You can't make this up

[Bruno of NH]

Left my place at 5:00 this morning with the wife and dog.
Heading to Brooks Maine to get the power up/down for my mill.
Just made it in to Maine and my 2011 GMC shut down and went in limp mode
Made it to Thomas got my parts and tour of the place . Their new mill that cuts 48" wide is some nice.
Back to the truck it needs a tps the first dealers ship had the part but no time to put it in tried clearing the code sent us on our way made it 10 miles shut down again 5 hrs from home.
I'm in Walbouro Maine at tucker Chevy and they are fixing it:)

[thecfarm]

At least it is being fixed. But still unlucky for you.

[starmac]

Nothing worse than trouble on the road, especially when no one has time to get it in the shop.

That 48 inch cut is interesting. I have to wonder what the practicle limit is for small bands, before the band starts making wavy cuts.

[Bruno of NH]

Jon Showed me a band it was 2"
He said they helped Lennex design it.
He gave me a 1 1/2 band in the same design to try it has a deep gullet

[21incher]

Boy that stinks, glad you found a dealership that would take you in. You have a Kohler engine in that truck? ;D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

          A      TPS ?


Makes me sick on my stomachs.   :D :D :D

[Bruno of NH]

Yup the goat sent some grits to my throttle positioning switch in my GMC

[KirkD]

Good thing it was not a CPS it could have had you coming in on the hook.

[Magicman]

To me it's sorta scary that virtually no controls in the cabin are actually connected to whatever they control.  Things are done now with controllers, encoders, transducers, and whatever else.   :

[starmac]

One of the guys I haul logs for just lately bought an old kw with a nice hood log loader mounted on it and left it at the log yard down in Wasilla we are hauling to. It is all manual controls, no electronics on it other than lights. I love it with all the hydraulics, being controlled by hydraulics, what a novel idea.

Something is even wrong with the switch on the truck, so after we start the truck we have to turn the switch back off, so even have the fuel solenoid screw on the cummins turned to manual. lol

[4x4American]

I just don't understand what the advantage is of controlling everything via electronic controls!!!  Drives me crazy!!

[Kbeitz]

Guess you all better keep on the ground... Today most all planes fly by
wire. All computer. No connections between the handles and the gear.

[starmac]

I bet I never have to figure out why an airplane isn't working though.

[Bruno of NH]

My wife asked me to look under the hood I did but knew better that is was a electric related part problem.
The worst part was that the abs and traction control locked up so you would lose control of the truck for a minute

[irvi00]

Gal I used to date bought a new Ford Edge. I looked under the hood and honestly couldn't tell you I could even change the oil. Never found the filter on the stupid thing! I'll drive my 88 toyota till the wheels fall off.

[Brad_bb]

I feel ya.  Spent 3 days just outside Nashville when I lost my tranny.  It hurt the pocket book too.

[Darrel]

I had an old Olds Cutless, first car I ever had that had cruise control.  In that car if you set the cruise control you could put your foot lightly on the accelerator peddle and feel it moving under your foot.  Those days are long gone!

In my wife's Subaru Outback you can put the peddle to the metal while driving on ice and the tires won't slip or spin. Then you can step hard on the break and you can't lock em up. You don't drive a car anymore, you just unwillingly provide the computer with input and it drives for you.

[WLC]

One of the guys I haul logs for just lately bought an old kw with a nice hood log loader mounted on it and left it at the log yard down in Wasilla we are hauling to. It is all manual controls, no electronics on it other than lights. I love it with all the hydraulics, being controlled by hydraulics, what a novel idea.

Something is even wrong with the switch on the truck, so after we start the truck we have to turn the switch back off, so even have the fuel solenoid screw on the cummins turned to manual. lol

Long way to be bringing logs.  Where you delivering to?

[starmac]

It is firewood logs to Websters, the quanset off the farmers loop exit.

[starmac]

WLC I have been known to deliver house logs to German Mike on the north side of town too, but not in the last 2 years.

[DanMc]

You think that's bad, just wait a few years!  Every automaker today is infatuated with developing full automation for their vehicles.  Some are further along than others.  Autonomous vehicles have various categories from level 1, which I think includes something simple like cruise control, to level 5 which means there is no need for a driver and it may not even have manual controls. 

Those of us that work on some of this stuff don't want full automation in our own cars, but it's what pays our bills these days.  The motivation for all of this is rather strange, it's like it's being forced on us. 

