Near miss

[randyp]

Coming home for lunch today, saw a truck parked goofy past a red light at intersection, and he had hood tilted up so i turned around to see if he might need some tools. It was a Mack vision pulling a 40 ft. float with forklift on back. He had run up on grass, almost clipping power pole and trailer was just barely out of road. He said tools wouldnt help, he had a call in to his boss who was on his way. Turns out, He heard and felt a loud snap, lost all his steering, and just managed to get it stopped, luckily without hitting anything or anyone. On closer inspection, the steering joint on top of steering box had snapped into, and steering wheel was just freewheeling. He was going bout 40 MPH when it happened. He is one lucky driver. I got home and skipped lunch just to go check mine out. Thas scary! randyp

[Olivetroad]

WHAT? No photos?

[Timothy Maikshilo]

That would have tighten up the old camera shutter! Damn...

[57 bcr]

Close one is right!!!

[randyp]

WHAT? No photos?

heh heh,,,i bet I took bout 100 photos today, but something is amiss on this stupid puter, it wont load them from chip. I didnt get photo of aformentioned truck, but got some really good ones of cement pumpers today. Nobody managed to get in ditch today either. Had 2 pumpers rented, cement trucks dumping in one, and it pumping to the other one. Who said cement cant fly? randyp

[randyp]

Well, I told someone on here the other day, its always been my biggest fear to drop a steering tierod going down road bout 65 or 70 with dirt behind me. I have dropped one before, but was just backing up, got all pigeon toed too. I inspect them closely now, but never gave lotta thought to joint on top of steering box, I will now though! randyp

[Olivetroad]

I was headed to Chicago a few years ago with my blushing bride - for once she was willing to ride with me on one of my auction trips. We were crusing right along in a 1995 Ford F700 with a 24 foot box on the back. I heard a loud popping sound, but everything seemed fine. I turned up the radio and kept going. We went another 5 miles or so and saw a sign for those golden arches - I did not want to eat that stuff, but they put some kind of drug in there that makes you want it.

I went down the ramp, and no one was coming, so I kind of rolled through it, and pulled into Mcdonalds. I stopped to let some old lady pull out and when I started to move, it would not steer. I got out and looked and one wheel was headed west, and one was headed east. I forced it forward to the back of the lot, and I left a big rubber stripe on the pavement. I had a tie rod end come completely off. It must have been when I heard that bang sound. I was able to get the guy that owns the land around the McDonalds to give me a ride up the road and I bought a new tie rod end and with his screwdriver and a 1920's monkey wrench, I got her going again. If I had stopped like a good boy at the bottom of the ramp, I would have been done right there.

I was all proud of the fact that I fixed it myself and we only lost a couple of hours, but she did not share the joy.

Now that I think about it, that was the last time she went with me on one of those trips.