact them. 
    I'm 2 hrs south of Ed. & that snow they forecast is happening with a vengeance right now, coming down about 2" an hr.


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 29, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Shouldn't be hard to chase down a load to the docks (for summer distribution to outlying settlements on the lakes) at Hay River or Yellowknife this time of year, usually big push to "git-er-done" before spring break-up slaps a ban on the roads or in the case of Yellowknife, the ice bridge at Providence goes out.
> Grimshaw Transport, Points North Transport, Robinson Transport out of Yellowknife, Mullens out of Alderside would all be good bets to have loads for an extra truck or two wanting to go north if you want to contact them.
> I'm 2 hrs south of Ed. & that snow they forecast is happening with a vengeance right now, coming down about 2" an hr.


I’ll see what dispatch says Monday morning, if they haven’t found anything I’ll start calling around. 
Thanks!

Yeah it’s snowing pretty good here in Edmonton too. I delivered this morning and don’t have anywhere to be do a couple days. Supposed to go look at a truck sometime in the next couple days 

You mentioned sailboat fuel and motorcycle doors earlier....

We sometimes use dispatchers brains to mean the same thing


----------



## Chicken lights (Feb 29, 2020)

The west Edmonton mall was....interesting. Not really my cup of tea

So I went up to KMS tools and Lee Valley to poke around


----------



## YYCHM (Feb 29, 2020)

Ya.... West Ed doesn't do anything for me either.  There is or was an Abercrombie & Fitch in that mall where nothing had a price tag.  When I asked what a pair of binoculars cost the response was "If you have to ask you can't afford them"

"Supposed to go look at a truck sometime in the next couple days"  A big truck or a little truck?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 1, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ya.... West Ed doesn't do anything for me either.  There is or was an Abercrombie & Fitch in that mall where nothing had a price tag.  When I asked what a pair of binoculars cost the response was "If you have to ask you can't afford them"
> 
> "Supposed to go look at a truck sometime in the next couple days"  A big truck or a little truck?


A big truck 

From the sounds of it kinda a sister truck to mine, just specced a little heavier and a couple years newer


----------



## historicalarms (Mar 1, 2020)

West Ed Mall; My daughters figure skated at the mall skating surface for 4 years and your right the mall isn't a lot of fun in the winter when everybody is bundled up...but man-o-man it can sure pick up an the hottest days of summer...much better.
   Other than Timmies for a coffee there was one other store I visited while the girls were skating, The Wild West gun range upstairs at the very west end.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 1, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> West Ed Mall; My daughters figure skated at the mall skating surface for 4 years and your right the mall isn't a lot of fun in the winter when everybody is bundled up...but man-o-man it can sure pick up an the hottest days of summer...much better.
> Other than Timmies for a coffee there was one other store I visited while the girls were skating, The Wild West gun range upstairs at the very west end.


I’ll be honest I didn’t even go to the upper level. 

I’ll take your word for it that summer is the better time to visit the mall


----------



## historicalarms (Mar 3, 2020)

If you do happen to head north to Hay River or Yellowknife, you have to be prepared with your camera, you may just run into some "royalty"...at least a couple of buddies of mine often mentioned the "princesses" they encountered enroute to Hay River one winter day.
     Thousands of tons of dry goods are trucked to the docks at Hay River from Edmonton every winter for distribution on the barges after the ice goes out. Lance J and Walter S along with another dude that I cant remember his name were on such a haul when they were "blizzarded off the highway at Indian Cabins one day. 
    Indian cabins was a small couple or three old building settlement at the NWT/AB. border, a remnant of the Trapper outpost days. the buildings were of old log structure in a bit of age disrepair last time I was through there. One was a Canada Post Office and another was a "restaurant" of the "northern wilderness" variety. Two things on the menu...bacon & eggs or a burger...I don't say "hamburger" as you never knew the "variety" of meat...moose, buffalo, deer, or it could actually be beef on a good day. 
    After the boys got the trucks tarped in to conserve as much heat as possible (no Auto-shutters or thermo -static fans on those babies back then), into the restaurant for some grub.    
      As told to me , the story goes that there were 2 locals in the restaurant,  The cook & a friend of hers just staying out of the blizzard... I will refer to them from now on as what lance referred to them as, princess#1 and princess#2. After the meal & a couple games of cribbage, the subject came around to the 2 or 3 bottles of whiskey out in the trucks & would the "princesses" like a drink....sooo....couple hour later it was determined that because of the liquor effect & the blizzard, that is wasn't safe for the princesses to walk home...the truck sleepers were a much safer bet.
     Now you have to remember, no big "walk-in Bunks on these trucks, they were all winch tractors with a small bunk mounted directly on top of the winch frame. The entrances to the bunks was just that little dog-house hole that the rear window was in on a day cab. 
     After the "math of the situation (three men and two princesses) had been discussed a bit it was decided the princess#1 would accompany the dude that I cant remember his name to his truck. Princess#2 would visit with Lance & Walter for a bit in Lances truck and then  Walter would go back to his truck when the "visit" was over...
      So the "visiting" was just starting and Lance crawled through the hole into the sleeper to stretch out comfortably. Shortly he convinced the princess that she should come into the sleeper with him and have a "look around"...it was now, through the alcoholic haze, that Lance & Walter discovered that they had picked the wrong "princess"...she wouldn't fit through the dog-house hole...she was wedged, stuck tight head first into the sleeper with Lance and her backside still in the truck cab with Walter....well, if you do some more math and put "whiskey + 2 and 2" together you don't need me to draw you a picture of the outcome of that equation. 
    I don't know if those old buildings are still standing but I can sure bet that there are still "princesses" in the neighborhood.!!


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> If you do happen to head north to Hay River or Yellowknife, you have to be prepared with your camera, you may just run into some "royalty"...at least a couple of buddies of mine often mentioned the "princesses" they encountered enroute to Hay River one winter day.
> Thousands of tons of dry goods are trucked to the docks at Hay River from Edmonton every winter for distribution on the barges after the ice goes out. Lance J and Walter S along with another dude that I cant remember his name were on such a haul when they were "blizzarded off the highway at Indian Cabins one day.
> Indian cabins was a small couple or three old building settlement at the NWT/AB. border, a remnant of the Trapper outpost days. the buildings were of old log structure in a bit of age disrepair last time I was through there. One was a Canada Post Office and another was a "restaurant" of the "northern wilderness" variety. Two things on the menu...bacon & eggs or a burger...I don't say "hamburger" as you never knew the "variety" of meat...moose, buffalo, deer, or it could actually be beef on a good day.
> After the boys got the trucks tarped in to conserve as much heat as possible (no Auto-shutters or thermo -static fans on those babies back then), into the restaurant for some grub.
> ...


I don’t need any more details 

Belly tarping is something I hadn’t really run across before talking to you western guys, to keep heat in the motor and tranny. Also one guy had a cozy made up for his Davco fuel filter to help with the cold. You guys out west just run tougher trucks and in tougher environments I guess


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 3, 2020)

David,

Are you still in Edmonton?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> David,
> 
> Are you still in Edmonton?
> 
> Craig


Yes sir


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 3, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yes sir



What's the grand plan here?  Are you waiting it out until a load surfaces?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

Points North, says they only truck in SK. Robinson out of Yellowknife has nothing. Mullen’s is looking. Grimshaw said they don’t have anything 

Dispatch is useless as always 

Sssooo I hope to get my medical done today if the mail comes through, maybe an oil change. Trucking is always hurry up and wait


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What's the grand plan here?  Are you waiting it out until a load surfaces?
> 
> Craig


It’s a long dumb story, but I need to get my medical done, so I had to get the form mailed out to Edmonton from Ontario. It was a crappy plan, I’ll admit 

Dispatch is making noise about another load to Texas


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 3, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> It’s a long dumb story, but I need to get my medical done, so I had to get the form mailed out to Edmonton from Ontario. It was a crappy plan, I’ll admit
> 
> Dispatch is making noise about another load to Texas



Can you not get the form scanned to PDF and emailed to you?  The form isn't available on-line?  Most are these days.

YaHoo…. Another Ya All run.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Can you not get the form scanned to PDF and emailed to you?  The form isn't available on-line?  Most are these days.
> 
> YaHoo…. another Ya All run.


They specified it HAD to be the form they mailed me. Yet it’s ok if I fax or email it to them once it’s filled out....

I hope they don’t screw up my permits this time


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 3, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> They specified it HAD to be the form they mailed me. Yet it’s ok if I fax or email it to them once it’s filled out....
> 
> I hope they don’t screw up my permits this time



Who are "They"?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 3, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Who are "They"?


I think I started with Service Ontario to find out when it expires, then they transferred me to another department that specializes in medical questions
Damn the Man


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 4, 2020)

Heading to Airdrie now to grab a load to take to SK


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 4, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Heading to Airdrie now to grab a load to take to SK



What's the load and where in SK?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 4, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What's the load and where in SK?
> 
> Craig


Apparently peat moss headed to Regina


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 4, 2020)

Where are we tonight David?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 4, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are we tonight David?
> 
> Craig


Over by Kindersley SK


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 4, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Over by Kindersley SK



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...ac6f80cf7!2m2!1d-109.1546825!2d51.4675266!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 5, 2020)

I would assume you're in Regina by now?  Yes, No?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 5, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I would assume you're in Regina by now?  Yes, No?


Yeah delivered the junk and went to grab pipe. 

Get this, the shippers had their computers hacked and holding for ransom. So myself and about 7-8 other truckers had to drop their trailers until they figure something out. 

What a crazy world we live in.


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 5, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yeah delivered the junk and went to grab pipe.
> 
> Get this, the shippers had their computers hacked and holding for ransom. So myself and about 7-8 other truckers had to drop their trailers until they figure something out.
> 
> What a crazy world we live in.



That's insane!  What does "drop their trailers" mean?

Pipe heading where?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 5, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> That's insane!  What does "drop their trailers" mean?
> 
> Pipe heading where?
> 
> Craig


Mine was heading to Texas I can only guess that’s where the other guys are going.

“drop their trailers”- meaning we left them there at the shippers


----------



## Hruul (Mar 5, 2020)

Ya, Evraz Steel got there entire North American operation infected with Ransomware.  They are talking about being down for several days.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 5, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Ya, Evraz Steel got there entire North American operation infected with Ransomware.  They are talking about being down for several days.


That’s the rumour I’m hearing, I’m not at Evraz but they are responsible for customs paperwork somehow for where I’m loading. I don’t know, might be time to look for a motel and some adult beverages

Is there anything fun to do in Regina?


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 5, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Is there anything fun to do in Regina?



Quote Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)  2006  "Regina the city that rhymes with Fun" LOL.  I'm sure you'll find something to do.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 5, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Quote Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)  2006  "Regina the city that rhymes with Fun" LOL.  I'm sure you'll find something to do.


https://www.cjme.com/2020/03/05/ransom-ware-attack-at-evraz-could-bring-layoffs-to-regina-plant/

Umm hopefully I can get moving tomorrow but I’m not hopeful. 

There’s an RCMP museum that looks worth checking out. 

Regina rhymes with fun....


----------



## Hruul (Mar 6, 2020)

RCMP museum would be good to check out.  Royal Saskatchewan Museum is OK, not likely anywhere near what your used too from Ontario though.  

Fair number of small brew pubs in town.  Bushwakker is my favorite.  Usually very busy on friday's at lunch and before Rider games.

Not sure if there is anything going on at Wascana Park this weekend or not.  Unfortunately, I am out of town this weekend.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 6, 2020)

Hruul said:


> RCMP museum would be good to check out.  Royal Saskatchewan Museum is OK, not likely anywhere near what your used too from Ontario though.
> 
> Fair number of small brew pubs in town.  Bushwakker is my favorite.  Usually very busy on friday's at lunch and before Rider games.
> 
> Not sure if there is anything going on at Wascana Park this weekend or not.  Unfortunately, I am out of town this weekend.


I’ll check out the museums and the park I guess. 

I really liked the Mennonite museum in Steinbach MB when I was there 

Looks like Regina is home for a few days. Not sure how I feel about that yet


----------



## Hruul (Mar 6, 2020)

There is the Moose Jaw Western Development museum as well (45 min drive).  Dusty (Bill) from this site could tell you more on that one, I have not been in many years, but he worked on at least one of the exhibits there.


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 6, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Looks like Regina is home for a few days. Not sure how I feel about that yet



Could be worse, you're not stuck in Saskatoon LOL.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 6, 2020)

Looks like we might be trucking after all...

Yeah there’s lots of places that are worse to be stuck in, that’s true!!


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 6, 2020)

Well by the time we finished loading, got paperwork, fueled and scaled, it’s 5:00 pm. There’s hardly any parking between here and the border, plus I don’t know if I’m allowed to truck in Montana after dark. So I’m gonna get laundry done, have some supper, print off my permits, and go trucking in the morning. 

That’s my route in Sask to get to the border. Turn onto “unnamed road”....? 

Every time I see that Regina sign I get flashbacks to that Groundhog Day movie


----------



## Hruul (Mar 6, 2020)

This is a complete guess, but I think it might be taking you the bypass to get to highway 6 south of Regina.  Since the bypass is pretty new it might not be completely loaded into your GPS.  Google maps did not have it for the first bit after it opened.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 6, 2020)

Hruul said:


> This is a complete guess, but I think it might be taking you the bypass to get to highway 6 south of Regina.  Since the bypass is pretty new it might not be completely loaded into your GPS.  Google maps did not have it for the first bit after it opened.






It could very well be, I’m at the Husky so I’m well past the “unnamed” roads part of the directions. 
Hwy 1 back to Hwy 6 south, short jog on 39 to 6 south and that gets me to the border 
Having 5 feet of overhang is not really that big of a deal, in my opinion


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 6, 2020)

Oooops, I neglected to check you into Regina.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...6b77b54b1!2m2!1d-104.6188943!2d50.4452112!3e0

Gonna need a new map if we're going to Texas.  BTB - Where in Texas are we headed?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 7, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Oooops, I neglected to check you into Regina.
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...6b77b54b1!2m2!1d-104.6188943!2d50.4452112!3e0
> 
> ...


Pretty much the exact same route and destination as last time. Midland/Odessa area


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 7, 2020)

Are we parked for the night and if so where?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 7, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Are we parked for the night and if so where?
> 
> Craig


By Sheridan, WY


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 7, 2020)

Not sure what google maps is doing to me tonight but here is map 4.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...a47fe7b11d57b!2m2!1d-106.9561791!2d44.7971939


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 8, 2020)

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4695201

Interesting article. If anyone has anything to add to that I’m down to learn. The photographer references using an old map and tracing old rail lines to find ghost towns, I’d be curious to know how much of our country has been shaped by rail line access


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 8, 2020)

How far did we get today David?

