RowdyRebel

I've had my '92 Ranger for over 3 years....ain't spent a dime in repairs above and beyond an oil change once a year. I've had my '96 F250 for over 5 years, and abart from ball joints & wheel bearings, ain't had any trouble with it either....'cept for the cruise control, which I put off fixin' for over a year because I was skeerd it'd be expensive. Turned out to be a $20 part that took less than a minute to change. Oh yeah...battery & alternator too. Certainly nothing out-of-the-ordinary for a truck that was nearly 10 years old & had over 150K miles on it when I bought it.... ....'specially when ya drive it like I do First summer I had it, went out to Montana....& while out there, we went shooting. To get to where we was gonna shoot, we went down this rutted up muddy road...ruts so deep I was bottoming out on the way out there following my uncle (slow). My uncle had to leave early to go play golf, so me and my brother (just back from Iraq) stuck around to fire off a few more rounds before heading back. Ran that same road outta there at 70+ mph & had my brother clenching the seat belt giggling like a little school girl On another occasion, I got in trouble with the woman.....ran through the truck wash (creek) at 50 mph without first rolling up her window Then there was the time I was towing the 60 year old trailer and the coupler came apart...75 mph down the interstate and the trailer was whipping back and forth by the safety chains. Damn trailer rear-ended the truck when I stopped & busted the exhaust peed bumps? If they wanted ya ta slow down fer 'em, they'd call 'em "slow down bumps" I could go on, but I gots ta get to bed. It's a truck. I drive it like a truck....anywhere, any time, full throttle all the way.

Yup. The way I figure, if you don't have enough for a down payment, you probably can't afford the truck to begin with. If your credit is bad enough that you can't get a bank loan, you probably can't manage your money well enough to make it in your own truck. Financially, I'm no better off owning my own truck than I was as a company driver. If anything, it's WORSE...worse because where I USED to be able to splurge and buy something nice when I had a little money saved up in the bank, now I pass on that something nice because the next breakdown may be only hours away and could take every cent I have in the bank (and then some) to get me back up and running. If I just spent $1500 on a big screen plasma HDTV, I may not be able to fix the truck...and if I can't fix the truck, I can't make money....and if I can't make money, I can't pay my bills....and if I can't pay the bills, I lose the house & the truck. Not to mention, with the depreciation you get to write off the first couple years you have the truck, your tax filings don't look like you made all that much money which gets me to my LATEST problem....even with a credit score in the mid 700's, I can't get a loan to refinance my current 1st & 2nd mortgages because I "don't make enough" Never mind the fact that with the two loans wrapped up into one with a lower interest rate to boot, stretched out to 30 years (which only adds a 1-1/2 years to the 2nd and 3 years to the 1st), the payment will be CONSIDERABLY LESS than what I've BEEN making. I'm not asking for EXTRA money...just refinancing the loans I've already got. The 2nd mortgage was taken when I bought the truck. I couldn't see paying 7% interest on money I had in the bank earning 1%, so I just paid extra on the house every month building equity...then I refinanced at 6%....then I took the equity back out of the house with the 2nd to make my down payment....but the 2nd is at 10% Was TRYING to refinance @ 5%. Oh well. I'll be getting married this year (hopefully.....if she ever gets her butt up here), and as soon as that happens I'll refinance & include her income...but I ain't gonna have her "cosign" the loan 'til after we get hitched. I ain't dumb enough to put her name on ANYTHING (bank accounts, property titles/deeds. etc) until she's got my last name.

Grampa used to call 'em "Mitsupieceof$#!t" ...and no, it don't.

I had that problem last summer...wouldn't stay in low range. Apparently, I had the old style multiple piece unit and the nut backed off and bent something. They replaced it with the newer, updated, one piece unit. While it is SIMILAR to what it was doing, it isn't the same. Whereas before it felt as though it was jumping out of range, this just seems like the splitter is the source of the problem. Like I said, if I'm rolling, I can adjust the throttle and it'll catch....wouldn't do that last time. It only happens in the low range, though... Last time, we decided to change the o-rings (cheapest way to open up the transmission to get a look to see what the problem may have been) and that's when they discovered the other problem....not sure if they actually CHANGED the o-rings, though

OK...upon looking at the website, that appears to be something that stays with the truck so you can adjust your top speed on the fly. The guy in Effingham plugs in and changes the settings on-site before sending you on your way.

