mike5511

A Jeep was what I had in mind when I started out. Then I ran across my current truck, already singled with a bed and a smart car to go with it. Had to move the hitch back and make a way to secure the Smart, but it has all worked out very satisfactorily!

Never seen those before. They do look stout! I worked in the Telecom field in my early days. I've still got "tie wraps" from back then!!

Even though I have no plans for another truck, I love watching what others are doing. And what you say about the National Rally, I found to be absolutely true. Hope to make it this year!

👍 Guess this will have to do!

It would be nice to have the option to "thank" a post like many forums have. You may not have anything to contribute to the post, but at least it shows your appreciation for it and lets the one know who posted his time wasn't totally wasted.

I usually google when I want to find something out. The answers usually lead to this forum! Facebook can be entertaining occasionally and is good for just killing time. I get bored with the same old questions getting asked repeatedly though. I'm guilty of enjoying a good debate and get sucked in too easily sometimes. There seem to be too many on there who just want to disagree with what anybody says just to try and start something, whether they know anything or not. I drove a truck most of my adult life as a side job, and after I retired. (I retired from the Arkansas State Police.) I feel like I have a little to offer related to those two occupations. Not to mention what I've learned from attending the National Rally and learning from the experts!👍

The more weight you can put on those drive tires, the better it will ride. My wife says mine should be for sale.....she hasn't convinced me yet though.

I've got oil bath hubs that were grease packed from the factory, 9000 lbs Dexter axles. I spoke with Dexter about changing over to oil bath when I replaced all the bearings with Timkins. Great idea if you roll often, bad idea if it sets for months at a time. We were new with big plans to stay on the go all the time, but it didn't exactly work out like that. So, I'm glad I went back with the grease packed. Like someone said above, I packed them, they aren't leaking out, I plan to repack at the next bearing change, or as often as I do my vehicles............

So true!!!

Shoot! Now I'm wondering how I hooked mine up! Cause I sure can't remember! But, it has always worked so I guess I'd better leave well enough alone!

Do you know why? Based on what I've read and learned from others, that is bio-fuel that has set too long and now has fungi is growing in it.

But don't leave it open but a second or you might loose prime..........learned the hard way.

I had just under 7" of clearance on my 1 ton pickup bed and still managed to get the corner into the underside of the trailer. So my 2 cents is, NO on the pickup bed.

Got a good friend who had a N14 Red-Headed SOB as he called it, in a equipment hauler. He didn't use it much but always had injector problems. He got rid of it and got a truck with a Volvo motor in it. Now he's a Cummins man from way back. Ran the shop for a large trucking company before opening his own shop. His conclusion; the N14 is a good motor, but it don't like setting. They were made to run daily and many do with great success, but if you let them sit a lot, you'll have injector problems. One man's experience/opinion I know. But this guy is a true mechanic, diesel or gas. FWIW

Along these lines, whenever I work on the truck or the trailer, I always work out of the tools I carry on the truck. There are a few items, like my M18 Fuel 1/2' impact and battery drill that I load when leaving home, but the all the wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc., are on the truck, or trailer, and stay there. (old age and a fading memory can be prepared for!!

I don't ever remember fixing a leak on the 88 Pete I drove for 9 years. The 5th wheel air slide was the most repeated air leak I remember on the Walmart trucks I drove for 20 years. I retired in 2017. My Volvo has them beat for leaks by miles!

Good idea! I think I've fixed the leak on my leveling valve. Pretty sure I can more though. But, the truck still passed the leak down test. I've been told a long time Volvo owner, fixing leaks on a Volvo is a never ending endeavor. That has been true for my truck so far.

Being an old retired Cop, I'd attempt a little sting operation, because it is either that or total incompetence!

Both my air gauges leak. The only fix seems to be new gauges. At $275 a pop, I can live with the leaks. They are very slow. I was going to replace the O rings in them, but unlike the rest of the air fittings I fixed, they don't seem to want to come apart. I was afraid I would break the gauge if I pulled any harder, and at $275 a pop...................

And those are good things to learn, especially if you have no knowledge of large vehicles at all. Some schools are better than others. I've seen a bunch driver's that apparently slept through school, or went to a bad one. But, the millions of truckers who learned before all these schools, learned from individual driver's who had learned from other drivers. Setting and talking to an experienced driver, going with him, or taking him with you in your new 42' motorhome, will teach you more effectively and quicker than those schools. The schools will teach you how to pass the CDL test, if needed. From what I've seen of these new crop of drivers, that is apparently about all they did learn. I've got a friend that sold RVs for years, still dabbles in used ones some. He would take a person who had never driven a motorhome out for a day of driving. In town, out on the highway, parking lots, etc. The last one he did was a woman who had never driven anything bigger than her car. But she wasn't afraid to try. By the end of the day, she was wheeling that thing around with confidence and doing a great job. That is training worth your time! I don't know about schools for driving RVs. I'd say that would be worth your time. The questions I initially answered was; "Would you think to take a commercial driving school if you purchased a 42 foot motor home?" And I still say no. An RV driving school? For me no, but I think it would be great for those who were apprehensive and had no knowledge or experience of driving a large vehicle.

Excellent comment! I've thought about that as well. Could I put a motor in? Yes, and without having to borrow money if I chose. But, I might just walk away from it too. I realize the objection to doing that is, "what about all I owe on it?" That is why I live by the Dave Ramsey principle of not borrowing money for "toys". I never have. You just do without until you have the money to buy it.

Those $5000+ repairs while on the road are sure fun! All you can do is smile and say, fix it and fix it right please!

If memory serves me correctly, the DirecLink will plug right up to the Prodigy wiring harness.

No. Just be careful, swing wide on turns until you get the feel. Keep your speed under control going off a hill, use your gears and engine brake. Don't follow too close. Remember how tall you are. Look down the road where you want to go and don't try staying in your lane by using your mirrors. Not saying don't check them, but many people will spend all their time looking in their mirrors trying to stay in their lane. No need to do that. Check them often, but look where you want to go and you will go there. The feel will come to you before you know it. (and stay in the slow lane.)

About as often as I do my car or pickup. As long as the seals are good and the grease doesn't leak out, they will be good. I jack it up and spin them and listen once a year or so and check for any play. My trailer has duals. I don't expect any problems unless a seal goes. I do keep a good eye on that.