jenandjon

I am preparing for a 3-week trip next month. That had me rethinking this a little bit. Usually, wife and I split the cash. Problem is Shes not going on this trip. Just me and the boys. We always paid cash for fuel. I stay by the pumps, and she went inside to prepay. She won't be there to do that, and I don't want to plug up the fuel island any more than it already is, so I have a TSD fuel card coming. I still believe in having a few hundred in emergency money. Sometimes you have to grease a few palms to get what you need done. I will probably have a lot less cash than normal on this trip. We are on a tighter budget than normal too. There will be lots of Rames noodles and ham sandwiches eaten on this trip.

I am 50 but I joined when I bought my truck in 2018. 6 years ago. I would have been 44.  Seems longer than that. 

I don't really have much good to say about progressive either. Last summer a tree fell and hit both my camper and my neighbors. I had a check in my hand from state farm a week before their Progressive adjuster ever showed up. That ended up a big pain for us too because they wouldn't let us clean up the tree until they got there. 

I hope they work out good for you. I know they are the cheapest but sometimes that is not the best. 

I have to get The Money Pit in for a service. We are actually going on a trip this year. These Nebraska rednecks are going to Florida. Spending Memorial weekend in Kentucky with the in-laws and then headed to Tarpon springs to Visit my brother and his family. 

With State Farm I can bobtail or pull other trailers as long as I'm not getting paid.

happy birthday!

On 3/18/2024 at 1:54 PM, noteven said:

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

False. I actually don't see that much anymore. 

Works for me.

9 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Don't know about roadside assistance policies, but I can tell you that my agent for nearly everything insurance told me that in 2020-2021 he had a LOT of folks come to him, trying to schoolie insurance, and could not.

The problems with insurance are wide and deep.  My Progressive policy covers towing, and I'll see if they reimburse me for a recent tow when we get back from this trip.

Schoolies are another problem. I built my bus thinking it would be cheap. I was quoted $16 a year for insurance.  Went through the work to convert it to a motor home for them to say sorry a bus is a bus. Insurance is $45 a month. I was only paying $35 a month with it as noncommercial personal passenger vehicle. 🤦‍♂️ 

I learned a few things about roadside assistance recently. A friend of mine works for AAA as a recruiter. Any roadside assistance company is as good as the people they have in the area. For example, if I call AAA in the town where I live it better be between 9 am and 5 pm because I live in a dead zone. They cannot get someone in my area to do 24/7 service. If I have a flat 5 miles from my house at 9 pm my AAA is completely worthless. If I'm in Omaha at 9pm I get great service. 

So just because you called Good Sam and got crap service doesn't mean they are garbage. It just means the people they have in the area are bad. 

I am in no way advocating for any roadside assistance company. I only have AAA because he got it for me for free. If I have a flat tire, I will change it myself. 

14 hours ago, rollinbrian said:

Got new front shoes today.  Went from 11r 22.5 up to 315/80 22.5.

Only a few miles on it so not sure how much flotation we'll gain but much of the rocking and swaying it would do around corners is gone. 

I thought that was all air bouncing back and forth between the cab airbags but 80% of it is gone with the wider tire.

My Kenworth came with that size from the factory. I ordered it with a 16K front axle. Just so you know you will be throwing rocks at the side of your truck now. My truck came from the factory with additional fender flares but It's still chipping the paint on the doors, so I had the entire truck ceramic coated. That seems to help. I drive gravel roads a lot. I suppose if I stayed on the pavement, it wouldn't be such a problem. 

I enjoy reading but I have ADHD so that makes it difficult. My mind wanders. I have been working on 2 books. 

Paul Reveres ride by David Hackett Fischer and 3 bodies burning.

3 Bodies Burning was written by an Omaha Detective who solved the case of the 3 bodies they found burning in the early 90s. Drug deal gone bad traced back to the Mexican cartel. My being from Nebraska and raised about 45 minutes from Omaha I found the book interesting. 

Paul Reveres ride on the other hand is a bit dry but I enjoy learning about history, so I am getting through it. Slowly. 

This was before I installed new batteries, I did have it hooked up to one battery but now I have the positive on the left and negative on the right. I used 2/0 welding wire. Kowing what I know now I should have used bigger wire. There is fuse link that has never blown yet. But the only thing it runs is a mini fridge and kids phone chargers. 

