RowdyRebel

I've seen some truck drivers who couldn't fit under a monster truck, let alone a semi.

I'm not a "truck driver". My belly don't rub the steering wheel. I don't waddle when I walk. I don't have a mullet. I DO shower.

I prefer "Freight Transportation Engineer".

Sometime those redneck contraptions of yours don't work out as planned?

Some work better than others.....but if'n I ever meet that guy Murphy, I'll take his law and shove it up his @$$.

Dat be correct. I place my "trust in the crust" with my ole Dodge, just tonight.

Well, now, if yer gonna be postin' pics of YOUR truck, I'm gonna post mine

F250 at work...

...and play...

'92 Ranger at work...

...and play...

Just got the 8N home...

The Kawi...

and the '86 Ranger...a stalled project (no time, no money) buried in a corner of the garage

I hear that! I worked for a Honda/Yamaha dealer for 6 years and I couldnt even understand Harley back then. At the time I was heavily into Motocross and was riding a CR250 and a KX250 and also had a R6 and was test riding everything under the sun. Motorcycles to me were about tearing it up! Something I couldnt see on a Harley...I remember the owner even told me "these are great bikes, but they will never have fame a Harley does, just because of the name"

Now though, I'm seeing some of these Harleys and appreciating them waaaaay more. A Super Glide doesnt seem too expensive, the motors have changed alot with EVO and there are a ton of aftermarket performance bolt on power to waste money on. Even with all the aftermarket stuff and extensive tunning...out of the box you arent even gonna catch a glimpse of an R1 or GSX-R....but its apples and oranges.

I wouldnt buy a Mack if I was planning on running the Indy 500. Apples and Oranges.

Look up any Harley video or review on youtube and there are TONS of people saying how your a joke if you ride a HD...I never got that...theres no point in ripping a guy for riding a HD if your a CBR owner...

I dunno if anyone saw that new liquid cooled XR Harley put out.....looks nice and suposedly performs pretty well...then again I cant see it outdoing any of Japanese sport bikes.

Check again. Harley has quite a varied offering. Many variations of Sportster, big V-twins and the V-rod. I just could never justify the price. Supply vs. demand as Harleys are what everybody wants. My own ride is a Kawi Vulcan 800B Classic.

The sportster is NOT a sport bike. I used to say I'd kill myself on a Harley, because I like to go fast and I DON'T like to slow down for corners. I actually ride FASTER through the curves in a road than I do on the straightaways...and Harleys just don't turn as well as my ZRX1100. Now that I'm engaged and have a dog, however, a full dresser would be nice for those cross country road trips. Tires on my bike don't last long enough to do that kind of riding...and with a full dresser, I could build a dog-carrier trailer, put the future wife on the back, and ride anywhere our little hearts desire.

Bottom line, is, different bikes have different uses. It ain't just "this or that", but rather what kind of riding you intend to do with it. For me in my younger years, a Harley would have killed me. Even today, it couldn't be the ONLY bike in the stable...but I'm not against having one in addition to the bike I've already got...although I'll probably get an XR650 before I get the full dresser. Looking at a CRF230M for the fiance, and it'd be a lot more fun to chase her on something like the XR. Like they say, it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than it is to ride a fast bike slow. Besides, she's already got a little 100cc Honda dirt bike, so if we wanted to do some trail riding, we could throw her 100 and the XR in the truck and head out to the trails.

Variety is the spice of life.

My biggest bitch about Ford and Dodge is that the interior doesn't hold a candle to Chevy's. If Ford had a better interior I would've given serious thought to a Superduty. Dodge...well, Dodge makes me think of Al Bundy.

See, now that's the exact opposite of what I've found. Dad had a 1997 Chevy Express...350, HD auto trans, 4.11 rears...van would flat out PULL. No complaints whatsoever in the power/towing departments....but he had that van at the shop every other week because another trim piece or interior panel cracked and fell out. The interior just wouldn't stay together, and in 2001, he traded it in for a Ford Ranger. My parents have NEVER kept a new car for less than 10 years up until that point...and the only USED car they bought and kept less time was the Pinto my dad bought cheap & used because he needed transportation to & from work.

I found cheap Chevy interiors to be the case in a Malibu I rented when I quit a job and needed to get home. Sure it was a rental, but the cheap plastic interior was falling apart more than it SHOULD have been seeing as how there was less than 2000 miles on the car. The fiance had a Malibu for a while, too, and had the same problem with it. I've NEVER had a problem with any Ford interiors, and my family has a LOT of experience with 'em.

