RowdyRebel

If the overall length of the transmissions are different, the drive shaft will either need to be stretched or shortened.

But if you are going to buy an 18 speed, why not go with a Mack transmission? Triple counter shaft, more & more convenient mounting options for PTO's, etc.

The insurance company will be hurting? The state may but insurance is the biggest scam going.

Regarding DOT, ever seen a p/u with front wheels barely on the ground and no one stops him?

Watched a p/u with a loaded trailer hop and skid thru a red light, trailer was loaded so bad.

AND NOBODY CARES

I've done that MANY times....'cept not with a trailer...just had the truck loaded 'til the bumper was dragging

I HAVE had a wrecker loaded like that, though...F350 wrecker and had a full size p/u with a bed full of firewood on the hook. Every time I hit a bump, the steers would come off the ground. Fun ride

If there is a problem with the truck (i.e. overheating) and the truck goes into shutdown mode, a buzzer and an idiot light will come on. I think you have either 30 seconds or a minute before the truck shuts off to get out of traffic. If you need an extra little bit of time, you can hit that button before it shuts down and it buys you another 30 to 60 seconds.

...or at least that's been my experience with it.

Thanks I thought the rears would be more than just housings. I am finding it hard to find a 350 powered truck and am thinking about a swap as the local wrecker has a couple including a 12 speed to go with it. My old mack operators manual lists both a 2valve head and a 4valve head engine with different torque and hp specs. The 2 valve peak tq is at 1400rpm and power at 1950rpm.The 4 valve is torque at 1250 rpm and power at 1800 rpm . It doesn't say what the Torque actually is, but I am assuming the 4valve engine is the one to go for with my loads? With 11-24.5 rubber, 4.17 axle ratio, and the 12 speed OD at .78 it works out to 1650 rpm at 60 mph. would this be a good cruise rpm? the book says best fuel economy at a rpm less than that or should I care?

I've got 11R24.5 rubber with 4.17 gears in the rears...works great for what I do. I'm pretty sure the OD in my 2180B is a .71. Sometimes I wish I had 4.35 rears (when I'm running local/short-haul, in the hills, or off road)...while others I wish I had 3.94 rears (to run less than 1900 rpm's down the big road)

Overall, though, it seems to be a good compromise gear.

Happy Trucker Day

Can't wait for my turn. I am a one-man operation. This way I don't have to deal with PEOPLE and their PROBLEMS. Random drug test, I might make myself aware that one is coming up.

Better review the regs. Must be a group of at least 2 people, and a certain % of the group must be random tested each year. This is one they are really cracking down on. As stupid as it sounds, they also will want to check your driver file on yourself, which must include an application for employment, work history background check (yeah...you have to send each of your previous employers a form for them to verify that you actually worked for them), and must also complete the annual review (including both the signed statement about any violations AND an MVR check through the DMV).

You, as a driver, must follow all of the regs that any other driver must follow.

You, as a carrier, must follow all of the regs that any other carrier must follow.

Even if you are a 1-truck operation.

Not sure if there are any "hobby truck" exemptions for the regs...unless you register below 26000. That might help bypass a lot of the CMV regulations...

I didn't see any inside furniture outside in the lawn!

How far are you from Cairo, IL? For whatever reason, I've always wanted to get down that way, to the way southern tip of IL.

Heck, for the first 4 years I lived here, I didn't have any inside furniture inside, either. Finally got hand-me-down couches last December....which replaced the bench seat from the '86 Ranger that was being conveniently stored in the living room in front of the TV

Not gonna put inside furniture outside if its gonna leave me sittin' on the floors inside.

...and I ain't but a stones throw from Cairo

So what do they show at "Show Me's" ?

Cute girls bring me tasty burgers

During the Macungie plant tour I saw an DEF tank ready for assembly at the assembly line. So even then they were making them.