The only reason I used that particular inverter was because it was laying around the shop and it was free. 

I have the H 901 on my 37 ft Cardinal. I set the cruise on 68 because that is where the sweet spot is for fuel milage. Occasionally bump it up to 75 but I'm never really in that big of a hurry. 

16 hours ago, Big5er said:

I know the odds of being cited are less than slim but in some states (Texas for one) if there is a position for a tire it must have one there. It is illegal to turn a dually into a single.

Good to know. Thanks. I will be spending some time down there. Eventually. 

Pre and post trip inspections are very important. Also, if you are not very mechanical you should get a DOT inspection from a mechanic you trust.

Yes, I know you don't need a DOT inspection. You don't NEED a colonoscopy either but it's not a bad Idea to get one.

9 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

re: a spare wheel N tire. I assume all 6 of your wheels will interchange, right? If not, where do you carry a front spare now?

I see many class 7/8 power units with a mounted spare on the headache rack on back of the sleeper.

If I'm in the middle or nowhere and I have a flat on the steer, I figure I will take one off the back and put it on the front. It will get me to where I'm going. That plan in my mind is enough to ease my anxiety.  Technically I have 2 spares. 

I also keep 2 trailer spares. 

I am singled long. 11,000 on the front empty and no trailer. I am just over 12,000 on the front and 12,000 on the rear with the loaded trailer. truck full of fuel and 50 gallons of generator fuel. 2 kids the wife, grandma and me. 

I am seriously debating pulling the inside duals off and running singles on the back. The only thing stopping me is I don't really have a good place for a spare tire. My anxiety won't let me leave home without one. 

20 hours ago, lappir said:

 

Maybe back in the early days of Sears there were folks like me that distrusted them and maybe they came around after a while. I still get very angry when I hear or see someone suggest using "Amazon" for all that they use. Support your local business and if something breaks take it right back to "your neighbor" who may have sold it to you. 

The real insanity we are not allowed to post about. 

Rod

I have a love hate with amazon. I prefer to buy local but Some things are a no brainer. I ran out of 3/8 cotter pins. I went to Napa. $2.99 each. Amazon I got a dozen for $1.98 with free shipping. 

I wouldn't buy a new one right now anyway. I will keep my 08 Cardinal. It's rough around the edges but its solid.  

As for guarantee I think Tommy Boy said it best right here. 

Those tractors are made like our trucks. They can run and run and run. Just check the fluids twice a day. 

PTO generators are a little more expensive, but they have certain advantages and disadvantages. I have both stand alone and PTO. I use the PTO to power the entire farm. 2 houses 80x80 shop a number of other out buildings and a feed mill. I hook it to the tractor with the biggest fuel tank and then I park a 500-gallon nurse tank next to it. Then we take the 7000 Kubota stand-alone diesel generator and a bunch of gas cans to my nephew's house, and he gets to babysit that. A second PTO generator gets taken to my brothers place down the road to power his place. 

I have a cord on a pole with a throw switch. I shut the tractor down twice a day to check the fluids and fuel. 

In the background of the 3rd picture, you will see the second PTO generator. It's much smaller because it only needs to power one house. 

The longest I have been on generator power was 3 days. I was never so happy not to have to mess with gas cans. 

We have a generator that runs off the PTO on a tractor. Similar to this. I will get a picture of our setup later today. It's all hooked up and ready to plug in if I need to. 

PTO Generators | Northern Tool

I keep no less than 300 in cash on me when I'm on the road. Even in my commercial truck. I have the company card if anything happens, but you need enough cash to grease some palms if the situation arises. For example, I have shown up at a tire shop right at closing and was told to come back tomorrow. You start waving a $50 bill they change their minds. 

10 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Always run the maximum air pressure stamped on the sidewall of the tire.  T/F?

I used to believe that. My first trip with the HDT changed that really quick. I had a light 5th wheel. The tires called for 65 lbs. They were getting older, so I ordered new ones they required 85 lbs. I don't remember the load ratings It was too long ago. Anyway, we take off on our first trip with the drive tires all aired up to 110 and 85 on the trailer. That was the roughest miserable trip ever.

Now I'm running 75 in the drive tires, and I have a bigger trailer now the tires say 110. I'm only running 85.