2013 at the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

1 - A hint about how much snow fell in the Granby region of Quebec.
2 - 37 Chev frame - in very nice condition.
3 - A very light load indeed. See any CMP similarities?
4 - On the trailer and ready to go
5 - Final inspection.

The engine is on the back of the truck. Bob may add some details about it.

[Bob Carriere]

We will have a series of close up pictures of CMP like features..... when weather permits.

But it sits on 16 in. rims.......Western frame has been sandblasted and painted chassis black. Front foremost crossmember that supports the rad and the rear engine crossmember looks identical to a CMP....... rear spring hangers also look identical..... frame sit straigth and not pitted..... and front horn of frame have insert cast iron parts similar to a C8

Time will tell if that frame is identical to the 1940 1 ton truck in the back field.

Engine is a stock rebuilt 235, rebuilt in Texas and imported to Montreal, invoice was provided for the engine...... never runned.... now sits on an engine stand.....turns freely...looks very good.....temporarily dressed with left over oil pan. valve cover, and side cover from a 261 engine that was fried. Full gasket set was included and assorted 216 parts he had left over from the original block. All in all not a bad deal

The drive was long, can't figure out the fascination that Montrealers have for huge pot holes and traffic jams......very greatful for the companionship and assistance of my two compadres !!!!!!

Bob C.

[RHClarke]

25-30 cm fell in the Ottawa region last week. It made for a great winter wonderland look, but all of this snow was wet - very wet! Bob spend a good portion of last week giving the snowblower a good workout. A lot of that time was spent unclogging the intake of the blower.

Around home, the chaps with the snowblowers could not clear the snow without stalling their machines - repeatedly. Shovelling the snow worked up a good sweat. I was looking forward to getting to the barn on Saturday for a break from the snow.

Well, that break didn't happen. Bob and Joyce made a great attempt at cleaning off the shelters, but the deep snow and wind made that task all but impossible. By the time I got to the barn, most of the snow on its roof had fallen off. The shed was another story - it was covered with a heavy wet load that refused to budge with the snow rake. It will have to be shovelled off at a later date.

Then it was on to the shelters. It was noted that the black tarps that Bob installed on his shelter shed the snow quite well, whereas the other shelter acccumulated a heavy load. The Ted's truck shelter had begun to twist its frame under the load. It sprung back into position once the ice and snow was removed, but it will have to be repositioned and reinforced this spring.

The next step was to clear snow and ice from the roofs of the trucks in the back 40. I took on this chore as Bob was busy with the tractor, and Grant was at work. The most difficult part of the job was getting to the vehicles. The snow was up to my hips, which made travel very tiring. I broke the snow rake trying to break through the hard outer crusts of the snow. The wet snow beneath the crust didn't help matters. After working up a real sweat, we headed to lunch.

After a quick bite to eat, Bob and I returned to the barn for various chores including more shovelling and some ice removal. After that was done, I finally got to work on the HUP while Bob inventoried the parts he picked up last week. The afternoon passed all too quickly, but we decided that we had done enough for the day and locked up the barn and headed home.

Photos:

1 - An all too familiar "before" shot.
2 - The "after" shot.
3 - Black tarps vs other tarps - the effect is clear!
4 - Bob going through his treasures from last weeks border raid.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

...

Photos:

1 - An all too familiar "before" shot.
2 - The "after" shot.

....

Is there a difference?

[Bob Carriere]

Terry

As you get older the first thing to go is memory.....then.... oh yeah the second is your eye sight fades.....

So it seems you'r unable to remember what is different between the two pictures and you can't really see them too well....


Now I am allowed to make fun of old guys ...... as long as they are younger than me........

Life is now so much fun...... I keep making new friends every day......

Bob

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Is there a difference?

About 25cm reduction the in height of the trucks. I think (hope) this will be the last great blast of winter...(yeah, I jinxed it)

[RHClarke]

Saturday morning was cold and crisp, a perfect occasion to fire up Lucifer for maybe one of the last few times. It took a while for the barn to heat up and when one stepped outside a half hour later, it was warmer outside than in! The barn seems to hold the cold rather well. The sun had come out and everything with snow on it was dripping wet.

