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No Fool Like an Old Fool

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Just when I think I've gotten old enough to where I won't do stupid things anymore... . I prove myself wrong.



So it was a cold morning, warming up the truck in neutral to get the transmission warm. Left my good, heavy, rubber chock over at my in-laws when I was cutting wood. I was almost to the top of the hill, so I used the plastic one that I use on the wife's car.



I go across the yard to pick up a glove that the dog chewed up. When I turn around, I notice that the truck is moving really slowly... . uh-oh! :eek:



I ran over (in my old, pudgy sort of way) and watched something that should have been on one of those video shows where all the guys get hit in the (well, you know. ) The wheels were turning to the right, so it wasn't straight down the hill. If it had been straight, I would have had to replace the side of my garage.



But even though it wasn't as bad as I thought, there was a considerable thud when the tree stopped the downhill travel. Instead of making a good check of everything to see what the overall damage was, I took the other course of action... . I drove it back uphill so the wife and her daughter wouldn't know what just happened!! :-laf



I smashed my old running boards that I took off last year, ran over some small decorations that I had placed on the ground for my entry into the White Trash Yard of the Month contest.



The left rear quarter is buckled. Taillight smashed in. Toolbox slammed forward into the back of the cab. I went to the body shop guy already and he said depending upon what I could get a new bed for, that might be the best way to go. I have split seams on the front corner of both sides of the bed, where the side panel meets the front. So replacement is what I'm looking at.



Luckily the flare fenders were ok, so I don't even need to get a one ton bed. If I replace it, it would also be a good reason to finally replace the sending unit in the fuel tank.



So my best guesstimate of the cause of the chock failure was the weight plus the vibration of the idling. The brakes not being adjusted is, of course, my fault. It is one of those things that I have "been meaning to get to. "



So here I stand. Village Idiot once again. Please be gentle. You know I'll do something again real soon. ;)



The pictures are here



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&userid=12842&albumid=18337
 
Sorry to hear about the damage Phil.



Now for more bad news. The bed sides are different between a single rear wheel and a dually.
 
Ouch!

What a lousy way to start a day. I just had a guy carve out a flat area down by the shop so i had a better place to park mine. I have an extra, very heavy duty aluminum block that i would be happy to send you.



Ron
 
Philip said:
Now for more bad news. The bed sides are different between a single rear wheel and a dually.



GULP! :eek: How different??



I appreciate the offer, Ron. But I could probably drive to Calif. for less than shipping costs. :-laf My "real" chock is a section of edge rubber from a (you guessed it) tugboat.
 
The cutout is higher and the inner section of the wheel tub is reinforced for the mountings of the flairs.



I'll pull the flairs on my bed and get some pic's today. My bed is setting on some skids out at Jeremy's house. We pulled it off last week getting ready for my run to KS to get my flat bed.
 
Phil! Sorry about your Diesel Car.

Ma always said never use plastic Chocks but did I listen.

If I can be of any help holler to me. :p
 
It's a good thing you didn't damage that tailgate with the stainless panel, those are way harder to find than a bed in good shape and the dealer wants something like 7 million for the stainless peice. That's the same truck that i have, even with the toolbox.
 
Jim,



I couldn't believe just how close it was to being really messed up. I had to hit the bed edge beside the tailgate to get it straight again. There was slight rubbing the first time I lowered it. Otherwise it opens and closes with no problems. So maybe I will get the bed fixed instead of trying to get a new one.



That's a really sweet W250 you have!
 
Phil I couldn't get the pic's. Jeremy's socket wouldn't fit the bolt heads properly to remove a flair.



Look at the distance from the top of your flair to the body line. Then look at a standard SRW bed and you will see how much higher our flairs are mounted into the bed side.
 
If it wasn't so sad it would be down right funny. I like the way you tell it. :-laf



Now if it was me ... . it would be the perfect time to shop for a flatbed. ;)









































Oh, by the way I want, nope we all want, to hear the "splaining" part to the missus and daughter. Seems you almost glossed over that, so don't keep us in suspense. :-laf
 
Wellll... the wife found out right away. I was warming up the truck to take her to a doctors appointment. We took the car instead. She wasn't too upset, or surprised, as she refers to me as her "bull in a china shop. "



Daughter still doesn't know. As long as it doesn't directly affect her, she will remain oblivious. However, this is a girl who backed into my wife's "new" used Cadillac. She was pretty upset. But our Detroit steel had only a minor ripple in the door, and her Honda got a crunched side panel.



I asked her how in the world she hit the car (it was night) she said, "you don't usually park it in that spot. " Hmmm, I guess I can get rid of those mirrors on her car and sell them on EBay. "Honda Mirrors. Never Used!"



I did consider going to look for a flatbed today.
 
Sorry Phil, that's messed up :( :(



On the shiny tailgate piece, I tried getting one from the dealer a month or two ago and they said it was no longer available :-{}





Steven
 
Sorry about your truck,If it will make you feel any better I boo-bood last weekend picking up some cattle. I was turning around in a pasture I had done many times in the past with a gooseneck trailer. My brother in-law had put about a foot of gravel over a culvert in the pasture I had to cross at an angle to get turned around. I'm watching the right side of the gooseneck to make sure I have clearance over the bed as the left side makes contact with the top of the bed,smashing the corner like an aluminum can. To make maters worse I get out of the truck and my wife is standing there shaking her head. :{
 
I managed to pull the same "folding bed rail" hat trick... . with a company truck and horse trailer. Someone else had hooked up the trailer, I didn't double check it, and combine with a gravel road hairpin switchback... . crunch. Never even heard it.



Lessons learned: check the trailer for extra clearance for unexpected conditions and swap boxes for flatbeds. Now we trade the new boxes off on flatbeds.
 
Tugger... .

What's the matter... . don't you remember how to drop the hook?

You need a 22 pound Danforth!!! :-laf :-laf

Jay
 
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