Man Got Backing Skills

[tjc transport]

in 88 we were hauling fill into a highway job for flyover ramps. 

the non english speaking drivers in their trucks straight from the scrap yards figured if i could do it with a dump trailer, they would have no problem.  

they were doing 12 inch lifts. and the ramp was already about 35 foot high towards the back because of the uneven terrain. there were soft spots.. i was running an 86 DM800 tractor. 58k rears, 285 engine with the twin stick trans. don't remember gear ratio, but it had a top speed of 58 mph. since the sand pit was only 2 miles away, i would load it up. i was scaling out with 50 ton in the trailer instead of the legal 22 ton

i would line up to for ramp, start in second reverse, then shift through to 5th. run it up to around 30. when i saw a soft spot i would get out of the throttle. then back in it once back on hard pack. 

the non english speakers would see me running up there in reverse, and start following me hammer down. rite into the soft spots full bore and blow rears, driveshafts, transmissions. 

it got to the point there was an obstacle course on the ramp every day of the broken junk.

[mechohaulic]

i wasn't there to witness, but talked with someone who was. L G Deflice  from north haven CT had a driver they called Barney. he drove a DM800 , he had a huge lowbed with a two axle jeep , backed it down a narrow dirt road with machine on back (don't remember the equiptment) didn't pulll forward once to straighten out. truck had some  unbelievable  amount of gears . quad with 4 speed aux etc.