RowdyRebel

I think some people are having a hard time believing that you have insurance that doesn't have prescription coverage, $25 unlimited doctor visits, next to nothing for deductibles...so on and so forth...so you can go to the emergency room for nothing every time your fart smells funny or your restless leg syndrome kicks in.

Like I said, it is INSURANCE...not a pre-paid medical service plan. I don't expect my auto insurance to cover brake pads, tires, oil changes, or fuel. I don't expect my homeowners insurance to cover paint, light bulbs, lawn care, or snow removal. Why do people EXPECT their health insurance to cover preventive/regular maintenance type stuff? Insurance = asset protection.

When I was shopping, I was LOOKING for a plan that covered extraordinary expenses, NOT the ordinary ones. That is what insurance is for, after all. When you buy insurance, it is inexpensive. When you buy into a pre-paid medical service plan, it gets expensive. Every penny the insurance expects to pay out (and then some) will be collected as a premium. I'd prefer to keep the money in my pocket until I actually NEED medical care...and when that day comes, I'll pay my part of the bill.

Major medical plans are out there. I got mine through BCBS, and I'm not worried about "insurance in name only" either. The policy is what it is...written very clearly in black and white in a binding contract. It cannot be canceled as long as I pay the premiums, either...that's also in the policy. Guaranteed renewable, too...also clearly written in the policy.

I never thought of that HatCity

You never know... That would be cool to have a hydraulic LowBoy sum day.

I'm primarily going to use it for a car hauler.

Well it doesn't cost anything to have it or keep it. but it would to replace it.

So I think I'll just hang onto it.

You never know.

je me souvien is Quebec's Motto. It means "I Remeber"

Depending on the car hauler trailer, if it has any hydraulics on it (ramps, etc...), the PTO can run it. Heck, my Mack has 2 PTO's on it...but then again it's a lot newer and still a working truck.

A $1750 deductable? It's hard to even call that insurance! I'm at least twice your age and my government insurance is costing less than your private plan and my deductable is less than half yours. I have coverage for prescription drugs too- sounds like your private plan doesn't cover that. BTW, is your insurance plan through the college you're attending?

Your government insurance is subsidized by taxpayer dollars. How much is the GOVERNMENT paying in premiums for your insurance? Sure, YOUR portion of the premiums is less...but I guarantee the contribution of both yourself and your former employer add up to MUCH more than what I pay.

...and I haven't attended college in years. Attended fall '97 to spring '01, then spring semester '04 to finish up and get my worthless piece of paper. My insurance is an individual plan, paid entirely by me for me.

Yeah, it's got a $1750 deductible.

$0 - $1,750 I pay 100%

$1,751 - $16,750 I pay 20%, insurance pays 80%

$16,750 - $5,000,000 insurance pays 100%

It's not supposed to be a pre-paid preventive medical treatment plan (like your all-inclusive taxpayer funded plan). It is insurance. Asset protection in the event of a catastrophic injury or illness. Nothing more, nothing less.

Thaddeus, you make some good points. Despite the fraud (which often gets caught) medicare is very cost effective. So cost effective that even if they had to pay the full cost for Medicare, many folks younger than 65 would pay less than they now do for private insurance.

RR, how old did you say you are? Back when I was young and healthy I could buy health insurance for peanuts too. In fact, the insurance companies were making a killing on me because I never got sick. But today at age 59 no private insurer will insure me at any price. But for about the same amount you're paying for probably limited coverage I have a choice of a several policies. But I can only get these affordable insurance options through a federal government insurance plan- the federal employee health benefits plan (www.fehb.gov). I'm eligible because I'm a retired federal worker, but I think every american citizen should be allowed to buy the same great insurance I have.

It has a lot to do with exactly what you want the insurance to cover. Just like when insuring a car, the more coverages you buy, the more expensive your premiums become. Lower deductibles mean higher premiums, too.

My plan has a $1750 deductible that I have to pay before BCBS pays out one red cent. Go see the doctor? Out of my pocket. Need medicine? Out of my pocket. That is until I've spent $1750 for the year. Then BCBS picks up 80% of the bill, with me forking over the other 20%. It goes on like that until I've spent $4750 for the year out of my pocket in addition to the premiums. Worst case scenario, I've got less than $6000 in medical bills I need to pay each year.

