Hooniverse Weekend Edition: Last Call; Let’s see your SUV do this!
If you all are ever wondering why there seems to be a lack of postings this weekend, this is it. You see, the old Craftsman Lawn Tractor that I bought in 1993 crapped out again. The problem wasn’t the engine, or the mowing deck, but it just would not start (again!). The battery has been replaced (5 times during the time I owned it), and the starter motor had been replaced twice. The ignition switch has also been replaced at least once. So when the 17 year old lawn tractor failed to start, I had it, and armed with a 20% off coupon, off to Sears I went for a replacement.
Lucky for me, I now have the XUV. The model I selected had a retail price of over $1,200, which brought the price to under $1,000 when it was all said and done (including sales tax). That is just about the same price I paid for the old one in 1993, and the new one has almost 18 HP, while my old one did the job with 13. Well, I brought the Envoy around to pick up the Tractor, and the guy who retrieves the merchandise asked if it’s going to fit. I said of course it will, proceeding to lower all the windows, dropping the mid-gate, and opening the roof.
They have a set of ramps at the store, and with a crowd standing around the truck (yea, like there was nothing else to do), watched three guys push the tractor up the ramps into the SUV. Everyone who was there had their jaws drop to the ground (Ok, so I making this part up), and I proceeded to demonstrate the tailgate, and explaining that the XUV didn’t sell all that well, and were produced for only 2 years.
I didn’t have three guys at home to help me with the tractor, so I set up these ramps and unloaded the thing by myself. I have now taken a break from mowing to do this posting (it’s raining right now) but as soon as it clears, I will be back outside, or maybe not.
Related posts:
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- Hooniverse Weekend Edition: Last Call; WEEEEEEEEE!
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Jim. That is awesome. I am glad now that you got the Envoy. To show everyone whats what.
I really like the unload setup. Boss. 18hp Boss.
Ok, you have me convinced. I'm off now in search of an XUV.
Pretty sweet, I totally could have used something like that last week.
I brought home four major appliances (washer, dryer, range, dishwasher – one at a time of course) in my old '91 SAAB 900s 3 door hatch. Every time the guy at Sears or Home Depot said, flat out, that they wouldn't fit. Fun to prove them wrong.
Grandpa did same in his C900 with a ride on – just left the hatch open.
I've done a double mattress and bed frame, or easy chair at various times in a NG900.
Hatches are awesome.
I've done some interesting hauls in less-than-ideal vehicles. I brought home a 30 gal water heater in a '92 Nissan Maxima. I was proud of that one. Remove passenger headrest. Move passenger seat all the way forward. Recline passenger seat level with the back seat. Lay water heater down on passenger seat.
My other stupid/crazy/awesome haul was a '97 Triumph Daytona in the back of an '88 Jeep Cherokee. That one took more work as far as removing the seats, and laying the bike on its side, but it fit, dammit.
My dad used to carry around his motorbike (1927 Coventry Eagle, so pretty small and light) in the back of his early 80s Nissan Pulsar hatch. I didn't even stick that far out the back, with only the rear seats down.
Awesome, Jim…!
My only fancy hauling trick came about years ago when I brought a flat-packed Ikea entertainment unit home in my '88 Lincoln Continental: Fully lower and recline the passenger seatback and lay the flat packs (there were three, including media storage book cases) lengthwise from the front passenger footwell back to the rear parcel shelf. Once buttoned up, I made it home to Granada Hills from Burbank on Interstate 5 without a glitch…!
I look at those homemade ramps and can't help but think…
WHY DID YOU TURN?! WHY DID YOU F$@%$ TURN?!?!?!
I bet he's glad that he didn't!
Well done sir! But I have one question, where did the mower deck go?
That was my thought exactly. The main reason I ditched my 79 Ranchero was because I had to remove the mover deck to fit my lawn mower in it.
The Mower Deck stayed on the Tractor when it was loaded. All I had to do was raise the rubber chute (You know, where the grass comes out…) while the tractor went in. When I got home, all I did was to tie a bungee cord on the side of the seat back down to the mower deck to keep the chute raised, so that I could extract the tractor myself.
Not saying I doubt you, but that deck has to raise really friggin high. Good job on breaking minds of many people at Sears!
Hey, Jeepy. Do you have plans this coming week end?
Other than working on the house, No. What's up?
Bummer. Thought I might catch you here: http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/omaha2010.aspx
Yeah, I had hoped to be. Best laid plans of mice and all…
Just curious, how wide is the deck? The 48" deck on mine is scraping the wheel wells on a full size pickup.
I fit four dudes in a Fiero once, three of whom had lit cigarettes.
Four guys in a Fiero sounds pretty gay. There would have to have been some guy on guy "action" in such a situation.
All right, Eggwich, now I require proof.
Video would be even better… if the four guys are smokin' hot (and I don't mean the cigarettes…)
So four guys in a Fiero is slang for something then?
Not that I'm aware of.
In principle, it sounds like fun in the vein of "how many frat pledges fit in a telephone booth?", or "can we fit the rugby team into a VW Beetle…?"
Or a rousing game of drunken strip Twister…
I had a very strict rule with my Corvette, no more than 2 guys, including me.