The HUP was winched out of its box for repairs. First up was to replace the bushings in the front drivers side door hinges. This involved removing the door and drifting out the remnants of the original bushings. The replacement bushings (Canadian Tire assorted pack) fit well and did help with the door alignment. Next was the water pump. A small persistent leak has plagued the HUP all winter. So off came the pump. Soon after, Grant and Bob arrived. Grant busied himself clearing snow from the roofs of the comms shelters and shed. Bob took the tractor out of the barn and turned the snowblower attachment into the sun to melt off the ice that had formed near the intake. Both then joined me in detecting the leak. With no clear evidence of where the leak was originating, I began the removal process. This took until lunch time - a clear indication of my mechanical skills.

Once the pump was removed, we cleaned the old pump face up and looked for warping and evidence of leaks. None were found, so off to lunch we went. After lunch we cleaned all the mating surfaces, coathed the gaskets with sealant, and reattached the water pump using new bolts. It was thought that maybe the old original bolt threads had worn and were not fully engaging. After refilling the rad, Bob and Grant decided that it was warm enough to do some sandblasting. While they had their fun, I played with the HUP.

After refitting the pump and refilling the rad, it was found that the leak was coming from the front end of the shaft. The pump would have to be removed and replaced. Bob rooted through his treasures and came up with a pair of two hole pumps (the HUP has a '54 235 engine in it). One was a "rebuild" Bob got online, the other came off a well-used engine.

We took the rebuild into the barn and removed the pulley - not without considerable effort. Once the pulley was off, the shaft came out and gave us a surprise. The vanes had been worn down as they had cut into the face of the front of the housing. The hole through the housing was worn out of round. So much for "rebuilds" - caveat emptor!

By now we were afloat in surface water. With the ground frozen below, the water stays on the surface filling in all of the low spots like the entrances to the barn. No matter where you went you were sloshing through slush and water. There never seems to be some middle ground here at the barn – it always seems to be extremes of weather conditions. Nonetheless, we carry on as if normal…

Next up was the old pump, which was seized up. We doused it in oil and left it to soak. I am not sure just how well this pump will hold up, so we discussed online replacement resources. Unfortunately, it was time to head home.

Photos:
1 - Conditions -Sunny, warm, wet and slushy.
2 - Bob blasting.

[RHClarke]

The weather has been both warm and cold. Warm during the day and cold during the night. The roads are frozen when we arrive at the barn in the morning, but by 10AM they turn into mud swamps. This has been a very cool spring and the snow is gradually disappearing. There has not been too much going on at the barn for the past few weeks other than spring clean up and maintenance.

This weekend Bob, Grant and I got together on Saturday to do some barn chores. We removed Bob's concrete pad in the barn, and began deconstructing the old 45 HUP parking garage foundation. There was some CMP work completed as I test ran the HUP to see if last week's waterpump repair took hold. The truck started with relative ease and to my great relief there were no coolant leaks.

Bob and Grant removed the snowblower from the back of the tractor and completed some routine maintenance on the old girl. Later that day I convinced Bob to help me move some parts to the top of the new sea container. We hoisted the nose for the HUP with the bucket of the tractor to take advantage of all that spare space.

While I was up there, I noticed that the roof of Bob's container was in need of some maintenance. When it get a little warmer out, we will be fixing the rusty spots. In the meanwhile, we will be concentrating on diverting the run off water from the grounds and roads, finishing the wiring on the 45 HUP and starting to reassemble Bob's sheet metal. We may even see the emergence of Grant's radio truck.

While we have been somewhat hamstrung by the weather, we are looking forward to a warm, dry summer and the various MV events taking place - including Bob's BBQ!

Photos:

1 - The yard
2 - Nice view of the new storage space
3 - The HUP looks nice from this angle
4 - Bob loading the last of the concrete pad - it will be used to fill in some of the holes we are expecting this spring

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

While I was up there, I noticed that the roof of Bob's container was in need of some maintenance. When it get a little warmer out, we will be fixing the rusty spots. ...

and that would be the reason the container was surplused. The other reason might be hairline fatigue cracks on the welds. May I be the first to suggest an actual 3D roof instead of patches on patches. A real 2x4 joist, plywood and shingle roof will last infinitely longer than a coat of roofing tar. It will also improve internal humidity levels.

