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Drain for soggy pie?

Duh, Mocking up for tool boxes. Checking overhang clearance too. Better now than after it drags.

Carl, don't be giving away all my secrets. Kevin and I talked yesterday. I suggested applying heat to the offending fastener, but he was apprehensive about using fire near the tank. And justifiably so. If you're uncomfortable and/or unfamiliar with something like that, let a red-neck like me do it. So, he took it to a local guy who got 'er done. A few dollars for peace of mind is not a bad thing.

Two things come to mind. A poor ground, and a bad x-y shifter. Grounds are a pain to locate, but cheap to fix. Toasted x-y not so cheap.

Kevin, I was relating your situation to Susan. Her response was, "Heck, I could go there and help. I have experience with those." And indeed she does.🤣

If you're replacing it, just cut the old one off.

Henry, you gave me an idea. I have 2, 4' by 12" by 3", un-used "tunnels" under my smart wheel tracks where a folding, slide -out ladder could live, and I have a bunch of that same walk tread laying about. Hmmmmm indeed.

Going on year 5 since "retirement". We find others ask us to help out, since we have so much "free time" now. We're motorcyclists. We went for a ride today. It was the first time we've had a chance to ride since we left Texas on March 8. Still having the farm to look after, and the shop to call my play house, a house and yard and grandkids keeps us busy. But I admit, to borrow a line from Paul Gillenwater (toy drag'n), "Most mornings we start off slow, and taper off from there." But one pleasant surprise is how cheaply we can live now. We're actually saving money, and have yet to touch our retirement accounts.

Many gun shops will ship/store a gun for you. Find one where you intend to enter Canada, and ship to where you'll return to USA. It'll cost a few bucks, but prevents a lot of unpleasantries. When we entered CA on the way to Alaska, I was grilled in depth about owning guns, where they were stored, if under lock and key, if we felt safe without our guns, etc. I finally told the offending agent that my guns are all back home, safe and sound, and if she wanted to search the camper, have at it. Otherwise, let me proceed.

Good on ya. We replaced the straps on our Mack several years ago, with full tanks. Not fun, but we had the luxury of doing it in our shop. You're doing right by cleaning that insulator strap.

Welcome!!! That's quite the intro, and a generous offer too. So, is your truck from one of our former members? From someone we may know?

It makes sense to hit a commercial hitch a little harder. Commercial hitches are much less sensitive to vertical alignment, so if you leave a trailer just a little low, and back in a bit fast, it picks up the nose of the trailer, just enough for the tug test. And I admit, sometimes old habits die hard.........

You're right, a gentle nudge is all you need. I can hear our jaws snap shut from the driver's seat. But. like so many other practices, folks see commercial drivers cowboy'n a hitch-up and assume that must be the correct way to do it. Commercial trailers are built to take such abuse. RV's are not.

Now we're admitting to being Olde Phartes. I got my chauffer's license in 1972, but didn't bother to be "grandfathered" in for the cdl. I knew too many hillbillies with junk trucks who wanted me to drive in my slow season, and that was my way out. So, one drop in 51 years...... My fault too. I'd backed the tractor up under the trailer a week previous, and hadn't hit the pin because I expected to grab a different trailer. Rookie misteak.

Pre-flight routine. Do everything in a sequence and don't let others disrupt you. I once asked my bride for a light check when she was in the middle of her jack retraction sequence. Came close to bending our front Big Foot legs because I interrupted her. I altered my own sequence to not bother hers. The only time I dropped a fifth wheel was when I thought I'd latched a hitch on a lowboy drag. Lifting the front of a 25 ton lowboy isn't as easy as extending your jacks.

Have you tried googling "firestone airbags"? They may have an application chart.

Agreed Steve. That's why I favor shortening the pin box. Much easier and cheaper, especially if/when you need to reverse the process later.

Yep, I've been through the same calculations, but on graph paper (old skool). The reason I brought it up was suggesting leaving the hitch rearward would allow flexibility of hauled vehicles. It seems silly to design a bed without considering what the future might bring.

Perhaps a shorter pinbox might get you there while allowing for a longer load in the future?

There's one a few miles south. Stayed there in 2014. There's also one a little farther away, up in Tatlanika. https://www.tatlanika.com/

Our ET has a leveling valve. I thought they all did? Leveling valve negates the need for a regulator. I plumbed ours into the rear suspension. I added a ball valve and a dump valve so I can just dump the hitch.

Yes they did. I've organized a few motorcycle events, so have an appreciation of what they did for so many years. BTW, today is Carl's birthday.

I don't see any blood......

Larry, you are bad. 🤣

Be glad it's not for a KW. Ours is peeling too, but it's also broken at a lower corner. Stoooopid money for a new one, so we're going to remove/repair and paint it to match the truck.