Thursday, May 29, 2014

Let Us Now Praise Men and Machinery

 More fun on the farm -- a few days ago our little Kubota utility vehicle was parked at our basement door  while the driver unloaded some odds and ends. Alas, the emergency brake was not fully engaged and the vehicle began to roll back down the road, and off the road, down a slope and over the edge  to end up lodged against a rock in the branch.

The banks are steep and slick and there are no trees handy to attach a come along so we did what we done before, when we've found ourselves in this sort of pickle --  called on Allen's Wrecker Service. They've been pulling our vehicles (and our friends' and neighbor's vehicles) out of ditches and creeks for almost forty years. Howard Allen was a sort of genius at this work and now that Howard's gone, his son Charles runs the business.

It took Justin on our tractor to pull the wrecker across a few slick spots in our front yard but 

 once the wrecker got in place, it was just a matter of hooking the cable to the front of the Kubota . . .

                                                                    And slow and sure, up it came.

 Once it was out of the creek and on the bank, the fella in the orange shirt got behind the wheel and the Kubota started. "I believe it'll come up on its own," he said. 


  . . . and it did, with just a little help from the wrecker to get over the edge and back onto the road.
 We were elated -- having been prepared to find out that this very useful  piece of farm equipment  was totalled. But aside from some dents and two slightly twisted wheels that will have to be replaced, the damage was minimal. That's one tough little machine -- and the dump bed still works. 

Everyone who lives in the country -- especially  in the mountains -- needs to know a good wrecker guy. We've been fortunate to know the best. 

14 comments:

Victoria said...

I'm glad no one was hurt, and the damage to the Kubota was minimal.

The photos of the blossoms in your previous post are gorgeous!

I laughed when I read about how you're now older than the lady who gave you plants when you built your house...until I realized that I'm now older than Beulah(my neighbor over the ridge when I first moved into my cottage) was when she gave me her recipe for pickled pears. Aye, law indeed!

Anonymous said...

I can only say phew! And thank goodness for men and machinery.

Brian Miller said...

ah. glad it is ok...the dents will add character and you will have a nice story to tell...smiles...and glad no one was in the way when it went...that would be scary to see crashing down on you

Frances said...

Vicki, you've told this story well. It was almost like being there!

Hoping that everyone continues to watch out for those slippery spots.

xo

Barbara Rogers said...

Yep, that's one very nice ending to your story. Never heard of one of them...Kubota. But it sure sounds like someone invented something just right for working on the mountains. Little horse of a tractor.

Jime said...

Glad no one was in the way of a careening Kubota.

I play golf with Jack Kubota. He is in his upper 80's and quite a man. He was in our navy in the 2nd world war because he lived with his sister in Colorado.

His family was in an internment camp out of Lone Pine, Calif. They sent Jack to Colorado to avoid the camp. Shameful story of a honorable American family broken apart by war. Jack went on to graduate from Stanford with a Civil engineering degree and owner of his own firm despite the hardship. BTW his father was a successful business man in Imperial county with several big trucks that hauled produce to Los Angeles.

Americans confiscated his trucks and home and never returned them.

All humans are capable of misdeeds and hurt. You don't have to be the enemy to do harm just human.

Gwen said...

So glad you have a reliable tow truck service. I got my van stuck in the mud outside a cabin at a nearby horse camp where my 23 year old son works part-time. The AAA people wouldn't come because the trucks refuse to leave the asphalt! Luckily, the barn manager got her big old diesel truck that hauls the horse trailers and was able to pull me out. From now on, my grown son will have to haul his belongings to the cabin from the gravel road!

Carol Crump Bryner said...

So glad the wrecker didn't find a wreck. I was thinking just yesterday how important it is to know good people who have these practical skills and the equipment to carry out the job. Maybe it should be mandatory for every parent to teach their children how to fix a toilet, how to find the fuse box, and how to lift a piece of heavy furniture without hurting their backs. We need more useful people in this world.
I always enjoy your blog, Vicki, and read it every day, even though I don't always comment.

Vicki Lane said...

Victoria -- it's a kind of unsettling feeling, isn't it?

Jim -- the story of what happened to the Japanese-Americans is deplorable -- and racist when one realizes there weren't internment camps for German-Americans.

Gwen -- our wrecker guys have seen it all and they aren't afraid to get off the asphalt. It's a necessity in this county.

Carol -- yes, absolutely, to the Life Skills class -- I'd add in a touch of Shop and Home Ec for everyone.

Vicki Lane said...

Victoria -- it's a kind of unsettling feeling, isn't it?

Jim -- the story of what happened to the Japanese-Americans is deplorable -- and racist when one realizes there weren't internment camps for German-Americans.

Gwen -- our wrecker guys have seen it all and they aren't afraid to get off the asphalt. It's a necessity in this county.

Carol -- yes, absolutely, to the Life Skills class -- I'd add in a touch of Shop and Home Ec for everyone.

Vicki Lane said...

Victoria -- it's a kind of unsettling feeling, isn't it?

Jim -- the story of what happened to the Japanese-Americans is deplorable -- and racist when one realizes there weren't internment camps for German-Americans.

Gwen -- our wrecker guys have seen it all and they aren't afraid to get off the asphalt. It's a necessity in this county.

Carol -- yes, absolutely, to the Life Skills class -- I'd add in a touch of Shop and Home Ec for everyone.

Folkways Note Book said...

Knowing who to call for an incident around one's property is an essential part of living in the country. So many unforeseen things come up unexpectedly. Your piece of equipment is rugged!!!! -- barbara

jennyfreckles said...

A fascinating story to a city girl who will hopefully have little need for a wrecker - though clearly what they do is just the opposite from wrecking.

Heidi Sutton said...

Same thing on our property. Just imagine not too long ago when our father's father would pick them all by hand with ladders as the kids would carry the baskets back to the farm house. No thank you. I love these new machines and welcome as many as possible to lighten the load for these hard working guys out there.

Heidi Sutton @ Ag Source Magazine