gleaner E3 headed for alaksa

   Your not driving the combine 2500 miles, Your hauling it right ?

Wow, that is quite a haul -- KY to Alaska. Sorry I can't be of any help, but am interested

back in the 1980's, when i bought my 7010 new, the owner of king impl in tekamah,ne had a relitive in alaska that also had an AC dealership up there, i don't remember the name of the town it was in, but at that time, he said it was the only farm impl dealer of any brand in the whole state! i remember that mr. king had got some flatbed rail cars put on a UPRR siding in blair,ne. and had them loaded with alot of older AC equipment to be railed up to that dealer in alaska. there were disks and plows and old #60 and #66 combines, and other farm equip. they were really loaded! i remember him telling me that for any piece of new equipment shipped up to alaska from the states, there was an automatic $2000. added to the price just for shipping! since then i think other brands of dealers have been added up there!

Just curious, how high is that load? Over 13'6"? How heavy?

WOW, 10K (assuming that is with the trailer) with the 6.5L Turbo Diesel, ouch,  I just went 400 miles at a gcw of 18K, so about the same load, and while it pulled it decent, it wasn't that far, and not over the cont. divide.  WOW

Skyhighballoon(MO) wrote: Bill's trailer I think was rated for 22k - tandem dually.   That 10K estimate is for the load only:  combine, header, extra reel & cab.  Mike

It's not the rating I am concerned about, it looks legal, assuming it is plated for the load, it is the engine, the 6.5L TD GM put out was never very strong, and had overheating problems, I run two of them, and know them like the back of my hand, and I was just saying, he is more brave than I.  I have mine mildly modified, and I wouldn't pull that load, cause it would kill that engine.  Just sayin!

When we were there in '88 we stopped and visited with a guy that was harvesting potatoes in some valley. I think the name started with M.

   You have to remembler that if he worked sunrise to sunset he would not get much sleep.  I was station at Gleely in 65 to 66 short nites

just to let you know I made it to Alaska.  The total load was 26000 lbs and I couldn't stop her very well so I had to go down the hills the same gear I went up to keep her from running away. Mostly in second gear.  Had some long 10% grades so it was a little scary on Ice and snow.  The good thing was it was still frozen so I didn't have to deal with mud.  My truck pulled as I expected just had to go slow but not much traffic in April and most of the lodges are closed so fuel was far away.  6.5 L diesel only got at best 7 MPG and at worst 4MPG. Sheared all 8 lugs of the rear of the dully and thats when you know your on your own.  Not much help no one wanted to stop, had to go back 60 miles to FT Nelson from the top of the mountain to pound new lugs into the hub that took a day and half but I got her done.  Very costly trip, over 7 thousand on my credit card and I only stayed maybe 3 days in a hotel. most was repairs and diesel fuel.  The only hassles I got where when I got to Alaska the US customs gave me a hard time.  Nothing to fix there just an ass bureaucrat.  We are out of control with Bureaucrats and regulations.   Then 300 miles from my place the DOT truck police stopped me and took me for inspection.  They determined I was a commercial driver.  got over a thousand dollars worth of violations but no safety problems.  Had to stop driving for 10 hours becasue I had no record of my  breaks and down time, then I had to go to town and get a drivers log to continue.  I'll try fighting it but again the regulations are out of control and there is no way to fight it because they get to make all the rules and determinations of what they mean.  You can't even go to court and see a judge.  It's all done administratively and there is nothing you can do about it.  Never except more regulations if you are given a choice.  You all remember when your out there moving your junk to lie when you get stopped don't tell them you a farmer unless your within your 100 mile circle of your farm. (DOT reg) Your getting this equipment to restore it and will never sell it.  It's your hobby. No money made ever.  I'm home now and I will not do it again.
 

I think that valley outside of Anchorage and towards Palmer is the Matanuska valley.  Locals call it the Matt valley? Local legend had it that it grows great weed also.

Well your right I've been here over 30 years and it has changed a lot.  To Many city people moving up and no one has common sense anymore.  Some barley and oats grown but not enough to even supply Alaska's needs.  It's not the short season it's the weather that get you. dry most of the spring then rains all fall until snow fall in sept or oct.  Most of the farms near Fairbanks are farming the government.  When the free money dries up so will they.  I do 50 acres of hay but most years can only get one cutting and it's hard to get it to 20 % to bale.  Most of all the dairy's have failed.  much of the farmland that the government cleared is back to trees where it belongs. But you got to do what you got to do.  If I had any brains I'd quit farming but I love the challenge.

If you flew down, did you also buy the truck and trailer down here to drive back?

whew! glad you made it home safe! that combine is going to a good home!!

What an adventure. With the views that you had going at slower speeds shouldn't have been too bad. Good luck with the new combine.

I really like it up there, was up there in the mid 60's for 3 summers and again 2 years ago.  You have the best country ever.  If I was younger I'd move up there.  Have a friend in Palmer and talk to him often.  He moved there in the late 60's from Nebraska and never looked back.  Just loves it.  Thanks for the pictures, makes me want to come back up there.