Daron from California City and I made another trip to Woodland last weekend to help move some more BSOT tractors home.

Our original plan was to leave Bakersfield Friday afternoon, load in Woodland Saturday morning and go to Ed's play day in Petaluma for the day, return to Sacramento to sleep and go home Sunday morning. Original plans seem to have a way of changing on me!

We did leave Friday afternoon with the truck and my Mom following with our pickup and tilt trailer. We stayed with family south of Sacramento.

Saturday morning we went to the Best Ranch and looked around a bit. Some 45 foot vans needed to be moved back to their home and one lost Twenty needed to go to the right home. We moved the vans and the Twenty to where they needed to go.

A Twenty Eight foot van needed to go home, too. Willie told me my fifth wheel wouldn't go back far enough, but we tried anyway. We hooked up, but only had about three inches of clearance between my taillights and the trailer landing gear, so we decided to leave that trailer where it was.

The field it was in was recently disked and we almost got stuck after unhooking from the trailer. Two opposite drivers were high and spun. We rocked around a bit and played with inflated and deflated airbags and got ourselves going again without needing a tow.

We went back to the family's for a rest and visit for the rest of Saturday since we didn't finish those tasks until midafternoon and it was too late to go to Petaluma. Jess told us that they were going to move the Harris Giant harvester home the next morning, though.

Sunday we arrived at 6:00 am sharp to find Jess waiting for us. Jess dug a hole with his D7 for me to back into and load the Harris header and cart on my truck. We backed it on with no problem with Jess' help and guidance.

Then our friend with the lowbed arrived and we were ready to load the Harris. The names have been changed and identifying marks purged to protect the innocent! The Harris is 21 feet high and 21 feet wide. It needed to move eleven miles under quite a few trees, low hanging wires, traffic lights and train crossings.

We loaded it up with only a few back and forths. Jess is very patient and gives good instruction. You can tell that our lowbed driver friend also has done this a few times. Daron rode the top of the harvester and Jess rode the front to pole wires over and generally make sure that we didn't give it a haircut.

It was a pleasure to follow and watch as they threaded the needle with this between lights, wires and overhanging branches. Our lowbed driver friend really is an artist with that truck.

We arrived that the Harris home and unloaded both with no trouble. They got put away where they belonged in good shape. Daron and I then returned to the Best Ranch and loaded our T6 on the top deck, D7 behind and a Sixty bound for Porterville on the back. (Luckily, I didn't weigh the load until we were already home!)

We returned home, arriving at Midnight Sunday night. I delivered the Sixty to Porterville Tuesday evening.

We will be back up next weekend to move tractors to Paso Robles. We should have almost everything home within a few more weeks. I will try a different link to pictures of this weekend's work that I have loaded at Photobucket. Most of these were taken by Daron, a few by me. I don't think they are particularly in order, but you should get the idea.

s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk12/pbloom/Woodland%2008-17-08/

Thanks for riding along and all your help Daron. I really enjoyed talking tractors and everything else with you. I hope your hair isn't too curled from the power lines!

Pete.

Hey Pete-
It was a pleasure to meet you at BSOT, and thanks for the time on the DW-10. I hope you won't be too truckered out to bring it down to my playday in November, we have plenty of cut/fill to play in!

Pete:

We can't thank you enough for all of the hauling that you have done for all of us involved with the BSOT. I will see you early Saturday morning to load at least 4 trucks bound for Paso Robles. Rick is coming down from Yosemite and Steve and I are coming up from Paso. I should be able to get about half of my equipment home on Saturday.

Now about the harvester you hauled on Sunday, that is the only BEST harvester left in the wild that we are aware of, not a Harris. That harveser is powered by the same basic engine that powers a BEST 75 tractor.

See you on Saturday.

Tom

Thanks for straightening me out, Tom. It is a good thing that you, Willie and the others keep checking up on me or I would be spreading all sorts of misinformation!

I never realized that this was the last Best known. I had thought someone told me it was a Harris Giant and it looked like one to me. Now I like it even better since it has Cat heritage!

I and all my friends have had a wonderful time moving and playing with all of this equipment. We all really appreciate everyone trusting us with their tractors, spending the time to talk with and teach us and hearing all of the stories and background about the tractors.

See you Saturday for the lowbed rodeo!

Pete.

Pete:

We may end up heading up on Friday and if we do we will be at Don's for breakfast @ 6, I am buying. In addition, I will be glad to barbeque Saturday evening in Paso after we unload. I would rather send you down the road with a full belly Saturday evening and not have you go hungry.

Let me know.

Tom