CheckedOut
11-23-2004, 11:45 PM
I flew out of Pensacola last Thursday morning in route to Dayton. I then traveled 60 miles to Cincinnati and picked up a truck purchased via e-Bay to tow my Enchanter back south.
Not 2 miles from taking delivery, the pickup began belching smoke and had no compression what-so-ever. It quit on me before I could turn around. Keep in mind, I'm now on an expressway with no exit in sight.
With assistance from another motorist, we pushed to vehicle atop a hill. From there I managed to coast to the next exit.
Almost immediately, I began calling the folks I purchased the truck from. Business was closed for the day. I then called a towing service to render assistance and take the truck back from where it came.
Oddly enough, upon towing the broken-down truck into it's rightful place, the driver asked me if I knew the owner of the establishment. I informed him I had purchased the vehicle from him not 2 hours ago.
Here's the irony...the driver knew his last name, which I could not recall. This allowed me to call information and get his home phone number. (No, his name was not on the truck title. Let's not go there)
The guy's I bought the truck from couldn't say "I'm sorry" enough. They're good folks and refunded all my money and expenses. They also shuttled me anywhere I wanted to go in search of a replacement vehicle.
Unfortunately, we came up empty in our search for a truck in Cincy. I had them take me back to a hotel in Dayton Friday afternoon with two thoughts...I'll check the papers for a truck there and if nothing comes up I'll get on a plane headed home.
While scanning the local Dayton paper, the first ad that caught my eye was for 1986 Ford F150 priced right. I called the number given and got Brian. When I asked him where the truck was located he informed me he was currently driving it and wanted to know where I was.
Here's another "oddly enough"...I gave him my hotel location as he was passing it on the interstate.
Long story short, 2 hours later we were at the DMV exchanging title and getting me a temp tag.
Saturday morning I began my trek to Eldridge, Iowa to pick up the boat. Nervous all the way considering the unfamiliar rust bucket I had just paid cash for the previous evening.
Around 3pm Saturday afternoon, I took the first glimpse of my new pride and joy. Needless to say, I was more than pleased. The Enchanter, although oxidized, was solid as a rock. No soft spots and the upholstery looked quite good. The trailer alone was worth the price I paid.
Yes, I was pleased with the boat, but my conscience suddenly tapped me on the shoulder and asked "can this truck pull it?"
Just before backing up to the trailer, I noticed a yellow sticker next to my upper seatbelt shoulder harness. It read, "This vehicle has been altered by..."
Another long story short, much to my surprise the truck had heavy duty rear springs, transmission cooler and rear end replacement performed back in '86. What a good feeling that was.
I incurred a few expenses before leaving Eldridge. The 4 flat wiring harness on the truck didn't match the trailer wiring...had to buy tools and kit to redo that. The ball on the truck wasn't a 2 inch...had to replace that. There were no transom tie-downs and the winch strap was rotten among many other things. Fixed all of it.
The folks at the local True Value hardware store were loving me despite the fact I was working in their parking lot. I was running in and out of there every 10 minutes with a new tool or part in hand.
All this must have been fascinating. Half the store personnel and a few customers were watching me as I labored on.
I pulled out of Eldridge around 5pm Saturday night, a full day behind schedule. My thought was to make it to Batesville, AR and crash for the night.
The boat and trailer pulled beautifully. I found the sweet spot to be 65 mph for the truck and I couldn't tell the boat was behind me until pulling the hills out of Peoria.
Just outside Hamel, IL on I-155, I noticed a mini-van pulled off to the shoulder. Before I knew it, I was looking at a huge deer lying in the middle of the interstate.
There was no shoulder to the left and the minivan was blocking the right shoulder. I managed to stradle the +200 lb deer with the truck. The boat trailer didn't fair so well.
Upon impact, I went from 65 to 45 mph almost immediately. The boat and trailer must have jumped a couple of feet because the resulting jolts were violent.
The truck never came back to speed. I was stuck at 40 mph. I pulled off at the next exit, about 4 miles away, and discovered the trailer axle was severely bent. Both tires were turned inwards about 20 degrees and red hot.
Saturday night and Sunday were spent at a rat-hole hotel in Hamel. I dropped the boat and trailer off at a shop Monday morning and got home around 9:30 pm last night.
I've yet to figure out the moral of this story. Given the fact the boat's not home, I'm not even sure it's over.
Here's what I do know...
*The truck I originally planned to buy blew up. It wouldn't have pulled the Enchanter.
*I didn't know the last name of the trucks seller. The tow truck driver did.
*The truck I did purchase was passing my hotel as I spoke to the owner.
*My boat trailer, not truck, strikes a deer as a result of a minivan blocking the shoulder.
Needless to say, one can find both good and bad luck in this scenario. The coincidences are a little unsettling to me.
This is, undoubtedly, a strange set of circumstances and perhaps the wildest weekend of my life.
