Securing the Pivot

I halted the vinyl sled in the shadow of an overturned galvanized feed trough half-sunken into the dry weeds. Before dragging the crate across the open scrub, I unhooked my pull handle to verify our bearing. Deep in the rust-flaked soil, I spotted an intact heavy steel carabiner and an unbent copper split washer. Dropping to one knee, I hooked the carabiner through the trough’s drainage flange and snapped the gate shut. Threading the copper washer onto the gate screw, I torqued the collar down until it locked dead tight. Sighting across the smooth metallic spine toward the open horizon, our transit lane stands verified and clean.