2011 at the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

Whew! Finally some time to myself. This work thing really interferes with the hobby. Now that things have calmed down at the office, I can finally post some more pics of the last HUP recovery.

First, a big thank you to Bob for making his truck and trailer available for the early morning run to Mount Royal. Second, gratitude to Grant for lending his considerable energy and assistance in this recovery. Next, a big thank you to the Sûreté du Québec for staying off the roads during the snowstorm...My biggest fear was that we were going to get the unwanted attention of the local constabulary. Luck was with us and we made it back to Ontario unmolested.

At Prefair, our buddy Jacques fired up the pay loader and gently placed the C60 frame aboard the trailer. After some adjusting (smashing down the rear cab panel - which was toast anyway), Jacques loaded the HUP onto the top of the C60. With the front two wheels resting on the cab floor and the back two wheels straddling the frame, the HUP settled in nicely.

Bob, Grant and I knitted the two trucks together with chains galore. Then we bear-trapped the load and invented a new game. Who can slacken each other’s bear trap. This involved placing the initial bear traps on the right side and then doing the same on the left side. The process of tightening the chains on one side made the chains slack on the other side and so on…After making sure everything was secure, we wired the handles of the bear traps to the chains and took a spin to check if anything moved improperly. I think we have learned some good lessons from past recoveries because things went very smoothly indeed. By this time the store had opened, so we took advantage of the situation and did some green shopping. I’m surprised that Grand did not buy the million candle power spot lamp, but I wasn’t surprised that Bob bought some old wooden boxes…

Eventually, we hit the road for the city. It was snowing somewhat lighter by this point, but the roads were quite slippery. The closer we got to Ontario, the better the conditions got. However, once in Ontario Lady Luck dealt us a small but significant blow. The windshield wiper fluid couldn't reach the windshield. So we pulled into the metropolis of Casselman to troubleshoot the problem and to clean the windshield. Get this, not one, but both of the windshield washer nozzles on Bob's truck had broken at the under hood connection. Luckily, we found a local Ford dealer who set us up with replacement parts (another story there). Meanwhile, the locals gazed with great curiosity at what appeared to be two procreating CMPs on a trailer. One fellow stopped by to ask "What the hell is "that" thing?" After politely educating him, he drove off muttering something that sounded like "silly tuckers" or something like that...

Now, back at the barn, Bob invited his neighbour Dave to stop by with his front end loader. The HUP was too high off the ground for Bob’s tractor to handle, so we decided to go with two machines. With the loader up front, and the tractor at the rear, the HUP was chained up. Dave, being new to the world of old trucks was very “enthusiastic” in his first lift. The quick pick up caused one of the chains on the rear to lose purchase and the HUP decided to show its displeasure by rotating left onto its side. Fortunately, it was only a few inches off the ground when it decided to spin…Removing the C60 was a breeze. After thanking Dave and sending him on his way, we dragged both vehicles to the wagon lines behind the barn. The rest of the day was spent cleaning up and putting the gear away.

This was another good recovery in that we brought home more CMPs and we did it safely. Again, thanks to the Hammond Barn Boys for their help in giving a HUP a new home. Here’s to the next mission!

Photos:
1 - Bob's mobile CMP recovery shop
2 - A close up of the chaining process
3 - Bob inspecting the work
4 - Casselman's first and only CMP parade
5 - The snow melted off the trucks - just ignore the blue oval in the background...