[Kbeitz]

I would rather be able to find new cars/trucks today that has wings, crankup windows,
No A/C, vents,no computers,No plastic,Standard shift, trunk space, a real spare tire, a frame, rear wheel drive, no cat., carburetors, real bumpers, and small little trucks like they made in the 60's. The list goes on....

[irvi00]

I would rather be able to find new cars/trucks today that has wings, crankup windows,
No A/C, vents,no computers,No plastic,Standard shift, trunk space, a real spare tire, a frame, rear wheel drive, no cat., carburetors, real bumpers, and small little trucks like they made in the 60's. The list goes on....

Toyota still makes the hilux trucks with 22r motors. But not allowed to sell in the US because of safety and emission standards. Id love to get my hands on a brand new hilux!

[Kbeitz]

I would rather be able to find new cars/trucks today that has wings, crankup windows,
No A/C, vents,no computers,No plastic,Standard shift, trunk space, a real spare tire, a frame, rear wheel drive, no cat., carburetors, real bumpers, and small little trucks like they made in the 60's. The list goes on....

Toyota still makes the hilux trucks with 22r motors. But not allowed to sell in the US because of safety and emission standards. Id love to get my hands on a brand new hilux!

When I was over in Dominican Republic I seen lots of trucks that I liked.
The one I like best was a Daihatsu . A very simple truck...



 



 

[plantman]

I would love a cab-over pickup truck ! There is something very wrong with America when we can't seem to get what everyone really wants and needs, and no one can figure out why.

I would rather be able to find new cars/trucks today that has wings, crankup windows,
No A/C, vents,no computers,No plastic,Standard shift, trunk space, a real spare tire, a frame, rear wheel drive, no cat., carburetors, real bumpers, and small little trucks like they made in the 60's. The list goes on....

Toyota still makes the hilux trucks with 22r motors. But not allowed to sell in the US because of safety and emission standards. Id love to get my hands on a brand new hilux!

When I was over in Dominican Republic I seen lots of trucks that I liked.
The one I like best was a Daihatsu . A very simple truck...



 



 

[WV Sawmiller]

Kbeitz,

   On the planes it still makes me nervous when the pilot advises us the lights are fixing to go out and to stand by while he "Reboots" the plane. That does not instill absolute confidence in me.

    As to the trucks I was talking to someone yesterday about the simple side rails and flat bed for loading like you show in your pictures. Sides are simply hinged and drop down to get a completely flat loading surface. When loaded the sideboards are lifted and connected to a short piece in the front with a barrel bolt type affair then the tail gate is lifted and pinned the same way holding both sides together. The military has used this for years but our commercial vehicles have not picked up on this design to any significant degree.

[Kbeitz]

All most all the trucks over there have the hinged sides. Some of the trucks are
really small.


My wife.


 



 

[plantman]

In the US they don't want to sell you a utilitarian tool, they want to sell you are stylized product that gets your emotions charged up and willing to pay $70k for a pickup truck.

[starmac]

You can readily buy ones like the white one pictured above in The U.S. They are not safe  to drive on the highway and do not pass our safety standards, so most states will not tag them.

There is a couple of states that will tag them, Montana being one, a couple of guys have them up here and just run Montana tags on them.
While a few guys might want a cabover pickup, the market is just not here for them enough for the manufacturers to offer them, they used too, but no one wanted to drive them. lol

[WV Sawmiller]

Bruno,

   Did you get your truck fixed okay?

[pinefeller]

saftey is overrated...

from Readings: Harpers Magazine Nov 1994
FATAL ACCIDENTS: THE BRIGHT SIDE

The following letter to the editor was originally published in the Arizona Republic. Author lives in Phoenix.

Every day some new do-gooder is trying to save us from ourselves. We have so many laws and safety commisions to ensure our safety that it seems nearly impossible to have an accident. The problem is that we need accidents, and lots of them.

Danger is nature's way of eliminating stupid people. Without safety, stupid people die in accidents. Since the dead don't reproduce, our species becomes progressively more intelligent (or at least less stupid).

With safety, however well-intentioned it may be, we are devolving into half-witted mutants, because idiots, who by all rights should be dead, are spared from their rightful early graves and are free to breed even more imbeciles.

Let's do away with safety and improve our species. Take up smoking. Jaywalk. Play with blasting caps. Swim right after a big meal. Stick something small in your ear. Take your choice of dangerous activity and do it with gusto. Future generations will thank you.