Craig


----------



## Hruul (Mar 8, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4695201
> 
> Interesting article. If anyone has anything to add to that I’m down to learn. The photographer references using an old map and tracing old rail lines to find ghost towns, I’d be curious to know how much of our country has been shaped by rail line access


Nice article.  Thanks for posting it.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 8, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How far did we get today David?
> 
> Craig


525 miles or so. Hugo, CO for the night


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 8, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> 525 miles or so. Hugo, CO for the night



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...fe4610cff!2m2!1d-103.4699447!2d39.1361003!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 9, 2020)

Where are we tonight David?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 9, 2020)

Big Spring, TX. Deliver in the morning


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 9, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Big Spring, TX. Deliver in the morning



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...38957d28b!2m2!1d-101.4787355!2d32.2503979!3e0

See anything interesting along the way?


----------



## Perry (Mar 10, 2020)

Just quietly following along.......    though of you today when I seen this online........


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

Perry said:


> Just quietly following along.......    though of you today when I seen this online........
> 
> View attachment 7981


That’s a little out of my league, I bet @historicalarms could handle that though


----------



## francist (Mar 10, 2020)

Well that adds a bit of perspective now, doesn't it? The side mirror is almost as tall as one of the guys on the road....


----------



## RobinHood (Mar 10, 2020)

Here is a “little“ taper roller bearing cone out of the front drive train of one of those rock trucks....


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

Here we go again...


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Here we go again...



Odessa?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Odessa?


South-ish from Midland kind of


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> South-ish from Midland kind of



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...17f061bf9!2m2!1d-102.0779146!2d31.9973456!3e0

You figure it's the same pipeline project as what you delivered to last trip?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...17f061bf9!2m2!1d-102.0779146!2d31.9973456!3e0
> 
> You figure it's the same pipeline project as what you delivered to last trip?


Oh yeah, same guys as before, everything went nice and easy today
For once


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Oh yeah, same guys as before, everything went nice and easy today
> For once



So how far did that pipeline progress in 16 days?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So how far did that pipeline progress in 16 days?


15-20 miles?


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2020)

Have a new load lined up?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Have a new load lined up?


Not yet, hopefully in the morning


----------



## historicalarms (Mar 11, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> That’s a little out of my league, I bet @historicalarms could handle that though



    Nope, don't want to be anywhere's close to that move anymore LOL.
    I think the heaviest load I ever hauled was just over 100,000 lbs.
     I have a buddy that did participate in some moves like that with 3 tractors required for pushing up river banks and breaking coming down, one steering & pulling & 2 behind. He claimed it was very hard to be one of the back drivers as the steering is locked & you cant see shit in front of you, you just hit the required pedals & shift gears when told to by the lead driver. He said it was very unnerving to be at the complete discretion of what happened in the front with not much warning. 
    The heaviest load I know of back in my days of oil rig moving was Billy R ( of the "hot coffee" story) was tasked with hauling a sub/derrick combo at the same time. We often did this in the winter on frozen roads,  easy to get a permit on them, altho expensive . this particular time Bill was permitted to 165,000 as per the rig owners specs. We found out later that this was a fudged figure (plus it had a fair amount of frozen drilling mud inside the sub-frame that we couldn't see) that some paper-pusher did on purpose to cheapen the permit cost.
            so off we happily went ,from Central Ab. area(Camrose) headed for Mayerthorpe region. We all thought we were legal as hell so didn't avoid the scales at Achesson All the lighter loaded winch tractors ,bed trucks & picker trucks when across  first with no problem...Then it was Bills turn...and those DOT scale operators took an instant interest in him & his load, one of them was standing on his fuel tank in about 10 seconds asking Bill if he knew how heavy he was...Bills reply, "ya about 165,000, heres the permit"...would you believe your just under 240,000 was the Dot's Reply...oh oh this wasn't going to be good.
     They immediately seized Bill's steering papers, the truck & trailer & the rig components. The rig was released about a week after seizure. The rig owners had to rent two 150 tonner cranes and swing the load directly to two other trailers in the parking lot. first the derrick A-leg pins had to be pulled to separate the derrick from the sub-frame so it was now two different loads.  
     Bills licence remained seized for over a month (at one time in all the proceedings he thought it was gone for good) along with the truck  & trailer. It being winter , the truck remained running the whole time & we delivered fuel 3 times a week until it was released. The DOT's investigation, after a month or so determined that it was a drilling company employee that had falsified info and the trucking company wasn't at fault so once the drillers paid the fine (rumored at $100,000 but don't know for sure) everything was released.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 11, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Nope, don't want to be anywhere's close to that move anymore LOL.
> I think the heaviest load I ever hauled was just over 100,000 lbs.
> I have a buddy that did participate in some moves like that with 3 tractors required for pushing up river banks and breaking coming down, one steering & pulling & 2 behind. He claimed it was very hard to be one of the back drivers as the steering is locked & you cant see shit in front of you, you just hit the required pedals & shift gears when told to by the lead driver. He said it was very unnerving to be at the complete discretion of what happened in the front with not much warning.
> The heaviest load I know of back in my days of oil rig moving was Billy R ( of the "hot coffee" story) was tasked with hauling a sub/derrick combo at the same time. We often did this in the winter on frozen roads,  easy to get a permit on them, altho expensive . this particular time Bill was permitted to 165,000 as per the rig owners specs. We found out later that this was a fudged figure (plus it had a fair amount of frozen drilling mud inside the sub-frame that we couldn't see) that some paper-pusher did on purpose to cheapen the permit cost.
> ...


There are some days it’s unavoidable to hit scales, or they catch me napping. Generally, I find it’s better to avoid them, if possible.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/corman-park-charges-semi-trailer-no-wheels-1.5373455

Did you hear about this guy? Don’t get me wrong the DOT has a job to do, I just think sometimes they write a ticket when a verbal kick in the behind would be enough. 

They probably write tickets to make up for the number of times they haven’t caught us


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 11, 2020)

The driver got a bath, it only seemed fair the truck got one too. Still in Midland, if they don’t find anything tomorrow I’m gonna bounce near Abilene. 
There’s a rattlesnake roundup starting on Friday. I have no idea what that is but if I’m in town I want to find out


----------



## historicalarms (Mar 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> There are some days it’s unavoidable to hit scales, or they catch me napping. Generally, I find it’s better to avoid them, if possible.
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/corman-park-charges-semi-trailer-no-wheels-1.5373455
> 
> ...




    Oh yes don't get me wrong, nobody should be driving with vise grips snapped onto a steering spline...but The way CVI inspections are enforced and regulated is very subjective. 
    Here in Ab. when I was still in the trucking industry, they had kids just out of high school rolling on a creepers under our trucks and telling judges that something was unsafe when they had no mechanical training at all. They didn't have to be licensed mechanics to write a ticket or put you on a hook. A good example was the truck I mentioned earlier that had the pipe come through the cab, When that truck was 1 days off the dealers yard it made a trip from Red Deer to Calgary and back, just before R.D. he was pulled into a roadside inspection. Dudes jacked up the front axle and did a king-pin check and proclaimed they were "out of spec" and ordered the truck put on a hook and towed to Kenworth... this truck had 320 KM. on it!!!
     Your 'loss of wheels" article brings up another pet peeve of mine over CVI's. You can do a completely satisfactory "before use" inspection in the parking lot and hit a deep pot hole, break a bearing cone or race & loose a wheel anywhere in the trip and your liable even tho the outfit was perfectly good when you started and the highway caused the wheel to break loose...they sure aren't going to admit that their roads would cause the problem.  When I was employed in the paving industry (Ab. in the 90's) there is a machine (Profilogragh machine it was called) we had to use to prove the quality of surface we layed. This machine measured deviations of less than 1.5 cm in 60 ft of travel and every foot of highway we paved had to meet that requirement...That is the standard of smoothness we must meet, a highway that smooth will never injure a truck running gear and if they kept their roads to that standard I would have no problem with being charged for a loose running gear...but they don't... potholes 10 cm deep abound everywhere that would break a bearing in an instant and we are the ones held  responsible...not the highway branch....rant over...


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 12, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Oh yes don't get me wrong, nobody should be driving with vise grips snapped onto a steering spline...but The way CVI inspections are enforced and regulated is very subjective.
> Here in Ab. when I was still in the trucking industry, they had kids just out of high school rolling on a creepers under our trucks and telling judges that something was unsafe when they had no mechanical training at all. They didn't have to be licensed mechanics to write a ticket or put you on a hook. A good example was the truck I mentioned earlier that had the pipe come through the cab, When that truck was 1 days off the dealers yard it made a trip from Red Deer to Calgary and back, just before R.D. he was pulled into a roadside inspection. Dudes jacked up the front axle and did a king-pin check and proclaimed they were "out of spec" and ordered the truck put on a hook and towed to Kenworth... this truck had 320 KM. on it!!!
> Your 'loss of wheels" article brings up another pet peeve of mine over CVI's. You can do a completely satisfactory "before use" inspection in the parking lot and hit a deep pot hole, break a bearing cone or race & loose a wheel anywhere in the trip and your liable even tho the outfit was perfectly good when you started and the highway caused the wheel to break loose...they sure aren't going to admit that their roads would cause the problem.  When I was employed in the paving industry (Ab. in the 90's) there is a machine (Profilogragh machine it was called) we had to use to prove the quality of surface we layed. This machine measured deviations of less than 1.5 cm in 60 ft of travel and every foot of highway we paved had to meet that requirement...That is the standard of smoothness we must meet, a highway that smooth will never injure a truck running gear and if they kept their roads to that standard I would have no problem with being charged for a loose running gear...but they don't... potholes 10 cm deep abound everywhere that would break a bearing in an instant and we are the ones held  responsible...not the highway branch....rant over...


I remember this because the wheels on the trailer were either new or had just been blasted n painted, they were a nice fresh white, I remember when I did my pretrip thinking how rare that was to have such clean rims. 5-6 hours later rolled across a scale and got put OOS for a wheel seal leaking. Sure enough those nice clean white rims had oil streaks on them. 

Rolling across I-90 in NY a deer ran into the side of me. There was blood, deer hair and poop all over the truck. Pulled over to check things out. Walked around it with a flashlight. Didn’t see any major damage, called dispatch, I was just gonna limp it to the next rest area to assess things better rather than the shoulder. Got back on the highway just in time to get pulled over by a trooper. He agreed to head to the rest area where he spent two hours going over my log book, truck book, truck and trailer. He pulled me over for a tail light out on the trailer. Which, 5-6 hours had been working fine. He threatened to put my whole log book in violation for not drawing one line long enough. 

Another time, different company, got pulled into a roadside inspection, the NY highway use sticker was out of date, even though I did find the right one in the truck binder (I’d been in that truck for only a couple weeks). I also had forgotten to scribble in a 30 minute break the day before.

So I get it, they probably have every driver every driver tell them it was working earlier. I just don’t feel it’s neccessary to fine the driver and company for little things. I see both sides of it, it IS public safety on the line


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 12, 2020)

Are we still in Midland?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Are we still in Midland?


No, we strolled over to Coleman (south of Abilene), grabbed two pieces. We heading for Plainview (NW of Lubbock) now to fill out the load. 
Both drops heading to Ontario


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> No, we strolled over to Coleman (south of Abilene), grabbed two pieces. We heading for Plainview (NW of Lubbock) now to fill out the load.
> Both drops heading to Ontario



WooHoo... Finally heading east.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...2df9e020f!2m2!1d-101.7068417!2d34.1847936!3e0

Need pictures including ON for us prairie types.


----------



## Brent H (Mar 12, 2020)

Woo Hoo!  Homeward bound!

Bunch of lathes for sale on kijiji .......have to start up the business ! LOL


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 12, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Woo Hoo!  Homeward bound!
> 
> Bunch of lathes for sale on kijiji .......have to start up the business ! LOL


I REALLY hate tarping lathes 

Does your wife know her garage is getting turned into a used machinery warehouse?


----------



## Brent H (Mar 12, 2020)

She got a bit suspicious when my son and I started working on installing a heater........"its for you car so it is all cozy for you in the morning......"  hahahahahahahaha!


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 12, 2020)

Soooo..... where are we?  What are the loads and where are they headed?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Soooo..... where are we?  What are the loads and where are they headed?
> 
> Craig


North of Lubbock. First load is a couple steel tanks, heading near Brantford. Second load is apparently lumber but I haven’t seen it yet. Going near Strathroy. 

Dispatch must have miles and kilometres confused again. Roughly 180 miles to get to Coleman, then 280 up to Plainsview. “You can grab the second one after lunch”

Really? So you think I can cover 460 miles AND load and strap half a load in under four hours?? 

I just shake my head and ignore stuff like that. Left at 8 am, got to the first one 11:30, loaded by 12:45, and it’s still 280 miles to the next pick and they close at 5:00. 

What’d I say earlier about dispatchers brains....


----------



## YotaBota (Mar 13, 2020)

When my old boss would come to me with another goofy request I'd hold out my hand and ask him to share his drugs,,,,,, I held my hand out a lot and thankfully he never shared.
I'm enjoying the travel log, my thanks to you and YYC.
Safe travel.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 13, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> When my old boss would come to me with another goofy request I'd hold out my hand and ask him to share his drugs,,,,,, I held my hand out a lot and thankfully he never shared.
> I'm enjoying the travel log, my thanks to you and YYC.
> Safe travel.


It’s been a fun trip! Glad you and others are having fun following along


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 13, 2020)

Ok... you must have those wheel rolling east by now.  Where are we and what was that second load and where did you pick it up at?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ok... you must have those wheel rolling east by now.  Where are we and what was that second load and where did you pick it up at?
> 
> Craig


Bunch of fibreglass junk that was supposed to be “lumber”. I was really hesitant to take this stuff but here we are. Picked up outta Plainview TX. Not happy with anything that’s on my deck currently 

OKC for the night, theres no real panic to make the miles the next couple days.


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 13, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> OKC for the night.



OKC?  As in Oklahoma City?  Gonna need a pic of that load.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> OKC?  As in Oklahoma City?  Gonna need a pic of that load.


Yes sir


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 13, 2020)

New leg, new map, we are on map 5 now.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...a21274d14f3a9d!2m2!1d-97.5164276!2d35.4675602

That load doesn't look bad to me?  What's the problem?  Gotta be way lighter than a load of pipe?

What are those tanks about?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> New leg, new map, we are on map 5 now.
> 
> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...a21274d14f3a9d!2m2!1d-97.5164276!2d35.4675602
> 
> ...


The front half is all fibreglass, so you can’t tighten the straps too tight or you’ll break it. It’s just barely legal width the way it’s loaded. The top stacks are uneven heights so the lower side isn’t secured well. I stopped three times yesterday to check the straps already. It’s one of those loads I’ll have to babysit

The tanks are a PITA too, I’ve stopped 2-3 times to try taping up the plastic wrap or to cut off what was flapping in the breeze. That plastic wrap doesn’t survive well on the highway 

Truckers are never happy


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 14, 2020)

Dunno…  tarp it all in that way it's not flapping in the breeze???  

