O/T Load balancing........

A local fellow, who was living in Iowa, was killed last week at age 34.

Story was, he and his two boys were hauling some sand on a trailer behind a pickup for the boys' sand box. The trailer started swinging, he lost control, the pickup rolled, and he was thrown out. His boys survived. For one thing, he obviously didn't have his seat belt buckled.

Also, I know the family. They're into being parochial school teachers and other assorted church work, and not into hauling stuff on trailers. I can't verify, but what do you bet he loaded the sand on the rear of the trailer so it would be easy to unload? Probably also going too fast under the conditions.

And it might have been in a 1/2 ton pickup box trailer with soft springs and bad shocks. He must have really been scooting along. We've all done something along that line and lucked out and survived

It is sad to hear about a dad being killed and leaving behind a wife and kids, regardless of the circumstances.

Last friday my son called me right after he had a near-miss driving a semi. He was empty headed home when a car her was meeting dropped off on the shoulder, over corrected and ended up sliding sideways down the road right toward the truck my son was driving. Right at the last moment my son swerved over in the left lane and the car slid past him on the right. When he looked in the mirror he couldn't see for the dust when the car hit the shoulder, but a trucker behind him said the car stopped in the ditch and then drove back out and down the road again after coming within inches of being creamed on the drivers side by a Peterbilt. Jim

Sorry to hear of the death of a young father.

I got in a mess once, with a fertilizer buggy. Place was busy, and the plant man asked me to go hook to an empty buggy. I hooked up to one that was sitting in some ruts in an open lean-to. The hitch matched my truck, but when I pulled it out to get it loaded, the rear tandems were still spinning after I stopped. Turns out the hitch was adjusted to fit a one-ton truck. I should have gotten another buggy, but "thought" I didn't have time. What was I thinking??

Everything was fine on the trip to the farm, but the return trip unloaded, with those back tandems off of the road, was exciting. Like the fool that I am, I ripped up to about 40, and the tail started wagging. I stayed in the road, but had to use everything from one white line to the other. I remember glancing in the mirror, and the buggy was up on the right two wheels, while at the same time my truck was up on the left two wheels, with every tire squalling. I didn't touch the brake, and fought it back to a straight line. Luckily, no traffic to tangle with.

Did I learn anything? No. I immediately stepped it back up to about 30, and it did it again!! Recovered again.

Did I finally learn?? Yes!! 15 MPH for 15 miles back to the fert plant.

There's solid proof for you that God loves little children and fools.

Paul