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Seismograph station on a high ridge not far from where I live.....

I can lift an awful amount of weight with my old John Deere 2020 bucket. Problem is, once I've lifted it off the ground that take all the weight off the rear tires and I have problems going anywhere...especially backing up (no 4wd). And heaven help you if you go down a hill with a lot of...

^This. Sure, when they first went into effect, like with all new technologies there were teething problems. They seem to be sorted out now. I know several guys with newer diesels and they just love them. None of them have reported any problems with the engines or the transmissions.

Those old Honda XLs were wonderful bikes! Awesome low end torque, extremely dependable, and got 70+ mpg. Mine was the previous version, only a 500cc, but I put thousands of trouble-free miles on it in some really remote places. This pic was taken in 1986 at an elevation of about 13,000 feet...

I think your definition of an "old" John Deere and mine are different. To me an "old" John Deere is one like me...made over 60 years ago!

If memory serves me correctly my IT-465 was a 1982.

Are you sure there are no rebuild kits for your Craftsman door openers? I have three of them in my garage about 30 years old; when one failed a couple years ago (stripped gears on a nylon gear wheel) I was able to buy complete rebuild kits and rebuilt all 3 so should be good to go for the rest...

My 2016 F150 Supercab, 4x4, with the 3.5 Ecoboost will easily exceed 22 mpg if I don't drive too aggressively. Note that it could have gone over 800 miles on that tank (36 gallon). Being honest, though...over 71,000 miles on the truck now and the overall fuel mileage since new, hand...

I have one of these Jensen Heavy Duty receivers with bluetooth and weatherband installed in 3 of my 4x4 vehicles. They are expensive, but no problems with them in 15 years now and I see the exact same model is still available: Jensen Heavy Duty JHD1635BT

Got a call from an elderly neighbor couple this afternoon. They have a small orchard (apple) and this year the trees are absolutely overloaded with fruit. They'd been propping up the branches to support the weight of the apples but one of them - a big branch - broke anyway and they asked me to...

Listen to the stereo in my Kubota all the time. 3000+ songs on a flash drive if I'm in the mood for music. Or multiple audiobooks on another flash drive if I'm in the mood to have a good book read to me. Sure helps a 10 hour day in the tractor seat go by a lot faster. But I've not upgraded...

Barn near Eagleville, California:

Two days ago I had to make a run to Reno (175 miles one way) and stopped at the Home Depot (nearest one to me) for some supplies. I noticed there were NO gas powered lawn mowers or chain saws or anything else on display. EVERYTHING they had in stock was battery powered. I was shocked that...

50 year old Ektachrome slide of my 1973 BMW R75/5 in the bleak Nevada desert - looks like a moonscape. All the colors have faded/shifted through the years leaving the blue color.

Same situation here! In 1976 I bought a new GMC "Vandura" Terravan 4x4 conversion van. 400ci V8, 3.73 gears. Drove that thing for over 32 years - averaged 12 mpg. After 32 years of rough roads it was either sink a lot of money into the GMC or get something newer. Found a 2007 Ford E350 4x4...

Now that surprises me. Around here, the fueling stations have 3 hoses...one for diesel, one for the gas with ethanol, and one for the e-free gasoline.

No. 65-70 max when towing. That's on the highway. But not too many paved roads around here so on dirt I usually stay below 50 mph.

And this I heartily agree with!

Depends on what you mean by "terrible". My F150 is what I drive the most. Bought new, it has 71,000 miles on it now and the overall fuel mileage, hand calculated, is 20.5 mpg. That includes a lot of miles with a trailer hooked to it - and a lot of miles at 80+ mph.

^This. When I lived in Pennsylvania, driving slower wasn't a problem. There was a town every few miles where I could buy what I needed. Out here in Nevada, going to "town" means Reno, 175 miles away...and other than fuel there is NOTHING you'll be able to buy in between. "Town" heading east...

Several of my friends have now seen Sound of Freedom and feel the same way about it so guess I'm going to have to buy it. Funny there seems to be a lot of controversy over the subject matter?

Great trucks...know others who have them and love them. I bought an F150 because the bed length was 2" longer than the Ram and that was important to me because I haul my Yamaha Kodiak ATV in the back and with that extra bed length I am able to shut the tailgate with the ATV loaded. Plus, the...

Same here. Nevada/Utah/Wyoming speed limit is 80 mph. I set the cruise at 83 mph (no worries about speeding tickets at that speed) and let the truck eat up the miles.

I have had a Microstart XP10 for years now. Great investment; it is so small and can charge phone batteries and a myriad of other things in addition to jump starting vehicles. Yes, it will start my old Dodge/Cummins 5.9 easily. I pack it with me on all my trips - in my 4x4s and in the...