[Bob Carriere]

Long term plans are to buy another container and set it up 20 feet apart from the existing one and set up a proper roofing span in between them gaining another two 10x20 parking spot protected from the weather..... subject to finding the $$$$$$

Short term extend the life of the roof with a quick waterproof coating.

so far the interior of the container has remained very dry.

Bob

[RHClarke]

I took a short trip to the barn this morning to deliver a parts bin and to do some outside work. The road to the barn was very soft and wet. There is a lot of water on the surface of the grounds as the frost is still just below the surface in some areas. Where the sun hits the ground you find mud. Not just ankle deep...

As the morning progressed, the temperature dropped and snow squalls blew through. Thursday we were up to 20cC. Not today, it was windy, overcast and chilly. Bob and Grant were nowhere to be seen this morning, and the mud prevented any useful work outside, so I loaded up the van and headed back home in the snow.

Photos:
1 - Clive's "stealth" shelter.
2 - Vehicle park in Lake Hammond
3 - More of the same
4 - A sign of spring!

[RHClarke]

Well, we went from winter to summer in one fell swoop. Instead of being too cold, too muddy, too wet, it is now too frigging hot. We went from -20oC up to 24oC in less than a week or so. Our thick Canadian winterized blood has not yet thinned enough to handle the heat of the day. We do live in a world of extremes here.

The past few weeks involved a lot of maintenance around the barn. Bob got some sandblasting time in, Grant worked on making up some wooden hip ring spacers, while I busied myself with ground preparation for the eventual move of my container. This involved removing deadfall, a few trees and a whole lot of poison ivy. Next step is to bring in a truck load of pit run to build up the four corners of the container's resting place. Once done, I will top each of the four corners off with gravel, level it out and build piers for support. Bob has a container moving rig already made up, so moving the box should be fairly easy - if the ground dries out enough.

In the meanwhile, we had a visit from Guy Vapeur, who brought along a small naval type replica canon. He made the barrel from an old shotgun barrel and machined up an interesting breech mechanism and firing pin assembly. At 10:30 AM, Hammond was awoken to the sound of gunfire, courtesy of Guy and his gun crew.

Other work accomplished - we ran a test of my alternator and wiring harness. There are a few more tweaks to be done, but we should see a fully running electrical system in the near future. Thanks to my pal Johnny T for taking care of the electrics.

Yesterday was another maintenance day at the barn. Bob and Grant took down a few dead trees and a few that were close to the power lines. Being quite warm (by our standards), the tree felling was followed by a well-appreciated beer.

Next steps - pull out Grant's truck, pull out the Pilot Model HUP for body removal and engine work. Thankfully, the fun never ends at the barn!

Photos:

1 - Guy's naval gun
2 - Same
3 - Johnny T working away on the HUP
4 - The lumberjacks at it
5 - The end product

[Stuart Fedak]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

...I busied myself with ground preparation for the eventual move of my container. This involved removing deadfall, a few trees and a whole lot of poison ivy. Next step is to bring in a truck load of pit run to build up the four corners of the container's resting place. Once done, I will top each of the four corners off with gravel, level it out and build piers for support. Bob has a container moving rig already made up, so moving the box should be fairly easy - if the ground dries out enough.

Bob and Grant took down a few dead trees and a few that were close to the power lines. Being quite warm (by our standards), the tree felling was followed by a well-appreciated beer.

Thankfully, the fun never ends at the barn!

Rob, with all the land clearing and HUP House building, this is starting to sound like a reality show called "Little HUP on the Prairie".

Nice to hear that the Hammond Barn crew survived the winter and is now into summer mode. I came across my first batch of wasps who also survived the winter and were already setting up home in my salvage Iltis. You have to be careful when jumping into the vehicles and lifting hoods.

