HeavyGunner

Went to the river today to fill 'coon feeders and sneak in a little fishing. Nice hay meadow A big Cat Sain foin field in bloom Old gmc truck used to generate power for irrigation pumps years ago. Notice 2 alternators on top of electric motor. Had to let co-drivers go for a swim Skinny road on way out of river bottom

They used Letourneau's at a lumber mill I used to work at to unload logging trucks with one bite. Pretty impressive machines.

It always amazes me how big companies get subsidies and still rake in huge profits. I'm not anti big company but in my opinion the free capitalist market needs to be just that.

Still a lot of AC TD 15's pulling drills (that's combines to you Paul ) around here.

Nice looking truck.

Ok good to know, another option I will definitely look into. I would like the floor heated simply because I plan on spending the long winters out there. That being said an extra layer of clothing and a creeper can fix that problem as well when I'm on the floor.

You let an old 12 valve go?! You are a good brother.

Lots of good ideas guys, keep 'em coming! Dirtymilkman-I assume to be effective overhead radiant heat tubes would have to be hung relatively low to work. Is that right? If so it would negate high ceilings. I don't know a thing about them. Saw them in a guys garage with 8' ceilings so they were mounted flush or close to it which is why I ask.

That white truck was just stretching the kinks and curly cues out of his air lines.

Unbelievable. I don't deal with anywheres near the traffic you guys do and there are absolutely no rest areas and only a hand full of truck stops not gas stations for literally hundreds of miles on the highway I drive and very few 5-10 truck rest areas along I15. When you come across the border into Mt on i15 it's 70 miles south to the first rest area that was just put in. If truckers here were fined for sleeping on exit ramps it would really be hard for them to follow the law since sometimes that border crossing business can take waaaay longer than it should. we will be regulated out of business by our government just like they've done with factory jobs where we used to produce stuff, logging and lumber mills where we used to produce stuff, mining operations where we used to produce stuff. But don't worry China will make it for us, polluting everything to hell then selling an inferior sometimes poisonous product like we have seen in the past and they will probably find a way to deliver it to us so we don't have to use our own dirty polluting trucks to do so.

That seems to be a common theme among shop owners. I am going to build it as big as I want to afford (within reason, not too small) not necessarily what I can afford. The I am planning things I will have my home paid off in 13years from now my shop in fifteen and I will have my 20 in with the company I work for with 401k + a pension. So I want the option of not being in debt at all and if I choose to start my second career in something that I am really passionate about I could give it a go and not hurt myself as far as retirement goes. Or I could put in 20 more years with the same outfit

I had a guy show me that video today while I was unloading. But don't worry guys his truck has the off-road package, rain, sleet, snow or any other terrain won't stop this guy from making his delivery.

Maybe this can point you in the right direction. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/1809-5-color-70s-logo-mudflaps/

I take it that they didn't come in that long of a wheel base from the factory?

Until recently Montana hardly ever used liquid rust to keep the winter roads clear and I think that has a lot to do with the relatively rust free rigs here.

That's an impressive piece of wood. My grandpa hauled logs with a b75 here in Montana but nothing big like that. He said they didn't have on board scales back then and loads were measured and paid at the mill by the board foot. Thanks for sharing Paul, I love the old logging pics the most. P.S. I wonder how much air are in his tires? The trailer tires a bulging a little bit but not bad considering the weight. Did they use heavier tires with thicker sidewals in the days before tag axles?

I would see Swift drivers fairly often when I was running the yard dog for Fed Ex in Boise Bob. They would bring break bulk loads of Walmart freight from Sparks, Nevada to Boise and I honestly can say I was NEVER impressed with any of them. I think others on this thread touched on why. Not only were their driving, parking, backing skills sub par and they were usually sloppily dressed, but they seemed content in doing the bare minimum. I have a hard time considering people professionals, when they treat their professional life just like there personal life i.e. Always doing the bare minimum whether it's personal grooming, pride or actually wanting to do a good job no matter what job they're at. I understand everybody has to start somewhere, but I also think the difference can be seen when someone WANTS to learn rather than collect a paycheck. I learned to drive working on farms right after high school, I'm sure I screwed up a lot but I was determined to learn to drive a truck. When I turned 21 I got my class A with every endorsement and eventually go hired on at Fed Ex and I jumped at the chance to run the yard dog hooking and unhooking sets and backing trailers up to the dock all the while other trucks and sets and yard dogs were going. It was a huge learning opportunity and now I have the confidence to back anything up anywhere. Even the A train I drive now gets backed up a little ways every now and then ( just until the pup gets to running away on me and I don't have enough room to correct it).

Im not affiliated with this truck in anyway but I saw it on CL tonight and it looks really clean and thought it might interest somebody on bmt. http://kalispell.craigslist.org/cto/5014676550.html

Nice work Vinny. Your truck is coming along nicely. Keep it up and you will be taking your prom date in a U model

Swift rented a gravel parking lot near the intersection hwy 2 and i15 and the highway is black coming out of that lot because there drivers don't make sure their tires are turning and never do realize it until they blow. I saw one of the swift trucks this past winter with a driver pulling his trailer with smoke rolling off his duals. I flashed my headlights at him and he kept on trucking. The next day by his tire marks I could see he drove nearly a quarter of a mile, found a wide spot, turned around and drug the locked up wheels back to the lot where he started!

Nice looking truck with a plush interior. Hope you enjoy every mile you put on her.

it sounds like radiant floor heat kept at a reasonable constant temperature might be more cost effective than a furnace with the thermostat left at 50 (so nothing freezes) until you come to work in it and turn it up. I will be doing a lot of work in the shop when it's cold. Winters can be reeeally long here sometimes and I need a warm place to do all my jimmy-riggin' on my treasures.

That is a great idea, never thought of that but boy would be nice to wash things off and not be standing in mud and then wait a week for the puddle in front of the shop to dry up

I was thinking of either a pit or maybe a lift. Either way it would be very handy to have. Hardly any ordinances out here in BFE, I like the idea of having the windows under the eves for the extra natural light and like carlotpilot said don't skimp on insulation I am not. That is one place I will spend lots of money because it's not unusual to go for weeks at times where the high temp for the day might be in the single digits. Thanks for the ideas guys keep 'me coming.

I am starting to map out my shop that I hope gets built this summer. I am looking for any advice on any of those "wished I had did/or put blank in my shop". Right now I am not entirely sure if the shop gets to be a separate building ($$$) from the two stall garage for our daily drivers. If it is a separate building I'm thinking 30X50 with 12' walls and lean-to's on three sides with 2 overhead doors on the fourth side. I helped my dad build his shop and that was a good size for my needs. I plan on dedicating one stall to my Mack for its resto so I can tear it a part and not have to clean things up or move it when I'm done. The second overhead door will be at the opposite end of the shop (on the long side of the rectangle) and will be an open stall that I can pull in anything else that I need to work on. The middle of the shop is where I plan to have my fabrication stuff located for easy access to the tools from either stall. I would like to do radiant floor heat but from what I've heard it's really expensive so some kind of natural gas shop furnace will likely have to do. So am I overlooking anything? Or does anybody have any clever ideas I should use? Thanks for any help and advice.