That must be what the guy in Effingham is using...says he can "hide" at least 10 mph. Personally, I don't go into provinces that mandate speed limiters be placed on my truck which would prevent me from traveling the speed limit on any road upon which I travel. I won't go to Calif***ya, either, due to their emissions requirements. So what kind of trouble would you be in if you "disabled" the connector so that they couldn't connect to the ECU when they plugged into your truck? Might be as simple as tracing a couple wires back up under the dash and splicing in a quick-connect that you'd leave unplugged unless you had a problem and a shop needed to upload/download information...that way when Canada DOT spot-checked you, they wouldn't be able to tell whether you had a limiter or not... I'd check with a Mack tech, though....be sure you ain't going to cut the wrong wire

So this past week, with the dip in the temperatures, my truck has let me know it ain't too happy. I'm HOPING there's nothing major wrong in the transmission (2180B)...sometimes in the low range it won't go into gear...the SHIFTER will, but it'll be like I split the gears and it came out of gear but I haven't yet matched the RPM's to catch the next gear....even if I didn't touch the split lever. If I'm rolling, it's easy enough to let the RPM's match up and it usually catches...but sometimes if I'm stopped, it doesn't want to find a gear. I can go to high range and start in low (essentially starting in 4th in the low range)...which is fine if I'm EMPTY...but under a load & on an incline, it's not too good. Sometimes if I sit there long enough trying different gears, I'll find one that will work... That's the problem I'm worried most about. The rest are just minor things. The block heater, for one...I seem to remember it working BETTER last winter. If I'm remembering right, the temp needle would already be starting to rise & hot air would be blowing out of the vents moments after it fired up...this year, not the case. The batteries are another potential problem needing attention. I had to jump it the other day...charger said batteries were only at 80% (which SHOULD have been good enough to start IF the block heater was doing IT'S job) However, today, the charger said they were at 100% when I went out a few hours before leaving to plug in the truck and make sure it'd go when I was ready to leave. Got up to the yard to get the trailer washed out and let the company grease their trailer and let the truck sit in the shop thawing out for a couple hours. At least THAT got my air horns working again (we'll see if they STILL work tomorrow ). The hydraulic pump makes a god-awful noise when I move the switch to raise the bed...cold hydraulic oil...so instead of giving it a little throttle to speed the dumping process along, I just let it idle up. Doesn't seem to do any good giving it throttle anyway, as it isn't making the bed go up any faster. That and the air leak...FINALLY found it. It's in that panel on the firewall, engine compartment side...where all of the air lines are coming through. One of the connections is leaking, but I couldn't (i.e. didn't feel like freezing my fingers off trying) get it to stop leaking air. Anyway, truck is plugged into the block heater. I also put the batteries on the trickle charger (it is one of those automatic ones that "float" to maintain full charge) so HOPEFULLY I won't have to jump it again tomorrow. After it sat inside for a few hours at the company shop, I pulled it outside & raised the bed all of the way up to let it finish drying...and shut the truck off. It ALMOST didn't want to start. I'm thinking the starter may have issues, too...as the batteries SHOULD have been fine from the drive up to the yard. If it were summer (and not raining ), I could do MOST of the work myself. Hell, in a couple years when I have my shop built, I'll be able to do more of my own work. But, being single digit temperatures outside and my extreme dislike of the cold, I'll probably call down to the Mack dealer on Monday and see if they can get me in...want to at LEAST get their opinion on the transmission issue and test/replace the starter/batteries...and if there's time, get that air leak fixed too. If they can't get me in, I'll just make do with it for another month or two until I take a 4-day weekend to go to the cycle show in Chicago...planning to have the overhead run and see if they can't rebuild the jakes. Hopefully they can get me in...otherwise, I ain't shutting the truck off anywhere BUT my house until it quits acting up.

Just don't lease/buy a truck from the company you work for...otherwise you may end up like these guys:

I know it was a day and a half I went without heat when I changed the thermostat...I didn't know to close the valve to the heater core and that line doesn't have an air release. If you have had it open and there is still air filling the heater core, it's not going to blow hot air. The hoses get warm to the touch because of the circulating water...but if there's air, it ain't circulating and the lines won't get warm. I'm not sure if that's your problem or not...just tossing it out there as a possibility. This time of year sure ain't the time to be without heat.

