rancherman

"utopian" Man, THAT'S a zillion dollar word! All the special interest groups that have lobbied/whined for a disease free, accident proof, pure air/water, crime free, poverty free.... gun free, std free,(ok that one goes into disease catergory) .AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST.. FREEDOM FROM RESPONSIBILITY/ Loss that occurs on life's bumpy path... (Mandatory insurance for just about every facet in our lives) but at the same time they want cheap plentiful food, fuel, housing, clothing, medical care, water, air, transportation, wilderness areas... Unfortunately, all these things need taxable income! I agree with your 'self regulating'.. ...temp goes up, more water vapor is in the air, and the shading effect (clouds and fog) cools the earth. pretty simple! and even will point out the well documented 'ice ages' that occurred LONG before Mr. Cummins designed his first prototype! CHANGE is what keeps this ol ball of mud healthy, and prosperous. Change has been and always will be crucial in our environment. Just as winter melts away into spring, new life starts. Change 'weeds' out the poorer genetics. ..... oh, but these days, we can't 'leave' anyone behind!!!.......

If a 'donor' truck just falls into your lap, ( such as my situation) and your recip truck is really good shape, then yes! go for it... but when you start 'piecing' together all the parts for the swap... it can get pricey both in parts and time to chase them down.. It may be cheaper to just start over with one already set up... On the other hand, I've never heard of anyone who has done it... have any regrets..

ok, gotcha! club cab is 2 door, extended.... quad cab is the semi-half door extended! What do they call the true 4 door model, and when did it debut? (is there one???) I don't pay too close attention! ha ha

Nebraska has 2 nuclear power plants. 1 has been cold since the Japanese tsunami/earthquake.. (plus that is when the Missouri river was out of it's banks too).. I am also in the middle of a proposed large wind turbine project... (and the XL pipeline) Can someone tell me if they are so dang concerned about CO, why the heck are they even considering making crude oil even more plentiful???? and at the same time offering incentives for these 'green' projects??? Nebraska really is pretty flush with electricity. we have the 2 aforementioned nukes, several 'paid for' coal plants, and at least 3 hydroelectric dams off the Missouri river system... and the result is some of the most affordable juice in the Nation. This wind project is slated to have all the juice go 'out of state'... thus connecting us 'to the grid'... and guess who pays for this hook-up fee?? yep. I do. Our cheap juice days are gone with the wind! (so to speak).

yep, exactly.. a couple of years ago, I tweeted some feelings I had on this whole debacle, and essentially it was ' Except for the odd rocket ship (deep space) or the meteorite/crap from space, nothing comes or goes in our 'system'.... I will concede there are times 'man' probably can tip the balance on how much is 'free'... but just 1 belch of a volcano makes our piddly existence pretty mute! I went on to support cows on grass . whether or not they burp, belch. or fart. It's simple! : Grass grows, and it grabs CO out of the air. It puts O2 back to atmosphere, and the C is sequestered in the plant, root ball, and eventually the soil... So, It doesn't matter if the blades of grass are digested in a stomach of a cow, or left 'un eaten'... they will eventually release the sequestered CO . Wild fire, or when the plant dies in the winter and rots down next spring.. It ALL comes back! I was approached a few years back about the Carbon credit thing.. Some group/agency wanted me to sign up for sequestering C, in my soil and plants.. (are you kidding me? ) seriously, talk about the perfect racket! Reward me for doing something my whole life, and generations before me, and tax the people ( industry, consumers etc..) for putting out 'too much'.. Racket, racket, racket!!! Oh, but it SURE looked good in DC, being 'green' and all!! I think that program has fizzled, at least in the 'reward' department! I wouldn't be surprised if 'donations' are still being accepted from the Carbon liberators!

I just seen the PBO's initiative of furthering CO reduction, another 30%. The talking head on TV said the Chinese, Indian, and European communities are watching closely to 'make sure' WE are 'pulling our weight'. ........... Really????........ Chinese give a dang about what WE put in the air??? Or would there be a mandate on the amount of rubber dog crap being shipped in from the other side of the world... to help with CO emissions! ............maybe they are concerned on how 'we' are treating 'their' investment/interests????.........

I was going off your avi pic, and seen the shiny wheels.... Thought you may have aftermarket rims. Aluminum saves what, 20 lbs a wheel? Oh yes, 'they' make lighter wheels for your truck!!

so, do I have something REALLY rare? "new style dash, but old non-opening door" cab? Or did they still offer 'extended cab' both ways My build date is 9-97, has the digital odometer, but only 2 door extended cab..