I'm a Bow Tie Guy.

I guess cause my Dad was all through my childhood

And this just helps to reaffirm it

...so you are comparing a fiberglass Corvette with a metal Mustang. Let's see how they compare in a crash test. Trunk space? Back seat? But to pit the Corvette against a Mustang in a performance evaluation would be like putting the Silverado up against a Ranger to see which truck is better, and then limiting your evaluation to power, towing, & payload.

If you want a fair GM vs. Ford comparison, try Camero vs. Mustang....Silverado vs. F-Series....when the competition is kept to similar vehicles, Ford wins every time.

Live and Learn,we've all made our share of mistakes when working on trucks or heavy equipment,the main thing is no one got hurt,it's definitely worth taking the extra time to do it safely especially when messing with truck tires,tube tires are the worst, old tube type tires and old rims are disaster waiting to happen,you need to take every precaution you can including deflating the tires before loosening the first lug.

Heck, hit shappens even when you THINK you are doing everything right...

...from another forum:

Put the bottle down and step slowwwwly away from the table.

Actually, somehow the power grid is controlled by satellites. So, no power= no internet, no heat or A/C, etc.

We, as a people have become more reliant on technology to survive. The generations behind us are so reliant that they need a calculator to add three numbers.

I just upgraded to the 21st century by getting a flat screen TV

I'm picking up a wood stove this weekend...was in my grandpa's shop, and as soon as I get around to building one, it'll be in my shop too. With the frequency of ice storms we get in these parts, I've considered getting a back-up generator that would run off the propane I already have out back...either that or scrap the propane fireplace (which ironically does not work when there is no power) and get a new wood stove for the house to put in its place...at least then, the house would remain comfortable when the power is out for 3 or 4 days in the middle of winter. That's something I'd have to talk with my insurance agent about, though, to see what the best way to install it would be to keep my premiums low and keep the risk of burning down the house to a minimum. Heck, I just read a news article the other day that the government was offering tax credits for wood stoves as "energy efficient" products...

Actually I don't worry about it near as much as the news would have you believe the problem is. These are 10:00R22, (Dunlop, american produced) tires and were stored out of light, and soaked in silicone rubber treatment prior to mounting, and are still sticky. Not negating the concern as I'm sure it is real, but these have not had the typical storage that a lot of older tires have such as sitting outside in a rack, or in an unheated warehouse, nor having weight upon them, (except their own).

I would rather place my trust in these, than I would any of this Chinese, or Indian garbage that is available in this size.

In reality these will wind up on my A-40 for show duty only in the future. I want her truck to have readily available tires for on road breakdowns. It will probably go to 11RX22.5 rubber when she starts to drive it.

I don't watch the news on television. Life is much happier that way.

Thanks for your concern.

Rob

Sounds like ya got things under control, then...

I now see the point and how it works. I'll still get a good look and this looks like it could be a high wear point unless greased a lot.

Thanks,

Rob

Yup...got 3 grease fittings on that pin...one at the front of each draft arm, the other on the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder.

Decided to install the new steer tires onto my daughter's truck....

....I've had these things on fresh blasted and painted rims for about nine years now, but never installed onto the truck.....

I do hope this is a truck she does not intend to drive....or if she IS going to drive it, you buy new rubber to put on it before she goes too far. Rubber deteriorates over time, and after 6-8 years, they are at significantly higher risk of coming apart than a new tire.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129404&page=1

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/27/eveningnews/consumer/main698335.shtml

http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?s=8253128

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2542296

I guess you can see it in this picture:

Notice the pin at the front of the draft arm and bottom of the hydraulic cylinder? That is where the trailer articulates at the 5th wheel...NOT on the truck's part. This has it's benefits, as the articulation is in line with the trailer, not the truck. Ever see a truck pulling a van trailer hung up in the ditch as it was making a corner with two drive tires completely off the ground? It'll usually have "Swift" on the side...but I digress. This happens because the articulation only allows the 5th wheel only allows the trailer to follow the truck over humps in the road IF the trailer is directly behind the truck, not off to the side. When going around a corner and the trailer is off to the side (perpendicular to the truck instead of following behind it), the truck's 5th wheel will allow the trailer a certain mount of "tip", but will NOT allow for the trailer wheels to off-plane with the tractor's wheels. When the trailer drops down into a ditch, this presents a problem because the leverage of the trailer lifts the opposite side of the tractor off the ground. Unless the truck has full lockers (which FEW OTR trucks do), the power divider does no good because both drive axles are off the ground.