The problem with all this new emissions crap is that retailers don't want to invest the money in getting the stuff, whether it's ULSD or DEF...until there is a market for it...and nobody wants to buy the new trucks with the new emissions crap because they can't buy what they need for it. I mean heck, if you DO buy a 2010 truck, you have to find a place that sells DEF at least every other fill-up or you are SOL. It was quite a while before I started seeing the ULSD pumps around here...heck, there's still some pumps marked "not for use in 2007 or newer vehicles" because the tanks haven't been ULSD certified yet. I can't see DEF getting pumps any quicker. Sure, they may sell it in jugs inside the store...probably at the same mark-up as the oil. $18 for a gallon of friggin' oil you can go to Wal-Mart and buy for $10. ...and people complain about the price gouging at the PUMP!!!

'cept for when I go to Show-Me's

Dozer is saying.....I wish Rowdy would cruise on up and pick up Tom, Larry, and we would head out and pay Rob a visit and get some of that Road Kill Stew instead of my usual crap that he feeds me. Tom's tomatoes looked good also.

mike

Sad thing is, Dozer eats better than I do

... Our MP8 485 is now 505 HP!!!!!!

That'd be nice...having that kind of power...but not if it means having to put up with all the other government mandated emissions crap.

I have a habit of bypassing (rather than replacing) any component I deem unnecessary if/when it goes bad. Easier to just not have to worry about it.

I'm still looking for the dozer.

Glad I wasn't the only one...

Dozer is starin' ya right in the face

Port St Lucie, FL just sent up several PD cars to replace those that were "lost"

yeah, that just hit the papers yesterday. Now they have more squad cars than sheriff deputies since they had to let 3/4 of them go due to budget constraints. The county is over it's head in debt...wouldn't be surprised if they turn around and sell a car or two just to pay off some bills.

Alexander County's budget problems get 'worse and worse'

Monday, September 28, 2009

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

CAIRO, Ill. -- Financial woes that recently caused the sheriff's department in Alexander County to lose three-fourths of its personnel to layoffs have also created an outstanding debt the county owes to a Missouri hospital, according to Alexander County Coroner Willie Bingham.

Bingham said the Alexander County Coroner's office currently owes about $10,000 in autopsy fees to the Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo.

The debt further compounds budget problems for Alexander County, where 27 percent of the residents live below the poverty line and Sheriff David Barkett has been forced to rely on just four deputies to cover the more than 250-square-mile county.

Last week, Barkett lost five of six county-owned patrol cars to First National Bank of Cairo because the county had defaulted on their payments for the vehicles.

"It's just getting worse and worse," Bingham said of the county's budget problems.

As county coroner, Bingham is forced to send a body out for an autopsy each time he can't pinpoint the exact reason for a death. Mineral Area is the facility that generally conducts autopsies for local counties, including Cape Girardeau, and fees usually run about $1,750, Bingham said.

He said he fears there will come a point where he'll be unable to have an autopsy performed unless the debt is paid off.

"That's basically where I've got the bag over my head," Bingham said.

The county's general fund currently has about $30,000, and county board member Angela Greenwell said things have been in a "downward spiral" for decades.

The clerk's office has a new computer to store all of the county's registered voters and ballot results, but it sits unusable because the county has run up a $35,000 tab with the provider of the system and software, according to County Clerk Nancy Kline.

An amount of $50,000 was recently transferred by a judge to the county's general fund from the court system, giving them enough money to pay what was owed to four of the deputies recently laid off, Greenwell said.

Alexander County also owes about $86,000 to Tri-County Jail in Ullin, Ill., for costs associated with housing prisoners, Greenwell said.

With such limited staffing, Barkett has been taking emergency measures to keep the county safe, including an appeal last week to state and federal officials in Springfield, Ill., for donated vehicles.

If it's steel, it can be fabricated. Worst case, buy some steel and weld one up yourself.

I have a 2007 MACK MR Cabover concrete pump truck and i am trying to figure out the wiring the stereo.....Somebody decidied to cut the stock wiring harness on it....so now i have a bunch of white wires all bundled together and one black wire....assuming that black wire it hot wire all help is appreicated thanks

mike

Get yourself a multimeter. One wire will have power when the key is off (to maintain radio presets and the time setting). One wire will have power when you turn the key on (powers on the stereo). I would guess the black wire would go to ground...but trace it to be sure. If you find the two power wires, you can run a new wire to the chassis to ground it. The other wires likely go to the speakers. Most hard-core car audio guys will tell you to run new wires to the speakers instead of using the stock speaker wire...so those really don't matter if you choose to do that.