[Kbeitz]

Boy would I love to have this truck on the road...



 

[pinefeller]

lil frosty in the winter though..

[starmac]

HA HA, me thinks you might have to slip the clutch to get her moving when loaded heavy though.

[Ianab]

Toyota still makes the hilux trucks with 22r motors. But not allowed to sell in the US because of safety and emission standards. Id love to get my hands on a brand new hilux!

The 22R engine was retired quite some time back. The new Hilux use a variety of engines. Locally they are a 2.8l turbo diesel, but in other markets they are up to a 4.0 gas engine, and so are basically a Ute version of the 4Runner, that Toyota do sell in the US.  So I'm not really sure why they don't market them in the US. Probably because they prefer to sell you a more expensive truck?

[Stuart Caruk]

Guess you all better keep on the ground... Today most all planes fly by
wire. All computer. No connections between the handles and the gear.

That's why I fly on Boeing products and not Airbus....

[Peter Drouin]

It's not to sell a more expensive truck Ianab, It's getting a real truck. :D :D ;)

[LeeB]

I've seen some outrageous loads on a HiLux. They are real trucks. I've often wished they were available in the States. The 4Runner would be more attractive to me if it came in a diesel version. Years ago Toyota sold a diesel truck in the US. It was a good small truck. My dad had one. Early 80's if I remember right.

[Kbeitz]

I did make my own truck but it's not road league ...



 

[Bruno of NH]

WV
Yes the truck is fixed and running well now

[nativewolf]

You think that's bad, just wait a few years!  Every automaker today is infatuated with developing full automation for their vehicles.  Some are further along than others.  Autonomous vehicles have various categories from level 1, which I think includes something simple like cruise control, to level 5 which means there is no need for a driver and it may not even have manual controls. 

Those of us that work on some of this stuff don't want full automation in our own cars, but it's what pays our bills these days.  The motivation for all of this is rather strange, it's like it's being forced on us.

Actually I can't wait for autonomous driving.  Hate hate driving.  What a blinking waste of time.  I'd rather look out the windows then pay attention to lanes, braking, speed, etc.  So, I might be a minority here but if a vehicle will drive for me, great.

I can't wait for the ability to load some logs on a truck and have it drive to a mill for me, even if I have to be in the seats.  Probably be at the end of my days but I look forward to it. Electric truck preferably.

[nativewolf]

and while not a pickup you can buy good small diesel flatbeds (Izuzu, Toyota, Mitsu) that will go 500k without any issues you'll see on the Ford/GM large diesel pickups. 

The reason many many landscaper fleets have gone to Izuzu is the cost of upkeep.  Famous guy down in Atlanta with a huge landscape company, not just Atlanta any more but he has hundreds of Izuzu, it is what made him profitable he says. 

My large Hino (toyota) is great except for speeds, it is a slow slow pig.  It will carry a load up a super high grade but will only do it crawling along.  Anyhow, it was the first thing I ever restored so I'm keeping it. 

[Kbeitz]

Electric trucks are here...

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/17/wal-mart-says-its-planning-to-test-teslas-new-electric-trucks.html

[pinefeller]

i will never own a modern diesel or anything for that matter...they are so plugged up with modern emission crap, computers and the fuel is just as expensive as gas... whats the point? give me mechanical injection, or give me death lol!!

i bet all the foreign diesels would never pass our emissions and the cab overs probably wouldn't pass crash testing even though they would be super handy.  think about it, a cab over log truck would be like 8 feet shorter than our regular trucks..... why would we want that? way to easy to maneuver :D

[plantman]

I used to own a Mitsubishi cab-over truck with a 10' dump body. It was about 5' shorter than a full size pickup ! I loved that truck and it had a really tight turning radius which as great around town. I'd even drive it into lower Manhattan and park it on the street. It got almost 20 mpg and was easy as hell to work on since the cap tilted up and out of the way. It was a daily driver. Too bad the frame got rotten. It they made that vehicle just a little smaller it would be a great pickup.

[Percy]

The mechanical vs the technical continues. I remember as a kid, my dad and his buddies having a similar discussion back in the early 1960s. I was maybe 10
Years old. Power steering and power brakes and automatic transmissions were the scourge of "real" drivers as far as they all were concerned. Zip a head 50 years and the discussion continues.

