Re: Loading Dead Tractors

Posted by Dan Kelley on February 18, 2004 at 07:46:31 from (140.32.120.18):

In Reply to: Loading Dead Tractors posted by SB in AR on February 18, 2004 at 06:04:44:

Well, that makes for a good story.
A friend of mine bought a Case "aircraft tug" sight unseen from some guy in Oklakoma. They dropped the tractor off at the hangar in the middle of the week, when no one was around. Not only was it not running, but the motor was stuck and cracked down the middle of the block.

Not too long after, my friend died, never having seen how badly he had been ripped off. The hangar crew shuffled the tractor off to the corner and essentially tried to forget it. I bought it from them for scrap steel price, thinking to restore it in memory of my dead friend.

16' 2-axle flatbed utility trailer. No brakes. Wooden deck. For those who do not know, the rear fenders of a Case VAIW-3 are solid cast iron, and weigh 875lbs each. I came equipped with a come-along, some car chains and load binders.

The start of winching the tractor was OK. In neutral, it rolled fairly easily, despite the lack of front tires. Once it hit the ramps, things started getting tough, an uphill battle. Surprisingly, at one point, it started getting easier, even though the tractor was still on the ramps. That's when I noticed that the trailer had been pushed down so far that the slope of the ramps had lessened considerably. The rear of my truck was hiked up way into the air. It was still on the rear tires, but...

Once the tractor hit the bed of the trailer, the boards started cracking and creaking. I put some 3/4" plywood on the trailer to help spread the weight of the tractor, and then started to winch the tractor onto the plywood.

Well, winching the tractor onto the trailer finished off rather smoothly. The rear of my truck settled down, and with a little movement of the tractor forward and back, I was able to get the load balance about right. The trip across town to my home was uneventful, but I could definitely feel that tractor back there.

Fast-forward a couple years. This scene was repeated for my move to Colorado. Then again, from a storage yard to my new home. Each time, I heard those floor boards crack and groan. Each time, I cringed the whole time I was hauling it.

Last year, I bought a Farmall M. Fortunately, it is running and working. I wonder how I'll move that, if I ever leave Colorado Springs!

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