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The Polaris 1500 is an all-new unit...new, and unproven 3 cylinder engine and a new, unproven transmission they named "Steeldrive". Only time will tell if they will hold up in the long run. Me, I wouldn't want to be a Beta tester on something where the starting price is ~ $30,000. If, in 5...

Here's how the squirrel hunters in Nevada do it...stand is mounted on a trailer and they pull it around to various fields....

Nearest Walmart to me, in Winnemucca, Nevada, has had EV charging stations for several years now. I have NEVER seen anyone using them to charge an EV.... This same Walmart also had a gas station for years. Then it disappeared without explanation.

The CVT was my main concern when I bought my Defender. Just turned 4600 miles on it now and the original belt still looks and measures like new. Follow the owner's manual instructions as to how to treat the belt (no towing in high range, and no driving in high range below 15 mph) and they last...

OP also states that he wants to use the machine for trail riding/camping. Automatically eliminates a golf cart or electric ATV. Last I checked the longest range on any electric ATV/UTV these days is 40 miles and that just won't cut it. Went on a short ride yesterday...99.1 miles by the time...

The new Kawasaki Ridge UTV has an in-line 4 cylinder engine. https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/side-x-side/ridge/2-to-3-passenger/ridge

A side by side has one big advantage over a Jeep or pickup or other vehicle of that type....no hood to see over! It makes a huge difference in nasty terrain because you can see right down in front of the vehicle and what's there. If the vehicle has a long hood out there then your visibility is...

As far as I know, this "freewheeling" feature is only on Polaris side by sides. Both of the Polaris units in our SAR unit are this way. And I detest it...as you say - totally counter-intuitive to step on the gas to make the clutch engage for engine braking! Every other brand of side by side...

No need to add a brake line lock on a Can-am Defender. Standard feature - push down hard on the brakes, pull up on the lock and the machine ain't going anywhere. Works on all four wheels, not just two like some "Parking Brakes". One of the reasons I chose a Can-am was that it had both a brake...

^This! Been a Jeep owner for many, many years...latest is a 2006. Of all my vehicles the Jeep is definitely the hardest to climb in and out of. And it is worthless for hauling stuff around. The open bed of a side by side is much handier.

^This! Is your place a swamp?? If you're not planning on "mudding" then save money and look at the standard Can-am Defender. I wanted an all-season unit so I bought one with the cab; don't care if it is 20 degrees and blowing snow I can still use it in comfort. I've been putting several...

"Ears" Why they are called "mule deer".....

More to it than just done "legally". Most tractors that have emissions crap on them are run by an electronic brain box that in most cases needs to be reprogrammed to run without the emissions system in place.

Good luck in finding a new house built that well...that you can afford to buy. Seems to me you'd have to spec out exactly what you wanted in the house and then find a builder who would build it just that way. Too many new homes these days are built on the cheap......

I've had multiple feral cats move into my barn over the years and I like having them around for rodent control. Unfortunately the cats don't last long...too many coyotes prowling around.

Same here!

Gorgeous! Our forecast is for snow showers for the next week. Nothing is blooming yet around here. Only sign of spring is that in some places the grass is sprouting green.

I've been using one of those little pumps for several years. I've found that if I place the gas can up high, above the level of the tank into which I want to add fuel, all I have to do is turn the pump on for a couple seconds. That starts a siphoning action and the rest of the fuel will flow...

I've had several of the old Ford F350 trucks with the 460 gas engines through the years. Never any problem with the engines - very reliable. But very thirsty as far as gas mileage. Don't think I ever got better than 12 mpg running empty. Loaded and towing it could be half that. (All were...

And then came the prohibition on gas stoves and gas water heaters....all to make us dependent solely on electrical appliances where the electrical grid is already overloaded and vulnerable to outages from hacking and other reasons. Already the power companies are turning off power grids...

Maybe where you live! It has been snowing on and off here for two weeks, and long-term forecast shows the same for the next 10 days!

As long as there is firewood available! Where I live, not too many trees. For years I drove to Oregon - round trip ~ 500 miles - to pick up loads of firewood. Then that source dried up too so I had to go to a pellet stove.

Thank you for that idea! I'll have to put that up in my garage and see how it works!

They are starting to hatch right now but at this stage they are tiny. By the end of April they'll be an inch long and starting to migrate, seeking anything green to eat. By June they are close to 3" long and they don't start dying off until September and sometimes October. The entrance to...

Mormon crickets cause plenty of accidents here, crossing the highways by the billions. It's best described as driving on thick grease. The State just puts up "Slick Road" signs and calls it good: What it looks like when a swarm is crossing the road: After they've pass on there will be two...

For the first 20 years I lived on this place of mine in Nevada the ground squirrels were very abundant. I found it unique that, unlike the groundhogs in Pennsylvania who came out of hibernation when it warmed up and the snow melted and then disappeared again in late fall, the ground squirrels...