BTB - Where did that fancy set of pipe stakes end up?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Dunno…  tarp it all in that way it's not flapping in the breeze???
> 
> BTB - Where did that fancy set of pipe stakes end up?
> 
> Craig






That would be a pain in the butt to tarp those tanks, but that did cross my mind. 

Those fancy pipe stakes are on the trailer, currently. I was told they needed to be pinned down somehow, so I found these fancy clips in Midland and drilled a couple holes in each one. They’ll go onto my headache rack when I drop the trailer.


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 14, 2020)

What's a headache rack?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What's a headache rack?


It can either go on the truck or the trailer. They serve a couple uses, to store tools and equipment, and to protect the truck from shifted cargo. 
@historicalarms posted that one load that went into the cab and hit the steering wheel. A headache rack should help in that situation


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 14, 2020)

I see, as in the rack you usually see laden with all manner of chains and boomers?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 14, 2020)

Yeah, there’s open and enclosed headache racks, it’s kind of a catchall term


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 14, 2020)

Update time...  Where are we?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Update time...  Where are we?
> 
> Craig


Boonville, MO


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 14, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Boonville, MO



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...24ea062caa!2m2!1d-92.7432418!2d38.9736392!3e0

Snap some pics along the way.  This part of the US most of us will never see.

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 15, 2020)

Where are we parked tonight?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are we parked tonight?
> 
> Craig


Outside Fort Wayne, IN


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Outside Fort Wayne, IN



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...b147642f793!2m2!1d-85.1393513!2d41.079273!3e0

No pictures?  Godda be more scenic than SK.


----------



## trlvn (Mar 16, 2020)

Are you going to cross back into Canada at Detroit?

I drove down to Lewiston, New York, on Saturday to pick up a couple of packages via NeedAUSAddress.  On both the US and Canadian sides, there were multiple lanes open but with no vehicles.  Very weird considering I spent about 40 minutes waiting there to get into the US just a few months ago.  On the US side, they only asked "have you been out of the country in the last 30 days".  I expected more.  No idea what they are doing for the commercial traffic.

Craig in Oakville


----------



## historicalarms (Mar 16, 2020)

I read a news blurb yesterday that commercial truckers will be exempt from border closures.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 16, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...b147642f793!2m2!1d-85.1393513!2d41.079273!3e0
> 
> No pictures?  Godda be more scenic than SK.












Not too much to see, although we might do more corn versus the prairies grains and wheat?


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 16, 2020)

trlvn said:


> Are you going to cross back into Canada at Detroit?
> 
> I drove down to Lewiston, New York, on Saturday to pick up a couple of packages via NeedAUSAddress.  On both the US and Canadian sides, there were multiple lanes open but with no vehicles.  Very weird considering I spent about 40 minutes waiting there to get into the US just a few months ago.  On the US side, they only asked "have you been out of the country in the last 30 days".  I expected more.  No idea what they are doing for the commercial traffic.
> 
> Craig in Oakville


It was business as usual at the border, slight wait times but nothing out of the ordinary. 
I crossed at Detroit, there’s a heavy truck wreckers in Chatham. Paid $50 for a used door latch instead of $280 for a new one


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 16, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> I read a news blurb yesterday that commercial truckers will be exempt from border closures.


Apparently Trudeau made a speech today outlining what was going on, but I missed it. From the sounds of it you’re right, either way it’s good to be back on this side of the border for now


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Not too much to see, although we might do more corn versus the prairies grains and wheat?



Those pictures are from where?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 16, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Those pictures are from where?
> 
> Craig


Indiana, Ontario, Ontario

It’s not until you get north of Barrie that Ontario gets pretty. I mean some of the lakeshore views from the Great Lakes are pretty, but I didn’t get near those


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 16, 2020)

If you cleared Detroit at 2pm you must be close to delivering at Strathroy?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> If you cleared Detroit at 2pm you must be close to delivering at Strathroy?
> 
> Craig


Kicked the first half off yesterday gonna kick the steel tanks off this morning. Then who knows what.


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 17, 2020)

Short summary- 
Feb 5 to Mar 17 since leaving home 
Just under 24,000 kms
3 time zones 
4 provinces 
18 states 
Up to at least 7500 feet elevation 
-45 degrees F to 75 degrees F
14 fuel stops 

By far and away the longest trip I’ve ever been on.


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Short summary-
> Feb 5 to Mar 17 since leaving home
> Just under 24,000 kms
> 3 time zones
> ...



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...76eb580c72!2m2!1d-92.1004852!2d46.7866719!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dul...e7cebcff3f!2m2!1d-101.950992!2d32.7376001!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lam...6b77b54b1!2m2!1d-104.6188943!2d50.4452112!3e0

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Regi...2df9e020f!2m2!1d-101.7068417!2d34.1847936!3e0

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Plai...a5a466f9e0!2m2!1d-80.2644254!2d43.1393867!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Kicked the first half off yesterday gonna kick the steel tanks off this morning. Then who knows what.



You're close enough to home to go check the mail?  Elmira correct?

I believe Brent gets home on the 18th.  You could always take a few days off and go collect that lathe cabinet.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> You're close enough to home to go check the mail?  Elmira correct?
> 
> I believe Brent gets home on the 18th.  You could always take a few days off and go collect that lathe cabinet.
> 
> Craig


I’m gonna grab the mail here soon, yessir. I’ll probably try to work this week and take the weekend off, and yes a trip to Brent’s house would be a good idea.

Maybe if I time it right Brent’s wife will have a home cooked meal ready just as I show up


----------



## Brent H (Mar 17, 2020)

hahaha!

Just got a new stove so it might work out!  Hopefully some stuff left on the shelves.  Travel home tomorrow will be interesting. 

Your trip has been quite amazing Dave - Are you isolated in your truck for 14 days? - Seems like you have been for quite a few days on the road!

Let me know if you are stopping by and I will have the boys on hand to load you! - Should have a motor for you too


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 17, 2020)

Brent H said:


> hahaha!
> 
> Just got a new stove so it might work out!  Hopefully some stuff left on the shelves.  Travel home tomorrow will be interesting.
> 
> ...


I will for sure give you a heads up, before swinging by! 
I’m heading to Indiana tomorrow with a load.

Safe travels to you tomorrow!!


----------



## YYCHM (Mar 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Short summary-
> Feb 5 to Mar 17 since leaving home
> Just under 24,000 kms
> 3 time zones
> ...



Hey David,

That was an amazing adventure.  Thanks for letting me ride shotgun.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Mar 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David,
> 
> That was an amazing adventure.  Thanks for letting me ride shotgun.
> 
> Craig


What’s funny (to me) is that’s my job. It’s not always this epic, but for me it’s my daily grind. 
Thanks for having fun with me!


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

Did I hear road trip?  To Alberta?  When do WE leave?

Ont guys, find me a killer deal on a RF30 size mill please.

Craig


----------



## Brent H (May 12, 2020)

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-business-industrial/london/milling-machine/1500419630?undefined

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...achine-converted-to-220v/1499289277?undefined

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...-trecker-milling-machine/1461054967?undefined

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...dge-port-milling-machine/1498809775?undefined

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/sudbury/horizontal-milling-machine/1497586124?undefined

goes on and on -


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Did I hear road trip?  To Alberta?  When do WE leave?
> 
> Ont guys, find me a killer deal on a RF30 size mill please.


“WE”? 

I’ll be loading in the morning.


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> “WE”?
> 
> I’ll be loading in the morning.




Well..... you're gonna let us tag along right


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

Brent H said:


> https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-business-industrial/london/milling-machine/1500419630?undefined
> 
> https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...achine-converted-to-220v/1499289277?undefined
> 
> ...




ok.... let's do it this way.  110V, $1000 max,  500 lbs max.    I have to be able to get it down my basement stairs.

I think an RF30 or equivalent is pretty much as big as I can go.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Well..... you're gonna let us tag along right


That really wasn’t a question....
Sure! If you want to follow along again, that’ll be fun 

Where should I go for the weekend? Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton? Lake Louise? I’ve been through Banff and Jasper before, what’s the drive like between Lake Louise and Jasper?


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> That really wasn’t a question....
> Sure! If you want to follow along again, that’ll be fun
> 
> Where should I go for the weekend? Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton? Lake Louise? I’ve been through Banff and Jasper before, what’s the drive like between Lake Louise and Jasper?



Lake Louise - Jasper is amazing but steep and winding.  Isn't that a little out of the way for hitting Edmonton?

As for hwy 1 in the park.  We had better check.  Seems to me they are doing some major work.  A 3 year project or something to that effect.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Lake Louise - Jasper is amazing but steep and winding.  Isn't that a little out of the way for hitting Edmonton?
> 
> As for hwy 1 in the park.  We had better check.  Seems to me they are doing some major work.  A 3 year project or something to that effect.


I could drive to Edmonton, park the big horse, steal a car, and play tourist. Or head to Red Deer/Calgary and do the same. 

I should invite myself over to @CalgaryPT place to see the RC lawnmower in person!


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> ok.... let's do it this way.  $1000 max,  500 lbs max.  I have to be able to get it down my basement stairs.
> 
> I think an RF30 or equivalent is pretty much as big as I can go.


How heavy is the one in Sudbury?


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> How heavy is the one in Sudbury?



That's a horizontal mill.  Need a vertical mill.


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

What are we picking up tomorrow?  What's the planned route to Edmonton?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What are we picking up tomorrow?  What's the planned route to Edmonton?
> 
> Craig


Same as last time, rusty pipe.

I haven’t decided yet, probably over to Sudbury up to Thunder Bay and across to the Peg, over to Regina then I don’t know again
After Regina it depends where I want to spend the weekend


----------



## Chicken lights (May 12, 2020)

Coming into North Bay tonight


----------



## YYCHM (May 12, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...037b28c7232700!2m2!1d-79.4608204!2d46.3091152


----------



## John Conroy (May 13, 2020)

Hey Dave, the Icefields Parkway (highway 93) between Jasper and Lake Louise is a beautiful drive but no fun in a big rig. It will be espeçially nice this time of year with the trees just starting to bud. My favorite motorcycle road in Alberta.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 13, 2020)

John Conroy said:


> Hey Dave, the Icefields Parkway (highway 93) between Jasper and Lake Louise is a beautiful drive but no fun in a big rig. It will be espeçially nice this time of year with the trees just starting to bud. My favorite motorcycle road in Alberta.


Nice!! Maybe I’ll aim to do that Sunday  
Anything else in Calgary to see? Or Red Deer?


----------



## historicalarms (May 13, 2020)

If you want to park your rig in a secure area near Red Deer, I'm 35 min east and have lots of room in the yard (1/4 mile off the pavement) for a rig to park.
   We might be able to find a beer, shower & a spare bed for you if you like.


----------



## YYCHM (May 13, 2020)

Post lots of pictures please, even if it's not very interesting  We didn't get to see what that part of Ont looks like last trip.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 13, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> If you want to park your rig in a secure area near Red Deer, I'm 35 min east and have lots of room in the yard (1/4 mile off the pavement) for a rig to park.
> We might be able to find a beer, shower & a spare bed for you if you like.


Truck AND trailer? That’s important to clarify.... 
Is there a place to rent a car near you? 
I’ll send you a PM


----------



## Chicken lights (May 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Post lots of pictures please, even if it's not very interesting  We didn't get to see what that part of Ont looks like last trip.
> 
> Craig
























Trees, rocks, water, swamp/muskeg.....it’s prettier over by Lake Superior, going by the shoreline but that’s not for along time yet


----------



## YYCHM (May 13, 2020)

Thanks!!!! Exactly what I imagined the shield to be like.  It's all interesting to me.  Keep them coming.

Looks like a nice day.

On the road now heading to where?  How many pieces of rusty pipe?

Craig


----------



## Tom Kitta (May 13, 2020)

Looks exactly as it did 6 years ago when I still lived in Ontario. A bit swampy with only one park that was named informally "taste of BC" - for pp that could not afford the real thing.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Thanks!!!! Exactly what I imagined the shield to be like.  It's all interesting to me.  Keep them coming.
> 
> Looks like a nice day.
> 
> ...


Four pieces of rusty pipe. We made Hearst, ON. No real rush and the next place to stop is 150-200 miles away.

*points generally west 

We heading west we’ll probably hit Alberta Saturday


----------



## YYCHM (May 13, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...dea5e60dfb!2m2!1d-83.6669552!2d49.6880184!3e0

Great pictures today!  Keep them coming.

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (May 14, 2020)

Hey David,

You might want to avoid stopping in Calgary.  It's the COVID hot spot of Alberta.  Calgary area businesses that were supposed to reopen today have been ordered to stand down for another 10 days by Alberta Health Services.

So much for getting a hair cut today  Blaaaa…..

How about posting a picture of that load of pipe you're hauling?

Craig


----------



## historicalarms (May 14, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Truck AND trailer? That’s important to clarify....
> Is there a place to rent a car near you?
> I’ll send you a PM


  Lots of room for both( 3.5 acres of yard), and it hard packed if your loaded, I'v had super B's in here for grain & have parked hundreds of time in here with loaded end dumps...in on one approach and circle the garden and out the other approach...wont even have to use reverse in & out.   You could even snuggle up to the shop if something comes up that needs worked on to ruin your site-seeing weekend...had that happen before...

    Closest car rental is in R.D. but I think we can get you there and back easily enough.


----------



## Tom Kitta (May 14, 2020)

Here is covid-19 for Calgary:
"Kenney said both cities will move into a staggered reopening. Starting Thursday, retail businesses, farmers’ markets, museums and art galleries will be allowed to reopen consistent with the rest of the province.

However, hair salons, cafes, restaurants and bars won’t be allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity until May 25. The remainder of Stage 1 openings, including day camps, summer school, post-secondary institutions and places of worship, will be allowed to reopen June 1 in Calgary and Brooks."


----------



## YYCHM (May 14, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Closest car rental is in R.D. but I think we can get you there and back easily enough.



There are two car rental places in Lacombe, both of which appear to have excellent reviews.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Laco...d0b192882!2m2!1d-118.0813581!2d52.8736786!5i2


----------



## Chicken lights (May 14, 2020)

Northern Ontario. 
Kenora ON for the night


----------



## YYCHM (May 14, 2020)

Great pictures.  Thanks!

In that second image, is that Lake Superior on the left?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...b8fae4952c!2m2!1d-94.4893924!2d49.7670416!3e0

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Great pictures.  Thanks!
> 
> In that second image, is that Lake Superior on the left?
> 
> ...


