Like many small time farmers, my husband drives a well-worn pickup. It's a Dodge Ram 2500 (3/4 ton 4x4) with some dents and dings in it. None of that mattered to us of course long as it could haul hay and cattle. Now generally, you aren't supposed to pull more than the max. capacity for the vehicle, but leave it to Al to test the limits.
We should've known something was about to give when a lady commented at the gas station where Al was fueling up with his rig. "Wow, can you get any more on there?" she asked with a chuckle. "If I were you I'd kiss that truck!"
It must've looked like an impressive load with square bales piled in the bed and a flatbed trailer full of rounds to boot. The Dodge completed it's trip and then... my husband used the truck as an ATV and romped on it while chasing some cows that had gotten through the fence (electric fence shorted out with snow). *Ping! There went the reverse band. Cost: a new transmission. Not good.
So in a desperate attempt to continue hauling hay before spring comes (and grass arrives dropping prices at market) we decide to hunt for a replacement pickup which turned into an adventure all on its own.
Found a great deal about an hour away and we eagerly drove up for a test drive. Sadly the truck (a Chevy Silverado) had engine problems which we could clearly hear upon start-up. We wasted that trip and drove home. On the plus side we did get a great view of the frozen Mille Lacs Lake which looked like an Arctic tundra.
That night after scanning online we found another Dodge Ram 2500 with plow and new tires and it was in our budget! Problem: it was 2.5 hours away, the other side of the twin cities. We'd been calling different dealers all week and were finding reasonable priced trucks were sold fast so we jumped at it.
Next day kids, Al and I headed all the way to Northfield, a five hour round trip. Upon seeing the truck it passed our inspection and within an hour or so were back in-route to the good old country. Only problem was it was near rush hour in Minneapolis and I HATE city driving!
Thankfully we squeaked through before it turned into a parking lot out there. The kids were also great with no fussing or crying through the tie-up and my oldest even made it to the suburbs before needing a potty break (which was a relief).
So here it is, another week hauling hay. A different pickup to do the job. Hopefully this time Al won't overload it or use it as a snowmobile or 4-wheeler... we can hope.
On the road again
No comments:
Post a Comment