Gambi80

Just caught the last 3 minutes of a show about Australian road trains on the Speed channel,but one about log trucks in the Rocky Mountains is just coming on.

I think it's the 'Dangerous Drives' show on Speed channel. It's a pretty decent show and I've seen the one about the Aussie trucks, pretty neat stuff. They've got quite a few episodes about different variations of trucking...windmill haulers, gas tanker haulers thru the 'million dollar highway', the Aussie road trains, loggers...etc etc.

If you are going to pull a trailer, my understanding of it is that the tractor needs to be registered for the combination's gross weight. If you only pull light loads, you can get by with a lighter registered GVWR...but if you sneak in a heavier load and are caught, you're in trouble. If you don't ever plan on pulling a trailer, registering it for the trucks weight should be fine.....just don't get caught with a trailer.

Again, that's just my understanding of things, so that could be wrong...

So what kinda plate do you have on your pickup? A 'B' or a 'D'...?

IL used to have a deal where if you buy a heavy pickup you could forego the sales tax and plate it with a 'D' plate, but pay a higher yearly fee, $130ish if I remember right, vs. a 'B' plate which was $79, but now $99. Mine will be $104/yr because I've got a personalized plate now.

And allegedly, if you pull a trailer with your pickup, you're supposed to have it inspected and a USDOT number on it...but who does that?

I've got the Hobart Handler 140. I was needing a welder, and actually WANTED the 220V model, but nobody had it in stock....so I got the one I have now. It's only 110V, and when welding heavier gauge metal, I pop the 15 amp circuit breakers in the garage....really need 20 amp breakers to do the thicker stuff. I COULD spend the money to buy shielding gas, reverse the polarity of the leads, and use solid wire....but everything I've had to weld up to this point I've been able to get by with the flux-core wire.

I've also got oxy-acetylene here at the house, but I mostly just use that for cutting & brazing.

Speakin of all that and what not...how's that hypothetical repair thing goin?

Maybe you could load her up on this...halfta drop the cheater axle tho...

That's the worst news I've heard lately.

Yea, how 'bout it...

Well hell yea! So long as Mila keeps her mouth shut...I mean doesn't talk...

I'm gonna order the "natural" model instead of the ported,polished,and waxed version.

Weeellllllllllll...it IS getting colder out and a winter front is a valid option.

it would apeer to be free flowing, i think it,s self lubeing qualities would keep it from melting..

But what happens if you throw a rod...?

So would you say if there was exhaust gas that needed cooling, you've got problems there...???

So are you planning on changing your avatar too (remember YOU brought this on yourself)?

Avatar changed. Lemmeno what you think.

Nice looking truck. I do like the looks of petes as they still have that classic apeal to them (unlike newer macks) Engine should be good. One thing I dont like about Petes is that they feel like a wet sponge in the dirt. rocking back and forth up and down. seats moving all over the place. gear shifter hitting the seat in the low hole. I like a soft ride but in the dirt I want it to feel solid.

Hate to say it but im a realist. paccar must be doing something right as they stole alot of the market away from Mack.Regardless Ill be keeping my R Model..

Problem was that I could not find a newer Mack to suit me, as I wanted an update. I wanted O/O specs, highest HP, most gears and all that...pretty impossible to find a 2000-2003 CH thataway. Guy I'm leased with had this truck so I thought I'd give it a shot...good maintenence program, never driven in the winter really...loaded up and spec'd right for what I need.

Gotta say though, it's amazing how much power this thing's got...dayum.

If you get an air ride trailer you can fart with the ride height to level it out. Otherwise I think there's a zillion different 5th wheel combinations out there as far as height goes.

So are you planning on changing your avatar too (remember YOU brought this on yourself)?

Maybe the one, but the grenades...I don't know. The flatbed load of grenades was some of OD's finest work and I'd hate to offend someone of his stature.

The people here in Illinois ain't too bright...voting for a guy who isn't shy about the fact that he wants to take more of our hard earned paychecks

I think if I could find an election map, I bet you wouldn't find much blue on it... But since we're 'downstate' and you're way the phuck 'downstate', we're pretty much an afterthought.

I heard a discussion on WGN radio the other night before the election and the guy on there didn't know what there was in IL outside of the collar counties...kinda made my blood boil some.

