RE: Page, AZ
Is it just an overnight stop that you have planned in Page? If so, skip it. Not worth the effort to try to get there because of the road closure. First choice would be Wahweap CG; you will need to pay a fee to get into the 'park' just like you would to gain access to the Grand Canyon or Zion. There is also a KOA on the south side of Page on 98; not bad for an overnight stop.
If you don't NEED hookups, hit the camp ground at Lee's Ferry. Its been a few years since I've been there and things might have changed since then, but I want to say that there is a dump station and non-potable water.
Camp ground at Jacob Lake has full HU. Could also boondock anywhere up the uphill side of the switchbacks going toward Jacob Lake. You will be in the woods. Pick a road and pull off. Nobody will bother you up there, I used to hunt that area growing up (lived in Page).
Going through Jacob Lake (and bypassing Page) is one of two detour routes around the hwy closure. The second way is hwy 160 to Tuba City and up 98 to Page. If you must see Page, go through Tuba, if not go through Jacob Lake and tie back in at Kanab. If you don't mind dirt road travel I know of another route, but I wouldn't pull my TH down it :B Empty truck sure, but not an RV.
RE: Old Man's 1996 F250 460
The trans is an E4OD. The rear axle is a Sterling 10.25 (no difference between a 3/4 and 1-ton SRW axle that I can remember).
I had a '90 460/E4OD/4.10 in a 350 SRW. 10-14mpg empty, but I was 16-18 when I had it. Was really a great truck. It was a backup rig for my parents to pull a 24' horse trailer with living quarters. I did use it to pull a 24' gooseneck flatbed with a car/truck on it, and with 35" tires it would get pulled down to 2nd gear on the steep stuff but would hold 3rd usually.
I do hate the Twin Traction Beam front suspension used on the 250 and 2wd 350 from that era. An alignment and adequate front leaf springs (4wd) or coils (2wd) are a requirement for keeping the tires wearing correctly.
We picked up a VW Bug almost a year ago. I/we have put almost 30k on it in 10mo. I figured out the difference in fuel costs between the Bug and my truck (in sig). Based on what we paid for the bug, and what it is currently worth on KBB, the fuel savings have paid for the depreciation on the car (so it hasn't cost me anything to own other than the insurance and maintenance). No a bad deal in my eyes, I would still have to maintain the truck... If you drive a lot, a commuter car can pay for itself. If you don't, then just take the truck to get groceries.
RE: Engine Block Heater/Grill Cover Needed?
Block heater when the temperature is below 35°F.
That high...Really? On a modern diesel?
Not calling you out on this, just trying to learn.
I have never used our block heater...at any temp above 0° F. and have never had any problems.
Oh yeah! I plug mine in when it is in the 30's as well. Quicker to heat the cab, coolant is already 'warm', easier on the truck. I have started mine in -20*F w/o the block heater. The cost in electricity is negligible; just put it on a timer to come on about 3hrs before I start it (longer when it is really cold).
I don't have a nice grill cover. I use the lid for a large plastic tote. I just trimmed it down to fit. Pop the hood, and I slide it in just in front of the intercooler. Cost ~$7 from Walmart. When below freezing outside, my intake air temp increased ~30* versus not using it.
RE: 3/4 ton vs 1 ton ride
They usually have an identical ride. The 350/3500 series have an aux overload spring(s) that do not come in to play until the rear suspension squats a few inches. The 250/2500 series normally do not have this overload spring set, but it can be optioned with a higher GVW or camper package that would include the overloads.
Here is an example of what I'm talking about.
Notice the leaf on the top of the leaf pack. It is currently doing no good. As the suspension squats, the leaf will come in to contact with the rubber bumpers that are mounted on the side of the frame rail. So as long as these are in the 'air', they are not supporting anything. So assuming the rest of the leaf pack is identical to the 250/2500 truck, they will ride the same. Of course there is always the option or chance of a different FGAWR between the two trucks (such as a snow plow prep or different GVW package that would cause them to have a different front spring pack).
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/rbiggs68/M1028-09-springs-forum.jpg
RE: Who drives a F-350 as their sole vehicle and likes it?