The biggest change I've seen in northern Nevada is the dramatic decrease in the number of mule deer and the corresponding huge increase in the antelope population in the 50+ years I've lived here. Used to see huge herds of mule deer, now I see huge flocks of antelope. And your Arkansas quail...

I've had an F150 I ordered in just that configuration! A real bladder buster, what with a 36 gallon tank and the great fuel mileage it gets! 3.5 Ecoboost, 400 miles since filling up and 417 miles still to go before empty: (Overall fuel mileage since new, with almost 80,000 miles on the...

I have elderly neighbors next door living on 20 acres with a few goats but they grow a huge garden every year. But they have no tractor so every summer I mow about 5 of their acres as wildfire control, and if we have a big snowfall I plow their driveway (1/4 mile long) and areas around their...

Only one criteria...will it do the job? Nothing else matters. And if you'd chosen a non-Tremor model you'd have more payload. The Tremor has a softer suspension tuned to articulate and ride better off road compared to a standard F250. Which is why I wouldn't even consider an F250 and go...

^This! Unless you have a really old truck all the newer ones won't allow a hose down into the gas tank. That's why these days gas thieves drill the tank itself - no way to siphon out of the tank. Don't know what all the other manufacturers use....but this is what the fill spout in a newer...

Many changes, and not always for the better! The Marines have a high-altitude/cold weather training center in the Sierra Nevada mountains just west of the Nevada border. When I passed through there in the 60s they had to train in absolutely realistic conditions - which meant digging latrines...

I've already done that...but only for those LPs/CDs that I couldn't find on line. I found it much easier to get a Spotify subscription and then record the music I wanted right to the computer. Then it was just a matter of putting the music I wanted on various flash drives, to play in my...

My understanding is that at least the new Fords are still that way. Put it in "M" and whatever gear you select, that's the gear the transmission will stay in. That's the way my 2016 F150 is......and my 2022 Toyota 4Runner. I use "M" a lot when off-road, going down steep grades, to keep from...

What kind of fuel mileage did that Ram 5500 get on the drive down and back???

That was me also, growing up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania. All the time I was growing up, till I got drafted (Vietnam was going on), if the temperature outside was 50 degrees or above I never wore a shirt. And of course, no one used sunscreen back then. By the month of May I would be...

Same here. I have a standing appointment with my dermatologist twice a year and she always finds more to cut off or freeze at each appointment. But then my Dad always wore a broad-brimmed hat (usually straw) and long sleeved shirt when he was outside and yet he had the same problem. By the...

My brother has been a Goldwing rider for years - owned several of them. Puts about 150,000 miles on one and then trades it in for a new one. Last year he decided it was time for another new one...had to go all the way to Texas from where he lives in Kansas because that dealership in Texas had...

Same here! I was an EMT/Firefighter for years and how to get a proper blood pressure reading was always part of the training and refresher training. Now, I walk into the doctor's office and a young lady immediately slaps a cuff on my wrist that automatically takes a blood pressure reading...

Wait another 20 years and then tell us how it goes. Your body will change A LOT once you are over 65. Me, I was over 70 when a statin and BP medication were first prescribed. Very low dose on both...but as you age things change. Did a lot of exploring on my dirt bike until a couple years...

Yes. Here's the shift pattern for my M7060. My ancient John Deere 2020 is the same way - Park position in the tranny for when you get off the tractor. Neither tractor has a "Parking Brake" of any sort.

My theory is that a lot of us who are on blood pressure meds really don't need them. "White coat syndrome", plus other factors, make blood pressure rise. Myself, I live here out here in a rural area where it is quiet and peaceful and my body gets used to it. When I have to drive to the city...

I'm a bit older than you but I don't feel I've lost any of my riding "skills" that I developed over a lifetime on two wheels. It's my old carcass that is failing me. My reaction time that used to be milliseconds...seems like now it would have to be measured in minutes. Used to be able to...

Same here! Gonna put my little Yamaha XT-225 up for sale as soon as it warms up. Getting way too clumsy to be riding on two wheels. Used to be if I crashed I'd just jump up, pick up the bike, and keep on going. Doubt I could do that anymore. If my old bones hit the ground these days they...

I would check the linkages. Lots of places for things to come apart. But difficult to do if you have a cab model!

There are warning stickers in the cab of my HD10 about towing backwards. Supposedly suction from towing at speed and vehicles going in the other direction can rip the windshield off. But I won't tow it facing forward on the trailer because of rock hits (my towing is mainly on gravel roads)...

Not mine...I took this pic in Nevada's Ruby Valley this past summer...someone letting the paint on their Kubotas fade to a less bright orange.........

Cattle clustered around the (frozen) waterhole on the Roaring Springs Ranch in the Catlow Valley, Oregon:

Out here we get "ghost" antennas up on the mountains where the relay stations are placed.....

