RE: Is there a such a thing as a short wheelbase dually?
I have seen some SB F350 reg cabs at the local airport, they use them to tow the 20 trailer cargo units to and from the airplane with one of these trucks. I am sure they are cab and chassis either shortened, or a really small run once a year or so for the orders for different airports around the nation etc. I would also not be surprised to find that Ford will not allow these rigs back on the road or resold to the public also. They may be leases with no buy options.
Marty
Not sure if this might help him:
http://www.eagletugs.com/assets/500028/bob-tail-1.jpg
Not sure if they make them in a crew cab though... Used to be built around the corner from me in my hometown (Grosse Ile, Michigan). In F350 Chassis form, they are good to tow up to 65,000lbs, but only in first gear. In 'high' gear (3rd) they are only rated for 30,000lbs though, with a max speed of 25mph. IIRC, they use a standard Ford 6-speed with the top three gears locked-out.
RE: TV tire pressure (mainly the front tires)
Looking for some clarification on TV tire pressure, I am clearer on TT pressures. I was always under the impression that you were supposed to air up your TV's tires (ALL FOUR) pressure to max cold when towing (especially with P rated tires). It's just what I have been told since starting to tow as a blanket statement.
If I had a nickel for every time I've read that on here... It's a hasty generalization at best, and nowhere near what, IMHO, is the *right* way to set tire pressures. More on that in a minute...
Then I found out about load charts and you should match tire pressure to load placed on tire. That is all fine and good. Then I was looking at my scale weights and thinking about how several new MFG guidelines now specify you only need half the weight restored to the front of the vehicle.
{snipped for brevity}
So, what should you set the front tires to pressure wise and why do you recommend that pressure? Is it strictly for squirm resistance? Another reason? After thinking it through I think I have been doing it wrong all these years and need to get that pressure back down...
I set my tire pressures for the load, plain and simple. If that pressure happens to coincide with the OEM's factory recommendation, then it's a happy coincidence as the numbers on the sticker are always handy. The numbers on the door sticker are the recommended pressure for the maximum load the OE tire will see per the ratings. Deviate from that load (e.g. a dually running empty or a sedan with aftermarket tires on it) and all bets are off. Those numbers become a starting point or educated guess, but ultimately may vary for the particular setup in question.
And getting more to your point, I would say that yes, if the load on the front end is only restored to half of what is removed, then I would say that you could safely deflate to the appropriate load based on the charts. That being said, in the case of my Super Duty, even if the full 320lbs stayed off the front end (i.e. no weight distribution), it's not going to move me into the next lower pressure range for my tires, so I just don't worry about it.
RE: Best engine of the year (again)
Additional: 1975 Honda Goldwing's had a 999cc (1L 4 cyl engine). Listed weight wet for a Glodwing is 908 lbs wet per wikipedia and you can check it. Now add 2 adult passengers and the weight was usually well over 1200 lbs. It would simply plant you and your passenger back so hard on the sissy bar that you couldn't move as we know. Got 50-60 mpg on the highway as we know. By 2001 the Goldwing had 1832cc (1.83L) and is a rocket with 400+ lbs of passengers/gear and a loaded camping trailer hooked on behind (total of usually well over 1700 lbs) and still gets 50 mpg on the highway at 60-65mph, about 30-35 city. Honda engines are far from high revving and low revving at highway speed.
Why then should the 40 year later Ford 1.0L engine impress me as the numbers don't support it?
Keep in mind that the Gold Wing doesn't need to meet any crash regulations, is driveable in the snow, and is saddled with emissions equipment not even thought about for motorcycles outside Commiefornia.
RE: "Storm Chaser" Tim Samaras dies
Yes - in the case of the car - a roll cage and helmet might have saved his life - but when he was deploying probes - they needed to be FAST. And the stuff that might have saved their lives would have slowed them down a bunch.
As an engineer myself, I can think of at least three or four ways they could have deployed the probes from the safety of the cab... Stop, drop, and roll in seconds. It took more than a minute to get out, drop the gate, unstrap the unit, slide it off, set it down, flip the gate up, lift the tailgate, and get back into the truck. That's WAY too long when a tornado is bearing down on you.
RE: "Storm Chaser" Tim Samaras dies
Didn't I see somewhere (TV documentary maybe) where they were now using specially armored chase vehicles?
Two of the teams featured on the TV series Storm Chasers a few years ago did. But even there, the 'engineering' that went into those vehicles was dubious at best. Any college engineering student could design a better setup than either of the ones on the show.
The rig Tim Samaras drove was just a full size pickup with a power liftgate and a cap (in one incarnation... At one point, the cap came off and they installed a radome).
At any rate, I wouldn't trust any of the three vehicles in a tornado. None of them was truly engineered for the duty it was asked to perform. TIV2 which was used by Sean Casey (I think?) was a bit more solid, but the craftsmanship on it is utterly atrocious. You can't see it in the show, but I had a chance to see it up close a few years ago at a Maker Faire they had in Dearborn, MI. I have pictures of the hardware and the welds they used, and I've seen better welding come out of a high school shop!! I'd be embarassed if I had done that work! The concept is good, but in a storm, if it were to take a tumble, the occupants wouldn't stand a chance. It was just cobbled together, not truly engineered as a system.
RE: Looking at trucks
He bent the ratchet Handel trying to break them loose.
Tell him to quit buying tools at Harbor Freight. Those plugs will come out if you want them to and the plug will break long before a quality tool fails.
I'm with the guys who go middle of the road (or lower). The less fancy stuff there is, the less stuff there is to fail later and the less cost there is to keep it all working.
