other dog

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?showtopic=10077

I got a brand new 9400 International when I drove for H.H.Moore and it was 13'3" to the top of the stacks. First thing I did was take 'em off and shorten them a foot.

Got another week in the bag-went back to Neville Island, Pa. with a load of beams in the Conestoga, just 30 footers, after I got the truck out of the shop. Then I loaded at Butler of course and went to Chesapeake. Stayed at home Wednesday night, then went to Orlando Thursday. They had loads going to Pittsburgh and Butler loads back to Chesapeake, but I opted for the Orlando on my flatbed, even though it's a long ways on Thursday, rather than a Conestoga and another load out of Butler. Everybody hates AK Steel at Butler. Everybody hates AK Steel everywhere really. Middletown Ohio is the worst, Ashland Ky. is the best, and Butler falls somewhere in between. Everything about AK Steel sucks, to the very highest level of suctivity. You go there and wait all evening and half the night to get loaded, then drive all night to Chesapeake to wait there all the next day to get unloaded. I unloaded in Orlando about 9:30 Friday morning and had to be in Statesboro, Ga. by 3:00 to get reloaded with lumber- 318 miles. I pulled in at a quarter to 3. Then the engine light came on -yes, again- a little South of Rock Hill, S.C. Back to Cat...that's OK-i'm on vacation this week anyway. random thoughts- been watching "Ice Road Truckers"-is that Lisa smokin' hot, or what?..geez! Hugh's still "the man" That haul road is just scary looking-I wouldn't want to drive it in the summer! 25 years ago maybe, but as I might have mentioned before i'm not nearly as brave as I used to be! Watched 2 good movies on TV this weekend- I missed the first hour of both of them, but "Blackhawk Down" is one of the best movies i've ever seen. Very intense, and very moving. Today I watched the last of "Into the Wild". Kind of hard to follow if you didn't see the beginning, but I knew the story from Jon Krakauer's book. He also climbed Mt. Everest, and wrote "Into Thin Air", an excellent book. Got a few pictures here from my latest adventures. "junk corner" at the yard-looks like a cement mixer in the background,behind the bushes a whirlwind at Triad Metals in Neville Island, Pa. Ultraliner at Neville Island closer view of the big hill in Butler, Pa. No babes around this time. A fine looking fleet of Macks saw Joe again, still dragging that Moffett around-he was on rt. 422 in Pa. a big boat in Newport News- maybe a ship even. R-model with twice pipes in Chesapeake. saw Joe again, still dragging that Moffett around-he was on rt. 460 in Lynchburg this time. a fine looking Freightliner in Statesboro, Ga. I thought it was their yard dog until the driver strapped that lumber down and hit the road with it. A Mack in Statesboro, Ga. R-model at an old garage on rt. 301 B-model wrecker at the same garage. tomatoes from the garden-couldn't stop at 13, in case you're superstitious.

I'm planning to show up the 25th, but I won't have the mixer there. I just don't want to drive it that far-the longest trip I usually make with it is to the Cumberland county Christmas parade, which is about 55-60 miles each way. The ad says from I-40 take exit 123 and go South on U.S. 321 to exit 33 (Startown Rd.) and follow the signs. For more info call Brad Wike at 828-612-3447.

stupid computers! (freighttrain) I bought a Panasonic hard drive video camera last year, and it will not work with this computer. I used the disc that came with the camera to install the program and it's supposed to work with windows vista but it does not recognize any video. It does show still pictures taken with it, but not video. I can download the video from it using windows media center but not Panasonic video suite. That's why I put stupid videos on youtube, I didn't know you could put videos on photobucket, or flicka, or webshots.

you're right again-very observant. I didn't even notice the plates at first!

two things you never hear a truck driver say- "bring it back in there Swift" "that sure is a nice looking Volvo you got there"

and this

I found another picture of Watts Mack (this is just a joke, not an actual photo, nor did any of this conversation actually take place!)

you done good!

the guys are all nice, but i'm not to happy about going back again after less than a week. I once left the truck there on A Thursday to get something fixed, maybe the same problem, and when I picked it up Sunday and left for Fremont, Ohio I didn't get half a mile before the light was on again. You can still run it, but it derates itself and cuts your power way back. Batavia sounds like Truck Enterprises in Roanoke, the KW dealership. Everybody in the service department, from the service manager on down is an a-hole. Or at least they used to be, I haven't been there for years. They have a place in Lynchburg now too, and everyone there is nice.

Amen brother! (Bulldogman) Good luck indeed, in all seriousness.

Took the truck to Cat Monday, then they fixed the broken hood hinge at the shop. I left Tuesday and went to Baltimore again, loaded at Sparrows Point back to Lynchburg, then took a load of kyanite to Orchard Park in a Conestoga. That was bad-I knew a Conestoga meant i'd be loading at AK Steel in Butler. Made a trip and a half before the engine light came back on, showing an intake valve actuator fault code...again. Back to the Cat place tomorrow. got some pictures- a clean truck with a Conestoga a big man standing along I-90 in New York waving at folks downtown Butler, Pa. That hill way up ahead is as steep, or maybe steeper, than it looks-low side for sure. Would've took one a little closer, but three scantily clad babes were walking down the street just over the hill from the stoplight there, so I was momentarily distracted. I must be off...

Hi Mike, I googled Ed Freeman and he actually died in August, 2008 but still I didn't know anything about him until I got that e-mail from Andrew. The story I read said the medivac pilots wouldn't fly in any more because the fighting was so intense, and the landing zone was only about 100 yards from the most intense of it. Ed Freeman and his commander both volunteered to fly in, the only two to step forward when they asked for volunteers. Ed Freeman was originally from Mississippi too. I got a similar e-mail from Bollweevil, but didn't check my AOL mail until later.

Got this E-mail from Andrew in Australia, and it's so good I'm gonna share it here...no disrespect intended for Michael Jackson, but Andrew's Australian and he makes an excellent point-I'd never heard of Ed Freeman, or his passing. And he was a true hero. This is about priorities everyone... Andrew. For your interest ED FREEMAN (Medal of Honour) You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray , Vietnam .. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medivac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it... Ed Freeman is coming for you... He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses. And, he kept coming back.... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out. Medal of Honour Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise , ID ........ May God rest his soul...... I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we sure were told a whole bunch of rubbish about some one gloved child molester.... Medal of Honour Winner Ed Freeman! Shame on the American Media

that's like the F-models I drove, one a 300 five speed, the other a 350 Cummins with a 10 speed Roadranger.

...with more speeds than a mountain bike!

too bad, you're wrong. when the oven is on broil the top heating element is already w.f.o. so you can not turn it up any more. try leaving the slab-o-lab in there a little bit longer next time. oh, broiler oven-not an electric range, eh?..well maybe you can, I might be wrong. But God will forgive your sins, and there is none who is without sin-not one.

That's great, sounds like it's all coming together nicely for you. Speaking of sound, them ol' 220's don't have much power but they sure did sound good passing by. I thought so anyway. I haven't heard one for years.

Indeed it is, went back and took a closer look and you are correct.

corrected version

good thinkin' there

here's the 4th. of July babe-

Great pictures, thanks for posting. If that's at the fairgrounds on rt. 422 near Butler, I stop at the Fairgrounds Market across the street a lot- they have good food & sandwiches at the store.

I used to stop in S.C. and Tn. and get some every year.I lived by a big field in Appomattox, now i've got woods all around and it's gotten pretty dry too-wouldn't wanna set the woods on fire!