Eyebrow-Raising Chase devices

[Jeff Miller]

On a light and humurous note.....

Over the course of the past few years some rather eyebrow-raising chasing devices has popped up around the plains...some so bold they stand out like a sunflower in a field of dandelions. Among these objects of unusual nature are the Infamous T.A.P. Washing Machine T.O.T.O. Wanna-Be, the Tornado Attack Vehicle with the gigantic BUSHRAG on the back, and the Tornado Intercept thing by Steve Green and the Boys with tornadofighters. Not naming any of the above specifically, it's obvious some of these types of things are just attention-grabbers while others of these things have been proclaimed to have lofty goals by their producers. The object of this thread is NOT to slam the producers of said objects -- chasing is a free and unique hobby -- but to ask the simple question... what is the most unusual chasing object or creation you have ever seen, wondered about, chuckled about or simply wondered "How in the world does THAT work" or just a simple "why"?

 

[David Drummond]

I saw something attached to the back of an SUV last year in KS. The vehicle was clearly a chase vehicle. I haven't the slightest clue what it was, but it was sitting near one of the DOWs (may have just pulled up there by them). It looked sorta like one of those HUGE fans you see in mechanic shops sometimes, with some antennas stuck on it. It was attached to the BACK door of the SUV and was about 3/4 the width of the vehicle. I wish I had gotten a pic of it. We were in a hurry repositioning. All three of us in the vehicles that day were saying "What the hell was that?"

 

[Robert Dewey]

Originally posted by David Drummond
I saw something attached to the back of an SUV last year in KS. The vehicle was clearly a chase vehicle. I haven't the slightest clue what it was, but it was sitting near one of the DOWs (may have just pulled up there by them). It looked sorta like one of those HUGE fans you see in mechanic shops sometimes, with some antennas stuck on it. It was attached to the BACK door of the SUV and was about 3/4 the width of the vehicle. I wish I had gotten a pic of it. We were in a hurry repositioning. All three of us in the vehicles that day were saying \"What the hell was that?\"

I think I seen a photo of that on your website, or at least somewhere on the 'net (maybe it was on Nguyen's site).

Anyway, I'm gonna attach a "TOTO" to my car, and drive it directly into a tornado... Anyone want to ride along?

 

[David Drummond]

I don't think I got a pic of it, unless the video camera was rolling when we went by on the dash. I am so far behind I haven't done 95% of the chase accounts from LAST year. It was an odd looking thing and if memory serves, there was "something" purple on it?

 

[Robert Dewey]

Damn... I know I seen it somewhere. Oh well, I guess it's lost to the internet forever :lol:

 

[JR Hehnly]

I need to get somebody to help me deploy this weekend!
Thanks to Aaron Kennedy and Melissa Moon for an awesome paint job!!!

 

[John Erwin]

I recall seeing a chase vehicle a few years ago that was towing a trailer; it looked like they had chosing to install all of the gear (antennas, mesonet etc.) on the trailer rather than on the vehicle itself (which was bone-stock.. not an extra antenna in sight). There was this huge bundle of wires/cables from the trailer going into the back of the car.

I'm not sure how practical this would work out, and I can forsee some problems with a setup like that.. but I guess it allowed for the platform to be somewhat vehicle independant..