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RickW

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About RickW

  • Birthday 07/06/1969

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    Wylie, Texas

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  1. Oh and just got my renewal about 6 weeks ago. The annual increase was in line with past annual increases. So nothing unexpected. Been using Progressive for RV insurance now since 2010.
  2. Rick/Carl, I have progressive with their road side assistance and twice they covered the tow on the Volvo with trailer, no questions asked. I even clarified when calling what I needed to be towed. The only problem with Progressive was this past September had to have the Entegra towed. The tow company would not send a truck until they secured payment from Progressive. In reality Progressive was subbing out the ERS with 3rd party vendor and the vendor kept dragging their feet. After waiting 4 hours on the side of the interstate in 110* temperatures, it took Alicia giving Progressive some hell for them to finally light a fire under their vendor to get the job done.
  3. A TX-NON-CDL-A is needed if your Gross Combined is over 26k# AND trailer/toad is over 10k#. A TX-NON-CDL-B is needed if your MH is over 26k# --OR-- your Gross Combined weight is over 26k# AND trailer/toad is under 10k#. If your gross combined is under 26k# then a standard Class C is all you need. The test you will be given is based on the equipment you show up with for testing. So if you want to test for an "A" license you will have to meet the equipment requirements of an "A" and test with that equipment. Almost all MH/toad combos that require a upgraded license only require a "B". For example: I do have a NON-CDL-A. I was required to test in a truck/trailer combo with a Gross Combined over 26k# and a trailer over 10k#. If I had showed up for my test with my current Class-A DP and toad, I would have only been allowed to test for a "B" even though my Gross Combined is over 40k#. My toad, Chevy Silverado, has a Gross Weight rating under 10k# and that is the difference between a "A" or "B" license.
  4. Carl, If I remember correctly from my '04, the same fuse box & wiring harness are installed in all trucks. The ECM programming is what turns the circuit on/off. If I was a betting man, I would bet when they programmed the ECM they did not turn those two options back on. --Rick
  5. Sound advice. I have a similar background as Rickeieio with 9 years on my local city council as councilman & Mayor Pro-Tem. Get yourself very familiar with the local city/county/state ordinances. Laws/ordinances are going to vary based on state/location. One of the first things to figure out is if this code enforcement officer is busting your chops based on his "view" of the ordinance or is his view of the ordinance the view of all the code enforcement officers? If it is just his understanding of the ordinance and not the departments understanding, just talking to the department head in this case should resolve the problem. If the problem is still unresolved and the answer is unsatisfactory then find out who code enforcement answers too and talk to them. In the case of the city I live in code enforcement is part of the planning department. I have had incidences where code enforcement translated how to enforce/apply an ordinance one way but the Planning Director saw things differently. If all are still on the same page at this point just keep going up the food chain to find out if there is a difference of opinion in the chain of how the ordinance is being applied. In my case the next step after the Planning Director would be the City Manager and/or City Council. The important thing is when talking to these various employees of the city and/or city council is your approach. Being inquisitive like you are on trying to be more informed will get you much further than guns a blazing. If you are able to find someone who agrees with your view of the ordinance then the soft approach just increases the odds that they will help you get the issue resolved. If all that fails, here locally, the code enforcement will issue a citation for failure to fix/resolve the issue at hand. The citation is just like a traffic citation in that you can pay the fine or go before the municipal judge. The municipal judge is a city employee (contractor) but in our case has no function in local government other than residing over municipal court. Now is when you prove your point that the city's enforcement of the ordinance is wrong. If that fails you could then go before our Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBOA). Here is where you can ask for a variance. In our case the ZBOA is a panel of citizens appointed by the City Council to look at cases like this on a case by case basis. If they agree with you then they can issue you a variance that in this case would allow you to keep your "motorhome" on your property. Now is the City Council may be sympathetic to your case but may have their hands tied due to they way the ordinance is written. Most likely the council that wrote the ordinance no longer has any members currently sitting on the current council. So it would be a good idea to lobby the council have the ordinance modified or repealed. The way it works here is it takes two city council members to get the item added to a council agenda. Council typically would then have the Planning & Zoning commission study the issue and propose changes. Depending on how the current ordinance is written it would be sent to council as a recommendation or P&Z would draft the revised ordinance and vote on it. Then it would go back to council approval or if council asks for more revisions then back to P&Z and thru that process again. As you can guess getting the ordinance changed can take some time but a much better than solution than rolling the dice for a variance from the ZBOA. In short, be patient and willing to do some leg work. Hopefully you will be able to find a difference in how staff views the ordinance should be enforced. Exploiting that differences in views of how the ordinance should be enforced is going to be the easiest and fastest way to get this resolved. Again processes will very by location and laws. Hopefully this will provide some insight on how to proceed. Best of Luck!
  6. RickW

