RE: Ford or GM?
That 6.4 Ford is a fuel hog, it will be expensive to run. If you want to stick with a Ford diesel, spend some more $$$ and go with the 6.7. World of difference, and it will pay in the end. Their 6.2 gas is a winner too, if that will work for you, and a LOT less expensive.
RE: %#$&# salesman
Perhaps the salesman didn't know the Tacoma didn't have a real tow package, or maybe he was outright lying. We'll never know. For sure we know that the buyer should have done due diligence before he made the purchase. Its not like buying a camera.
One thing is for sure... that dealership is not going to take that trailer back without a whole lot of additional $$$ going their way. After you ask nice, you can demand, threaten, have your lawyer send them a nastygram, anything you want to do. It isn't going to happen.
RE: Why idle?
Couple of reasons why drivers let their diesel engine idle: 1) Turbo temp needs to come down if the EGT is too high. Most engines need to idle for a couple of minutes to achieve this. 2) Driver ignorance. It's a carry-over from the past. Differences in fuel and oil and engine technology have made most idling unnecessary. 3) Driver arrogance. It's the "look at me, I'm a big bad diesel driver" syndrome. Sounds silly, but its true in too many cases.
RE: 10 Worst States for Retirement!
Some of my family lives in Oregon, right on the coast. Climate is very good year round, compared to the rest of the state from about 50 miles from the coast and east. Whole different story there. A semi-major problem is Californians have figured that out, and are moving north. Similar problem in Colorado, that used to be a very nice state. Now look at it, their politics have taken a sharp left turn, being controlled by the population centers on the east side of the state.
I'd move to Tennessee in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the almost 10% sales tax. Wow. Guess I'm stuck here in Ohio.
RE: Opinions wanted.
No problem on the frame, and brakes, and the 5.0 engine is borderline power, but he does not have nearly the suspension required to safely tow that, or the rear axle weight rating. Its F250HD or F350 territory. No dually needed. I put an 814 pound box in the rear of my 2011 F150, and it set the suspension down 3 inches. By comparison, with my 2005 F250HD I pulled a 42' triple slide once, pin weight had to be close to 3000, and it set down the suspension only 1.25" inches. 2000+ on an F150 should be interesting. He'll probably throw air bags on it and call it a day.
RE: Anyone haul an ATV in the pick up bed
Like Greg B mentioned, you may have to put something between the front tires and the front of the bed if you have a winch on it. I built a small box just short of the bed width, and about 11-12" thick. Works great.
Also, the inside sheet metal on my tailgate got pushed down/bent when I loaded my Grizzly once. It shouldn't have done that, but it happened. That was on my 2005 F250.
RE: To EcoBoost or Not...
This seems to be a chassis issue, not really an Ecoboost issue. The EB will tow that with ease, give you 18+ combined mpg when not towing, but you're stuck with the limited tow capability of the F150. I've gotten over 27 mpg on the road with mine, but that is at a steady 55, no wind etc. Realistic hwy mileage is an easy 22 mpg. The 6.2 won't get you anywhere near that, and you'll have the F150 weight limits to contend with. Having gone from an F250 HD 6.0 diesel to this F150, the towing capability difference is very significant.
I'm waiting for the 3.5 Ecoboost to be offered in the Superduty. I'd buy one tomorrow if that happened. Best of both worlds. Was supposed to be in the 2014 model year, but I don't know.... Now, a 5.0 Ecoboost would be VERY nice.
RE: Turbo pyrometer on 2013 Ram ? Long Story
The Edge Insight is $299 and the pyro sensor is $99. Drill and tap a hole in the exhaust manifold and you're good to go. While that's not quite as good a place as the turbo, I wouldn't be punching holes in the turbo, and the exhaust manifold gives a good, consistent, reading. The Insight will give you many more parameters to display also.
If I was towing heavy, I wouldn't run a diesel without an EGT gauge. Others can rely on the factory scheme to protect their engines, but I'd rather have some control over the EGT's. It can be controlled by downshifting and getting more air through the exhaust, and getting off the go-pedal a bit. You'd be surprised how fast and high EGT's will go when you lug a diesel.
RE: Auto Glass Breaking Tool - Important For Everyone!
I don't know about the practical application of the window-breaking feature, but the seat belt slicer might come in handy. In 27 years, I've used mine 2 times when arriving on a crash scene. Its a piece of equipment issued to each patrol car. One time the front passenger seat occupant was unconscious and there was spilled fuel, and Fire & EMS was still a ways away. The other time the driver's seat belt was unable to be unlatched (she had been working on it when I arrived and I couldn't get it unlatched either), she was beginning to panic because of the radiator vapor that she thought was a fire, so the belt got sliced. Made her very happy she could get away from that car. For $10, it might come in handy. Just put it where either front seat occupant has ready access and its not going to be dislodged in a crash.
