RE: August 30th, it was evidently my turn to pay karma...
Glad you were able to protect your noggin. Now focus on getting better! Don't rush it. . . I know I get stir crazy when I'm supposed to be recovering. Force yourself to relax. :)
RE: 2002Ranger4X4 Super Cab 4.0V6
Can somebody explain to me why most trucks with the standard transmissions have lower tow ratings than those with automatics? Is this new? I thought traditional wisdom was that a manual was preferred if you had the skill. . . and always heard comparisons to big rigs. I'm honestly naive here. I just don't know. It does seem that most modern trucks are rated to tow more with the autos, though.
Not intending to hijack the thread.
RE: GAS CAP
I bought a locking chrome cover for my tank, but the cap that screws into the tank opening is the same piece. I only changed the door and the housing. Didn't have an issue. . .
RE: Dodge trucks -- 40% OFF??
I think these deep discounts just go to show how much the new trucks are over priced to begin with.
Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner!!!
RE: iPod Help
LIMEWIRE
Be very careful.
Besides potentially drawing the ire of the RIAA, you could get malware of some sort (virus, spyware, trojan horse, etc.). If you proceed, make sure to have an updated antivirus program and scan everything before opening it. (Even if you use a Mac!) The same goes for those using Bit Torrent, IRC, or any other file sharing service.
:)
RE: August 30th, it was evidently my turn to pay karma...
Unreal story. . . sorry that happened to you. My best to you and Amy for a speedy recovery.
Out of curiosity, were you guys wearing helmets? (I'm not trying to make a deal of it if you weren't - just glad everything turned out OK.)
I was close to getting a bike when I learned I had macular degeneration. . . at the age of 23. I decided the risk wasn't worth it. My wife agreed. :) I knew I could ride safely. . . but none of us can control the other drivers on the road (whether we're on a bike or in a car). One second of inattention, one lapse in judgment, or one delayed reaction, and the stakes are high. OK. . . I'm just rambling now and saying stuff we all know.
Again, glad it's not worse! Take your time and get well!
RE: Drove a new (used) Vette yesterday.
Honestly, if I can ever afford a weekend / fun car, I hope it's one of these:
:B
http://www.freewebs.com/eldorado/1976CadillacFleetwoodEldoradoConvertible.jpg
RE: It's hard to keep vigil at the hospital
Everybody handles these situations in their own way. None of us is right or wrong.
We just went through this with my wife's family as her uncle passed away two weeks ago from leukemia. His condition deteriorated quickly at the end and the family logged a lot of hours of sitting by his bed in the hospital, then at home, then at the hospice.
DW's brother is so uncomfortable he can't go into the hospital. He admitted that he doesn't know what to do and prefers to stay away. We understood. It's not easy, and seeing a loved one suffer is not fun. That's not how you're going to remember them. He'd rather work on holding on to memories of the good times. :)
DW's father is a busybody. He has to find something productive to do. He'll worry about the details. . . are the plants at home watered, is their lawn mowed, do they need handiwork done around the house, are the cars in tip-top shape? He'll add a new wing onto their house if they ask him to. :)
I prefer to linger and comfort. I'll sit in the room for 36 hours without moving. I want to do the little things. . . like help them get a drink of water or move up in the bed. Read them Scripture, or read it silently. Pray. Encourage everybody who visits. Write and reflect. I'm ready to pause my life and and just be there. If hugs need to be passed out, then I'm definintely that guy. I just don't want to leave. :)
Being a take charge person, your brother might go through a hard time of his own. . . if things are beyond his control. I think that's like my FIL. He wants to get stuff done and hates to sit around and wait. He doesn't want to feel useless. I don't think just sitting there is useless, though.
Sorry for the sad tone of the note, I guess these things are lingering on my mind as we just went through them.
I hope things turn for the better and she makes a full recovery. I'll say a prayer for you and your family as soon as I hit the "post message" button. You all need rest, strength, endurance, patience, comfort. . . all of it.
RE: What's a good safe highway cruising speed ?
