New pickup

[goeduck]

I ran a JD grader for 7.5 hrs last night pushing snow. 45K machine pushing a 12ft blade. Burned 45 gallons of fuel. 9.1L turbo diesel.

If I were going down the hiway at 70mph I would have traveled 525 miles and got 11.7mpg. Very, very hard to find a heavy duty pickup that can do that.

AND no one would get out of your way if you were in a pickup. How cool is that? :thumbsup:

 

[Xfaxman]

Took pictures of the wife's truck with the BedStep down. It also makes it easy to get in the bed with the tailgate up by grabbing the top of the tailgate, stepping on the step, right foot on the center of the bumper, above the hitch, left foot on the bumper and step over the tailgate. :thumbsup:

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If I were going down the hiway at 70mph I would have traveled 525 miles and got 11.7mpg. Very, very hard to find a heavy duty pickup that can do that.

I DON'T consider my one ton dually Dodge/Cummins a great truck, but I know for an absolute fact I would get better millage than that, pulling a heavy trailer...

SR

 

[oosik]

That is exactly what I'll be looking for Xfaxman. When the truck get here - I'll just call Best Step direct. Something is lost in these chat sessions.

 

[dnw64]

I DON'T consider my one ton dually Dodge/Cummins a great truck, but I know for an absolute fact I would get better millage than that, pulling a heavy trailer...

SR

45k lbs at 70?

 

[ovrszd]

I DON'T consider my one ton dually Dodge/Cummins a great truck, but I know for an absolute fact I would get better millage than that, pulling a heavy trailer...

SR

45K lbs?

 

[ovrszd]

45k lbs at 70?

Dang it, I should have read down....

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Best I got is 26,000 at 70-75 for hours on end...

SR

 

[Turbys_1700]

I have almost 3 years with the UConnect system in my Chrysler 300. I use a Motorola Z3. Previously used a Motorola something else. No issues with connectivity. The phone is voice activated and it took a while for my country accent to acclimate. I just did a re-flash on it and need to sync the contacts in the phone book. Really like it so far. Have no experience with iPhone's.

Concerning Sirius XM. My car was purchased through Car Max and had never been titled. When I contacted Sirius 3 months later they then first registered it. Gave me a 3 month trial after I had already tried it out 3 months. A friend of mine advised me to not renew Sirius and contact them with a request to discontinue service. You then start the negotiations. I think I pay $60 for 6 months on this last deal. The year before I got 1 year for $99. If you search online it's pretty much common practice to negotiate the renewal price.

Good luck with the truck. I ordered a new F150 in 87 and the wait was excruciating. I know how you feel.

 

[oosik]

Yea - the wait is truly a PITA. I had to upgrade my cell phone. My 12 year old Samsung flip phone just won't be compatible with the technology on the PW. I got a new Apple smart phone. Life will be easier with an Apple phone, Apple computer & new technology on the PW.

As I read thru this op manual for the PW and especially the sections on communication - its not going to be that difficult. Interconnection will be more like a Plug 'N Play system. Besides the system on the truck has access to a live communication tech, on the digital display. A touch on the screen and he should be able to assist where/when needed.

SiriusXM and all of its various permutations can be & is expensive. The trial period will give me the opportunity to see if its all worth it. When I signed up for all these trial periods - they were quick to let me know what the exact annual renewal costs would be. Not a really good sales pitch, on their part. Probably legally required though.

Haven't had much time to play with the new phone yet. One MAJOR advantage. I didn't have to stand out on my porch when I called my son. The new technology has vastly improved reception/transmission. I know the cell tower signal is no stronger. It now functions when I stand by the big glass doors - inside the house.

One other great point. My son & I had a great time shopping for my new phone. His knowledge in this area is massively extensive - I provided the funding.

A side note - from my years with the flip phone. When I DID leave the house with the phone - no matter which direction I traveled - the phone always worked better. Kind of a big void here.

 

[ovrszd]

When I have a problem with my phone I hand it to a grandkid. They click a few keys at a blinding pace and hand it back usually saying "there ya go Grandpa".

 

[dnw64]

Haven't had much time to play with the new phone yet. One MAJOR advantage. I didn't have to stand out on my porch when I called my son. The new technology has vastly improved reception/transmission. I know the cell tower signal is no stronger. It now functions when I stand by the big glass doors - inside the house.

One option the iPhone has, if the carrier supports it, is "WiFi Calling". It allows you to place calls via the internet at no additional charge. There is nothing special you have to do to use it, once enabled. Here in the boondocks of Vermont it's very handy, as there are lots of places with no cell service, but as long as you have a WiFi connection it doesn't matter.

