Shoot me...hubby just took out the tailgate and

[FarmerChick]

we had over 30 head of Angus. had those about 15 years at least. I HEAR YOU on the destruction LOL

the bull when he got out was horrifying!
we get that call from the neighbors, the cows are out.....oh the dread!

 

[hqueen13]

Get some cows. They can destroy everything for you and take the pressure off. My husband is getting sick of me asking " is that cow proof?"

I'll do you one better... My draft cross, all 1900 lbs of him, is named Storm. So now the question is "Is that Storm proof??"
Usually the answer is no :/
Thank GOODNESS he respects fences and gates (for the most part... unless the hay is bad and there is no grass!)

Soo sorry, FC! I think there is something a little off about the universal energy right now... hopefully it will settle down quickly because this kinda of stuff is getting old!

 

[~gd]

yup I think so also. I had years of great luck now it comes back to bite me in the butt LOL hopefully we are done breaking things





oh estimate I typed wrong. meant to type $1500. sounds better than 2500

I was going to question that figure but even $1500 sounds high to me. I have owned 3 pickup trucks, None big enough to haul a fifth wheel rig, 2 you could take the tail gate completely off [many did and replaced it with a strap net to get more speed/gas mileage, the tail gate creates lots of drag] Does a new/used gate cost that much or were the body sides bent also? Of course estimates are usually low I took my rig in for breaks and I was told $200 and 2 hours so I waited for it. 2.5 hours later they found me and said it is going to need parts and we will have to keep it for 4 days over the weekend. At that point I lost it and told them that I could see 3 parts stores from where I stood and one was bound to have parts for breaks. But they wouldn't be real Honda parts. I said Honda bought their parts from one of 3 american makers they don't make their own parts. I told him to have it ready by noon friday or I would haul the thing out of there to someplace that knew what they were doing. It is one thing to overcharge for "real Honda" parts and something else to tie us my rig over a weekend with no loaner cars available. I said it loud and out in the showroom so they arranged for a ride home. My brother works for a Honda dealer in another state and cell phones are just so handy!

 

[baymule]

Farmer Chick, have you thought about calling salvage yards? I bought parts for the last 5 years and I often times haunted salvage yards. You can pick up some good deals that way. Some salvage yards are on some kind of radio network, so if they say they don't have one, ask if they know anyone who would.

To keep from tearing up anything else, try a stylish straight jacket and stay in a padded room.

 

[moolie]

Farmer Chick, have you thought about calling salvage yards? I bought parts for the last 5 years and I often times haunted salvage yards. You can pick up some good deals that way. Some salvage yards are on some kind of radio network, so if they say they don't have one, ask if they know anyone who would.

To keep from tearing up anything else, try a stylish straight jacket and stay in a padded room.

Ditto, we once got a perfect "new" radiator for our '83 Chevy S10 truck back in the 90s from a wrecker, saved us literally hundreds. Not too common a find either, because most cars end up at the wreckers with front-end damage, but this one had been t-boned so the rad was still good.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh yes he is checking but it is so specific. flame red to fit a 2500 Dodge Ram Mega Cab. It has to have the ram head and say SLT and something else is on the tailgate.

I want the exact one that comes on this truck (for possible resale later)

I got my estimate. All the 'decorations' have to be purchased separate and applied and new primed tailgate is $800, then it has to be painted. Then all the applications applied and labor of course.

no hurry. We will get a check and find our best options.

We are going to buy a 5th wheel V tailgate for traveling. But I know I want the exact correct tailgate for this truck. no skimping this time.

 

[FarmerChick]

To keep from tearing up anything else, try a stylish straight jacket and stay in a padded room.

I have to say I am close to that point

actually the rest would be nice!

 

[Icu4dzs]

There are generally only a few explanations for this rash of "destructive" experiences. The most common of these was what we in the Navy called "Get-Home-itis". You get so focused on "getting home" that you skip safety steps or generally just don't pay attention to what you are doing, then, BAD THINGS happen to GOOD PEOPLE!

The other severe form of this is caused by FATIGUE. Fatigue coupled with what we called "LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS" is a deadly combination. (Of course "substance use" can play a part, but ordinarily that is NOT the causative explanation.) Fatigue is the major cause of such mishaps and in that light it might be a really good idea for someone who is really tired, particularly after driving a long way, to just stop and go to sleep and rest for a while before attempting so many important things such as working with that 5th wheel trailer or power tools, etc.The other solution is to have a partner checking and helping what is being done, particularly with moving a large, bulky vehicle.

I got so out of sorts with my 5th wheel that I sat down at the computer one day and compiled a huge "pre-flight check list" so that I didn't forget something before I even THOUGHT of moving the truck. There are a LOT of steps to such a procedure and they have a particular order to follow. Obviously, your DH skipped one or two of those steps. That $2500 will come out of your premium later, you can count on that. Insurance companies have figured out how to make you pay for it. They just let you pay them for the privilege of "advancing you the money" and then they raise your premiums to recover THEIR loss. They are such coniving crooks.

Have DH make check lists for everything he has to do that can result in a serious mishap. This one was a "minor ground mishap". It is a good thing it wasn't an "in-flight" mishap which may have endangered your lives.

Sorry to sound like I am "preaching" but as we say in the Navy, "The NATOPS manual is written with blood". NATOPS is the navy's standardized procedure for ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that has to do with flying an aircraft. It stands for Naval Aviation Training, Operating and Procedural Standarization" and is quite literally responsible for stoppingnearly all the aircraft accidents the Navy had in the 1950's. There's just NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SAFETY! We got tired of losing our folks to mistakes. Attending funerals for your friends just isn't fun.


Trim sends
Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aeterni
//BT//