What's bumming your stone today?

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by monster

yay anon!

At one point I actually said 'yay' out loud.

Thanks limey and monster.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

Couldn't they have sent a truck capable of 'a full suspended lift'?

A what? The cop radios in a tow truck request and the dispatcher calls whoever the town has contracted. They are virtually all rollbacks these days. My only decision was the cop was NOT going to push me into a parking lot.

Originally Posted by sexobon

You'd think the tow truck operator would carry a jump box to enable unlocking the shift lever on vehicles like yours.

I was hoping the cop would give me a jump but he kind of ignored that suggestion, not confirming or denying having cables, and I couldn't open the bed to get at mine.

The cop chastised (although not seriously) the guy for not having a jumpbox, but I got the impression they are supposed to.

Before they rebuilt the intersection in front of my house there were a lot of accidents. I've seen more than one state cop tear a tow truck driver a new asshole for not having a broom to sweep up broken glass. Evidently it's in the contract to be on the state police call list.

[Carruthers]

'Full suspended lift'...

It's what the police (UK) request when a vehicle with automatic transmission needs to be removed.

A hydraulic crane on the back of the truck lifts the vehicle bodily on to the flat bed.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Rarely see them here. Being a big country we have room to drag it up the rollback.
They do have trucks that slide under and lift the front or rear drive wheels, but they're almost exclusively in the cities where towing illegal parkers can be tight.

Out here, if it's a wreck or illegally parked they don't give a shit, just get it to hell out of the way. Otherwise the driver is usually present to unlock everything, and most trucks carry a jumpbox or cables if needed. If necessary he could have dragged it up the tilt bed without appreciable damage.
Getting it off is another matter.

[Gravdigr]

My late friend John's mother has been kicked out of her nursing home, some insurance thing. The grandson (John's son) and I are leaving at 6a.m. tomorrow to make the 250 mile trip to get her home. I have no idea what she's gonna do, or, where she's gonna go.

I feel a strong responsibility to help them both (his mom, and his son) as much as I can, but, I don't what to do, or, what I can do...

They're all each other has.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's a tough spot to be in but I'm sure you just being there for moral support will be a help to them.

[DanaC]

Are there any social services agencies that might be able to offer support of some kind for her? At least maybe they could offer advice on next steps or something.

Surely local services have some kind of mandatory responsiblity for vulnerable elderly people?

[Griff]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

battery deal

So what happened with the battery? It just come loose or did corrosion get ya?

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

My late friend John's mother has been kicked out of her nursing home, some insurance thing.

Damnit. Sorry man.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It came mounted on a crossmember under the rear, but I relocated it to behind the right rear wheelwell so I could add a spare tire carrier from a Trailblazer under there. Didn't like not having a spare.
The bracket I used was a $150 stainless box that slid up and down on rails bolted to the frame. There are at least a thousand SSR guys using that bracket for years, hell, I've been using it for six years. I don't yet know if it broke loose from the frame or the box broke loose from the brackets. I was driving with the top down but I can't hear shit anyway. I'm pondering moving the battery into the bed but that's a major project.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

There are at least a thousand SSR guys using that bracket...

In my very short learning safari after your first post about your battery, I learned that that kit is very, very popular, and is considered almost a mandatory upgrade by most SSR owners.

I was wondering about it's construction and durability. That's a fairly vibration-happy area it's in, too, I would think.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Are there any social services agencies that might be able to offer support of some kind for her? At least maybe they could offer advice on next steps or something.

Surely local services have some kind of mandatory responsiblity for vulnerable elderly people?

Oh, she'll come up with alternatives pretty quick. She has some not-minor-not-major physical limitations, but as far mental ability, and functioning, she's a pretty withit old gal. She is also not without financial comfort. She just has to pick a place 'that's good enough'...for her.

She was only so far away because the place where she was is run by a religious/social organization she's been affiliated with for decades.

Trip delayed a day, btw.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

In my very short learning safari after your first post about your battery, I learned that that kit is very, very popular, and is considered almost a mandatory upgrade by most SSR owners.

I was wondering about it's construction and durability. That's a fairly vibration-happy area it's in, too, I would think.

Well constructed, all stainless. I would expect any failure would be the box breaking away from the slide brackets that allows the battery to be lowered for service. However the four stainless screws that attach the mounting bracket to the frame snapped off. I didn't post about it on the SSR sight because I didn't want to start a panic. I did tell the guy I bought it from, and he's freaked as this is the first failure he's heard of. I've met the guy and trust him implicitly, so I'll let him decide how he wants to warn his customers to check theirs. He offered to replace it free, which I feel is way over and above his obligation.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

He offered to replace it free, which I feel is way over and above his obligation.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Oh, she'll come up with alternatives pretty quick. She has some not-minor-not-major physical limitations, but as far mental ability, and functioning, she's a pretty withit old gal. She is also not without financial comfort. She just has to pick a place 'that's good enough'...for her.

She was only so far away because the place where she was is run by a religious/social organization she's been affiliated with for decades.

Trip delayed a day, btw.

Ahhhh - ok, that's not as bad as I was thinking Still - you're a good bloke, Grav, keeping a watch on your friend's mum and son. A good friend.

[Gravdigr]