Just pulled into our motel in Amarillo Texas - what a day! But we got it loaded this morning.
@Stepmurr from copper state cruisers agreed to drive the 1.5 hours down to help with the extraction and load the 40 on the trailer. I woke up nervous about how we were going to safely get the 40 out of its parking spot that consisted of many obstacles and into the loading zone.
First thing is I checked if the pack rat returned over night - she did. More treasures in the engine compartment. I left them hoping they'll bounce out on the trip home.
@Stepmurr showed up right on time after working all night (seriously a great individual ). We devised a plan that consisted of him towing me with his incredible Tacoma out of the parking spot, over some rocks, down a hill, up another hill to the staging area.
It went great. My first 'rock crawl' was under tow strap power. He deftly kept enough slack in the tow rope as I rolled, without brakes, down a gravel incline once through the rocks. The shocks are frozen so the ride was harsh. I should also mention the driver's seat is stuck in the closest position to the wheel (this is a problem when one is 6'-6")
Once at the bottom of the hill he towed me into the perfect spot to get it loaded on the trailer.
After a few tries in getting the trailer into position - embarrassing for a former wrecker driver- it was time to load. The plan was to position the trailer ramps right in front of the 40s wheels then jack knife my truck out of the way. This would give @Stepmurr a clear shot at the 40 with the winch cable running straight down the middle of the trailer while my truck is out of the way but still connected to the trailer.
Worked on the first try.
Get it on the trailer and see one of the trailer tires is flat. Try to air it up but there's a puncture. So I call u haul and they can't find our somewhat remote location. So they send me a text with a link to click on - it provides our GPS location via my phone. Within 45 minutes the tire and wheel are replaced. The mechanic thought my hitch was too low so he gave me one, for free, with more rise. He even helped disconnect and reconnect the trailer. Uhaul earned serious points.
Even with the delay, we were down the road in just a little over 2 hours.
The tundra has performed flawlessly, even outside Albuquerque at 7k feet.
Should be in town tomorrow afternoon.
Right now I'm drinking some of the beers I promised @Robkc .
Pictures: