It's been a long time since I have been on HEF...life gets in the way sometimes. Had a couple of interesting years that I can share to show the younger guys what NOT to do with themselves hopefully... December 2016; Driving my 200 KW W900L pulling a tanker loaded with #2 oil up I-91 in Holyoke, Mass. when a erratically-driven BMW comes flying by me in the passing lane doing well over 100 mph, in one big sweeping arc seemed to be changing lanes into my lane at which point I figured he'd be long gone in a second. Not so much. He continues this sweeping arc at 100+ mph right into the guard rails and goes from 100 mph to zero mph to reverse...and here I come, no place to go, nothing to do except bash into the idiot at 65 mph. Slammed into the passenger side of this 2017 M3 with the dealer sticker still in the back window, knocked my steering axle back over-camming the spring shackles and took my ability to steer away. Luckily I coasted to the shoulder with no tragedies. Walked back to see what I had to face next. In the time from impact to me gathering my head to get out and start walking back there about 200 yards, there was already 3 Ma state cops on scene and a bunch of do-gooders there. Lucky for me, 2 off-duty local police officers witnessed the crash and I was cleared of any and all wrong-doing, but this jerk has criminal charges filed against him at the scene and we couldn't get an accident report for 6 months. (He was standing outside the car BTW, those Beemers are pretty well engineered.) Long story short, I could have fixed the truck but the company that towed it away actually caused more damage than good, wrecking everything due to their incompetence. That is still pending with attorneys. The pics show how good they are at their craft... Down for 3 months while taking this 1978 W900A apart and rebuilding it front to back, doing continuous upgrades to this very day...making it better all the time. All while working my butt off moving equipment all over the countryside. It's been interesting... Went through this entire 78 A model stem to stern, all new everything from air lines to reconfiguring fuel tanks, etc...suspension all new, etc. ran it for a solid year without any hitches with the original 3406A PCTA 375 HP motor until May 29th when she decided to pay down on me at the 107 mm on I-81 north in Pennsylvania. Got it home and yanked the bad engine out, and replaced it with a newer, better 3406B, did the radiator and a ton of other things while I was down waiting on parts and pieces. Never a dull moment in the life of an equipment relocation engineer... More pics next post...V
January of 2017 to November, 2017 sitting at Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Tx.
So, there's what I've been doing in my spare time. I can officially say at any given time that I am getting too old for this....but for some reason I keep beating myself up with it.
Been running a LOT nicer now since the upgrade to the B engine. Much more torque curve, better fuel mileage (touched 7 mpg one light trip out west,) and no oil consumption at all...very happy with the B. I did rods and mains while it was out, put a newer bigger turbo on, a Jake on, and front and rear seals... Below: Just unloaded a 1962 Autocar and put it up in the guys yard where it'll remain. August 2018; White Bobcat from Seven Valleys, Pa., next pickup was the green Sunbelt rentals one in Heath, Ohio...hours later the Bobcat E80 excavator from Sunbelt rentals in Columbus, Indiana brought back to my customer in Vermont. 200D LC from a Lyons auction in Vermont, carried to another one of their auctions in Frewsburg, NY out by Jamestown. Oversized tank I moved in Massachusetts last Wednesday 8-15-18 from manufacturer to their painters. 48.5' long, had a little overhang going on...
Sorry to hear of the wreck. I really like the paint job on that truck.
Good god!!! Looks like they backed the tow truck up and smacked yours. Maybe a couple of times!!!! I hope you didn't pay that tow bill?? Btw nice looking A model
The jerk running the wrecker was an idiot. $750,000.00 rotator with a wheel lift and he slung it the old way from the axle with chains. I was there scolding him for his actions, but the DOT cop standing there who was also in cahoots with the towing company told me to mind my own business... so i had to watch them total the truck right before my own eyes. Tow bill was on the insurance company. $16,400.00 for 9 miles. Lied on the invoice for having 5 support vehicles, hazmat crew, etc. It was the monkey in the wrecker and me... that was the support crew. Sad.
Insurance fraud... Although it's the BMW's insurance co. I still don't like fraud.
I wonder if the "DOT" guy is part of the fraud too. The Hazmat thing is a convenient ploy for gov't intervention … I hate gov't corruption even more. That's the main reason for third world Shitehole conditions. Can't build a small business if the rules change depending on whose palm you have to grease.
That's the truth hosspuller. And unfortunately it's rampant everywhere you turn nowadays. Been busy, don't frequent the forums like I used to, but I can share a few recent moves anyways. Here's a D6T XL I dragged back up from down around Richmond, Va. to Rhode Island back a couple of months ago. Below: A 1966 Oshkosh tri-drive, all WD custom built wrecker I carried from a neighbor that had passed away to it's new owner in Allentown, Pa. a couple of months ago too. 8V 71 Yamaha powered, 10 speed main, 3 speed auxiliary. Pretty cool old piece, garage kept all the years it was around.
Few More Pics...recent work. I haul some organic baleage for a few of the farmers here locally. A Deere 540D skidder from Vermont out to Salamanca, NY out by the Seneca Nation Indian reservation...In September 2018. Just some of the stuff I do to try and stay out of trouble...
Thanks for the update & pics.. That pic of the inside of GMG sure doesn't look like the pics we see on TV..Lol Glad ur up & runnin.. Stay safe out there.. Theres ALOT MORE Beemers out there than there usta be..
Where I come from BMW stands for "B**** man's Wheels" or screams "drug dealer", or possibly both. To say that the marque has a "reputation" is something of an understatement
"BMW" = Big Money, Wasted
Or in this instance, Bent Mangled and Warped.
When'd you get the decals done? Looks sharp! I followed your thread for a while on the other site but haven't seen any updates in a while.
I added the vinyl about 3 months ago now...kinda makes it stand out in the crowd now compared to just the straight color. Thanks.
The ironic thing about all this is, that jerk's insurance company is the SAME one we have for our autos...lol. He twisted the story saying I hit HIM making him crash so they are flat out denying the claim based on "conflicting stories", even though he never reported the incident (my lawyer called THEM a week later to get some information and they never heard about it.) Then he tells them it was my fault and so they are refusing any claims, even though 2 police officers watched it all happen right in front of them. Great system we live under, eh? The drug dealer walks away free, I take the brunt and still am. Makes you want to take it into your own hands, your own way I'm tellin' ya.