An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

New stench up here in Arlington. Usually, when you walk out of the building you're hit with the weed aroma from the pot processing place next door. The last couple days it smells like a cattle feed lot. I guess the local fields are being prepped with cow poop for planting season. Not sure which smell is worse.

 

First time pulling one of our trailers with this aero bulge





I didn't realize those were open on the inside and not just bolted to the outside of the metal header

 

Load went just fine. 5 pieces of shrink-wrapped machinery, no clue as to their purpose. Only 1 could be chained down, the rest are strapped. Thankfully I grabbed some J-plates when I was in Arlington because we loaded the entire lower deck and because it has the spreadable rear axle, there are no winches between the tandems. That, and I utilized my chain-to-strap adapters that are normally used for RGN trailers. One of the heaviest pieces is the one that I chained. It is an off balanced, driver side heavy mounted on a 5 legged stand. It is so off balance that when they picked it up, they had to clamp a chunk of steel between the forks and the fork tube to keep it straight. Once it was on the trailer, and chained down, it is sitting where it was loaded, but being the over achiever that I am, I put 2 extra chains on it just to be safe. 4 corners and 2 in the middle.

This trailer's conestoga is a Chameleon brand, which is the same as the flat and step trailers Wylie had for glass. They are seriously the easiest conestoga system I have ever used. No cranking or winch bar mishaps trying to tension it. They even splurged on the deluxe option where the bottom deck section almost completely retracts into the upper deck when it's opened from the back, which makes loading the whole lower deck easier. (Yes, you read that right, I actually have a positive comment on something). The only thing I have an issue with on this trailer is, because it's a step, the handle to roll up the back door is really low up against the lower frame rail, so an old fart like me almost has to crawl on my hands and knees to get it out...that and instead of universal at the end, it has the rubber hose...sorta looks like a strap-on sex toy...one of the guys down in Rancho refers to those as a dildo handle...dilly dilly


While I was in Arlington, I saw one of our trailers loaded with lumber...I didn't know we hauled lumber, I thought we left those loads for COTC and Wylie.

 

No, unfortunately. And the person I emailed was either in a meeting or out of his office every time I went inside to speak to him.

 

I didn't think lumber hauling paid all that well, I am surprised we even considered hauling it. (Not that it matters to me what it pays as long as my paycheck doesn't bounce). Seems to be an easy, straightforward, symmetrical load to haul.

 

Well, Wyoming is being it's typical Wyoming self. Sign says I-80 is closed to light vehicles (under 40k lbs)between Rawlins and Laramie due to high winds and a high blow over risk. I am heavy enough to go, but I stopped at Stinkers in Sinclair for the night, and the wind is rockin' my boat, and I am behind a reefer. Ran 675 miles today, since I don't deliver in MS until Wednesday, looks like I will get close to them on Monday and get another reset in.