Good Friday (not ecclesiastical)

[Bushmiller]

Yesterday (Friday) I collected a load of pig manure on the back of my one tonner and large trailer. I had expected it to be light, but it wasn't as it was partly composted and had a quite a deal of moisture in it.

To put it euphemistically I allowed the trailer and the vehicle to have a good 1.5 tonnes and a good 1 tonne on them . I had to travel twenty Kms on country roads. I kept the speed down to 60KPH but half way home the rear offside tyre blew out as I was pulling up a long incline.

I hadn't long stopped to investigate the damage when a young bloke stopped to see if he could lend assistance I recognised him vaguely as an employee of one of our permanent contractors at work. He had not recognised me until he got out.

The problem I had was twofold. The vehicle was sitting so low at the rear there was insufficient room to drop the spare wheel out of the wheel carrier and the trailer wasn't helping this. We detached the trailer and he loaned his spare wheel to block behind one wheel.

When we jacked up the vehicle at the rear attachment point the combined (considerable) weight of the load and the effect of facing uphill meant that the front wheel lifted 150mm off the ground but the rear wheel was still very much in contact with the ground. The leafspring suspension just dropped down.

There was no way we could remove the wheel with the equipment we had. Unfortunately the lad's old work vehicle did not have a jack in it.

Anyhow I stayed with the vehicle and he drove SWMBO into town. The local RACQ bloke couldn't help immediately as he was by himself so SWMBO went home loaded a small trolley jack and a charged up air compressor into her car and headed back out. All sorted .

On the way back to town the young lad told SWMBO about a book he had read where the author had endeavoured to do a good deed at he end of the week. He had entitled it "Good Friday." The lad said he like to do the same thing and then laughed as he realised it was indeed Friday .

Any of you got that warm fuzzy feeling?

Regards
Paul

[FenceFurniture]

What a champion chap! Particularly in the face of what must have been a horrendous local atmosphere. I hear that short pig manure is no better or worse than long pig manure. How does that saying go? Same dog different spots, or same something or other, different smell?

What's more, I'll bet you'll be reinforcing the new closed windows policy around your place.

This was just you getting some good Karma back.

[NCArcher]

...a load of pig manure on the back of my one tonner ...
Regards
Paul

I thought that timber smelt a bit strange. I just put it down to my inexperience with tallowood.

I agree with Brett, "what comes around, goes around".

[wheelinround]

Is this really for the garden or your producing methane to run the vehicles and house heating ?

It may keep some visitors at bay maybe we need ships of it floating of Nth West coast.

[Bob38S]

And just when everyone was told that "Pigs can fly".

Forgetting that for the moment, what a great young bloke - we shouldn't forget that not all young people are like the ferals depicted on the TV news.

[FenceFurniture]

we shouldn't forget that not all young people are like the ferals depicted on the TV news.

Absolutely not! I wasn't

[AlexS]

What has six wheels, a flat tyre and flies?
Paul's vehicle & trailer.

Hope you can laugh now, I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time. Good on the young bloke.

[Bushmiller]

Ahh....You're a funny bunch of blokes. Yes I can laugh about it now, although I am anticipating another relapse on Monday when I get some prices for the replacement tyre. I am anticipating it will be more than the pig manure!

In fact, and I know that I am going to have some difficulty selling this one, it doesn't smell at all. Apparently it had been sitting, and probably festering, for a couple a years. Not even a skerrit of an odour.

Now it was quite different when I salvaged some timber from a derelict piggery some years ago. The cypress roof trusses were fine, no problem there, but I also pulled up the 3 x 2 timber floor rails which I think are lemon scented gum or they may be spotted gum.

Every time I cut one of these pieces of timber a piggy smell would waft up at me. Just as I finally got used to it, I think I used the last piece.

I am planning on contacting Dave's employer to let them know they have a good one there .

Regards
Paul

[hp8]

"one good turn deserves another" someone famous said that

[Bushmiller]

I have to tell you all my face did fall a little today when I started hunting around for tyre prices. We have an old car that has an odd size tyre 215/55 R16 and as a consequence they are pricey (about $225), but with the Holden VZ one tonner I thought I would be back to that $150 mark.

Nope! My Holden has an uncommon size too (215/65 R16, but rated for load carrying too). So it is going to cost me $246. I know you can pay a lot more for tyres than that as I have friends and colleagues who pay $400 per corner !

I am thinking of re-naming the thread: Instead of "Good Friday", "Deep ####" may have been more appropriate.

There was a small plus that came from the whole episode. When I was getting down and dirty with that pesky wheel I noticed that the aluminium tool boxes that I have under the tray at the rear seemed a little loose. I thought maybe the bolts were coming undone. I had a closer look when I got home and they weren't, but the weld at the back of the box had split open and was starting to peel back the top of the box. On inspection the other side was the same. I have now repaired it by reinforcing the top edge inside with some 30mm x 30mm RHS (aluminium from a marquee that self destructed during high winds).

I also had some of those aluminium brazing rods to fill the cracked weld, but my LPG torch could not get enough heat into the metal. I think the RHS behind was acting as a heat sink. I had to duck into work and borrow the oxy.

All good now.

Regards
Paul