rickeieio

When I was doing the final assembly before paint, I found that the entire rear of our bed was off center by 3/8". I could either redo all my mounting points, or simply shim my toolbox mounts and live with it. It still bugs me.

What rpsinc suggests is best, and how we did it too. No regulator need with an ET as it has a leveling valve. On the older trucks, the sliding hitch valve works, since it doesn't throw alarms, other than a light, but a piece of tape will cover that.

Couple of thoughts: I've read through all the above posts, and the only thing that would appear illegal is in the original post. But, I'm no lawyer. Second, one time my dad got a talking to by a police officer, who told him that having the wrong plate is a felony, while having no plate is a mis-demeanor. I've not verified that.

Yes to what Dan and jbh suggest. I don't know about Missouri, but I do know that it varies from state to state, AND it varies within the state, depending on who you talk to. If you actually have a residence in MO, I suggest you wander down to the registrar's office and ask them. Act like a total dummy, ( I have lots of practice), and they'll likely be eager to help. And as also mentioned above, travel with your titles. Also, perhaps enough cash to get yourself out of a jam quickly.

It's been a bit since Kirk has stopped by. Does anyone know why? Hopefully, it's because his keyboard wore out or some other easily fixed issue.

While I admit, I was less than tactful, some folks seem to make a habit of asking questions that have been discussed thoroughly before. So, I would say that in this case, neither of us is blameless. I'll try to do better. Edit: Of the 190 or so subject lines discussed here since Jan 1, 2023, you've started 46. Just say'n.......

Ya know Kevin, it's always the ground. 🤣 But seriously, turn on the lights and wiggle that harness you just tied up. It's likely there's a broken wire in there, and it's a fair chance it's the ground wire.

Yes, your Volvo has air ride, designed to operate nicely when loaded so that there's around 30-34k on the rear tires. Thus the reasoning behind having an air hitch, whether fifth wheel or bumper pull. Many have gone before you. Some have been kind enough to share their reasonings and results. The "search" function is your friend.

I'm looking for the "like" button..... Oh, and Steve, if you think my memory is good, talk to my wife.

We're anxiously awaiting the pics. It ought to be pretty cool. How many years have you been working on this truck? I remember when you posted a bunch of bed build pics, roughly 5-6 years ago? A refresher would be nice, if you can dig up those old pics. Some day, you'll have it just like you've envisioned.

PLEASE remove all the Scothloks and repair the connections, being sure they're water tight. Those things are a disaster just waiting to happen. Every place you install a parasitic joint, you create a place for water intrusion. When we did our bed build, we used Weatherpak connectors on every light. A little extra work up front, but lots of future frustration avoided.

Chet, I think you're correct in thinking it might not be wise to not use the hand brake at all. I doubt it would provide enough flow to give satisfactory results. That said, a few minutes with a handful of parts and one could plumb up a glad hand to test it. If all the trailer air brake hoses have been remove, find another truck for the test.

It appears that hole would drip right on the front of the starter, where about a zillion wires attach.

Do a search. It's been discussed to death. Many of us just self insure.

Well, no, max DOT weight on a steer axle is 19,000#, provided the rim and tire are wide enough, and the axle is rated for it.

I'll preface this with,,,,I've been wrong before. My view is that the early days of any new technology are the worst. Remember when we first got non-leaded fuel and catalytic convertors? Nightmares everywhere, and dire predictions of impending doom. We worked through it, and for the most part, systems performed as they should. In 1986 I bought a car that had electronic fuel injection, electronic ignition, and (gasp) was turbo-charged. Those in the know predicted it would spend more time at the shop than in my garage. It turned out to be pretty trouble free for the 15 years we drove it. Fast forward to the de-smogging of diesel engines. The early days of EGR and DPF was a nightmare, exacerbated by people telling horror stories that may have been exaggerated a bit. Now we own a 2018 PACCAR with lots of the evil stuff hiding behind every trim panel. But, I hope that by now, the bugs have been mostly exterminated from the systems, and it will perform flawlessly for the rest of our travelling days. Or not. Machines break, things wear out. Deal with it. Ya takes your chances.

And PACCAR is the same. I can't get my speed limiter increased because PACCAR says my tires are only rated for 75 mph with a full legal load. Hello, we're not commercial. Doesn't matter. And as far as I have found, nobody but a PACCAR dealer can get into the computer to change the values. Some shops say they can, but none have been successful. But, there are plenty of guys who now can work on later John Deeres..... Just say'n.

Good observation Steve. The Resource Guide has helped me plenty over the years, but at times can be a bit frustrating if you don't think to look in the right place. Plus, Mark's not going to be tending it forever, and who will step up as caretaker? The top of the forum really makes a lot of sense. Someday, we might even have separate lines for Volvo, PACCAR, etc.

Not to speak for Carl, but I took what he wrote to be that either a new "pin" be started, OR include in the Resource Guide. Either way would be better than nothing.

But the t-shirts shrank while in the drawer.

Not quite what you asked, but here's a tip I used for years...... Most of us have Volvos. Dealers aren't on every street corner. But, Mack trucks use many of the same drive components, so perhaps you can find a Mack dealer near you. I used a small local Mack dealer for all my parts needs. Close to home, helpful, and WAY cheaper than the nearest Volvo dealer. It helped that I also had a Mack for my farm truck. Unfortunately, dealerships are consolidating, with many now handling both brands. But you might get lucky.......

Carl, the old "Risk v. Benefit" idea doesn't factor in stress or worry. Peace of mind becomes more important with age (and you have plenty of age), and also as we get older, we likely find we can avoid risk by throwing large sums of money at the problem. You've been very fortunate to have never had any large expenses in what, 12 years? A few $K now is still cheap. So, each individual needs to find where they're comfortable in spending v. worrying. Our solution doesn't fit a lot of people. Yes, we spent a chunk-o-change on a truck, but were able to build our own bed. Net cost, after deducting the income from selling the old truck, would barely buy a decent 7-8 y/o dually. YMMV.

Wellll, we've had a few "inconvenient" and "unscheduled" repairs. After I had the truck in, what to me, was pretty good order, DW declared she didn't trust it for long runs. So, we let it have a new home and bought a much newer, but not so much fewer miles, truck. We all know folks who have trucks with LOTS of miles, and little trouble. And then we know some who have fewer miles and much trouble. You're retired. Embrace the unexpected, Besides, break downs are another opportunity to make new friends.😁

Have you asked them? And, how much would you save by having it re-built v. buying from dealer? It might be easier and nearly same cost to just let shop di it all.

It's been 2 years since I priced, but the TrailerSaver, a pretty good hitch, was about $1k cheaper than the ET, top-o-the-heap. I think they were about $3.500,v. $4,500 ish back then. I opted for the ET because, A), we had a TailerSaver and while it did okay, I wanted better, and 2) This truck will very likely be pulling a heavier trailer in a few years.