...and so it begins

[C_F]

Regarding C.F.'s pictures
"Originally Posted by fourbyford "
And, beautiful sunset! Was that near your place? idn't show on my computer, also all his pcs up to the chicken coup didn't show either.

Read thru your entire saga well done mate. The ducks look like fun all 9 0f them.
Cheers.

That is my fault, sorta. The photo host site that I have used since around 2002, recently decided to shut the doors & unplug from the internet. No replies to my many e-mails, either. I am currently going through my various thumb drives to find the missing ones, and fix the links. So far I have found & fixed two, the sunset photo being one of them. I'll keep trying to fix the others.

Fourby, congrats on getting the power line run to your barn, that was fast!
Those body bushings sure looked like a job! I bet you really like your cab sitting straight again. Things around your place sure does look nice-n-green still.

I've been really busy lately with work, and haven't popped in here for a while. Our little chickens are definitely not so little any more. Apologies for the fussy photos, I think my old camera is just that...old! Anyway...

Before we got these chicks, I commented that "I hope poop doesn't stick to their feathers". Well, the other day, we discovered that this one had a large clump of poop stuck in it's feathers! So SWMBO held it still, while I cut the glob out of the feathers. Then I cut back a bit more, so now there's a straight shot from sphincter, to the landing spot.

They are rapidly out growing their current Hilton, so yesterday I began making a super Hilton! It's going to be 4x8x6 feet tall. We are actually going to put the current red Hilton inside the super Hilton.

It will be one foot shorter than this photo, as I will sink the legs into the ground 12", so wind gusts won't blow it over.

Once in the ground, I will add the roof & walls. It's heavy enough already, to try to move. That's my 16 (or 17) year old cat Thourpe (short for Oglethourpe), he always wants to be right where I am. I had to lock him in the house for a couple hours yesterday, so I could get stuff done!

 

[fourbyford]

Hey John...

As far as the pics... my guess was that it was most likely a hosting issue. While I'm not exactly thrilled with the way MY pics post up, I've been reluctant to commit to a hosting site... memories of the nightmare that the PB fiasco caused. I've tried posting pics on the regular GJ site... I can get to the final part of the process and then I can't leave the last screen. My guess is that it's because I do all my posts from my phone. It's less than ideal, but it's what I have time for and will have to work for now...

Anyways, thanks for the visit and the kudos!

Hey C.F.

It's great to hear you're still fighting the good fight!

Wow... your chicks have really grown! The story about the trim job made me laugh! Any more "barbering" coming up?

Your chicken coop is looking good. It's cool that you can incorporate the existing one with the new one. Anchoring them in the ground is a good idea. Not sure about your location but, in Ogden, we used to get some strong winds a couple times per year... could be pretty destructive. Looks like you're planning ahead.

The electrical install went pretty well. We waited about 4 weeks from the initial visit. The crew finished the job in 2 (nonconsecutive) days. They hit rock in the vicinity of our power pole... the rest of the way was clear... had a couple of equipment issues... but, it's all good now.

We have had some fairly cool weather with quite a bit of rain so things are still very green. We don't usually start showing signs of drying out til around the end of July. The wheat will be ripening and then the native plants will start turning a bit. It's usually "hot" here (in a north Idaho sort of way) the month of August and into September... then back to cooler temps and more rain.

Speaking of the cooler temps, we narrowly averted disaster a few days ago. It was cool and raining all day and the "baby" ducks were out in the yard. They had been spending time in the kiddie pools and all was good. Around 2 in the afternoon, they all got into the Rubber Maid (livestock) tub which is larger... and deeper. They had all been in there before and managed to get out. Long story short, I happened to check on them several hours later (on my back to working on my truck) and one was still in the trough. Thinking that odd... I went for a closer look. This poor girl was water-logged and shivering. I took her out of the water. We ended up toweling her off and brought her into the house and put her by the wood stove to dry off. Had her in for about 45 minutes. She was very quiet when we first brought her in. By the time she'd thawed out a bit, things got pretty noisy!

Anyways, she's fine now.



It's hard to remember these girls are so young. They're already larger than their older sisters... lol



And, the older girls are now truly masters of the deep water. They navigate the entire pond like pro's and have taken up with the Mallards that are still here. A couple nights, they've refused to come off the water and have spent the night up there. Guess all is well... I hope we can resolve that when they start laying eggs!

Anyways, thanks for the visit and the update!

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[fourbyford]

Things have been pretty hectic around the farm since my last post... looks like it's been more than three weeks...