ALWAYS under a roof, be it in the pole barn or in a shed. That Nevada sun wreaks havoc with paint and rubber.

https://www.powerstroke.org/threads/wide-track-fat-boy-pickup-front-axle-id-and-specs.1392729/

I almost ordered one. Lots of articles out there about the years this was available and how to tell if an F350 was equipped with the wide front end. Depending on the year it would have Option 67W or 535 on the build sheet. Here's an article from Moog, who supplies front end parts...

I installed a set of General Grabber A/TX Load Range E tires on my F150 5 years ago because I drive mostly dirt roads. They've been excellent. And yes, they have the 3 Peak ice/snow rating but I can't testify as to how good they are in ice/snow. I'm retired and when there is ice/snow on the...

That wide axle was an option for the F350 at one time. No idea if you can still specify it these days.

Good luck! I've been living on the same place here in Nevada for the past 30 years. Every year I'm pulling more mower-destroying rocks out of the ground. It is a never-ending process.

Same here. Lots of talk but no action. No fiber has been installed in my area at all yet on the news they talk about the millions of dollars spent in Nevada for "rural broadband" access.

Haven't seen that particular screen...but I think ALL the modern vehicles with all the electronics, the big screens in the dash and other gizmos, have a lot of battery drain going on when the vehicle is shut off, just to maintain memory in all the electronics. I learned very quickly that if my...

"General" level HAM operator. But only because it is a requirement to have a HAM license to belong to my local Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit. All SAR communications are via HAM frequencies, and all SAR vehicles have HAM mobiles installed in them. Plus each SAR member gets a HAM handheld for...

Not too bad. Keep in mind this is not your automatic transmission of a few years ago where 1st gear was only about a 2.5-1 ratio. 1st gear in this new 8 speed automatic is 4.71-1. 1st gear in the 6 speed manual is 5.13-1. I have a 2022 Toyota 4Runner which comes with a 5 speed automatic...

This. As a long-time Wrangler owner I follow several Wrangler forums. There are many more problems with the 6 speed manual transmissions in the newer Wranglers than with the automatic. That 8 speed automatic is one of the best transmissions out there, regardless of brand of vehicle. (My...

Wow! Just wow! That's an awful lot of problems for a truck that new! Did you buy this new? I have the V10 in my 2007 E350 and it has been flawless. Been driving it for 17 years now and the ONLY thing that's been done to it is changing a faulty brake switch that was causing the cruise control...

Wife and I both had AAA memberships but dropped them after we found out they would refuse to respond to calls off pavement. Wife had a flat on a wide smooth graded road near town and AAA told her "Sorry". We were not the only ones who've had this problem with AAA...lots of stories like this...

ALL the radios mentioned in this post are essentially line-of-sight. In other words, if there is a hill or mountain between two radios, there is small chance they will be able to talk to each other unless there is a repeater on top of the mountain to relay the signal. Signals CANNOT travel...

3/4 and 1 ton trucks not only have stiffer springs, they come with 10 ply tires with very stiff sidewalls - plus the tires are also aired up to 60 to 80 psi. I have both a 3500 and a Ford F150 and the difference is a noticeably better ride on the F150 - even though the payload of the F150 is...

Wild turkeys and cattle grazing together in a meadow in northern Nevada today....

Biggest problem I have with GoPro is that you are essentially stuck with wide angle views only. Personally I prefer a more zoomed-in view.

Absolutely true. No 10 speed manual transmissions out there for cars or pickups...but that's what most automatics are these days. And gear 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all overdrives. When the tranny is in tenth the gear ratio is so high the engine is barely over an idle at highway speeds. Whereas...

Don't think any of those old trannies would hold up to the torque of a diesel in today's pickups...I believe all of them are now rated over 1000 lb-ft of torque. If I remember correctly the new Superduty is at 1200 lb-ft of torque. I think the GM Turbo 400 you mentioned was supposed to be the...

Been driving manual transmissions for 70 years now. Still have two...Jeep Wrangler and Dodge/Cummins dually, both with 6 speed manual trannies.

Most manufacturers have gone to this. Was just watching a video on the new Ram 1500 pickup. Not only no dipstick in the engine compartment for the tranny, but there is no dipstick for engine oil either! Supposedly there is a sensor that will tell you if the engine oil is low..........light...

I just wish I had internet fast enough to even think about streaming anything. And no, I'm not about to pay for a Starlink setup. Cell signals are pretty weak also, and intermittent.

Mule deer in a field, northern Nevada.....

Since this condition of yours comes and goes then it is not retinal detachment. Once a retinal detachment happens it is permanent UNLESS the eye surgeon can go in and reattach the retina. They can reattach depending on the particular case, some detachments cannot be fixed. Have you had a...

I don't know just which models have it and which don't. Our new Ranger XP1000 the County bought for our Search and Rescue unit does not. I subscribe to a UTV magazine that regularly tests all kinds of side by sides and quads and they regularly talk about the lack of engine braking in various...