Thank God this guy lost

I was hoping Patricia Quinn would've lost tho...

Maybe it's just a scatterpillar thing...

For the cats meow, go with an '06 or '07...360hp w/a 6sp Ally. But I doubt you'd touch one for $20,000. The '01 and '02 Duramaxes had problems with injectors and a warranty has been extended to 200,000 miles for injector replacement on those...I'd assume most have been updated.

I really haven't heard much good from Ford since the 7.3.

The Cummins engines in the Dodges are the only good thing about a Dodge.

IF you are looking for a regular cab, I've got a 2005 I'd sell you...Duramax w/Allison, 102,000 miles...gooseneck, trailer brakes and the whole 9.

edit: I re-read your post, I see you want a crew cab, dammit.

Got a confession to make...I bought a 'new' truck. I've attached a picture of it. The banana peel is still in the family however. I couldn't pass up the deal...525hp N14 (finally a jake brake that WORKS!), 18sp and 3:90's w/full lockers...she goes.

Those all cost money, and I'm a cheap bastard. I ain't worried about a little dust on the dash....truck makes me just as much money.

Well...if you're a bachelor you should have paper towel laying around...if you shower you should have the q-tips. All you need to buy is the Armor-All. lol

Sorry about that pic. Have NO idea how it got there, but I don't think that rear is sitting low at all.

Regarding my truck, I was just wondering if you could adjust just the rears. I have a long overhang from the rear axle to back of truck, so thats probably why it sits like that.

Even when i have a good load and with the boom on top, yeah it leeeeans a bit.

So long as you're not texting pictures of your genitalia and leaving nasty voice messages with that reporter like Brett Farv-eh...

17th gear

Looks like a little armor-all, paper towel and q-tips are in order...

99.9% of the time, I drive my 18 like a 13. When you are loaded and have to get started uphill, it's nice to be able to split the low side, though.

'Bout the only time I split the low side is when I'm puttin around a quarry or something and I want to shift up but am too lazy to move the stick.

The few times I have split the low side under power, I can see how some serious damage can happen if in the hands of a driver trainee type.

When I hacked the stacks, I looked in the mufflers and didn't think I saw any baffles in there...but I didn't have the bottom elbows removed so I can't be 100% sure. I've got twin stacks, though, so even if one was plugged, I'd think it would just exhaust through the other stack and not affect it much. When I'm driving, both stacks smoke simultaneously....so unless they are BOTH equally plugged....

I'll see what I can do to check it out tomorrow...cheap & easy fixes are my favorite. Beats buying a new turbo, for sure.

Check that air compressor intake tube that runs around behind the motor... Take a flashlight and feel up the hose(or hoes) and I bet there's a hole in it on the passenger side where the bellhousing meets the back of the motor... On mine a middle finger sized hole equaled 10lb boost loss...but the noise was pretty noticable.

Pretty ass-in-9 design.

Mechanically the transmissions are the same, only the knob is different as FJH said before. On newer trucks, like Bigens, the VECU needs to be reprogrammed with a new datafile so the module recognizes the gear split in low range. If the module isn't reprogrammed a 4-1 fault occurs and limits power/speed when splitting the low range gears.

So then I've got to ask...What's the point of a 13sp...??? I bet the answer is 'driver preference'...

I just made sure the baffles were knocked out of the mufflers on mine. Still flows relatively unrestricted, but isn't nearly as loud as a straight-piped truck.

I was changing the flex pipe under the cab one day not too long ago while waiting to unload. Got the old one off, then it was my turn...so while I was unloading, I got the new flex pipe cut to length...but with the engine running at 1000 RPM's powering the blower, it was too danged hot under there to get it put on. So, I drove from where I was unloading to scale out and park outside of the gates to put the new flex pipe on....WOW that was loud.

When I had to take the top of the trans off the truck to change those o-rings for the splitter valve doo-dad, I had to take all the exhaust pipe out from underneath the cab and had the hole around the shifter removed...took it for a test drive and daaang...loud!

BUT...not as loud as having two straight pipes on last summer. With the windows up it wasn't bad, but as soon as the window was cracked...yikes. So I had those on there for about 3 weeks and put mufflers back on.

But I digress...I sold the truck to my dad and bought something different... Soon as I can afford all the parts, there'll be some pipes on it 'cuz it's got a good jake on it...