Work continued on my truck with pretty much everything taking much longer than it should have.

One job was replacing the fuel pump in the front tank. Fairly straight-foward... the pump was actually still working but the fuel gauge, not so much. It was mostly hit and miss and I never really trusted it. I could keep a pretty good estimate by resetting the trip odometer but, that was getting old. At first, I thought I'd just replace the sending unit. But, the fuel pump assembly was actually less expensive than the sending unit alone. Go figure...

The good thing was that I'd already had the tank out and everything cleaned up. Would have been a chip shot... if the included wiring harness would've had the correct plug on it. Oh well, not that big of a deal.

So... is it just me, or is this new lead free solder total ****?? I needed to replace a tail light socket on this truck a while back... bought rosin core solder and the flux they specified. Everything clean... decent soldering iron... the joints looked like they were done by a four year old.

Several years ago, I re-worked most of the wiring under the hood of my Jeep. In the process, I ran into a splice (done by the factory) that used a crimp sleeve.




After 30+ years, the connection looked as though it had just been done. So, I used that system on as many connections as I could. No worries...

One of the secrets of getting this system to work is to use a good pair of crimping pliers. I picked these up at a Home Depot many years ago... not sure if they even carry them now





So, back to the fuel pump...
The crimp sleeves work well for larger gauges of wire but are pretty bulky for the small stuff. So, starting with a ring terminal (of an appropriate gauge) I cut the insulation off...







Then, using a pair of side cutters, i cut the ring off. (I'll mention that I use ring terminals because they're made of copper and are easy to work. Some of the other types of terminals are steel and harder to work with.) Then, I file off the burrs and sharp edges. This leaves me with a small cylinder.





Next, I place 3 pieces of heat shrink on the wires (two short pieces that are snug on the wire and one longer one that is the next size larger) Then, I place the ends of both wires into the cylinder... and crimp.





Then, slide the small pieces of heat shrink tight to the joint... heat with a heat gun





Finally, cover the whole area with the larger heat shrink... and shrink it.





Nice, neat, tight joints... and, no fighting the solder. In the past, I've done a bit of stained glass work and still have some of the 50/50 solder and some kick a$$ flux... that works every time! Problem is... that stuff is still at my place in Wyoming... so, crimping is the next best thing... hmmm... maybe it's the best thing! It works for me anyway...


...D



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[Pressingonward]

Lead free solder is NOT as good as lead solder. Harder to tin stuff (flux pen is critical) and requires more heat to apply. Also more brittle. We use it a lot at work because it's required by Europe and most countries worldwide for consumer products.

Good lead solder is still readily available online.

Your crimp method looks well done. I order bare **** connectors (that doesn't sound quite right lol...) That are essentially the same thing as you've created by cutting off the ring of the ring terminal. The other tip I have is to order some adhesive lined heat shrink. The adhesive is a hot melt glue and seals out moisture. The good heat shrink has a 3:1 shrink ratio (cheap stuff is 2:1) and thicker walls.

Your repair looks good, I bet it'll outlast the rest of the truck

 

[fourbyford]

On the Road Again...
I just can't wait to get on the road again...
(apologies, Willie)

Actually, I can wait...
Guess I'd have to say I'm not that good of a traveler. I dont mind driving... and the trip from the farm to the place in Wyoming is mostly scenic... that part is good.


View attachment 1030479


View attachment 1030480


Entering Montana...


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View attachment 1030482


Big Sky country, indeed...


View attachment 1030483


The killin' part is that it's the better part of 900 miles. During construction season (out here in the mountain west we have two seasons... Winter and Construction) running without a trailer, it's the better part of 15 hours. Doesnt seem like driving a "few hours" should be that big of a deal... and, when I was younger, I guess it wasn't. But now, it kicks my ****. So, the dilemma...

First of all, I'm not all that fond of restaurants. My experience has been that I'm paying a metric ton of money for (usually) average food and marginal service. I'll have to say that I am a pretty good tipper... everyone has to make a living. The least I've tipped recently is 15%... usually it's 20% or 25%... on the odd occasion that the server is actually on the ball, it's 30% or more. It really irks me to have to try to get the server's attention to ask for something as simple as a refill of my water... shouldn't have to ask! So, suffice it to say, we just dont eat at restaurants very often.

Then, there are the motels. It seems most are at one extreme or the other. Either mega-dollar places where paying for a room seems like you're probably making a mortgage payment or, on the other end, the dives. I guess I'm generalizing here... there are some fairly nice places in the middle price range and I've stayed in some pretty nice places that were rated at 2 or 3 stars. But... I tend to not sleep well in motels. So, I usually make the drive all in one day... pretty much only stopping for fuel... even though it kicks my ****.