    2030

    I think we will see the date get pushed back. I think there are many factors that will cause the date to be pushed. Science/Technology: Still evolving too quickly. The technology is improving at a rate that once tooling and manufacturing is tooled for mass production the technology is obsolete. Political: Until things settle down politically we are going to continue to see one party on top and push in one direction and then a few years later the other party will be back on top and swing the other direction. Infrastructure: Electric grid is just part of the problem. The grid has no ability to store power. When you flip on a light switch a power generation station somewhere is running in order to provide that power. So wind/solar that is connected to the power grid has to used as it is being generated unless a storage solution is figured out. You are not going to be able to charge an electric vehicle overnight on a 120v/15a connection. So everybody who buys an electric vehicle now needs to install an charging station at their home. What percentage of the population rents? How do we expect them to charge? Rapid charging stations require cars to be on the chargers for 30 to 60 minutes. Even then that is just a bulk charge that is not going to charge the battery 100%. I can fill the car 100% in under 5 minutes with gasoline. Was considering a Tesla Model S a few years ago to replace the wife's daily driver. Made a lot of sense for our needs for a daily driver. As I researched Teslas one of things I discovered was that constant use of Tesla Super Chargers will damage the battery pack. A realtor in Denver had a model S. When new he could go all day on a charge. After a couple of years he was charging at least twice a day sometimes 3. He was only using super charges to charge the car. The super charge slams so much power at the batteries so quickly it damages then a little each time. You will never notice if mostly charging from a home charging station. The home charging station will change the car over the course of 2 to 5 hours vs 30 minutes on a super charger. Tesla announced last week that they are pushing back the production of the semi. The reason was the battery they are using they are currently unable to produce. Until they can ramp up production of the needed components they are stuck. Financial: Now when you buy a new electric vehicle you get tax credits. When they go away that electric car is now more expensive. When the Tesla Model 3 first hit the market several people pre-ordered the cars just for the tax credits. They bought the car and then sold it immediately or just a few weeks later. Because of the tax credits they could sell the car for less than they paid for it but still come out way ahead thanks to the tax credits. On the finance side of automobiles, today you can get a 7, 8 I have even heard of 10 year notes. With such long car notes it is not unusual to be upside down when they go to trade the car in and get a new one. How many times can you do that before you are in too deep of a hole? At some point I think these people are going to have no choice but to continue to drive their current vehicle until they can get it paid down. In 1993 I purchased a new fully loaded F250. It was a $21k truck 28 years ago. Using an inflation calculator I just found on Google, in todays dollars that truck is $37.6k a 79% increase. Today a fully loaded F250 is what $70k~$80k? I still own the truck, but granted it is not my daily driver any more but I still need and use it. In todays dollars that same vehicle is almost twice the price. Granted there are many more features, some mandated (tire pressure monitors, backup cameras, etc) but for an additional $40k I will keep using the old truck. I know how to check my tire pressure. I know how to back up using mirrors instead of camera. As for the tailer backing assist, while it is kinda cool, you know that is just going to lead to people pulling trailers who will never learn how to back them. So when it breaks or malfunctions they are going to be stuck! Don't get me wrong, I find a lot of the new technology very cool. I do believe the hurdles will be able to be overcome but not over the next 10 years.
  7. We have a 12.5kw Onan in the motorhome. Currently has just shy of 700 hours on it. Only once did it act up. It would start and run for a few minutes then shutdown throwing a service needed code/light (tried several times as we were running down the road as this kept happening). Once we stopped, the air filter was a little dirty, changed it as we had a spare. Checked all the electrical connections then fired it back up. Ran just fine since then. Since then I change the air filter now with every oil change and the fuel filter every other oil change. Have not had a single problem since.
  8. RickW