I would be asking myself what made that gully. If it was running water then for sure don't fill up the gully because the next time water comes through there it will have to find a new channel - somewhere you may not want it!

My understanding is that it is an option on most of the Polaris models. The clutch assembly that allows engine braking is available from Polaris: My question is...why is this an option when all the other manufacturers have it as standard equipment? Why would anyone want a machine that...

Too bad there isn't a way to check the anti-gel properties of "winter diesel" as it comes from the dealer. I bet it varies all over depending on how much anti-gel was added to the "winter diesel", how much summer diesel was still in the tank when it was topped off with "winter diesel", etc. I...

Here you go. Although in real-world testing the range was not nearly the 80 miles quoted in this ad, and the starting price is twice that of a comparably equipped ICE Polaris. https://www.polaris.com/en-us/off-road/ranger/models/ranger-xp-kinetic/

Far as I'm concerned there is no reason to remove snow right down to dirt/gravel/pavement level. Keep your blade a couple inches above the ground and it won't dig in and you can still drive on it without getting stuck.

I would love one too. But the ones on the market now have a maximum range of about 50 miles. Too many of my rides are well over 100 miles...I can carry an extra can of gas but haven't figured out how to carry an extra can of electricity.....

Personally, I'd save a bunch of money and either build or have someone build a cab for your father's Kubota. Old diesels like that are far more dependable than any newer one with all the electronics they are loaded with these days.

When your cell towers are sitting at 10,000 feet elevation the signal travels pretty far... Traveling along US Highway 50 across Nevada this tower is where you'd get your cell signal from. The highway is in this picture but so far away you can't make it out unless you know where to look...

As far as I know it is only the Polaris units that don't have engine braking in the newest machines. Reading tests of new machines in my UTV magazines and they still complain about it. I know that Can-am, Honda and Yamaha all have their clutching systems set up to provide engine braking...

^This! Tried them all in rural Nevada and Verizon is the only one with towers outside of the cities. Kind of funny...ATT had to do some landline maintenance in my area and the crew had to get Verizon phones because their ATT phones had no signal. But there are still vast areas of Nevada with...

That white stripe is a great idea! But...there is no way I can see the front of my FEL or what I am trying to attach to, over the hood of my Kubota. Might if I could stand up...but that's impossible to do with the cab. That's why I ended up buying a camera.

And 200 pages explaining how to use that 12" screen in the dash that controls your radio/heater/phone..........

204.5" wheelbase in a 2-door??? How long is the bed going to be?

My friends with the RPS system lives in an area that is mostly soft sand. They poured a good-sized concrete slab and mounted a stout steel pipe probably about 4" diameter in the concrete while it was wet. Solar panel array is mounted to that post. Very stable and the wind isn't going to move it!

I bought one of these. The camera portion has a powerful magnet that can be stuck anywhere on the front of your loader arms or forks assembly. It transmits an excellent picture wirelessly to the monitor that I stick on the instrument panel on my Kubota. No way I can see the forks to guide them...

Back when I worked at a large mine I was in charge of the bulk fuels. When diesel was delivered it was my job to put red dye in the tank before the trucker dumped in the load of diesel. 250cc per 10,000 gallons diesel if I remember correctly. So I'd say that the dye is added to the tank at...

I've been removing "surface rocks" for 20+ years now. Frost keeps pushing them up out of the ground. But "surface rocks" is a misnomer. Only a few inches of these lunkers stick up out of the ground - just enough to destroy a mower. So I have to dig down and then lift them out.

THIS is why these forums are so great! People helping people!

One of my friends installed a RPS solar well kit a few years ago and loves it. He has a 3000 gallon water tank on a hill so that solar pump is pushing water up about 200' high. I was amazed it had the power to do that. Here in Nevada most of the windmills are being replaced with these solar...

When I was shopping for a side by side I was really leary of the belt drive and strongly considered a Honda because of it's "dual clutch automatic" transmission. Now I'm glad I settled for the belt-drive Can-am after reading about all the problems with that dual clutch automatic. Over 4000...

Can-am (Canadian company) offers tracks straight from the factory for their machines for those who live in snow country. Go where no vehicle on wheels can go.

^This! I bought something similar many years ago from Northern Tool. It came with a 15w solar panel. I mounted the solar panel on the roof of my pole barn and this little charger maintainer has kept the battery in my welder and other equipment topped off without problem for years. It is a...

Just a thought....but my brother uses some coveralls that are electrically heated - use a rechargeable battery pack that fits into a pocket, about half the size of a cell phone. Says it keeps him toasty warm for several hours per charge. Big benefit is that the coveralls are not bulky, so easy...

Condensation. You'd be amazed at how much condensation can form inside a large tank. All these tanks are vented and that allows moist air in. One of the reasons that manufacturers tell you to keep a gas tank as full as possible as much as possible. That reduces the amount of...

