Moving the Eagle
A crew consisting of Mike Reiter, Dan Huffman, Rick Brodrick, Mike Wolfe, Warren Strong, Randy Long, Dwayne Strong, Willy Palmer, Tom Costigan and Bill Sebright started at 9 AM, Wednesday, July 6, to move the Eagle to the Clayton Fairgrounds.
The 2 plaque stands were dug out after Randy had cut the water lines. The plaques had been epoxied to 500 pound concrete blocks. Dan loaded them in Warren's pickup. The stands were put in the trailer with the Eagle.
The original plan was to remove the eagle from the stand and set it onto our concrete pad at the fairgrounds, but after a suggestion from Dan, we decided not only might it be a delicate procedure to remove it, but also leaving some of the stand under it would give it a more formidable look. It did require some re-strategizing of the group's previous plans.
Dan Huffman started cutting the legs of the Eagle stand with a cutting torch. The metal that Jim Knight provided in 2010 was really tough to cut. Rick Brodrick started up his compressor, plugged in his circle grinder. He was able to get enough of a cut, so Dan's torch could cut the at least 5/16 of an inch thick steel. We had decided to leave the legs at feet long.
After getting the legs cut off Dan put the forks of the lift under the Eagle. We had to be careful not to get the forks too close to the Eagle. The Eagle was moved to Mike's trailer. We put boards where the legs would be to spread the weight so the 3 ton Eagle wouldn't go through the floor of the trailer. The legs barely fit between the side boards. The rest of the 6 foot legs were unbolted and put in Rick's truck. The rear of Mike's truck went quite low with the weight. The procession of cars and trucks proceeded to the Fairgrounds, all with their hazard lights blinking. Fortunately, it was a short drive from the Clayton Drive-In to the turn off to the fairgrounds on HWY 395, as the procession only moved along at a maximum speed of 15 mph. A big relief was felt by all when getting off the highway.
After considerable measuring, to get the placement right on our newly poured concrete pad, Dan put the Eagle down on 2x6 boards as the metal plates we plan to put under the legs were not ready due to our change of plans. The metal plates we plan to put under the legs were not ready.
The plaque stands were put on each side of the Eagle. The plaque blocks were placed on the stand using slings and the forklift. Getting the first one on took some time. The second one went better after practicing with the first.
Mike Wolfe announced, "THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!"
The 2 plaque stands were dug out after Randy had cut the water lines. The plaques had been epoxied to 500 pound concrete blocks. Dan loaded them in Warren's pickup. The stands were put in the trailer with the Eagle.
The original plan was to remove the eagle from the stand and set it onto our concrete pad at the fairgrounds, but after a suggestion from Dan, we decided not only might it be a delicate procedure to remove it, but also leaving some of the stand under it would give it a more formidable look. It did require some re-strategizing of the group's previous plans.
Dan Huffman started cutting the legs of the Eagle stand with a cutting torch. The metal that Jim Knight provided in 2010 was really tough to cut. Rick Brodrick started up his compressor, plugged in his circle grinder. He was able to get enough of a cut, so Dan's torch could cut the at least 5/16 of an inch thick steel. We had decided to leave the legs at feet long.
After getting the legs cut off Dan put the forks of the lift under the Eagle. We had to be careful not to get the forks too close to the Eagle. The Eagle was moved to Mike's trailer. We put boards where the legs would be to spread the weight so the 3 ton Eagle wouldn't go through the floor of the trailer. The legs barely fit between the side boards. The rest of the 6 foot legs were unbolted and put in Rick's truck. The rear of Mike's truck went quite low with the weight. The procession of cars and trucks proceeded to the Fairgrounds, all with their hazard lights blinking. Fortunately, it was a short drive from the Clayton Drive-In to the turn off to the fairgrounds on HWY 395, as the procession only moved along at a maximum speed of 15 mph. A big relief was felt by all when getting off the highway.
After considerable measuring, to get the placement right on our newly poured concrete pad, Dan put the Eagle down on 2x6 boards as the metal plates we plan to put under the legs were not ready due to our change of plans. The metal plates we plan to put under the legs were not ready.
The plaque stands were put on each side of the Eagle. The plaque blocks were placed on the stand using slings and the forklift. Getting the first one on took some time. The second one went better after practicing with the first.
Mike Wolfe announced, "THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!"