gjhunter01

Autonomous electric trucks would be a good deal for transporting shipping containers. There would be no need for a cab, just a steerable flat bed trailer with a active GPS system and replaceable battery pack. The battery pack could be switched out at truck stops as programed along the way and the container could be loaded/unloaded in any yard using autonomous cranes. Existing technology is being used on Mars rovers along with auto pilot planes and auto steer tractors. The main reason for the slow progress in autonomous vehicles is mankinds inherently primitive resistance to change. The technology is already here! History repeats itself, just like the automobile and horse replacement debate that went on a 100 years ago.

My son is a owner/operator of a 2001 Freightliner and some years spends $20-30K for maintenance. Granted he will run 100k miles a year (1.6M on the odometer) and can gross well into the 6 figures for income. A high mileage semi may be a good initial buy and you may get lucky for awhile, but when the repair bills do happen, you will need some deep pockets. My brother had a 2012 Volvo and he overran the RPM's in Colorado on a down grade, that one incident cost him $30k for a replacement motor! It was due to inexperience but still a costly lesson. Nobody is born with the skill to operate a big truck and it is a given that there will be expensive lessons learned acquiring that skill, even the best drivers make expensive mistakes. I like my Chevy duramax and most passengers can't believe its a diesel since its so quite and no smell. My biggest concern is someday filling it up with gas, because I forgot its a diesel!! The Duramax L5P is a towing beast yet drives like a luxury sedan, and it should for the price it cost. Having the right tool for the job is usually the cheapest option in the long run.

It can be done, but that many miles on a gas engine is the exception, not the norm like on a diesel. Usually a diesel will out last the truck itself and the resale on a 500k mile gas engine can't be that good! Gas engines have their place in transportation, but diesels were made for heavy loads, just look at any long haul semi. That said, if it weren't for my 16k fifth wheel, I would own a gas truck. My chevy DRW 2018, gets 11-12 mpg with a scale weight of 27k at 60 mph, although a head wind can drop me into the 9's mpg.

A diesel will last 500k miles if you take care of it and then the resale will be higher with a diesel which will offset some of the original purchase cost. Comparing a diesel to a gas is like oranges to apples! I have a 100 gal aux diesel tank in the bed of my Chevy DRW which makes refueling for any trip under 1400 miles, a non issue. Not to mention the cost savings benefit of stocking up in cheap fuel areas. I'm sure a 100 gal aux tank of gasoline would not be a wise move in the back of a gas engine truck. Some thougts to consider.

I'm curious what the life span is for the batteries and how that cost figures into the long term pay back. The $10k electric company cost might be a better bargain over the life span of the house.

Petroleum fuel has already had its heyday and is soon destined to become a fuel of the past, just like steam power and thankfully whale oil have. History does repeat itself. Electricity/battery seems to be our next powered evolution and who knows what is after that! People will resist change, that's natural, but they can't stop progress.

Dave - I think you have answered your own question here. We just entered our 9th year of full timing and our fifth wheel carriage has the factory springs and drum brakes on it. Sure the rig might have handled better with the suspension upgrades, but the factory equipment has worked well for us.

I carry a wire welder, torches and fab tools in my dually pickup truck bed which tows our fifth wheel. I also haul a full size Honda motorcycle on a attached swivel wheel trailer. Sorry to brag, but I have even swapped out a truck engine with just the tools I carry as a full timer. The point is that anything is possible if you have the desire. A quote once stated "only your mind will limit your accomplishments"

The only problem I have had with too much swivel is when backing up down over a sharp drop off (end of a camp site pad). With the swivel axle turned 180 deg, the back of the trailer will drop low enough to scrape the licenses plate. I'm still using our trailer after 9 years FT and never had any legal issues. My latest tire has lasted 8k miles which is now only loaded to approx 600 lbs. I haul my bike front to back to allow the bike suspension to work as designed.

Learn to drive like the commercial drivers do with multi axle trailers, swing wide and avoid sharp turns. A little planning ahead can go a long ways to make life easier for those rear tires.

If you want to work the sugar beet harvest and can drive a truck (most are straight trucks and some have auto transmissions), then check out Craig's List under "Transportation Jobs" in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan. There are many farms looking for drivers during the Oct harvest and most pay $20-30/hr. In ND and Minn, a regular drivers license is all that is needed and some farms will train new drivers. We are heading back for our 7th year in 2021 and last year my wife was assigned to train 2 new drivers (not bad for being a new driver herself 6 years earlier).

We use one of our compartments for the kitty litter box by just cutting a hole in the side for the cat to go in and out. One compartment that comes to mind is under the dining table seat. We have never had any smell issues, but it depends which brand of litter you use and also how often you clean it out. If we ever sell our RV, I can cover the hole with a decorative board or a insert panel and wall paper.

