Better late than never!

I've been a little out of the loop for a couple of weeks, and here's why. I'm now contributing to this blog; Life on the Road. It is a community of diverse individuals posting on a variety of subjects, and I hope you'll drop by and check it out. There's a link on the right side of my blog, or you can find it HERE.

Thanks!

Clampettism of the Day!

Clampettism: (1) An action, idea or object displaying Clampett-like traits or characteristics. (2) An operation undertaken in a fashion to evoke Clampett-like styles or behaviors. (3) An operation gone awry with unintended side effects resulting in a Clampett-like outcome.

Clampettism of the Day is a new feature of this blog, designed to showcase actions, ideas or objects that meet the Clampettism criteria outlined above. If you have a Clampettism you would like to share, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Here is the first Clampettism of the Day.

Thank You.

What is it about trucks?

What is it about trucks that capture the imagination? They’re everywhere. What do people think when they look up into those big trucks as they flash by on the highway, all paint and chrome and spinning wheels? As a young boy growing up in Arizona, when I was at school I would look out the windows at the road, and I’d watch the trucks going by. Maybe it was just my circumstances, what with my dad driving trucks since before I was born, but I liked reading the names on the doors as the trucks went by. Kansas City, Chicago, the names of all the places I had never been whispered through my mind. I knew better than most kids where that road went, because I’d been there a few times myself.

The Book of Days, Vol. II Trucking Stories from the Big Road

It's finally done! Vol. II of my trucking stories is on the Kindle! You can follow the link on the right side of this page, or you can find it HERE.

Tools of the Trade

You need to have the right tool for the job you're trying to do. This is my winch bar, "Frankenstein." Like the original, this Frankenstein was assembled from parts.
This Frankenstein started life as an ordinary winch bar; I don't even remember where I got it. I don't remember if I bought it, found it or if someone gave it to me. What I do know, is that after several years of pulling winches tight, hitting snap binders to ensure the handle was closed and pounding copper cathode sheets flat, 'ol Franky was looking a little the worse for wear. I was at the shop one day, and it occurred to me that I either needed to fix my winch bar or replace it.
My winch bar had been custom radiused, as shown in the picture below, and I really liked that curve right behind the slug that fit in the winches. With it curved like that, a tall dude like myself can get a better shot at the top hole on a winch. Since a new winch bar would have been straight, the decision was easy; so Frankenstein was born. The winch bar was starting to pull apart right behind the slug end, so I welded the tear shut. To forestall the bar pulling apart again, I decided to weld a spine down the length of the bar. The spine also acts as a wear surface; very handy when pounding on something.













The kinetic end had cracked as well. To avoid pulling the end apart, I welded a little plate across the kinetic end, then ground the end at an angle to facilitate getting the end under a binder handle.













I added reinforcement to the cup side of the kinetic end by putting a plate over it, then adding a mini-spine to it to keep the kinetic end form pulling off and drop me on my ass when tying a coil.














There you have it; a specialized, custom built tool for a difficult job. If you've built something like this, leave a comment and tell me what you think.

One of the top causes of diesel engine failure!

This is one of the top causes of heavy truck diesel engine failure; a cracked charge air cooler. This crack was different, and very hard to find. Due to vibration and heat, most charge air coolers crack on the hot side where the intake hooks up to the header pipe of the cooler itself; but this one split right in the middle. Not only in the middle, but on the back side where it faced the radiator. I have never seen one do this. It was a difficult, kind of old school diagnosis, since none of this showed up both times this unit was hooked to a code reader. This got past three different professional diesel mechanics, and it was only found when I showed them how to pressure test a charge air cooler with pipe fittings.

This charge air cooler took the turbocharger and the center section of the exhaust manifold with it when it split; approximately 4K in repairs.



OLD SCHOOL: The firmly held belief, demonstrated by action, that NEW does not always mean BETTER.

Chance, you are such a smartass. Will you be my friend?

A 225 ton anode makes it to the mine.

This 225 ton anode came all the way from Salt Lake City to the Freeport McMoran copper mine in Miami, Arizona. I'm not exactly sure what the anode does in the copper smelting process, but it must be important to bring it in.