The only problem I see for the OP is that the short 8mi drive will never get the diesel engine up to normal operating temp. The 'short-cycling' will be hard on the motor, and not coming up to normal temp will cause condensation to form in the crankcase. Get the truck up to normal temp every once in awhile!
Other than the above issue, it is great. I hate parking next to others so I park farther out at the stores to avoid door dings, so no issue with parking. A long truck is harder to navigate in small areas (duh) and backing into a spot so that you can pull out versus back out makes it easier to get in/out of that tight parking space. I grew up with crew/quad cab long bed duallys, drove them to school/work/out of town on vacation. There was always room to put stuff, they were always comfortable. I'm ~20mi from work, and drive my Dodge often; I just need to swing a little wider to stab it in that tight entry way to the parking lot.
RE: Half ton , full size pickup choice- advice
It's a toss up between an EcoBoost and a Hemi for me.
On the Dodge, you get an excellent ride, can get storage compartments in the bed sides, Hemi makes good power, comfortable, usually come in a little bit cheaper for a similarly optioned truck from the 'other 2'. Downside is stubby bed and horrible payload capacity. I think their auto trans is stupid (at least the 10-12 models I've been in) with short and wide ratio gaps between the gears. With the 4.7L it doesn't work, the Hemi makes enough torque to overcome some of this idiocy.
Ford, you can get the EB motor (I'm not against a turbo-gas truck, turbos are nothing new), can get a 6.5' bed with the crew cab, better payload (different GVWR options). Downside is cost, slightly rougher ride, I personally think the interior is not a comfortable as the Dodge. Fit/Finish is great. MySync or whatever it's called pisses me off (in the last rental I had a couple years ago was hard to work).
GM is going to direct Injection. The LS enignes have been out for over 10yrs now with minor tweaks along the way. They are on the bottom of the power output band. They ride like cars, the interior is quiet, I like the radios.
RE: 7.3 PSD Transmission question
Do you change out light bulbs before they go bad?
Run it till it starts slipping. Trans life depends on use, maintenance, heat, but there is the chance that it just up and fails. You may only get 1k or 100k more miles out of it. Got 230k out of an E4OD before the TC clutch starting slipping, got 244k out of a 4L60E before I sold the truck 2yrs ago (and it is still on the road today w/o failure). It really depends on how you treat them.
A trans rebuild is not preventive maintenance, trans fluid/filter changes is...
RE: 12 volt trouble in my trailer...
What is the voltage at the battery when hooked to shore power?
What is the voltage at the battery when not hooked to shore power?
Pull the cover at the 12V panel, and measure the voltage (shore and not shore) at the pos & neg terminals.
The purpose is to try to determine where the issue lies. From what you've posted so far, it sounds like the battery is not connected to the trailer (loose/broken connection).
RE: New Gas or Used Diesel
Long bed Dodge in my sig... With 35gal stock tank I have a 600+mi range empty (18-21mpg), ~400mi towing (12-14mpg).
The convenience of having the extra fuel (not in a gas can) is really really nice!
Anode Rod Electric Heating Element
I've been toying with the idea of getting a 120V heating element that replaces the anode rod. Then I thought of a problem with this... It replaces the anode rod.
I'm going to be living in the trailer for at least 3 more months (already have been the last 6 months), and if my job contract gets extended, it could continue to the end of the year. The quicker recovery, longer showers, less propane usage is appealing to me. I just don't want to slowly kill my water heater by not having the anode rod.
Would this cause an issue, or is there an anode-like sleeve on the heating element that I don't know about?
RE: Tire changing ramp
Why do you use two jacks to change a tire?! Just one directly under the leaf spring perch on the axle; you are placing the same weight of the trailer in the same position as the leaf spring is...
I carry one small aluminum floor jack in the front of the trailer. Throw in under the perch where the u-bolts are, crack the lug nuts loose, then lift the tire off the ground. I could have bought the ramp, but I already owned the jack.
RE: age
Just after I turned 27, we bought our toyhauler (in sig).
Just after I turned 28, we bought the 'new truck' (in sig).
Before the toyhauler, we spent many nights in the backend of a short bed truck with a cab-height camper shell. Saw the sights of Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and more sleeping in that truck... It sure was fun!