Back on topic, I think the judge was fair. . . it's a hefty fine, but that guy has his life to consider. If the fine was small enough to laugh off, the message and severity of the risk might not get communicated.
RE: What's a good safe highway cruising speed ?
I'll admit it. . . and you guys can flame me if you want, but I hope you had no youthful indiscretions of your own! :)
I think most cars have a speed where everything is just smooth and beautiful. There is no strain, no work, it's just coasting. It feels like a lot of cars hit this zone around 80 mph.
I had a 1994 Buick Century with the 3.8 liter V6 and didn't pay much attention to the car's feedback, so I have no memory of where it preferred to coast. I got a ticket going 54 in a 40 once, but did "Teen Court" and community service to wipe it away.
I had a 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS (3.5 liter V6) that went 80 like it was idling. I made it from a gas station in Grapevine to the parking lot of a hotel in Houston (near the Galleria area west of town) in exactly 3 hours on a Friday morning with no traffic. I pushed it up to 90 a few times, but you really had to work to keep it there. . . the car wasn't comfortable cruising at that speed. I got a ticket going 80 in a 55 (reduced speed zone on Texas 121 north near DFW airport). . . did deferred adjudication, but that one hurt. Big fine.
I had a 2003 Chevrolet 1500 Extended Cab LS SB that rode very smoothly at 80 mph. At 80 mph, it was under 2,000 RPMs with the 5.3 liter V8 and the 3.42 rear end. One time I made it home, stupidly, from Wichita, Kansas in just over three hours. . . going up to 110 mph for stretches. I can't justify it. It was dumb. I used to latch on to a train of speeders and try to be second or third in line. That truck burned more gas to keep up that speed than was worth it - not to mention the safety issues for DW and I. One day I got a ticket going 80 in a 65 on I-35W between Fort Worth and Denton - within a month of getting the one in the Monte Carlo. Deferred adjudication and the end of an era where I thought the extra 5-15 mph was worth it.
I drive my truck like there's an egg between my foot and the pedal whether I'm loaded or not. The fuel costs are prohibitive, and it's too heavy to be considered "fast" even when you're in the power band.
My wife's car (2003 Buick Regal GS Joseph Abboud Special Edition with Supercharged 3.8 liter V6) is easily the fastest accelerating car we've ever had, but I've found that I can squeak 32 mpg out of it on a pure freeway trip if I stay exactly on the speed limit and take a few seconds to get up to speed out of a stop. It does well at 70 and 60 mph. . . only had it above those to pass somebody.
The mental freedom and rest you get from not worrying about "did he see me" every time you pass a law enforcement officer is refreshing. I'll set my cruise control right at the speed limit and a max of 5 over if I'm individually holding up traffic (two-lane road, for instance). Beyond that, I guess I'll just hold things up until you can get around me.
:B
You pay fines; you get wiser. You see terrible accidents; you get wiser. You have kids; you get wiser. You have to be a pallbearer for a guy two years after you were his groomsman; you get wiser. You get older; you get wiser. Hopefully. :)
RE: Gustav ....and New Orleans ..?
It should be returned to marsh like the good lord made it. Not pumped out and levies built all around You can't fool mother nature.
Just another thought. Would it not be make more sense and be cheaper in the long run for the government to relocate every family in N.O. to a more sensible location than rebuilding levees, homes, businesses, etc. every time an event such as this occurs? Certainly it would be expensive, but seems a better solution IMHO.
Without taking sides, maybe we should look at this:
N.O. and surrounding communities support and are supported by the oil and fishing industries. Tourism is a big economic help. Louisiana is the largest offshore oil and natural gas supplier for this country. 53% of the oil imports go through Louisiana. 15% of the refining capacity for this country is shut down, Exxon-Mobil is not included in these figures. One million barrels of oil a day going to Chicago is shut down. Exxon-Mobil in Baton Rouge will be down for a few days to give employees time to go home and check on their families and restart. Louisiana has been THE major player in keeping oil prices low for years. In return, oil companies, with state and Federal approval, has cut canals to explore. These canals have helped cause destruction of marshes and wetlands that had been the key to reducing storm surges. Until recently, Louisiana did not receive it's fair share of oil royalties from the Federal government.