Any news on a potential meet and greet at the barn? Then we can admire all the updates in person.......... Have a great summer!

Cheers!
Stuart

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Guys

Glad to hear the Hammond Crew has woken from winter hibernation to finally find spring. Stuart may have renamed you thread, Little HUP on the Prairie, is kind of catchy.

In a similar vain today I started and drove all three of my CMPs for the first time this spring. The wonders of electric fuel pumps they all started right up. This is about the latest that I started driving them in all the years I had them generally they come out sometime in March.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Stuart Fedak

... I came across my first batch of wasps who also survived the winter and were already setting up home in my salvage Iltis. You have to be careful when jumping into the vehicles and lifting hoods. Any news on a potential meet and greet at the barn? Then we can admire all the updates in person.......... Have a great summer! Stuart

Yes, hornets/wasps/yellow jackets help with security here at the barn. We also employ chemical/biologic agents (essence de chat ) to make unauthorized visits less than pleasant.

I will leave it up to Bob to discuss the "social season". Get your dance card ready.

[Bob Carriere]

Was out cruising a garage sale on Saturday which was a bust but did notice an "AUCTION" sign that I followed to a large farm equipment auction.

Got lucky and bought another Allis Chalmers CA for parts but it may be to good for parting out. I am in the process of rebuilding a small CA for Joyce.

So went back home to get the float which had not been used since March 2013. As I pulled it out of its parking spot two of the left hand wheels refused to turn..... nuttin' serious I though just rust on the brake lining/drums.

So we pulled and pushed the trailer to the barn door and things got progressively worst....wheels would turn then jam then turn.

We put the trailer on stands and remove both wheels and when we removed the drums the brake linings just fell out in chunks.....completely delaminated from the brake shoes ...... amazing amount of rust inside the drum, return springs, cams, etc all badly rusted probably accellarated by winter road salt.

So had to borrow Grant's trailer for the tractor recovery and get parts.

Lucky for us our local steel shop/fabricator had all the parts we needed.... got four new complete brake plate assembly and 4 seals ...... spent Sunday rebuilding all four wheels.

According to the dealer some of his customers replace these prone to rust parts almost yearly. Mine were 9 years old originals. No shortage of wheel grease when we disassembled..... all the damage was limited to the brake plate assembly, magnet, etc.

So next time you pull out your trailer to check the lights and tire pressure before heading off on a recovery......THINK ABOUT AN ANNUAL BRAKE PLATE INSPECTIONS........

Grant is seriously thinking of pulling off the 4 drums on his trailer, even if newer, than mine for a cautionary inspection.... just in case !!!!

Lucky it happened in the yard and not loaded with a CMP going down hills in Algonquin park....

Bob

[rob love]

I have 17 years on my 12,000 pound trailer and am still running the original shoes. But I do not have to deal with the corrosion that you guys out East have. We pay for that with the brutal never ending winters.

Replacing the backing plates with everything on them really is the way to go when it comes to trailers. The parts are cheap enough, and you catch all the problems at once.

As you mentioned Bob, better to have found out in the yard than on the highway.

[RHClarke]

A lot of work has been going on at the barn to prepare for the hot weather - which arrived (if just for a day) yesterday. After a general clean up, Bob and Grant got into fixing one of Bob's old tractors (see threads above).

This Friday the temperature only hit 25oC - perfect weather for a moving experience. After some preparation (support piers buried in the ground), plans were made to move the HUP sea container. Stu Fedak joined us at the barn to drop off some goodies and to check out our metal working shop. He also came in handy when we finally moved the container.

The sea can was prepared for moving by removing all of the contents to lighten the load (the can weighs 2100 kg). Bob's home built can axle and hubs were attached to the rear forklift pockets and his special sea can moving chain was hooked up to the can. Using the three point hitch on his tractor, Bob lifted the door end of the can and with remarkable precision (after a few attempts) delivered the can to its new resting place. There was some fine tuning of the can's position, but after some persuasion with a come-along, the can was on its piers.

