Then came the first float fix. The ramp had no springs, thus lifting and lowering it required real heft. Springs made this easy.
And I was bothered by the high towbar on the farmer's two-wheel-drive ute. It made the float slope downwards. Surely this wasn't right? As well, there were some unnerving moments climbing a short, steep hill near our house.
The ute had been a rush buy when his previous vehicle failed its WOF – all those salty missions on the oyster farm. Then a miracle. The farmer bought a 4WD.
The result: my transformed appreciation of vehicles. Till then if you'd asked if I had a dream vehicle, I'd have said, "Anything that gets me from A to B." Now I have the sort of daydreams I'd once attributed only to petrol-heads.
Then the float needed to be smartened up and I sanded for hours until the farmer deemed my slaving in the sun had been adequate, and I began to paint.
Next came my concern that Pony got covered in dust; presumably prior passengers hadn't travelled miles on gravel. I planned to add a roll-down flap across the back, but then reasoned the air in the float couldn't circulate. With my new aerodynamic knowledge, I thought perhaps I'd also need a grill in the front and a whirly-gig thingie on top to move the air.
The solution came when I stopped to discuss my conundrum with an acquaintance parked in his float loaded with motocross bikes. He suggested I just install a grill in the front, then air would flow through it and block any air trying to get in the back. No flap needed. So simple!
This cost less than $100 and it works. How lucky for me he'd missed the motocross cancellation and was sitting there wondering where everyone was.
Then a flat tyre – and another one – and then the ramp came adrift from its metal frame because Pony stomped up it like a tyrannosaurus. Luckily the farmer was at the shed with a builder who had on hand every sized nail known to man.
And off Pony and I went. But something sounded off. I peered underneath. It looked okay to me. But what did I know?
Not much, actually. Back home later the farmer presented me with a curved metal strip that had snapped off. He'd found it beside the farm road. The float's underbelly was stuffed. Were Pony and I lucky or what?
An engineer replaced the lot and declared the rest of the float solid. But then came another flat tyre; now the float has the light commercial tyres it's always needed.
Then a ramp clasp broke from the pressure of Pony's considerable bum as she pushed against the ramp for balance. After a scary trip home with only one clasp, it was a quick repair.
Most recently, a plywood sidewall came lose. Happens all the time, said a friend's husband who promptly fixed it and dealt to some rust – nothing structural.
Right now, an engineer is installing two new – and different – ramp clasps to keep Pony safe. Now it will have four clasps. The jury's still out on whether I get a bar installed to clip behind her derrière as well.
Remarkably, I still love my float and am even starting to think another paint job could be in order. Though it might look a little plain being towed by the 4WD of my dreams.