By placing the articulation on the TRAILER instead of on the TRUCK, the trailer is free to follow up and down across various terrain without affecting the truck's ability to keep traction, so even if you drag the trailer through a ditch, all of the truck's drive tires remain on the ground. Having the articulation happen on the trailer has another benefit, as "tip" is limited, since there is no possible side-to-side articulation (as there would be if the trailer were perpendicular to the truck with the articulation occurring on the truck's 5th wheel plate). Side to side tip would be a VERY bad thing when you start raising the bed...

Hope that helps clear things up...

Sir yes sir! You want me to drop and give ya 20 as well?

wouldn't hurt...

Huh? I'm lost!

I'm guessing they was throwin' rods through the side of the block...

I tell ya what I may not be a Ford guy but when I had my 89 F150 with a 5spd BorgWarner it that 4.9 inline 6 and now that is one engine you can't destroy! I still kick myself in the ass to this day for getting rid of it, yup Rowdy you heard it from a GM guy himself! I've known GM 350's to last forever. I know my dad could tear down a 350 or any engine for that matter and rebuilt it in less than 24 hours. As far as GM transmissions goes the 700R4 in my opinion is their best transmission next to the 350 turbo. Also the transmission in my truck was rebuilt by a guy who I know and trust to do the work right the first time and when he rebuilds transmission they last!

Dammit! Yer in America...talkin' American trucks & cars...call it what it is: 300cid straight 6

I get funny looks all the time when I go buy parts for my Rangers...one has the 140cid 4-banger, the other a 177cid V-6. They are Fords, and I refuse to give the displacement in that foreign measurement.

I only talk "liters" for my motorsickle...which is a Kawasaki.

Now as for the GM v.s. Ford ?

Every GM 350 i've had has blown up and every Ford automatic transmission i've had has failed.

.............................................

GM engine failures.

Ford Transmission failures.

Dodge Minor drive train failures Major chassie n suspension failures.

Top most reliable #1 AMC #2 Studebaker #3 Mack . . .there's my vehicular history . . .

Mike

I wouldn't trust an automatic as far as I can throw it. If it doesn't have a standard shift transmission, I want nothing to do with it. Of course this MAY present a problem, because the fiance has only ever owned automatics. She HAS driven manual transmissions before...she did alright the one time I let her drive my F250...and I'm hoping she'll drive my trucks and see how much better they are before she gets ready to trade in her 2001 Dodge. She was giving me crap about why HER truck had to go, but now that she got rear ended and the insurance pretty much totaled it out, she's willing to discuss the possibility of getting her a crew cab F250 4x4...only point of contention at this point is the transmission

Or install a cable operated remote water control valve into the heater core line and have the actuator handle protrude through the dash, or under it like a choke cable on older vehicles.

Rob

well, now...that WOULD make life easier....until the cable sticks Prolly wouldn't happen to anyone in the history of truckin' until I set it up on MY truck...

Hmmmm....current family rides:

My garage: 1947 Ford 8N, 1986 Ford Ranger, 1992 Ford Ranger, 1996 Ford F250

My dad's garage: 1926 Ford Model T, 2005 Ford Mustang, 2008 Ford F150

Grandma's garage: 2009 Ford Taurus

Older brother: 2007? Ford 500

Younger brother: 2001 Ford Ranger

Other younger brother: 1979 Ford Bronco, 2004 Ford F250

During the course of my life,

My grandpa (mom's dad) had a 1968 Ford Torino. When the frame rotted out, he traded it in for a 1986 Ford Tempo. He sold that car to my older brother and bought a 1995 Ford Contour which he had until he passed. Grandpa also had an old Ford 8N tractor that is now mine.

My grandma (mom's mom) had a 1972 Mercury Comet, but by 1991 it was time for grandma to get a new car and she bought a Mercury Sable. She just traded in the Sable for a 2009 Ford Taurus this year.

My other grandpa (dad's dad) has gone through a series of Suburbans...always GMC, never Chevy...and always older ones. He's also had a K5 Blazer or two, along with a pair of 1926 Model T's. One of the T's went to my dad when he passed, the other to my dad's sister.