My personal experience is that the newer "rubber" lines are WORSE than the ones available 20 years ago. Crack and leak very quickly. As far as the E-10...I have a new Honda lawn mower, plus some other newer gas-powered equipment. Owner's manuals ALL recommend NOT using E-10 or any other...

And my magnet-mount HAM radio antenna!

Peacocks waiting for the hayride to start on the Leonard Creek Ranch in Nevada....

A few months ago I watched a YouTube video from back in the rust belt someplace, where the roads were extensively salted every winter, addressing just this question. They brought in several examples from Ford, GM, Ram and Toyota, all about 8 - 9 years old and compared the body integrity. The...

Depends on where you live, I guess. Good luck in renting or hiring a truck in rural Nevada. Or getting something you bought delivered. Out here, if you want something hauled or delivered you best have your own truck and trailer. Or have a friend/relative/neighbor do it for you.

My Dodge/Cummins will be 21 years old next month. I defy you to find a spot of rust on it!

Out here the remote ranches that don't have commercial power keep their generators underground. That is, in storm cellar or root cellar type compartments, either built into a hillside or if on flat ground with several feet of earth heaped over it. Only air intake and exhaust ported to the...

Most of the older half ton gas trucks are lucky to break 15 mpg. Older heavy duty gas powered pickups average closer to 10 mpg...I've owned a few! Why I recommended an older Dodge Cummins - guys I know tell me they routinely get over 20 mpg. Yet they can haul or pull most anything you'd hook...

An old Dodge with the Cummins engine and 8' bed. With the miles you say you will be putting on it, it will outlive you and be the most dependable vehicle you can buy.

Not Bob-white but California quail around here. And they are everywhere. All over my place and my neighbors tell me their places also. I also see them running around in all the canyons in the back country also. In my yard: This time of year when the ground squirrels and other rodents spent...

When I was about the age of the kid in the one picture above I didn't mind the snow at all. Now that I'm closer to 80 than 8....I'm REALLY happy I'm living in the desert and don't have to spend hours moving that white stuff around!

So...tell us more. Which engine powers your F150? How many miles on it? Also...what is "decarbonizing" the engine??? I've been an F150 owner for nearly 9 years now; I follow the F150 forums and yet I've never heard of this procedure.

It sure must be nice to have that many options. Where I live, there is a New Holland dealer 30 minutes away. Other than that, it is about 200 miles to the next dealerships of any make.

^This! And I've noticed that since the election everyone I've talked to has a much more positive outlook on the direction the country will be heading in, as well as their own well-being.

But the city dwellers are "absentee" owners. And they make ill-informed, emotion-based instead of fact based, decisions about the land surrounding my property (BLM land on two sides) that doesn't affect them at all. But it sure affects me!

I bought my John Deere 2020 diesel at a ranch auction back in 1997. Still using the heck out of it.

So true. Around here, Dodge/Cummins trucks older than 2007 (pre-emissions) with 200,000 miles on them are selling for essentially what they sold for as when they were new. Some people are willing to pay those outrageous prices for a used vehicle just so they don't have to put up with the...

You need to clarify...are you talking about an actual land plane that is towed behind a big tractor, has a grader-type blade and is used to level uneven fields? Or a driveway scraper like posted above in photos by MtnViewRanch?

For me, I could see a big difference right after surgery. But my vision kept getting better as time went on - maybe my brain adapting to my "new" eyes? It was probably 2 - 3 months before I REALLY began seeing well.

Keep this in mind...any tractor of the size you are thinking about - and bigger - will have the Tier IV emissions system on the engine if it is newer than 2014. That means having to avoid running the engine at low rpms for any length of time. The engine, whether it has a diesel particulate...

Back in 1993 I escorted my parents on a tour through some Eastern European countries. We were at an airport waiting to get on a plane but none of the flight crew were to be found. The tour director knew exactly where to look for them...I was with her when she walked into the employee break...

Nevada is one of the states that legalized "recreational" use of marijuana a few years ago. The State then ran multiple ads telling people that just because it was "legal" and you couldn't be arrested for merely using it, that didn't mean that companies couldn't ban its use by their employees...

Mining companies I've worked for have done random testing for many, many years. Your number might come up once a year - or it might come up twice in a week. Check for alcohol and drugs. If you tested positive you were immediately escorted off the property and told not to come back. And I...

In September I went back to Pennsylvania and drove by what used to be our old farm and saw that at least one of the ancient rock fences is still there. When I was growing up there in the 50s every field was surrounded by these fences. About 30 years ago people began selling the fences - big...

If you need some rocks, please stop by. I have multiple piles on my place just like this that I had to pull out of the ground so I could mow. No charge!

