Officially homeless

[turbohunter]

It’s been a hell of a last month but the move to Tennessee from Calif. is complete.
First the reason to move. It has become unsafe for my wife in the area we lived in the San Fernando valley. It used to be a wonderful place but no more. You all know the reasons. Tennessee is half the cost of living of Calif. as well as a better tax situation. And we have family here.
It just makes sense for a retired couple to live here.
Please don’t start with the political stuff, we all know.
For the move itself I looked at different ways to do it from big company movers to PODS. They all are rip offs (my opinion). So since I am a car guy I bought a no frills enclosed 24 foot 10k gvw trailer that could handle the weight of a move. A couple of 6k axles and good construction but bare bones. This way I could stuff it with a household then when done I can install car specific stuff. It worked great. The trailer took the torture of our nations highways and held together beautifully.
Some of you may remember that a 1995 Dodge Ram Cummins dually that fell into my lap a few months ago. This is the lynch pin that got me thinking about a trailer to do the move with. The truck performed beautifully. It’s a beast.
Did have one oh shit moment. When I got the truck I went over it and checked all the running gear. I replaced the tie rods and reinforced the steering gear box to avoid any cracking of the frame in case of death wobble. Everything ran wonderfully.
Except. I missed one thing. The steering gear had been replaced. Good, I thought to myself. However, whoever did it either did not seat the bottom collar set screw and put a jamb nut on it or left it out. I don’t know which. It’s in a spot that is very hard to see unless you rotate the steering column to see it. Anyway, I missed it.
I was driving back on the southern interstate 10 route looking for smoother roads as the Colorado river to Williams Az. Part of Interstate 40 is ridiculously rough and hard on equipment. Arizona Dept. of Trans should be ashamed. Anyway I’m driving back through El Paso at 60 mph and started to veer left with the freeway. The steering wheel just turned in my hands with no input to the steering box. Oh shit moment. I hit the emergency blinkers and started slowing the vehicle and trailer. As I said the road was veering left so I’m now heading towards the right guard rail.
I got the rig slowed down without hitting anyone and lightly hit the rail with the front right wheel/tire. I had just the rear of the trailer hanging out into the first lane a foot or so as I had managed by the grace of God to land in a wide ish area. Traffic easily could get around me. Called 911 to report and they sent the freeway helper guys to block off the lane. I got under the truck front end to see what happened and immediately saw it. The lower part of the column is collapsible and had over the miles worked itself back off the splined shaft of the steering gear because there was no set screw. Don’t know when it came off but it wasn’t there. I told the highway helper guys that I thought I could get my truck off the freeway as the front right tire was shredded a bit but still held air. So I got under the truck and pulled the column back down over the output shaft thus re attaching the steering wheel to the gear. The freeway helper dudes told me there gas a gas station at the next off ramp. I figured that would be my target. So got the truck started back up and backed it off the rail there slowly went up the freeway and pulled onto a side street next to the station. Also for some reason the high pressure steering hose had come loose at this time so I was armstronging it off the freeway and parking it.
Spent the night making friends with a local guy who’s kids wanted ice cream at the station. I bought it for them and my new friend made some runs to the local O’Reilly auto parts store for some bolts and stuff I didn’t have. The next morning I drove over to the O’Reillys and finished my repairs in their parking lot. I asked them for directions to a tire store. Went there and got a new tire and was on my way.
Got home with no more problems.
The upshot is that it could have been disastrous but turned out ok.
The real killer happened on my next trip. My wife was asleep one night and heard Cammer our dog get up and thunk, he fell down. He had had a stroke and could not get up or orient himself. Of course he lost it all on the bedroom floor. Nanc stayed with him and comforted him the best she could all night. The next morning she called me and told me the news. He had been having fainting spells for a while but always woke back up and was fine. This time was different. He wasn’t there anymore. So we had to make the terrible decision and Nanc had to take care of it on her own as I was on a trip to Tennessee. Difficult does not describe it. He was a great friend.
So I made it back home without a road incident on the second trip.
The third trip was without a problem if you consider putting your whole life in a trailer not a problem.
So it’s done. We are living with family until until we find a house.
And I’m thinking that the 427 BBM block I have should become a Cammer in honor of my dog.

[475fetoploader]

Wow! Crazy story. I’m terribly sorry about the puppy.  Animals can really become part of the family.  I certainly don’t blame you for moving.  Hopefully you don’t have to pay an exit tax.  That takes some real dedication to make 3 trips. You’re a Trooper.  Good luck to you sir.

[Stangman]

Glad everything on the truck worked out in the end. Sorry about the dog I’ve had to do that twice and I agree it’s not easy. I have three dogs now and my wife would get rid of me before the dogs. I hope the move works out and make sure you get a nice garage for your toys.

[turbohunter]

Thanks guys.
A real shop is mandatory.

