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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Manual transmissions...will they be gone in a few years ?
We are even seeing the demise of the manual in smaller cars. Most small car lines only offer the manual in their base model if at all. My Jetta is a base model (manual), but VW is one of the few that still offers a manual in all models of their small car.
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rjstractor
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05/09/12 07:12pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Running TT AC on F-350
A gen with low oil shutdown probably wouldn't work well though as any hill would shut it off.
Never had an issue with either my MH generator or the Hondas we have installed in our fire engines. Both have low oil shutoff but never had one shut down even on a steep hill.
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rjstractor
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05/08/12 10:33pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Top Ten Diesels Engines
Not sure if it's really a diesel, but they totally forgot the Chrysler Turbo Encabulator. Oops, never mind, we're talking engines, not transmissions.
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rjstractor
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05/06/12 09:03pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Jayco Granite Ridge (2003) - No water coming out - help!
Does the pump shut itself off or keep running? If it keeps running you either have an air pocket or a leak that you don't see.
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rjstractor
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05/06/12 08:57pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Triton 10 or 454 better?
Talking apples to apples, meaning motors of close to the same vintage, I would take a late 90s V10 over the 454. I've known of 4 people with 454 powered class As in this time period and all had overheating problems and could not keep up with my V10 powered C on hills moving similar weights. However, my FIL put a Banks system on his 454 Vortec and it no longer overheats and I can't outrun him on hills anymore.
The 8.1 has more punch for sure than the 454. I haven't driven one so I don't know firsthand how it compares to a V10 of the same vintage.
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rjstractor
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05/06/12 08:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 1/2 tons and 5th wheels. Trailer Life magazine article.
Mean while (off topic but same magazine) they have a 4,300 DRY weight slide in camper in a SRW F350. Pretty sure that camper is a bit heavy for the truck. Last F350 SRW I saw had a 3,550 lb capacity.........
Yes, the RV magazines are all about selling products for their advertisers. In Motorhome magazine for example, when they review an expensive toad braking system, they will imply that these systems are required to be legal in virtually any state-which is not true.
Then, like you pointed out, their sister magazine tests a pickup and slide-in camper combo that likely will be 1500 pounds overweight when loaded for camping.
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rjstractor
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05/06/12 09:02am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Chevy 6 L engine in short Class C vs Ford V8 or V10
The 6.0 should be a good match for that size rig. The Ford V10 has better low end and IMO is better for moving heavy loads. (I own rigs with both engines, so no irrational brand bias here)
I don't think I would want a 5.4 Ford in a motorhome. It has the same power rating as the 6.0 but must rev higher to produce the same power. However, it's a good, reliable engine.
14-19 mpg? Either the guy is a liar or can't do math. My 2500HD pickup with the 6.0 towing a light enclosed trailer doesn't do anywhere near that well. My best tank towing just 2,000 pounds was 14.7 mpg, and that was at 60 mph with a quartering tailwind. I do have a dump box insert which affects the aerodynamics quite a bit. With that motorhome, expect 10 mpg +/-, and be happy with it. I get 7-8.5 with my 30' Ford V10.
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rjstractor
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05/01/12 09:08am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Setting up a Jeep TJ to be towed
Another question. Do tow bars go bad? The one on the Eagle is probably ten years old. Should I get an new on and just start fresh?
Tow bars don't go bad any more than trailer hitches, frames or other steel parts. I would say that as long as it's not bent, cracked or rusty it's good to go.
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rjstractor
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04/30/12 08:51am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: F150 Review; 3,300 Mile Towing Trip; Long
You guys seem to have no trouble mentally divorcing the truck from the turbodiesel engine, but you seem un-able to do the same for the Egoboost's turbo. Come on, get real. I don't have the forged pistons or direct injection of your Egoboost, but I can order a MasterPower turbo, a set of injectors, and get my 4.3 to the same 365-HP level for far far less money than the cost difference in pickups. Even if I had to tear-down and do forged pistons, I'd still be money ahead. You don't have to have the F150 just to get the results. You can do it with Ram or GM.
Why the hate for the Ecoboost? Maybe you just don't like new technology?
The option of building the snot out of an older engine has always been there, and it's a good one for guys who like to build and tinker with engines. Other guys would just rather turn the key and drive something with a warranty.
FWIW, even the new non-turboed V6 engines have much more power than the GM 4.3. The V6 GM puts in the Camaro and the new Chrysler Pentastar are good examples, with the neighborhood of 300 horsepower stock out of the box.
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rjstractor
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04/29/12 07:03pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Why the difference in payload?
Reality is, there is NO safety difference, it is performance ONLY! look at the new SAE specs. for the most part, performance ratings only! Yeah one needs to keep things under x Gforces going around corners, or stop in Y feet, but, both of those measurements have NOTHING to do with engine power ratio's! As the brakes are the same, cornering will be the same, being as those are the only what I would call safety ratings, the rest is 0-40, can it pull a 12% grade 4 time forward and back in in 5 min with out slipping/overheating, pulling some 5-6% grade in 100F heat at a min speed which is on the way slow side for some of you, ie 30-40 mph and not overheat........all performance/warrenty items!