I got these four mulies to line up and pose for you in Nevada's Snowstorm mountains:

Exactly how I use mine now that I no longer use a wood-burning stove. It's perfect for cleaning up limbs busted off the trees. Mine came with a fancy case that allows me to carry extra fuel and bar oil and a couple extra chains; I bring it along on my expeditions. It makes short work of...

I bought an MS-261 maybe 10 years ago. Dealer had a 24" bar on it but since I already had a big Pro saw with a long bar I had him replace the 24" with an 18". Saw has been flawless since day one, no problems.

I take it you like your Duramaxes...I remember when they were first introduced. People scoffed..."cheap Isuzu engine"...time has sure proved them wrong!

Part of the aging process, at least for me. I can no longer grow hair on the top of my head...instead, it grows like crazy out of my ears and nose and eyebrows.

I hear you! 50+ years ago in Vietnam most of us were pretty shaggy...there were other priorities besides being clean-cut. My enlistment was up about the time my tour in Vietnam was up so instead of being reassigned to another location I was given an "early out". Since my home of record was...

No DEF unless you are looking at a much larger (100+ HP) tractor. And Kioti is NOT doing anything different...as explained above, all the diesel pollution control systems are either the catalyst system or DPF (diesel particulate filter) system. BOTH of them require high heat in the exhaust...

Young coyote pup walking down the road in front of me...eventually just strolled off to the side of the road and let me by.

Sinead O'Connor was a VERY troubled soul...has been for years.

My 2020 used to have a generator. Someone (not me) removed it and stuck on a Delco alternator with internal regulator - same as all older GM vehicles used to use. My understanding is that this is a very simple conversion. Several YouTube videos out there on how to do this: . I believe this is...

Forgot about this - but for me this is a major one. When using my old John Deere I always have to wear ear plugs - the darn thing is really loud. After 10 hours wearing ear plugs those things get uncomfortable - and the irritation causes major ear wax buildup. No such problem in the cab of the...

^This. There's shops that specialize in rebuilding vehicle starters and alternators. I had the starter for my ancient John Deere rebuilt - cost a fraction of the price of a new one.

Don't know about your old one. But I have 3 chargers and multiple battery maintainers and all of them have circuitry to not allow reverse flow. We have a lot of power outages and internet outages around here also!

I wonder what "mucked up" the environment that caused the dinosaurs to die out some 1.2 million years ago??

I'm surprised that was allowed (to have non-firefighters fight a fire). Used to be that's how it was here in northern Nevada - ranchers and farmers would jump on a fire on public land ASAP and knock it down quick. Some years ago rules changed...the BLM no longer allows "untrained and...

Current conditions at Death Valley...4% humidity, if you croak you will mummify quickly.

At the edge of a cliff overlooking Dixie Valley, Nevada, in 1989:

Shot from this morning of part of a huge herd of wild mustangs near Nevada's Stillwater Mountains. Note that graze is already eaten down to the ground...they'll be chewing up the brush next. Summer is just starting...some of these horses will not make it till the cooler fall months.

Toyota IS proud of their sensors. A few months ago I got a spare set of OEM wheels for my 4Runner - older rims someone had taken off their rig. No sensors in them so I bought a set of 4 OEM sensors from an on-line Toyota dealer whose prices were a bit cheaper than others I'd seen. Total for 4...

10 psi in all tires on my Can-am Defender...27x9x14 front tires and 27x11x14 rears.

Coming down off the mountain behind my house I was surprised to see the head and neck of an antelope pop up in the road in front of me. Turned out to be a fawn; it was sacked out in a gully in the road. As soon as I snapped this one photo the fawn jumped up and in a couple leaps was gone down...

4th of July in Paradise Valley, Nevada:

Northeastern Pennsylvania...about 150 miles north of where Hay Dude is working.

I don't pretend to know how every brand handles it...but the New Holland I was looking at was DOC and it most definitely was connected to the ECM. If you weren't running the tractor hard enough to keep the catalyst hot it would set off an alarm to tell you to raise your rpm.

Back in 1972 if mowed hay got wet not much you could do except dry it as best you could and then use it for bedding. Had to be really careful because hay with too much moisture in it would self-combust and burn the barn down. Here my Dad on the Farmall H is raking the hay to get it up off the...

I was about to buy a new one of those (uses a catalyst instead of a DPF). Reading the owner's manual, I remember it said that idling must be kept at a minimum because otherwise the catalyst would not get hot enough to do it's job. So whether your tractor using a catalyst system or a DPF, you...

It is a banner year for mosquitoes in Nevada also, which is rare because we have so little standing water. The weird thing is, the higher in elevation I go, the more mosquitoes - places where it still freezes at night. Up at 8000+ feet a couple mornings ago and had to take most of my photos...

