Recovering a BX wreck

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:46 am

I have to move a GTI from a field where it has sat for five years to my yard. In that time it's integrated itself into nature. Even if I can jack it up I doubt the suspension will budge.
I have to be able to tow it on and off a trailer with a tractor at either end of the journey ( and be able to get rid of it once it's been picked clean) so if anyone's got any bright ideas - let's have 'em!
I was considering making some kind of dolly but it's got to be simple and relatively cheap to construct..

cheers!

( a few people wrote wondering where I've been for the last few months. I'm still BXing but I was deep under in DIY land getting ready for the birth of our son who appeared last Sat and is called Ingmar. Now I've got to get the yellow break rolling again to fit the growing family!)

Gibbo2286 · Post by **Gibbo2286** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:03 am

In circumstances like this I get the local scrappy to come round with a skip loader (without the skip) run the skip chains through the windows and lift it on. Gibbo.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:08 am

Congrats! But yes, I suspect a Hiab is your friend here. What's German for pikey?

Gibbo2286 · Post by **Gibbo2286** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:26 pm

Zigeuner or maybe Kesselflicker Dolly

Gibbo.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:45 pm

Congratulations on the baby!

No idea about the uplift though...

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:53 pm

Good to see you back and congratulations on the news!

Is this a reward for all the DIY you've done, you're allowed to buy a spares car? That plan has never worked for me...

I have seen people spinning over the HP pump with a drill, but there's no guarantee it will rise anyway, plus you'd need a pretty good battery drill to spin it fast enough I reckon. We had our Disco craned out and onto the back of a flatbed for about £100 (although I think he'd want a bit more to cover his fuel to Germany). Maybe you can do some kind of of deal where the scrappy gets the car afterwards for nothing?

richardd1652 · Post by **richardd1652** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:16 pm

Congratulations .When mine has me up at a god forsaken hour crying i can take confort in the thought that im not the only one up changing dirty nappies.LOL

Do you know of any farmers locally who could use a tractor with bailing forks? or else i agree on the Hi-Ab hire/skip lorry.
I used to be the manager of a Breakers yard and we had extensions for a fork lift which was great as we could lift them right up and get underneath to remove stuff(Health and safety?)
Richard.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:16 pm

Thanks for replies everyone.

Mat wrote

Is this a reward for all the DIY you've done, you're allowed to buy a spares car? That plan has never worked for me...

You must work longer, harder, make more groaning noises etc or at least make a larger cloud of dust to hide within!
The wreck is free and I haven't discussed it with the wife. It will just appear like an apparition. But a real one.
Tractors are aplenty as are Unimogs but I don't know anyone with baling forks. That's a good idea actually. I'm not sure a skip loader would fit down the track to my yard but that would do it.. must investigate.

The little man had his first ride in a BX - back from the hospital. He seemed rather non-plussed actually!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:37 pm

toddao wrote:longer, harder, make more groaning noises

Ahhhh, maybe that's what I need to do more of, then I'll be able to get another car!

Back to the one in the field, can you just not drag it onto a trailer with a tractor? That's what I did with the Xantia engine donor for my BX. It may scrape a little but if you're not too worried about damage it should be OK. A high lift jack under the trailer hitch would help the angle between ramps and trailer.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 8:15 pm

The GTI got rudely dragged from its resting place today by Bernhard and his tractor. Note the pile of inner tubes which we had to move out of the way and were wet and slimy. Heaven knows why he needs 100s of old inner tubes!

In the second pic can be seen the side damage which ended this BXs life. Rather than haul it to my area I'm stripping it in situ. Today I got out half of the A/C system out which involved some pro hacksawing through the dash!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 8:39 pm

Wow. Looks like Bernhard's head has been Photshopped in lol!

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Sun Sep 19, 2010 1:23 pm

Nice tractor! (I quite like the dungarees too

)

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:32 am

scarecrow wrote

Nice tractor! (I quite like the dungarees too Embarassed )

great for that uncle Jesse look! Around here they're almost mandatory if you're doing any kind of work. As are the old tractors. Though that one's only 40 years old. There are some going back to the 20s that get rolled out at the weekend and there's often (slow) convoys of the things cruising about, most of them perfectly restored.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:14 am

I'm actually looking for a place with a piece of land so that I have an excuse to buy an old tractor!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:42 am

Would this fit the bill?