Muck Boots 'n' Slickers - Life of a Livestock Hauler

Late 50’s if you was gonna load say around Brookhaven or even a bit North and run over to say Joplin or south west Missouri would you run 51 I think it is up through there to 61 then maybe try for 63 to 60? Or would 27 to 61 and cross at Greenville been a better option?

 

Back then I would have say Brookhaven up 51 all the way to Memphis, took 63 out of W. Memphis to "Willa" (Willow Springs),60 on into Springfield, then 66 over to Carthage and down to Joplin. THERE WERE NO INTERSTATES IN THERE BACK THEN.

Logic: I had run 51 Mphs to NO hauling cotton. We run a lot of Starkville/West Point to Memphis to Springfield picking Jerseys out of Springfield to go on to FL. Had run 65 Lake Village south to Monroe getting out to CA with Beneke. Never run 65 north out of Lake Village. Knew these lanes and road/facilities/stops.
Knew the way to Beresford, SD for the Angus/Brahma mixes. We went a lot of places a few times, not many stable except my Waukesha to Miami jaunt.
But with the spread of cattle raising/feeding many loads originate and deliver were we never ran. Conversely, we went and got some you guys could have not found, nor even turned in to load.

We would run out of Canton, to the ferry crossing at Helena to get to Pine Bluff to load cotton. 2 loads in Pine Bluff, going NC, ferry crossing size and weight. We would back trailers on side by side crossway on the front deck. Drop them and drive on tractors on nose to tail crossways. He would take us across and we hook up and go W. Helena Compress and load. NOW.. Too heavy for the ferry, so run up to Memphis to cross the river and back down 78 in to B'Ham , Altanta, up to Athens, and wherever the mill was in NC. (This was to low loop the hill/mountains in TN and above B'ham. We were running 22 Whites and L185 IH's on cotton. 195 IH's to the IH V8's on the cattle. A cotton load was from 65 bales to 72 bales usually and depending on who pressed it at least 500#. Could usually scale 70/35,000 no fuel. Toilet seats to CA for Beneke was like a shuttle, Columbus Sunday at 4 PM and S Dago, LA, Frisco Wednesday AM, unload and reload Wed with dried fruit/beans, back in Mobile/B'ham Sat daylight, empty, in to Col. Get pay by noon and weekend till Sunday 4 PM. 5 on 5 off, turning 20 out of 24 in that little Mack. Flat ground, no wind, cool/damp day, it would shake them picture frames and dough boards down the road at a steady 68 MPH.

 

@JolliRoger you guys were doing the deal the hard way and paving paths for those of us that followed later on. Somewhere along the way after the next couple of generations the lazy no work steering wheel holders began to run the roads. If they had to run half of what you did they would quit.

 

Many thanks. Maybe the nickel a loaded mile was what discouraged them. We did not know any better, Did not care where we went, how long we were gone, or what the man put on the truck. The truck is here, load it and tell me where to take it.. And he loaded us right away, but assumed we would get it there moshe scohse and all was good. Responsible boys, the Garrard drivers...

 

Old ways on the old roads. trying to find my FL marked map.
How we ran Lebanon, OH to Laredo for the haul to Vera Cruz. Pre interstate days. The dot near the yellow 2 is for Starkville, MS.

 

I wonder how many scales along that route nowadays?

 

What yall opinions on 24.5
yall think it worth it to switch over to them?

 

What size trailer tires are you running?

 

And are you talking full 18 or just for the tractor?

 

Trailer got 22 think of just switch up the tractor heard someone say they Ride a little smoother