Recent content by Rancher Ed

The reason a gasoline engine will run hot and potentially melt pistons when run "lean" is that a diesel engine generally operators under a different portion of the "lean" spectrum. As shown below, peak flame temperature is achieved at the ideal air/fuel ratio (stoichiometric ratio), with the...

I am working on getting some quotes for either repairing the cracked and bulging locations or completely re-doing the stucco and will report back. Any other thoughts or ideas I'm all ears.

Eddie, I was hopeful you would chime in - thank you very much for your response! Given the age of this house an application method similar to what you have described is not something I have heard of before but it would not surprise me. To answer your questions: Foundation is slab on grade...

Thank you! The cracks letting in water is one of my major concerns, especially as this has happened right as summer is ending and we are starting to get rain again. The fiberglass is definitely the wall insulation and not a repair job - I was able to gently poke a knife 4"+ into the hole with...

I am starting to have issues with the stucco siding on my house and unfortunately know nothing about stucco. For a little bit of context, this is a two-story house built in the late 1970s with brick on the lower portion and the stucco on the upper portion. The roof is in good shape, and there...

Of the vehicles you list I would recommend the GMC Acadia or the Mazda CX-9, although I have not heard anything specifically bad about the Pathfinder or Sorento. I would second/third the suggestion to also consider a Mitsubishi Outlander. To those suggesting a minivan, yes they are more...

At the expensive but very nice end of the spectrum you could look at a Diamond-C gooseneck with 2 8k axles and ramps or a tilt deck. Diamond C Tilt Gooseneck Diamond C Gooseneck with Ramps For a more budget friendly trailer I would consider the following, among others, each with 8k axles...

I have gathered that insurance/registration is a very local consideration and can very even within a state as well as state-to-state. Higher recurring fixed costs would be a definite strike against a small semi compared to a large gooseneck. Interesting point about storage/parking and being...

OP, If we are generous and say adding the backhoe and cab doubles the weight of the tractor in questions you have a 4,000 pound load. A 7k trailer is likely to be in the 2,000 to 2,400 pound weight unloaded, and if you add a couple hundred pounds for chains, etc. you have a total towed weight...

This simply not true. A quick search shows a 2012 Ram 1500 pickup will have a payload somewhere between 1,100 and 1,900 pounds depending on the configuration. A fully loaded 7k trailer (2x 3,500 pound axles) will have approximately 700 pounds of tongue weight (8-10% target for bumper pull...

Excellent point. Here in Texas rust is not an issue so 300k miles is not out of the question. However, if it is my only vehicle I would likely replace it between 200k and 250k. Between evening chores, weekend trips, etc. my total annual mileage on my truck would be closer to 30k if using it...

I recently noticed that at least three trailer manufacturers are now offering gooseneck flatbeds with a GVWR up to 40k pounds. Diamond C FMAX216 (GVWR: 30,000 to 40,000 lbs) Maxx-D LHX (GVWR: 36,000 to 40,000 lbs) Kraftsman Trailers G4-40 (GVWR 40,000 lbs) This got me thinking, at what point...

Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas. Some quick numbers: Driving my current truck at 14mpg is roughly 1357 gallons/year and at $3.10 would be $4,207 - if gas goes up to $4/gal it would be $5,428 Something getting 25mpg average would be 760 gallons/year and $2,356 to $3,040 Something...

Being overweight and exceeding a "tow rating"* not listed on the trucks GVWR door sticker are very different. While I believe some newer trucks have started listing a towing capacity on the door sticker, a quick search indicates his truck likely does not have a tow rating listed. As such a...

With some older brake controllers that was the case but not with any newer truck with a built-in brake controller or a decent aftermarket controller (such as a Tekonsha Prodigy P2 or P3). The good brake controllers send a lower voltage, say 3 or 4 volts, when you gently apply the brakes, but if...