noteven

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Myth: a diesel engine has to roll coal black clouds of smoke to produce sufficient power to move a pickup twuck

Myth part 1: 91 octane gas is better for your modern 8:1 compression ratio generator engine but part 2: “87 minimum required” as stated in the owner manual for your almost 400hp 6000rpm computer controlled fuel injected 10.5:1 compression ratio variable valve timing 379 cubic inch etc etc V8 means “recommended” and 91 is a conspiracy between Ford and Big Oil…

This writer uses a cast iron skillet on a propane cooktop for precise heat management. Don’t overheat the skillet. More slices toast fast once the skillet is stabilized at Toast Temperature. I stand finished toast vs laying it flat so it doesn’t develop the sogginess. I like it cooled just enough that the butter doesn’t melt enough and soak into the toast. Nice and crunchy with crumbs everywhere to clean up afterwards.

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My uncle knew a guy who’s friend’s cousin made a 200 mpg carburetor…

Myth: it’s horsepower not torque. It’s why heavy haul companies are replacing 2050lbs-ft torque Cummins’s’z with really Tuned up 6.7 Powerstrokes

I used an Air Safe air suspension hitch for “bumper” towing with Tatanka due mostly to him being single rear axle. The SA falls into every hole and dip with no equalization attempt like a tandem. It reduces the pummelling handed out to the trailer especially on winter busted roads on the continent. Tantanka never required “sway” control. I asked him about “weight distribution”. He fired off his air dryer at me in disgust.

Sold Tatanka to a very nice new owner.

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Other than hot running water on tap air conditioning has to rank as a Great Invention.

Australia imports over 90% of it’s petroleum. Australian trucks are big and heavy. Janus Electric is producing an interesting system to repower existing commercial heavy trucks with battery electric power with fast “recharging” time.

Hi Deezl -I’ve pretty much exhausted my 2 minutes of “knowledge base” on air conditioning 🤣

Not much help with hvac - the KW system on the B models is different than Pete’s. KW sleeper heater hot water valves liked to leak from time to time. The fan and it’s racket and most of the rest of the system on a KW is outside the cab on the firewall and serviced from under the hood standing on the floor. The engine intake is also totally outside the cab not routed inside then out again which works better at 30 below. The sleeper curtain is insulated to isolate the sleeper from heat/cold/noise from the driving cab. Not much help to you on Peterbilt systems…

The early much ballyhooed ISX Signature 600hp / 2050 torques engines would leak compression at a copper washer sealing the injectors such that they would turn 200gals of fuel on board black with asphaltenes through the return system.

In the early 2000’s we were selling 25 Rattlepillars to 1 ISX mostly due to the Signature 600 oops and excellent product support from our Cat distributor.Couple or 9 bays bizzy fixing broken rocker arms on Cats but they got that sorted. From what my bad memory can ‘member the main trouble with EGR Cummins’s’z was coking of the rings (requiring inframe) from excessive idling (or not), and EGR cooler failures from not maintaining the rad cap pressure allowing cavitation at the exhaust/coolant place if meeting in the cooler. The engine electrons system is touchy about poor voltage leading to misfiring. Both brands like to spring oil leaks in the front structure. And break the odd camshaft. You can drive a 3406/C15 with a broken crankshaft but the clutch doesn’t want to open to allow shifting into gear. The above jibber jabber is subject to 90% of those trucks were hauling 70 ton super B’s or 100 ton oil rigs not Interstate 5 axle loads. Over

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Motorcycle therapy , fartin around with a little jet boat some, doin grandpa stuff, mostly…

These are some clearance methods we used for tractor units pulling semi trailers on resource industry and farm “roads” and conditions: - set 5th wheel (“hitch”) bolster pin height no lower than the top of any fenders/decks. This is the pin that attaches the 5th wheel plate to the risers. This provides enough clearance for the tractor and trailer to articulate opposite to each other over places like approaches, diagonal ditches and the world’s steepest business approaches at fuel stations. - measure from the king pin of the trailer to the farthest point on the front corners of the trailer. Add min 6”. This is bare minimum “swing clearance”. - now you have the 5th wheel location on the tractor measure king pin location to the furthest rear corner stuff on the tractor in an arc. Fenders, decks, mudflaps, frame rails, chain hangers etc Check this measurement against the trailer to look for anything that would love to get itself tangled with your HDT as you turn. Adjust as needed by moving the king pin coupling location, shortie flap hangers that are angled, angled deck corners etc. - last is “dip clearance” which is look waaay up and allow 12” for the hinge effect of tractor going up trailer nosing down. Stick, protractor, squinty eye. I always used a stick cut to fit and sometimes a tape measure for this part of a rig up figuring. Computer can be substituted if doing a factory order but physically looking at it works before tangling of metal occurs.

Hey Vern glad you guys made it to summer base.

Update to the update - E1 gas code came back while I was away truck campin for some days but the fridge is cooling properly on electric energy. Cycle the fridge off and on clears code. We had thunderstorms, possible shower power blinkage... not saying it's fixed yet... The 1986 "Made in Sweden" Dometic in my 1986 Bigfoot truck camper just works. Ran 5 months and 17 days snowbirdin without 1 "issue".

Update - the other day my granddotter and I broke out the test meter. She took up station inside to operate fridge controls and I hollered instructions from outside - measured volts and watched and listened while she operated controls. Working on AC. E1 code. No working on gas. I forgot to check ohms. Volts ok. I shut down AC and DC power and disturbed the connectors at the board and solenoid by removing each and scritch scratched the connections carefullyto clean them up. Reconnected them. Success! The fridge operates correctly on AC. No code. Switch to gas. Burner ignites looking good. I left it 24 hours on LP then dared it by removing the temporary small fridge I had brought aboard to the shop here at base for storage of essential malt beverages. Running fine. Back to AC. Check. Switch to gas. Check. Couple days later two power outtages in two days. Auto to gas perfectly. Held temp at 34F through a few 85-90F humid days. On a side note I have no need to fill this large fridge completely with chilled and frozen food. While I was too lazy to fix it I was using it as a dry grocery pantry. Once I got it going I kept storing some of the dry and canned foodstuffs in it. It always was a pretty steady fridge but it now keeps it's cool in hot weather even better with more stuff in it. Thanks for the original suggestions and tips. I'll update if anything changes.

I told this story before but one time boondocking 9 mi sw of the middle of nowhere I creeps back and “clunk” Oh no! I wailed. I’ve knocked the hitch sideways now! Dang it! I get out to look. The stinger had engaged so perfectly I closed the latches by hand. I’m, like, not sure how I managed that but I’ll take it. Another time at Ambassador RV in Reno with interested people watching it took eleven teen tries on one of their beautiful level concrete pads. Have to admit helpers do get confused when they push the hitch to “line it up” and away it goes the other way. They are really nice on the road.

Sumthin is wrong with my card limit this trip to the southwest this year. I don’t get as many gallons when the pump quits.

I used a ProPride hitch towing a 12K x 30ft travel trailer behind a long bed Dodge diesel. It worked very well. Especially in cross winds conditions and with 80mph trucks and buses passing in the hammer lane. Rig handled like on rails. It could be a jackass to hitch up on uneven ground.