No humidity to speak of and steel lasts forever. When's the last time you saw humidity at 3%? I find old derelict cars out in the desert all the time and they still look good. Bet this one has been out here for around 80 years and it still looks good:

Payload sticker on my 2016 F150 says 1937 lbs and that's without any of the heavy payload options that were available. So essentially 1 ton. I understand that with the optional "Max Payload" package that sticker reads close to 2500 lb.

It's a case of pushing the pricing just to see just how far they could go before people refused to buy. I have a 2006 Wrangler Rubicon. Two years ago I was thinking I'd like a new one so I priced it out with the options I required. It came to $71,000 before taxes! If I wanted the V8 engine...

I have at least a dozen of them. Every vehicle I have (tractors, motorcycle, quad, etc.), except for my daily driver, has one connected to it. Some I've had for years. Never had one fail.

Short wheelbase is NOT your friend when towing. The longer the wheelbase, the more stable the tow vehicle. Think crewcab longbed when towing any kind of weight (or a high-profile camp trailer).

Absolutely NOT with a Colorado, Ranger or Tacoma! There's a lot more to towing than having an engine with the power to pull the load. I'd want at least a 3/4 ton for what you are talking about. I have an F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost - plenty of power to pull. But the softer suspension (even...

Antelope in my yard this past summer, using the needles of a pine tree to scratch his neck. Wish I could post a video of this - really neat to see how vigorously he worked his head and neck against the tree.

12 degrees this morning so the steam rising from the hot springs not far from my house really put on a show:

I have my doubts. A lot of that weight will be far from the base of the forks and that leverage makes a difference. I lift pallets of wood pellets off my trailer every year. Each pallet weight just over 2000 lb. I have to have my rotary mower on the 3 point hitch or trying to lift that 2000...

Tires were not larger. P265/70R17 OEM, LT265/70R17E is what I replaced OEM with. Stand them up side by side and they are the same height. That was thousands of miles ago and the speedometer/odometer appear to be right on.

Just be aware that the OEM tires are generally chosen because they give good fuel mileage. As soon as you put more aggressive tires on it, your fuel mileage will drop. My F150 spends most of its life on rocky dirt roads. Those OEM tires don't last at all on those roads so I went with Load...

Hardest part for me was to get the coil pack/spark plug boot to release from the spark plug after many years of not being touched. I doubt the factory used dielectric grease on them!

My friend, you are way behind the times. Of course you can't trace a spark plug wire...I don't think any vehicle manufactured in the past 20 years has had spark plug wires. They all have a coil mounted on each spark plug these days!

Please post a photo of your "Ford" tires. I'm old and I've yet to see one. Most of the new pickups (regardless of brand) seem to have Goodyear or Dunlop or Bridgestone on them.

Exactly! All the newer engines are a lot more complicated than the old pushrod engines we were used to. You can read all kinds of horror stories about the problems caused by the cylinder deactivation systems in GM and Ram engines. Or the dual battery system in newer Jeep Wranglers. All these...

Sounds to me like Ford has decided to send every truck built on a hangover-Monday to your area of Texas. Just the opposite here in northern Nevada/southeast Oregon. There is a Ford dealer in every little town. If you want a GM or a Ram you have 3 options. Reno. 500 miles to the south in Las...

Man, I can sure relate to the above! For years I rode a motorcycle everywhere and in all seasons and laughed at the cold. Wrapped a special thin chain around the tires for traction on icy roads. But the last few years I've become a complete wimp as far as cold. My body just shuts down...

Over on the Ford forums the guys talk about an aftermarket software program for Fords called Forscan that they download onto a laptop. They can use that to change all kinds of different parameters on their trucks. I wonder if there is something similar for Ram trucks?

And on the east side of Bishop are the White Mountains - and Bristlecone National Monument. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5129900 The road starts in Lone Pine, just south of Bishop, goes east onto Westgard Pass and then turns north up the spine of the White...

Exactly. Especially when we have bureaucrats out there who have the power to mandate that manufacturers can make only electric vehicles after a certain date. This is especially telling after hearing from my relatives back in Pennsylvania where the power is out due to storms and won't be back...

Excellent advice! Except that for newer model trucks - from my research 2016 up - the weep hole in the intercooler is no longer needed as Ford addressed the issue. But yes - the Ecoboost engines (really, any turbocharged engine) is harder on spark plugs so generally accepted advice is to not...

2016 F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost. 77,000 miles on it. Problem free...best truck I've ever owned and I'm old. Owned a few trucks in my time.

Look at a map of the last election. Rural California all voted red. They are all great folks and good to know. Its the cities - LA, San Francisco, Sacramento - that are clueless and vote woke. Unfortunately, they have the numbers to win elections...and cause so many Californians to flee to...

Yup. California is at it again. I have a lot of Native American friends and acquaintances. They are not offended by the word - but apparently the woke crowd is. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/15/california-rename-43-places-00189912

That is rabbitbrush. Grows all over the west and very prevalent in Nevada. Yours is a late season pic. It is bright green spring and summer and glows like fire at fall time. A lot of people are very allergic to rabbitbrush! It lines the road in this pic: And it can be found at really high...

