A day from Hell

Started off alright, 10 fruit trees to plant in an old orchard only problem being I didnt know I was doing them and had the van, not the best vehicle to drive 1/4 mile of cart track.

Still ive driven it before and the customer thought it would be fine. Load the trees in and head up the track without problem, park up in turning area and start work.

All of a sudden the heavens open with a hudge deludge. By this time Im wondering If ill get the van off ok. Finish planting and stick all the tool chests over the rear axle area for traction.

Into revers and fine for a metre then start to spin, Chainsaw out and cut a few slivers of old fence post to stick under the rear wheels, start to go back then back end sinks.

Walk back to the house and get a lift home to collect my 4x4 pickup and heavy chains. Hitch up pickup in low box and strt to tug, ok till back end of the van skids out perilously close to the gate post. Theres a ditch on ether side and the pickup is seriusly long so now room to pull the rear end around on a short chain.

Time to call in favours and get reinforcments, The Customers daughters farm and my old employer (I know I wont live this one down!!!)

My mates from the farm turn up with the bigest tractor a huge fendt. Tractors all well and good but the van needs to go forward so as to steer from the gate post. With two pushing from behind, stick the van in first and nothing... the clutch has had its last.

A bit of thinking and we stick my webbing strap across the rear tractor linkadge and inch forward trying to pull it side ways ( the tractors a shorter wheel base than my Navara!)

Get the rear end around and a smoth pull back ( not mentioning the tractor losing grip and the van slideing into the ditch! Finally get it back ont the public road at the bottom.

Time to Phone the AA and empty it.
Untill you empty it completly you forget how mutch is normally in there! :D

Finally emptyed it all and the AA guy arives to recover it, a brilliant guy, even ended up nearly getting his recovery truck stuck on a very tight turn!

 

:eek: Blimey Pro...not a way to end the day is it mate!.. And then you had to put all your gear back in the van too.

 

No Pal, certainly wasnt :D

Still a good pressure wash and the cluch sorted and ill be back to normal. The mecanic rekons the cluch was on the way out any way. Atleast it went this time of year when I can mange with the pickup and trailer.

Hindsight can be wonderfull and its always the silly jobs you get caught out with.

Next year im tradeing in the Navara for the new Discovery comercial and Ill certainly be fitting it with a winch and with the rain we now seem to get maybee a snorkel!!

 

I guess it's a day you would rather forget Pro, I doubt if it could have been much worse.