packnrat

15 hours ago, RV_ said:

The use of phones while driving isn't the issue. I can send and receive texts make or take calls without taking my eyes off the road. I do not have to look at my screen, just click a button on my wheel to activate the mic and tell my Tesla what to do from changing the station to make a call or read the text that just came in. I can say send a text and it does that hands free and no screen reading needed. It is no more distracting than talking to you wife/passenger/friend/kiddos riding with you.

Although stock in my car most new cars offer all these options.

I too object to folks looking at their phones while driving and texting or watching videos. They tend to hang on my or your blind spot or just back from it when texting. When I click my directional it shows that left or right blind spot camera on my screen so I have avoided several issues with cars pacing mine.

And before the silly stuff starts yes like any new car you have to sit in the driveway and learn the controls even before automation. Like all new cars after a few days it all becomes second nature. I don't have to look at my wiper controls to turn them on, change wiper speeds, wipe once, as I have it set to auto. Same with my headlights. I think messing with all the buttons and knobs on vehicles without the sensors and automatic functions are way more distracting than hands free as you have to look at them

Until I got hands free fully automated I never texted or read texts while driving. I even use the mic to avoid typing texts with my thumbs when not driving.

If someone does not want passengers talking while they drive then that is their vehicle their choice. I doubt anyone will suggest no speaking to passengers while driving. If they do I believe we all will consider the source. 🖖

 

 

people have always been "distracted" while driving. it is not a cell phone problem. it is that there are just that many more drivers on the roads these days so it looks worse then ever. but it's not any worse by numbers then 50 years back.

all this computer trash to try and cover for the fools. how about the USA starts requiring real reasonable drivers training. it would take two-three years paid training before you could go solo.

most out there do not understand they are driving a 2000 pound missile. ( I had a jack*** hit me head-on he was doing 100 mph on a back road. he was just in a hurry) and for some reason feel the need to get someplace in a hurry. when it is easier to have left home 20-30 min earlier. saves fuel. and your nerves.

On 5/21/2021 at 7:38 AM, noteven said:

Hi Allen, 

That's a nice looking truck. 

Those look like 22.5 tires on 10 bolt hub piloted wheels. 

Spare tire and wheel - you may find it is simpler to carry an air line to air a leaking tire and a good quality tire plugging kit.  Not aged out and rotten 22.5 truck tires seldom blow to pieces on a RV hauler application. They are loaded lightly and they are pretty rugged. 

No harm in setting up a spare. You will need the capability to run 450lbs-ft wheel nuts off and on, retorque them (especially on aluminum wheels) and a place to carry the spare and handle it on and off if you need it. 

A new steel wheel is cheep. It looks like your truck has some custom not usually seen in commercial work wheels on the front. 

Coach - net is one company that offers roadside coverage for class 7 and 8 truck drawn RV rigs. 

 

Oh - if you are not familiar with how an Allison transmission functions in a truck, do some coffee time research. Your 4000 series trans is not a GM pickup.  

Allison's website and dealers can be a wealth of maintenance and programming information. 

 

 

just need a 8 foot long 2 in dia pipe. plenty of torque to snap off the bolts or strip out the lug nuts. it is the old school way of changing a tire on the rd. and just a couple wood blocks and a five ton bottle jack. long before cell phones, heck even long before cap kirk had his fancy communicator.

as to hdt. are any of the older style narrow cab long hoods still around? i like that style were you just have to lean to the rt and hand crank the window. only down side is all the chrome to take care of. but it just makes it look so clean and i believe the best looking of any big rig.

if not then i guess i will stick to the ping-pong hoods of a mdt. just need a long frame unit.

On 6/15/2022 at 8:28 AM, Chad Heiser said:

It is probably possible to build such a rig, but it cannot be registered as an RV in CA.  It will not meet the requirements.  You will also have to keep the GVWR under 26000 lbs to keep from having to pay full commercial DMV fees like an OTR truck.  It will still have to be commercial plates and pay commercial fees, but like a big pickup in CA if you keep it under 26000 lbs GVWR.

heck even a pick up truck must pay dot and weight taxes in cal.

my first step in doing any such is to NOT be in cal.

i have a class A permit with doubles, air brakes now, so that is covered.

fuel millage would not be much if any worse than a full sized rig. the motors are just a bit smaller than a 80K rigs motor and some have jake brakes. as to weight that is to be worked out. but the rig might be longer than my rv.

for my needs a 40+ ft rv is way too much rv.  my interests is in 30 ft to 35 foot rv. (i love the "new" montana high country 281ck).

I  just need a way to get around when i get "there". i have the cj-7 now so no more money to buy a new one. (the 300 transfer case is NOT flat tow-able). plus it would just burn out the tires in a couple months on the freeway. this jeep is not a pavement pounder, it is made to go where ever i point it off road. but not sand or deep water. but still has street plates.