I think a lot of people refer to a "maintainer" as a "charger" and that causes confusion. A charger feeds power to the battery constantly and can kill the battery if connected too long. A maintainer feeds power to the battery only when it is needed, then turns itself off and monitors the state...

My John Deere 2020 diesel is the same way. If the temperature is below about 50 degrees it struggles to start. I installed a coolant heater on it many years ago; I plug it in a half hour before using and then the tractor starts just fine. Something like this only mine is probably 30 years...

Longevity of copper fittings may be fine where you live. Out here in some locations the naturally occurring chemicals in the well water will eat up copper in no time.

That's what I did. All of my rigs have ring terminal to SAE connectors installed on them because the battery maintainers have SAE ends. The ring terminals go to the battery terminals and the SAE end is attached somewhere out of the way but still easy to get to. So no lifting the hood or...

Exactly! Here is a list of the PBS mountaintop repeaters (they call them Translators) for just my section of northern Nevada. But the PBS station itself is on the University of Nevada campus in Reno.

I do live waaayy out in the boonies. But...the one big difference between where you live and where I live is mountains - very high mountains - and lack of tree cover. Many years ago radio/TV repeaters were installed on the mountain summits and as long as there is a clear line of site to the...

All the water lines in the new housing in this area is PEX. Seems to work great. That stuff was called Qest. Water lines in my house (34 years old) are all Qest. I've never had a water leak. My understanding is that chlorinated water systems would react with the Qest tubing, making it...

Quail picking up forage kochia seed in my yard this morning. Got a fresh coat of snow last night and so far its not melting very fast!

Local news is all I watch on TV. When a commercial comes on I hit the mute button...seems like anymore there are 15 minutes of commercials in a half hour news program. (Antenna on my roof is how my TV gets its signal.)

Acceleration? Excess speed?? Mostly it is the type of road surface. Here in the desert most of the dirt roads are like what is in the pic below. No one is "accelerating" for miles upon miles on these roads, nor are they traveling at excessive speeds. A dry sandy surface with a lot of loose...

The Mac IIsi computer I bought from a pawn shop in 1991 is still hooked up and still works, down in my basement. It has the Apple ImageWriter dot matrix printer hooked to it and it works wonderful to make big long colorful banners.

Nope. All my batteries stay in whatever equipment they were installed in. BUT...every one has one of these battery maintainers connected to it. I went the extra step and installed quick connects to each battery so I don't have to raise a hood or remove a battery cover. Temperature...

Lucky you. Several years ago the local Ace Hardware got bought out by a small grocery store chain. So the hardware store is just one end of the grocery store, next to all the grocery items. Good luck on getting someone knowledgeable to help you with anything. If what you need is on the shelf...

To me my old vinyl albums are priceless and I will never sell them. So it doesn't matter what they are worth to someone else. As far as punk/alternative rock...to me that is nothing more than noise. Never listened to any of it and never owned any of it...and never will.

In Colorado this morning. And the ski area closest to Reno, Nevada opens to skiers tomorrow!

Thank you! Now I'll have to see what it takes to cash them in.

Blizzard conditions on I-80 in Wyoming; I-70 east of Denver is closed due to the blowing snow.

Same here in northern Nevada. Desert here doesn't get much precipitation but for the second year in a row we are running 50% above normal. It was 12 degrees here this morning. Here's a pic I grabbed off the fire camera on Deer Mountain in northeast Nevada:

My "offspring" will have to decide what to do with mine. Don't intend to ever get rid of them. Some of the albums - Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Andy Williams come to mind - just sound better on vinyl than the digital versions do so I do play mine.

Going through some old files the other day I found I still have a few! They are over 50 years old...from the time when I was in the Navy and doing a lot of traveling. "American Express" Travelers Checks...looks like I have several hundred dollars worth of them. Wonder if they could be cashed...

I did this a few years ago. But I had all the equipment I needed (bought while I was in Vietnam 50 years ago). Good stereo receiver and turntable. Only thing I didn't have was a converter, a "dongle" that is available on-line and converts the analog signal to digital. Bought the dongle and...

^This. I was an EMT/firefighter for many years and responded to a lot of wrecks. Very often after a wreck the door simply will not open - it is jammed. Why we carried the Jaws - cut the roof off to get people out of wrecked vehicles.

Flock of antelope (Nevada Speed Goats) heading to water in Nevada's Black Rock Range:

I carry one of these in my rig all the time. Only mine is made out of solid aluminum, weighs very little. Better safe than sorry.

When lifting moving heavy weight with the front end loader (bucket or forks) make sure your front axle is engaged. That's what I have to do with my Kubota or the rear tires just spin. If whatever you lift is so heavy the rear tires are coming off the ground then put something heavy on the 3...

