No when I say mate I mean somebody I have known for about 45 years, our Dads used to drive for the same firm when we were kids, he drove for me when I had lorries in the UK and was my number one driver.
And as I explained in my first post on the subject, he was one lorry behind the Polish Daf that had the bridge fall on him, he was the one that got the Polish driver out of his cab as he was a little dazed after the incident.
He’s missed the Woolwich Ferry a couple of times and he was in the cubs for a couple of months, his attire does leave a lot to be desired though as he often wears a West Ham shirt.
I thought a Muir Hill on a Clydesadale multi lift flat was zb high until I saw that. I bet he’s thinking if only he said if we can’t get the digger on without the bucket attached to it then it’s going no where. Going by that it looks like weeto was right.
If that bridge was lower than 16 foot 6 I’m sure the law of averages would say it would of been hit before now.
How many large loads must have gone down there to the ferry ports or been involved in the construction of the channel tunnel ?
The lorry carrying the plant ran over debris that was on the carriageway that had fallen from another vehicle, it raised the height of the plant lorry and hit the bridge, it really is that simple and why no one has been arrested.
You will read about it when the relevant authorities decide to release the truth.
Not that many, anything substantial wouldn’t ship out of Dover or Folkestone, they’re primarily passenger terminals. Most big loads ship out of the east coast ports. I went to the Chunnel site quite a few times, Shakespeare Cliff I think it was called, apart from the massive TBM itself, there wasn’t much heavy equipment to be seen down there, lots of materials, yes, but there wasn’t huge dump trucks or anything like that around, not that I ever saw anyway and when you think about it, any plant had to be small enough to fit in the tunnel itself, so it couldn’t be that big.
toby1234abc:
Digger driver will now be offered tea and biscuits with Beverly or Sarah Bell , see the thread titled Bev on You Tube in her Chelsea tractor.
It is a miracle that nobody was killed, think of the children .
Think the Digger drivers probably thinking whens my bloody machine gonna turn up?
toby1234abc:
Digger driver will now be offered tea and biscuits with Beverly or Sarah Bell , see the thread titled Bev on You Tube in her Chelsea tractor.
It is a miracle that nobody was killed, think of the children .
Think the Digger drivers probably thinking whens my bloody machine gonna turn up?
I bet he don’t mind if he is on overtime and bank holiday rates lol
Just putting my tuppence in but having some experience of identical loads I used to drive the dumper up onto the swan neck, in this case it looks to me like your average 5Tonne jobby.
Driving it up allows the back wheels to be wedged at the base of the neck, this also avoided the need to drop the anti rollbar down which we still did as it was locked in by pins that could be easily removed.
Now the rubber duck.
Well drive it on then put the arm at the back ensuring to lower it. This allows not only good low height travelling but also good weight distribution. Ensuring to apply slew lock if fitted and u could find it.
As mentioned the bucket has been reversed and should have been removed to facilitate this. But even in its current position more height could be reduced if the dumper wasn’t so close.
Also worth pointing out the winch rope is out, which would explain why the dumper is not on the swan neck, perhaps it was faulty and the driver didn’t feel he needed to drag it all the way up which does require getting creative with the winch rope by attaching it to a point well underneath the dumper.
Anyway optical illusions aside the arm of the rubber duck is above 16 feet inmho, but is it higher than 16’ 6.
toby1234abc:
Digger driver will now be offered tea and biscuits with Beverly or Sarah Bell , see the thread titled Bev on You Tube in her Chelsea tractor.
It is a miracle that nobody was killed, think of the children .
Think the Digger drivers probably thinking whens my bloody machine gonna turn up?
I bet he don’t mind if he is on overtime and bank holiday rates lol
I will also put my captain hindsight cap on here and say the bucket could have been dropped into the dumper skip lowering height of boom a fair bit!
I’m guessing the machines were only doing a short hop down the road hence just being “bunged on” not factoring in the bridge along the way! Only guessing though
Dipper_Dave:
Just putting my tuppence in but having some experience of identical loads I used to drive the dumper up onto the swan neck, in this case it looks to me like your average 5Tonne jobby.
Driving it up allows the back wheels to be wedged at the base of the neck, this also avoided the need to drop the anti rollbar down which we still did as it was locked in by pins that could be easily removed.
Now the rubber duck.
Well drive it on then put the arm at the back ensuring to lower it. This allows not only good low height travelling but also good weight distribution. Ensuring to apply slew lock if fitted and u could find it.