Just get a cheap apartment size washer. We found a used Haire 1600 on Craig's List for $350 and it lasted 7 years at ave 1 load every other day (+1200 loads) before it finally quite ($4 Italian made drum bearing seal that entire world is out of stock on??). We since found a used Splendide W/D and it seems to work good so far. All washers work good, or the companies would soon be out of business. For CG's that restrict hanging laundry outside, we use a portable folding clothes rack that can be used inside to dry clothes while we sleep at night.

I don't ever recall Mackinaw Island have a bug issue any time of the year. Being a island quite a ways from the main land, it's just not very bug inhabitable. Besides, the island being a major tourist attraction like it is, if bugs were a major issue, they would be sprayed and kept under control. Just search for past reviews about the island and I doubt that bugs would be mentioned. Now UP swamp land is a different story for bugs!

In/out rule was also our plan, but that is easier said than done. Some items become necessities like adding a washer/dryer or a dehumidifer, or even upgrading the 5 tires to a much heavier G series, not to mention upgrading RV furniture to a heavier durable brand. RV's are like people, most will weigh heavier after 8+ years.

We have been FT for 8+ years now and when we started the rig weighed in at just under 25k. A recent scale ticket shows we now weigh over 27k. Adding weight is hard to control, whether it's personal weight gain or rig weight! Leave yourself plenty of margin when it comes to rig weight.

Call them and talk to them, you may be surprised at what can be negotiated, especially if you have a skill they really need.

GM uses a oil monitor system that is based on engine revolutions and time, the system does not have any oil testing capabilities. At any time a person can reset the oil life monitor back to 100% and the system will start the count down over again, even without actually changing out the old oil. A lab test is needed for a true oil analysis. The operator needs to know what conditions the vehicle is operating in and to adjust the oil changes according. My truck is pulling heavy loads, so I change the oil at the 50% oil monitor level. I would do the same frequency if my truck were operated in a dusty environment or city type driving. Read you vehicle operators manual for oil changing parameters.

Make your own trap, I've used waste motor oil or old antifreeze and it will work all winter up north protecting farm buildings. https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrCwDPMa4Ngg0wAoxAPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?p=mouse+trap+pail&type=Y219_F163_204671_102220&hsimp=yhs-freshy&hspart=tro&grd=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-tro-freshy#id=6&vid=8318e13f97e199395bbbdb50e56bd678&action=view

We started out only volunteering and did so because we like to choose our hours and projects. In the last couple of years we have taken on some paid jobs and it is nice being compensated for our efforts even though our budget does not need it. In our 8 1/2 years, we have volunteered in 30 states and plan to hit all 48. For paid jobs, we have worked at a ND farm hauling sugar beets, sold christmas trees in Forth Worth, worked 2 private RV cg's, and drove school bus in Texas ( they trained and assisted with "S" CDL licenses). Don't be afraid to try different things, sometimes what you think won't work actually does! Our latest thing is 3 months max, any longer and we just get bored. We are currently hosting at a NC SP and heading to a NWR in NJ next. Where are you going in Mich, I know that state very well? We are in a volunteer/workamper market right now, most parks have openings and are begging for help!

I change my 06 (325k miles) and now 18 Duramax oil at 5k miles using synthetic oil. My truck is pulling a heavy load for most of it's miles and the Blackstone sample results show I could easily double the miles between oil changes. For the DIYS $50, a 5k schedule averages out to be 6 months for my truck which is a good time/reason to crawl around under the truck and check everything out. I always change oil immediately after a long pull when scheduled while setting up the camper and no campground has ever said a word if you do it fast and discretely. Used oil goes back to the next Walmart stop. Greasing and fuel filters are changed later after I get to feel out the campground on their policies. If you really want to know how your oil is holding up along with a health check on your motor, then get a sample test done by a lab. This will take all the guess work out of any oil questions. It's like a blood lab sample on a human body.

We have been happy with our mattress in a box, delivered a year ago. https://www.nectarsleep.com/mattress

If you can't beat them, then join them. How about making sure the water gets diverted away from any controls, like adding a drip chain, or drain tube?

I just use plain water through our 1600 PSI power washer which does a good of cleaning our TPO roof and a replaced EDPM slideout roof. Contrary to popular concerns, the flexible roofing will just flex and not tear when being cleaned with a power washer. With plain water, there are no streaks on the siding.

I transferred the fifth wheel title to our son's name that lives in Michigan and have used his permanent plate for the last 8 years. I figure he is going to inherit it anyway! Now if I could just get him to pay for this new water heater I ordered.