    Dashcams

    I am using the Thinkware F800 Pro. They are HD 1080p @30fps with 128gb SD cards. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DLMP7YK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have them hardwired so they automatically come on when the vehicle is started. They tuck away nice and neat behind the rearview mirror so you don't even know they are there. They record video in 30 second chunks. If you are hit or even a good jult like from a pothole then it will create a separate video file that has 20 seconds prior to the "trigger" and then the following 10 seconds. I have one installed in each vehicle. Each vehicle also has the rear facing camera installed as well in the rear window. The only vehicle I have only a front facing camera is the RV (due to rear facing camera not weather proof for exterior mounting).
  9. RickW

    Iowa, LA.

    Just watching live video of the storm damage. A RV park in Iowa, LA with several TT & 5th wheels overturned. 1 5th wheel that was not overturned was connected to a single axel blue Volvo. Appeared to be a low level sleeper and not a condo. Because it was live video I could not back it up to get a better look. Don't know if it is anybody who hangs out here.
  10. You will definitely want to explore using the Jeep and not the truck. You will be able to get around just fine with the truck but finding parking for the truck can be difficult most of the time. Also the park rules state that when parking you must be completely out of the travel lane. So as long as all 4 wheels are over the white line the park rangers will not force you to move on. All the others who park straddling the white line get upset when they are asked to move on. So the Jeep is far easier to park on uneven ground vs the truck. Keep in mind Yellowstone is huge! You will have to break it up. It can not all be seen in a single day or two. The only campground that can accommodate larger rigs inside the park, has full hookups and accepts reservations is Fishing Bridge RV. Fishing Bridge is a good jumping off/starting point for most destinations in the park. Most campgrounds are primitive and first come/first serve basis. Depending on the time of season people start lining up at dawn waiting on a open spot in the campground. Cody is out the east gate with access also to the NE gate (Silvergate/Cook City MT). Keep in mind that if in Cody you are looking at 1.5~2 hours just to get to Fishing Bridge. So it can make for some very long days with the extra travel if using Cody as a base. Chief Joseph Highway is an amazing drive. Last spring a bridge outside of Cody was damaged in flood waters and restricted to vehicles under 26k GCVW. Not sure on status but something to think about if planning on passing thru with the complete rig. We lost 6 hours last spring as we almost made it to the bridge before learning about the new applied restriction. We had to turn around and go back thru the park to exit. The West gate (West Yellowstone) and North gate (Gardiner) both have campground that will accommodate larger setups. Both are also just outside the gate unlike Cody, so park access is quicker. West Yellowstone is larger so offers more in ways of campgrounds and logistics. Downside is the West gate gets very congested and time consuming to get thru depending on time of season. In the Grand Tetons I recommend Colter Bay RV park. Full hookups and they accept reservations. Just be sure to put in the comments your rigs size as they only reserve a space and not a particular site. So if they know how big you truly are, they can make sure they set aside a proper length site. There is a private campground just outside the park in Moran, WY but if the weather turns it can get sloppy in there. Gros Ventre campground does have one loop that offers electric and maybe full hookups but I believe they are still first come/first serve. Only a few spots can accommodate large rigs. There are also a few primitive sites that a large rig will fit in but again first come/first serve. We did do the Red Woods with the HDT/trailer 10 years ago. We stayed in Crescent City, CA but I do not remember the name of the RV park. Only issue was it was raining the morning we left and the ground was a bit soft/sloppy. But got out with any problems. Have a great trip!
  11. RickW

