But shouldn't be snowing?
 

Hi Guys

Sounds like and interesting recovery effort but to be a true tail of the Canadian North it should have snowing.

Each of my truck recovery efforts involved it having snowed, was snowing, or started snowing on the way home.

Advantage to snowy recovery is you would have never notice the wheels on the trailer were not tracking right they would have just skidded along behind the tow vehicle.

One other thing looks like another good find.

Cheers Phil

Like the Hammond Barn Boys, people sometimes drop stuff on our doorstep. I ventured up to the Chicken Ranch on Sunday and found someone had left a truck and trailer. I was pleased with the CMP so offloaded it and parked it safely in the barn. I haven't much interest in a broken trailer so I left it outside.
Cheers,
Barry

Wierd!
 

What are the odds of two trailers with a CMP on each showing up at the Chicken Ranch??

Recovery this Saturday
 

Barry,
I will be at your place on Saturday and I will have the certified check in the requested amount available. Thanks!
Cheers!
Stuart

Mystery at the Chicken Ranch
 

Barry, I will check the tapes from the security camera today - perhaps there is an explanation for all this. Regardless, congratulations on 'your' new 12 cab C15A.

I can't help but wonder though, did a Border Raid go bad or is one still underway? Anyway, it looks like there is lots of extra help coming this Saturday for cleanup day.

Brian :D

claean Up
 

Brian, If by clean up you mean getting rid of old CMP bodies, count me in. See you Saturday.

Stuart, add another $50.00 to the cheque and I will repair the trailer and throw it in so you can take the truck home.
Barry

It is a pleasure doing business with you
 

Barry, It is a pleasure doing business with you. Consider the "check to be in the mail"........... In fact I may make it to your place on Friday evening, just to beat the traffic.......... if you know what I mean.... I may have to "borrow" the plates on the trailer, just so things go smoothly on the way back to Ottawa. It may be best if I take the back roads home.....

Cheers!
Stuart

Ok Ok already......
 

.... you have pull on it so much my left leg is now 16 inches longer than the right one.

...and Barry I know you have not even been close to the Chicken farm or you would have noticed where we parked the truck protected from the elements!!!

No matter what...... thanks Brian for allowing us to hide the truck for a few days from the OPP.

Stewart..... should I take your camper trailer to Pickering just for fun !!!!!


Stay tuned for the next chapter of where the Hammond barn is going next ....

Bob

Bob, I had noticed you were walking funny but thought Joyce had kicked your shins for some mis-behaviour. As to the next adventure, I take some credit for pointing it out to you....
Stewart, I think it is only fair to warn you that not all of the barn people are out of town on Saturday.....
Barry, didn't they tell you the only reason they dropped the trailer was to lighten the truck for a quick getaway with goodies from the vicinity of the Big Apple?

Next adventure.....
 

Ssssshhhhhtttttt .......

Warning to the Chicken Farm sentries....
 

Brian

Will be dropping out to the CF around noonish this Saturday for repairs and final leg home. Would be nice to see you there to thank you personally for using the facilities.

Got all the parts and loads of tools so it should not be too complicated.

Bob

see you at the Chicken Ranch
 

Bob,

Yes, I'll will be there when you arrive.

Actually Barry asked me to go early and help Stuart load his stuff. :D


Brian

You guys need a reality TV show...

Only if you supply ......
 

....all the good looking chicks in tight fitting army coveralls......

Stay tuned for the final chapter of the recovery......

.....will Rob have trouble jacking the trailer.....

.....Bob have trouble with his lock nuts......

Will Brian run them off the farm with a pitch furk.....

............. all we need is a sponsor..... maybe GM Oshawa...

Bub

Recovery concluded.....
 

Pictures tomorrow when the sun is up and shining.

Thanks to Brian Gough who provided the emergency landing strip for our sick trailer. Nothing 2 hours could not fix...... but I had a good helper in Rob C.

Made it back home safely....... fresh onion soup was waiting for me......

Now time for a shower and bed....... 'cause tomorrow I iz back at the barn !!!!

This should be our second last recovery for this year .... before the snow flies..

Still in the planing stage but it seems we have another C15a Cab 13 begging to be dragged to the barn...... hihihi

The fun never ends....stay tuned for further developments.

Bob

Recovering from the Recovery
 

Just to add to Bob's observations on the Hammond Barn's longest (in duration) recovery to date, here are a few highlights. Bob and I (Grant was indisposed) left Hammond fairly early on Saturday morning. After scraping off a really resistent layer of frost from the windshield, we headed to the world famous Chicken Ranch to pick up Bob's latest treasure.