Barely a dusting, actually. Last REAL snow we had was a few years ago: We USUALLY only get ice...happy birthday to me...4 days with no electricity STILL no power....roads STILL not clear.... Snow don't keep me off the roads, though....me & a few others decided to go for a ride in Chicago That was a cold ride, though...passed bank signs sayin' 6 degrees!

Snow is fun...'specially on twisty hilly curvy fun little 2-lane roads And yes, THIS is Illinois Sorry 'bout the shakiness of the video...camera was setting on the CB. When I didn't have to shift, I could put my hand on it to steady the shot...but driving the truck is a little more important than getting a smooth video...

I seem to remember a company truck I was driving back in '04 doing that...it wasn't a new truck, either (axle back CH). Not sure what the problem turned out to be, but I do remember Mack had it for a few days. I think they pulled the heads or something...been a while & it wasn't my truck, so I didn't really ask for too many details.

I do now......

Holy crap I thought I was gonna turn it over today I got out to where I was dumping...ground was level where I was raising the bed up...but the load wasn't coming out. Got to the last stage, and all heck broke loose...literally. The load decided to come out all at once, which pushed the truck & trailer forward about 3 feet very quickly. While it seemed level where I was dumping, moving forward that quickly made that trailer rock a lot more than I care for. Tomorrow should be fun. S'posed ta get down to 9 degrees tonight & a high of 18 tomorrow. Luckily I'm just hauling coal, so I can grease the bed up real good. Gotta dig out the coveralls

That's why I didn't buy that one. It was a '97 and drove REALLY good...tons of power (475 Cat 3406)....however, NONE of the switches on the dash worked. No lights, no wipers, no turn signals, no jake, nothing. The price was half of what I paid for the Mack, and it had 100K more miles...but I would have had to spend who knows how long trying to figure out how to get everything working. Granted, there were a LOT of unplugged wires under the dash...that it may have just been a matter of getting under there and plugging things back together...but I couldn't take the chance of spending that kind of money on a truck and then going 6 months tracing electrical bugs before I could put it to work.

I dunno...that just don't look too intimidating. Your truck looks like it's smiling a big'ol friendly grin at 'em. I like the big, boxy look. First truck I looked at wasn't a Mack...next best thing, though (would have saved me $$$$ on hats) Wouldn't mind one of these.....but it'd have to be the right color

Sure, the extra weight gives you traction to get moving, but the extra weight works against you when you try to stop. I actually drive faster in my pickups on the snow & ice than I do in the semi...but then I know how to handle the vehicle I'm in, whatever vehicle that is. If you don't know how to handle the vehicle, you shouldn't be driving it. As long as you are smooth with the controls, you'll be fine. Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes, easy on the steering. The only thing I miss when I'm driving the semi is being able to mash the gas and drift around the curves in the road.

The NERVE of some people!!! I'm running down the road today when this knucklehead pulls out in front of me....just GOTTA get in front of that big truck They never got going more than 20 mph...so, as soon as I had a safe place to get around 'em, I did. They called the f'ing company I'm leased to to complain. ...or at least I THINK that's who it was. The company called me as I was going into Sparta to tell me someone called to complain because I passed 'em, and that I should "slow down a little". Apparently, I passed 'em between Chester and Sparta...which would be kinda hard considering I was coming into Sparta on the other end of town....opposite direction So, either the caller had no clue where they were, or they got the wrong trailer number. If I had been getting paid by the dumba$$ that pulled out from a side road in front of me today, I'd have been better off. I was following about 200 feet behind a car...45 mph (in a 55 zone). This pickup truck pulls up on a side street when the car was maybe 400 feet from the intersection, and the guy waited for the car to go by, then pulls out in front of me. Snow pack on the road. Rear wheel drive pickup. I damn near hit the stupid f'er. Of course my air horn is froze up and not working, so I used the horn on the steering wheel....just doesn't have the same effect, though. Even first thing this morning, this lady leaving the kroger must not have seen the snow on the road because she TRIED pulling out in front of me. On DRY pavement, she wouldn't have had time to pull that maneuver safely...luckily, her tires just spun and she aborted her attempted suicide-by-truck. I LOVE the snow. I LOVE driving in it. I could do without all of the other knuckleheads, though. If you can't drive in it, stay home and out of my way.

