Jake and I came up for a quick trip around 4:30 and rode the blue ATV over to Peter’s to ask to borrow his big flatbed trailer. The plan is to take it back to Oshkosh to transport a garden shed from Paco’s house. Peter was happy to lend it out. Jake and I ran the ATV back to the pole barn and drove my truck down the service road in Peter’s woods where he keeps the trailer parked. I let Jake sit in the front seat for this little excursion and he was really excited.

When we got to the trailer, Peter was there waiting to help us hook it up. I carefully and slowly wound my way back down the service road and pulled back into the yard to check the tire pressure and trailer lights. One of the rear lenses was broken and all the tires needed airing up, but everything was otherwise in great shape. As I was airing the tires, Peter stopped in with a replacement light assembly, so he must have been thinking about the same thing. He’s a great neighbor; I owe him a beer or several for all this.

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With the trailer ready to go, I started looking for the other tools I’d need to move the garden shed. I gathered a half-dozen pipes to roll the shed across Paco’s yard and onto the trailer as well as a substantial length of chain to pull it with. I have a brand new 4,000 lb come-along at home to winch it up the back of the trailer. On a last-minute whim, I decided to load up the blue ATV, too. Work smarter, not harder.

We left around 6:30 with the pipes, chain, and trailer ramps in the truck bed and the ATV strapped to the trailer. You can definitely feel this thing behind you when you’re driving, but other than amplifying bumps in the road, it pulls nicely. When we were back in Oshkosh, I parked the ATV in my garage and backed the trailer up Paco’s sideyard with his help. I was worried about the low rear deck burying itself due to the grade of his yard, but it fit like a glove and just barely cleared. Parked it, unloaded the gear from the truck bed, and left it until Sunday when we move the shed. Phase one complete!