What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

[porta]

It’s what ‘er indoors’ wanted. I wanted smaller

Loaded, it’s about 5000 lbs, or 2.5 tons. About 24’ from hitch to spare tire on the rear bumper. Cook top, microwave, fridge, shower, toilet, sink, water heater, air conditioner, furnace, black and grey waste water tanks, two king beds. Off grid solar, too. To me, it’s just another hotel room, but I gotta clean it.

The Chevy will haul it 70 mph all day. But the slightest incline will cause a downshift from 4th to 3rd to 2nd and that little v8 will be spinning at 4K until we crest the hill. Towing our pop up, the truck didn’t care. Hell, it barely acknowledged that I was towing a double axle car hauler with the DeSoto on it. The weight was comparable, but the DeSoto sat equal to the roof of the pick up. I’m pretty sure that the rear axle ratio in the Chevy is in the neighborhood of 3.05-3.21. No load at 70 in 5th equals about 1800 rpm. I know my Wrangler is a lot lower because it turns 2200 at 70 in 6th.

I came right out and said at the trailer dealership that I felt we’d need to replace the truck if we bought the larger trailer. I was told by both my wife and the dealer that it’ll be fine. My other half has already admitted that I was right but she’s dragging her feet when it comes to looking. Kind of how I am when she wants to look for furniture.

Horsepower on the diesels is from 325 to 400. Comparable to a 5.3L to 6.4L gas v8. Where they shine is the torque. The smaller Powerstroke is 570 ft-lbs. The Duramax is a whopping 765 ft-lbs. Almost double the GM gas v8.

I’d be happy with a slightly larger engine and a lower rear axle ratio, though.

“Shuda got a bigger boat” to coin a phrase
That seems really weird as my old 2000 Cherokee XJ is quite happy pulling 3.5t (the most it’s pulled and, I reckon, probably a bit more, and that’s a straight six 4l lump with a four speed auto…sure it drops a cog on long steep inclines, but on slow inclines it doesn’t bother it, and I live in N.Yorkshire so there’s plenty of hills…maybe it’s just bad gearing, I know the ratios in the XJ are more suited to the US as UK cruising speeds of 30-35and 60-65 it never knows if it’s like a prostitutes knickers, up n down

 

[Cheest]

I ran the Chevys VIN last night and got my answer. Gearing is the issue. I should be running at least a 3.73 rear end, preferably a 3.90. The pick up is running a 3.42. Our pop up came in under a ton, so it didn’t care. Now it does.
Cheaper way out would be different gears in the rear end but that brings a host of other problems with all the computer controls that would need to be reprogrammed.

I learned couple other things running the VIN. Made in Mexico and was originally sold to Hertz as part of their rental fleet. I may be the third owner, may be the fourth.

 

[bugsymike]

I learned couple other things running the VIN. Made in Mexico and was originally sold to Hertz as part of their rental fleet. I may be the third owner, may be the fourth.

That and 100s of drivers.
The amount of cars I have inspected for customers who salesmen have told them "one owner" but neglected to tell them about how many terrible drivers it's had!
There used to be a joke "One lady owner, Avis Hertz"

 

[Cheest]

I’m guessing when the pick up hit 20K miles, it was auctioned off. The dealer who bought it sold it to my wife’s dad, with him thinking he got a great deal on a low mileage truck that he rarely drove. It had 21K on it when we bought it. It’s pushing 80K now. The bed is rusting badly in the wheel wells, just like every other Chevy pick up of that era.
I don’t hate the truck, but I don’t love it either.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I see Varesecrazy has already mentioned the roof aerofoil. We used to be able to get these things and although I never bought one (couldnt afford it at the time) I saw good reports of them. Ive always found the ridged roof vans tow vastly better than the flat roofed ones and always looked for those makes. Trouble is its an extra body steam to be weather proofed. Interesing to see the axle position is different to european where virtually all axles are mid body which makes is easier to level on site as you just seek a balance point rather than needing fron support. You can man handle the vans although thats not really a going concern for us oldies anyore. It does make reversing harder as tjhe reaction to steering is much quicker. With a pickup towing I can see the advantages of adding weight to the nose of the trailer anyhow. Now, if you slummed it, like the majority over here you would have a stick shift, and could lord it over your gearbox! I would consider a roof aerofoil on the truck and if you can locate one with a snowplough profile I suspect it might be worth it. You would need to look carefully a the roof aerofoils set up a votex, and unless this is all sorted carefully you just make matters worse by adversly affecting the air in front of the trailer rather than sending it over the roof. That certainly looks like a pretty solid trailer. Now we have rid of ours (all the windows failed within a very short time - cracking crazing and leaing like a sieve) I dont think Mrs Panda Nut will ever go in one again. Having a two cylinder 875cc motor does limit what can be legally towed so we would be limited to 800kgs (1792lb) which means the lightest and therefore least equipped units around, and when they want £15K its not easy to justify. I had to tow my caravan with the Panda when tthe caravan was parked the wrong side of an unstable dam a few years back and it was around 1300kg. Panda , easy pulling power, and staggeringly stable even when passed by heavy lorries on the motorway. He was not phased in the slightest. It was happy to 50mph but not really above this, without a stabiliser (probably the one occasion I was glad of not having one, as Id rather feel any instability building rather than have it just appear. Towing such a weight is not to be repeated as the Po-leece would take exception and I can never drive this car without being concious of the tiny engine, expensive twinair unit, dual mass flywheel and light weight clutch. Now I think you should go find a Range Rover V8 diesel. 340hp and 700lb/ft That would do nicely towing is rated at over 13 tons in emergency. It would do UK national balance of payments deficit some good too!!