I haul mostly coal...got a sprayer from the hardware store and just use a little diesel to grease the sides & floor. 1/2 gallon is usually enough for a 39' trailer...just need a thin film to keep the water from freezing to the sides & floor. You gotta be careful, though...because SOME places will reject the load if they smell diesel fuel on it...but if you are hauling to a power plant, they generally don't care. Sometimes I'll mix a little used oil into the diesel...helps me get rid of it cheap and it makes it clear where I've sprayed & where I haven't....but you can't go TOO thick on the oil or else it won't go through the spray nozzle. I've heard of people using some sort of salt...but that just seems to be corrosive. Not sure what you'd use on "sensitive" loads. Hauling gypsum or lime to be spread in the fields, you can't use anything that would hurt the field...no salt, no diesel...I spent almost 3 hours digging out the other day. I bought a new shovel on the way home, since the one I HAD has been on the truck for over a year and I heard the handle crackling as I was shoveling...HOPING it wouldn't break before I was done with it. The new shovel isn't really a transfer shovel...the blade is a little narrower (which should be better for scraping product out of the corners) and it's straighter...so I'll be able to chop straight down at the ice instead of at an awkward angle. It's also 1/4" thick steel, so it oughtta be strong enough to take some abuse. I had gone to the store for a new shovel and something to chop ice...and found 'em both in the one shovel. old shovel looked like this one ('cept with a wood handle): New one looks like this one ('cept without the jagged tip):

If your Mack is like my Mack, the fuel filters are close to the engine block, inside the engine compartment...where any air that flows around them has already passed through the radiator and been warmed up a little. The petercars have 1 fuel filter in the engine compartment, and a second smaller fuel filter out in the open on the drivers side...exposed to the cold air while driving down the road. Not sure WHY someone thought that would be a good location for 'em...'cuz on a cold day they just don't work too well. End of the week oughtta be interesting.

I run Michelins on the big truck and on the motorcycle...ain't seen a BFG truck tire that comes close to the XDE M/S* drives or XZE2 steers. 28/32 tread depth on the drives 22/32 tread depth on the steers 75 mph speed rated & H load rating, too

awwww...screw that front wheel drive crap. I had P195/75R14's on a 2wd 4-banger '86 Ford Ranger....may as well been slicks, cuz there sure as heck wasn't much tread on them tires. Got me everywhere I needed to go without any trouble in 8" of snow. No weight in the back, either. That truck was dang near unstoppable in the snow. It's in pieces right now as I'm rebuilding it...gonna have a 289 from a '66 Mustang under the hood and a new cab...prolly be 4wd, too... The F250 is a tank...33x12.50x16.5 BFG TA/KO all terrains....4wd.....460 cid. Even in 2wd, I can go just about anywhere I need to....but in 4wd, it's unstoppable. The '92 Ranger is fun, too...mostly because it's only got 3 brakes. There's no brake line to the front right wheel...so I can stand on the brakes as hard as I want and still control it around the corners. I've got 215/75/15 Dayton All Terrains on it...2wd like the '86, but a v-6 under the hood. Both the '92 Ranger and the '96 F250 can do donuts just fine on DRY pavement... Who needs snow when ya got horsepower? Tires last a little longer in the snow, though...

...was droppin' like flies today. They couldn't keep fuel filters in stock. I know of at least 1 truck that got 2 new fuel filters today...and I saw him at the yard with a 3rd in his hand...not sure if he was taking it to put on or just to have for tomorrow. Not sure who's bright idea it was to put a fuel filter outside the frame rails exposed to the cold air...just seems kinda dumb to me.

That sounds loud. Did you run it down the road like that? Or did you just do that to warm up the fluid and then reconnect it? On a trash truck, I'd imagine the hydraulic oil gets up to temp eventually...so "helping" it along in the morning would be fine. In a dump, though, the pump is only running a minute or two at a time...then it's shut off for a while. The oil never really gets up to temp, and it'll cool off again while you are driving to get your next load anyway.

I've never worried about the weather, and it's never stopped me from going where I need to go. If the loads cancel, I'll be out playing in the snow in one of the pickups. I LOVE driving in the snow & ice....don't care if it's the big truck, a pickup, and I've even been known to head out in the snow & ice on the motorcycle. I just don't like the cold. As soon as the snow quits flyin' and the roads are all clear, I'm ready for it to warm back up.