News article today: Apparently this is even with having a reservation!

The tires that come with the truck, unless you spec out the heavy payload package, are optimized for smooth ride and good fuel mileage. If you drive dirt roads, haul heavy loads, or tow, those OEM tires are not going to do well.

Balsamroot in full bloom this morning in the Nevada mountains near my place....

Very true about response time. But when they talk about "most" fire stations they are speaking of those in the city. Those of us who live away from the city have nowhere near that fast a response. Most of my years as an EMT/Firefighter were in a small town in the middle of Nevada. Nearest...

Just north of Cedarville, California I noticed several bald eagles around a working pivot. Quite a distance away so the pic is not sharp due to distortion from rising heat waves. But then one of them began sailing near me and my camera captured this moment...love autofocus; my old eyes and...

State of the art in 1972...sickle bar mower, behind which was a "hay conditioner" that crumpled up the hay (4' tall timothy in this case) so it would dry faster.

He is, and is doing good. He is 4 years younger than me. He just got back from touring Pennsylvania on his Honda Goldwing (he lives near Kansas City).

David Brown 1200. Powered by a Perkins diesel. Very dependable tractor and very economical to run. There's a huge farm not far from here that runs a whole fleet of them, old as they are:

Doggone you, Hay Dude...all these pics of the Pennsylvania countryside are giving me nostalgia fits! Next year should be my 60th class reunion; I may just have to drive back there and wallow around in the Pennsylvania farm country for a week or so! My brother baling hay, 1972:

Got the irrigation pivots moved out of the way and the swather hard at work in the alfalfa. Northern California, just across the Nevada border.

You must be talking about an ancient diesel! I also have a Dodge/Cummins dually and I guarantee you, it pulls much harder than my Ecoboost. The way it takes 28,000 lbs over steep mountain passes just makes me smile, and never have I had the pedal to the floor because it just wasn't necessary...

Always depends on driving conditions. Mine is a 2016 F150 Supercab 4x4 6.5 bed with 3.55 gears, 3.5 Ecoboost. Here's a screen shot of my dash display last year when driving a couple hours on fairly flat ground but with a strong tail wind: I bought the truck new, and as with all my vehicles I...

Well, Denio is the closest town to Adel to the west. 84 miles...and there is nothing in between them except sagebrush and rocks. Yes, lots of water everywhere this year. Here's a shot I took recently of the great metropolis of Denio from high up in the adjacent Pueblo Mountains. I was up...

Living the good life, in tall grass reaching halfway up their sides, in the mountains south of Adel, Oregon yesterday.

You've been retired too long...only engine available in a new Tundra for over a year now is a twin-turbo V6 - a copy of the Ford F150. AND the new Tundra comes with a 10 speed transmission.

Tonight's sunset, as seen from my deck....

Just because one served in the Armed Forces for one enlistment DOES NOT qualify you for health care, etc. The rules have all sorts of qualifiers as to who is eligible for what. I spent a full 4 years in the Navy. The only reason I qualified for a VA medical card was because my DD-214 detailed...

Mine had the 302 V8 with the C4 automatic behind it.

I put a lot of miles on one of those blue ones....wish now I had never sold it.

I've had a VA medical card since I retired several years ago. Never used it...impossible to get an appointment! Funny...I get an email from the VA asking me why I've never used their services and giving me a phone number to make an appointment for a physical. I've called that number multiple...

^This! I finally gave up on SiriusXM and took the time to load all my favorite tunes onto a flash drive - several thousand of them. Plugged the flash drive into the stereo in the Kubota, set the stereo to "Random", and let the system randomly choose songs...songs that I like and none that I...

Outsell the F150? Seriously doubt it. For one thing, dealers around here have a $20,000 to $30,000 "dealer surcharge" on each one so the average price is right around $80,000. For another, Ford is still having "supply chain issues" with parts to build the Broncos...some guys have been waiting...

Had that happen to me some years ago...hose on the forklift burst with a heavy load on the forks about 8' off the ground. Load came crashing down...luckily nothing fragile. Up to that time I'd been lifting electricians in man baskets on that forklift's forks up high to change out burned out...

Unless you are going to postpone the regen process for only a few minutes I think it is better for the tractor to just back out of the dangerous situation and let the regen process finish. Regen in my Kubota has never taken longer than 15 minutes. I've been mowing cheatgrass for the past 3...

As an F150 owner of 7 years I have to agree with all the above posters...none of the forums are all that good as far as factual information. Way too many people stating their prejudices as facts. You have to go through the posts and weed out what is useful. Way too many silly arguments about...

If you let a Tier IV tractor idle all the time it loads up the DPF quickly. No way will it go 25 hours before the regen light comes on. When I first got my Kubota and let it idle a lot the regen light would come on in less than 10 hours. And the regen process does not last half an hour - mine...