This took up most of the afternoon, and by that time we had worked up a bit of sweat, so Bob came to the rescue with some cold beer, which evaporated quite quickly. We celebrated the move with a burger, a few pops and spent an hour chatting about hobby related things. After dinner we cleaned up the barn, put the HUP in the can and headed for home. Many thanks to Stu for the help and to Bob for being the gracious host he always tends to be.

Email Bob if you want more details on how to move a sea can using his (not) patented, homemade, jury-rigged axles and hubs.

Photos:
1 - Bob and Stu chatting about things metallic
2 - Bob's handiwork with axles
3 - Lifting chain arrangement
4 - "Home"
5 - Clear driveway at last!

[RHClarke]

You can never win with Ottawa weather. In winter we Hammond Barn types carp that it is too cold (and it is), in the spring time and fall we complain about the mud (and there is a lot of it), and in the summer we moan about the heat. Now I know that the Aussies may consider temperatures in the high 30oC range to be somewhat coolish, but for we northerners (who live in the south of our country), that temperature range is brain frying hot. You can count on both hands the number of days this year when working outside of the barn was "pleasant".

Despite the weather, things are happening at the Hammond Barn. Recently retired Bob has rekindled his love for tractors and with Grant's assistance, is restoring a few antique models. Bob also planted garlic and sunflowers in his spare time. When not tending his gardens he can be found in the barn working on the sheet metal for his CMP truck.

Grant has been busy this week fighting mother nature. He knocked down some robust weeds that threatened to take over the small wagon lines and more recently removed a number of stumps around the barn.

My CMP pursuits have been somewhat limited but there has been some progress on the HUP pilot model. I now have some nicely bent metal replacement parts for the rotted out doors. The next step is to restore the door structure and then map out how to restore the roof of the truck. I have plans to remove the body from the frame to look for damages and to prepare for sandblasting.

Our most recent activities centered around a custom winch installation for some chaps (David Moore and Tom Lodge) from down Kingston way. Bob can provide the details on how things went as I had to head for home for some domestic chores before the task was completed.

Photos:

1 - Grant at the controls of the stump eater (Bob really wanted to play, too.)
2 - Todays project - install winch
3 - The planning session
4 - Bob making fire (fabbing up a part)
5 - Quality control at its finest...

[Bob Carriere]

We always hear about how important it is to have a good grounding connection particularly on 6 volts system........ well it also applies top 12 volts.

Although weeks apart, on 3 occasions the truck would not turn over and a fully charged battery made no difference. Because I am still running the truck as a rolling chassis it is easier to work on.... but after removing the starter 3 times....taking it apart, cleaning the segments as I assumed I had a dead spot somewhere...... no difference. Tuesday it started well Wednesday it was dead cold again.

After sweating bullets removing the starter again with no improvement I decided to push it into the barn for shade and ease of working. I tried to start it by towing it but no spark.....????

Everytime I used the tester it showed 12.88 volts.... so I assumed that power was getting to the starter.......

So went back over every thing one step at a time..... cleaned the battery terminals ..... no change..... checked the black ground wire tied to the bellhousing.... gave it another quarter turn .... still no change.

Decided to remove the bolt holding the ground wire..... installed two new star shaped washers one on each side of the cable ferrule..... bingo started right away.

Don't think that faulty connections can only happened on 6 volts system.

I have concluded that although the ground wire was conducting enough voltage at the low amps generated by the tester the connection was bad enough that on a high load for the starter it failed to carry the amperage.

Lesson learned.

Bob C.

[hrpearce]

Same for 24v Bob. When I was driving a N12 Volvo for work we thought the alternator was failing as the batteries lost power during the day and we had to leave the charger on overnight to run it the next day. After a few days of doing this the throttle cable went up in smoke while I was starting the truck. I fitted a new earth directly from the engine to the chassis and magically the alternator started working properly again and the starter worked a lot better.

[Wpns 421]

Hi Guys
I am sure the title caught your attention soooo!!!!
Gilles and Carolle are having a corn roast on the 17th Aug and we are inviting all the hermits/recluses from the Hammond Barn. Tomorrow we will post the official invitation and directions.
We plan on having some seminars on various subjects and a ssmall swap meet, bring your wives and we will send them to Merrickville on the sight seeing and shop visit tours.
RSVP

Gilles Carolle

[Stuart Fedak]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

We always hear about how important it is to have a good grounding connection particularly on 6 volts system........ well it also applies top 12 volts.

