My Foot's Sore

Up at 2am, on with the socks and out of the yard at 2:21. I was setting in the middle of Colorado at 7:10am this morning.

Now, if it were up to me, I would have just drove the red one on, shut the gate and come home.

But you know how ol' Colorado Curt is. By golly, we're tyin' 'er down and we're gonna make 'er leagal! :>)

So off come the sideboards and under the red one they go; then we cinch 'er up tight. Glad we did 'cause those people on I-25 are crazy! I even got off and drove the service road fer 5 miles 'cause those jokers scare me to death! :>)

Anyway, pulled in the yard at 4pm and my foot is throbbin' from pushing against that governor all day long. 62 and 1/2mph is the best she'll do. But boy! Is that ever a sweet old truck! Original manuals still in the glove box. Just like steppin' back in time 30 years :>)

How's come things seem to shrink the older ya get? I used to think those 15' 7" beet boxes were pretty darned big back when I had to scoop 'em out by hand. :>)

Allan

Boy did you ever hit the nail on the head. No wonder my foot ached.

Darn thing was unloaded. :>(

Feels like a feather now. :>)

Allan

Kelly

How far is this? Us lot over here only go a couple hundred miles and think it"s a long way (takes hours and hours as well, if you pick the wrong place at the wrong time!). How much gas does that beauty use in that distance? Want information, information, information.
Do you need an oil well to keep her gassed up, lubed?
Hope you oiled the dipstick at some point.
Is that a stright 6? Pictures of the engine bay?, the bed timbers? anything else?
Only a 4 speeder in those days?
It"s OK for ulot, but we are not so aquainted with this old metal.
I run a Bedford TK around. Did they have them your side of the pond?
Amazes me that you posted at "ha-past free" but only arrived home at "foroclock". We don"t have that problem here either - and, of course, we work on proper time - Greenwich Mean Time. Proper, "cos we invented it. Something else to metricate sometime (pardon the pun). We ain"t big enuff to want time zones. Get enough jet lag coming home from your side of the pond without having to put up wiv internal time changes!!
Regards, RAB
BTW - she looks great.

It was right at 310 miles one way. The Yukon took 18 gallon in 4 1/2 hours going over; the truck ate one saddle tankful (50 gallon) coming back and took 6 hours. They get 6 mpg empty or loaded. :>)

Engine is a 366 V8 and pulls a 5-speed transmission in front of an electric 2-speed rear end.

Allan

Where'n the heck am I ever gonna find something that heavy? Darned GMC couldn't even put 'er down on the overloads. :>)

Brakes are all new as well as the hydro-vac and master cylinder.

Allan

I thought you were talking about being legal.

Yep, that's the downside. The most grain I've ever been able to get one one of these short beet trucks is just under 300 bushel, so don't think I'd ever get enough on it to be over-weight.

But, fer my little po-dunk farmin' thing, that's okay too. Problem will be squeezin' in between those semis at the elevator. :>)

Allan

Specter

KEH

Guess that is why I'm so old fashioned. I just like the way old stuff works and think these beet boxes are so darned handy fer all sorts of chores. :>)

There is a hinge all along the bottom of the side and with a flick of the wrist, you can change the whole truck into a flatbed because that side swings out and down. That's why those old beet farmers had arms the size of yer leg. :>)

Then, the beet companies changed the rules and made all the growers install automatic openers/closers 'cause they were getting too many farmers falling into the hopper at the dump.

They went to an electric over hydraulic system and was opened and closed with a switch in the cab.

Allan

Don"t suppose a farmer falling into the hopper was too important or unusual. Just half a tonne or more of beet landing on top of "em from a good height. Then, of course, there would be the mess it made after they went through the SHREDDER!!! Ugh!
They wus prolly right to change something, Making the farmer change was the usual way to go, otherwise they would have admitted previous unsafe operation on their part! Regards, RAB