If you have a new tractor you need to read your owner's manual! They have a whole section in there about regeneration...and if you don't follow the instructions, you are asking for problems, expensive problems, in the future. Here's a couple screen shots from the owner's manual for my 2016...

Towing anything over 10,000 lbs with ANY half-ton pickup is not going to be a good experience...unless it's just a short trip, a few miles. Especially an enclosed trailer with all the wind resistance that entails. Been there, done that. I've had 12,000 lbs behind my F150 Ecoboost. Payload on...

Made my weekly run to town at dawn this morning...regular gas $3.88 a gallon, diesel $3.58 a gallon.

So you're also supportive of Levi Strauss Corporation's efforts to dismantle the 2nd Amendment and disallow private ownership of firearms?

That's why I bought "shrink to fit" 501s. Wash them a couple times and they mold themselves to your body. And I absolutely make buying decisions based on the manufacturer's politics, especially when they are blatantly against everything I believe in. Why in the world would I support such a...

When I first moved to Nevada in the 60s Levi 501 button-fly jeans were the thing. All the cowboys and miners wore them. Then, I think in the early 90s, Levi Strauss went "woke", and anti everything most rural people stood for. I remember news articles about Levi Strauss refusing to sell their...

Most people have never experienced an invasion of Mormon crickets. Here's a couple photos of a Mormon cricket swarm on the walls of the hospital in Elko, Nevada, taken by a friend of mine who works as an ICU nurse there: What would you do if you had an appointment at the hospital and had...

Bought my cutter in 1997 and been using the heck out of it ever since. That nut has never come loose for me.

In my area diesel has been cheaper than gasoline for several months now - up to 30 cents a gallon cheaper. So my old Dodge/Cummins dually is getting some miles on it now. But check out the price of 88 octane ethanol free!

The West has been blessed this year. I live in the desert; most years June is very hot and dry. But this year we are having showers/thunderstorms every afternoon - and the forecast for the next 10 days is for more of the same. All that moisture has provided a wildflower bonanza.

Irrigated fields stand out in stark contrast to the surrounding desert in Nevada's Kings River Valley. As viewed from about 2000' higher in the nearby mountains.

By tightening my top link, then raising the 3 point hitch all the way, when I drive the rear wheels of the tractor up on a stout set of ramps the mower is then a good 3' off the ground (tractor is nose-down). I then put 4 tall jack stands under the frame of the mower, crawl under there with my...

Burrowing owl perched one-legged on a huge boulder...by the time I switched to a telephoto lens for a closeup, he was gone.

Herd of wild donkeys at the edge of Nevada's Smoke Creek desert yesterday....

We get the same low-lying fog here in Nevada. Temperature inversions keep the fog and cold air against the valley floor, sometimes for up to 2 weeks at a time. If you want sunshine you have to drive up a mountain. Looking down all you see the the high peaks sticking up out of the fog.

I have to agree with you! My Dad used to drink "Genesee" brand beer when I was growing up on the farm in Pennsylvania in the 50s; one day he let me have a swallow. Yuck! Hated the taste then and still do. People tell me "you get used to the taste and then you like it"...tell me why I should...

Grazing the sage flat in the shadow of Santa Rosa Peak in northern Nevada....

^This! Done that drive several times...actually starting up in Astoria, Oregon and all the way down to LA. If traffic is heavy you'll have a heck of a time accessing the scenic turnouts which are all on the ocean side of the road. Traffic will be backed up behind you as you wait for an...

The problem is California. Read an article not long ago that over 50,000 Californians are fleeing California and moving to Nevada every year, trying to escape the high taxes and California laws and regulations. Housing market in northern Nevada just can't keep up. It is still possible to find...

I know people who live in Virginia City...I surely wouldn't want to live there full time. Keep in mind Virginia City is over 6100 feet in elevation; during the winter the snow is deep...and the wind, constant, bone-chilling wind, will take your breath away. That's what people who live there say.

Since you use it so little I'd recommend finding an older tractor without all the pollution control crap on it. Cheaper to both buy and to maintain for the long term.

Your problem, should you buy your own dumpster, is getting someone to dump it. At least around here, none of the disposal companies will touch a dumpster if they don't own it.

Exactly. I was seriously considering a Honda Pioneer 1000 until I started frequenting the Pioneer forum discussions and seeing all the complaints about problems with the dual-clutch transmission...and the engine heat making the inside of the cab unbearable in the warmer months. I can change a...

I've not had any of THOSE ads come up on TBN. Sounds like a problem exclusive to your setup.

Wow! I am also in a "very rural" location and I just wish I could get 20 mbps. Most of the time its lucky to hit 1 mbps...and then there's times it's just non-existent.

