Need cargo NC - FL next week!

[skyskijason]

We should have plenty of grease, but I'm draggin' an empty 40ft g-neck flatbed on dual tandems all the way to Homestead (s. of Miami). Sure would love to find a paying load to haul down! Hauling a friends LOADED down 3/4 ton w/utility bed and some trailer back. Should be a fun load!

I get to travel around quite a bit and I always enjoy meeting other greasers. Unless we actually find southbound cargo, we'll be traveling I-75 to US 27 and stopping in Sebring on our way South down center of the state. We may come back alligator alley and I-75 thru Tampa and stay there one nite. If you or a VO'er ya know are along our path, I'd love to stop by and see your rig or BS over lunch!

[Jack_Toepfer]

That trailer is a decent load even empty... but I understand your want to haul something there.

Sorry, I'm not anywhere near your path... but good luck anyway.

[skyskijason]

Yep, trailer's pretty heavy - but I got power to spare! (this ain't a 6.0!) Especially on this flat-land trip.

I prolly don't have time to pick anything up anyway, I should have titled the post different.

We have a couple greasy friends to visit already, but its always nice to make new friends!

[h2odrx]

where you starting from?

[skyskijason]

where you starting from?

North of Atlanta on GA/NC border.

[greasedltn]

Are you anywhere near Murphy. I heard they closed Tellico. I haven't been that way in years but was hoping to get there soon.

[skyskijason]

Tellico is about an hour away. IIRC, it is not public land and not subject to the land closures faced by forest service lands. We have a couple OHV areas nearby, Beasely Knob and Davenport Mtn - much smaller than Tellico, but some EXTREME trails! They are always closed from about new year's to March, that is our 'rainy season' and the closures prevent excessive erosion.

[skyskijason]

Well, all greased up and ready to roll - here's our loaded trailer:


a little closer shot of the big load:


Leaving tomorow evening. We are going all the way down I-75 and will meet some friends in Valdosta and take a nap, then truck on to Tampa and then shooting for Ft. Myers Tuesday afternoon...

[greasyX]

Airfooter,I used to hang my hat in North Fort Myers FLA.Make sure to get out to sanibel and captiva,the both were on the top ten beaches in the world..........trust me,I did seawalls,I know those waterways ......happy hauling,look out for those Box jockeys out on I-75,hold your line and you'll be fine........greasy

[Jack_Toepfer]

Jason - Make sure you tie that wheeler down in at least 4 places. A slight breeze could blow it off of the trailer.

[skyskijason]

Jason - Make sure you tie that wheeler down in at least 4 places. A slight breeze could blow it off of the trailer.

hehehe, actually I took our 5 yr old with me to do the trailer 'check-out' and the 4wheeler was to keep him entertained.

So, about 'checking out' the trailer. We got about 100 miles and noticed a trailer brake was warmer than the others. So, we back the adjuster out a little and roll on. Somewhere about GA/FL state line (300ish miles in) we lost the inside tire and eject flaming bits of brake shoe all over I-75. Luckily we were right at an exit and put the fire out before major damage.

We manage to remove the tires and chain up the axle so we could limp down to Sebring where we have a shop to use. Heading over to shop now...

Mental note: Always carry a jack and lug wrench for the trailer yer draggin' 2k miles.

A little behind schedule, but hey, it might be boring if everything went GOOD!

[Marv]

Wow...sounds like an interesting trip so far Jason. Hope the remainder goes better than it has so far!

[Snake]

Just saw this! I'm in Tampa right off 75. Give me a shout if you're coming back up this way.

--Snake
813-995-5678

[Jack_Toepfer]

That sucks Jay... fire is kinda cool though.

[skyskijason]

Home again! Just under 2000 mile round trip. Ran out of VO 60 miles from home and ended up using almost 10 gals of diesel for the trip. Second 1/2 of trip (Miami to GA/NC border) gross combined weight about 25,000 lbs. Truck performed flawlessly, as usual.

We made some new friends and visited some old friends. The sun was shining the whole way, although it was as cold as it gets in FL - lows were 28 in Sebring 1rst nite, 34 in Miami 2nd nite and 29 in Tampa 3rd nite! Other than the highly improvised tire removal and chaining up the axle so we could drive w/o those wheels, no other mechanical issues. Oh, when we got to friends shop and removed brake drum - we found the brake shoe had delaminated and the lining material was loose and binding in drum!

Looks like I'm going to Witchita Falls, TX next week.... as soon as I figure out where that is anyway!