I don't put stock in Karma or any other voodoo type BS, but I can't help but get the feeling something is wrong with this situation.
Not 2 miles from taking delivery, the pickup began belching smoke and had no compression what-so-ever. It quit on me before I could turn around. Keep in mind, I'm now on an expressway with no exit in sight.
With assistance from another motorist, we pushed to vehicle atop a hill. From there I managed to coast to the next exit.
Almost immediately, I began calling the folks I purchased the truck from. Business was closed for the day. I then called a towing service to render assistance and take the truck back from where it came.
Oddly enough, upon towing the broken-down truck into it's rightful place, the driver asked me if I knew the owner of the establishment. I informed him I had purchased the vehicle from him not 2 hours ago.
Here's the irony...the driver knew his last name, which I could not recall. This allowed me to call information and get his home phone number. (No, his name was not on the truck title. Let's not go there)
The guy's I bought the truck from couldn't say "I'm sorry" enough. They're good folks and refunded all my money and expenses. They also shuttled me anywhere I wanted to go in search of a replacement vehicle.
Unfortunately, we came up empty in our search for a truck in Cincy. I had them take me back to a hotel in Dayton Friday afternoon with two thoughts...I'll check the papers for a truck there and if nothing comes up I'll get on a plane headed home.
While scanning the local Dayton paper, the first ad that caught my eye was for 1986 Ford F150 priced right. I called the number given and got Brian. When I asked him where the truck was located he informed me he was currently driving it and wanted to know where I was.
Here's another "oddly enough"...I gave him my hotel location as he was passing it on the interstate.
Long story short, 2 hours later we were at the DMV exchanging title and getting me a temp tag.
Saturday morning I began my trek to Eldridge, Iowa to pick up the boat. Nervous all the way considering the unfamiliar rust bucket I had just paid cash for the previous evening.
Around 3pm Saturday afternoon, I took the first glimpse of my new pride and joy. Needless to say, I was more than pleased. The Enchanter, although oxidized, was solid as a rock. No soft spots and the upholstery looked quite good. The trailer alone was worth the price I paid.
Yes, I was pleased with the boat, but my conscience suddenly tapped me on the shoulder and asked "can this truck pull it?"
Just before backing up to the trailer, I noticed a yellow sticker next to my upper seatbelt shoulder harness. It read, "This vehicle has been altered by..."
Another long story short, much to my surprise the truck had heavy duty rear springs, transmission cooler and rear end replacement performed back in '86. What a good feeling that was.
I incurred a few expenses before leaving Eldridge. The 4 flat wiring harness on the truck didn't match the trailer wiring...had to buy tools and kit to redo that. The ball on the truck wasn't a 2 inch...had to replace that. There were no transom tie-downs and the winch strap was rotten among many other things. Fixed all of it.
The folks at the local True Value hardware store were loving me despite the fact I was working in their parking lot. I was running in and out of there every 10 minutes with a new tool or part in hand.
All this must have been fascinating. Half the store personnel and a few customers were watching me as I labored on.
I pulled out of Eldridge around 5pm Saturday night, a full day behind schedule. My thought was to make it to Batesville, AR and crash for the night.
The boat and trailer pulled beautifully. I found the sweet spot to be 65 mph for the truck and I couldn't tell the boat was behind me until pulling the hills out of Peoria.
Just outside Hamel, IL on I-155, I noticed a mini-van pulled off to the shoulder. Before I knew it, I was looking at a huge deer lying in the middle of the interstate.
There was no shoulder to the left and the minivan was blocking the right shoulder. I managed to stradle the +200 lb deer with the truck. The boat trailer didn't fair so well.
Upon impact, I went from 65 to 45 mph almost immediately. The boat and trailer must have jumped a couple of feet because the resulting jolts were violent.
The truck never came back to speed. I was stuck at 40 mph. I pulled off at the next exit, about 4 miles away, and discovered the trailer axle was severely bent. Both tires were turned inwards about 20 degrees and red hot.
Saturday night and Sunday were spent at a rat-hole hotel in Hamel. I dropped the boat and trailer off at a shop Monday morning and got home around 9:30 pm last night.
I've yet to figure out the moral of this story. Given the fact the boat's not home, I'm not even sure it's over.
Here's what I do know...
*The truck I originally planned to buy blew up. It wouldn't have pulled the Enchanter.
*I didn't know the last name of the trucks seller. The tow truck driver did.
*The truck I did purchase was passing my hotel as I spoke to the owner.
*My boat trailer, not truck, strikes a deer as a result of a minivan blocking the shoulder.
Needless to say, one can find both good and bad luck in this scenario. The coincidences are a little unsettling to me.
This is, undoubtedly, a strange set of circumstances and perhaps the wildest weekend of my life.
I don't put stock in Karma or any other voodoo type BS, but I can't help but get the feeling something is wrong with this situation.