Everytime I used the tester it showed 12.88 volts.... so I assumed that power was getting to the starter.......

Decided to remove the bolt holding the ground wire..... installed two new star shaped washers one on each side of the cable ferrule..... bingo started right away.

Don't think that faulty connections can only happened on 6 volts system.

I have concluded that although the ground wire was conducting enough voltage at the low amps generated by the tester the connection was bad enough that on a high load for the starter it failed to carry the amperage.

Lesson learned.

Bob C.

Bob,
Good information. I have also seen this on 12/24 VDC systems. Just because the meter shows appropriate voltage, does not mean that the circuit is capable of drawing sufficent current to start a vehicle. Case in point, last year I had some issues with my Jeep Grand Cherokee on the North Shore of Lake Superior, on a Sunday. I dropped into a gargage, where the mechanic was not around, but someone offered to take off the battery cables and clean the terminals. The terminals were pried off, and the terminals were cleaned, and re-installed. The vehicle started but continued to act up intermittently. I would measure the voltage on the battery, and all seemed good. I ended up replacing the 12 VDC battery. When taking the terminals off, it became apparent that the lead connector on the battery was cracked at the plates of the battery. So at times it worked well, and other times it was unable to provide enough current because of the break.

Now I have purchased a battery terminal puller, which is very low cost, compared to the cost of replacement of a battery. I try to use the battery termninal puller now on all my vehicles, rather than just using some random tool to pry off the connectors.

In Ottawa, one fellow was having problems setting the voltage regulator on the alternator after assembling the system back up. The battery voltage kept on getting lower, and adjusting the voltage regulator was of no use. Voltage regulators need a reference to ground to work. It ended up the large ground wire from the engine to the body was not connected up. As soon as that was done, the voltage regulator was functional and could be adjusted. Then the batteries could accept a charge and their voltage increased.

Lots of little things to look at with batteries and starter/alternator circuits when they do not work properly.

Cheers!
Stuart

[RHClarke]

Bob was off murdering lobster in Maine. Grant has been busy at work. I have been spending time at the barn stripping down the Pilot Model HUP, working at home and helping Gunner with museum issues out in Kars, Ontario.

The Pilot Model is coming apart with surprising ease. With the exception of the nuts on the sheet metal, all the other parts came off nicely. The engine came out in the blink of an eye using a rudimentary “A” frame and pulley system - just like the one Bob and I used in our first engine recovery all those years ago! The next step with the Pilot Model is to pull the bottom end off the engine and then prepare the frame for eventual sandblasting. I will be tackling some of the sheet metal issues this fall and winter.

At the Swords and Ploughshares Museum, Mike and I discussed the operations of the museum and the way ahead. We also tackled some ground maintenance issues. It is amazing the amount of work that gets done behind the scenes by Mike. Running a museum with so much going on as a "one-man-show" is near impossible, but somehow Mike makes it work.

My youngest son Jesse helped us out with brush clearing and general cleaning tasks at the museum. It was good to see him un-tethered from his electronic devices for a morning of hard work. I hope to drag Jesse out to the barn to begin working on his truck in earnest this year, but time will tell!

See the photos - any ideas of what Jesse is sitting on? Note the use of the old axle shafts...

Photos:
1 - Jes taking a break
2 - Re-purposed vehicle axle
3 - Same - new angle

[hrpearce]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

See the photos - any ideas of what Jesse is sitting on? Note the use of the old axle shafts...

1; Jesse is sitting on a dozer blade
2; Jesse is sitting on his backside
Rob your boy is growing up fast, just like my boys it's great to watch their progress as time passes.

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by hrpearce

1; Jesse is sitting on a dozer blade
2; Jesse is sitting on his backside. Rob your boy is growing up fast, just like my boys it's great to watch their progress as time passes.