Despite the cajoling from the sidelines here on MLU, we found the trailer and truck as we had left it. No sooner had we pulled into the Chicken Ranch yard, then Brian and Mel pulled in and sealed off the escape route. Once convinced that we were harmless and their stock was safe, Mel headed off, but Brian stayed back to make sure that only the CMP truck left the ranch.

Bob and I removed the tires from the damaged side of the trailer. Then Bob cut off the old nuts (on the trailer...) and punched out the bolts. After fitting new plates, we remounted the tires and tightened up all of the wheel nuts. Bob manoeuvered the Ford into position and we winched the CMP onto the trailer bed with little fuss. We knitted the truck to the trailer with chains and load binders (all securely wired) and did a safety check before heading back to Pickering.

Brian rode shotgun to make sure that we had indeed left the vicinity and when we stopped for lunch in Pickering, he dutifully kept an eye on us. Shortly after lunch, we said good bye to Brian and hit the 401 for an uneventful run back to the center of the CMP universe in Eastern Ontario.

While dieseling down Ontario's superhighway, Bob tuned into an oldies radio station. The song? "The good, the bad and the ugly". Both of us broke into laughter as we both noted at precisely the same time, we were missing Grant. You can speculate on who is who.

Photos:

1 - Preparing the trailer for repair
2 - Bob hard at it
3- The offending bits
4 - Repair completed
5 - Brian pointing out the facilities

More Memories of the Great Chicken Ranch Recovery
 

We are fortunate to have friends such as Brian, Mel, Barry and the remainder of the Southern Ontario CMP family, who are ready, willing and able to lend a hand and a kind word to anyone who ventures into the CMP world.

We at the Hammond Barn take our lead from people who have been helpful, generous and willing to assist us in our quest for CMPs, their parts and their history. For that, we are truly thankful.

This past adventure demonstrated that we are indeed more than just a bunch of crazy guys who are in love with ugly trucks. We are a fraternity that reaches around the world.

My thanks to the Chicken Ranch folks for their past, present and future help. You truly are leaders in this hobby, and I know that the Hammond Barn gang works hard to follow your example.

Here are some more snaps of the recovery:

1 - The man, the legend Bob, enjoying a brief rest before loading the trailer.
2 - Photographic evidence that we left the ranch with what we come with.
3 - Bob and Brian.
4 - Your Hammond Barn Recovery Team (2/3) - ignore Bob's left hand...
5 - A week late, but here is the "money shot".

Frolicking at the Barn
 

It was a beautiful Ontario fall day. So I slept in. Bob and Grant took advantage of the weather to work on the other side of the trailer. Bob decided to replace the plates on the other side to ensure that any wear was equal, and to avoid the failure we experienced last week.

I arrived at the barn after lunch to find the boys wrapping up the trailer repair. My Bronco hinges had been delivered so I gave them a test fit. Good and not so good news. The hinges look the part and with some adjustment, they will fit. It looks like one side will have to be shortened, and new holes will have to be drilled and tapped to make them work. OK, so no bad news there.

Later, Bob decided to put the new CMP under canvas. We pulled out a load of rims, an engine and other parts from a shelter and gingerly parked the newest CMP in it for the winter. The rims were then put in Bob's storage container/ parking space. This meant driving his truck out.

Bob and I looked at each other and decided it was time to take the trucks out for a spin. After my HUP warmed up, we headed to Bob's back 40. Today, Bob decided to commune with nature. We rolled through the woods with Bob leading. Bob was continually ducking, bobbing and weaving to avoid branches that seemed to reach for the trucks. Keep in mind that he does not yet have a cab on his truck (but soon will after that ride). I was fortunate in that my HUP is nearly completely enclosed, so branches were only a minor irritant for me.

At the end of the trail, Bob turned his truck around and made a loop through the woods back to the trail. We bounced our way back to the open field and parked the trucks to inspect for damage. Seeing none, we headed back to the barn and put our charges away.

After the drive, we decided to call it a day. After that drive, nothing else seemed all that important. So, the barn got locked up, and we parted company.

Photos:

1 - Bob and Grant - trailer repair redux
2 - Post trail run - the most fun you can have with your pants on!

Frosty Sunday at the Barn
 

Grant and Bob were at the barn on Saturday fiddling with Grant's engine. They got it to turn over but ran into an oil pressure issue, which got solved on Sunday - Grant can explain.

