Well folks we are just over a week past our big celebration In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada marking the 60th anniversary of VE Day and the opening of the new National War Museum.
I was part of it all with two of our own vehicles a Hagglunds BV206 and a CVR(T) Spartan plus we provided logistical support for a local owner of a Universal carrier.
We all enjoyed the event and there was a huge turnouts of MV's and the general public and veterans alike. A great day was had by all, well nearly all. I guess that my story as the day was a catalogue of disasters that went on from start to finish.
For my part the synchronised arrival of various vehicles in the designated unloading area went like clock work and by the time my employer arrived with his kids everything was tickety boo, his Spartan was warmed up and burbling away and I was in the BV and we got formed up for the parade.
We watched the service conducted at the Cenotaph on the jumbotron screen and saw ourselves in the background as we were formed up behind the national War Memorial. Once the service was over the vets filtered over to the line up of vehicles and were crammed into and onto any space that was available.
The boss man got 3 vets onto the Spartan along with his own kids. He was to be in front of me as the parade was arranged in age order of vehicles but for the service we were formed up in two lines. Behind me were Canadian forces Coyotes.
I loaded up 15 vets into the BV and as the parade started to move on the jumbotron I hit the starter to get warmed up, nothing but a dull click, yikes. Well to cut a story short I ended up being towed through the parade sans vets on the end of a tow rope behind a CAA tow truck right past our Prime Minister... somewhat emabrrassing I can tell you.
Anyway once the vehicle was through the route I got it loaded onto our own 5th wheel trailer behind the Dodge Ram dually we have, kinda ingenious I thought, i got the tow truck to put his stinger down against the front tires of the ram and raise his boom so that we fed the cable over the roof over the gooseneck and down the length of the trailer and then hauled the BV on like that. I was determined to get all our kit home that night in one shot, dead or not. At this point all we had to do was load the Universal onto the rear upper deck of the float trailer and put the Spartan on in front and run home.
The owner of the carrier is an experinced guy but I have had a lot of hairy experience with steel tracked vehicles and steel surfaces. Let me tell you gentlemen THIS IS NOT A SAFE MIX. I know, there will be loads of you who clamour that you have done it many times without a worry, perhaps you have been lucky, but i would like to point out the dangers in the hope that just one person is avoided the aggravation and potential serious injury or death that could result from such an act.
Any tracked vehicle that does not have rubber pads is a candidate here, bulldozer or MV makes no never mind. As a result i have developed the policy of using old snowmobile tracks as an interface that gives traction and considerable safety in such a case. Sliding sideways is not a happy feeling with no where to go. I have the stained clothing to prove it!
Steel on steel is equivalent to ice skating with heavy equipment. Well this old tanker was not to be told and he was driving his own carrier and I did lay the tracks beside the float but they werent employed. Up the cribbing he went no problem, but at the pivot point as the carrier broke over the edge of the upper deck disaster struck. The carrier violently lurched sideways and looked as if it was going to flip right off the side of the float. It was only because the upper deck was split with a well in the middle did the carrier tracks drop into that with the other side hanging over the side of the float. All motion stopped with a jolt.
Upon examining the scene we determined that because the float was parked on a road with a camber the surface he was loading on was not level cross wise, hence as he got to the pivot point the steel on steel contact was translated into a sideways movement by virtue of gravity taking over in the sideways plane.
We then went into recovery mode for the second time of the day, little was I to know that it was not to be the last, what do they say about things coming in 3's
A heavy civvy wrecker was ordered in to pluck the carrier upwards as the underbelly exhaust was now hung up on the edge of the upper deck. We did not want to cause more damage, so a vertical movement was the only was to effect this. Once the wrecker arrived we found that the dispatcher had not sent the correct truck, we had wanted a twin line boom but they had sent a stinger equipped rig. The driver was keen to yank the carrier but we said no. So another hour wait and he returned with the correct machine. We rigged the carrier from the rear inside lifting points and from the front ones, and with no problems the carrier was hoisted into the air. The float trailer was coupled back up and jockeyed back underneath and the carrier set back down on the rubber tracks and some left hanging over the front for the unload.
The Spartan then appeared and we loaded that and set off on our merry way at 1930hrs about 4 hours after everyone else had left.
Upon arrival at the unloading point at the top of the ferry road where we live, I started the Spartan and ran onto the island with our rig with the BV on board. The ferry wont take a big rig at our end of the world, one has to go all the way around to the big ferry and thats a whole hour extra, so we were going to unload on the ferry road and run vehicles singly over on the ferry.
I was shuttled back by our dutiful driver Alex and was greeted by the carrier running nicely and the Spartan well warmed up and all chains off and the tractor and gooseneck detached. After the usual walk around inthe dark i got aboard the Spartan with young Edward up top. Comms on I had i/c with him. On with the lights and in the dark we unloaded easily under the guidance of the float driver, spun around at the top of the road and was ready for the 1.5kms back to the ferry and home, get the feeling somethings coming? I wasnt!
We took off down the road lights on at 2355 hrs and got about another 400 metres when burble burble splutter I had a massive loss of power and then smoke from the engine louvres. I was on the i/c quick sharp to Edward and told him I was making a stop as we had a bad situation going on and he was to bail only once the vehicle was stopped. He did just as he was told and got clear as I ratcheted the handbrake on, and shut down the master battery switch and then like a greased ferret I exited the drivers compartment. Not easy for me as Im a few ounces over 225lbs and that is a tight exit at the best of times.
Once clear I assesed the situation and got a whiff of the smoke which was dying down and smelt oil and not gasoline, which was my worst fear as the Spartan is gas powered. Nothing like a flaming MV. Anyway an inspection of the engine bay revealed a swimming pool of oil. Ok, recovery time, again.
I sent Edward back to ther float for his dad in the carrier and the minivan with Alex as well. We parked the minivan with four ways on as a guard vehicle and I hopped in the carrier and went ove the ferry and onto home property. We stowed the carrier and started our Ford TS90 tractor and went out to fetch the CVR(T) A bar from the storage building. Got it and back to the shop to drop off the timber winch and connect the drawbar in readiness to tow the Spartan. Back onto the ferry and up the road. Whilst i was undoing the timber winch from the tractor there was a two way radio comms with the minivan and asking the carrier owner what it was about as we went over the ferry it turns out that a concerned citizen living alongside the ferry road had dialled it in to the cops that there was some suspicious activity going on with army vehicles late at night and was it all kosher?
By the time we arrived back on scene they had been allayed and sent on their way to deal with more pressing calls. The clock was ticking and it was nearly 2330 hrs and the ferry shuts down at 2359, time to get a move on. With full illumination from the tractor we connected the A bar and hitched up tot the tractor. I got mr carrier owner into the Spartan and told him to do a brake check as I did not want to go down the hill to the ferry with the Spartan potentially jack knifing the tractor either in the vertical or horizontal plane. We had loads of brakes from the dead Spartan and so I was ok with the tow. We made it onto the ferry at 2355 and he bailed and left me to get back into our shop. I must say the Spartan towed beautifully behind the tractor and I was able to reverse it into our shop and close the door by 1220. Anyone with a CVR(T) should have an A bar,
plus the tractor with available 4wd and the great vision from he elevated cab made for an ideal tug unit espeically for me on my own for the last part.
So I hope you all enjoyed my tale and learn something from it, steel on steel is a no no.
Here endeth the lesson
rgds
Robin Craig