[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]

Who needs a truck?


Saturday we went over a friends house to get some firewood.  He had a large
oak tree knocked down by hurrican Opal (93?) and he really wanted to get the
part in his yard removed.

We drove up in our '79 Rabbit (diesel automatic) and the '71 SQB.  I sawed away
with a chainsaw and my wife loaded the Rabbit until I said 'Enough!' when the
back end was getting very low.  I folded the back seat forward, but should have
removed it before leaving home...

Our kids tried to get my friends Cocker Spaniel to chase a ball, but he was
more interested in climbing through the VWs!

Next came time to load the Squareback.  One thought we had was to grab a large
'slab' of the tree from which to make nice oak coffee tables.  My friend's
neighbor had already sliced a few off, so we rolled one towards the '71.  We
made some measurements and it would fit, just.  The slab was 32" to 34" in
diameter and about 22" thick - solid oak.

With 4 2x6's as a ramp and a winch secured under the front wheels, we dragged
the wood into the back of the car.  When it came to rest, it was sitting,
centered, behind the rear wheels, with the bumper not quite on the ground...:-) 

Take a measuring tape and see how much room a 32" round, 22" tall slab takes up
in the back, pretty much everything except for the folded down rear seat.

Diane drove the Squareback behind me on the way home, but after about 2 miles
pulled over.  I stopped as well to see what was wrong.  She said there was a
thunking sound from the rear end and the steering wheel was all over the place. 
I volunteered to swap cars and took the lead (avoiding the highway.)  There was
a thunking sound as I slowed down, but seemed to be less when I was applying
the brakes.  The steering wheel was light only because of all the weight in the
back.  I had to keep the speed down to 45-50 or else I was all over the road.

We made it home without incident, about 30 miles and then unloaded the Rabbit. 
The Squareback had to wait until Sunday.  We slid the wood out by hand, after
we slipped t 2x6's underneath.  I've already hacked off one 4" slab for our
first table.

Today I checked on the weight of the wood - 32" diameter and 22" thick equates
to 10.24 cubic feet.  Oak weighs in at between 44 and 48 lbs per cubic foot. 
Quite a load for the VW, but it shows what you can accomplish, even if you
don't own a truck!

Dave


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]