Nope, I really didn’t get near Superior this trip. Just a random lake up north


----------



## YYCHM (May 14, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Nope, I really didn’t get near Superior this trip. Just a random lake up north



Is my google map route not correct?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is my google map route not correct?


Looks right. The bridge was in Nipigon, the stretch from Nipigon to Thunder Bay was as close as I got. Not really close enough to Superior through there


----------



## YYCHM (May 14, 2020)

Do those pot hole lakes have any fish in them?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

The Shield has a lot of moss covering the rock. I’m not sure if the moss helps hold soil, that lets the trees grow? There must be some connection there, I know the moss is important 




Welcome to Manitoba

Those lakes in ON must have fish in them, everyone has a boat up there. It’s part of cottage life to dip a line


----------



## historicalarms (May 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> There are two car rental places in Lacombe, both of which appear to have excellent reviews.
> 
> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Laco...d0b192882!2m2!1d-118.0813581!2d52.8736786!5i2



   Thanks Craig I didn't know that , same drive distance within 5 min so either R D or Lacombe works.


----------



## YYCHM (May 15, 2020)

Where are we tonight David?  I'm thinking Saskatoon or Swift Current?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are we tonight David?  I'm thinking Saskatoon or Swift Current?


Regina. We was a lazy good for nothing trucker today 

Actually there really is no rush on this trip so there’s no reason to push. 500-ish miles today, good enough


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

Picture of rusty pipe for Craig


----------



## YYCHM (May 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Picture of rusty pipe for Craig



Ya, ok LOL.  How long are they and what do they weigh?  

After see the images of the road in Ont, which looks like an up/down winding affair, I started wondering, does your rig have a manual transmission or automatic?

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (May 15, 2020)

Today's progress

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...6b77b54b1!2m2!1d-104.6188943!2d50.4452112!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ya, ok LOL.  How long are they and what do they weigh?
> 
> After see the images of the road in Ont, which looks like an up/down winding affair, I started wondering, does your rig have a manual transmission or automatic?
> 
> Craig


40 feet long, and I don’t know the actual weight. 20-30,000 pounds total judging how the truck drives, possibly a touch heavier 

Manual. 13 speed. Basic H pattern with an extra low gear in the basement and the ability to split up in the attic 

(I have 5 low gears, 4 high gears, but can split the 4 high gears for extra gear ratios. 5 + 4 + 4 = 13)


----------



## YYCHM (May 15, 2020)

13 speed? Blaaaa.  Doug @historicalarms will appreciate this.  My 68 Mustang had 4 in an H pattern.  Need pics to appreciate where your coming from.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

Alright. See if that makes sense for you


----------



## Chicken lights (May 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is this electronically selectable hi range, lo range stuff or 13 mechanical positions to engage?


Air operated


----------



## YYCHM (May 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Air operated



Still not following.  Me Bad.  How many manual shifts does it take to achieve 13 gears?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 16, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Still not following.  Me Bad.  How many manual shifts does it take to achieve 13 gears?


Low gear
Then- 1,2,3,4 
Then- 5lo,5hi,6lo,6hi,7lo,7hi,8lo,8hi

Very rarely would I use all 13 just getting up to speed, it’s more in hills or traffic that I’ll be splitting the top gears 

I have one air operated range selector to go from low range to high range. So shift low1-4, hit the selector and go to 5lo. 

There’s a second air operated lever for splitting the top 4 gears. I can (and usually do) go 5lo to 6lo then 7lo and not bother splitting.

If you ignore low and reverse, it’s an H pattern shifter. If you ignore splitting the top gears it’s just an 8 speed with a high and low range.


----------



## trlvn (May 16, 2020)

Be sure to adopt the proper driving posture, as well:










Craig


----------



## historicalarms (May 16, 2020)

We could really mess with Craig's mind trying to explain the 15 direct to 15 spd-overs or the 18 overs or really get into the old stuff I had the opportunity to try and use with any semblance of proficiency...the 5 and 4 (equals 20 manual shifts if you use them all), sometimes required the left arm to go thru a steering wheel spoke to steady it while shifting two gearshifts at the same time (anybodies grandpa that was a trucker knew how to do this second nature)...or to get real involved, a buddy of mine had a 13 spd same as Chickens with a 4 spd A-box behind it, giving him 52 forward gears and 4 reverse. 

   My favorite was the 15-over, all "straight-stick shifting" and in "high reverse" you could back a semi up at about 15 mph or more, (something I was fortunate to learn very early in my steering career).


----------



## YotaBota (May 16, 2020)

Could be an old B body Mack with "slap-sticks", that was always fun to watch.


----------



## YYCHM (May 16, 2020)

So where are we tonight David?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So where are we tonight David?


Near Red Deer. 
@historicalarms was kind enough to feed me supper and cold beer. Thanks!


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Near Red Deer.
> @historicalarms was kind enough to feed me supper and cold beer. Thanks!



Good stuff.  Doug appreciates getting a visit.

Are you going to make a run to Jasper?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...debb19d93!2m2!1d-113.1929275!2d52.3988768!3e0






Doug's cannon.  One of two, both functional.  The one pictured is pretty cool as it has a matching Limber and Caisson.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Good stuff.  Doug appreciates getting a visit.
> 
> Are you going to make a run to Jasper?
> 
> ...


I think over near Rocky Mountain House, there was no way to rent a car today. 

Did you get to see the Gatling gun?


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I think over near Rocky Mountain House, there was no way to rent a car today.
> 
> Did you get to see the Gatling gun?



When I was there his Gatling gun was just in the concept stage.  Does it actually look like a Gatling gun now?

And, before anyone gets too excited.  It's a single shot Gatling gun.

Nothing open as far as car rentals?  That surprises me.

Where ultimately is the pipe to be delivered?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> When I was there his Gatling gun was just in the concept stage.  Does it actually look like a Gatling gun now?
> 
> And, before anyone gets too excited.  It's a single shot Gatling gun.
> 
> ...


Yes, single shot Gatling to make it legal. It’s mounted on a carriage and is complete. Pretty neat! 

Nope, RD and Lacombe car rental are shut Sundays because of this virus. 

Pipe is heading to Edmonton for Tuesday


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Where are we parked tonight?  Still at Doug's?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

Still just a large ugly lawn ornament, yep!


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Still just a large ugly lawn ornament, yep!



Hey, ask Doug if you can post a few images of his Gatling gun please.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)




----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey, ask Doug if you can post a few images of his Gatling gun please.


He said PM/email only, on the promise of not posting it to social media


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> He said PM/email only, on the promise of not posting it to social media



Roger that!  

Where were the pictures take at?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Roger that!
> 
> Where were the pictures take at?


Medicine Hat, between Nordegg and the Columbia Icefield, then at the Columbia Icefield


----------



## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Medicine Hat, between Nordegg and the Columbia Icefield, then at the Columbia Icefield



Ok, now you have to explain where you went in what today LOL.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ok, now you have to explain where you went in what today LOL.


@historicalarms says loose lips sink ships 
You wouldn’t want to sink any ships, would you?


----------



## historicalarms (May 18, 2020)

There's nothing "nefarious " about the Gatling per-se as it is built to completely conform to Canadian gun legislation. It is not a "machine gun" as they are often portrayed...it is simply a long barreled revolver , (A short barreled revolver is restricted but this gun has 32" barrels). 
    Basically this gun just resembles a Gatling in appearance only, none of the working mechanisms are original to any Gatling design...it is totally my design that was taken thru a very extensive "proto-typing timeframe (2 years) that resulted in something that ,very surprising to me , worked in the end. 
  The major part of the legislative act that needs to be accommodated her is the "cannot fire more than one round with a single pull of the trigger". Gatling's did not have a trigger, just the crank so I had to incorporate a trigger mechanism of my own design, into the gun design and, using that as a starting point, build the thing around that. As well there is legislative language involving the "cranking action" cannot fire the gun in rapid succession so that also had to be addressed...the crank on my gun cannot fire the gun in any way shape or form until the trigger is pulled...you can crank as fast as you like but it will never fire the gun.
    Soooo all-in-all it is just a very safe but bastardized version of something that looks scary to a lot of folks for no reason, but for that reason alone I am hesitant to publish photos of it.


----------



## historicalarms (May 18, 2020)

Just a note concerning the Cannon...I went to bed an Apr. 30th with two or 3 legal civil war replica muzzleloader cannons that weren't even considered firearms...I woke up May 1 owning 3 prohibited & banned " firearm devises" at the whim of our "dictator".

   They are actually my wife's favorite lawn ornaments, with them facing the yard ,we haven't been subject to any of the recent rural crime problems plaguing the district.


----------



## Dusty (May 18, 2020)

Didn't realize the "Anybody want anything from Ontario" became the political forum. Clearly "Super user" believes his political leanings should be posted here? 

I'm of the opinion there's NO room for political beliefs on this forum, ever.  How sad.....!!


----------



## John Conroy (May 18, 2020)

Sorry, offensive post deleted.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 18, 2020)

We made the long journey from outside Red Deer to Edmonton today. I cannot say enough good things about @historicalarms and his family. They opened their doors to a relative stranger, shared meals, GREAT coffee, GREAT stories, I feel blessed to have had the invite to be able to have such a great opportunity. The missus is a complete firecracker I want on my good side and the one daughter I met I don’t want to cross either! We got to shoot some legal guns in a legal area, I learned some awesome local history from a man who helped build a lot of local Alberta infrastructure, sightseed in the Rockies and enjoyed great home cooking!

I pity the poor fool who crosses the missus 

I have a friend back home who is around 77-78 years old. I try to connect with him whenever I can, when I’m home. The stories, life experience, wisdom....when it’s gone it’s gone. That’s my deep thought of the day. 

Gonna deliver in the morning then see which direction we point the truck


----------



## YYCHM (May 18, 2020)

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...c4af6155d!2m2!1d-113.4938229!2d53.5461245!3e0


----------



## Janger (May 19, 2020)

I've had some complaints about this thread content. I don't see anything too bad. I'll just leave it unless others think this thread should be shut down? But true we're not going to discuss gun politics. just leave that alone guys.


----------



## YYCHM (May 19, 2020)

David,  I imagine you have delivered that pipe by now.  Got a new load to deliver lined up?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 19, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> David,  I imagine you have delivered that pipe by now.  Got a new load to deliver lined up?
> 
> Craig


Yup, picked up a load of lumber out by Drayton Valley, heading towards Minnesota. 

Hiding behind a Walmart north of Calgary somewhere.


----------



## YYCHM (May 19, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yup, picked up a load of lumber out by Drayton Valley, heading towards Minnesota.
> 
> Hiding behind a Walmart north of Calgary somewhere.



That was a fast turn around!

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...1b652b63a!2m2!1d-114.0718831!2d51.0447331!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (May 20, 2020)

Hey David,

What border crossing did you use?  Don't forget to take some pictures along the way please.

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (May 20, 2020)

Where are we hiding tonight?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 20, 2020)

Crossed at Sweetgrass, like last time. Made it almost to Williston NoDak, sitting at a weigh station all by myself so far. Watching the thunderstorm roll in, Mother Nature is doing fireworks tonight. 






















Hwy 2 is all ripped up east of Havre until Chinook 

Big Sky country


----------



## YYCHM (May 20, 2020)

New map, ran out of weigh points.  This route look right?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...cfeb0f1e3!2m2!1d-103.6179745!2d48.1469683!3e0

Thanks for the pictures, they're great!  Where in Minnesota are you delivering to? 

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 20, 2020)

Route looks right. 
Down near Sioux Falls MN somewhere I think


----------



## YYCHM (May 21, 2020)

How far did you get today David.  Did you make Sioux Falls?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 21, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How far did you get today David.  Did you make Sioux Falls?
> 
> Craig


Just outside of there.



















NoDak


----------



## YYCHM (May 21, 2020)

Is this right?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...f3aa8b2fccf!2m2!1d-96.728333!2d43.5473028!3e0

You're in South Dakota not Minnesota?

Great pics BTB.  Any idea that the cross in the circle on that hill is about?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 21, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is this right?
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...f3aa8b2fccf!2m2!1d-96.728333!2d43.5473028!3e0
> 
> ...


That’s close enough on the map. Yes just across where I need to be in MN.

I’m guessing it’s an Indian (Native, indigenous....) symbol, whatever the correct term is marking their territory 

Sort of like the quilt-work like signs on barns. I don’t quite get that either but I realize it’s significant to other farms


----------



## YYCHM (May 22, 2020)

Did you get that wood delivered?  Where did it end up?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Did you get that wood delivered?  Where did it end up?


Marshall MN, and yes it’s delivered. 




Dispatch found that in the Cities as a partial load. I’ll make up my mind in the morning if I’m bouncing with it


----------



## YYCHM (May 22, 2020)

In the Cities, bouncing with it? Not following.  What is it?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...70ff5d2ccb9!2m2!1d-95.7911916!2d44.448423!3e0

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 22, 2020)

Minneapolis = Twin Cities or just the Cities 

It’s just a partial and not gonna pay well enough to send home all by itself, so I may “bounce” to Michigan and wait there until Monday and hope something pops up to fill the deck. I REALLY don’t want to “bounce” all the way home with just that. Monday is a holiday down here, too, which doesn’t help 

It’s 1 3/4” round bar, I think hot rolled. 

Can you see the pile in the background? They had a stack similar to that up front, driving by with the window down it was like driving by a fire feeling the heat coming off this pile of steel


----------



## YYCHM (May 22, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Minneapolis = Twin Cities or just the Cities
> 
> It’s just a partial and not gonna pay well enough to send home all by itself, so I may “bounce” to Michigan and wait there until Monday and hope something pops up to fill the deck. I REALLY don’t want to “bounce” all the way home with just that. Monday is a holiday down here, too, which doesn’t help
> 
> ...



So you picked it up at a foundry?  Still warm?  Where is it to be delivered?

BTB - That's a pretty impressive tarping job.  Nice and neat.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So you picked it up at a foundry?  Still warm?  Where is it to be delivered?
> 
> BTB - That's a pretty impressive tarping job.  Nice and neat.


This was at a mill. (What’s the difference between a foundry and a mill?) The papers said this was made last year sometime. 
No, they were bringing out fresh steel and placing them in piles to cool down I guess, that’s why the crisscross pattern I’m guessing? 

Back to Ontario 

Thanks!! That’s my new tarp, I had the d-rings moved closer to the middle for specifically these types of loads. Can’t even describe how awesome that tarp is to use. I’ve got a smaller one made up that is it’s sister, I just love the versatility.


----------



## YYCHM (May 22, 2020)

Lots of pictures please.  You're in that part of the US and CA that interests us prairie/western types.  

Well.... me at least.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...9842f7aee07!2m2!1d-93.2650108!2d44.977753!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (May 23, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I’ll make up my mind in the morning if I’m bouncing with it



What did you decide to do David?