Why I hate starlings.... Opened up the battery box in my old John Deere to find this......

Hillside alive with wildflowers, northern Nevada this morning.....

Why I'm still holding on to my ancient Homelite Professional model saw. Came with a thumb-operated manual oiler in addition to the automatic one. When I'm cutting long-dead or fire-killed juniper that manual oiler gets a workout. But it sure cuts down on bar temperatures.

Sounds like you got a real lemon and need to get rid of it - cut your losses. I've never owned a Can-am ATV but have a good friend that does...but his is the fire-breathing 1000 cc. He is constantly abusing it, putting it through stuff I'd never subject my ATVs through, and it is holding up...

Nothing as soothing to me as the sound of rain on a tin roof. Learned to love it as a kid after my Dad put a metal roof on our barn.

Don't know about all the brands of minivans but I do know the Toyota Sienna and Ford Transit are available with AWD. But it sounds like you've already made up your mind, and that's fine. It's just that, as an owner of a Toyota 4Runner - which is probably as roomy as the vehicles you are...

Then the mini-van is your answer. None of the others can even come close. Or for even more room, something like the Ford Transit Passenger Van.

OP is looking for a "roomy" SUV to handle a large family - preferably with 3 rows of seats. That removes most of the recommendations I see above. I own a Toyota 4Runner. It is a compact vehicle! Not much roomier than my Jeep Wrangler. Same with the Toyota FJ Cruiser. If you want room...

Are you using a phone or a computer?

Those of you who don't think a locking front diff in an ATV is necessary need to come ride some of the trails I ride. You'll have two of your four tires off the ground a lot of the time...and you'll want those tires still on the ground pulling hard. "Limited" slip isn't going to do it. But...

Yes, I laughed to myself when I saw his post about not driving over 20 mph. Most days I'll put on at least 200 miles, all on dirt roads. 20 mph just isn't feasible if I want to do anything else but drive. But having grown up in a similar area, I can understand where he's coming from. He...

You must not get many flat tires. TPMS sensors have SAVED me money, to the point where I have installed aftermarket TPMS on my older rigs. I drive mainly dirt roads (not much pavement in my corner of the world) that cause a lot of flats; I see a lot of the pickups around here carrying 3 spares...

Except that the vehicle may develop oil leaks. Known problem when putting free-flowing synthetic oil in an old vehicle with a lot of miles on it.

As others have said, give it a couple days before taking any action. I've had the same situation; the guy who did my well said its not at all uncommon for dirt/mud to suddenly pull loose and cause muddy water for a while. Not just in your well system but wherever the water is coming from that...

Water from melting snow in the nearby mountains starting to soak the grounds at the Cerri Ranch in northern Nevada.

I'd like to know also! A few years ago I was in a rental Toyota Corolla I got at the airport in Syracuse, New York. As luck would have it, they'd just had a major winter storm so the interstate (I-81) was completely snowcovered except for where traffic was driving. So two dark bands on the...

Absolutely! I grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania in the 50s and early 60s. Oliver 70 and Farmall H tractor and simple implements. I'm totally amazed at how much agriculture has changed since then. Check out all the screens in this new Fendt. This thing is a rolling computer! Me, I was...

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly the manufacturers are now making the insulation that covers the wiring in vehicles out of soy instead of rubber. That's resulted in huge problems with rodents eating the insulation off the wiring. The other day I was reading an article which...

Several states have already outlawed ICE lawnmowers (and other small engine powered equipment) and the way things are going I see the Federal government doing the same thing shortly. Your new electric lawnmower won't need emissions equipment...

We had those old oil bath air cleaners in a couple of our tractors as I was growing up. Always used to put clean engine oil in them - whatever we put in the tractor's engine. Must have worked Ok because those tractors were still running well when my Dad finally sold out many years later.

Exactly! I can afford it, so here in the last few years of my life I'll be darned if I'll skimp and save just so my heirs can spend my money.

Again, it depends on where you live. Not many paved roads where I live. If I leave my driveway and drive due south it will be 133 miles till I get to the first pavement. No towns, service stations, businesses or homes along the way. There's a few ranches but they are way off the main dirt...

No idea of what your gravel roads are like...but around here, unless you have at least Load Range E (10 ply) LT type tires on your rig, you'll be destroying your tires in no time at all driving 50 mph on gravel. Don't know of any Teslas or other commuter cars that come with 10 ply tires. I had...

Nevada is the 7th largest state...drive from Denio on the Oregon border to Laughlin in the south is 662 miles according to the official Nevada State road map. The valley are desert. The mountains - are beautiful. Nevada claims to have 308 named mountain ranges, all running north to south...

