FWIW trailers also have landing gear, and we know they don’t take off and/or land
depends on how fast you go…
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Hmmmmm… I was unaware of that…
But I’d still feel far, far, far, far safer in the Piper than on the freeway around LAX!! 
Well, I think this one DID land.
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Yep seen that before. In the fall there are lots of grain trailers on the freeway, and they like to fill them as much as possible on their way to the grain terminals. One morning some years ago one was parked on the side of the interstate bent in the middle on the ground like that with grain scattered around. He must have realized something was wrong in time to at least pull it off the road before it collapsed. Hope they didn’t have to hand shovel the thing out.
I used to overhaul those landing gears all the time, when I was working at the depot. It was pretty easy
In a few minutes, you could determine if it was worth overhauling it, or if you’d be better off just replacing it
Our trailers were M872A3, I believe, and they carried supplies to Bosnia, during Operation Provide Comfort in the late 90s. At least I think that’s what it was called
But I believe those same trailers were also rated to carry vehicles, provided they were properly secured
The trailers still waiting to be worked on were literally parked in an area of forest, where the trees had been chopped down. But many stumps remained.
Invariably some idiot would hook up the tractor, and pull away WITHOUT raising the landing gear. And it was guaranteed that the lowered landing gear would hit a tree stump and get literally all bent out of shape. That was often the reason for replacement.
The pads or whatever they’re called often failed to swivel, due to dirt and/or rust. A torch usually took care of that problem. One time a dope got a little too eager with the torch and burned right through, igniting the grease inside the landing gear. Mr Eager Beaver shop foreman ran over with a fire extinguisher and put it out
Now that I’m on a roll and off-topic, I’ll just stay there . . .
Another guy managed to drop the header board onto ME. He never even got written up, even though I was out for a few days. This was the same guy that somehow managed to step INTO the solvent tank
Takes all kinds .was an hierarchy involved ?
I had a guy like that. Managed to run the fork lift into a sprinkler. It was a nice unannounced fire drill exercise anyway once we got the water shut off. Same guy demolished the delivery van about five miles off the route that should have been taken. He’s the one that the union president finally came to me on bended knees asking how he could help to get rid of him.
The guy that dropped the header board on me . . . it landed flat on my back, otherwise I might have broken bones or be dead . . . was a regular mechanic, same as me. He wasn’t higher up than me, or anything like that
But our supervisor . . . NOT the shop foreman . . . just sat in the office all day. He put on a clean uniform, but never got his hands dirty. One day the US Army major came by to do an inspection of the shop. She . . . ! ! ! . . . caught him in the office, reading girlie magazines. She was NOT impressed, and he made a big show of tearing them up in front of her face, and throwing them in the trash
Another time, during an inspection, another guy was lying under a trailer, loudly snoring. And just as the supervisor approached the office, the supervisor’s alarm . . . the old school one with the two bells . . . sounded, waking him up. The major heard this and just shook her head, as the guy ran out of his office to shake her hand, trying to pretend everything was okay
Other times, he would be in the office, snoring away. I figure anybody like that probably has no motivation to write somebody up. He DID report the “accident” . . . stupidity is more like it, IMO . . . but chose NOT to reprimand the other mechanic. In fact, he insinuated I got hurt, because we were probably “playing around” instead of working. Showed how out of touch he was
yeah, there were quite a few worthless guys at that job
Guys literally sleeping on the job
Guys n"reading" girlie magazines, versus doing their job
People so clumsy, they were constantly hurting themselves or others
Some other guys managed to lose their crate engine in a pallet on the freeway . . . talk about “securing your load”
The last job I got fired from,really did me a favor,I wasnt a brownie or related,the prez really got miffed at me because I would stand up to Him,some couldnt get fired no matter what they did ,(I think mine stemmed from a rusted out bent tailgate,I told the boss no one else did we He told me to do and I truthfully told Him “I wasnt going too either” (Everybody else would keep mum about what they screwed up and it would usually pass,I would admit my indiscretion and take my medicine ,didnt try to lie my way out of trouble or cover up ) To many relatives and Brownies had started working there.
Some of the lugs would rawhide and abuse the company pickups,dont recall their hand ever being called on that ,The Bosses older brother gave me gaff one morning so I went home(I dont do smartass anymore ) next morning the prez fired me(couldnt lay me off ,I wasnt able to do what he wanted right then) ,so His solution was termination ,I didnt care ,got another job shortly ,thereafter (pardon my atrocious grammer and syntax)
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