So why in the world would I want to ENSURE I have to pay $500/month in medical bills by taking on an all-inclusive type policy when I only have to worry about coming up with that sort of cash right now if something major happens? Just doesn't make any sense to me.

Insurance at ANY age is a gamble. You are gambling that you might get sick or injured and want to protect your assets so you buy a policy. The insurance company is gambling that you wont get sick or injured when they write you the policy, and the premiums they charge are based upon what they feel their risk of having to pay out are going to be. The less likely they think they are to have to pay out, the lower the premiums. If you need a lot of medical treatment, and you expect the insurance to pay for it, it SHOULD be expensive. Why should you expect anyone else to pay your way through life?

If you have a bad driving record...tickets, wrecks, etc..., your car insurance will be high.

If you live in a bad or a storm-prone area and have a lot of claims against your homeowners policy, your home insurance will be high.

If you are on your death bed, you aren't likely to be able to find an insurance company willing to write you a life insurance policy, either.

That's the other thing about these reforms that has me irked. What OTHER insurance is required to cover "pre-existing conditions"? You can't drive around without car insurance until you wreck and then expect to buy a policy to cover the damages to your car and the liability to fix the other person's car. If you try to do so, you'll be thrown in jail for insurance fraud. You can't go without a homeowners policy until your house burns down and then expect to buy a policy which will pay for your house to be rebuilt and all of your stuff replaced. There are laws AGAINST that. So why should health insurance be any different? If you have insurance at the time of a sickness or injury, it is not classified as a pre-existing condition...and even if you switch insurance providers, the mere fact that you HAD insurance at the time waves any waiting period before pre-existing conditions would be covered.

Insurance is asset protection. It isn't supposed to pay for maintenance or any other regularly expected expenses. When people stop expecting other people to pay their regular medical bills for them, premiums will come down.

Sure, there are a few tweaks that COULD be made to lower the cost of insurance by lowering the physician's cost of doing business, as well as encourage more people to buy insurance without unconstitutionally mandating they do so...none of them would require ANY taxpayer money, nor would they lead to any "single payer" government run insurance plan. Fix what's broken, but leave what is working alone...like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My main concern is people milking the system which will cost us taxpayers.

My main concern is just where exactly in the Constitution did We the People yield our Rights to Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness to the Government? When did we, who USED to be free individuals, cease to have the right to self-determination?

I'm self-employed. I went out and shopped around to find a health insurance policy which works for ME. Anyone who tells you health insurance is expensive is lying to you. It doesn't HAVE to be. I pay less than $1020 per YEAR in premiums. As long as I continue to pay the premiums, the policy is guaranteed renewable and cannot be canceled by BCBS (yes, it DOES say that in the policy). I bought this insurance policy as more of an asset protection plan (same as any OTHER insurance policy) rather than expecting it to pay for "preventive" care. Does your car insurance pay for your gas, oil changes, tires, brakes, and other KNOWN costs of owning a car? Why should a health insurance policy be required to cover those same KNOWN costs?

Long story short, under the house bill recently passed, I will be PENALIZED because I do not spend ENOUGH of my hard-earned money paying premiums to a health insurance company for coverages I do not want or need. Even though I have determined that the level of insurance I have bought is sufficient for my own needs, people I have never met hundreds of miles away have determined that my choice in health insurance policy is not good enough to make THEM happy, and therefore I must pay more.

If, as a result of this legislation, my health insurance plan is terminated...regulated out of existence...I will CHOOSE to go without insurance rather than partake in any "public option" run by the government.

They don't know it yet, but I WILL NOT PAY their penalty. I am self-employed. There is no "employer" to force to collect the penalty from me before I get paid. They can seize bank accounts, but before that happens, my accounts will be closed and I will start working on a cash-only basis (or accepting checks from local banks which I can cash at their bank). If the government wants my money, they have to come through me to get it. If any government agents show up at my door to seize any assets for payment of the health insurance penalty, I will treat them the same as any other common thief. Bring the body bags, you'll need 'em.