Been living in Nevada since I moved here in 1969 and have been exploring the state ever since. So if you have questions about Nevada (other than Vegas or Reno, don't go there!), feel free to ask. I know how beautiful Pennsylvania is. That's where I grew up until I was relocated to Nevada by...

That's due to the idiots who buy them to abuse them. I bought my Can-am a couple years ago and immediately began learning what I could about them on the internet forums. The Can-am Defender comes with 27" tires, and that's what the drivetrain was engineered to handle. But it seems that one of...

Thing to remember is that "easy to repair" doesn't apply to any new vehicle, if anyone is contemplating buying one. I have to laugh at those guys who tell me they won't buy a turbocharged V6 because they want that good 'old V8 like daddy used to drive. If they'd done their research they would...

Send the bill to the EPA..................

Update on Yosemite conditions:

No idea if the hourmeter is tamperproof...but I've seen several side by sides for sale around here that were 10 years old and low hours/low miles. I'm talking like less than 500 miles in 10 years. Owners just weren't using them; for long periods of time they weren't used at all. That's...

Times 2 on the stability part. I use my SxS on the homestead - but I also take it up into the mountains a lot. I've seen how easily the narrow units (made to fit on a 50" trail roll over. So when I was looking to buy a Side by Side I bought one that was 65" wide. A trail has to be really...

^This. Even in Low Range, all UTVs I've been around move fairly fast. They don't have a "creeper" gear. Even the Hondas with the dual clutch transmissions (no belt) have problems moving at crawling speeds without having clutch problems. That being said, I've no experience with something...

That must have been years ago. Zion is awful now...it got so crowded they no longer allow personal vehicles in. When you get to the Park entrance you must park your vehicle and get on one of the Park Service buses. AND you'll need a reservation. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is also a...

Since you also want to see redwoods, and you'll be in the area, you should make it a point to visit Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks also. When you head north, go through Lassen National Park, and then visit Crater Lake in Oregon. Spectacular!

Yosemite is one of the busiest parks in the country. You'll need to check on line for the time frame you are considering - but I've heard there is now a "reservation" system, even to just drive through Yosemite Valley. That's how they limit how many cars can enter at any one day to avoid...

Just went on the Ford "build your Superduty" web site. It appears all 4wd Superduties have the locking hubs (although most also have auto-locking). They don't stick out like they used to because they utilize "unit bearings" in the hub so the hub unit itself is very short.

No 4 speed manual trannies anymore. Last 4 speed manual was many, many years ago. They went to a 5 speed around 30 years ago and then a 6 speed manual about 20 years ago. No manual trannies on any new Ford, Chevy, or Ram pickups period. Last manual tranny for them was in the 2019 Ram. The...

What's different is that I don't think anyone makes a real "bench" seat anymore. Only ones I've see are "40-20-40" type seats which are essentially two bucket seats with a child seat in between them...your lady friend wouldn't be too happy sitting on that "20".

How many doors on a pickup varies as to how big your family is...went to a memorial service last Saturday for one of my old friends who passed away, and parked next to this Superduty that pulled in at the same time. The doors opened...I was amazed! Every seat in this truck was full - drove down...

Diesel engine is not offered anymore in the Wrangler and I don't know why - they were selling every one they could make. But I just checked the Jeep "build" site and that engine is still available in the Gladiator...at least for now. People that own them just love them for the seemingly...

That IS a Rubicon list price I posted this morning, spec'd with a diesel engine. Over $70,000.

That's about right. It's called "making hay while the sun shines"...the auto manufacturers saw that the buying public were willing to buy no matter how high the price so they just kept raising the prices, and they will keep on doing so until the buying public stops buying. For the past 3...

Doubt it. Have you ever seen a pic of her face with a smile on it?

Riding on the shoulder, at least around here in the desert, causes more trouble than just riding the pavement. Reason? Huge clouds of dust kicked up by riding the shoulder, causing zero visibility on the highway and dusting out everyone along the road. This is one of the reasons cited for...

Took this photo earlier this morning...but internet was down again and just came back up. 25 warm and wonderful degrees, with a forecast high for today of 35 degrees.

Depends on the UTV. The Can-am Mavericks, the Polaris RZRs, and others are easily capable of running well over the speed limit. Just watched a video some guy posted on YouTube running his Maverick across the desert at 77 mph.

I have to agree with you. Their popularity (despite the high prices) is staggering. And unfortunately all too often they are being bought (and driven) by total idiots who could care less about the outdoors, the environment, or how they affect other people. I see them everywhere in the back...

One of the reasons I ended up with an F150 when I was truck shopping was that the 6.5' bed actually measured 6'7" inside, about 3" longer than GM or Dodge. My Yamaha Kodiak fits in the back and I can still shut the tailgate and to me that's important because I drive some pretty rough dirt roads.