My 244 has held me, my friend, his girl, my other friend's girl, and said friend in the boot. Yeah, there was room for him in the car proper, but where's the fun in that?
The 745 I'm buying has a jump seat. Room for seven, with belts and legroom for all!
When 18 yo I managed to cram 13 (incl. myself) into VAZ 2108 (or Lada Samara, which is 4 m/13 foot long VW Golf II size car).
5 in front, 6 in the backseat + 2 in cargo area. Some boys and some girls. Then we proceeded to drive 20 miles to some party.
Snowy winter and threadless (as in finished) summer tires. Exactly the project 18 yo would think to be perfectly normal.
"Dear Hooniverse forum…"
Hey, there's an idea for a new post!
We shoehorned 2 guys and 2 hot chicks in a Porsche 914 once.
I got to ride bitch.
Ha, I knew there was no way to post this without it sounding homoerotic, that much was clear once I typed "I fit four dudes in."
It's real easy to do, here it is.
First you limp to the side like your leg was broken…wait that's the humpty dance.
Okay,
1. After ditching out of high school, smoke a gang of weed by a rope swing way out in the country. By way out in the country, I mean right across the street from the high school next to a bunch of dental offices in the middle of the day.
2. Have second car drive away while you are hackey sacking and smoking countless Marlboros outside of said dentist offices.
3. Realize you must fit four in a Fiero, have laugh attacks.
4. Remove sunroof from Fiero, put in trunk.
5. First guy climbs in passenger seat, basically sits on the middle plastic divider/ashtray/transmission tunnelesque thing, with head out sunroof.
6. Second guy sits in passenger seat, is temporarily happy to have seat.
7. Third guy sits on second guy, laughs at his anger, celebrates his comeuppance. (Now THAT sounds gay.)
8. Driver (me) gets in, assesses situation, minor laugh attacks ensue.
9. Driver, sunroof guy, and passenger seat top guy (wow) light cigarettes.
10. Mudhoney's Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is played super loud, car makes it to Taco Bell without getting pulled over.
11. Many, many fifty-nine cent bean burritos are consumed.
And honestly, I think I may have once had five in the Fiero, in the exact same kind of situation, except guy five was crouched in a ball on the floor in front of passenger seat, covered with feet and super unhappy, but I was afraid no one would believe me.
Charles I'll post a time period correct picture of the three other dudes if I can find the "how to post pics" post tomorrow…
I had six in a BMW Z4 once. She was quite up for it, I think it was the red leather.
How about 4 in a standard cab S-10 with a passenger on the LEFT side of the driver?
I had eight in my 1987 Honda Prelude once… it was a mix of guys and girls.
Back when I was in the office furniture business, a customer with a same-model-year Porsche 928 Put a 4 drawer lateral file in the back of his car in order to save a $20 delivery charge. I had no doubt it would fit, but it was out of the carton, and I wondered what the sharp corners were going to do to the inside of the car. As I recall, we made him sign a waiver absolving us of any responsibility for damage before we loaded it.
Too bad you didn't have a camera mounted to the tailgate Murilee Martin road-trip style. I'm guessing the looks on the faces of the people behind you on the ride home would have been *priceless*. I know I'd be doing a double take if I saw that going down the highway.
Back in college I used my T-bird to haul (most of) the sound system for the campus ministry I was involved with. I'd fold the passenger seat flat and then one of the main speakers went there, leaving just enough room between itself and the ceiling that I had a gap to see through. The amplifier and mixer board went in my trunk, the board first since its length and width were about equal to the trunk's; also there was a tub of microphones, cables, etc. I'd recruit someone else to haul the other main speaker and the other tub of miscellaneous stuff.
When the T-bird's tranny let go during senior year, I remember that job becoming so much easier those two weeks it was in the shop… I got to borrow my dad's '95 Dakota, and then everything could ride in the box.
Now, I've got something to look forward to when I return from vacation; trying to fit the lawn tractor into the Wagonaire!
On a smaller scale, a Weed Eater One fits in the back of the Passat wagon once the mower steering column is removed.
I'm sorry, did you say "push the tractor up the ramps into the SUV"?
Is this not Hooniverse? Should not the proper answer be "drove the tractor off the loading dock, into the back of the truck, then paid one of the dock workers a fivver to drive the XUV home so I could ride on the tractor seat"?
The best I can do with a "Stuff into other stuff" story is a 10hp self propelled snow blower into a Protege5, hatch closed.
I would have been happier if he had loaded the tractor a little more like Picard loaded the Argo back into the shuttlecraft in Star Trek: Nemesis.
Yeah, shut up, I'm a nerd. Now let's see who catches the reference.
Trips to IKEA are always entertaining in my 240SX. I'll do the first run, bring it out, load the car and figure out just how much more I can fit. One trip to IKEA for me can sometimes involve three or four trips through the checkout.
Trips to Home Depot in the MGB are only out-WTFed by trips to Costco with the wife's smart car.
I've had audiences for both…
When I was roomies with a guy who had (actually, still has) an MGBGT, we used to make keg runs in it. I'd ride to the bar that sold them in the passenger seat, load the keg into the passenger seat after we bought it, then wedged my six foot self into the "back seat" for the ride back to the party. I'm not that limber anymore.
ha ha ha ha !! You ROCK!!
not quite, but close
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