Craig


----------



## Brent H (May 23, 2020)

Hey David,

Another fantastic adventure!!   Will you make it to your buddy with grinder parts?  

glad you are getting some interesting stops!!!


----------



## Chicken lights (May 23, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Hey David,
> 
> Another fantastic adventure!!   Will you make it to your buddy with grinder parts?
> 
> glad you are getting some interesting stops!!!


Nope! My buddy actually texted me when I would be down next. I pointed out that MN isn’t exactly near KY.
Hopefully soon!!


----------



## Chicken lights (May 23, 2020)

Pine Mountain ski jump. Either the nations largest but certainly one of the largest. 
Could you imagine trying to stick the landing??!

5 HUNDRED steps to walk up there!!


----------



## Brent H (May 23, 2020)

That is nuts!! I guess the real olympians need to dodge all the crap on the way down !  Hahaha


----------



## YYCHM (May 23, 2020)

Somewhere in Wisconsin are we?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 23, 2020)

Brent H said:


> That is nuts!! I guess the real olympians need to dodge all the crap on the way down !  Hahaha


Ha!
They’re putting new boards on it, and redoing the steps


----------



## Chicken lights (May 23, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Somewhere in Wisconsin are we?


Michigan, near Escanaba


----------



## YYCHM (May 23, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Michigan, near Escanaba



Where was the Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum?  That looked pretty cool!

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...cbd7cb6ff6!2m2!1d-87.0645801!2d45.7452466!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where was the Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum?  That looked pretty cool!
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...cbd7cb6ff6!2m2!1d-87.0645801!2d45.7452466!3e0


That was in Iron Mountain, MI


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

Lake Michigan


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

Whitefish Point, MI
Lake Superior


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

Mackinac Bridge 

I’ve never seen it that foggy before!


----------



## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Great pictures THANKS!

You back in Canada?

That must be Lake Huron on the right side of the Mackinac Bridge?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Great pictures THANKS!
> 
> You back in Canada?
> 
> ...


Nope, still in Michigan. Near Grayling 

I’m pretty sure Lake Michigan is on the West (right) side in that pic, and Huron is on the East (left) side


----------



## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Nope, still in Michigan. Near Grayling
> 
> I’m pretty sure Lake Michigan is on the West (right) side in that pic, and Huron is on the East (left) side



Which direction were you crossing the bridge?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Which direction were you crossing the bridge?


South


----------



## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> South



Ah... that would make sense then.

Cool, two views of three great lakes at eye level.  I've only ever seen them from the air.

You camped out near Grayling for the night?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ah... that would make sense then.
> 
> Cool, I got to see three great lakes at eye level.  I've only ever seen them from the air.
> 
> ...


Yeah I’m done for the day 

Do you guys have trilliums out west?


----------



## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Do you guys have trilliums out west?



Nope.... not on the east side of the Rockies.  Maybe @David_R8 can comment on the BC side.


----------



## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Nope, still in Michigan. Near Grayling



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...eeab0c3c3f!2m2!1d-84.7147512!2d44.6614039!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (May 25, 2020)

Still hanging out around Grayling?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 25, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Still hanging out around Grayling?
> 
> Craig


Nope, delivered in Ayr, On and pointed the big horse for the shop 
Possibly heading to North Carolina Wednesday once I get some hours to run


----------



## YYCHM (May 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Nope, delivered in Ayr, On and pointed the big horse for the shop



Well, not quite as adventurous as the last trip west, but fun just the same.

Must be a PITA to track those hours and decide when it's time to bolt for home.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Air...fc10a8cc64b!2m2!1d-79.3741834!2d44.919643!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (May 27, 2020)

Anyone want anything from Texas? 73’ long trailer, 74’ of steel, we about 95-96’ long nose to tail

Actually @Brent H if I reload in Houston I’ll try to grab your packages next week. I’ll let you know if I do


----------



## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

Holy Smokes  Is that one trailer or two?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 27, 2020)

One trailer


----------



## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

I'd be thinking twice about attempting to pass you in my Fiesta

Where in Texas are you headed?

Craig


----------



## trlvn (May 27, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> One trailer


Do you have to have signage for a load that long?

Craig in Oakville


----------



## Chicken lights (May 27, 2020)

trlvn said:


> Do you have to have signage for a load that long?
> 
> Craig in Oakville


Yep! Banners front and rear, flags, permits, whole schmear. Ontario no beacons, Michigan beacons on the truck and rear of trailer plus escort, Indiana no escort it’s all different by state. Daytime running hours only 
Lots of extra rules


----------



## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yep! Banners front and rear, flags, permits, whole schmear. Ontario no beacons, Michigan beacons on the truck and rear of trailer plus escort, Indiana no escort it’s all different by state. Daytime running hours only
> Lots of extra rules



Who supplies the escort?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 27, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Who supplies the escort?


Usually a private company, some heavy haul places have their own guys full time


----------



## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

Thinking about the escort thing now,  do you guys still use CB radios or have those things faded into the past?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 27, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Thinking about the escort thing now,  do you guys still use CB radios or have those things faded into the past?


Depends on the area. We still use CB over here, VHF/UFH is more popular out west 

Most truckers still use CB, but it’s not as well used as yesteryear


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

Hey @YYCHobbyMachinist 
That’s my Michigan routing for today. Ignore my bad scribbles I just write out the turns so I can read them quick while driving


----------



## historicalarms (May 28, 2020)

I didn't notice your trailer was a Trombone....or did you pin to someone else's . Used to be that "divisible loads such as yours weren't permit able for O.D.  If they could be split to two trailers without a cutting torch involved then they had to be separated.


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

I don’t own any trailers, that’s all company trailers. 
I’ve heard that whole no divisable load rule for oversize before yet pretty much all the oversize loads I’ve pulled are divisable in some way. 

Taking this junk to Eagle Pass, right on the border


----------



## YYCHM (May 28, 2020)

Where did you pick the load up from?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

Near Guelph, On


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

Rear mounted beacons


----------



## YYCHM (May 28, 2020)

How far did you get today?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

Farina, IL, about 550 miles today


----------



## YYCHM (May 28, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Farina, IL, about 550 miles today



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...86a82883ee!2m2!1d-88.7722761!2d38.8342128!3e0


----------



## Brent H (May 28, 2020)

Wow Dave you really go!!

I just ordered some mill parts from Fort Wayne - you were right there - LOL!!


----------



## Chicken lights (May 28, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Wow Dave you really go!!
> 
> I just ordered some mill parts from Fort Wayne - you were right there - LOL!!


Gotta hurry up to get ahead of me 
You know I coulda grabbed them parts for ya


----------



## Brent H (May 28, 2020)

Indeed Dave - LOL maybe next round


----------



## YYCHM (May 29, 2020)

Hey David, where are you now?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (May 29, 2020)

Hooks, TX


----------



## YYCHM (May 29, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Hooks, TX



Boy, you really boogey.  You're going to deliver to Tx in like what three days total?  That's a week long trip for me

Thinking about this, I don't own a trailer thing.  Do you ever switch trailers mid run?

Post pics of anything of interest along the way please.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...afd13fcaf9!2m2!1d-94.2885306!2d33.4662328!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (May 30, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Boy, you really boogey.  You're going to deliver to Tx in like what three days total?  That's a week long trip for me
> 
> Thinking about this, I don't own a trailer thing.  Do you ever switch trailers mid run?



I average 600 miles a day, if I’m just driving. It’s funny I can drive for two days and be knocking on the door to Texas, yet heading for Winnipeg two days is a hard pull to be knocking on the door to Manitoba

Very very rarely will I switch mid run, happened once in Florida, and once in Ontario, that I can remember


----------



## Chicken lights (May 30, 2020)

View attachment 









From my first time on this run, I stopped in San Antonio for the weekend. 

Anyone heard of the Alamo? 

I was there right around their Veterans Day, so they had a bunch of vets and re-enactment guys there. There’s a really pretty river walk, a crazy outdoor/indoor Mexican market, museums, art, festivals, the city is busy! I’m gonna head there tonight and see what else I can see


----------



## historicalarms (May 30, 2020)

Cannon's a little 'shinier" than mine


----------



## francist (May 30, 2020)

I love San Antonio. Spent a week there one fall, mostly along the Riverwalk and way too much time in the Menger Bar, but it is a beautiful place.

-frank


----------



## Chicken lights (May 30, 2020)

I was told to check out the Old Pearl brewery district, we’ll see what else we find


----------



## Chicken lights (May 30, 2020)

Old ‘73-80 Chevy crewcab, probably 4x4, nice clean work truck 




Coming into Dallas is pretty




Buddy sent me that 







Riots in Austin




Coming into the home stretch into San Antonio 

We done for the day


----------



## YYCHM (May 30, 2020)

That was a short stretch or so it seems?  Sight seeing were we?

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...3b10a016bc!2m2!1d-98.4936282!2d29.4241219!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (May 30, 2020)

Fairly short stretch, Austin took a couple hours to get through, down to one lane both directions because of the barricades 

No more sightseeing than usual


----------



## YYCHM (May 31, 2020)

Where are we hanging out today David?  Deliver tomorrow?


----------



## Chicken lights (May 31, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are we hanging out today David?  Deliver tomorrow?


Still San Antonio 
These riots have me a bit nervous we picked up some hardware today
Deliver in the morning and bounce straight back out not too keen on hanging about down here


----------



## YYCHM (May 31, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Still San Antonio
> These riots have me a bit nervous we picked up some hardware today
> Deliver in the morning and bounce straight back out not too keen on hanging about down here



Sounds tense!


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 1, 2020)

Texas trees don’t grow very tall. 
Palm trees 
Border patrol station 20 miles north of Laredo 
Cactus 
Flowers, not sure what kind 

Pearsalls Tx for the night 

We took rail car steel down that’s going to Mexico. And taking rail car parts from Mexico back to Ontario


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 1, 2020)

Where are you headed to get the rail car parts?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 1, 2020)

Delivered in Eagle Pass, dropped down to Laredo to load train parts and then headed north to get away from Laredo


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 1, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Delivered in Eagle Pass, dropped down to Laredo to load train parts and then headed north to get away from Laredo



You kind of lost me here.  The steel you delivered to Eagle Pass is destined to Mexico for rail cars and what you picked up in Laredo is now heading to Ont?

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...d9c8f9ce1e6!2m2!1d-99.095033!2d28.8921939!3e0

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 1, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> You kind of lost me here.  The steel you delivered to Eagle Pass is destined to Mexico for rail cars and what you picked up in Laredo is now heading to Ont?
> 
> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...d9c8f9ce1e6!2m2!1d-99.095033!2d28.8921939!3e0
> 
> Craig


Exactly! 
Steel to Eagle Pass bound for Mexico, Mexican parts bound for Ontario


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 2, 2020)

Where are you hiding out tonight David?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 2, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where are you hiding out tonight David?
> 
> Craig


Just east of Texarkana 

I’m avoiding big cities and night driving for now


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 2, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Just east of Texarkana
> 
> I’m avoiding big cities and night driving for now



Ok, I'll put you at Texarkana for now.  Looks like your doubling back the same way you came down?

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...c9261db5b70!2m2!1d-94.0476882!2d33.425125!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 3, 2020)

Time for an update.  Where are you David.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 4, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Time for an update.  Where are you David.
> 
> Craig


Near Evansville, IN for the night

Got taken out for Mexican and introduced to fireball whiskey tonight. Apparently frozen is the way to go


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 4, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Near Evansville, IN for the night



https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...39112ac99d!2m2!1d-87.5710898!2d37.9715592!3e0


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 4, 2020)

New map time.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Evan...c7d7699a056b95!2m2!1d-81.2452768!2d42.9849233


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 5, 2020)

Ya home sipping a brew now David?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 6, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ya home sipping a brew now David?


Yes sir 

Trying to get the truck annual safety done and they begging me to go on a run. Kinda funny


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 6, 2020)

Mighty Mississippi River


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 6, 2020)

Final map update on this one. Who does the safety inspection?

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Evan...fc10a8cc64b!2m2!1d-79.3741834!2d44.919643!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 6, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Final map update on this one. Who does the safety inspection?
> 
> https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Evan...fc10a8cc64b!2m2!1d-79.3741834!2d44.919643!3e0


Local mechanic does the safety, I’m hoping it doesn’t need much


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 14, 2020)

You still making runs into the US?  What's the mood down there these days?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> You still making runs into the US?  What's the mood down there these days?


Yep, back in Texas right now. It’s quieted down but if I had to pick a mood I’d say uneasy


----------



## Brent H (Jun 15, 2020)

Hey Dave,

I have a really nice piece of stainless for your project !!  Dumpster diving in style!


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 15, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Hey Dave,
> 
> I have a really nice piece of stainless for your project !!  Dumpster diving in style!



Project?  What project would that be?

Craig


----------



## Brent H (Jun 15, 2020)

Top secret


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 15, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Hey Dave,
> 
> I have a really nice piece of stainless for your project !!  Dumpster diving in style!


Sweet!! That’s the best place to get materials sometimes!


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 15, 2020)

Who says steel doesn’t bend 

Border patrol blimp 

How they “grade” the roads around here 

Texas prickly pear cactus


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 15, 2020)

Nice pictures!  Thanks for posting.


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 20, 2020)

Delivered some toys to cottage country in Ontario, from Texas/Mexico

Also met up with the lovely Mrs @Brent H to drop off some parts from the USA, stealth ops are fun


----------



## Brent H (Jun 20, 2020)

@Chicken lights you are awesome!!!

Dave dropped off a new x axis lead screw and split nuts for my Bridgeport.  I will be changing that out when I get home and basically have a new machine with even feed across the axis.  I changed out the y axis a few weeks ago before getting back to work and it made a huge difference.  For the x axis  the power feed had to work a bit too hard at the outer 6 to 8 inches (I could tell it was slowing and affecting the feed rate/surface finish).   I find that I have been milling a few things that are long- like the exhaust manifold for my boy- and full table length would be great!

If anyone wants pics and how too's let me know and I will try to take a few more than normal shots when I do the change.

That is a lot of Sea Doo's @Chicken lights!


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 20, 2020)

Mrs @Brent H offered for me to come up when you’re home for a meal so I’d say I’m getting the better part of the deal on this one

Mrs @historicalarms runs a mean kitchen too 

I’m gonna grab a shower while I can then head for the shop, apparently leaving on Monday for Texas again, let me know if there’s anything else that needs to be picked up


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 20, 2020)

Are these runs to Texas a regular thing or just a recent rash of them?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Are these runs to Texas a regular thing or just a recent rash of them?


More of a recent rash


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 20, 2020)

Keep us in the loop.  We are really enjoying your adventures.