RE: Wipers on ignition switch off
I would suspect that the ignition switch is bad. Does the radio or heat/AC controls remain functional along with the wipers? Try jiggling the key while in the OFF position to see if the wipers stop?
RE: Takena 1865-ex Weight discrepancy
If you just bought a new trailer it should have a yellow sticker on it that tells the exact weight of YOUR trailer when it left the factory. The dealer is required to indicate any weight of items the dealer installed. The dealer requirement does not take effect unless the dealer added weight exceeds 100#.
LOL. My sticker says 5028#. My trailer axle weight is 4800, 5660 trailer weight when new and empty. Learned this when I scaled it after I had set up my WDH on the previous truck. I wasn't carrying 630lbs of propane and bugs stuck to the front of it :B
RE: goofy , but true ?
Is anyone considering that the officer has no means of confirming that the coach or toad has a valid registration while underway since no plates are visible? That's assuming of course, that the coach plate is hidden by the toad as most are.
Thought the same thing... You can't see the plate on a truck when pulling most trailers, 5th wheel for example. What a bs excuse for a traffic stop!
RE: Chasing a short in my marker lights
Since you say 'lights' with an 'S', I'm assuming that all of your marker/clearance lights are having this dim/fluttering issue. I can't imagine that all of the lights share the same ground to trailer frame (thinking front versus rear). Since the turns aren't having this issue we can forget about it being a bad trailer-truck ground.
I'm going to lean on it being a bad supply wire. Poor connection on the 'hot' side of the clearance light circuit. First place to look would be the truck-trailer plug; bend the tabs a little bit for a better connection. Loose wire termination on either the truck or the trailer plug; pull them apart and check that they are both good and tight if you can. They might be molded and you have no access. Follow your trailer wiring and see if you have a junction box from the plug back along the run; look for a bad crimp or loose connection.
RE: 191 from I-70 to Provo,UT
US6/191 from Green River to Spanish Fork is a very good road.
Green River (I-70) to Price has rolling hills, passing lanes, plenty of flat areas that you can see far, 65mph, one steep climb but you can see it from a couple miles away and can get a run at it if you wish. The 'locals' try to set land speed records out there, so don't be surprised if you are constantly overtaken by small vehicles.
Green River toward Spanish Fork is a climb. Passing zones headed up and down. 60mph zone. Plenty of deer/elk in the area so watch your speed at dark.
The whole section is very good road. Smooth, passing lanes, lots of pull outs, somewhat scenic (Price to SF). Don't hesitate to take this road!
RE: 96 +- IDI Ford 7.3L; good enough?
'94 was the switch over from the IDI to the 'Powerstroke'. I'm a little concerned with your mech's statement of the later year IDI, because the 'Powerstroke' was direct injected motor.
The 7.3L PSD was/is a great motor. We had a '95 F350/E4OD/4.10 when I was growing up, put over 240k on it towing near 20k GCW its whole life, then sold it. They were plagued with glow plugs not working causing hard starts when cold. They pop and lope even when the glow plugs work good because of the High Pressure Oil Pump used to run the injection system (low pressure/cold oil during start up). We had added the Banks Get-Kit (turbo down pipe and piggy-back chip) to bring the torque output to near 500ft-lb. The stock trans held well.
I've always thought that the interior was comfortable. They didn't have driver's airbags in them in that era truck. The front axle wasn't ABS either. The 2wd (and F250 4wd) used the Twin Traction Beam front suspension that can cause hell on front tires. As the suspension cycles the camber changes. We 'luckily' didn't have any issues though, but have talked to some that have.
Don't factor out the 98-02 (some early 03) PSD either. It had a little more power than the 94-97, the interior and exterior was redesigned.
If it is clean and fits your needs, get it. I've always thought they were great trucks. I would have bought a '96 crew cab I came across awhile back but the wife insisted that I get a 3rd gen Cummins (she likes the looks of the Dodge, I'm just a tight wad when it comes to money and didn't want to spend).
RE: Best options for Sewer Kit Storage
I use a big plastic tote for the grey/black hoses and connectors. I attach the hoses to themselves using the locking connectors (male end to female end) so that any moisture/fumes is sealed inside the hoses.
Have second tote for the fresh stuff. The tote catches any water I didn't get out of the water hose so that it doesn't wet the trailer.
