From: Mark J. Blair (mblair1@cox.net)
Date: Sat Mar 30 2002 - 21:52:59 PST
Item 7641 in GL auction 640 (starting Monday 4/1/02) is a batch of six
(!) Oshkosh M911 C-HET tractors, located at Vandenberg. I think it's
unlikely that I'll bid (let alone win!) on these tractors, but the
listing has made me awfully curious. I'm hoping that somebody out
there knows a thing or two about the C-HET and would like to share:
What's it like to drive one of these beasts, either loaded or empty?
Is the fifth wheel compatible with common civvy semitrailers (in terms
of height, kingpin dimensions, etc), or is it pretty much dedicated to
pulling the M747 60-ton HET trailer?
It sure looks like the ultimate "tow anything, anywhere, slowly"
tractor. Could one of these beasts, hitched up to a suitable
semitrailer, be at all practical for a whacko truck collector like me,
or is there something about it (like width, axle loads, etc.) that
would make it not worth the hassle? I don't have any tanks (yet...),
but I do occasionally need to move around 17 tons or so of green iron.
I wonder why six of them are batched together as one item, while most
non-residue trucks and trailers are listed individually? That makes it
a lot less practical for a collector to bid on one, since they'd have
to front the money to purchase and transport six of them to get at
least one. Maybe David Wright is listening and can comment? The five
pictures all appear to me to be of the same tractor (with others in
the background). I didn't see any obvious major cannibalization in the
pictures. Heck, the winch cables were even wound neatly!
If anybody makes it out to inspect these trucks, I'd love to hear what
condition they're in, and/or to see some more detailed photos. I'm
mostly just curious; I doubt I'll bid (successfully) unless the lot is
split up into six individual trucks before the auction closes. I can't
really burn a day of vacation to drive up to Vandenberg and check them
out in person right now.
Any comments or anecdotes about these neat-looking beasts would be
appreciated, on or off the list.
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