For the past few weeks, I've been focusing on checking things off the Truck Repair List. The windshield was apparently the original one installed at the factory. When I got the truck, you could see that the windshield was tired but there were no visible chips or cracks. About a year in, I was en-route to one place or another and a small rock hit the windshield resulting in a chip. The windshield wasn't really worth fixing so, I rolled the dice. I drove the truck for several months and... nothing. But then... it turned into a small crack eventually extending from the lower corner of the passenger side and gradually working it's way to the rear-view mirror. It wasn't really in my line of vision but sometimes the sun glaring off the crack was killer. I had been trying to put off replacing the windshield until I can stop making these annual trips. With my luck, I'd get a chip in a brand new windshield. Long story (sorry) short (not very?)... I came up with a plan to get a new windshield on the way back to Wyoming...

This morning, i left the farm and drove to Coeur d' Alene to a nation-wide auto glass company. I've been there before... first quality windshields and excellent service for less than half of what the local guys charge. My windshield today was $159. Dang... that's cheap... shoulda done it a long time ago... lol...

Anyways, the plan was to get the windshield done, leave CdA early afternoon (so far, so good) and drive to Missoula Montana where I'd reserved a room. What could possibly go wrong with this scenario? I made the reservation using a well known website that specializes in such things... probably my first mistake. So, as I'm perusing different rooms in Missoula, priced anywhere from mortgage payments on down, I find a listing that mentioned some sort of "deal"... $47 bucks for a 2.5 star hotel... take the deal and you'll get a room in one of three well known hotels. And, you could see the three choices. Anyways, I PAID my money and rolled the dice. After taxes and fees, sixty-two bucks. So, after the (slot machine) wheels stopped spinning, I learned I'd gotten a room in a nationally known chain... score!

So, when I arrived this evening, I found out what could possibly go wrong... is "craphole" a word? As I'm standing in line waiting to check in, I see a sign behind the desk that says... *** XXXX Inn... since 1959. And, I'm thinking... hmmm... this must've been one of their first hotels... lol. Maybe it looked cleaner when it was new... After standing in the lobby for quite some time, it was finally my turn. Ever covid-ly aware, I stood fast six feet from the counter while waiting for a "Clerk shift change". The clerk that was initially working seemed pleasant... the second one, not so much. She finally masked up and called me to the desk where I went through the usual stuff. She actually found my reservation and then said she needed a credit card. I reminded her that I had PAID for my room on the website. She said she had to charge a 25 dollar deposit on my card in case I damaged the room. And I'm thinking... you gotta be sh!tting me... how could that even be possible? I asked her if the deposit could be in cash... nope... card only. At that point, I was about ready to forfeit my sixty-two bucks, and probably should have but, all I wanted to do is sleep a few hours and get back on the road... so, I hand over my card. I'll assume they dinged a $25 deposit since I didn't yet get a receipt.

So, I finally get UP to my room (why do they always give upstairs rooms to the old guys with bad knees?) and see this...





So, I take a pic and go back to the desk to let them know that the smoke alarm got ripped out of the ceiling and one of the wires is off...
There's no way I'll be paying for this! So, some guy, I'll assume is the manager, tells me not to worry... I won't be charged and he'll fix it. When he said that, I thought he meant tonight. It's about 10:30 and, no bueno. Think I'll head back to the desk and see what the friggin plan is.

Damn, I hate it when **** like this happens. Now, I'll have a slew of emails to write. I'm not sure how a hotel can rent a room without a functioning smoke alarm. I'm thinking the local fire inspectors might find it interesting though. Not sure it'll do any good but, I'll try contacting the HQ of the national chain. I'm not all that savvy with Yelp (or the flavor of the month) but I gotta figure out how to give a rating that's a NEGATIVE 2.5 stars... lol

Oh well... if I survive the night, I'll be On the Road Again... in the morning. Looking forward to a good breakfast at the Cracker Barrel... hope I'm not disappointed! Should reach my destination around 5 pm.

I still have a couple of posts to get caught up from working around the farm... then, it'll be posts about the Wyoming project. Its gonna be a busy summer!


...D


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[fourbyford]

Hey Justin,

Thanks for the info... I'll have to look for the bare-**** splices (you're right, that does sound funny)... they would save me a **** load of time!