 

[Cheest]

I don't think I am allowed in the neighborhoods where Range Rovers are sold.

If the Chevy had a manual I would be in pig heaven, but finding anything other than a Wrangler with a third pedal hanging down from the dash is wishful thinking in this part of the world. There is a reason we call a manual a 'Millennial Anti-theft Device'.

 

[porta]

I don't think I am allowed in the neighborhoods where Range Rovers are sold.

If the Chevy had a manual I would be in pig heaven, but finding anything other than a Wrangler with a third pedal hanging down from the dash is wishful thinking in this part of the world. There is a reason we call a manual a 'Millennial Anti-theft Device'.

You really don’t want a range rover, nasty things

 

[portland_bill]

You really don’t want a range rover, nasty things

A Range Rover is a beautiful thing, and very pleasant to be in... ...when it is working... ...which sadly, is not often.

 

[portland_bill]

Early hours, heard cat scampering around downstairs like a mad thing. So playing with a captured mouse.
When I got up, all quiet, so either lost, captured in a trap, or worst, eaten, leaving a little bit somewhere. The gall bladder is toxic, so should not be eaten. Most cats leave it lying somewhere, ready to be trodden on.
So I come down the stairs, slowly, doing the CSI torch search, to ensure not to tread in something soft and nasty.
No worries, silly cat had eaten the lot, then been promptly sick, but 90% was in her food bowl. Easiest cleanup ever.

 

[bugsymike]

The gall bladder is toxic, so should not be eaten. Most cats leave it lying somewhere, ready to be trodden on.

My daughters cat which I seem to have inherited is very careful to leave that little piece behind, probably due to falling out with my daughters dogs and living wild for two years.
When it first came to me no living thing was safe from being ate, now it has cultivated neighbours for several houses down the street and they all feed him.
I can't say much as when I was a child I used to have tea at a friends house on way home from school and then go home for tea, it worked for a long time until his mother chatted to mine.

 

[The Panda Nut]

You really don’t want a range rover, nasty things

Don't know about nasty, but thirsty, you bet. I had to attend a family funeral 35 years ago. I had just bought my first Citroen BX dTurbo. I suggested going via Oxord collecting my brother and doing the trip to Wadebridge in Cornwall then dropping bro back home on the way back. I reckoned I could have done the whole journey on a lot less than a tank. No he said, he insisted in going in the Range Rover an early 3.5. So, we filled up just down the road a somewhere around Bristol we stopped and he filled up again. We got down to Wadebridge and filled up again before setting off back, albeit not an entire tank, When we go back to Oxford it was dry again! Nice, but I couldnt contemplate doing that. The latest diesel V* is a lot better and does 30 to 35 on a cruise but that still sounds painful. I dont care how good they are climbing mountains, towing horseboxes helping policemen out of the ditch and wadding rivers, I just couldnt own something thats so expensive to run, even if i had the dosh to do so, I just wouldnt. The TA is not the best on fuel but I now get around 46 average and a lot more on a run so this one is acceptable... just. I think reliability is a direct function of maintenance and hisRR's have mostly been reliable in return for good maintenace. He has had some big bits replaced, but only at fairly enormous milages which I feel is not really a black mark. The most fun Ive ever ahd in a car was shooting across the pennones on some really narrow roads in the Panda with him trying to keep up. Every time something else came passed the other way he had to stop and I got miles ahead. Maybe a case of absolutley no power corrupting absolutely.

 

[bugsymike]

I had a friend whose Range Rover cost more on a trip up country in fuel than his helicopter.
@The Panda Nut , I don't know about the most fun in a car, but as a teenager the back of a Ford Anglia van wasn't bad

 

[porta]

I had a friend whose Range Rover cost more on a trip up country in fuel than his helicopter.
@The Panda Nut , I don't know about the most fun in a car, but as a teenager the back of a Ford Anglia van wasn't bad

My old tank, an MTLB with a 22l V8 diesel, was lighter on fuel than our old V8 petrol Vogue! Plus it broke down only once, wehn the air brake pump shed its belt…whereas the RR was almost weekly, especially with stupid electrical faults, like not being able to get behind the wheel, as the seat memory would push it so far forward a stoat wouldn’t have gotten in!

