What NOT to do with a trackloader

[olrobk]

Do not try this at home. When you get your new trackloader in the sandpile for the first time, do not put 12 inch sideboards on your rusty mason dump body and load it to over-flowing with bank run gravel. I am an authority on this. If you engage the PTO and let out the clutch and nothing seems to be happening, GET OUT AND FIND OUT WHY! I didn't and I'm supposed to be a mechanic. Like Harry Homeowner, I stepped on the gas to make something happen. And when I did, as I was watching out the back window, my dump body did not go UP but slowly MOVED AWAY from me. This is very bad for a dump truck. If you look at the bottom picture, you can see my new floor worked great. It stayed together beautifully only the rusty channel steel under it did not. With all weight in the body, it sat right on the frame rails while the ram tried to push it off the back of the truck. The floor rolled very nicely down the back until the ram was fully extended.

Next time, I'll try one bucket load... if there IS a next time, as Don Pardo used to say on 'Spanning the World' on Saturday Night Live.

This event was so embarrassing I went right down to the town garage and admitted it to all my buddies in order to beat the rumor. Needless to say, they were rolling on the floor. =Rob

(I don't know if the moderator will allow this to stay since it is only indirectly associated with a crawler but I love looking at this Show & Tell.)

[Lu47Dan]

Could be worse , I have seen a few five ton dump beds in the Army laying on the ground . Put some new framing under it and you are back in business . Dan

[Rex]

Hi
A local transport driver tried to tip a load, it sounded like the pump was working but nothing happened until the twin UB rams poped up through the load.

Rex

[Paul Buhler]

Loaded a 5yd truck with random firewood log lengths - nicely stacked, a little long, but counterbalanced over the cab a bit. Let out the clutch and rose into the sky parking it on its tail. Of course this was done in front of an all-knowing audience.

With some careful log removal with a log loader and careful winching on the front bumper, we were able to get everything back in place without any damage except to my ego.

Now I'm muuch smarter; at least until the next "oh sh*t".

This incident happened 28 years ago and I've had at least one or two "moments of excitement" since then.

Best wishes getting your truck back in shape - the rest of it looks nice.
Paul