IMO vehicles are so much better than they were back then. Tune ups every 10,00 miles. Motor rebuilds at around 60,000 and most cars and pickups didn't make much more than 100,000 miles. Suspension geometry, brake ant tire technologies have improved driving 10 fold from them beautiful old dinosaurs. And engines. They make more power and need less maintenance than their older counterparts. Yes, there are horror stories as there always has been. Overall, we got it much better then before.... IMO. 🤓

[plantman]

I'm not going to deny that the technology has improved considerably however I do think that today's trucks and cars are programmed to fail or be so expensive to fix that you have to buy a new one every 7 years. In fact, when I called a dealer they informed me that any car older than 7 years is not guaranteed to have parts available. To me, 7 years is like a new vehicle. . I used to buy trucks that were 10 years old and have them for 10 or 15 years. Those were the good old days when you could spend a few thousand on a truck and just do basic maintenance. The price of these new vehicles is insane. I'm told that if and when the exhaust system on my new Ford diesel truck needs replacing that it will cost me about $10k.

[nativewolf]

I'm in the camp of I'd rather have a newer car than older.  No one thinks anything of a car getting 200k miles today and your pickup darn sure better get 300k.  However, flaws in the US pickup diesel did no one any favors.  The gas versions of the trucks have better reliability and that is screwy.

If I could buy a new truck I'd get a new dump diesel made in Japan and I'm betting I'd drive it until I was dead and never have a serious engine issue. 

[pinefeller]

its not about building a good product...its about building an acceptable product as cheaply as possible.... cars are built to fail, planned obsolescence. its big business and a huge chunk of the economy...lots of jobs. if it wasnt they wouldnt need govt bailouts :P

I'm in the camp of I'd rather have a newer car than older.  No one thinks anything of a car getting 200k miles today and your pickup darn sure better get 300k.  However, flaws in the US pickup diesel did no one any favors.  The gas versions of the trucks have better reliability and that is screwy.

If I could buy a new truck I'd get a new dump diesel made in Japan and I'm betting I'd drive it until I was dead and never have a serious engine issue. 

japan obviously doesnt care about our economy but has to build a better product to compete. if they get too good though we'll just tariff them into submission :

in new england salt kills everything in 10 years and its coming soon to a state near you.!!! they just started in idaho,  and oregon is also supposed to start using salt too this year...

[Bruno of NH]

The salt brine they use on the roads around here is brutal on my trucks and I get them oiled every year.
The problem is folks won't slow down or buy snow tires.

[pinefeller]

i plowed for the state last year and never will again. they are idiots (the state), no one knows how to properly use salt or how to read a thermometer or watch the weather. the waste is disgusting. last year i got so sick of it i went rogue and didnt use salt an entire storm my load froze in the truck but it was worth it. just dry pavement on my route and the snow was just blowing off the road. everyone else had 4'' of ice. when they found out they promptly went out and salted my section and low and behold it was a mess in two hours. they sure showed me !!! lol they can have it. i swear they only use salt to destroy old cars.

[starmac]

You can buy all the foreign diesels pickups, our govt says you have to screw them up to sell them here, volkswagon cheated for a while, but got nailed.

[fishfighter]

Had to go to New Orleans yesterday. Half way down, my truck started running hot. What? >:( Pulled over and sure enough, it was hot. No water in it. I was due to flush it, but been putting it off. In the middle of no were, what will a coonass do? Easy, just about anywhere in Louisiana, there is always a ditch with water in it. Two water bottles took a bit of time to fill it up with swamp water. :D

Made the trip and back home. Flushed it out good and all is good again. ;D Bad thing, I have to go back again today. >:( Dam doctors. :(

[crowhill]

No clue as to why your truck is losing water, but I remember as a kid the milk truck stopping at the farm to pick up the cans of milk ( was a few days ago! ) , radiator was spewing water. The driver asked me if I could get him some black pepper, ran to the house got the can of pepper, driver gingerly took the cap off the radiator and poured in a bunch of pepper, leak stopped!

[crowhill]

FF,  just thought if you grabbed your water out of the ditch along with a few crawdads, with some pepper in your radiator you'd have the start of some gumbo by the time you got back home!

Hope all works out in New Orleans for you.

Russel

[Magicman]

Paul, dem Doctors are keeping you alive, so suck up some of dat swamp water and keep on going.  Stay Strong my Friend.   

[Kbeitz]

If you can't see a leak I would bet you have a bad head gasket.

[fishfighter]

If you can't see a leak I would bet you have a bad head gasket.

