

| Subject: | Re: BIG VAN LOAD |
| From: | Richard Paverd |
| Date: | Thu, 02 Jan 1997 05:40:59 -0500 |
Its amazing what we did when we were younger....! About 20 years ago, when I was at university (for those of you who might be interested - University of Natal, Durban, South Africa) I was asked by the underwater club if I could help them carry a container of seawater from the aquarium to fill their new (large) fish tank. Well, the container didn't look that large, so I took the middle seat out of my 71 breadloaf and we loaded it in. It just fitted in, which should have made me suspicious right away. At the aquarium, the container was filled, and off we went... Immediately, something felt strange; the steering was HEAVY, and the pull off was SLOW... As we gathered speed, just as a matter of interest, I asked the underwater club member who was with me how much water was in the container. "About 2,500 liters he replied. Suddenly all things were clear ! 2,500 liters equates to 2,500 kilograms which is near enough 5,500 lbs plus myself and two other passengers! I immediately had to concentrate a lot more. Not only was this an excessively heavy load, it was also a LIVE load in all kinds of ways. Coming to a stop at traffic lights was an excercise in itself - apply brakes early and as smoothly as possible and then handle the jerks as the water sloshed initially forward, then backward, then forward again. Cornering was simiraly tricky and, needless to say, was handled very carefully. The breadloaf handled this load without a problem and went on to give me many more years of good service. Richard Paverd 86 GL
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