 

[StevenRB45]

Hoping my adventures through spending enough money to buy a nice car on my house are over for the time being...

Obviously we've already discussed the heating...and the front elevation of the roof leaking.

But of course, having got the front sorted I ventured to the loft mid end of summer thunderstorm..looked at the freshly sorted bit and yes indeed it was waterproof even when there was more water in the air than air.

Unfortunately I looked over my shoulder to see the rear elevation was leaking at the join to the wall as well. Investigation revealed this..so not only was the flashing not fully set into the wall in many places, the mortar holding it had largely gone.

So whee...more jobs for the roofer, but it's done.

However we are hopefully at an end for a while, I'd still like a new front door as the old one is draftier than I'd like/a pvc door should be.

But it's significantly better prepared for winter than at any time in the last decade and I was expecting it to protest somewhat given it lost the long standing wind break opposite when the club was knocked down.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

I had a friend whose Range Rover cost more on a trip up country in fuel than his helicopter.

To be fair assuming it was a petrol powered helicopter as most privately owned are. You can manually set the mixture on them and get them running really nicely without over fueling and it makes them super efficient, especially when you can go direct to your destination without worrying about corners or going up and down hills constantly along the way.

Where as the old Range Rover V8s especially the old 3.5, was very good at turning fuel into noise and heat without making a lot of power. less than 200hp in many cases.

 

[porta]

Doesn’t look like they’ve even attempted to put the flashing in properly!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Hoping my adventures through spending enough money to buy a nice car on my house are over for the time being...

Obviously we've already discussed the heating...and the front elevation of the roof leaking.

But of course, having got the front sorted I ventured to the loft mid end of summer thunderstorm..looked at the freshly sorted bit and yes indeed it was waterproof even when there was more water in the air than air.

Unfortunately I looked over my shoulder to see the rear elevation was leaking at the join to the wall as well. Investigation revealed this..so not only was the flashing not fully set into the wall in many places, the mortar holding it had largely gone.

View attachment 430860

So whee...more jobs for the roofer, but it's done.

However we are hopefully at an end for a while, I'd still like a new front door as the old one is draftier than I'd like/a pvc door should be.

But it's significantly better prepared for winter than at any time in the last decade and I was expecting it to protest somewhat given it lost the long standing wind break opposite when the club was knocked down.

Have a look at DunsterHouse.co.uk They make for DIY installation and also supply direct to builders. I have completely redone my daughters house, two doors and 8 windows, I have also installed a new door here in Norfolk, and 4 windows. I am delighted with the quality and the price was exceptional too. I bought the rest of the windows here from a big company and they are OK but quite clearly less well made. If you like what you see at some point decide to go ahead I amy be able to get discount based on what I have spent already which you would be welcome to. My door here rocked in at about £750, my neighbour has a similar one they had a local company install and it was £4K.

 

[bugsymike]

To be fair assuming it was a petrol powered helicopter as most privately owned are. You can manually set the mixture on them and get them running really nicely without over fueling and it makes them super efficient, especially when you can go direct to your destination without worrying about corners or going up and down hills constantly along the way.

Where as the old Range Rover V8s especially the old 3.5, was very good at turning fuel into noise and heat without making a lot of power. less than 200hp in many cases.

This guys helicopter uses the same fuel as the Air Ambulance and Police, as they have been known to drop in when running low during a call out. So assume posh paraffin/jet fuel?

 

[bugsymike]

However we are hopefully at an end for a while, I'd still like a new front door as the old one is draftier than I'd like/a pvc door should be.

.

Re the front door if it is PVC I have improved mine and daughters at her house by replacing the rubber around the edges, as you can buy a roll of it, lube it up and slide it in on all sides, including the frame. Adjusting the fit at the lock catches helps also and much cheaper than a grand? for a new door with fitting. You do have to correctly identify the rubber profile as there are several.

 

[StevenRB45]

Doesn’t look like they’ve even attempted to put the flashing in properly!

Yep, assume when new it had a light skim over to cover/hide it. Obviously over the years water has got in, frozen and popped that off.

Re the front door if it is PVC I have improved mine and daughters at her house by replacing the rubber around the edges, as you can buy a roll of it, lube it up and slide it in on all sides, including the frame. Adjusting the fit at the lock catches helps also and much cheaper than a grand? for a new door with fitting. You do have to correctly identify the rubber profile as there are several.

It's already been adjusted and draft proofed as best possible, unfortunately the letterbox was fitted by a butcher..so replacing it without replacing the panel (it's the main source of draft) or it looking daft will be difficult.

I have however patched it up to the point water no longer comes through it and it's about half as drafty as it was.

@The Panda Nut I'll have a look at some point...my appetite for spending money is low at present