----------



## historicalarms (Jun 21, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Mrs @Brent H offered for me to come up when you’re home for a meal so I’d say I’m getting the better part of the deal on this one
> 
> Mrs @historicalarms runs a mean kitchen too
> 
> I’m gonna grab a shower while I can then head for the shop, apparently leaving on Monday for Texas again, let me know if there’s anything else that needs to be picked up



   Should'a been here last night...Smoked Beef Brisket & Beef Ribs with Greek Lemon Potatoes...man I'm still full!!


----------



## Chicken lights (Jun 21, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Should'a been here last night...Smoked Beef Brisket & Beef Ribs with Greek Lemon Potatoes...man I'm still full!!


Sounds delicious


----------



## Hruul (Jun 22, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @Chicken lights you are awesome!!!
> 
> Dave dropped off a new x axis lead screw and split nuts for my Bridgeport.  I will be changing that out when I get home and basically have a new machine with even feed across the axis.  I changed out the y axis a few weeks ago before getting back to work and it made a huge difference.  For the x axis  the power feed had to work a bit too hard at the outer 6 to 8 inches (I could tell it was slowing and affecting the feed rate/surface finish).   I find that I have been milling a few things that are long- like the exhaust manifold for my boy- and full table length would be great!
> 
> ...



Hey Brent I would be interested in seeing the replacement of the lead screw.  Thank you.


----------



## Brent H (Jun 22, 2020)

@Hruul


> "Hey Brent I would be interested in seeing the replacement of the lead screw. Thank you."


 I will picture and document it for you and start a new thread up - I have one of those cheaper power feeds that will need re-installation as well.  I am also planning on some Bijur lube fitting repairs.  If you want anything in particular let me know - I will try for many more pics and than normal and hopefully have a few you may desire more than others.


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 4, 2020)

Hey David, where have you been hauling to these days?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 4, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey David, where have you been hauling to these days?
> 
> Craig










On my way back from Laredo TX last weekend had a little incident on I-30 coming into Little Rock. 
Made 3 deliveries into cottage country Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday then started tear down 

Lots of working words have been said, no it’s not my fault and no the other driver did not hang around to exchange info

And yes, drove from Arkansas to Ontario like that, no, we did not go through any open chicken coops there was some creative routes around them


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 4, 2020)

Bummer!!!  What do you have to tear down?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 4, 2020)

Oh boy, it’s a big list. 

RH air breather, RH mirror bracket, air breather trim, grille, hood trim, bumper, fog lights, hood mirrors, hood latches, hood supports, hood springs and brackets, headlight bezels, headlights and wiring, headlight pots, bug deflector, mudflaps, 

Then pull the hood off 

Put the “new” hood on 

New hood hinge bushings

Then reinstall all the junk we pulled off the old hood

Broke a thread chaser today and had to use a tap instead 

Lots of working words...


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 4, 2020)

The other guy was another rig or what?  What damage did he sustain?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 4, 2020)

Some POS idiot trucker pulling a dry van. He had to have a flat tire and trailer damage 
All that black has to be his trailer tire and the wheel studs have rubber on them 

Saw his tractor swerve into my lane and stood on the clutch and brake trying to avoid it which is why everything is pulled forward, he smashed me as I was braking and him still moving forward 

Since he didn’t stop I’m only guessing as we didn’t compare notes


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 4, 2020)

Oh boy.   I wondered what that black stuff was on your wheel rim.  What's a Dry Van?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 4, 2020)

A dry van is just a normal 53’ trailer with walls and doors, whereas I usually pull open deck 
If that makes sense


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 4, 2020)

Well... I'm glad you're OK and it didn't turn into a total wreck situation.

Where did you get the new hood from and what did that set you back?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 5, 2020)

I lucked out and found a used hood for $1500 from a truck salvage yard in Ontario. Air breather can was $250, but the air breather can has a different size outlet on it. So I might be buying the other side breather can and some piping/plumbing to go with it 

It’s not a great hood, it’s been hit n fixed before, but it’s a lot better than what was on there


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 5, 2020)

Progress


----------



## historicalarms (Jul 5, 2020)

Damn Dave, that's a shame, my first thought after reading the first post was that it was somebody trying to park beside you in a truck-stop lot but to have that happen on the road is scary. very fortunate it was his tire and that his rear docking bumper didn't cut the sidewall out of your steering tire...very different scenario's a possibility if that happened.

   I blew a steering tire one day at highway speed and it sure wasn't anything close to "expert handling" of the situation  on my part that kept me between the grass lines...just $hithouse luck from "bang to stoppage" !!


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 5, 2020)

I agree, I’m not sure there was much driving skill involved. Better to be lucky than good any day 

Blowing a steer tire in a governed truck is very scary, from what I understand you’re supposed to try to speed up to gain control, then slow down gradually. Which, while a good plan, is probably gonna replaced with just hanging on for dear life trying to keep control


----------



## historicalarms (Jul 5, 2020)

Yup...I spiked the brake handle, hit all 3 jake heads & stood up in the cab with one foot on that crushed plumb on the floor, ( at least that's what the brake pedal felt like)  and pulled up on the steering wheel as hard as I could to keep er' straight. Probably lasted 20 seconds but felt like an hour before that old WS came to a halt. 
    A buddy asked me if I $hit myself....I said no, the pucker factor gauge was way way up in the red zone & I couldnt'a $hit oiled water....


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 5, 2020)

What's a governed truck?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 5, 2020)

Ontario trucks are supposed to be governed to 105 kph maximum road speed


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 5, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Ontario trucks are supposed to be governed to 105 kph maximum road speed



Ha, I didn't think governors would apply to a truck?  Only generators, lawnmowers, locomotives, marine engines, aircraft engines and such.  So does the governor tend to fight you during a panicked braking situation?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 5, 2020)

No, I’m talking in a steer tire blowout, you’re supposed to speed up to regain control. Can’t really do that if you’re governed to 105 

Panic braking the governor doesn’t affect anything


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 5, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> No, I’m talking in a steer tire blowout, you’re supposed to speed up to regain control. Can’t really do that if you’re governed to 105
> 
> Panic braking the governor doesn’t affect anything



Got it now.  Thanks.


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 7, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Oh boy, it’s a big list.
> 
> RH air breather, RH mirror bracket, air breather trim, grille, hood trim, bumper, fog lights, hood mirrors, hood latches, hood supports, hood springs and brackets, headlight bezels, headlights and wiring, headlight pots, bug deflector, mudflaps,
> 
> ...



I take it you got her all back together and are making miles again?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 7, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I take it you got her all back together and are making miles again?
> 
> Craig






It’s 90% done, but good enough I can drive it legally. Supposed to call in the morning see if they have a load for me 

Needs hood emblems to be all the way legal, ordered them last week 

I’m beat that’s a lot of wrenching in 4-5 days


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 7, 2020)

What are hood emblems?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 7, 2020)

Each truck has a number, the emblems go on the hood usually.


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 14, 2020)

63’ bridge to Quebec


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 20, 2020)

The Rio Grande, and on the other side, Mexico


----------



## francist (Jul 20, 2020)

Wow, certainly looks closer than I was imagining that’s for sure.

-frank


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 20, 2020)

francist said:


> Wow, certainly looks closer than I was imagining that’s for sure.
> 
> -frank


It certainly doesn’t look that “Grande” does it


----------



## historicalarms (Jul 21, 2020)

hey Chicken,  did you hear about the bus crash at Columbia Icefields a few days ago, came to rest on the rocks a couple hundred yards uphill from where you stood.


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 21, 2020)

No I didn’t hear that, that’s awful. Anyone injured?


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 21, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> No I didn’t hear that, that’s awful. Anyone injured?



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/columbia-icefield-crash-1.5656337


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 21, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/columbia-icefield-crash-1.5656337


Dang, that’s awful. That would’ve been a nasty ride


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 25, 2020)

Dragged home a load of steel I-beams from Arkansas. Supposed to deliver Monday morning to Toronto. 
Found a broken leaf spring and a ujoint ready to let go tonight 

Not been a banner month so far


----------



## francist (Jul 25, 2020)

Yuck. Are those things you can fix yourself or does it have to go in someplace?


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Dragged home a load of steel I-beams from Arkansas. Supposed to deliver Monday morning to Toronto.
> Found a broken leaf spring and a ujoint ready to let go tonight
> 
> Not been a banner month so far



UJoint as in drive shaft?  Broken leaf spring as in one in a stack of many?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 25, 2020)

francist said:


> Yuck. Are those things you can fix yourself or does it have to go in someplace?


If I could get a leaf spring on a Sunday I could do that myself 
I don’t know on the ujoint. I’ve never done one that big but pretty sure between three different balljoint/ujoint press kits I could do it myself 
Again, can’t get parts on a Sunday 
My little truck is at a mechanics right now so I don’t have a parts runner 

So....got it booked in Monday morning, take it from there


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 25, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> UJoint as in drive shaft?  Broken leaf spring as in one in a stack of many?
> 
> Craig


Yup, the rear driveshaft rear axle 
One broken leaf in a stack of two


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yup, the rear driveshaft rear axle
> One broken leaf in a stack of two



Ya ok... those are kind of must do now items alright.

I would imagine that you can deal with the UJoint yourself.  What about the leaf spring?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 25, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Ya ok... those are kind of must do now items alright.
> 
> I would imagine that you can deal with the UJoint yourself.  What about the leaf spring?
> 
> Craig


Leaf spring “should” be easy if I can jack the frame up enough to drop the axle 

When they did the bushings and whatnot back in the winter they made it look easy, but then again that’s why they are pros


----------



## historicalarms (Jul 26, 2020)

U-joints completely do-able by yourself with an open end wrench & a big "Chicken Press" but its no fun, especially if your in a water filled rut or snow drift at -30, it just takes time. Personally I have never changed one on dry hard ground  LOL.

    Same with the front spring, the biggest concern here is jacking on the frame to lift the wheel off the ground, takes a lot of blocking and the higher the blocking the more unsteady it gets. A big tip here would be to have your "blue wrench" handy for the U-bolts...cut them & use new ones... The old ones have been on there for eons in the harshest "oxidization environment you can imagine and can be a bear to unthread from top to bottom, second benefit is a lot less "under the truck time" with that makeshift blocking we often depend on. 

   All that being said I sure don't miss having to do either job anymore .


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 26, 2020)

I’ll agree with you, generally, both jobs by themselves aren’t a big deal, not being able to get parts on a Sunday and not having a parts runner kinda stinks. At least right now it’s driveable I just don’t trust it with a trailer 

More than once I’ve cursed the rough roads in the USA but there’s some real winners in Canada too


----------



## historicalarms (Jul 27, 2020)

Yup only folks that haven't rode in an 18 wheeler for a bit will praise our infrastructure quality. Riding a 4 -wheeler with tuned suspension is so far removed from a working truck ride that , with blindfolds, you couldn't identify the same highway.

   Our road build quality here in Ab. took a severe nosedive back in the Premier Getty days when he put all the unemployed oil lease road builders to work building secondary highways...just dumping a "row of dirt between two barley fields and call it a highway" that they did for a lease road didn't make an "everyday usage" highway at all.


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 31, 2020)

Bluewater Bridge 

Back to Texas


----------



## YYCHM (Jul 31, 2020)

Hey, how is the mood down there these days?  Has it relaxed any?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 31, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey, how is the mood down there these days?  Has it relaxed any?
> 
> Craig


Depends on what issue, race riots have calmed down but Covid cases has the USA locking down so everyone is tense and on edge


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 31, 2020)

Brought back 59’ steel I-beams last trip to Oakville ON


----------



## historicalarms (Aug 4, 2020)

Those would make excellent machine base's...thinking rifling machine here


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 4, 2020)

74’ of steel
I forget who asked but it is cold rolled to shape. No heat. The lead hand I asked said they used to cold roll form 1/2” steel years ago, but that part of the operation has been moved since then


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 5, 2020)

10’ wide CAT axlehousing. Had to be tarped. 

That’s some of the turns Texas has got me on for a route 

If y’all curious still


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 5, 2020)

Keep it coming


----------



## francist (Aug 5, 2020)

Hahaha, I thought it was the bucket!


----------



## Crankit (Aug 5, 2020)

Did they tell you what Cat machine it was for?


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 6, 2020)

Crankit said:


> Did they tell you what Cat machine it was for?


They didn’t, I’m kinda curious about that, too


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

Holy chit if you like guns, knives, history, leather work and lots of other cool things, the Texas Ranger museum in Waco is for you.


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

Man, you sure seem to spend a lot of time in Texas?  What did you haul down there this time?


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

Starting to feel like a second home. More rail car steel


----------



## francist (Aug 15, 2020)

Very cool. I’ve been wondering if you ever get time to ‘be a tourist’ when you’re on the road for work. You get to lots of places.

-frank


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

So the cannon and “come and take it” is a banner that was actually fought under. The Mexican army attacked a Texas town to try and take back a cannon. The Texans rallied under that banner and fought back. 

The tooling on that saddle is incredible. 

Little newer firearm, a .308 AR purchased by the Rangers 

A drum fed shotgun 

And a tear gas billy club. I don’t know what that is. 

Man so much to see.


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

francist said:


> Very cool. I’ve been wondering if you ever get time to ‘be a tourist’ when you’re on the road for work. You get to lots of places.
> 
> -frank


I can’t deliver until Monday morning so I’m a tourist today. When I was down here last trip the Mammoth National Park was open, but not the dig site. They opened that last week sooooo......




That’s a real dig site of a Columbian mammoth.


----------



## francist (Aug 15, 2020)

Not so much anymore but earlier on I used to get to go on a work conference or two. Once I was in Boston for a few days during a real cold spell. Got to go outdoor ice skating in the oldest national park in the US, Boston Common. I still regard that as one of the neatest things I’ve able to do. I guess I don’t get out much....

-frank


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

I don’t know if the picture does that justice. Look at the tag that thing is chambered in .45/410!!


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

Did you blank the tags out in the image?


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Did you blank the tags out in the image?


Yes, but not the caliber


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Yes, but not the caliber



?


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> ?


What do you want to know?


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> What do you want to know?



Not important.  Just curious as to why you blanked the tags out is all.


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Not important.  Just curious as to why you blanked the tags out is all.


They had signs by the long guns no pictures or video taping that I saw after. I don’t know if that meant handguns too


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> They had signs by the long guns no pictures or video taping that I saw after. I don’t know if that meant handguns too



Ooooopps.   Hope you had your Covid face on.  The last thing you want is to be on the Texas Rangers hit list LOL.


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

Ok THIS place rocks! It’s a Christian community farm that welcomes visitors to showcase yesterday’s skills. It’s 500 acres of working farm. 
The gristmill is from New Jersey, built in 1760, moved here and is fully functional. 
The smithy was built about 1990 with a lot of old tools scattered about. 
I watched a potter working on a pottery wheel. 
They have about 10-12 different buildings each for a different purpose. They hold classes on the different trades 
They are also very very friendly and it’s simply an amazing place I barely scratched the surface on what’s here.