Was heading back yesterday morning and got about 35 miles down the road. DanG thing started running hot again. >:(

Short story, I had a couple gallons of water with me just in case. Found out were the leak is. A small rubber elbow that goes to the torque converter heater/cooler block that is leaking. Heck, I didn't even know there was such a thing. :D Of course the hoses are a dealer part only. >:( Also, talk about a SOB to get to. I had to remove the starter that took me a good 6 hours due to that fact I couldn't reach the top bolt due to I having a bunch of blood vessels thru out my chest area sticking out a good 3/8" and giving me a bunch of trouble. My transplant team is freaking out on that. Thinking I am rejecting my CRT-D.

[Kbeitz]

If you can't see a leak I would bet you have a bad head gasket.

Was heading back yesterday morning and got about 35 miles down the road. DanG thing started running hot again. >:(

Short story, I had a couple gallons of water with me just in case. Found out were the leak is. A small rubber elbow that goes to the torque converter heater/cooler block that is leaking. Heck, I didn't even know there was such a thing. :D Of course the hoses are a dealer part only. >:( Also, talk about a SOB to get to. I had to remove the starter that took me a good 6 hours due to that fact I couldn't reach the top bolt due to I having a bunch of blood vessels thru out my chest area sticking out a good 3/8" and giving me a bunch of trouble. My transplant team is freaking out on that. Thinking I am rejecting my CRT-D.

Glad you found it...

[fishfighter]

Just got back from picking up two replacement hoses that are about 3" each. $70. Waiting for it to warm up now.

[Oliver05262]

Don't you love them parts prices on dealer only parts? I had to replace the heater hoses on my '02 Superduty and they were over $175.

[schakey]

Off topic but have you ever gone to a dealer and try to find a plain Jane work truck. All you see is loaded truck that a person would be afraid to get dirty let alone scratch or use as a truck.

[thecfarm]

And have you see how high those new ones are?? 
I work at a hardware store and those things are getting higher and higher. First off 20 inch tires,and than there is a foot of room beween the tire and the wheel well.

[fishfighter]

Off topic but have you ever gone to a dealer and try to find a plain Jane work truck. All you see is loaded truck that a person would be afraid to get dirty let alone scratch or use as a truck.

Sure have. >:( My old 2004 dodge just made 200K and at those prices, there is no way I will buy a new one. ;D

[Resonator]

Quote - "Don't you love them parts prices on dealer only parts?"   
Years ago had a friend worked as a new car salesman at a dealership and asked him about pricing, costs, and how they made money. He said look at our brand new building, we build the service department at least 4x bigger than the showroom floor, THATS where we make money. Similarly I was fixing an old backhoe and was paying through the nose for parts, asked the parts counter man how come, and he said "They pick a number (margin) to charge, and that is what you pay." https://forestryforum.com/board/Smileys/default/lipsrsealed.gif

[starmac]

Schakey, It has probably been 10 years or a little longer, but I got the hankering for a new pickup. I went to Amarillo Texas with the intention of driving a new dodge diesel back . This is farm and ranch country, you would think a large dealer with between 50 and 100 diesel pickups would have at least ONE work truck.
I walked by everything they had on the lot without opening a door, just looking in the window and not slowing down. The salesman didn't catch up with me until I was on the last row near the end of their diesels. When he ask if he could put me in one, I told him unless he had something hidden, he didn't have anything on the lot I would drive off in. There was not a standard tranny in the bunch, period. He said he could order me one, but I told him I would be over this buying fever before he could get it in. I drove my old wore out diesel pick up home and still have it.

[Kbeitz]

Schakey, It has probably been 10 years or a little longer, but I got the hankering for a new pickup. I went to Amarillo Texas with the intention of driving a new dodge diesel back . This is farm and ranch country, you would think a large dealer with between 50 and 100 diesel pickups would have at least ONE work truck.
I walked by everything they had on the lot without opening a door, just looking in the window and not slowing down. The salesman didn't catch up with me until I was on the last row near the end of their diesels. When he ask if he could put me in one, I told him unless he had something hidden, he didn't have anything on the lot I would drive off in. There was not a standard tranny in the bunch, period. He said he could order me one, but I told him I would be over this buying fever before he could get it in. I drove my old wore out diesel pick up home and still have it.

I'm a standard guy myself....

[pinefeller]

i have an old 4 speed with granny low in my ford ranger lol