Scrap yard scales may not be the best place to find true 'tare'... or empty wt. they do ok for finding the net, but probably not 'zeroed' very often... you might be off 2-300 in your empty wt... I agree with the others, your 2wd seems pretty close to average you have aluminum rims? Makes a difference!

......... I can hear all the calculators clicking away......

here's a shot in the dark... RV's 'look' like they may have a higher center of gravity.. (of course, depending on how a utility trailer is loaded...) and upon braking, that may cause more rotational downforce on the hitch.. RV's are loaded/towed 'heavy' dang near 100% of the time, a utility is closer to 50% of the time.. (run empty to pick up a load, return home loaded.. or vice versa ) Location of axles... RV's more rearward on axle CL... giving more tongue weight, (but more towing stability) than a utility? Some people only pull a trailer once or twice a year, and having ease of pulling/stability may be more important than 'light' tongue weight.. Or here's another thought: people who can afford a nice RV, can also afford this 'option' (whether or not it's really needed) This is all I can come up with!

good idea ^^^^ and that's why I use the pipe wrench. No torque gets past the yoke.. and into the ring and pinion. I usually use the multiplier on disassembly, but still use 'straight through' type wrenches for final torque... I have a 1 inch drive torque wrench, and it's handle is plenty long for pulling 460.. It take 2 guys to handle it!

yep, 1 7/8ths I just went and bought a cheapo socket, 3/4 drive, to grind down. (didn't want to grind down a S-K socket!) If possible, try to find a 6 point thinwall socket. Not sure if there is such an animal though... methinks the torque is going to be 460 ft/lbs I really recommend you holding the yoke while breaking loose/tightening. I used a 36 inch pipe wrench against the frame. That way you aren't going to be fighting axle wrap-up.

I've wondered about the 24v's ability to de fuel upon shifting... and making life a little easier on the RE.. seems like it would be a good idea. Nothing but clutch and stick here.

I agree with NOT injecting liquid anywhere.. It's next to impossible to keep it from boiling in the line.. unless it's kept at least 200-250 PSI... and any degree of accuracy @ point of regulation is going to be very complicated (EXPENSIVE) Vapor is much easier, cheaper, accurate, SAFER. I remember HONDA selling a hydrogen generator that would hook up to a home natural gas supply, and it would crack the H and pump it into their fuel cell cars... But I wondered about the energy used to do the process would be more than just buying a gasoline car and tooling down the road? Which brings me back to the amount of compressed cng a person can carry.. I suppose a tank about 10 'Q" bottles would give a person some range, but the main thing is the compressor is going to be SPENDY... both in price and energy to run it... I wonder if there would ever be a pay-off date. ( one truck would really have to put some miles on.. Fleet stuff is different)

Whenever I have the lines out on any diesel, I take JB weld and 'build up' the area that is sitting in in a support block. I've saved lines that were very thin in these spots... so thin in fact you'd swear they were paper thin. Is your friends' cracking right behind the fitting nut, or up in the support area? I try to make sure the line 'falls' into place, before actually tightening.. and sometimes a gentle bending is necessary to get it so there is little pressure required to get both ends aligned. Short lines are problematic too, there just isn't enough length there to dissipate vibrations and the movement from heating/cooling/vibration puts strain because the relief loop is too stiff..

these things are regulated so the more boost, the more propane is injected... while nothing is guaranteed 'safe'.. malfunctions can and could happen. (as with any fuel) I've got a couple of JD propane tractors, 50 years old, and the fuel system is about fool proof. They use manifold vacuum to run the mixer. I'd bet the amount of propane is pretty lean. (for the guys wanting just a little help for mpg purposes) and it may take a really dedicated source of ignition to light it off. Now, for the guys going-for-broke, the mix is probably rich enough to make it a little easier to ignite Tom is claiming about 5 gallons propane to a tank of diesel for daily driving type conditions... about 15% of needed fuel is supplied by his propane... I wonder if we could even smell it, at that concentration.. Much less ignite it with a spark.. But, even if it was rich enough, the amount of fuel inside the 'cooler at any given time is pretty small... there may be enough to give a little 'wuff' but a kerboom is probably not going to happen your idea of injecting into the horn is probably safer, but remember the propane needs to overcome the boost pressure... and we are talking anywhere from 4-5 lbs of boost all the way up to (insert your max boost here).. most propane regulators are set up in OUNCES

I feel the same, I'm in no hurry to 'fix' my ABS. Yep, ABS sure helps in keeping a vehicle pointed in the right direction, but when push comes to shove.... give me max 'whoa' FIRST... I'll worry about the front end damage later. Our gravel is tiny round stones... just like ball bearings. Panic situations need a locked tire to gouge past that layer and hook into something more solid underneath. BTW. when in 4X4, is the ABS locked out? Or is both axles being managed?

