Now here's a tale of woe and no mistake. This selection comes to me from Kev (an Aussie mate of Rod Simmonds in New Zealand who kindly forwarded it to me. I'm surprised they're still talking after the rugby!---NO Biglorryblog, walk away from that one)). Anyway Kev's e-mail is headed: "Roast Pumpkin in a diesel sauce." Look carefully at the bottom right in this picture and you'll see why the pumpkin reference...
Anyway Kev goes on to say: "How's this for a three-month old truck 70kms north of Fitzroy Crossing going up in smoke? In two hours it was all over...I got the call as it was burning. That's one prime mover, one Tautliner trailer and two dollies---the third trailer got 'slight' heat damage. Oh yes, and 42-tonnes of roasted pumpkin. Hot work in WA North!"
As Kev says: "Few pieces of steak and it would have been a good barbecue !!!" Well quite...and Biglorryblog's sympathies go to the operator and driver of the Western Star (yes I know I said Kenworth but Rod e-mailed me to say I'd got it wrong er...DUH!) Not much fun when your whole world goes up in smoke... My thanks to Kev and Rod for the story---and click through here for my own experience of a truck fire on the M20.....I
This is the Dutch artic fire that I was personally involved with when I stopped and tried to help the driver put out the fire in his fridge motor...I can tell you a 2kg fire extinguisher isn't much help. Within two minutes it had caught on the tractor---no time to uncouple---and the resulting blaze closed the M20 for four hours and required the road to be resurfaced.
And there were STILL people driving past it through the flames and smoke as the tyres and fuel tank let go...it taught me two things--a) carry a bigger extinuisher...and b) never mind the damage get the tractor out from under the trailer any way you can---even if it means ripping off the suzies and dropping the trailer on its knees. I guess from start to finish we probably had no more than 60 seconds to sort it...that's not a lot of time.
Comments (2)
The lengths they'll got to for a BBQ !!!
Wat, NO BEER !!!
Posted by Road Rat | August 9, 2008 3:29 PM
Posted on August 9, 2008 15:29
WHAT KENWORTH, ITS A WESTERN STAR DAH!
Posted by rod simmonds | August 10, 2008 4:59 AM
Posted on August 10, 2008 04:59