There is on addition I would make-i'd have an old engine block swinging on a chain out of that big tree.

Maybe when I get the 4-banger yanked outta my '86 Ranger. Right now I got a 289 out of a '66 Mustang that is stripped down to bare block on an engine stand in the garage waiting for me to find the time & money to start building it to go in that truck...

Dammit. How's anyone else s'posed ta get an old Mack when Rob's hoarding 'em?

Time to get some bikes LOL!!! Can you hear it......"Pull over"....cha-ching,cha ching..........

Guess they don't get enough traffic violations to support the cars? Bummer.

Alexander Co. used to patrol East Cape pretty hard...catch all the Illinois people crossing the river on their way home from Cape, and catch all the Cape people on their way to/from the titty bars. For as often as I saw 'em there and as many tickets they wrote, this just seemed odd. Ain't seen 'em out there in a while though...and now I know why

Sheriff's squad cars repossessed by bank

BY CODELL RODRIGUEZ, The Southern

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:40 pm

ALEXANDER COUNTY -- A Cairo bank has repossessed the Alexander County Sheriff's Department's fleet of squad cars.

According to a news release issued Tuesday from Sheriff David Barkett, five patrol cars were repossessed by First National Bank in Cairo after defaulting because of non-payment.

Alexander County Board Chairman Mike Caldwell received the letter from the bank on Friday and after a conversation with the bank, the five vehicles were turned over on Tuesday.

The department was recently forced to lay off 11 employees, 75 percent of their workforce, because of budget restraints within the county. Their duties became limited to security in the courthouse and inmate transportation.

Barkett was unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.

I was coming through Hartford (small town here in IL with the refineries, other dog will know where I'm talking about) I was about to get onto Route 3 when I hear an air horn blaring well this Beelman Peterbilt (company truck) ran through the red light blaring his horn. I tried raising him on the cb but he didn't answer and it had my heart racing when I seen this unfold. I don't know if his brakes failed or what but I don't know if he was loaded or not cause he must have came from Alton cause he was going towards I-270. He seemed to be coasting but he sure wasn't doing the speed limit which is 55, I'd say he was getting her slowed down or at least trying to. Like I said I don't know if he lost his brakes or what but PLEASE always remember to do a pretrip!

Heck, may have just been that he misjudged the light. It happens sometimes...you see it go yellow and you try to stop only to realize that you won't get stopped until you are halfway through the intersection and now that you've started shedding speed, you won't make it into the intersection before it turns red...so you get back on the throttle and hit the horn to warn folks not to pull into your path. Or, you think you'll make the light on a yellow, but the yellow was shorter than you anticipated...and by then it's kinda late to do anything other than roll through (using the horn if you think someone may not see you coming).

Even with properly functioning brakes, these things don't stop on a dime. From 55 mph, it can take 170 feet to stop the truck AFTER your foot applies the brake. Add in the time it takes for you to recognize and react to something and you've covered the length of a football field before you get that rig stopped.

...of the Illinois CDL study guide

At least they got SOMETHING right around here

http://www.sos.state.il.us/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_cdl10.pdf

Bluegrass would be my #1...followed by the rest of country music. When I'm out working in the garage, I'll usually listen to the older stuff...and when I'm out driving, I usually have the radio tuned in to the newer stuff. No matter where I'm at, though, if I can find a station playing bluegrass, that's where it stays.

I thought it was Texas flags but like I said the multiplication of stars threw me off.

it isn't the Texas flag on my garage.

Stars 'N Bars on the one side, Battle Flag on the other

What kind of flag is it? I thought it was Texas for a minute but doesn't look like a Texas flag. The stars are throwing me off. Besides I just woke up when I posted that reply and wasn't seeing straight.

Texas