I think I recently read a discussion on GJ about soldering and some were talking about embrittlement... that could result in failure. I definitely noticed that as I was trying to solder my tail light socket. When I get a spare hour, I'll cut that mess out and crimp splice it back.

I guess I got some decent heat shrink... it had the adhesive and was 3:1... I liked it.

Thanks for the visit!

...D

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[fourbyford]

Hmmm... not sure what happened to my pics in the above post... one worked and the rest didn't... and, I definitely dont have a clue as to how to fix it...

It's getting late and I'd better try to get some sleep... driving tomorrow ya know... lol

...D

 

[Pressingonward]

Yes, I avoid solder on vehicle repairs for the most part due to the embrittlement issue. Every single terminal in the wiring harness is a crimp connection...when properly done they never fail. I avoid the crimp connectors with the cheap vinyl over them because it's really difficult to get a solid crimp, and the vinyl doesn't keep water out...

My wife and I have hated almost every hotel room we've stayed in. Cheap or expensive they always seem to be dirty, noisy, and irritating in some way. We're trying to save up for a cheap small travel trailer or truck camper so we can bring our room with us and avoid hotels entirely...

Hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly!

 

[Bob Heine]

I used to stay in Quality Inn motels for weeks at a time (26 weeks a year) and had no issues with them. After the fifth or sixth visit they knew me and made sure my room was not a health risk. Two of those weeks was spent in five-star hotels in India so my standards are pretty low. If there's no cow flops in the room, I'm good.

More recently my wife and I spent a night in a Doubletree Hilton hotel near Orlando to attend one of our granddaughter's graduation from UCF. We were surprised by the moldy smell in the room but figured we would get used to the locker room smell. Our room sounded like it was at the end of an airport runway whenever the A/C blower turned on. The front desk said they didn't have a room to move us to and my attempt to turn off the A/C in our room had no effect - it was the entire building or floor fan and apparently our room was its home. Like you I paid in advance, using Expedia so checkout was quite a surprise. Hilton had no record of the payment and insisted I make a second mortgage payment but for the regular room rate. When I asked the crack ***** at the desk to please check with Hilton headquarters or Expedia, she said I would have to do that on Monday because crack dealers don't work on Sunday. When I called on Monday, Hilton assured me they would look into it and might refund the overcharge at the end of the next accounting year. American Express was more helpful, refunding the disputed charge immediately. I'm really looking forward to my next stay at a no-name hourly-rate motel -- it will surely be more pleasant than that Hilton.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Bob,

Thanks for the laugh! I needed that first thing this morning!!

When we do travel, I usually head for a Quality Inn... have never been disappointed.

When I finally woke up this morning (dog tired... up at 3:00 yesterday morning) and looked around, the room itself wasn't all that bad. Surprisingly, the A/C didn't keep me awake... but the low lifes walking around outside- smoking and joking- woke me up once or twice. All in all, a pretty good night... for a motel. I went down and checked out this morning... they released my deposit without even looking at the room. Dont know what that's all about... hmmm maybe I have an "honest face"...

 

[fourbyford]

Just had a delightful breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.

Great food and the server must have read my post from last night... the service was perfect! I've noticed that most servers don't really have a "sense of timing"... I guess that means they're not really paying attention. I hate it when I've just shoved a forkfull of somethin'r another in the pie hole and the server walks up and asks a question...

This girl must've had esp... she was right there at exactly the right time... I didn't have to ask for anything! Left a $10 tip on an $11.78 check. I dont mind paying for quality... whatever form it takes.

Its 10:00 am... I'd best be headed east...

Later...

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: I hear you on good food and EXCELLENT SERVICE at CRACKER BARREL cause we ate at one in Missouri a couple years ago and I also maybe surprised the nice server with a generous tip that maybe was as much as our bill was. good to know you also do that. what I hate is the servers that do nothing special at all or less and still expect 20% tips.

I haven't soldered wires in a while, but I can tell you lead free solder for my copper plumbing has always been a pain to get it to work correctly.

glad to see and hear you found another better option.

have a great day!!

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Thanks for the visit!

The hotel stay wasn't the worst ever... but, I'm glad that trip is in the rear-view mirror. Problem is, I'm thinking there'll be at least one round trip (to take a trailer back to the farm) before I leave here for the season. Oh well, gotta cross that bridge when I get to it.

I've mentioned before that I've been posting using the app... I've looked at the failed pics from a previous post and it's not obvious (to me) how to fix it and I dont really have the time to fuss with it. So... I'll attempt to re-post a couple of pics...