Ditto. The plugs will come out fine. Most shops around here charge $100 per plug or less. I wouldn't let a one-time $800 charge for a repair force me into five years of obscene payments for a new truck! I don't know of anyone who has screwed one up so bad that they needed to pull a head.
RE: Towing a standard shift
Are you implying that flat-towing the Subaru somehow caused the clutch failure? If so, I'm unclear how the two are related. There is NO wear on the clutch whatsoever when the vehicle is being towed.
RE: Thought this was funny.
Did any of you think, that "just maybe" he was telling the truth!
Nope. In my first post above, I cited the factory owners manual. 20000 gcwr minus the weight of the truck equals the towering capacity of that truck the op referenced. The dealer is, quite simply, wrong.
RE: Need suggestions! Please help if you can
Weigh. The. Rig.
Post the scale values of the three passes with the GVWR of the truck, GVWR of the trailer, and the front and rear GAWRs of the truck. That will give us the most complete picture of the rig and is the starting point for all these sorts of discussions. Not guesses, actual scaled weights.
I absolutely agree that it sounds like a lack of tongue weight, but the scale weights will show us conclusively.
RE: Thought this was funny.
That's a sign of someone doing the paperwork with no clue where to find the correct information about the truck. With a 20,000lb (minimum) GCWR for that truck, that should leave it in the 13-14k range depending on the accessories it has on it.
brirene said it: We rely on these folks to be knowledgable about the products they sell when it seems quite often they are clueless. But you'll never get them to admit they don't know what they're talking about!
RE: Ford Ecoboost
Ford has the number one Series truck only because they add all the F-series vehicles together. Note the ad they say Ford F-Series trucks not F-150 but F-series.
Care to cite your statistics to back up that claim? The numbers don't support it.
Here's mine (for 2012):
Motor Trend Article
Ford F-series: 645,316
Chevy Silverado: 418,312
GMC Sierra: 157,185
Admittedly it's been a while since I took an arithmetic class, but last time I checked, 645,316 was still more than 575,497. By a lot.
The margin was only about 20,000 trucks in 2011, but still in Ford's favor. First quarter this year, and the margin is already more than 15,000, again in Ford's favor.
RE: Bent Hitch pin
Is your WDH shank a solid square bar or is it shaped like an I-beam?
I recall a recent thread on here where somebody had a similar problem... The shank looked similar to this one:
http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/R/P/RP54976_500.jpg but did not have the reinforcement where the hitch pin went through, so the drawbar was loading the center of the pin only, not placing the load at the edges of the pin. The pin is VERy strong in double-shear like a traditional shank puts it in, but weakest in bending which is what was happening to that other person.
If your shank looks similar to the one I posted, but doesn't have the casting reinforced out to the edges, that could be the problem.
RE: Making the Bed
Who makes their bed in the camper? We toss the blanket over the whole thing, then it collects junk all day long... Books, bags, jackets, clothes... Who cares whether it's made or not? You're not entertaining in it, you're SLEEPING in it!
RE: Patio Mat Anchors?
Umm, the picnic table?
With the popup, I used to be able to get the stabilizers down on the edges. Doesn't work with the TT we have now though.
We just drop the picnic table on it and call it good now.
RE: Towing with a Van
Heads-up on the 5.4L Fords flooding the market from rental and fleet turn-ins: The 5.4 in an E350 for 2011 and 2012 were only rated to tow 6700lbs in 12-passenger configuration (i.e. in a standard length... Extended length drops 200lbs from the ratings). Sadly, IMHO, that's nowhere near enough for a family of 8 plus a 6000lb+ trailer.
Look for a V-10 if you decide to go with a Ford. It automatically bumps the rating up to 8500 with the 3.73 rear end, and 10,000 with the 4.10 rear end.
RE: Smart car, tent trailer, kayak combo
I think I'd rather stick with a backpack. Seriously, you don't so much 'sit in' a Smart car as much as 'wear' it!!
Outer Banks: What to do?
Just looking for some suggestions on things to see, places to go, and sights worth seeing in the outer banks area of North Carolina. We're staying in Duck, which is just North of Kitty Hawk, so I know we'll check that out for sure, but any suggestions on other sights to see would be appreciated!
We will, for the most part, have our 1 year old and (almost) three-year-old in tow as well. Kid-friendly suggestions are always a great idea!
Thankis, gang!!
RE: Golf cart fell off the ramps while loading
Another idea. One guy in our quad club drilled holes through the end of his ramps and matching holes in his tailgate. (Not clear thru)
He drops the gate, sets up the ramps, drops in the 4 pins (which are the correct size bolts). No muss, no fuss.
I was going to suggest exactly this, but you beat me to it. THe drwaback to this method is that it limits their use to vehicles with EXACTLY the same track width. If you only ever load one vehicle into the bed, no big deal. If you have different things to load, then it can be a problem.
RE: Rotating tires on a dually
Everybody I know with a dually stops after the first or second rotation. The reason is that gravel and debris thrown up by the front tires hits that gap between the duals and chews up the exposed 'angled' portion of the rims, rendering them unsuitable for use on the exposed front axle.
As for the pattern, I would go with what the OEM recommends, should you choose to do so.
As for the physical how-to, there are a dozen different ways, but I don't think that's what you're looking for...
RE: Water capacity on Jayco Jaylite 28 ft
Great! Found it. Plan 29Y from 2005 - Jayco Jay Feather. That helps a lot. Since I bought a tank to take water out to the camper, I now have 2X the water I need.:)
We have essentially the same trailer... Ours is a 2004 29Y. :)
How large of a tank did you get? If my memory serves, aren't they all 30 gallon tanks?