I THINK N.O. is the 3rd largest port in the U.S. shipping billions of dollars of export to other countries to help our economy and trade deficit.
Political and industry pressure allowed the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet to be built. It funneled storm surge to the levee's that didn't hold during Katrina. It is now under consideration to be closed.
What about the flooding the last few years in the mid-west? California with it's earthquakes and forest fires? Hanna may cause destruction up the east coast, much of that economy is fueled by tourism. Our good friends in Mississippi, thank you for helping our evacuees, is a haven to beach goers and gambling fuels much of their economy. Florida-no drilling off our coast-is a state I love-son graduated from UF-how many hurricanes hit it. Should we consider relocating all those people?
Yes, surrounded by levee's. Maybe we should remove the levee's the entire length of the Mississippi River and let it's annual flooding destroy much of the land that feeds us.
I now expect to receive criticism for this post but this is just a partial overview of the economic benefits of Louisiana and N.O.
I agree with you, but would add one thing. There are benefits that the area provide to us, but there are substantial risks. When we subsidize the rebuilding efforts with more-than-typical resources, we artificially remove the risk that should accounted for by the higher cost of rebuilding.
If there were no major rebuilding programs, then only where it was economically feasible (where the market will yield enough benefits to overcome the higher costs of rebuilding: insurance, defenses, stronger structures, higher structures, etc.) will we see the rebuilding take place. I'm an advocate for the free market. Insurance companies would mandate higher building standards, which in turn would cost more, which would mean that the person electing to rebuild must evaluate the cost of the risk on their own.
I definintely agree that the area provides important resources for the rest of the state and the country. . . but we should be rational and logical when we decide at what cost we're willing to support those benefits.
RE: Tow Straps Question - Update on Page 2
I spent $0. His dad covered it. . . the tow to the dealership he needed to get to was over $250. U-Haul refused to rent a tow dolly because of the weight of his truck.
He had a "shade tree mechanic" willing to do it at his house, but the mechanic admitted that once they got started, if they encountered a few unexpected variables, he could get in over his head really quick - especially without the proper tools. Seems like sometimes you have to lift the engine to get to the specific part they needed access to.
AAA, Good Sams. . . they tow you to the nearest place, not the one you want to get towed to, or they uplift the cost greatly. He saved around $700 on the repair by taking it to this dealership (turned out just to be an o-ring, not the oil pump). GM covered part of the cost out of goodwill (he's not in warranty, but his family has purchased many vehicles from this dealership and his grandfather is retired GM). Beyond that, this shop is notorious for honesty. . . a lot of shops around here would've just replaced the whole oil pump and charged him for it anyway.
It's insulting that you are assuming we didn't do our due diligence, but trust me, I counseled him to pursue every single alternative we could think of and we kept hitting dead ends. We looked into everything. I even have a second cousin with a flatbed that would've worked, but I would've had to drive two counties over and borrow his truck because the trailer is a gooseneck and I don't have a hitch for one. . . then come back to my friend's house (two streets over from where I live). . . tow him to Decatur. . . then return the truck two counties over. At $3.50/gallon for fuel. . . that would've added up fast, too.
At the end of the day, it's his truck and his decision. . . but I try to be loyal friend. Once I was convinced we could do it safely, I was just trying to help out a friend in need.
It's fixed and drivable - and you never know when that rope will come in handy again. It's like insurance, jumper cables, a spare tire, or a firearm. . . you hope you never have to use any of them, but it's better to be prepared just in case.
RE: Rain, Can I get the TT out?
I don't think 4x4 is must have for most users, but I can tell you after a few ice/snow storms, I'll never be caught without limited slip in a pickup again.
My 1500 2wd couldn't make it up my driveway with ice (the way the house sits and blocks the sun, our driveway is usually the last in the neighborhood to thaw). The new truck made it up without flinching in 4x4, so I got curious (of course) and backed back out. I turned it into 2wd and started back up. The tire slipped, the positraction kicked in, and I drove right in with no problems.