I never tire of the scenery in the north part of the state...




The vast forests are breathtaking





I grew up (mostly) in north eastern Colorado and a few years in Wyoming... both places aren't really known for trees... lol
**at least in the grassland/prairie areas

In this part of Idaho, there are lots of steep grades




Entering Montana





Big Sky country





I got into Missoula about 7:30... pretty much "setteled" in my room by a bit after 8.

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[fourbyford]

I've been making this trip for a number of years and noticed this house the first time I drove by. I love the "gingerbread" detail on the gables and have considered doing something similar on my own house. I've always intended to get off the interstate long enough to get a quick pic but I've either been pulling a sizable trailer or haven't had the time to spare. Well, Saturday, I decided it was then or never. Deer Lodge is a very nice small town. Lots of vintage architecture... I could have spent a couple of hours driving around snapping pics of some really cool old houses and buildings. Sounds like a great week-end get away in the Jeep in the foreseeable future.

The way the off ramps are situated, it's a bit of a drive to get into the actual town. I had a pretty good idea of where the house was situated but wasn't sure how to get to it. Not sure how, but I was driving down "Main Street" and came to a cross street that just looked like it should get me where I needed to be. Ended up driving pretty much right to the house. Of course, the town isn't THAT big, but I figured I'd be searching for at least a few minutes... guess I lucked out!


View attachment 1031229


Both days of the drive were pretty uneventful. I mentioned the grades in Idaho... Montana has its' share as well. This is the Continental Divide east of Butte


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Entering Wyoming


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Notice any difference in the scenery??


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The prairie has its' own beauty... but, I definitely prefer the forest land


Arrived at destination by about 8:30. Had to drop something by my friend's place... made it to my own place by about 9:30. Was so "wound up" from driving, was around 11 before I could get to sleep. Of course, part of that is probably the time change.

Wasn't up to much yesterday... but feel 100% better today. Good thing because there's no shortage of things do do!

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[fourbyford]

Not sure I'm understanding what's happening. First post (of today) with pics seemed to work just fine... now, with this last one, no pics...

I'll try again?

House in Deer Lodge





Continental Divide





Entering Wyoming





Wyoming prairie








fingers crossed...

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[drivesitfar]

4by: looks like a very scenic drive and a lot more green than I saw driving thru downtown Seattle twice yesterday.

I know I've asked this before or something close to it, but is Wyoming the windiest state in the USA? reason i'm asking is because i was driving through it a couple years ago and the winds were up around 70mph and when I stopped in for gas and opened up my door that the wind almost took off our car I asked the gal taking my money if it always was windy here. she gave me a quick YUP so i gotta believe it is.

best of luck on the summer fix up at the old homestead while you get it ready to sell and take lots of pictures of your projects cause what you think is average or normal some of us would love to see and hear how you do IT.

cheers

 

[fourbyford]

Not sure if Wyoming has more wind than any other state but I sure wouldn't want to be where it might blow more than it does here! 70 mile per hour winds, around here, is pretty much just another day. Can't even count the number of days I've been feeding horses when it was 40° below zero with 50 mph "breezes". That right there is down right chilly! (apologies to our northern neighbors... I know, compared to you all, I'm a real piker... lol)

Anyways, living in wind country teaches you to build things to last... and leads to lots of great stories to tell around the campfire... lol
Like the time I nearly got blown off my extension ladder even though my buddy was holding onto a rope tied near the top of the ladder...
Or, the technique I developed for hanging OSB sheathing on the outer walls of my building... by myself... in a 40+ mph breeze. The cool thing with that is once you get the sheet near the building, just turn loose... it slams into place and holds itself in position while you drive the screws...

Yep, lots of projects coming this summer. Will have a ton of stuff to post up!

Thanks for stopping by!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Finally... my buddy and I are back on the bikes! I definitely need it... I've definitely fallen off the exercise wagon. Summer before last, we rode over 1,500 miles. We started off riding 3 - 4 days a week and then quickly upped it to 7 days... unless one of us had some other commitment. We ride anywhere from 9 to 18 miles per day. We usually try to get out at daybreak... nice and cool and not many folks out on the trails. There is a really nice trail system here. Some Rail Trails... and some the city/county has installed to connect various parks in the system. It's a very good thing the trails are here... only on a VERY rare occasion would I even consider riding on a street or county road. Drivers around here are absolutely out of their minds. Riding on a street would be putting your life in someone else's hands... no thanks!