[c-reed]

Glad you made it in one piece, really sorry about your dog. I'm hoping I go before mine. What part of TN did you move to? I'm just east of Nashville

[winr1]

So sorry bout ya pup :-(



Ricky.

[jayb]

Wow, that is one scary road incident Marc, with a trailer especially!  Glad you came through it unscathed.  I lost a rag joint once in my old 69 F-250, and was total petrified for a half turn of the steering wheel, until if finally hit the positive stop.  Can't imagine totally losing it.

I remember your dog from my visit, he was awesome.  Sorry to hear that he's gone now; they really do become part of the family.

[blykins]

Sorry to hear about the dog.

I lost a cat in 2018.  He was 18 years old and I had him before I met my wife.

I came home one day and he got up to greet me then fell over.  I rushed him to the animal hospital (after hours, had to go to animal ER) and after an exam, they told me he had an enlarged heart.  Any treatment they did would not be permanent but just temporary and he would still be uncomfortable. 

I hated it so bad but knew what I had to do so that he wouldn't suffer.  I did get some time with him and got to hold him while he fell asleep.  It was very peaceful and he was purring.   

It hit me pretty hard.  He had seen me finish college, get married, saw the birth of our daughter, etc. 

I knew he was really uncomfortable/hurting on the way to the vet.  He normally hated being in a car, to the point where he would drool, meow, etc., but this time he just laid in the seat. 

They are family and losing them is hard to deal with.

[turbohunter]

Yeah it’s the worst.
He would have had a tough time with the trip also but we would have managed it happily.
Here’s a shot of him in happier times when we were on a desert trip in my old 4x.
Big ole happy boy.

[WConley]

Aw man!  I'm so sorry Marc.  We had such a nice dog conversation over that lunch in Santa Monica... 

A few weeks ago I had to run up to my buddy Rodger's place because his golden retriever Logan had had a massive stroke.  The vet was coming out to put him to sleep.  Logan was a super fantastic dog - the star of the hospital therapy program at UCLA Medical Center.  I had known him since he was a puppy.

I got to give him one last biscuit, then it was time.  That was a real gut punch.  I feel for ya!  I'm also glad you managed to wrestle that rig over to the side of the road without major incident!  Glad you got the move complete 

[cjshaker]

Losing a pet sucks. No other way to put it. I'm sorry for your loss

I saw your mention in an earlier thread about moving across the country. Smart move, I think, just getting out of that state. I've seriously considered moving to Tennessee myself. My wifes sister and brother-in-law recently moved there from Michigan City, Indiana. Too close to the violence in Chicago, and it was creeping in, in a very bad way.

There's nothing scarier than losing steering or braking with a trailer hooked up. I lost trailer brakes on my first trip to the FE Reunion, with my then new, and fully loaded, enclosed car hauler...running on wet roads no less. Only the grace of God got me through that without a major catastrophe! I suppose the "funny part" is that, the day before leaving, my rag joint disintegrated in my '70 F-350. I had to have some parts over-nighted, and didn't know if I could get it done in time. Like Jay said, having a steering wheel that makes a half turn before 'engaging' is not a fun matter.

Anyway, glad you got stuff moved and are okay. Best of luck in your new home search.

[428 GALAXIE]

Sorry for your dog.

Two of my former work mates had the same oh shit moment.

[428kidd]

Marc sorry about the Dog! What part of Tennessee did you move to?

[turbohunter]

Thanks
South of Nashville in the Columbia area.
Haven’t found a house yet.

[Falcon67]

So very sorry for the loss of your pet.  They are true members of the family and when gone are missed terribly.  Glad you made that haul safely, after some things.  As a wish-i-could-retire guy, you did the right thing IMHO.  We'll have to make choices here too.

>The trailer took the torture of our nations highways and held together beautifully.

This is no bullshit. We moved our daughter/grandkids to Albuquerque last week from here in Merkel (west of Abilene Tx).  Dammit.  We put 3760 lbs of house in the 34' trailer.  On the scales we were 20,760 total - truck, trailer, grandma, grandpa and two chihuahuas.  I-20 was mostly OK with some crap spots.  I-84 north of Lubbock was spotty and worse north of Muleshoe.  Clovis to Santa Rosa was a bitch, bumpy as hell.  But it'll be OK once we hit I-40 I'm sure.  NOT.  Hit places that bounced the entire rig into another lane.  That's running 65~68 tops.  Holes, strips of missing roadway, etc.  Coming back east was just as bad and I caught a tire about to fail in Santa Rosa, lucky us.  The tires are all beat up so will put fresh tires on the trailer this Friday ($1100!!).  Trailer is 3 years old.  So - yea.  You going on a road trip, check your tires, spare(s) and running gear because it a rough sonofagun out there in the real world.