Liberty or death.

Rob is not a racist. Nor have I seen anything to indicate that anyone else here is either. It's called freedom of speech...it's mentioned in the constitution of the United States.

Freedom of speech works both ways.

You have the right to say whatever you wish to say, but you are NOT guaranteed a forum to say it in.

The advertisers ALSO have a right to say whatever they wish, and they use their dollars to do the talking for them.

The owners of this forum have been gracious enough to allow you to participate in it, but THEY are the ones who own it and THEY are the ones ultimately responsible for its content...sort of like a child breaking a window and the parent having to pay for the window to be replaced. They have to lookout for their own best interest, and if one of their "children" is potentially going to cost them money, they may see fit to take action and "ground" you...either by giving you a "time out" to think about what you did wrong, or by banning you for failure to abide by their rules.

If you want to have a forum where you can be free to say whatever you want with NOBODY allowed to limit the content of your posts, you are free to start your own forum and pay for it out of your own pocket....but even then, if it is hosted on another server, there will likely be rules. There are a few "anything goes" type forums out there. If that's what you want, seek them out.

I was wandering around Agmart in Sikeston the other day and found an 11 piece deep well impact socket set, 3/4" drive for $39. It has reasonable sizes for most applications...I'd have to go out to the garage to see the exact sizes...but it goes from slightly smaller than an inch (prolly 7/8 if I'm remembering right) up to a little bigger than 1-1/2".

...and a 3/4" drive impact rated for 1000 ft lb can be had at NAPA for $350 or so

I'm not going to worry about it really. But after replacing the 'gov and pop-off valve...the truck holds over 90lbs of air over night.

Sometimes mine does, sometimes it don't. It seems to be leaking occasionally from the group of air lines that go through the firewall. That's been leaking sporadically ever since I bought the truck, though...one day I'll get around to swapping out the part...but not yet. It's only air...

When the air dryer/compressor on my truck pops off...for a couple seconds, longer when cold...it pops off initially then sounds as if its still pumping air out of the dryer/pop off valve. Sounds like an exhaust manifold gasket leak...kind of.

I replaced the pop off valve today, but no difference. The dryer is an entire reman unit and has been on the truck for about a year.

I effin hope its not something that requires taking off the compressor. *&^%!

Mine does that, too. Replaced the air compressor when it started taking forever and a day to air up (and was getting a lot of oil in the air tank). New compressor, same problem. Changed out the air dryer when it started popping off 8-9 times per mile. New dryer, same problem.

I wouldn't pull your hair out trying to "fix" it...especially if there isn't any air-pressure problems.

That "DC Contactor" shown in this schematic:

http://www.aeroindus...c_contactor.pdf

.....is actually a reversing relay. It reverses the polarity of the 2 wires to the tarp motor depending on which way the rocker switch is pushed, in order to roll up or unroll the tarp.

Yes, I agree, that 14 ga. feed wire to the rocker switch should have a 15 amp breaker right where it connects to the hot terminal of the DC contactor.

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That's how I figured it worked...DC 'lectric motors tend to run backwards when ya goof up the wiring...so if ya WANT it to run both ways, you just need to have a way to change the direction of the current flow.

I recently purchased a mack CL 713 the 2 outside roof marker lights operate on a separate switch can anyone tell me the reason for this

I would guess it probably has something to do with maintaining the tail lights & clearance lights on 2 separate circuits. The headlight switch turns on the headlights, as well as a couple clearance lights on the truck, and the outside running lights on the trailer (the turn signals). The second switch turns on the rest of the clearance lights, as well as the 3 center as well as the inside running lights on the trailer (brake lights). If EITHER circuit has a problem, you still have SOME sort of lighting on the truck & trailer to identify it as a larger vehicle...either lights on the corners, or the 3 lights in the center.

For a more practical use, though, the switch that turns on the center three & the tail lights is also wired into the same circuit as the switch on the end of the turn signal switch. When you pass someone, and they blink their lights to let you know you cleared 'em, either switch can be used to flash your tail lights to say "thanks" without shutting off ALL of your lights.