Dad had a '59 Chevy Apache when I was a kid...drove that for work until he couldn't find parts to keep it on the road any more. Needed a vehicle bad, so he bought a cheap, used 1970-something Ford Pinto. That was traded in shortly thereafter for a new 1986 Ranger that is in my garage now.

The other "family car" was a 1971 Pontiac Lemans, which when the floor rotted out (and us kids started dropping things through the floor ) was traded in for a used 1983 Ford Crown Vic station wagon. Mom drove that until we kids outgrew it and it was traded in for a new 1989 Ford Clubwagon. In 1995, mom got a new Explorer, my dad got the van, and I got the Ranger. The van was traded in for a 1997 Chevy Express because the Ford van blew the rear main seal and the transmission was starting to slip (derned automatics )...and the Chevy van was traded in a short while later for a new 2001 Ford Ranger after my dad got tired of the cheap interior constantly falling apart. The 2001 Ranger was sold to my little brother when my dad bought a 2008 Ford F150.

My older brother's first car was a 1986 Pontiac Sunfire. He wrecked it. He bought my grandpa's Tempo...and wrecked it. He bought an old clunker Oldsmobile and blew the transmission. He bought a 1993 Ford Taurus and wrecked it a couple times, but it was "new" enough to get it fixed. When it started falling apart, he bought a Ford 500 (the one now re-badged the Taurus, NOT the GT500) and my parents realized he would be living at home until it was paid off.

I got the title to the '86 Ranger when I graduated college, although I had been driving it and caring for it as my own since I got my license. I bought the F250 shortly after I bought my house, because I cracked the head on the '86 Ranger while moving and have plans for a restoration/rebuild/modification. I bought my younger brother's '92 ranger when I took a job and needed a "beater truck" to leave parked at the company yard to occasionally get me home when I had to leave the truck there.

My younger brother's first truck was the 1992 Ford Ranger now in my garage. He had wrecked it (but still drivable), needed money, so I bought it from him. Grandma let him borrow grandpa's Contour (since grandpa didn't need it anymore) until dad sold him his 2001 Ranger. The Contour was sold.

My other younger brother's first truck was his 2004 Ford F250. He bought a 1979 Ford Bronco as a "fun truck", since he didn't want to tear up his $40,000+ truck playing in the woods.

What they all had before I came around I haven't the slightest....it was before my time

About the only thing we HAVEN'T had is a Dodge....but the FMC vehicles have outnumbered the GM vehicles in my family's garage by around 7:1.

I do remember seeing a black Beelman Lone star a few months ago.

yup....looked sharp, too. I think it depends on how it's set up. I can't stand low-riders with tiny tires. Let the tires fill the wheel wells and give it a suspension that allows it to have decent ground clearance. I've seen a lot of trucks going down the road with the low bumpers and side skirts and wondered how the drivers can possibly be expected to do a proper pretrip or post trip inspection when they can't see (let alone GET to) anything under the truck. How does a person service the truck without the luxury of a pit?

Sorry, but I like to keep things easy to work on. If I can't fit under it, I don't want it.

All those old cars I had, 1st thing to go was the AC when I got em. Now thats the only thing I wish worked.

Last years leaf route I was in a 77 R Model dump and the damn heat didnt shut off...I'd rather have it cold in the cab then deal with that again.

Did you close the valve under the hood? I know my truck will blow warm air out of the vents even with the blower shut off and the temp turned all of the way down UNLESS I close the valve under the hood, which prevents warm coolant from making its way into the heater core where it warms the air going into through the cab vents. Once that valve is closed, it'll blow ambient temperature air through the vents...which MAY even feel cool if it is particularly hot inside the cab.

Where that little feature really starts to get annoying is in the spring and fall...where you want heat in the morning or evening, but will bake if the warm air is blowing through the vents at mid day. Either leave the valve closed and wear a jacket, or close the valve after the day warms up and open it up again as it cools off...but to do that, you have to stop, pop the hood, and open or close the valve....easier to just grab a jacket.

I haul a lot of times to a large regional landfill. Watching them frameless guys hauling septic sludge, they start to lean and they drop the body quick. Load sticks and they run back and forth to get it all out. Leave them plenty of room. Landfills are well known for well packed level ground. LOL. I don't like it much as I have a 24' box to dump and move around to find level. Tag axle helps to level truck.

