Some days.............

   / Some days............. #42  
http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/2001.htm

You might try checking out this site. They have a forum for the Duramax and the Allison that is pretty interesting. Most of it is for the 2500 and 3500 but I'm sure most of it will cross over. Down the list on the front page they have a write up about the 4500 and 5500 for those of you that are interested in a little more info on Harv's truck.
 
   / Some days.............
  • Thread Starter
#43  
Morning Bgott and others, /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

All is not rosey in the land of Harv's new truck.

Last Saturday we had a problem. She wouldn't shift into overdrive. We took her to the dealer and they put it on the puter and come up with nothing wrong.

So Monday we were on the way back to the dealer when the Allison genius was supposed to be working. I noticed a light on the dash on. It was a D with a / through it. I pushed the button to turn off the light. She shifted into overdrive.

I have a bruise on my forehead. Them "dohs!" hurt big time.

Hauling the trailer with the tractor and with the pedal to the metal I got eight miles per gallon. Compare that five to five and a half with Moby under the same circumstances.

I'm happy with the power.

And I love the double takes from all the other guys out there with trucks.

I've had two guys ask me who the truck belonged to as if a man with jeans and a t shirt can't own a truck like Lucy./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I don't like not having a glove box. The interior storage sucks big time. I don't like the cupholder. It's inconvient while driving.

Right now I'm thinking I need to put in a second air ride seat for my wife. Then I'm thinking I'll build an aluminum box between the seats that will hold everything from paperwork to change and coffee cups.

I'm desperate for a seat cover for at least the driver's seat. I get into my work. That means I get real dirty. I'm not much for polish. Polishing isn't building. Building is important, polish is what you do when you don't have anything to build.
 
   / Some days............. #44  
Harv, Please attach a photo of your new truck with trailer and tractor in tow! We need to see the whole rig!! Thanks!
 
   / Some days............. #45  
That might make alot of us develop an inadequacy complex or would it be called <font color=green>combo envy</font color=green> <font color=green> /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif</font color=green>?
 
   / Some days............. #46  
<font color=blue>"Then I'm thinking I'll build an aluminum box between the seats that will hold everything from paperwork to change and coffee cups."</font color=blue>

Most of us would just use wood. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I like the idea of going with a second air ride seat. Talk with your dealer and see if they can order a passenger air ride seat in on a stock truck that they wouldn't order that way normally then make a swap with you. Some will while others won't but it's worth asking. Even if you pay them for the two R & R's you should be money ahead.

One other suggestion has to do with your anticipated center console. You might want to consider making some kind of padded top for it in case you need to take a third person with you somewhere. It won't be like a factory seat but still will feel more comfortable than sitting on cupholders. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Some days.............
  • Thread Starter
#47  
I think I'll just ramble a bit, amongst friends so that's okay I understand.

Today we set some posts for a friend of a friend for their new pool. The deal was they got the materials wholesale and paid for the use of me and my equipment to get them started. But they were to do most of the labor. One of those kinds of deals where sweat equity gets to get all wet and dirty.

My son in law and me rolled up to the house. Narrow road and with the dovetail on the trailer so low I didn't dare try to cross the bar ditch. So I parked on the road. The first thing that happened was discovering Iris had a flat as I backed her off the trailer.

I've figured out the best way to fix flats. It's called VISA. They got there about an hour and a half after I called. I carry a spare tire in case I cut one but I learned a long time ago that calling a tire repair truck is cheap. If I'd done it I'd been out probably a couple of hours of irritation and frustration. That costs a lot more than the forty dollars they charged for being there fifteen minutes. I don't know how they can justify being away from the shop two hours with their driving time and only charging forty bucks. I'm glad they can do it.

I had two holes that I couldn't get the tractor close enough to do. So I pulled out my Little Beaver Hydraulic Auger. She's been with me fifteen years and still starts first pull, Honda of course.

Some way some how the motor head came dislodged from the torque bar. I didn't realize I had a problem until I bogged the bit in some stiff clay. The hydraulic hoses wrapped around my legs. The way they wrapped they locked the lever full power on.

All I could do was scream for someone to kill the motor. I swear I felt both legs break. The customer's father was in from Indiana. He was helping me. He's about sixty. You'll never know how glad I am he is the one closest to me. He killed the motor just about the time I thought I was going to pass out from the pain.

I've been knocked cold a time or two. One hill climb motorcycle wreck knocked me out for forty five miles. I woke up in the emergency room not knowing anything from the previous week, much less what I was doing there. That week's still gone.

But this is the first time I've felt like I was going to pass out from pain. Heck, I've lost about half of my right thumb and I was working by myself. I put the tools back in the garage and then drove myself to the doctor.

The last bone I broke was in my left foot. As I'm laying on the ground cussing like a wild man my bud came up wanting to know what happened. I told him I'd broken my foot, not those words, but about what I said if you read between the blue lines.

He asked how I knew. Man that was a dumb question. When you feel and hear the bone snap, crackle and pop you know it broke, no doubt.

But I've never almost fainted. It isn't something I do.

After customer's dad unwrapped the hydraulic lines from my legs I just stood there bent over trying to get my bearings and taking a little inventory. As often as I've been hurt I know there's this period of time where you don't know how bad it is. It might be real serious, serious, or just severe wussitis.

The right leg lower calf is badly bruised and swollen. It was actully dented in a ways immediately after the accident. The left leg isn't bruised. But it's the one that really hurts. I think I did a good job of twisting the knee just wrong.

It took me about twenty minutes to get moving semi good. When there's work to be done and you're the one being paid to make sure it's done right you can't let an owie get in the way of progress.

We got the posts set. Had a great day less the forty dollars for fixing the flat and the scare with the Little Beaver. It could have been worse. Two broken legs would have been a hard row to hoe.

Tomorrow we're taking Lucy up to visit the grandkids in OKC. They'd be disappointed if we came up without her. We'll get to see what she does on the open road without a load, just mature folks in the cab with one of them still thinking he's a kid.

Serious question.

How many of ya'll pass a mirror and are surprised each and every time to see that image? I mean are ya'll like me. I'm taller, thinner, purtier in a real masculine kind of way, and definately feel better than that image that is supposed to be me.

Son in law got to drive Lucy to Home Depot twice for cement. He told me on the way home tonight that she sure got some looks and comments. He's a good kid. It's just there's this thing, I see a lot of my daughter's father there. That'll keep you up nights.
 
   / Some days............. #48  
Wow /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif Harv, that's a scary story! What if you had been working alone???? Keep a good eye on those legs for any further complications.
 
   / Some days............. #49  
Getting wrapped up sucks! The last time I did it I got a hand wrapped in a powered sewer snake. I got off the foot switch and it took a couple of turns to power down. I was too far from the unit to kick the switch into reverse and I was snaking the line by the lights of my truck and no one could hear me screaming over that idling diesel. I yanked the unit nearer to me and that unplugged it. Not exactly what I wanted. I finally managed to drag part of the 75' of cable out of the pipe and then I had to roll my way out of it while flipping the unit. I'd give y'all a better description but I was running on automatic by then. I had cable strand marks in my hand through the gloves that lasted a couple of days. That sucked! I try to hire help to do scut work while I play with equipment now. A good part of the time I don't really need them but it's nice to have someone there to at least call 911 if I get screwed up.
 

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