The other switch on the side of the turn signal lever will flash the high beams. I only use that during the day...or at night to tell someone coming at me to turn their dadgum high beams off. When someone clears me at night, I turn the headlights off and back on in order to avoid blinding the guy that is watching his mirror to see when he's cleared me.

The electric tarp control I have on my truck cost me about $140 altogether. It has a rocker switch "remote" (I know no electrical terminology, although I know enough to get me in trouble) in the cab, going down to a breaker I have in the battery box. If you want pictures, let me know.

The bogus thing about electric tarps is that there are 3 different types of plugs going to the trailer. So I hope all your company's trailers have the same plug.

I'm guessing when you say rocker switch "remote", you mean the switch is on a low-amp circuit and controls a relay/solenoid which sends the big power to the motor. They do the same thing with the ignition circuit...otherwise you'd have 4-gauge wire from the battery to the keyed ignition switch, down to the starter. Much easier to run the big cables to a remote solenoid and have the little wires going to the dash to control the solenoid.

I had a company driver with one of the trailers unplug it for me to see while waiting for the quarry to open the other day...matches the plug that came with my truck. Going to try to clean it up for re-use, but if I can't, it's not like they are all that expensive.

I used to wire industrial control panels during summers & any other breaks from school...got a pretty good understanding on how things work and am pretty good reading a schematic. I can wire up just about anything and can usually get it working the way I want it to...I just hate tracking down electrical problems in OTHER people's wiring jobs (i.e. OEM wiring harnesses). When I'm staring at a wiring harness with 50 wires that all look alike bundled together and I need to trace 1 of them to find where it goes, my eyes roll back in my head

Main thing you have to watch out for in ANY electrical job is the amp requirements of the lights/motors/etc. you are trying to power, the amp rating of the wires you are using, and the amp rating of the fuse or breaker. The fuse should be higher than the peak current draw of the light/motor/etc., but lower than the rating of the wire or any switches....and keep the fuse/breakers as close to the batteries as possible, since any "short" before the fuse has no protection....so if your breaker is in the battery box, it's in the right place.

Here's how I set up the dump trucks where I work:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/rev_dc_contactor.pdf

All you'd have to buy is the circuit breaker, rocker switch, the DC contactor, and enough wire of the proper gauge to hook it all up. Then you'd just need to put a plug compatible with your customer's trailers on the 2 wire cable that goes to the tarp motor.

Or, you could do it cheaper with this "old school" setup:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/aero_ecpowerplus_install.pdf

you'd need the circuit breaker, rotary switch, and wire to hook it all up, then just put the trailer plug on wires "A1" & "A2".

$2500.00 must have been a quote on the installed price of an entire tarping system.

Hope this helps.

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That's kinda what I was thinking too...just sounded steep to me.

When I bought the truck, it had been set up for just about anything I could think of...so I've got the plug with a heavy cable already on it...although that stuff is cheap & easy enough to replace w/ new that I wasn't too worried about it. Heck, if I get out there and really search, I may even have the relay already mounted SOMEWHERE on the truck

On my dash, I have a "blank" that I was considering either using to mount a switch, or trying to find a switch that would work and would snap in place for a "clean" look to the install. I'm a little surprised that schematic doesn't have the 14 gauge power wire to the switch fused at 30 amps or less...only protection on the circuit comes from the 40 amp breaker, and 14 gauge wire is only rated to 32 amps...just doesn't seem too "safe". I suppose 12 gauge wire could be used instead of the 14, but if I'm not fusing the lead to the switch, I'd probably run 10 gauge wire up to it with a switch rated for at least 40-50 amps...no sense in burning anything up.

The schematic is definitely helpful...confirms what I already thought would work. Still wondering what the difference between the three kits are, though...that can wait 'til Monday, though. I think I'll make a few phone calls, too...one to the dealer to get the price mix-up sorted out, and the other to the yard manager who I talked to about getting a price on the install kit through them. Then, when Shurco gets back to me, I'll have their price for buying what I need direct.

Then it's just a matter of dropping the dimes to get what I need.