Good for you! Been reading how easy it is to steal any new vehicle with the push-button start system.

Our neverending winter continues in Nevada...snowing like the dickens this morning. 8" and counting.

I bought a 2006 Kodiak new, still driving it today with over 9,000 miles on the odometer. Very dependable machine!

Can't help with the Polaris, don't know anything about it. The 2006 Rhino our Search and Rescue unit uses has been trouble free. And I had a riding partner that had an older Rhino and really liked it. Used it for many years but recently traded it for a new Yamaha Wolverine.

For those of you who think you have some snow, here's a shot taken near Lake Tahoe...note the sign for Interstate 80 peeking out of the snow bank on the right. There's another 3-4 feet forecast to fall in the next couple days...

^This. Been a Jeep owner for many, many years. Still have a 2006 Wrangler. Don't use it that much any more. If I put 100 miles on the Jeep on rough trails I feel like I've been beat with a stick. Those same 100 miles in my Can-am Defender are a piece of cake, it rides so much better.

Not my tractor so I really don't know anything about it. I just know he's been using it for 20 years or so. He has tried several dealers, searching on the internet, and shops that specialize in rebuilding hydraulic valves. All have told him that he's got a real oddball there.

Love this. I grew up on a Ford 861 Powermaster. One of our neighbors had the 901 (sat much higher on portal axles) but it was gasoline powered, not propane.

Maybe because of parts availability? Got a friend who has owned a Yanmar for quite a few years now. He hasn't been able to use it for nearly a year...a hydraulic control valve of some sort went out on it. It seems to be unavailable - he has searched all over. Dealer told him it has been...

It amazes me that in this day and age such inaccuracies still occur. When I enter my own address in Google Maps it points to a location well over a mile from my homestead. Some of it is deliberate - and I don't know why. There are some huge mines here in northern Nevada - their physical...

I preferred flying on those little planes! 17 passengers or so...very quick to load and unload passengers and get underway. Not having to wait for 300 people to stash their baggage and get settled in.

I've refused to fly anywhere for several years now. Too much of a hassle. And since I'm retired I have the time to drive, so I do. I've driven back to Pennsylvania where I grew up twice in the last 5 years (~6000 miles round trip), and to Kansas City every year (just over 3000 miles round...

Overall width of my 2006 TJ is about 70".

Yes, I cringe whenever I see how overweight and out of shape so many of today's 18, 19, 20 year olds are, compared to back in the 60s. Caught a photo of these guys away back in Vietnam 50+ years ago, work party placing sandbags on a roof before a typhoon hit. In superb physical shape - do they...

^ Describes me to a tee. Became an EMT/Firefighter with a small town Fire Department soon after Vietnam and maintained those certifications for many years. And yes, learned how to find a vein and start an IV on a patient hanging upside down in their seatbelt in an overturned vehicle while the...

This is our Nevada antelope. I have yet to see one jump a fence. My place is completely fenced and a lot of times I have several antelope on my property; I've watched them walk the fenceline to a certain spot and then just crawl through or under the fence.

Antelope trouping out into a hayfield in Nevada for their breakfast....

Yup. Here in Nevada I come across vehicles in the outback that have been abandoned for many, many years. That dry desert air preserves the body and frame for eternity.

I understand perfectly. I had a 1972 Chevy half ton for short time. Believe it had the 305 V8 and Powerglide transmission, 2wd. Until I took it up into the mountains for a load of firewood. I was in a saddle between two hills; to get out of there I had to unload half my firewood. Holding...

Correct. I believe 2019 was the last year a manual was available.

Yes, those work great. Good looking machine! Did it come with those tires or did you upgrade to them?

They are too big for general forum viewing. When I click on them all I get is a spinning ball showing download in progress but I'm not going to sit here and wait for them to come up. Admittedly, I have a very slow internet connection. All of the photos I post I first downsize them to no more...

That's correct! I think all the GM vans were unibody construction until about 1996. So no big thick stout frame under them. For that reason a lot of the conversion companies refused to convert them to 4x4. The 1976 GMC 4wd conversion I had for so many years (pictured some posts back) was...

My very first van...1972 Econoline, bought new with the proceeds of my separation pay from the Navy. Only 2wd so I was constantly getting stuck in the back country which is why I ended up going to 4wd vans. In this photo I'm loading up jugs with drinking water at a spring in the Nevada...

There was one major problem with being a military photographer...the military gets to keep most of the photos you take. Those photos are military property. Depending on the location and situation, the photos you take might be developed/printed by someone else and you never got to see what you...