RE: Dexter EZ-Lube Bearing Maintenance
Several years ago I needed to check my bearings and hubs before going on a long trip. Called Dexter, they said do not use the grease zerk to displace old grease. As others have stated above, remove the hub, clean, and repack properly. Its interesting to note that the Dexter tech said this system was designed to be used on trailers that get the axles immersed in water, mainly boat trailers. It was not designed for travel trailers, and he wished that they were not installed on travel trailers. He said the biggest problem was blowing out the rear seal when pumping grease through the zerk.
RE: New Windows 8 Laptop
Win8 is a continuation of Microsoft's "every-other-one" legacy. Every other one of MS's operating systems has been a dog.
Win95: so-so
Win98/SE: pretty good.
Windows ME: a real dog
Win XP: Very good
VISTA: Terrible
Win7: Best so far
Win8: Quickly dieing a deserved death.
The next one should be OK.
I'll wait.
RE: Oregon Registration Fee's
Some of you are saying that if you work in California you are required to have a California drivers license and vehicle registration, even though your legal domicile is in another state? That makes no sense whatsoever. Your drivers license and vehicle registration are dependent on your state of residence, not state of employment. You would have to pay California state income tax because you earned your $$$ in California, but that has no bearing on DL's and license plates.
The area where I live in Ohio is on the border with Michigan. Many Michigan residents are employed in the Toledo (Ohio) area. They are required to have Michigan drivers licenses and Michigan vehicle registrations, and carry that gawd-awful Michigan no-fault vehicle insurance. Visa-versa for Ohio residents that work in Michigan.
RE: Ford Trucks / Lowest Price Paid
Around here, all Ford dealers will sell you a new truck at X-plan price. No haggling there. However, if you want to haggle, and I always do, some will go below the X-plan price. The big haggling is the trade-in allowance. That is all over the board, and makes or breaks a deal. Most will charge you a $250 "documentation fee" also, I will never pay that. I'll walk away if they don't take that off. Bought 3 new Fords last year (F-150 Lariat, Edge Limited, Piece of Junk Focus that I kept 3 months), had to walk from 3 dealerships each time until I found one that wanted to make some money by selling to me below X-plan, no doc fees, and real good trade-in value.
The best deal is the A-plan, which is for FoMoCo employees only. Very discounted price, no add-ons permitted, all you do is negotiate the trade-in value. Used to be able to get an A-plan pin, but that has been tightened up.
RE: Slide problem frequency?
Had a KZ Sportsman 5ver toy hauler that had the superslide in it. Had a LOT of trouble with it, and KZ was absolutely useless in helping us with it under warranty. They would provide the gear, pay the dealer labor, and that was just a band-aid and not a fix. Long story short, the gear on the end of the slide motor was made of soft metal, as were the replacement gears. It didn't completely engage the teeth on the slide rack, even after being adjusted all the way out by our dealer. It stripped twice, leaving us in a lurch. On the third incident, our great dealer had a new gear made at a local machine shop, using a harder material, and had it designed so it would completely engage the rack teeth. Problem solved. The dealer was super for us. Charged us only for what the gear cost them at the machine shop ($60), and no labor. They had 5 of those gears made up, hope they patented them.
That being said, I would not buy an RV without a slide. Our problems were with that particular KZ model, where the slide motor was not mounted properly and wouldn't adjust correctly, along with the soft gears.
RE: HOG's Leaving Daytona
I've been riding for over 50 years. Crashed once, when I was 16. The helmet definitely saved my life. That being said, I believe that people should be able to make their own decisions regarding what they do. Government or busy bodies with big noses have no right to tell me squat. The position on both sides of the issue have been argued ad infintum, nothing new we can add here.
Helmets are just one piece of protective equipment, and I wear mine probably 98% of the time. Its because I choose to, not because I'm told to. Also wear over-the-ankle boots and leather gloves 100% of the time. If you've ever seen anybody "degloved" in a motorcycle crash, you'd understand why.
Ha, I remember about 6-7 years ago I went to a huge Gold Wing get-together north of Atlanta, and got snide remarks and head shakes from many of the other Gold Wing riders (I won't call them bikers....). Why? Because I was wearing a half-helmet, and not a full-face, painted-the-same-color-as-the-Wing helmet. Screw those guys, sold my Wing the next fall and was back on a Harley the following spring.
There's even dissension among those who ride on 2 wheels.
RE: Good and Bad about Blue Ox Sway Pro
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.
Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!
As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
Until you get into a 30mph crosswind.
RE: Free Camping
Sounds like a pretty good gig. No mowing, no trash collecting, no repairing. Just meet & greet 6-8 hours, clean the johns now and then. 3 on and 6 off. Makes me wish the DW was retired, we could do that one...
RE: Ram 1500 Diesel
Having had a diesel and knowing what it costs to properly maintain it and poor expensive fuel into it (3.48 vs 4.19 here in NW Ohio), I'm sticking with "if you don't need a diesel, don't get one". And if you NEED a diesel, you also need more than what anybody's half-ton pickup is going to give you.
RE: Corn Is For Cows And Cornbread Not Cars!
Ethanol is strictly a money making venture for a few people and going to kill our cars and economy and does not help the environment one bit. :M
X3. In fact, it is hurting the environment because it takes more energy to create a gallon of ethanol than it does to create a gallon of gasoline.