As mentioned the bucket has been reversed and should have been removed to facilitate this. But even in its current position more height could be reduced if the dumper wasn’t so close.
Also worth pointing out the winch rope is out, which would explain why the dumper is not on the swan neck, perhaps it was faulty and the driver didn’t feel he needed to drag it all the way up which does require getting creative with the winch rope by attaching it to a point well underneath the dumper.
Anyway optical illusions aside the arm of the rubber duck is above 16 feet inmho, but is it higher than 16’ 6.
I’m sure the driver will know
If he had loaded it like this, he would have probably been ok.
Did notice someone asked if they are into fixing bridges on their FB site the other day.
att:
The lorry carrying the plant ran over debris that was on the carriageway that had fallen from another vehicle, it raised the height of the plant lorry and hit the bridge, it really is that simple and why no one has been arrested.
You will read about it when the relevant authorities decide to release the truth.
Dipper_Dave:
Just putting my tuppence in but having some experience of identical loads I used to drive the dumper up onto the swan neck, in this case it looks to me like your average 5Tonne jobby.
Driving it up allows the back wheels to be wedged at the base of the neck, this also avoided the need to drop the anti rollbar down which we still did as it was locked in by pins that could be easily removed.
Now the rubber duck.
Well drive it on then put the arm at the back ensuring to lower it. This allows not only good low height travelling but also good weight distribution. Ensuring to apply slew lock if fitted and u could find it.
As mentioned the bucket has been reversed and should have been removed to facilitate this. But even in its current position more height could be reduced if the dumper wasn’t so close.
Also worth pointing out the winch rope is out, which would explain why the dumper is not on the swan neck, perhaps it was faulty and the driver didn’t feel he needed to drag it all the way up which does require getting creative with the winch rope by attaching it to a point well underneath the dumper.
Anyway optical illusions aside the arm of the rubber duck is above 16 feet inmho, but is it higher than 16’ 6.
I’m sure the driver will know
If he had loaded it like this, he would have probably been ok.
Did notice someone asked if they are into fixing bridges on their FB site the other day.
It seems silly to me that people are messing about trying to shuffle multiple loads around to fit on a low loader artic trailer that’s only really any good for carrying one.When the obvious solution is to use a mult lift flat rigid and a low loader drawbar trailer.Something along these lines.
Theres no messing about CF a dumper and excavator or rubber duck as in this case are quite a common combination, prolly even room for a couple of bomag rollers as well.
Dipper_Dave:
Theres no messing about CF a dumper and excavator or rubber duck as in this case are quite a common combination, prolly even room for a couple of bomag rollers as well.
As I said the problem is while no one is saying it can’t be done,shuffling multiple loads around on an artic trailer,that’s ideally designed for just one big load between the neck/s at either end and/or the ramps,provides too much scope for people getting it all wrong as in this case.The choice between that and the rigid and low loader drawbar configuration really is then a no brainer.Especially bearing in mind the added flexibility of something that can be used as a tipper or bulk refuse carrier one day or for small plant jobs using just the rigid on its own the next,or as in this case being much more ideally suited to hauling larger multiple plant type loads.Or even a combination of tipper and plant.At least that’s where my investment would go if it was me operating the outfit.
It’s not uncommon for a 360 to share a trailer with it’s attachments, a dumper and the operators’ van. I believe it’s illegal if done on an abnormal load trailer, as the load can be divided into three smaller pieces. I think a firm got done a few years ago for carrying the machine drivers’ van without a digger on a truck and trailer combination above 44t.
dieseldog999:
The drone owner is a professional photographer whose work features in many national and local newspapers and the drone is far from a toy drone. Fully CAA licensed to operate a drone and cost well into 4 figures.
if that’s the case then just another example of how the media will do anything to invade someones greif riddled privacy.i suppose it would have been more juicy if someone got slaughtered might even have seen the driver skewered in the cab by the steering wheel if it was 2 secs earlier…i just consider them pondslime,id have more respect for the trainspotter brigade than the media.
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Just putting my devil’s advocate hat on for a mo…
"How many people think it’s ok and dandy to have 20 times more hold-ups from closed outright motorways, because the emergency services have not finished cleaning up yet?"
“VOSA hold back the traffic to spare the public seeing any blood” could be argued.
I bet he’s thinking if only he said if we can’t get the digger on without the bucket attached to it then it’s going no where. 
Going by that it looks like weeto was right.