It is a Quigley! It has been a great machine for my back country explorations. No, not a professional photographer. But I do have excellent training courtesy of the US Navy. Don't know the status currently but back in the 60s when I was serving the Navy photographer school was acknowledged...

Wow! Sounds like you got a lemon! G30 is a 1 ton van. I bought a G20 (3/4 ton) 4x4 conversion new in 1976 and drove it, mostly on back roads, for over 32 years. Minimal problems. Got my use out of that van! I then got a 2007 E350 4x4 conversion which I'm still driving:

Corral and barn at Cove Camp in northern Nevada....

Cost me $3100 to do a complete rebuild on the engine in my ancient John Deere 2020 in 2018. Been using the heck out of it since. By the time it needs another rebuild I won't be around to worry about it.

1. My current 2016 F150. In seven years/70,000 miles all I've had to do is change oil/filters and rotate tires...and average 20.5 mpg over its life. 2. My current 2004 Dodge/Cummins dually. All those years and only repair has been a water pump. It averages 14.3 mpg while hauling a big...

Pics, or it didn't happen!

When the meadowlarks return and I hear them singing early in the morning. They are late this year....but then this year we are no longer living in a desert:

Yamaha Kodiak or Grizzly. Super easy to service, and super dependable. No major changes in the design for at least 15 years so all the bugs have been worked out. My 2006 Kodiak has over 9000 miles on it and still going strong. But I do keep up with the service.

They are acrobatic. Here's a gopher snake weaving its way through chain link fencing 10' high because there was a bird's nest in a little cranny at the top.

Happened about 2 miles from my house. Family walking on a dirt road up a canyon and the little one was just being a kid, running here and there, when she got too close to a rattler crossing the road. Local hospital DID have antivenom but did not administer it. Apparently the emergency room...

NOT! That's been a subject of discussion in northern Nevada for a couple months. All of our gasoline comes from one refinery in northern California. Gasoline suppliers have stated they will offer one or the other; if E15 is what the government recommends then all the pumps will go to E15...

Because in all too many locations E0 is impossible to find! None available in my area until about 3 years ago. Now we have one station that has one pump with E0. It is the ONLY station carrying E0 within 130 that I know about. So if the stations decide to go to E15, what do we fuel our...

That's the way it works in Nevada also. Doesn't matter what you actually pay for a vehicle, come time to register it they look the value up in the Blue Book and figure the tax from it. Sucks.

Owner's manual for my new lawn mower specifically states to avoid using any gas with alcohol in it because alcohol will rot any rubber lines and gaskets and corrode aluminum alloy. I'm lucky in that we do have one station selling ethanol-free gas - costs ~ $1 a gallon more than regular gas with...

It is ridiculous! But too many people are willing to pay the price so they keep on jacking the price up. I bought my 2020 Can-am Defender with full cab (doors, windows, and heat) for $21,000 and now the price has doubled. Same with Jeep...I've been looking at Jeep Wranglers for a couple years...

^This! Made a bunch of purchases in the past couple months and in every case I immediately get an email asking me to review the product. My response every time is...check back with me in a year or so, after I've had time to use this thing for a while!

Not my rig and not my photo...but this is a shot of one of the tracked UTVs used by the Elko County, Nevada Search and Rescue Unit to rescue people stuck in snow drifts in the back country. They had to use it 5 times in February alone, according to the news article. My only thought is...why...

I used to have problems with moles, some years ago. Then several of these bad boys moved in. "Gopher" snakes or bull snakes is what people call them around here. No more mole problem.

Define "works pretty good". I've had wireless internet for years - small dish on my roof pointing at a relay station on a mountain across the valley. It sucks. With the last upgrades I might get 6 Mbps down when it is working perfectly. Which is rarely. Lots of times it doesn't break 1 Mbps...

My side by side, with full cab and heat, weighs ~ 2000 lbs. That Dodge 4x4 pickup will weigh ~ 5000 lb or more. Do you have soft ground at certain times of the year you need to drive over? Max inflation pressure for my side by side tires is 18 psi; I run mine from 10-12 psi. That combined...

Both my tractors were bought used. No way could I justify buying new...I'm not farming/ranching and a tractor is not essential for me. But I grew up on a tractor...those were good days and good memories so nostalgia I guess is why I wanted one. Plus, I do have quite a few acres and enjoy...

It's the nature of the beast. Unless you have perfectly level land there is no way a mower mounted on a 3 point hitch will perfectly follow the contour of the land. My place looks level - but there are multiple little dips and arroyos that are hardly noticeable until I mow them and watch the...

Not one, but two spare tires for me. I see some of the ranch trucks and mine trucks around here carry 3 spares - the OEM under the bed and two in the bed.

TP definitely! A roll in each of my vehicles. No rest rooms out in the desert - and sagebrush or cactus are painful substitutes for TP!