1 hour ago, RV_ said:

One way that worked for me was to serve 27 years in the military active duty, or longer in the reserves. TFL

my leg was crushed when i was young. so the government had no use for me. other than as a tax slave.

On 12/31/2021 at 1:38 PM, mrschwarz said:

My child bride is not old enough for Medicare (that changes in November this year). When we retired and went full-time, we lived in Texas and simply 'moved' to Livingston. At the time, we were both signed up for individual PPO health insurance. A couple of years later, insurance companies in Texas stopped offering individual PPO policies. By that time I was on Medicare, but not so for my wife.

Our first move was to Washington state. No income tax, low registration fees, reasonable insurance rates. Becoming a resident was easy. For the motor home, we had to pay the difference between the sales tax we paid and the higher rate in Washington. Meeting the requirements of the health insurance company was daunting. We needed an electric bill or some such, which we didn't have. We finally satisfied them, I can't recall how. A few months later, they too stopped offering individual PPOs.

Next stop was Florida. We read all the requirements on the Escapees site and made sure we followed them to the letter. We flew into Orlando with our documents, stopped in the county offices in The Villages. 90 minutes later, we left with new permanent drivers licenses, plates, registrations, and titles. Registration was inexpensive. Then came the phone call to the insurance company for our vehicles. After giving them all the information about our move, they quoted premiums that were more than double what we were paying in Washington. A change of insurance companies managed to keep the premium increase to about 50% more.

My bride is going to qualify for Medicare at the end of 2022. Once she does, we'll 'move' again. I am guessing the insurance premium savings for the first year will pay for the trip to wherever we need to go.

i get to retire early. so i must wait a good two years before medicare kicks in. what did you do to keep out of obama scam?

if all else fails. get the rv to a place you can just drop the tank. remove the tank and flip it over and using a propane torch melt the plastic back together. if you can using parts from another tank after "welding the crack" cover with the patch mtr and "weld" it on over the broken area. then cover it all with that fancy glob stuff the guy built a boat using chicken wire as a extra over it all. then re mount and have fun.

a rv dealer is going to make you wait a year before they bother with it. maybe the tank manf can ship you a new one? shipping is going to co$t.

and any word about down stream? days after, all that water and more has to go someplace.

On 6/15/2022 at 10:39 AM, Pappy Yokum said:

California.  "However, it does allow auto traffic to flow better and safer".

The usual posted speed limit in most urban areas of CA is 65 mph for cars & trucks.  For vehicles towing trailers it's 55 mph - and NOT in the HOV lane.

 "allow auto traffic".....NON rush hour speeds on So.CA freeways may "approach" 80 mph (in posted 65mph).  As long as you're not the "point man" , the "flow" is pretty much ignored by the CHP.  (Rush hour is between 15mph and "parking lot" speeds, LOL)  BTW  tractor-trailer rigs (semi w/trailer) will usually run about 58-60 mph.

However, at times the CHP will "target" a section of freeway (excessive accidents, or?) and strictly enforce the posted speed limit.  Usually - it's on the TV News prior to the date/s - so driver/s beware!

It doesn't last more than a few days - as the CHP doesn't have the units to continue that level of enforcement, and/or the units have other chores to perform (accidents, etc.).

At all times - if/when "observed" - the obvious "point man" will get the attention and a  "greetings"! 

You don't want to be him or her.

~

safer/better. is if everybody was doing the same speed. i drive a rig for a living. i see no problem if some areas of ca do 65 mph for all. then in city's it would be 55 for all. but even a bob tail truck with three axles must do 55 mph. not just trailers. but then most cars, small trucks, mini vans should be banned from pulling any trailer. and/or the driver should have a trailer endorsement on there permit.

O and i get paid by the hr, with ot after 8 hrs on the clock each day, so i drive 55 mph.

the power jacks at work require hrs on the chargers to work right. and then the trickle chargers called solar. i can only go with what i see and know.

how much more coal will we need to burn to make the power to "fuel" up the electric cars?

and i bet people will love the ability to drive 200 miles then stop for 12 hrs to recharge there dead batteries.

was a bad deal to be able to drive 500+ miles the spend 20 min refueling, eat and bathroom break then drive another 500 miles.

i never have understood these fear mongers, we can make pollution at the source (car/truck) or at a huge power plant.

that then stock piles its garbage that needs a very large lake of poison water and piles of poison ash. requires many trains a week to keep it fueled up. and the strip mines to get more coal.

and then the same "people" said back in the 1980's that we are going into a new ice age and will freeze to death.

it its billions of years the earth has been a very hot place (NO ice caps at the poles)  and a very cold place (miles thick ice down to the tropics).

just a large volcano can drop global temps by 3-5 degrees for a couple years. heck even the huge run away fires have cause temps to drop. all this because of "dust" in the upper levels of our small gas bubble.

hows being forced into retirement at 63 due to bills one can not pay? as none secured creditors can not go after a pension or ss payments.

my biggest fear is having to pay into the obama scam, for two years. any way affordable around that?

sure i lose a good $700.usd a month (payout numbers via the ss pages) by not working till 67. but worth it ?

i find it interesting how a storage lot has all these cameras, other security.  and sees nothing during a theft. heck were i work the only place not seen by many cams (they are set up to overlap views) is in the loo. (but the hallway to it has a cam looking at said door) and that is only cause a law prevents it. and this theft is behind the security controlled fence. and some how none of the cams saw anything.