My son Jesse and I spent Saturday on the road touring the fall landscape. After indulging in nature's fall show, we decided to do some visiting. The first stop was the Swords and Ploughshares Museum to help tarp up some of the displays for the coming winter. Unfortunately, we missed Gunner by a few minutes, who I understand was out dear hunting (yes, the spelling is correct). Next stop was at Greg Wright's place. Greg was in the middle of some yard work so I pitched in while we discussed the hobby and the surplus business. At noon, Jesse and I headed back to Ottawa for "boys only" afternoon of mayhem and destruction. He wanted to try out a few military style video games - the army video game made him uncomfortable, so we settled on learning to fly WWII aircraft. Jesse is OK with strafing and bombing, but draws the line at jumping into a trench and squaring the enemy away.

The clocks "fell back" on Saturday night, so I took advantage of the extra hour by going to the barn early on Sunday morning. The grounds were covered in a white coating of frost as the mercury had dipped to -5 oC overnight. This was the first really "cool" morning at the barn, so Lucifer was stocked with a good supply of kindling and wood. It didn't take long to get a roaring fire going. The next order of business was to repair the fan that moves the hot air. The power cord was rewired and the fan was put back into place. Good thing, because by this time it was plenty hot at the top of ole Lucifer.

Bob showed up after the frost disappeared and wondered aloud why the furnace was lit. The temp had risen to a balmy 8 oC in a few short hours and would eventually hit 13 oC. Bob needed to clean up some wood and to cut some more wood for Lucifer. He headed out to the back 40 and played with his chain saw for about an hour. I fired up the HUP and drove it to Bob's location to help him with the wood. Grant showed up shortly thereafter and finished the job with Bob.

While driving the HUP back to the barn I heard a very distinct noise from the rear of the truck that sounded like a rifle shot. I stopped to take a look around the truck to find the source, but could not find anything wrong. I drove the truck back to the barn and parked it. Bob and Grant had returned from the wood job and joined in the search for the source of the noise. We checked the typical locations where a loose bolt would cause a problem, but all of the drive shafts, tranny bolts and U joint bolts were intact.

Speculation turned to interal causes - my heart sank with the thought that the short (and rare) axle shaft may have sheared off. I checked the transfer gearbox shift lever and it looked like it was in the "front axle disengaged" or upper position - whew! The axle was not the cause. When I tried to shift the lever it was binding on something. I crawled underneath the truck and with Grant's assistance exercised the shift lever. The linkages looked OK, but the lever would not shift forward. After a little convincing the lever went into the "front axle engaged" position. I speculated that the lever detent was not fully engaged and the source of the noise was the transfer case linkage resulting from a "floppy" shift lever. The lever was found to be operating condition, so I will chalk it up to poor operator drills for not checking to ensure it was in the proper position.

The inspection of the bottom end of the truck led to the discovery of some damage inflicted in last week's romp through the trees. My passenger side front fender was bent at the leading edge near the bolt hole and bent sideways a bit near the mudflap. The nose or clip has not yet been installed, but soon will be after some wiring issues are sorted out. Bob and I fixed the bent metal in a jiffy. A hammer and dolly do wonders, and the judicious handling of a bottle jack quickly put things back into order. This was more incentive to get the wiring done and to put on the nose or clip.

The rest of Saturday was spent doing the thousand and one small tasks around the barn. This included the fitting of the newly acquired Bronco hinges. The hinges have been marked and will be modified in the near future. Right now, they are too long and the screw holes do not match up. However, they will be shortened, the holes filled with weld and new holes drilled and tapped. Once they are installed, it will mean that for the first time since 2003, the HUP will have its full complement of doors and sliding glass windows. Another milestone that I am eagerly anticipating.

With the sun setting, a full day at the barn ended. The sunset drive back to Ottawa was very nice and I am sure that any sailors in the area were quite delighted.


Photos:

1 - Hammond regulars sporting winter plumage
2 - HUP damage
3 - Hinge test fit
4 - Upper hinge
5 - Lower hinge

Jealous husband....?
 

While driving the HUP back to the barn I heard a very distinct noise from the rear of the truck that sounded like a rifle shot.

....Rob......Did you see anyone running away after firing a shot at you....?

We are very fortunate to have such warm weather this year....may be cold in the morning but it his been in the mid teen every day...... sure will pay for this later one.