Another old truck

This is a 1983 Kenworth W-900 that belonged to a friend of mine from Duncan, Arizona. This is the truck that is in the rear view mirror following me up the hill out of Clifton, Arizona. This truck was originally a fuel truck with no sleeper and a tank on it, but as can be seen in the picture, it has undergone a few changes. It had an A-Model 3406 Cat in it from the factory, but my friend found a B-Model in an old truck parked in a field. He had the engine rebuilt at a shop up in Show Low, Arizona, by an older mechanic who was well known for his hot rod truck engine building skills. They set it in the frame, and it made quite a difference. This thing would pull that 8% grade out of Clifton at 50+ mph. I never drove it, but I ran quite a few trips with the guy that owned it. He sold it to another friend of mine who ran it a couple of years, then the last I heard about it a guy we all knew bought it for about two grand and took it to Florida; he said to restore it. I hope so. If I would have known it went for two grand I would have bought it myself.

Photoshop tarp job

This post is brought to you courtesy of my old truckin' buddy Arizona Chance, who seems to have forgotten about giving me a compliment about my tarping skill at the wallboard plant in Albuquerque.

Here's my Photo Shop tarp job, sir. I hope it meets with your approval.

IT FITS! (Although I will admit, we didn't know that up front.)

It fits, but it sure is rusty.










The seal of approval from Brother Kenny.

But the bed is still rusty.








Nothing a little sandblasting won't cure!










That's Better!


This is Herculiner on the top of the bed and primer on the sides. We're going to put the Herculiner on the side as well, but we had to paint the sides of the bed to keep it from rusting. The bed needs a little fabrication in the back, so we'll put the Herculiner on it after we get the repairs done.

The Bed...

Here's the bed we installed on the truck. At this point, we weren't sure that it was going to fit without moving the rear axle back about six inches. This photo was taken right before my brother and I were getting ready to test fit the bed onto the truck.

Point of No Return

Well, now we get right down to it. Measure twice, cut once. Or, if you're getting ready to cut the frame of a truck you've had for thirteen years, you measure it again. And again. And again.

More of the Transformation

Dang, that's a lot of leftover frame. I think we ended up cutting about six feet off the frame. I measured the bed we were installing to see how much frame we would need, and I think it ended up within two inches or so of what I estimated. Sounds like a lot, but i think the frame was thirteen foot from the back of the cab to the extreme rear edge of the frame.

Raisin' Arizona!

I was in the Army when "Raisin' Arizona came out. Imagine, if you will, how entertaining that was to the members of my unit who immediately wanted to know if I could get them a good deal on unfinished furniture, and I was continually instructed by various members of the platoon to "Get on up there and get me a toddler!"

I was immediately struck by how close to the mark the Coen Brothers came in their portrayal of rural Arizona. They depict with stunning accuracy the prevalence of mobile homes, convenience stores and endless expanses of desert roads. It was also spot on in the portrayal of some of the, shall we say, unique individuals. Their use of the rural dialect was also impressive; especially some of the down home country truths I heard as a child.

So in the spirit of Raisin' Arizona, I give you this; The Scorpion Sucker. I found it at, yes, a convenience store. On the list of ingredients, it says; Maltodextrin-sugar. Scorpion. Yellow #5.

I couldn't help it; I was drawn to these things like a moth to a flame. I dug through them, looking for the best one to photograph for my blog. Nothing would do but I HAD TO HAVE ONE. I picked this one up, looked at the soft, gentle light filtering through the molded candy. I talked to the store clerk, marveling at the utter absurdity of the product. I looked at her and asked; "Why? Who would buy something like this?" I asked, totally caught up in the existentialism of the moment. She fixed me with her "I-can-help-whoever-is-next," stare, the one that lets a person know that she didn't have all day. Pay for your stuff then move it.

"Well, you bought one, didn't ya?" she said simply. I was floored. The simple country wisdom of her statement reminded of a saying I had heard my whole life; a statement I tried to never let apply to myself.

There's one born every minute.

Trailer Truckin' !

We also had a very nice 48' Fontaine "Phantom"aluminum flatbed...It was worth almost as much scrapped as it was as an asset. I NEVER left it anywhere unattended. (That's a load of plywood from Plum Creek Lumber in Kalispell, Montana. I would usually go there after unloading in Calgary or Edmonton.)

This is what we were riding in when we decided to hang it up. It was a 2006 Kenworth T-600, and I got it just before the 2007 emissions went into effect. I bought it brand new off the Inland Kenworth lot in Albuquerque. It had a 575 hp ISX Cummins, 18 speed and 3.36 rears. 86" Studio. I put a ThermoKing APU on it and a 5,000 watt inverter I traded my brother out of. I also made that headache rack out of two Merritt 24"x24" x 48" aluminum toolboxes. It was a great truck, and I will post more pictures later, like the ones I took in Canada.