    Covid Update

    Grateful to have got out of California just in time, before they it shut down. Being quarantined in the RV while recovering from my skiing accident would have been less than pleasurable ..... Life has been pretty normal here at the house & office but getting out of course has been a different issue. It has been about 50/50 around here of those who do and don't understand the seriousness of what is happening. I honestly think that some believe that their social/economic status is going to protect them from COVID19. They are in for a rude awakening when their carelessness catches up with them. I have found that when we do have to get out, do it as early in the day as you can. Those who seem to understand what is really happening seem to get their errands done in the early day. Then as the day progresses people seem to become more relaxed with their PPE and social distancing. My favorite was yesterday at the grocery store the parent has wearing PPE but not the kid. The kid was touching and moving everything around in the cart then rubbing their face. Hopefully they did a full decon on the kid but doubt it.
  12. Still a work in progress. The channel posts about 3 vids a week so the posts are always what they are currently working on. If you back back to around Christmas you can see what they were doing to the Smart back then. The twin turbo LS AWD S-10 they are building is really wild.
  13. RickW

    OT: Boondocking

    FYI the evening news did report last night that the two suspects were in custody in Mexico. As for the victims, I think the primary reason they were targeted was opportunity. When overnighting between destinations we quite often boondock. Walmart and other big box stores friendly to allowing overnight stays are where we most frequently stay. We also overnight in large rest areas. We avoid the small ones as the lack of activity in the rest area makes it easier to be unnoticed if somebody is up to no good. Our number 1 rule for choosing a site is lighting. We avoid dark and secluded spots. I will typically choose a spot under a lamp post even if requires a little bit of driving skills to access over a semi lit spot that is easy in/out. Second rule is doors are always locked. Even if the weather is nice the front door is closed and locked. If the generator has to run in order to be comfortable, then so be it. That is what it is for. Cleanliness of the spot matters too. In our travels, weather it is a overnight stop, a meal break or rest/bathroom break, the less clean the area the more likely we are to see something that puts us on higher alert/awareness. Basically if the area is kept in a mess, the less others seem to care what happens there. It is just something we use for a quick assessment before we even see anybody. As for strange, uneasy encounters only once. This spring on a trip headed north we spent the night in a WalMart. Busy store. The following morning as I was walking the dog, the wife watched a man drop trow an defecate on the parking lot in broad day light! One of the many reasons we are avoiding Walmart's more and more these days. The people are getting weirder (or maybe we are just getting older with less tolerance for weird). Later that same day, late into the afternoon we drove into a large cold front. The front brought heavy rain, wind and rapidly falling temperatures. We spotted a large truck parking area along the interstate. Our initial thought was take an extended break to ride out the weather. A quick look at the forecast and we decided we would stay for night. It was clean and well lit. About 10 minutes later my wife calls for me as I am in the rear of the coach. As I approached the front of the coach a p/u truck with two males comes to a stop about 15' in front of the coach. I am purposely standing in full view thru the windshield so that they know, that I know, they are there. After staring at each other for 5~10 seconds I juster (nothing vulgar) to indicate "what?". No reaction from them after about another 10 seconds. All this time I have verbalized nothing but our dog sensed a change in my demeanor. She immediately picks up on that I am fixated on something outside the front window. As quickly as her head pops up and is visible in the front window, she becomes fixated on them and starts staring them down with out barking. It is clear, she has made eye contact with them, and them with her. At this point, they seem to have decided what ever they wanted from us was no longer important and backed up. They pull up under a different light post. After another 10~15 minutes another truck pulls in. As he is parking, they pull up next to his door. I can see him talking to them thru his window but he does not get out nor do I see him give them anything. Another 5~10 minutes go by and another truck pulls in and parks at the far end of this very large truck parking area. At this point it is hard to see them due to distance and quickly diminishing light. A few more trucks pull in and lose complete site of them. I figured they were just looking for a few bucks or something. They very well may have been harmless but thanks to our situational awareness, our reaction and an attentive dog, they decided what ever they wanted it was not worth it. I am a firm believer that dog is a great deterrent, regardless of the dogs demeanor. A stranger has no idea if the dog is friendly or not. A quiet dog watching your every move can be very intimidating. Victims are quite often picked based on how easy they are perceived to be easy to victimize.
  14. Phil, hollar at me as I should have all my wiring stuff with me. Have a few small projects of my own I plan on tackling the week of the rally as well.
  15. Trucker takes 43 ton truck over 14 ton bridge, with expected results
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