Robert, You win a tour of the Hammond Barn!*
Yes, the boys do grow up quite fast. I am always surprised by what he will do next (hopefully it does not involve medical treatment).

The dozer blade was made to fit the Canadian Ram tank. In this case I believe it was post war - Gunner may step in to correct this assumption. The neat thing is the use of axle shafts for pivots at the front corners of the blade. This thing is a beast.





*Transport costs not included...

[hrpearce]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

Robert, You win a tour of the Hammond Barn!*
*Transport costs not included...

Love to Rob but my passport is not current. Vicki and I have talked about visiting Canada but it will have to wait until I retire unfortunately.

[RHClarke]

It was a very quiet summer at the barn. Bob entered into retirement spending his time putting together old tractors and cutting wood for the coming winter. Grant did some work on the cab of his truck, and I was able to do some more work on the Pilot Model HUP when time and circumstances permitted.

Bob took a break from the wood pile and the painting of tractors to do some maintenance work on some of the barn's assets. His custom made truck ramps are now highly visible and will be easy to spot in the snow this winter.

Today, we had a good chat about our late friend Alex Blair and recounted the many interesting and enjoyable conversations we had with Alex here at the barn and at Gracies. We say good-bye to him tomorrow.

Photos:
1 - The ramps sporting their new coat of paint.
2 - Bob's girl "Alice".

[RHClarke]

Any Game of Thrones fans out there? Not too many here at the barn, but once October hits, we know what is lurking in the near future. Cold, and lots of it. With that in mind, the fine folks at the barn completed a few tasks that should keep Lucifer happy over the coming eight or so months. Bob has spent a lot of time putting in his fire wood for his home and for the barn. Fortunately, he has some time to spare these days!

This weekend past, Grant, Bob and I replenished the wood pile inside the barn by using the left over wood in the wood shed. We then unloaded by hand a well-filled 3/4 ton SMP trailer of cut and split fire wood. By the time we had finished, we had a very well stacked supply on hand for feeding Lucifer.

The next object of attention was to remove Bob's hobby tractor from the front of the barn. The tractor fired up nicely (and loudly - no muffler) and Bob drove it to its winter storage site. If you look closely at the photos below, you will see Bob's improvised tractor seat.

We had a nice lunch in Rockland, where we chatted about things CMP and the passing of Alex Blair. Alex's service last week reminded us of the temporary nature of life, and the need to follow his example and enjoy your family, friends and shared hobbies. Rest in peace, Alex. We will miss you.

Photos: (ignore the time/date stamps)
1 - Lucifer's food
2 - Bob in the wood shed
3 - Grant and the wood trailer
4 - Bob fiddling with Alice
5 - Alice heading for storage

[RHClarke]

Winter prep continued at the barn this past week. Bob and I spent some time cutting logs and filling the trailer. Once that was done, we moved some of the trucks in the wagon lines as they had sunk up to their rims. One 3/4 ton truck could not be moved as it seems that all four brakes had seized up.

Later on, we prepared one of the project trucks for winter by wrapping it up and moving it away from the edge of the barn to prevent avalanche damage from snow and ice falling from the barn roof. The wrapping on the truck will raise some questions from visitors to the barn. We already had comparisons to the Israeli armoured truck in another thread, but it is only a HUP frame with the Pilot Model HUP body stacked on top of it.

Just before quitting time, we dragged a reluctant CMP frame to the barn to salvage a set of split rims. One of the wheels refused to turn, so it left a trail all the way to the barn. Removing the nuts took some time and effort, but we managed to get them off with no damage to the nuts or studs. There was no fear of any of the wheels falling off the truck.

With that task completed, we chatted about the differences in the engine covers for the Chev line of CMPs. We noted that the bulge on the driver side of the doghouse varied in size, and that some doghouses had one round access hole, while others had two. It will be interesting to find out why the designers went from one to two holes (or from two to one hole). That took up the rest of the day, so we headed out while the sun was still shining.


Next step: clean out the front of the barn and organize the shelves (a pipe dream that I keep having every year).

Photos:
1 - Hammond log holder
2 - Mystery machine
3 - Another view
4 - The man at work