I always laughed at the "big trucks" who would park in the grassy overflow areas at stadiums or by the river, etc. Or the ones that would go across the grassy incline when traffic was completely stopped to get on the access road. I didn't laugh at them. . . I laughed at what they must think when I followed right along in my sedan. :)
RE: Tow Straps Question - Update on Page 2
Well - we did it.
The other plan fell through and my buddy starts a new job on Tuesday, so he needed to get the truck in. Luckily, thanks in part to the feedback I got here, we did it successfully.
We had to go about 30-35 miles (mostly four-lane highway with good shoulders, but a few stretches of two-lane highway and only about 3 miles on an Interstate). We decided to do it last night after 10:00 pm so that we wouldn't fight traffic, and with his flashers on and my flashers going (the arrows in the mirrors really gave us visibility to approaching traffic).
He bought one of these:
12,000 lb. Receiver Mount Towing Eye at Northern Tool so that I had a safe anchor on my truck from which to pull.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/330440_lg.jpg
Then he bought one of these:
Nylon Tow Rope — 7/8in. x 19ft.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ud8yDUIBL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Suited for your car, pickup or SUV. 18,900-lb. towing strength. 19ft. finished length. Hook & eye. Includes storage case.
Then he something like this:
Yellow Tow Strap
http://www.vehiclesofvictory.com/VOV%20Images/Images_Parts/My%20Parts%20for%20Sale/tow%20straps.jpg
*The tow strap he got was about 6' long and rated at a working load of 6,400 lbs. and a breaking strength of over 15,000 lbs.
The game plan:
- We removed his drive train for safe 4-down towing
- We hooked the loops of the yellow tow strap to the tow hooks on the front of his pickup
- I put the hitch receiver mounted towing eye in my hitch receiver
- I put the loop of the tow rope through the tow eye and ran the rope through the rope's loop (essentially mimicking a larks head knot)
- I wrapped the tow rope around the middle of the yellow tow strap and used the hook to secure the rope to itself
- We made sure his battery was charged
- We got my two-way radios
- We put tension in the line
- We went
:)
The method we used was that the towed vehicle always used its brakes for both vehicles, and my truck accelerated for both. This way, there was always tension in the line. Going down a hill, I'd have to be sure to accelerate (we were going well under the speed limit, hugging the shoulder, and had both sets of flashers going) until he could use his brakes to keep our pace constant.
We had one harrowing experience that would've happened regardless of the towing situation, where on the 2-lane road, an oncoming car was passing some traffic and didn't get over in time. We made it to the shoulder safely. No other cars ever even got with 100 feet of us (they'd pass us easily with plenty of room on the other side since most of the way was 4-lane).
We had to stop about 10 miles from our destination to recharge his battery off of my truck because he had lost his flashers, but that only took about twenty minutes.
We left it right outside the service gate, informed the local PD and the state police (they had an office across the street from where we left it), and figured that even if we had to go back out this morning and tow it the last 50 feet through the gate, at least we got it there without being in the heavy traffic we would've faced this morning.
All-in-all, I think we were very organized and got it there in a very safe manner. The write-up is for the benefit of anybody who might try something similar in the future. Without the right equipment (especially the hitch receiver mounted tow eye), we would've been a world of trouble.
Thanks again for those that actually contributed with valuable input to this thread.
RE: Prayers Needed.
I will definitely say a prayer for the whole family.
On a side note, a lady at our church had a granddaughter that was fighting leukemia. She is now in remission, but the lady at our church is vigilant at getting people to provide a cheek-swab sample to test for computability and be placed into the national donor bank.
My wife's uncle just passed away last week from leukemia. I was all too happy to register as a potential donor. It's free (well, you can donate money to offset the cost if you choose to). It's easy (just a cheek swab with a Q-tip and an envelope (they have the donor packets available - don't use your own stuff :P ). If you are ever a match for somebody, they will cover your expenses and make it as easy as possible for you to donate bone marrow.
I'd encourage everybody to sign up. . . if you do get chosen, the donation is very easy. . . much less involved than ever before. Basically a little IV that runs both ways. The blood leaves, they harvest what they need, and put the rest back.