That wasn't a high load, that guy was just a "super trucker" with a big ass CB antenna on his truck.

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Not EVERYONE with a tall antenna on their truck is a "super trucker".

I pay $15 to $20 each for my antennas whenever I need 'em...102" steel whip...and I mount it on the lower mirror bracket. It still reaches over 15', though...

I just can't see paying $70+ for a Wilson (or any other "name brand") antenna that's just going to get beat to hell on low clearances at shippers, receivers, tree limbs, etc...'specially when a $15-$20 antenna will do the same job.

For me, it's just a matter of being a cheap penny pinching SOB.

One of the other O/O leased on where I'm at has one...sharp looking truck up close, but not my thing. If I wasn't in a Mack, I'd either have an old Ford LTL 9000 or a corn binder of some sorts (5900ish). I drive a truck to work & make me money, not to "look" good going down the road. Ain't got no use for a chromed out highway cruiser or a plastic hunk'o'junk.

Where I think they went wrong with the Lonestar, is instead of trying to "modernize" the lines of a good looking, stylish, classic truck, they should have left the lines alone and just modernized the materials to reduce weight.

which gets me to another gripe I gots with these vehicle makers....

I'm curious why everyone went away from the old sealed beam headlights (where there were generally 4 to choose from, and if you bought the wrong one you were an idiot). The old bulbs, you got new glass with the bulb, so that your lights ALWAYS shone like they did right off the dealer lot whenever you changed a bulb. Now, you only buy the bulb (and have 50,000,000 to choose from, it seems...all of them look alike), and the plastic lens gets dirty, scratched, & discolored over time so your headlights are less and less effective the longer you have the vehicle.

Take my CH, for example. Same danged size & shape headlights as in my '86 Ranger. Bulbs cost the same for both. The old Ranger gets new glass with each headlight change. The Mack has the stupid scratched, dirty, discolored plastic lens that limits my vision at night.

Not all change is good change.

Company I'm leased to is starting to get 'em in. Up until now, I've been able to pull & operate any and every trailer in their fleet...which makes me the only truck they have with that capability/versatility. Right now, the electric roll tarp trailers are the only ones I CAN'T pull & operate.

Anyway, I'm wanting to wire up my truck so that IF one of them becomes available, I'll have a chance to get it.

I asked at the local Mack dealer...they called up to their other store (who is a Shurco dealer) and I guess either the relayed message about what all I needed got mixed up...they told me $2500 Clicking around the Shurco site, that looks like the cost to equip BOTH the truck AND the trailer...

Anyway, the truck end looks to be fairly simple...

A rocker switch (or I assume ANY on-off-on type switch would work) on the dash, wired up to to control a solenoid.

A 40 Amp circuit breaker on the power lead to the solenoid from the battery.

And the solenoid controlling the direction of current flow back to the motor on the trailer.

Now they (Shurco website) sell

"Cab Wiring Kit - Rocker Switch" for $192.01

"Cab Wiring Kit - Remote Box" for $96.60

"Electrical Parts Kit w/ Rocker Switch - 40 Amp Modified" for $84.48

Would any of those suffice? What's different in each of 'em to cause the price to be that much different?

They also list the

40 Amp Breaker for $7.02

Solenoid for $42.38 (cover is another $8.86)

Rocker Switch for $12.02 (mounting bracket is another $3.82)

Could I just buy those individual items, wire in my own on-off-on switch & plug, and save some cash?

If I get set up and manage to snag one of the electric tarp trailers, it'll mean at least an extra turn per day. If I can do it for less than $100, it'll pay for itself within the first week I put it to use. $2500 would be kinda steep, though...don't think I'd spend the money until I was guaranteed to be hooking to one of those trailers...and even then, it'd be a hard sell.

If anyone knows, the curiosity is getting to me. Already shot an e-mail to the folks at Shurco, but it'll be Monday at least before they get there to respond. If nobody posts up anything before then, I'll post their answer in case anyone else finds themselves needing to wire up their truck...

With a 39' frameless end dump, I'm 30K full of fuel...29,600 when I'm on "E" with my '01 CH.