1 hour ago, pjstough said:

No way these drivers were guilty of driving at an unsafe speed if they were going 55. Did they fight the tickets in court? If not, they were fools.

i know nothing of the after, just that it happened.

23 hours ago, pjstough said:

These trucks got ticketed for going 55 mph? What law were they breaking? Where is 55 mph below the minimum speed?

listed on the tickets as unsafe speed. and this was in the reno nevada area. specific rd/highway i do not know.

well i am not too interested in a full sized rig (been driving varied ones for 40 years now) but thinking maybe a mdt, but can they haul a 1984 cj-7 on the frame before the fifth wheel hitch? yes drive off the rear. no sleeper required, maybe a rear window box, kinda like the coffins used on some older rigs. for a couple rotts to sleep in.

can such be registered as a rv?

some years back. the powers that be in the corp i work for, said all trucks must be governed at 55 mph.

then a number of drivers got pulled over and received tickets, for going to slow "un-safe speed". speed limits for trucks in those states was 65 + mph.

a ford pu i had years back, had the 7.3 motor. best mpg was at 62 mph.   driving slow to "save fuel" is just as deadly as speeding.    as the problem is not who is going faster/slower, but the differential of said speeds.

if you can not do the posted speed. then get off the freeway, use the back roads, and enjoy the drive at your leisure.

we as a older group, do not have much time left in us. but can better enjoy the things we see.

well i filled up the tank on my truck, 30 gallons cost me $180.USD. and local prices are down a bit. just over $6usd a gallon. down from $6.49 a gallon.

seen a number of places charging well over $7.USD a gallon. couple over $8.USD. the news showing some over $9.USD a gallon.

the forth is coming up it will be well over $10.USD in the major use areas along the freeways.

i am about to camp-out at work to save money. as soon the choice will be food or gasoline.

aux tanks are good, serve a purpose. but just a factory tank will give you a chance to stretch every 350 - 400 miles or so.

i say why push it, your out for a good time. not miles.

i had one on my diesel pu, said so i could buy at "good" pricing. it never paid for it's self.

so how has people been able to do most anything with the cost of gasoline/diesel these days?

today in stockton, ca. no gas prices under $6.usd most above $6.50 a gallon. diesel well over $7,usd a gallon.

at my income now, this has put a halt to all unnecessary driving. no starting up the truck unless i have multiple stops to do on each trip.

traveling is a no-go now.

guess i will never understand it?

if a paved rd you are on turns into gravel you should know it will get bad.

if you are traveling city to city, then all of the roads will be paved. (aka: hwy's, etc) and motor homes are not built for "dirt" road travel.

sure other lesser country's any paved road is a sight to behold in and of it's self.

yes there are "short cuts", but even a lot of the back roads i have been on. are paved. maybe not with in the past 30 years or so. but still have ok pavement. as these rd's see very little usage.

and some are just as dangers as a so called "jeep" road. (narrow, steep grades, no shoulders, and long drop-offs). but do give you great views.

i do not get it?  how could anyone get onto a off road dirt/rocky jeep trail. while driving down a paved hwy?

were they just trying to find a secluded camping spot? if so when it turned to less than a "smooth" dirt/gravel rd they should have stopped. and reversed, back to better roads.

very bad he died.  i hope some will learn from this, to be prepared. if sat phones get cheap, they would be well worth the cost.

but so many out there just do not understand nature. as we have lived in a cared for life, with everything right at hand. just the fools trying to get to reno during a "easy" snow storm over donner pass. shorts flip-flops, no anything. if there lucky the snow chains they bought a couple hrs back will fit there tires/car. i have seen chains on the rear tires. when it is a front wheel drive car.

this is why the "off" button is good.

do they still sell "burner" phones? might be worth it to get a couple.

and as for any gov agency. they do not need your phone number, as they do not call, they send out notices via the usps. ... unless they are barging into your home unannounced.

if someone wants mine, i hope they enjoy the wrecked back.

bunch of 6V lead acid deep cycles. and they are bolted down.

if i can ever afford the fancy lithium, then again weight, (something like this https://amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-400ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-vmdgqXs9gIVdBatBh0cQw2cEAQYASABEgIFgvD_BwE )     as i would buy the larger units. and bolt them down. as well as engrave them with a ID info.  might help some?