What he said.....
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rjstractor
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04/28/12 10:04am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: The English language
Then there's the use of redundant acronyms:
PIN number
VIN number
ATM machine
CDL license
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rjstractor
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04/26/12 11:12pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2004 Dodge 2500 with 4884# of gravel in the bed *pics*
Yes that load of gravel looks to be every bit of 5000 lbs. Being a 4x4 that truck will sit way higher when empty, probably 5-6".
I inadvertently loaded 5200 lbs. in the bed of my truck in my sig. The dump bed insert weighs 1000 lbs and I had 4200 pounds of gravel in the bed. My payload of my empty truck though is almost 4000 pounds, since my truck is a 2wd regular cab with a gas engine. With the dump bed I can carry 2700 without exceeding any of my ratings, and it drives and handles like a dream with that weight. I also once had 2 full pallets of sod in the back. Don't know what it weighed but was pretty scary to drive.
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rjstractor
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04/25/12 10:47pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Any 413 Dodge fans ?
So, how does on tell the difference between a 413 and a 440? I once had a 22 foot Winnebago Indian that the seller stated had a 413 but everything I read on it (old brochures, etc) stated that the Indian had a 440. It was a stout little rig, with oddball 6 lug wheels and IIRC 17.5" tires. Not many 22' motorhomes out there with a 10K rated rear axle. I think I could have hauled a cubic yard of brick in the back and not been overloaded. It was good mechanically, too bad the house portion was a basket case.
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rjstractor
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04/25/12 09:06am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 1500 hd real world towing
Your truck is only a heavy duty 1/2 ton after all.
As a GM guy I would think you would know that this is not true. The 1500HD has 8 lug wheels and a 9.75 semi-floating rear axle, along with the 4L80E transmission used in the 2500HD. With a 6000 GAWR it's way above other "1/2 tons". In fact the 1500HD is nearly identical to the pre-2000 2500 series trucks.
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rjstractor
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04/21/12 11:55am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: RAM 5500 "Long Hauler" concept test
305/610 isn't a lot of power.
It seems the thing they liked best about that truck was the air suspension.
My old truck has an 05 Cummins CR 325/610 and a very similar air suspension setup. I can vouch for why they like it.
My new truck is the Ford version of this truck.
08 F350 KR LB CC. Its getting air suspension and a twin turbo/ EFI Live 6.7. About 550 HP and over 1000 ftlbs.
It may not be compared to your heavily modified F350, but that Cummins B will run 400,000 miles even with extended periods of full throttle application. That's why they derate the motors in the bigger trucks. At full throttle putting out over 500 hp and 1000 ft/lb of torque, the lifetime of these small light/medium duty diesels would likely be measured in the hundreds of miles, not hundreds of thousands.
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rjstractor
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04/18/12 08:56pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: RAM 5500 "Long Hauler" concept test
"In the zero to 50 mph pulls, our Long-Hauler ran 18.57 seconds, with a best 30 to 50 mph run at 9.95 seconds (Hurt Locker numbers: Ford -- 21.05/12.64; GMC -- 20.60/11.39; Ram HD -- 23.09/13.90). You can see that the best time for the Long-Hauler was a good bit better than each of the Hurt Locker competitors"
Interesting numbers. Seems like the faster acceleration can be attributed to gearing, even though the 5500 engine is derated to a lower power rating. Makes sense that the 5500 had the slowest run up the hill, although not by much. Looks like a nice truck, but really LONNNGG! I wonder if those guys driving had CDLs, or if they were going cowboy, hoping they didn't get pulled over.
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rjstractor
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04/18/12 08:43am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Why "All Electric"
All Electric Motorhomes have a Combo 120 (or 240 if large expensive motorhome)/Diesel furnace/Water Heater.
So, "all electric" really isn't so. More like "diesel/electric". Nothing wrong with that, but I've often wondered how one could heat water, cook and run an electric furnace all at one time on 50 amps.
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rjstractor
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04/17/12 01:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Sidecar motorcycle for toad
I doubt you can tow it 3 down.:)
You could tow it 2-down with this. :)
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rjstractor
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04/14/12 06:25pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Interesting comparison between Express 4500 and E-450
Now he did say that the up-fitter did not do a good job on these vans and has since gone out of business.. They have had numerous electrical problems / fires in several of the rigs. Mostly he talked about the ride being much rougher. He said from what they were told is that the up-fitter did not upgrade the suspension to make up for the added weight. One of the biggest differences between the Chevy and the Ford is he said the Ford turned much better.
Just like with motorhomes, the work that the final manufacturer of an ambulance does has a huge effect on how well the finished vehicle drives and lasts.
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rjstractor
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04/14/12 06:15pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Towing behind my class C
very confusing... so my trailer having a gross weight of 2990 does not legally have to have brakes according to your findings.
That's exactly why your trailer has a GVWR of 2990. It likely has all 3500 lb. components but since it has no brakes the GVWR is 2990. My 6x12 enclosed is the same way with no brakes. My dad has the same exact trailer with brakes, GVWR is 3500.
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rjstractor
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04/14/12 06:05pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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