As I run it down the road, I don't even WANT to know what just the tractor weighs...probably in the 18-19K neighborhood. It was 17K low on fuel before I put the wet kit, blower, and stocked the tool box.

All I know is that I can get in and out of anywhere I need to go without much concern for not making it back out in one piece. That's why I bought a Mack.

Have to run the truck up onto some planks to gain "clearance"?

shouldn't HAVE to....'cept for to maybe fit under the rear axles ...I'll find out tomorrow when I'm greasing it.

It appears to me that it's a 38,000 lb Mack axle with old type Budd wheels on it.

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Holy crap yer good!

So I was getting tired of my creeper getting stuck on every tiny little pebble in the friggin' driveway, and the redneck in me decided to do somethin' about it.

New wheels vs. old wheels:

lifted it up a little bit:

prolly had this creeper 10 or 12 years at least....works better now

I would imagine this might have something to do with it:

Price US $357,569

I want one...

Peak HP [kW] @ RPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .525 [391] @ 1500-1800

HP [kW] @ Governed RPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 [281] @ 2100

Max. Torque lb. ft. [N•m] @ RPM . . . .1862 [2525] @ 1050-1450

Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Direct Injection Diesel

Number of Cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, In-Line

Bore & Stroke, in. [mm]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.16 x 6.22 [131 x 158]

Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.8L

Compression Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.8:1

Firing Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1-5-3-6-2-4

Torque Rise:

From Max. Engine Speed (2100 RPM). . . . . . . . . .100%

From Max. Rated Speed (1800 RPM). . . . . . . . . . . .23%

Clutch Engagement. . . . . . . .1251 lb. ft. [1697 N•m] @ 800 RPM

Idle Speeds:

Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adjustable; 650 RPM

High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adjustable; 2100 RPM

Engine Brake Retarding Power (If Applicable)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475 HP [355 kW] @ 2300 RPM

Weight, Dry: (Approx.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,403 lbs. [1090 kg]

(With air compressor, but no oil, water, starter, fan, alternator, or clutch)

...would be fun to stick in a "project" truck...

...with a B-model cab....

...pulling a low-boy or flatbed so they can see ya ain't runnin' light when you go around 'em on the way up.

If I ever win the lotto....

http://www.macktrucks.com/assets/mack/military/MackLHRT4pgbrochure%28finaldraft%29.pdf

• Power is available in ratings up to 525HP and 1860lb-ft

of torque giving the Mack LHRT the ability to haul loads

at a full 120,000lbs GCVWR– even up a 20% grade.

Mack has designed the MP8 to handle severe-duty cycles

with a high efficiency cooling system that keeps heat

rejection to a minimum.

● The MP8 is certified to Euro III emission standards

without any use of aftertreatment technology such as

EGR or SCR. In addition to typical Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel

(ULSD) the MP8 engine has been optimized to accept

JP8 fuel with no additions or alterations to the engine.

No matter what the operating locations are, the Mack

Granite LHRT is up to the challenge.

525 HP & 1860 lb-ft torque would be nice...and with no emissions crap tacked on. I like that front bumper, too...looks much stronger than the flimsy things they bolt on "commercial" trucks.

Ok then hook a fellow Mack owner UP,?, I'll buy 3 pair. Can you do that????

I just did my shocks all of the way around a couple months ago. Went OEM Mack shocks in the rear...price was close to the Monroe's (which is what WAS on there when I bought the truck a year and a half ago), but the Monroe's would have had to have been ordered...Mack's were in stock (and I wanted to do the work that afternoon). For the fronts, though, went with the Monroe's...they had 'em in stock, and the pair of Monroe's were as much as Mack wanted for EACH of theirs

They don't take but a minute or two each to change...one nut on the top, another on the bottom...easy to get to, too. So I figure as long as they last at least 1/2 as long as the OEM shocks would normally last, I'm ahead of the game.

For all 6 shocks, I think my grand total was just a hair over $300. I'd have to dig out the receipts for the exact amount, but I'm pretty sure it was in that ballpark.

Holy crap!!! $600/pair? I could replace my Monroe gas shocks 8 times and still have money left over for that price! They don't take but a minute or two to change...