Tag Archives: vehicle

Why are the Wheelbases of Alaskan Trucks so long?

Someone asked a question on Facebook about why the wheelbases of big rigs in Alaska are so long.  Jack says they are so long in order to fit extra long loads.

Here is a photo of the long wheelbase being utilized:

Down in the states, the wheelbase would be much shorter on most trucks.  In other words, the wheels would be much closer to the body of the truck and this sized pipe would result in more rear overhang, thus needing more permits and a more complicated set up.  So to avoid that, the wheelbase has been lengthened, since these kinds of loads are commonplace in Alaska.

Since Jack has a long wheel base he can haul another trailer behind this one, as seen here:

This is the second trailer – it has a load of sheet pile (sheets of metal that are driven into the ground and used for road construction or for bridge construction).

(In the first photo you can see part of the second trailer but it’s hard to make out because there is another trailer of pipe behind it.  In the second photo I erased the pipe behind so you can see the load on the second trailer better.)

Here are a few more photos of the Salcha-Valdez pipe haul.

The last piece of pipe being loaded!

Jack is so happy to be on his LAST VALDEZ RUN so he can get back on the Dalton!!

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Jack gets his ATV stuck on a muddy trail!

Yes, Jack got stuck in a mud puddle.  It was a big mud puddle though!  If fact, it was kind of a swamp.

He was not pleased!  After sticking a few pieces of wood under the vehicle for traction and not getting any we gave up and started walking.  Thank goodness it was only a mile back to the road!  I stayed there with our dog and Jack hitched a ride back to our house to get the 4-wheeler that has a winch on it.  So in a flash Jack was back, and soon we had the side-by-side out and we were heading down the trail on our merry way… it was already 11pm but Jack needed to balance his hard work with some hard play so we didn’t get home for another 2 or 3 hours!

We found a great easement trail!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with side-by-sides, they are similar to 4-wheelers but bigger and you can sit side by side behind a wind shield.  It’s more comfortable than a 4-wheeler, warmer, and you don’t get rained on.  Best of all, our old mutt can ride instead of run so he doesn’t wear himself out.  He must be part sled dog because he would run himself into the ground if you let him.

Moral of the story:  have a winch on your ATV if you are going to drive it through mud.  Jack hadn’t gotten around to buying one when we got stuck.  But you can be sure it’s at the top of his to-do list now!  Either way, it was a very fun night and we probably wouldn’t change a thing even if we could.  🙂

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