I've been using a set of 4 Snappin' Turtle ratchet straps for 8 years now to tie down my Jeep and my Can-am. Excellent quality. They have many other models if these with the hooks aren't what you like. https://www.snappinturtle.com/race-car/6-heavy-duty-ratchet-10k/

I like it!

Some years ago I worked at a remote minesite - 80 miles to the nearest town. 18 wheeler got stuck in the desert a short distance from the mine and requested assistance so the mine sent down a big 'ol Cat 988 loader. Trucker already had his chain hooked to the truck so when the loader backed up...

I have the same problem. My house is 34 years old. When I have to replace a fitting in the plumbing system I have to buy on line - neither of the two hardware stores in the nearest town carry the fittings because "they are obsolete". Just recently I needed to replace the coil packs in my 2016...

My eye doc told me that some brains adapt easily to having one eye corrected for distance and the other for reading. But some don't, and I was afraid my brain would never get used to have my eyes done that way so I opted for good distance vision. 3 years now, and I'm very happy with the...

I pruned up my lilacs, stack of pruned limbs about 6 feet high that I left sitting in the yard because it was too late in the day to haul them off. Next morning I found a flock of quail had decided those prunings were an ideal place to hang out. Shot through my triple-pane kitchen window so...

Maybe. Around here the deer and antelope have gotten so used to the sound of engines that they ignore them. Turn the engine off - like I do to get a sharp photo - and they alert immediately. I suspect that an EV - no sound but tires on dirt or brush or branches on the sides of the vehicle -...

Wow! That thing is sure different from the 1973 R75/5 I used to ride!

Yup. A mirror mounted in that position is the only way to go if you ride in trees and brush.

I haven't heard of any battery powered ATVs, only side by sides. Owners of the battery powered side by sides really like them - but range is only about 40 miles or so. That would never work for me; a lot of my rides go for well over 100 miles in a day. Range on my Defender is at least 150...

Couldn't agree more. Now that I've owned a cab model I would never go back to an open side by side. I want to be able to use this thing no matter what the weather, not just when it is sunny and warm.

Great Basin rattlesnake is what they are called. Very plentiful around here. This one was under my ATV:

Never been bit - been very careful and I always wear at least 10" high boots when out in the desert. But I've had some experience with rattlesnake bites as an EMT/firefighter. Depends a lot (at least with rattlesnakes) as to where they bite you and how much venom they decide to release. And...

Put a battery maintainer on it. NOT a trickle charger, a maintainer. I've doubled and in some cases tripled how long my batteries last by doing that. Lots of different brands/manufacturers to choose from. I've had really good luck with these...

Same here. I bought my Defender to comfortably explore rough trails...trails that would beat me to death if I was in my Jeep Wrangler. Owner's manual for the Defender says to use Low Range if driving below 15 mph - and most of the rides I go on, I'm in Low Range most of the time. I'm not out...

Why I bought a Defender with a full cab on it. When it's nice out there I can roll down the windows and open the windshield. When its nasty out there I close the windows. And turn on the heat if it is needed.

Been reading the Defender forum posts for several years now. And it is clear that if you leave the driveline relatively stock, and don't use it as a submarine or airplane, they are really dependable. Seems a lot of folks, soon as they buy one, they are asking how to mount 35" (or taller) tires...

Bumper crop of pine nuts in Nevada also. But ours are waiting for some frost to open the cones. Right now they are bright green, closed...and dripping with pine pitch!

Just about to turn 4,000 trouble-free miles on my Can-am Defender. Looking from the cab of the Defender over 100+ miles of Nevada desert from the top of a mesa about 3,000 feet above the desert below. Sheer drop of about 500 feet right in front of the Defender:

Wow! That is one beautiful 1066! Restored, or just well cared for?

I've been using that model Milwaukee for several months now. It is very heavy, especially if you stick a 6 AH or bigger battery on it. Heavier than my 1/2" IR air impact I've had for years - and also more powerful. It has 4 power levels it can be set at; the most powerful will bust off lugs...

I've had a LocknLube Easy-Prime Grease gun for over a year now and had no problems with it. Works as advertised and does not leak grease out the bottom no matter what position I store it in or use it in. It ships with 6 (if I remember correctly) plastic followers that go into the open end of...

Try telling that to the parents of this little girl. Happened about two miles from where I live.

I have experience only with a newer Kubota M7060 so I can't speak to all Tier IV tractors but I pretty much operate it the same as my 60 year old John Deere. Only difference is that whereas I might leave the old John Deere idling for a long time, I shut down the Kubota if I know I'll not be...

But it looks like one of your PTO shafts is about to shake itself apart?

Find yourself an old John Deere 2020 diesel, fix what on it needs fixing, and you'll have a tractor that will be trouble free the rest of your life with all the horsepower you'll ever need. Much cheaper and lower maintenance than a new tractor.