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)




----------



## Brent H (Aug 15, 2020)

The work in the Black Smith shop is what I would like to see the "Forged in Fire" show go for verses all the cutlery.  Getting a bit sick of just knives - would be cool to see how many of them would compete making actually usable items like hinges, hangers etc


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 15, 2020)

How are you getting around to all of these venues?


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

Brent H said:


> The work in the Black Smith shop is what I would like to see the "Forged in Fire" show go for verses all the cutlery.  Getting a bit sick of just knives - would be cool to see how many of them would compete making actually usable items like hinges, hangers etc


I would like to try to make a Texas “dinner bell” now. Or take a class and have them show me how. Something so very basic and simple but serves a function 

I mean it’s a triangle you can hang up and a metal stick 

Actually the pottery wheel kinda fascinated me too. Something so delicate being made is so appealing for some reason 

Two different spectrums. Heat, hammer and anvils versus quiet, delicate and almost art


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How are you getting around to all of these venues?


Dropped the wagon and driving the big horse


----------



## Crankit (Aug 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> They had signs by the long guns no pictures or video taping that I saw after. I don’t know if that meant handguns too


Haha....I also find those signs after I've been snapping pics! I was taking a pic of the Magna Carta in D.C. and found the "no Pic" sign after I looked up....hmmm stupid place to put the sign!


----------



## historicalarms (Aug 16, 2020)

Man , nice photos from the Rangers exhibits. I own a couple of the Colts offerings ( but not a "I like a pistol with a little heft to it" Dragoon that the rangers were originally issued) and have or have had most all the Winchesters shown.


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 16, 2020)

I want to say the Dragoon weighed 4 lbs 9 oz, something silly like that. 
@historicalarms you’d love that museum, there was surveying equipment, horse stuff, cowboy n Indian stuff, and guns. So many guns. From flintlock to ARs, single shot derringers to tricked out 1911’s. If I had to guess I’d say 1500-2000 firearms. 

Oh and at the pawnshop I stopped at, they had 100 round mags with two drums for the AR platform. (Maybe even 200?). First thought was “Why?” Second thought was “Murica”


----------



## historicalarms (Aug 17, 2020)

It wasn't the weight of the things that kept me from owning one...it sure was the 3-4 hundred grand that they bring on the market that did....LOL


----------



## YYCHM (Aug 18, 2020)

So what are we hauling back to Canada and to where?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Aug 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So what are we hauling back to Canada and to where?
> 
> Craig


Insulated panels to a farm near Windsor


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 13, 2020)

Sssooo there’s a truck just outside Edmonton that a buddy has for sale. We are completely winging this so far but I think the “plan” is to fly into Calgary, rent a car, spend a couple days in AB then drive an unknown truck 2400 miles home. Gonna aim for the next 2-4 weeks before it gets too cold 

Basically the same truck as what I have now just a couple years newer, a few hundred thousand less miles and slightly heavier spec. It was more or less a pavement princess most of its life but being from out west, you guys spec trucks heavier 

Sooooo....AB road trip anyone?


----------



## YYCHM (Sep 13, 2020)

I'm in.  Keep us in the loop as to your whereabouts.

Why fly to Calgary when the truck is in Edmonton?


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 14, 2020)

Sent you a PM Craig....thinking Craig will have a proposal for you Dave & Im in if dates don't interfere with a family issue coming up...just need a bit of timing warning.


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 16, 2020)

Sent a down payment today. Discussing it tonight I’m thinking October 9th to fly out. Buddy of mine has been working week days so that gives us the weekend to get things squared away. 
I won’t lie driving an unknown truck 2400 miles home is daunting 

But, I have friends in Alberta I can lean on, once I’m out of AB I’m on my own


----------



## YYCHM (Sep 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I won’t lie driving an unknown truck 2400 miles home is daunting



Seems to me the truck isn't a total unknown or is it?


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Seems to me the truck isn't a total unknown or is it?


Maybe not a total unknown, but then again it’s been sitting for about a year. 

It’s an International I have faith it’ll get me home


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 17, 2020)

I hear ya Dave...strange things can happen to seals, bearings and belts after sitting for month's...especially fuel systems if they haven't been treated with conditioner. That floating cloudy green algae lump that forms in fuel tanks doesn't help filter life at all !!!


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 17, 2020)

Exactly!! I think I’ll try and put a few miles on it that first weekend as a shake down run. See what all works, doesn’t work and what’s gonna fall off 

Various friends have suggested visiting Lake Abraham and Lake Moraine. I wanted to see Lake Louise the last time I was there but it didn’t work out. Anybody got any input about those goals?


----------



## YYCHM (Sep 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Exactly!! I think I’ll try and put a few miles on it that first weekend as a shake down run. See what all works, doesn’t work and what’s gonna fall off
> 
> Various friends have suggested visiting Lake Abraham and Lake Moraine. I wanted to see Lake Louise the last time I was there but it didn’t work out. Anybody got any input about those goals?



As in wring the truck out trips?


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> As in wring the truck out trips?


Possibly, except I don’t think commercial vehicles are allowed on the parkway, from what I remember 
If it’s not a working truck does that make it an RV and good to go?


----------



## YYCHM (Sep 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Possibly, except I don’t think commercial vehicles are allowed on the parkway, from what I remember
> If it’s not a working truck does that make it an RV and good to go?



If that's the case, qualifying as an RV would probably depend upon what kind of licence plate was hung on it.

Dunno…... might be worth a phone call.

This brings up an interesting question..... what plate are you driving it home with?


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 18, 2020)

You visited Lake Abraham the first trip this spring. It will be a lot fuller of water this time of year tho...and yes the parkway is closed to non essential truck traffic. 

    I'm good for 9th or 10th...boss has family coming for Thanksgiving on the 11th....and with the way she shoots, we both know we don't want to pizz her off.

    Actually she made the suggestion that if you do arrive in the evening of the 9th and Craig wants to come to red deer, I can meet you there, we will come back here for the night and go to Edmonton in the morning.


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 18, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> You visited Lake Abraham the first trip this spring. It will be a lot fuller of water this time of year tho...and yes the parkway is closed to non essential truck traffic.
> 
> I'm good for 9th or 10th...boss has family coming for Thanksgiving on the 11th....and with the way she shoots, we both know we don't want to pizz her off.
> 
> Actually she made the suggestion that if you do arrive in the evening of the 9th and Craig wants to come to red deer, I can meet you there, we will come back here for the night and go to Edmonton in the morning.


I’m set to arrive 18:30-ish in Calgary, Oct 9th. 

I KNEW Lake Abraham rung a bell for some reason. 

Yes, the boss needs to be kept happy. She runs a mean kitchen, let’s not do anything to mess up a good thing


----------



## Tom O (Sep 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> If that's the case, qualifying as an RV would probably depend upon what kind of licence plate was hung on it.
> 
> Dunno…... might be worth a phone call.
> 
> This brings up an interesting question..... what plate are you driving it home with?



I haven’t done it in years but we use to get a point a to point b permit to get vehicles home but I can’t remember if it was through motor vehicles or the police.


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 18, 2020)

Tom O said:


> I haven’t done it in years but we use to get a point a to point b permit to get vehicles home but I can’t remember if it was through motor vehicles or the police.


I spoke with a registry agent who explained the process for me. As far as I know it’s through motor vehicles


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 19, 2020)

Ha Ha  Im not so sure "point to point" through the parkway qualifies under an "Edmonton to Ontario" scenario.


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 19, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I’m set to arrive 18:30-ish in Calgary, Oct 9th.
> 
> I KNEW Lake Abraham rung a bell for some reason.
> 
> Yes, the boss needs to be kept happy. She runs a mean kitchen, let’s not do anything to mess up a good thing


 Craig, you set up with David for whatever works for both of you and I will conform to your preference weather it be a meet-up later on 9th or anytime on the 10th.


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 19, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Ha Ha  Im not so sure "point to point" through the parkway qualifies under an "Edmonton to Ontario" scenario.


Ssssshhhhhhh 

Nobody needs to know nothing


----------



## YYCHM (Sep 19, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Craig, you set up with David for whatever works for both of you and I will conform to your preference weather it be a meet-up later on 9th or anytime on the 10th.



If David is ok with it, I'll pick him up at the airport on the 9th and drive him to you for a linkup in Red Deer.  Does that work for every one?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Sep 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> If David is ok with it, I'll pick him up at the airport on the 9th and drive him to you for a linkup in Red Deer.  Does that work for every one?
> 
> Craig


That works for me!
Thanks in advance


----------



## historicalarms (Sep 20, 2020)

I'm in.


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 2, 2020)

@Chicken lights do you have a sense of your next trip route?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 2, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> @Chicken lights do you have a sense of your next trip route?


The one I’m on currently? 
Or on the way home from Alberta?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 2, 2020)

Moved this little Doosan mill down to Connecticut last week.
I hate chip conveyors with a passion by the way. They are so awkward to get straps on.


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 2, 2020)

Both I suppose. 
I’ve got a fellow in Maryville TN who’s sending me a box of tooling. 
Was just thinking that if you were anywhere nearby that I might be able to coerce you into bringing it to Canada to save some shipping costs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 2, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Both I suppose.
> I’ve got a fellow in Maryville TN who’s sending me a box of tooling.
> Was just thinking that if you were anywhere nearby that I might be able to coerce you into bringing it to Canada to save some shipping costs.
> 
> ...


I’ve got a friend in Kentucky you can mail stuff to, but no idea when I’ll be down to see him again. Same as I told @Brent H its cheap but it’s not fast 
Think it was around $150 USD difference to ship to Kentucky versus Canada for Brent


----------



## Brent H (Oct 2, 2020)

It worked out amazing!!


----------



## Dusty (Oct 2, 2020)

Can picture it now you red necks sitting around sipping moonshine


----------



## Dusty (Oct 2, 2020)

meanwhile someone's under the old International turning it into an RV


----------



## Dusty (Oct 2, 2020)

while the girls plan thanksgiving dinner.  LOL


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 8, 2020)

Well....
Tomorrow is the big day 

In about 36 hours give or take a couple time zones we gonna be in Alberta. The “plan” is to get my new ride ready to rock by Monday and be jamming gears Eastbound. I gave myself two days of prep time then 5 days to make a 3 day drive 

What can go wrong


----------



## YotaBota (Oct 8, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> What can go wrong


Ask Corrigan lol. Hope all goes well.


----------



## Hruul (Oct 8, 2020)

Good luck!!


----------



## Brent H (Oct 8, 2020)

Say a big hello to the Calgary folks for me and good luck on the drive!!!!


----------



## Johnwa (Oct 9, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> Ask Corrigan lol. Hope all goes well.


I thought he was a Gilligan’s Island character but Wiki tells me that he was real.


----------



## Dusty (Oct 9, 2020)

Hi Chicken lights, may the road angles be with you and have a safe trip home.


----------



## Tom O (Oct 9, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> I thought he was a Gilligan’s Island character but Wiki tells me that he was real.


I remember that “ Wrong way Corigan “ 
I didn’t know he was real though I’ll have to look it up now!
https://www.google.ca/search?q=wrong+way+corrigan&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 9, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> I thought he was a Gilligan’s Island character but Wiki tells me that he was real.



The Gilligan’s Island character was Wrong Way Feldman


----------



## Tom O (Oct 9, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> The Gilligan’s Island character was Wrong Way Feldman


Well I could have sworn it was him! Lol
There has been a few portrayed like that like the Italian in 
“ Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines “


----------



## YotaBota (Oct 9, 2020)

So does this mean I shouldn't count on my Chicken Lights delivery? lol.
It helps to be a pilot and "older" to know about Corrigan, I thought it was a pretty good story and all survived.



Tom O said:


> “ Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines “


Another Tony Curtis classic


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 9, 2020)

David should be in Edmonton by 10pm MDT, 2 hours from now.  Maybe we will get an update tomorrow?  He has lots to do considering it's the Thanks Giving weekend.


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 10, 2020)

Need to see some pics of your new ride......

Phase I
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Elm...1b652b63a!2m2!1d-114.0718831!2d51.0447331!3e4

Phase II
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Elm...1b652b63a!2m2!1d-114.0718831!2d51.0447331!3e4

And progress reports please.

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 10, 2020)

Made Cow Town last night, got to the registry office today. Went to Walmart and got some supplies. Found the truck, got the batteries swapped out. Took it for a test drive, checked the lights and gave ‘er a once over. Got a few things to do to ‘er tomorrow. 

Progress


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 10, 2020)

Nice cow catcher!  Betcha don't see those in Ont.  How come your to-do list included cutting the stacks down?  They look pretty cool to me?  Trying to figure out you battery wiring..... 4-12V in series? What needs 48V? Or is it 4 in parallel?


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 10, 2020)

Good looking truck. I'd say new front tires are needed stat!


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 10, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I'd say new front tires are needed stat!



Your screen resolution must be better than mine LOL...


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Your screen resolution must be better than mine LOL...


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 10, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Nice cow catcher!  Betcha don't see those in Ont.  How come your to-do list included cutting the stacks down?  They look pretty cool to me?  Trying to figure out you battery wiring..... 4-12V in series? What needs 48V? Or is it 4 in parallel?


4 12v wired to give you 12v. 

Stacks- I only have a 12’ high door at the shop 

Thanks! That moose bumper is sweet, pull a pin and it folds down, pretty slick


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 10, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Good looking truck. I'd say new front tires are needed stat!


Hey now those’ll get me home


----------



## Brent H (Oct 11, 2020)

Hey Dave, 

How is the electrical system?  Better than the old truck?  The cow catcher will give those American boys something to think about before they change lanes...hahahaha


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 11, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Hey Dave,
> 
> How is the electrical system?  Better than the old truck?  The cow catcher will give those American boys something to think about before they change lanes...hahahaha


Time will tell 

Hey uh think this could fit in your shop for a once over?  Just for a month or three


----------



## Brent H (Oct 11, 2020)

Your doors are 12' high and the stacks are tall mine are only 8'  - sadly it would have to sit in the driveway!  When are you starting the big drive back?  You will need to start a list of stuff to "get fixed"


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 11, 2020)

I’m planning on leaving in the morning with it. I’ll dump it at the main yard they will do a “pre-hire” safety on it for me, that’ll be one list. Then the other list will be my wish list to get it rigged out. 

I do know one thing it’s getting train horns. The current air horn is lacking


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 11, 2020)

Oh and a new mattress. There is nothing sadder than a mattress that you can feel the coils yet it’s also lumpy at the same time


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 11, 2020)

If anyone likes oil rig equipment or dirt moving equipment this place is in Leduc


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 12, 2020)

I was blessed to get a turkey supper with relative strangers yesterday, my buddies friends gave me a plate. Met a cool old cat who shared a bunch of old trucking stories at the supper table. 