The Beginning of the Transformation, Take Three.

The end of Day 1, and the realization that I have completely lost my mind. Oh well. It'll turn up.

The Beginning of the Transformation, Take Two.

I think I must have lost my mind.

The Beginning of the Transformation

Day 1. Yes, I was nervous.

The Million Dollar Baby's Transformation

In the last paragraph of my Mark Twain essay, I make mention of the fact that I have special plans for my truck when I retire it for commercial service. Here's the paragraph:

I'm looking for a newer truck, one with an air ride cab, a newer engine with electronic engine management and cruise control. A little more room inside for my wife and I as she gets ready to join me on the road, fulfilling plans long in the making. I won't be trading this one in, either. We've got special plans for it. But for a little while longer, I run that old truck that still looks like a million bucks, still turns heads when I drive away from the fuel island, and still gathers compliments wherever I take it. A fine looking, well bred lady, one hundred percent thoroughbred all the way through. I look out the window of the restaurant as I write this and see it sitting there in the parking lot waiting patiently. I know it’s up for anything and ready to leave when I get finished with my dinner. In fact, I think I better go; we've got miles to go before we sleep.
And a gentleman never keeps a lady waiting.

Well, over this last winter, my brother and I got started on those plans. You see, from my father I have inherited a streak of what you might nicely describe as "Individualism." We would describe it as a desire to approach life on our own terms and in our own way, but still achieving the desired result.
I am making the Million Dollar Baby into a fifth wheel RV Trailer puller, but it goes a little farther than that. I traded my pickup to my dad for a nice Western Hauler style bed to put on the truck, and I drive it every day.
Yes, that's right, I drive my cut down 1992 Kenworth W-900 every day, or rather, I did before I started the conversion process. More to the point, I will drive it every day again when I get it all the way done, and it is very close. However, here in Arizona it is approximately TOO DAMN HOT to work on it much, so progress has slowed.
why do I drive it? Because I really like that truck. Because I really, really like it. I really, really like listening to a screaming B-Model Caterpillar engine, I really like shifting that single overdrive, deep reduction 15 speed transmission, and I REALLY like pulling up next to posers in diesel pickups with "No Fear" stickers in the back window. They think because that pickup can pull a toyhauler, it's a bad ride.

They don't know anything about about walkin' after midnight on California 95 between Needles and Vidal with a load of drywall on, 2100 R.P.M, 1100 degrees indicated on the pyrometer, 28 pounds of manifold pressure and the stick all the way over and up against the dash in 15th gear at 103 m.p.h. Behind the truck is a vacuum so powerful it pulls bushes out of the ground and into the road behind it.

Fear THAT.

Steering Dolly

Here's a picture of the steering dolly on the heavy haul trailer.

Big Trucks hauling Bigger Trucks!

I was leased to a large owner-operator company out of Louisville, and they hauled a lot of military freight. To be able to be dispatched through the house, we had to provide proof that we had a secure place to leave the load. This place had to be at the least gated and locked at night, but I had yarded before at a place in town that actually had people living on site. These people store all kinds of stuff; here's some pictures of a medium sized OTR haul truck that are commonly used in the mines around here. This one was on a heavy haul trailer that had been left in the yard.

Load Securement is VERY IMPORTANT!!

Hey, how many of you truckin' people have seen a load securement incident like this one? This was a serious case of dumbass that happened to a guy when I was a driver manager for a large trucking company. (1,000 plus truck motor carrier.)

This one isn't is bad as it looks; not nearly as bad as the one I seen down on 51st Avenue and Buckeye Road in Phoenix back in 1992. That one, the driver didn't build a bulkhead out of dunnage to put in front of his load of steel rod. He was going through the intersection and a car ran the light. The truck driver jumped on the brakes and broke the steel rod loose, and about ten of the bars penetrated the headache rack, the sleeper and the back of the cab and killed the driver.
I have been a load securement instructor for three flatbed motor carriers, and I am currently an instructor for a privately owned fleet. I take this stuff seriously, and I hope all you professional flatbed operators do as well.

Hello!

Welcome to the Book of Days blog! You're probably wondering about the title. The Book of Days is the title to my Kindle book about trucking. Actually it's titled "The Book of Days, Trucking Stories from the Big Road." It's a book about my life trucking on where else but the big road? So, welcome to my blog! Drop me a line in the comments, if you like, introduce yourself if you like, and let's talk about truckin' or life in general.