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

I’m gonna be sorta choosy. Only take the things I know about. B Noel’s in whatever just cause very few have any knowledge. E model CAT, and 60 series. If i don’t like how it’s packed I’m gonna say sorry we’re booked up. If it’s been all over town and lands at my place…it’s not gonna be cheap just how it is. I’ll do some frame work and Pete body work. Probably won’t be much on the equipment side cause I’ve spent my last 105 degree day out in the sun with 2 umbrellas 1 just for my tools laying on a dozer track putting a pump or fan hub etc on. I’m staying away from my mechanics truck period. At 25 i didn’t want a shop I liked field work and refused to work on any truck smaller than a Euclid. Times change. Hopefully by the time summer is here they will have Dads shop moved and I will take full advantage of the thermoking mounted on the wall. It’s short lived for sure, and not sure how well it will actually work but im hoping to stay active not busy with B models brought from other places that folks want right. Whether it’s catching a load through or just biting the bullet and driving it say 500 or so miles. There is a studio apartment in the back of my shop I with a remodel and new tv would make a nice lounge would let a guy stay with his truck and not have to get a room in town. That’s up to him of course. I’ve always given the driver my pick up to go do whatever he wants to do. I just don’t want to get so busy I feel like I gotta hire help. I don’t want that sorta responsibility. I don’t want the over head so high that I take more than I can do. I’m gonna try to stay with pre priced jobs. I’m slow and it’s not fair to charge a 100 bucks an hour chasing parts. I feel like giving a price that has all that figured with a GD clause on the few times a surprise finds its way in. I can look at one and tell you what else is going to happen. I’m also going to stay away from any and all trying to make one a hot rod. I don’t doubt my engine at all. I have 0 faith in their foot and the space between their foot and hat rack. I know I’m being awful picky.

 

I’ve got timing wedges for an ISX I can send you. You know, to broaden your horizons and what not.

 

I think you've earned the right to be as choosy as you want.

 

They as broad as a narrow minded woman. And that’s plenty

 

I’m gonna be sorta choosy. Only take the things I know about. B Noel’s in whatever just cause very few have any knowledge. E model CAT, and 60 series. If i don’t like how it’s packed I’m gonna say sorry we’re booked up. If it’s been all over town and lands at my place…it’s not gonna be cheap just how it is. I’ll do some frame work and Pete body work. Probably won’t be much on the equipment side cause I’ve spent my last 105 degree day out in the sun with 2 umbrellas 1 just for my tools laying on a dozer track putting a pump or fan hub etc on. I’m staying away from my mechanics truck period. At 25 i didn’t want a shop I liked field work and refused to work on any truck smaller than a Euclid. Times change. Hopefully by the time summer is here they will have Dads shop moved and I will take full advantage of the thermoking mounted on the wall. It’s short lived for sure, and not sure how well it will actually work but im hoping to stay active not busy with B models brought from other places that folks want right. Whether it’s catching a load through or just biting the bullet and driving it say 500 or so miles. There is a studio apartment in the back of my shop I with a remodel and new tv would make a nice lounge would let a guy stay with his truck and not have to get a room in town. That’s up to him of course. I’ve always given the driver my pick up to go do whatever he wants to do. I just don’t want to get so busy I feel like I gotta hire help. I don’t want that sorta responsibility. I don’t want the over head so high that I take more than I can do. I’m gonna try to stay with pre priced jobs. I’m slow and it’s not fair to charge a 100 bucks an hour chasing parts. I feel like giving a price that has all that figured with a GD clause on the few times a surprise finds its way in. I can look at one and tell you what else is going to happen. I’m also going to stay away from any and all trying to make one a hot rod. I don’t doubt my engine at all. I have 0 faith in their foot and the space between their foot and hat rack. I know I’m being awful picky.

Let that outline be your guide. Best ability you can have is to say "no," to offers/deals/jobs with hair already all over them.
If you do not know the man/company, have a little fact finding interview after he tells you what he wants and when he wants it.
That is good sir, but how do you pay your bills. If he has trouble assembling an answer, be so busy it will be 2 weeks before you can get to him. Even to those you extend credit to, the invoice MUST read "Due Upon Receipt". We had a little sign in the office, in a conspicuous place.
(It said:" We have an agreement with our bank, they do not repair forklifts, and we do not finance repair bills".)

Never work late at night to complete work in progress and fail to stop and go run down one who owes you and behind. Money, now.....

 

@wore out good luck on your new venture. Judging by all of the help you have freely given through the various sub/forums on here; I think you will have the opportunity to be busier than you want to be. I am sure your wife will appreciate you being home, well at least for a little while anyway.

I, like @JolliRoger, would still like to be driving excepting for the fact that it would not be the same as it was in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Also, the responsible adult in me would find it hard to walk away from my well paying daily job.

I guess I will stop watching for your truck down on the Island or crossing the bridge, or when I ride over to Forest City area to golf.

 

Thanks wore out I appreciate the help. We replaced the AFRC diaphragm and o rings and it made no difference. Ya the plungers have never been out of the pump, the engine was never touched just sat in a body shop for about 7 months. Truck starts and idles absolutely flawlessly with no popping or missing. Mid throttle is where the problem is, just starts jumping and bucking the whole truck. But if you push it to the floor it runs just fine! The plan for now is to just swap the complete pump from the engine we pulled from the cabover and get this one on the road. Thanks for the offer, if we can't get it going I may have to send it over to Arkansas. I do have an RGN trailer so that wouldn't be a problem!

 

I'm really looking forward to finding out the culprit.

Currently, I'm trying to figure out if I can shcedule and afford a trip to Arkansas. I'd love to throw one tractor on the lowboy and pull with the other one to get them to @wore out for a meter timing party. The new engine is running great, but it definetly has a sound to it that is way different than the other. I can't imagine that steel top pistons would sound that different, but maybe. Getting them meter timed and checking them out by someone who knows the difference would be a good investment I think.

 

Good luck on your new venture! I don't blame you for being picky, there's some people who you are never going to make happy.

 

You must be kidding, there's no such thing as a truck driver that likes to complain.