Anyways, the sections of trail we ride primarily connect several parks along the river and even go out to a distant subdivision... that route is the 18 mile round trip. The ride along the river is pleasant and we normally see a lot of wildlife... ducks, geese and deer... seeing more and more turkeys. Makes for a great morning. Last year, I arrived here so late in the season, we didn't get many rides in. I was hoping to rack up 2,000 miles this year, but doubt we'll make that... too late a start in the season and too many projects. But, we'll see where we get.

So, my buddy has had a fairly expensive bike for a while now. When we began riding together in '18, he was trying to convince me to buy a $1,000 - $1,200 bike... said I wouldn't regret it. Well, I have to be a bit careful with my budget... most of my money goes to fuel (back and forth to the rural property and trips to the Idaho farm) and building materials. So, I did a bit of research and bought a "Wally" bike. He thought i was out of my mind. $149. American made. Shimano derailleurs. I probably have around 1,800 miles on it and have had zero problems with it. In fact, put them side by side and you can't tell much difference... He's said more than once that he wished they would've had these bikes when he was buying his... probably would've bought one.

Wally Bike...


View attachment 1031306


One of the man-made rapids at the kayak park...


View attachment 1031307


Another rapid


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Was a great way to start the day!

...D

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[fourbyford]

I'm really not understanding this hit and miss pic thing...

Bike





Rapids








...D

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[fourbyford]

I've been thinking about the problems with posting pics...

I post using the app because I can't seem to post pics from my phone via the regular GJ site. When I post at the farm, everything goes via wifi and seems to work well. I don't have any sort of internet connection at my place here in Wyoming so everything is via data. It seems I have a problem when posting something with a lot of text and several pics. All I can think is it's too much data trying to transmit? Anyways, that's my theory so I'll try shorter posts with fewer pics and see what happens...

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[fourbyford]

While I was working on installing the new exhaust system, I mentioned that the air tube was too long (and at an incorrect angle) to fit on the front of the cat... so I cut it off.

Had to make several pie cuts to achieve the correct angle...





Tacked and welded. I had to fab and weld on a collar that would slip over the cut end of the tube that was still on the truck. This tube was made from 20 ga. I managed to get it welded up although it was definitely not one of my better weld jobs. Oh well... as they say... if ya can't weld ya should know how to grind... and paint... lol





Tube installed. It went in just right and the clamps are holding well.





...D

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[fourbyford]

Hmmm... looks like this may work...

Another problem I had to address was to lengthen the tailpipe hanger. I previously mentioned that I was able to cut off/apart the OEM hanger and reinstall it... but it was too short. It would have worked were it not for my B & W gooseneck hitch. There was about 1/4" clearance between the muffler and the hitch cross member. Best case, it would have rattled... worst case, all the banging around would eventually damage the muffler.

Another fairly simple fix...





Fabbed from 2" x 1/4" flat bar (because it's what I had laying around)
Just needed to add 1" to the length...





Cleaned and ready to install...
Had a metric ton of things going on so... no paint. That can be a winter project... lol





...D

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[fourbyford]

IIRC, I mentioned, maybe back around March or so, that one evening as we were leaving Lewiston, I was pulled over by one of the county's finest. Stated reason for stop: no mud flaps. Actually, he was looking for drunks. He was a pretty nice guy... K-9 troop. Since that was my job for a significant amount of my time in the military... I chatted for a bit about the job. He finally said he had to go and gave me a verbal warning. Too funny...

Anyways, it had been so long and I hadn't gotten around to installing mud flaps (it is actually in the Idaho code... although less than half of light duty trucks on the road have them) I figured I should get it done. Not sure what I would've said if the same guy would've pulled me over again... lol

So... it's a DRW pickup and the fenders covering the outer wheels are fiberglass. No place to mount mudflats! After thinking about it for a bit, I realized I could use hangers from a class 8 truck... with a few modifications...

Of course, in the exact spot I needed to install a bolt, the factory had punched a large, oblong hole on each frame rail. So, I used some 1/4" flat bar to create a couple of fillers. All they needed to do is "locate" the bolt. The bracket (on the front) and a large, thick washer (on the back) actually clamped everything in place.


View attachment 1031509


Bracket installed...


View attachment 1031512


And, hanger installed. I would still need to cut the hanger to the correct length and trim the flaps to size... once the bed was back on.


View attachment 1031513


...D



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[fourbyford]

Dang... too much text??

Filler...





Bracket installed





Hanger installed







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[fourbyford]

One of the last problems I needed to fix involved the stops for the fronts of each overload spring.