Not a bad way to start the trip.


----------



## Brent H (Oct 12, 2020)

Awesome Dave, 

How is the truck running?  All gears available etc?   Happy Thanksgiving!


----------



## Dusty (Oct 12, 2020)

Good morning Chicken lights, the start of another beautiful day here on the prairies. Envy your trip east given all the fantastic fall scenery your going to view. Your good friends on this forum wish you a safe and speedy trip home!   

In your post #615 to this thread you mentioned this 'Basically the same truck as what I have now just a couple years newer, a few hundred thousand less miles and slightly heavier spec. It was more or less a pavement princess most of its life but being from out west, you guys spec trucks heavier.' In what way are trucks specked out heavier, do you mean a longer chasey or the mobile hotel / sleepover? Just asking.


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 12, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Awesome Dave,
> 
> How is the truck running?  All gears available etc?   Happy Thanksgiving!






First whoopsie. I’m hoping it’s the oil filter I can’t see any other reason for that 
Other than that so far so good? 

I mean we made it 20 miles before breaking something


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 12, 2020)

Dusty said:


> Good morning Chicken lights, the start of another beautiful day here on the prairies. Envy your trip east given all the fantastic fall scenery your going to view. Your good friends on this forum wish you a safe and speedy trip home!
> 
> In your post #615 to this thread you mentioned this 'Basically the same truck as what I have now just a couple years newer, a few hundred thousand less miles and slightly heavier spec. It was more or less a pavement princess most of its life but being from out west, you guys spec trucks heavier.' In what way are trucks specked out heavier, do you mean a longer chasey or the mobile hotel / sleepover? Just asking.


You might not understand some of it, just because of the lingo 
Old truck has a 13 speed tranny, new one has an 18 speed (more gears just means moving heavier things is easier)
Old truck doesn’t have a differential lock (most trucks you have a power divider to lock both axles, differential lock locks up one axle)
Heavier drive axles (carry more weight) 

Just a few things like that, that most Eastern trucks don’t have


----------



## Dusty (Oct 12, 2020)

20 miles and the first whoopsie, black as tar. Hopefully a simple fix keep us posted.....

Understood not all trucks come equipped with the same features and why should they! LOL


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> First whoopsie. I’m hoping it’s the oil filter I can’t see any other reason for that
> Other than that so far so good?
> 
> I mean we made it 20 miles before breaking something



  Is this a must fix before proceeding further problem???  Is oil that color typical of a diesel engine?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is this a must fix before proceeding further problem???  Is oil that color typical of a diesel engine?


Buddy brought me another filter hopefully that’s got it fixed 
That’s differential oil, not engine oil. If that didn’t fix it I’ll just keep adding oil to get me home. Not fun but I’ve done it a couple times before


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 12, 2020)

So where are you and where are you heading for?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 12, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So where are you and where are you heading for?


I was getting fuel in Acheson heading for Regina but no real goal for today


----------



## historicalarms (Oct 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> You might not understand some of it, just because of the lingo
> Old truck has a 13 speed tranny, new one has an 18 speed (more gears just means moving heavier things is easier)
> Old truck doesn’t have a differential lock (most trucks you have a power divider to lock both axles, differential lock locks up one axle)
> Heavier drive axles (carry more weight)
> ...



    "chains on the dash" is a good thing to have.

    Dusty, lots of ways to "heavy spec' a truck...rear ends start at 38,000 lb (pulling tandem trailers only on highway) rating and went up to 46,000 lb ( when I was trucking, might be heavier spec available now) for jerking super B's of various configurations on most any terrain.  As Dave mentioned Transmissions can be rated by gear #'s, 10 sp,13sp, 15sp,18sp being the most common...also can be rated by engine ft lb of torque they can safely handle, from 95 flb( body jobs) to 156 flb.  again super B's. Front axles can be speced from 9000 lb to 16000 lbs....Everything to make them withstand the abuse of us operators 

    All the above is OEM options and we added aftermarket skid plates & frame fishplates to "over engineer" off road stuff substantially...but every bit of "heavy spec" reduced the payload by a comparable amount so lots of head scratching goes into specing a truck out for specific purposes.


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I was getting fuel in Acheson heading for Regina but no real goal for today



So where did you pick this truck up from that you ended up fueling west of Edmonton?  Is this a Regina via Jasper Banff run?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> So where did you pick this truck up from that you ended up fueling west of Edmonton?  Is this a Regina via Jasper Banff run?


If you want a town use Mayerthorpe, I don’t actually know the nearest town to where it was. 
Sadly no, this is not a Jasper/Banff to Regina run. Things changed and I have to stay in Canada now, I was not planning on going around Superior but here we are


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 13, 2020)

Save travels!


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 13, 2020)

Back in Ontario 

We made Dryden


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 13, 2020)

Try this again since I goofed it up the first time....

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Elm...1b652b63a!2m2!1d-114.0718831!2d51.0447331!3e4

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cal...ceeacba765!2m2!1d-92.8369592!2d49.7800938!3e0

Where did you stop last night?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Try this again since I goofed it up the first time....
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Elm...1b652b63a!2m2!1d-114.0718831!2d51.0447331!3e4
> 
> ...


Regina


----------



## trlvn (Oct 13, 2020)

So you already have rolled at least 1,700 km.  Are you feeling better about making it home...or worse?

Craig
(Fingers crossed that everything goes OK!)


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 13, 2020)

trlvn said:


> So you already have rolled at least 1,700 km.  Are you feeling better about making it home...or worse?
> 
> Craig
> (Fingers crossed that everything goes OK!)


I’m feeling better about things, I think once I can get down by the Soo and Sudbury I’ll be home free. 

Thanks for all the warm wishes everyone!


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 13, 2020)

What's that differential oil leak doing?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What's that differential oil leak doing?


Nothing since 

Thinking the vent was clogged and built pressure to blow past the oring


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 13, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I’m feeling better about things, I think once I can get down by the Soo and Sudbury I’ll be home free.
> 
> Thanks for all the warm wishes everyone!



What's the "Soo"?


----------



## David_R8 (Oct 13, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What's the "Soo"?



Sault Ste. Marie ON. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Brent H (Oct 14, 2020)

We left the Soo on Monday and sailed to Parry Sound - Missed you by a day or so Dave!  Have a safe drive - glad you are making good progress


----------



## RobinHood (Oct 14, 2020)

This is what it looks like this AM in Chestermere (just east of Calgary):






You picked just the right time to head East, Dave...

Safe travels!


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 14, 2020)

RobinHood said:


> This is what it looks like this AM in Chestermere (just east of Calgary):
> 
> View attachment 11312



Hey Rudy,

Got a door on that big shop of yours yet?

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 14, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Nothing since
> 
> Thinking the vent was clogged and built pressure to blow past the oring



Well, that's good to hear.

What's your over all impression of the truck?  Meeting your expectations?

Craig


----------



## RobinHood (Oct 14, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Got a door on that big shop of yours yet?



Sure do...


----------



## Tom O (Oct 14, 2020)

That’s a nice door!


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 14, 2020)

We made Wawa ON today

Second whoopsie, the lug nuts on the steer tires were loose. Hopefully the rims are ok, we’ll add them to the list but we just trying to get home


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 14, 2020)

Brent H said:


> We left the Soo on Monday and sailed to Parry Sound - Missed you by a day or so Dave!  Have a safe drive - glad you are making good progress


That’s cheating cutting across Lake Superior I gotta go around it


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 14, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> We made Wawa ON today



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cal...d94fc5a0f15!2m2!1d-84.7710588!2d47.992417!3e0

Looks to me that you're within striking distance of Elmira for tomorrow?


----------



## historicalarms (Oct 15, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> We made Wawa ON today
> 
> Second whoopsie, the lug nuts on the steer tires were loose. Hopefully the rims are ok, we’ll add them to the list but we just trying to get home



    Damn Dave, I have a 800 lb torque test wrench here that I will never use again in a hundred yrs...cant hardly lift it anymore let alone torque something to 500 lbs...I should have given it to you this spring but it never entered my mind until you mentioned loose nuts...I would be very surprised if the alum rims aren't screwed already


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 15, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Damn Dave, I have a 800 lb torque test wrench here that I will never use again in a hundred yrs...cant hardly lift it anymore let alone torque something to 500 lbs...I should have given it to you this spring but it never entered my mind until you mentioned loose nuts...I would be very surprised if the alum rims aren't screwed already


That’s a kind offer, but I already have one at the shop. You should be able to sell that easily? It’s tough to part with tools in case you might ever use it again
Thanks though!


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 15, 2020)

Where are we tonight David?

Craig


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 16, 2020)

I think this is safe to assume?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cal...e7a5d030b2!2m2!1d-80.5629846!2d43.6004074!3e0


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 17, 2020)

Sort of. I flew down to Texas for the weekend. I should be back in town Monday 

Close enough


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 17, 2020)

@PeterT 
@CalgaryPT 
Check out the craftsmanship on the models! The detail on the metal work and fabrication is impressive 

And that’s an apple gun, pneumatic, in the first picture


----------



## CalgaryPT (Oct 17, 2020)

Soooo cool. I love that kind of stuff.

Apple Gun? As in shoots apples to the critters????


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 17, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Soooo cool. I love that kind of stuff.
> 
> Apple Gun? As in shoots apples to the critters????


They were using them for target practise on some steel targets 
Like a carnival shooting gallery, but Texas sized


----------



## historicalarms (Oct 18, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> They were using them for target practise on some steel targets
> Like a carnival shooting gallery, but Texas sized



    Haven't "been there" but have sure "done that"...AB. style. 

    Im not sure if I showed you the steel target I have in my shop that a trained artillery Warrant Officer in the Canadian forces hit with my small smoothbore (1 5/8 bore) cannon at 100 yards...He had a grin a mile wide and his comment " I was trained to hit targets 7 miles away  and did so regularly but damn , nothing is better than this " !!


----------



## Dusty (Oct 18, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Haven't "been there" but have sure "done that"...AB. style.
> 
> Im not sure if I showed you the steel target I have in my shop that a trained artillery Warrant Officer in the Canadian forces hit with my small smoothbore (1 5/8 bore) cannon at 100 yards...He had a grin a mile wide and his comment " I was trained to hit targets 7 miles away  and did so regularly but damn , nothing is better than this " !!



We retired military guys aren't just another pretty face ya know, just look at my mug shot!  LOL


----------



## Tom O (Oct 18, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> They were using them for target practise on some steel targets
> Like a carnival shooting gallery, but Texas sized


Sounds like a black powder orange shoot!


----------



## historicalarms (Oct 19, 2020)

Dusty said:


> We retired military guys aren't just another pretty face ya know, just look at my mug shot!  LOL



    His reaction to hitting that 100 yard target with my archaic homemade civil war replica was very interesting to me...he said that although he was trained in all aspects of modern artillery sighting & firing, he had never, in 14 yrs. in an artillery brigade, ever loaded or pulled the trigger at any time, that was always done by the gun crews he commanded.  This was the first time he had loaded-sighted-and pulled the trigger (actually lit the fuse in this case) on an artillery piece...He says he always thought about "ordering" someone on a gun crew to step aside but always though of that as an incursion into their rightful domain so didn't.


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 23, 2020)

We never got an overall review of the new ride?

What needs to be fixed, what doesn't?

Craig


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 24, 2020)

First step was getting it cleaned out. 

There’s a bunch of “extra” stuff left over from a genset and an HVAC unit that needs deleting. The RH part of that pile is a good start on that. 

The engine oil cooler needs doing. Steer tires needed for safety. It needs air lines and electrical for the trailer hookups. There’s “extra” switches that need deleting in the dash. Any “extra” wiring can get deleted. Needs work lights installed. Should have all the filters changed and a full service done. I want to get a Davco fuel filter on there very soon. 

Been scrounging parts at wrecking yards as I can. I’m gonna try to get home tonight and run the grey truck to the main yard tomorrow, they’ll look it over safety wise and give me another list


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 24, 2020)

I’m up north, near Hearst ON. I got suckered into taking a dry van up here. Family from southern Ontario bought a farm up here and hired us to move most of their stuff up here. Now I’ve helped plenty of folks move but never a 53’ long trailer full. Took close to 4 hours with 5-6 people helping to unload everything. (I kept things organized in the trailer keeping a steady flow going, that’s the biggest thing I’ve found is just keep everyone moving)

Kinda on the fence about this run. I am not a bedbugger (moving truck driver) and I hate pulling a dry van on the best of days. But I like small town country folk Canadians, and it was kinda neat to help give someone a hand start a new life on a new farm. 

But if any of you guys tell dispatch I said that....


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 26, 2020)

Grey truck started acting up once it was home. Attempting to take it in to get safetied she made the end of the driveway. 
Rather ingloriously we called a tow truck to park it back at the shop 

But I could get a pic of the sisters together so I mean it’s not a total loss. I think


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 26, 2020)

U figure out what the problem is?


----------



## DPittman (Dec 14, 2020)

So I know this is a long shot but is there someone that makes regular trips from Ontario to Alberta?  
There is a bench grinder out in Dundas that I would like


----------



## Chicken lights (Dec 15, 2020)

DPittman said:


> So I know this is a long shot but is there someone that makes regular trips from Ontario to Alberta?
> There is a bench grinder out in Dundas that I would like


You might try places like Manitoulin or Challenger, they might be able to bounce it out west as LTL freight reasonably. Then pick it up at a cross dock that’s close to you.


----------



## DPittman (Dec 15, 2020)

Thanks!


----------



## YYCHM (Jan 16, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 11443
> Grey truck started acting up once it was home. Attempting to take it in to get safetied she made the end of the driveway.
> Rather ingloriously we called a tow truck to park it back at the shop
> 
> But I could get a pic of the sisters together so I mean it’s not a total loss. I think



Where is the new truck project at David?  Making money yet?


----------



## Chicken lights (Jan 16, 2021)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Where is the new truck project at David?  Making money yet?


We started pulling freight with it last week, I think it was Jan 6 was the first day. No breakdowns yet but I did notice a coolant leak tonight I should look at tomorrow 

Still need to change out the drivers seat, install the headache rack and toolboxes, plus a few other small things


----------



## Chicken lights (Jan 24, 2021)

If anybody is interested, the white truck has been sold. 

We had a good run together.


----------



## Brent H (Jan 24, 2021)

The one you stopped in at my place with Dave?  that was a fast sell....


----------



## Chicken lights (Jan 24, 2021)

Brent H said:


> The one you stopped in at my place with Dave?  that was a fast sell....


Yessir, that’s the one. You’re not kidding!! I had the truck up at a shop to get parts switched over, someone asked if it was for sale. I said yes but I gotta get my stuff out of it first


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