Part of the problem with the 261 in Grant's truck was that the dizzy was not in deep enough so the oil pump was not properly engaged..... soon resolved and we had 44 pounds with the old screw driver shaft in the electric drill trick..... sure primes up the oil galleys in a hurry. with the starter.. no plugs got little over 30 pounds.... next time we hookup the coil and see if it sputters.

Bob

Veteran lives in a shipping container
 

Bob,
Sea container condos........

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/canew...-27180031.html

Cheers!
Stuart

Sad situation......
 

He should move into the OCCUPY camping facilites where they have installed portable washrooms and free elctricity and get food donations every day..... and NO rent.


Bob

Rob are you OK.....?
 

Went to the barn after work and it seems you left in a hurry.....

did you hurt yourself and left urgently to go to the hospital...

.... or did you get mobbed by the naked wood nymph....?

.... or had an attack of CRS....


I found your work gloves outside the barn about ten feet apart and your new quilted insulated shirt further away on the ground.....

.....could not find your pants ...!!!!!

I always miss all the fun !!!!!!

Bob

Ooops!
 

CRS, or the cats are messing around with my stuff.

Thanks for the help
 

Hi Rob,

It was great to see you out and about, a pleasant surprise. :cheers: :cheers:
Thanks for the help in filling in the hole. I now have two walls up and I hope to have the roof on by the end of Monday.
Daniel had alot of fun playing with Jesse on the wii game.
I see that your hup is coming along.


Cheers, :cheers:
Greg

Thanks for bottles.....
 

Hi Gregg

We can use them around the barn..... found out that the caps are available at CTC.... they are great for chain saw oil, etc.

Bob

Hi Bob,

I hope all is well.
You are more than welcome for the cans. If you need more, let me know.

Cheers, :cheers:
Greg

Quiet Weekend at the Barn
 

Not much going on at the barn this weekend. Bob and Joyce were away for a family visit near Hogtown. I expect Bob will have some photos of the trip home where he and Joyce were going to load up and drag home a CMP that Grant recently bought.

Grant had the run of the barn for most of Saturday. I dropped in for some CMP time later that afternoon after visiting our welder friend in Embrun. The welder fabbed up a roller ball and step rivet for one of my roller arms for the sliding hatch. Grant was working on a transfer case issue that kept him busy until quitting time. I started the HUP and let her run until she was nice and warm. After shutting her down I spent the remaining daylight attaching the floor plates. More than a few capture nut cages had been broken off in my zeal to tear the truck apart for restoration. Others needed replacement. Time goes fast when you are enjoying yourself.

Sunday was a very pleasant day; a good day for winter driving preparation. I dug out the winter tires for my van and car to clean them up before mounting them on the vehicles. All eight wheels had rust spots, but they disappeared after a good long session with the wire wheel on an air tool. After a good cleaning and phosphate treatment, the exposed metal was treated to some nice glossy black rust paint, which should hold them until next spring. After loading the tires I headed back to Ottawa.

I managed to get the winter tires on the van before it got dark. The car can wait as there is no snow in the immediate forecast. I usually put the winter tires on just after Remembrance Day. Speaking of which, I had a great time with the Swords and Ploughshares folk, who had a CCKW and a six pounder out for the ceremony in the small town of Manotick. Gunner's crew fired a blank round to begin and end the two minutes of silence. Two vintage aircraft thundered over the parade promptly at 11 AM. I had the honour of laying a wreath at the cenotaph on behalf of the museum - Gunner was busy hooking in the gun for the roll past. I was very proud to ride with Mike as we rolled past the dias, where a good friend and WWII veteran, Jack Kirkpatrick took the salute. The parade consisted of a march past of the Legion Flag Party, veterans, serving members, cadets and other services (fire/RCMP).

Many thanks to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 314, 2958 Manotick Army Cadet Corps (1st Anti-Tank Regiment, RCA), and the S&P Museum for their hospitality. It was good to be back "home" for the ceremony. Small town Remembrance Day Ceremonies have their charms. Next year, I hope to visit another small town for their ceremony.

Photos:

1 - Gunner's and company
2 - Salute Gun
3 - S&P CCKW
4 - Jack taking the salute
5 - Jack K cutting the Remembrance Day cake

What are you doing about the captive nuts?
 

Hi Rob

What are you doing about replacing the captive nut/ caged nuts? Do you have replacements and if so how are you welding them in the pitch welder or plug welding them?

Cheers Phil