Shortly after i bought the truck, I replaced the bushings on the front leafs and had intended to replace the bushings on the rears. Long story short, I bought and installed new rear springs. Bought from a reputable company... springs made in USA and were supposed to be a direct replacement for OEM. Everything went together perfectly... except the front of both overload leaves was essentially resting right on the stops... without a load in the truck. Never did figure out what that was all about. Wouldn't have been that big of a deal but, the "ride" was terrible... bouncy and harsh. This was something I had wanted to do for quite some time... but didn't want (and never had the time) to pull the bed just for this job. Anyways, the opportunity finally presented itself...

When I replaced the rear leafs, I also had to replace the rear shackle mounts. The way these things are designed, they hold mud/water and on many trucks, will try to rust through. Mine wasn't quite catastrophic, but would've gotten there. Of course, the mounts were riveted to the frame, but I was able to grind the heads and drive the rivets out with a drift.

So, based on that experience, I figured relocating the overload stops would be a fairly easy job... since I had good access. So, starting on one side, I ground the heads off the four rivets holding the brackets in place... and got a good drift and a BFH. They were gonna tap right out... right? WRONG!! Those rivets couldn't have been any more solid in the frame if they were welded! I wailed on each of them over and over... couldn't get even one to budge. So, I located the centers and center punched the the rivets and started drilling. I had to WAG the center... was pretty hard to see and NO way to measure. The rivets were 7/16" diameter... I began with a 3/16" pilot hole. These should have been fairly easy to drill but, not so much. After getting the pilot holes drilled, I finished up with a 3/8" drill. I actually kept some "wall thickness" on seven of the rivets... I did just drill through the wall on the eight one, but didn't distort the hole in the frame... not sure how I managed any of that... lol

After all the rivets were drilled, I was finally able to drive them out. A couple of them still put up a pretty good fight, but I eventually managed to get them all.

The way it all worked out, I was able to bolt the lower hole of each bracket into the original hole in the frame that was directly above it. I found what seemed to be a logical location for the brackets and drilled three new holes for each side. Brackets secured with grade 8 hardware.

I'm pretty sure if I try to post a pic that it wont work... so it'll be in the next post... sorry

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[fourbyford]

I didn't get any in-progress pics because of all the hammering and drilling... guess I was "in the zone" ...lol





...D

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[fourbyford]

Oops... I think I said I used grade 8 hardware... looks a lot like grade 5 to me... duhhh...

Anyways, you can see the three abandoned holes. The new locations seem to have worked out well.

A few pages back, Justin asked for an "after action report" on the cab mount bushings... I'll combine that with the relocated overload brackets.

I did some reading on urethane bushings before I installed mine. Several guys complained of squeaking and clunking noises... harsh ride, etc. Those posts were a few years old and I think one of two things was going on...

Either the manufacturer improved the bushings or the guys that complained didn't install their bushings correctly.

I haven't heard any noise and the "ride" is a vast improvement over what I started with. Of course, part of that was getting the truck off those overload springs.

If I had to describe the ride in a word... it would be "crisp" It is definitely firm, but not objectionable. I do have to admit, there were a couple of stretches of roadway (in Montana IIRC) that was concrete and the slabs had shifted after years of truck traffic. At highway speeds, the joints between the slabs created a washboard effect... a harsh vibration. If I had to describe that ride in a word it would be "brutal"...
Fortunately, those sections were less than a half mile each. Part of that problem is that I'm driving an empty drw truck with a firm suspension... the urethane bushings definitely telegraphed the poor road surface directly to the cab.

If I had it all to do over... would I? Absolutely! If I lived in an area where the roads totally **** I might have to re-think but, considering the roads I normally drive, the bushings are a non-issue... and are actually a welcomed improvement.

...D

 

[fourbyford]

A few weeks ago (probably a week or 10 days after my last roof adventure) we had another storm front come through... we lost 4 ridge shingles this go-round. Actually, I think the shingle (that we lost the first time) fluttered for a while before it finally turned loose... and loosened up those few ridge shingles... that were pretty much directly above the one I had to replace.

So, had to get the ladders out and get back on the roof. It was MUCH easier this time!

I'm still having this feeling that I'll be re-roofing this thing sooner rather than later... hoping for the best though...





...D

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[fourbyford]

And... to get completely caught up with the farm happenings...

A couple weeks ago now, lightning struck our TV antenna taking out our TV and internet.

No pics... wasn't much to see... a little "transformer " that connects the coax to the antenna was blown to pieces... TV not working but no visible damage.