I'm almost curious...I was looking at a few different manufacturer websites and some of them make 1/4 frame trailers, but only up to 35' lengths. Due to the bridge law, a 35' trailer can't gross 80,000 unless it has a 3rd axle, which increases the tare weight. Why couldn't they make a 39' 1/4 frame trailer, so that when dumping in softer ground, you have both axles...all 8 tires...on the ground to help reduce sinking in? You'd think it might help keep 'em from tipping over so easily....but then what do I know? Maybe there's a good reason why you can't buy a 39' 1/4 frame trailer.

I agree with that last line, and the biggest part of comes from the antenna and coax cable. If you don't have good coax cable or a good antenna your performance is going to suffer. Especially if you got high SWR that will really hamper a setup and burn up some finals. I'm with ya there man I hate thieves myself and that is why I went to a Cobra 29 Classic which I love to death cause it seems like a 29 is a less desirable radio to steal as compared to a General Lee or Connex.

This time around, I installed it in a manner in which whoever wants it is going to need some special tools to get it...everything from special fasteners (instead of those thumb screws) to under-dash reinforcement...and even then, it'll take 'em a while to get it out. Plus I got a dog, now, which pretty much starts barking as soon as anyone gets anywhere NEAR the house, and if someone's messing with my truck, my shotgun is loaded w/ shells containing a .65 round ball followed up by 6 #1 bucks...exiting the barrel at 1300 fps, so if ya can't outrun the lead, it's best not me messin' with my ride. Hell, it'll blow holes through 2x6 boards all day long, too...so whatcha think that'll do to a thief's torso?

Remember...

I understand this. My 1st car was an 1981 Trans-Am, then I had a 1968 Mustang, which got traded for a 1980 Trans Am (which had a DOG 301 in it..horrible, HORRIBLE motor) then an 88 Trans-Am...and finally a K5 Blazer that was pretty solid..F.I. 350, 3 speed with granny low, riding on 33's it was fun...but any time you have cars or trucks like this...your doing work, changing parts, blowing suspension etc.

I traded in my wrench turning from cars to dirtbikes...and bought a Jeep Cherokee Sport. I bought it used maybe 4 years ago, with 70k on it and now it has 136,000. I keep it clean and doing the basic maintenance and it runs like a champ...not to mention it is a BEAST in the snow. The only issues Im having is that it needs a new A/C compressor and every once in awhile when I put it in 4x4 it lags getting back into 2WD. I usually have to play the with the wheel for a min then it goes back. The indicator says its in 2WD, but you can feel the fronts spinning...hopefully its a just a vaccum line or something.

Either way, no payments, no problem! I change my fluids and dont beat on it and it runs like a champ...I have no reason to get rid of it, my next "new" vehicle will have 2 wheels...the next pre owned will be an R Model Dump.

It aint a hot rod...but man it runs nice and I cant bust it!...and I owe nothing!

Huh...all I gotta do is reach down and pull on a lever and I'm in 2 wheel drive. Push the lever forward and I'm in 4 wheel high. Push down and ALL the way forward and I'm in 4 low.

Been so long since I tried using the AC in the F250 I don't even know if it still works...used to be I'd crank it up to keep the ice cream from melting on my way home from the store...it's only a 25 mile drive ...this year, I bought a cooler. It's the only vehicle I've got that has functional AC...unless it's quit working...then I ain't got a vehicle with AC. Not that it matters to me one way or the other....last year, I only had the AC at the house on for 1 day...and never even turned it on this year.

This CB radio business is expensive...You know what CB means don't ya? Constantly Buying and it's true.

Not really. I've got less than $300 in the set-up I'm running....General Lee, Astatic mic, 102" whip, and the coax. Been working for me untouched for a few years. The oldest General Lee I have is in my F250...going on 6 years. The one in the Mack is only around 2 years old, though. The company truck I was driving at the time was broken into and General Lee #2 was stolen...so this is #3. #1 is in my F250 and is probably 6 years old.

Hell, when I FIRST started driving trucks, I had an old Royce 23 channel radio...the thing was older than I was. Some lowlife scum sucking maggot broke into that company truck and stole it, too. That one hurt because it had been my grandpa's radio...pulled it out of his Mack when they came out with the 40 channel radio.

I friggin' HATE thieves.

Anyway, ya ain't GOTTA spend a lot of money...just go for the best bang for your bucks.