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Taking my diesel to Alaska

Started by Qweaver, January 27, 2014, 08:51:24 PM

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Paul_H

Quote from: Magicman on February 01, 2014, 10:58:14 AM
And then when we get to where we are going, the top cranks up.



The Grizzlies call them clams.Hard shell but pop off the top and there are soft delicious morsels inside.  :)
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Warbird

I like your setup, MM.  My goal is to have something similar in the next couple of years.  You said your mileage drops by ~3 mpg but didn't say what the overall mileage is?  Your truck looks like a gasser, not a diesel?

ET

Qweaver, wow, ive talked with my wife for years about driving north to Alaska. We have a truck camper also. Its a Lance Sportsman, well insulated and suited for cold weather and weighs 2300 lbs when full. I take it into the mountains around Parkersburg/Mineral Wells area every hunting season. I never did make it to Buckhannon this year to visit you, maybe next year. I had the HappyjAck system plus the cab-over struts installed. The camper goes on and off in minutes.  Ernie
Lucas 1030, Slabber attachment, Husky 550XP, Ford 555B hoe, Blaze King Ultra, Vermeer chipper, 70 acres with 40 acres Woods.

Magicman

Yes, gas.  It drops from ~15 to ~12 with the camper.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Magicman

When we drove to Alaska in 1997, it was in this Class C motorhome.  We were not towing anything.


 
Our next trip will absolutely be in a truck camper.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Woodcarver

I and my wife made the Alcan Highway trip with our Lance truck camper a little more than 10 years ago.  I'd suggest acrylic covers for your headlights and a metal grill cover.  We put both on our truck for the trip.  One of the acrylic covers had a star burst in it when we got home.  Would have been a broken headlight without the cover.  The grill cover had a couple of dings in it.  Might have had a broken grill without the cover.

We didn't carry extra fuel and didn't have a problem.  You do need to keep an eye on the guage and plan ahead, though.  Get a current copy of the Milepost Alaska Trip Planner.  It will tell you where you can expect to find fuel, food, campgrounds, etc.  We put one to a lot of use on our trip.

The trip was a blast.  I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Just an old dog learning new tricks.......Woodcarver

Qweaver

Good idea on the covers.  I'm also going to put a heavy duty full width animal guard on the front, mainly for deer here in WV but good up there also.  Will acrylic defuse the light much?
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Woodcarver

I noticed little difference with the covers on the lights.  In fact, I left them on the truck for a long time after we returned from the trip.  They begin to look a little hazy eventually, I suppose from abrasion, and I took them off. 
Just an old dog learning new tricks.......Woodcarver

Magicman

For our first trip I made headlight and grill covers for the motorhome out of ½" hardware cloth.  Worked fine.

The windshield was dinged up pretty badly as in more than a dozen pecks, but no stars.  Slowing down and moving to the outside of your lane will help avoid wheel thrown rocks.  Thankfully most all of the roads are paved, which includes the Alcan as well as the Alaskan highways.  Frost heaves and road construction is just a way of life and the only time that they have to do repairs is during the Summer months.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

thecfarm

Quote from: Magicman on February 01, 2014, 08:04:25 PM
Frost heaves and road construction is just a way of life and the only time that they have to do repairs is during the Summer months.

Sounds just like Maine.  :D 
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Qweaver

Are the frost heaves on rock and paved roads?   What is the best tactic for avoiding them or at least minimizing the damage?
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Warbird

Slow down.  The heaves are usually in permafrost areas and can come up on you unexpectedly.  Paved roads, dirt, gravel, whatever. 

thecfarm

Here in Maine the roads have "BUMP' signs before a frost heave.
I grew up on a state road,speed limit 50mph and there was 2 frost heaves right back to back. Had a few snow plows come unhooked or the chians would break on the second heave. Dumps trucks were loud and logging trucks too. One lost a stake one year.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Magicman

For the most part the roads are excellent.  Yes you "could" come upon something unexpectedly, but usually there is construction/reconstruction work going on. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Qweaver

I am glad to hear that Magicman.  Because I have read numerous posts with warnings printed in all caps stating how important it is to carry at LEAST two spares.  I'm going to do that but I have to admit that is a worry for me.
The old gray mare ain't what she used to be and I don't look forward to dropping the spare down from underneath my 3/4 ton, jacking the truck up and changing it on the side of the road.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Qweaver

After traveling thru Alaska we will be driving thru Canada back to the lower 48.  We would like to visit friends in Powell River and where ever else would be worthwhile.  Any suggested routes and stops would be welcome.  What would be the best place to cross from AK to Canada?  I'm guessing we would be coming down 37 then 16 to Prince George. Then 97?
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

sawguy21

That is the most direct route unless you want to wander all over BC. Turn off 97 on to 99 (becomes I-5 in Washington) south of Clinton and make your way to Horseshoe Bay then the ferries to Powell River. Spectacular scenery.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Qweaver

Is it worth the effort to drive from Fairbanks to the artic circle?  It looks like about 200 miles of very iffy roads and nothing there when you get there.  I'll do it if it is worth seeing but not just to say, I've been there.  Seems like a very bad place to have a breakdown!
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Qweaver

Thanks Sawguy, we have friends there that we have know since our teaching days in Australia.  They visited with us last year and we had a great time.  I had no idea how isolated Powell River was.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Raider Bill

Why bother going all that distance and not go another 200 for bragging rights?
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

goose63

I would rather brake down there than down town Chicago or Detroit  :D
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

Autocar

We drove out there in 2001 its beautiful and peaceful well worth the drive and I felt the road was pretty darn good.
Bill

gspren

 About 15 miles south of us is an ice cream place called the Arctic Circle so when we worked (south of there) we often joked about which of us lived north of the Arctic Circle.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

Qweaver

We are trying to plan a trip up Dalton to reach the Artic circle.  The only place I can find along this road is Coldfoot, about 250 miles from Fairbanks and quite a bit above the Artic Circle. I'm looking for more info about this drive.  I see Old Man camp on the paper map but can not find it on Google or Bing. 
Quinton
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

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