I've only seen the propane kits, around here they are getting very popular with the diesel stationary power unit guys.... They are claiming up to $5 dollar per hour savings in fuel. Propane is running about $1.45 gallon right now, I'd recommend propane just because of the amount of fuel you can carry. Plus the fact DOT ready cng tanks are pretty spendy... and finding re fill stations are far and few. Maybe you are sitting in a cng hotspot?? Don Hardy engine, out of Texas, has a kit for natural gas... 20% diesel, 80% dry fuel. http://www.donhardyengines.com/specials.htm Kind of a cheesy web page, not much info on his kit, but has email and phone info

I vote on the brake being culprit. a bearing or nuts being loose would be noisy first, giving at least a few seconds warning! when it lurched to the side, did it jerk the wheel out of your hand? (brake, bearing) or held steady? (tie rod)

LOL, I think you are right Joe! a tc replacement-vb upgrade is 'preventative maintenance'. When the tc blows chunks through the rest of the trans.. that's a rebuild! All my rh trans would be shot right around the magic 200 k mark, usually rucking the struck truck did it every time. I'm thinking too, the 'newness' has worn off, and the 'I don't care, it's got 200 k miles attitude' has set in.. and the weak link shines every time!

I've got both... and they certainly have their pros and cons. dually will be spinning and sliding on ice and snow, don't even think about mud! 4X4 then is a must. Just think of it this way: twice the tire, but half the total traction... It takes weight per square inch of patch to get a grip... I fully feel my dually is worthless unless there is a ton in the box. I've been really thinking about what to do with my project truck, keeping it srw, or dualling it up. Several guys on here suggested I think about upgrading to the 19,5's, and I'd get basically the same cap that way. This project rig is going to be a dedicated hauler, but needs to be able to 'get where there ain't no roads' too! So, for what it's worth, I've got one already. Are they the cat's meow? well, for me, one is enough!

Another banker I know, (being a farmer, it helps to know MANY) ha ha I pondered to him out loud a while back, about the wealth of this Country. He said there are rich people, and then there are insanely wealthy people.. Those usually fall into the 'family money' type scenario... whereas they couldn't spend it fast enough, even with pitiful interest rates. He said it's hard to even imagine some of the Net-Worth's of these folk. These days, an entity would almost have to be illegal to gain the wealth these guys hold... because Uncle Sam will tax-to-death any feeble attempts of gaining wealth. My ol Dad, would say: only spend money on things that will MAKE money. Every thing else, either grow it yourself, or build it. I can bet Mr. Warren Buffet still driving his old 1969 International Travelall ! ( well probably not.... they didn't come with a Cummins!) I remember reading about his wife spending 10k on a kitchen re-do, and Warren freaking out over the project! .......I get the Omaha news, and am privy to gossip coming from the 'big dog' BTW, their house is the same one they bought right after they got married... not exactly a pristine part of Omaha either! Mike, you mentioned the people shopping until they drop.. and driving away in chrome plated vehicles, I'll never forget the gal in front of me in the grocery store a few years back, she had 3 FULL shopping carts of food... She whipped out her 'stamps and paid for the whole shebang (thanks to you and me)..... and had the whole thing wheeled out to her Winnebago. (with a suv flat towed too) I about passed out the other day, I saw the Gov't now says a family of 4, requires 100k per year.... Sure, why not? THEY said so, so it must be true!

I have no problem with good natured tame honey bees... they are very valuable, not only for the honey, but the pollination they help out with. It's when they start to get a little Africanized it's time to 'bug out' (burn em, and start over) I never heard of the helicopter insurance! I may have to look into that! Thanks How does it work, you hit an emergency number, and a chopper shows up to your phones location?

You might want to keep a loaded hypodermic 'just in case'. I keep one in the hay field tractor's first aid kit. epinephrine, and antihistamine I've been stung so many times over the years, (mostly yellow jackets and wasps) that each time, it gets worse.. 30 miles to a medical clinic may bee (ha ha) too late! Last time was a nightmare, I was mowing, and I mowed over a yellow jacket ground nest, the dang things boiled out of the ground like a tornado... and right through my open window, well, all I could do was bail out and run I'm afraid a blast in the neck or head could swell me up and make breathing a little difficult... I think the worst I ever had was a honey bee was inside a open can of Mountain dew, and I took a slug, and he got me right on the tip of the tongue... I always look down in the can now!