Had to get the internet company out... they replaced all the equipment and got us back up and running. We bought a new TV so that's working as well. I'm pretty sure I can repair the original TV but that will be a winter project. When (if) I get it fixed, guess it will go in the garage.

We had an unusual winter... very mild... a cool and wet extended spring... there were weeks where one storm after another came in off the coast. It's not like we never have wind or bad weather... we get our share of what I (having lived in Wyoming) would call breezes, rain and snow. But, this year, the weather has been fairly severe. We're surviving it but, I wont be disappointed if we dont see another season like this for a long time.

This pretty much has me caught up with the larger projects I'd been working on around the farm. Of course, there were lots of other things going on at the time but, nothing really "newsworthy"

So now, I'll be focusing on my rural property here. A few things to finish up on the shop and a couple of outbuildings and it will be listed for sale.

More to come...

...D

 

[Pressingonward]

Thanks for the followup on the cab bushings. Poly bushings definitely transfer more harshness than oem rubber (my experience is with suspension bushings) but probably not more than the worn out originals. Glad to hear it's an improvement. 1 ton trucks definitely ride terrible when empty

Your air injection tube mod looks great from here

 

[Bob Heine]

FourbyFord, I'm no longer allowed on extension ladders (unless SWMBO is getting her nails done) but your two-ladder setup is making my violations trivial. I take it you climb the first ladder so you can pull the second ladder up and then get to the missing shingle. You then climb down, bring the upper ladder down, put both ladders away and do it all again when the cap shingles come loose. That's awesome! If it had been me, those two ladders would be stored right where you show them in the photo.

 

[fourbyford]

I had considered that... would definitely save some time! My only concern is that the UV would deteriorate the fiberglass. As of late, that's the only place I've used those... maybe I should leave them there. I'm sure my misses could figure out some sort of hanging flower baskets to make them "invisible "... lol

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: great work as per usual and nice to see you survived the ladders to the top of your roof to repair the ridge cap.

as far as posting pictures there are many many ways to do it here and even though I like the huge pictures in between posts for a nicer read they usually require(d) online hosting sites and those sites don't always work the same (Photobucket's fiasco just to name a big one) so when I started posting on GJ I used the paperclip and download my pics directly to GJ.

they show up as thumbs sort of like yours and with 2 mouse clicks the viewer can see it full size on his laptop or cell.

best of luck on the fix up and sale of the old farm so you won't have to worry about that again.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Yep, I've been fighting the pic thing... I've been reluctant to commit to the hosting site concept because of the PB fiasco... I'd prefer to not have to deal with that sort of headache. As far as posting pics using the GJ website... I can get a pic to download but, once I get to the final part of that process, I can't exit that page. Once I do get out of it, the pic is gone. I'm not sure if it's because I'm posting from my phone or because I've done something wrong. I'd never had an issue posting pics using the GJ app when I was at the farm... using wifi... I'm guessing now that everything I'm doing is using data, the larger posts with pics is overloading that system. I'll try to keep that in mind with my posts. Hopefully I'll find some sort of formula that will work reliably while I'm here.

I do have a laptop and have been thinking I need to start using that but knew I'd be spending time out here and would be posting from the phone... so I wasn't in much of a hurry to switch over. Maybe when I'm back at the farm for the winter I'll make the switch.

Anyways, it will be a busy summer but I'm determined to get that place on the market this year.

Thanks for the visit!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Just a quick post with a couple of pics of the mudflaps...





I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. Should be plenty strong and will be easy to change when that time comes.

The position couldn't have worked out any better... they're literally a quarter of an inch from the fender brace.





...D

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[Pressingonward]

When I post pics I run them through a cropping/resizing app to get the size reasonable before uploading - might be worth a try.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Justin,

I've heard of 10' (or 50') paint jobs... now, I have a 1,000 mile weld job... lol

It's all good... hahaha


...D

 

[fourbyford]

Hmmm... I'll look into that...
Reckon what size is optimal?

 

[Pressingonward]

Hey Justin,

I've heard of 10' (or 50') paint jobs... now, I have a 1,000 mile weld job... lol

It's all good... hahaha


...D

Lol!

Regarding picture size - I just set the resizer to "medium" size - I think it does 1200x1600 or something like that, but it gets the file size from 3.5mb down to ~400 kb with the resize and some compression (90% quality). I think the forum resizes them a bit further when you upload them - hopefully all my photos on my thread appear full size (not thumbnails) and all the same size?

 

[fourbyford]

Yep... your pics look great!

You mentioned you're using an app??