 

[Streetcar]

WiFi calling option can be bad with spotty WiFi. It is default on my phone and turn it off most of the time

 

[BigBlue1]

One feature which is quite nice related to phones is Uconnect Access. It gives you the ability to remotely lock, unlock, start, locate and sound horn on your truck from anywhere you have a cell connection (assuming your vehicle has remote start feature). It also gives you remote access to status like fuel tank level, current mileage, tire pressure and oil life. And you can send destinations from your phone to the nav system on the truck. This is great for finding something in Google Maps and then sending the address to start navigating. This feature and service is free the first year but they'll charge you for it after that. I think it is worth it.

Rob

 

[LouNY]

I used the u connect for the first year while it was free and enjoyed it.

I don't recall the exact monthly price but I'm thinking it was around $30 a month, wasn't worth that much to me, dropped it.

 

[dnw64]

WiFi calling option can be bad with spotty WiFi. It is default on my phone and turn it off most of the time

Well, yes - any wireless connection can be unreliable when you're at the limits, whether it's FM, HAM, CELL or WIFI...

I used the u connect for the first year while it was free and enjoyed it.

I don't recall the exact monthly price but I'm thinking it was around $30 a month, wasn't worth that much to me, dropped it.

When I got mine it was only $15/mo IIRC. Even at that I didn't feel it was worth it. But that's in my circumstances. The most valuable part of the package (to me) is the remote start ability. However,
my truck is parked in a "heated" (40°) garage at night, and it's within remote start distance of my office during the day. Once in a while I'd use it, say if we were at an event or something, but it just didn't seem like I was getting my money's worth. $15/mo doesn't sound like much, but over 5 years it's nearly $1000...

 

[BigBlue1]

One option the iPhone has, if the carrier supports it, is "WiFi Calling". It allows you to place calls via the internet at no additional charge. There is nothing special you have to do to use it, once enabled. Here in the boondocks of Vermont it's very handy, as there are lots of places with no cell service, but as long as you have a WiFi connection it doesn't matter.

Wi-fi calling isn't specific to iPhone. In fact, iPhones were late to the party. Had it on Android phones for at least 5+ years. Not all cell providers offered that feature in the beginning but they may now. It definitely has its use in places with spotty cell coverage. I used to rely on it when snowmobiling in the WY mountains because the place we stayed had some wi-fi but zero cell signal up on the hill.

Rob

 

[BigBlue1]

I used the u connect for the first year while it was free and enjoyed it.

I don't recall the exact monthly price but I'm thinking it was around $30 a month, wasn't worth that much to me, dropped it.

I believe it was $140/yr when they asked me to renew after my first year free on my 2500. I like it because of the remote start capability here in MN in the winter. I'm often in school gyms or other places where a keyfob remote isn't going to make it out to the parking area and it is nice to be able to start up the truck before heading out. And the ability to send an address from my phone to the nav is also a big plus. You know how painful and useless the search features on the actual nav systems in vehicles are...

Obviously it isn't useful or worth that much to everyone. But nice to have the capability. Frankly though it should just be a provided (free) feature.

Rob

 

[LouNY]

Well, yes - any wireless connection can be unreliable when you're at the limits, whether it's FM, HAM, CELL or WIFI...



When I got mine it was only $15/mo IIRC. Even at that I didn't feel it was worth it. But that's in my circumstances. The most valuable part of the package (to me) is the remote start ability. However,
my truck is parked in a "heated" (40°) garage at night, and it's within remote start distance of my office during the day. Once in a while I'd use it, say if we were at an event or something, but it just didn't seem like I was getting my money's worth. $15/mo doesn't sound like much, but over 5 years it's nearly $1000...

Just out of curiosity I went and checked, yep $15 a month or $150 a year.
It was kind of nice but not that nice.
I do pay for the Sirius radio getting that for just under $60 for 6 months, mainly as I can't find music I enjoy over the air.

 

[BigBlue1]

Just out of curiosity I went and checked, yep $15 a month or $150 a year.
It was kind of nice but not that nice.
I do pay for the Sirius radio getting that for just under $60 for 6 months, mainly as I can't find music I enjoy over the air.

You may want to look into Pandora. Use that on your phone streamed through your vehicle's audio system. Then you have much better control of what you want to listen to. You can even upgrade from the free service to a non-ad service for like $4/mo.

Rob