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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Trackrock Campground near Blairsville Georgia
Haven't stayed at this CG, but Devils Fork SP is right in the moutains. We intend to visit this CG next year.
http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/1355.aspx
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Rob_NC
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11/02/08 05:42pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: North Carolina Truck Registration
Is that personal property tax charged every year or just at registration? I have to pay every year in CT and last year it was $450.00 on a 5 year old truck.
It will be every year. The amount depends on the county you will reside in. Mine is less than $120 for a 4 year old truck.
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Rob_NC
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10/20/08 06:32pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Sterling Truck Division to be closed
Three plants affect by this move by DaimlerAG. One in Oregon and one in St. Thomas Ontario and one in Saltillo Mexico. The St. Thomas plant was running 3 shift up until earlier this year when 600 were laid off when the plant went to 2 shifts. Now the plant will close entirely putting 2000 people/famlies out of work including the 600 already on layoff. I don't know how many will be affected in Oregon, but here's the kick in the head. When the Onatio plant closes it doors at the end of the current Union contract a new plant will just start production at Saltillo Mexico building a Freightiner badged replaced for the MDT Sterling chassis for wages ranging from $1 to $6 per hour. What a kick in the head to North American workers. I know this will affect the company I work for as we are a supplier to the factory.
Guess you and I and all the rest of us North Americans will eventually have to get use to third world wages if we want to put food on our tables. Don't know who will buy the factory output then, maybe the Chinese middle class making more than you and I by that time.
The Saltillo plant will be building the Cascadia model, the replacement for the Columbia and Century Class both of which were Freightliner's best selling class 8 models.
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Rob_NC
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10/14/08 06:14pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Sterling Truck Division to be closed
Sterling's bread and butter has been carhauler, LTL (baby 8) and vocational chassis. Not many MDT or class 8 OTR trucks sold. Probably a good move on DTNA's part.
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Rob_NC
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10/14/08 11:12am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Little DPF insight
I also just bought a 08 GM love the truck. Does anybody know if adding extra power service to the fuel will make the DPF work less thuss burning cleaner.I heard dirty fuels clogg it up quicker?
Using more fuel conditioner than recommended is wasting money. A dirty air filter will produce more soot than dirty fuel.
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Rob_NC
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09/29/08 09:21am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Little DPF insight
I know very little thus far about UREA.
I do know there has to be a better mouse (DPF:W) trap.
However, IIRC ammonia has an acidic, or corrosive quailty to it. If that is the case, exhaust systems will need to be made entirely of stainless steel. GM, I believe, already makes it's exhaust out of stainless, although I am not sure of the other guys.
I intend to study more about UREA. If it can replace the DPF, then possibly the HD pick-up diesels can regain some of their mpg, and lose the high maintenance potential of the DPF.
Also another question has presented itself to me.....What if the owner of a UREA treated vehicle simply allows the UREA tank to run empty, and that owner chooses not to refill it. Obviously the emissions system will no longer function properly, and what will the consequences be just because the UREA treated diesel owner is a cheapskate?
The DPF will not be replaced as it is the component that reduces particulate emissions. An additional component, a SCR (selective catalyst reduction) will be added. Urea is injected into the exhaust stream post dpf where it is carried into the scr. The urea decomposes in the catalyst to form pure ammonia. The ammonia neutralizes the NOx leaving pure Nitrogen and water as emissions. The only exhaust components that must be stainless steel are before and including the scr and the pump. Ammonia should/will never be emitted from the scr. Holding tanks will be plastic with plastic delivery lines.
The EPA has also mandated OBDII for all heavy duty diesel vehicles. If the urea tank is empty, the engine will be derated. Filling it with anything but a 32% urea solution will also create a derate. Urea consumption will be approx. 2% to total fuel used. Total increase to operating costs will be less than $0.006/mile.
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Rob_NC
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09/28/08 06:22am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Little DPF insight
There are 2 types of regeneration. Passive, and active.
Passive occurs when the exhaust temp is kept at a minimum value that allows the DPF to burn out the particulates before the computer picks up a pressure differential, and calls for an active regen. Passive regen uses no fuel.
Active regen is when the computer has seen a pressure differential, and sprays fuel into the exhaust stream to elevate the DPF's temp allowing the particulates to burn. This uses fuel that is not being burned through the engine it'self.
Theorhetically active regens would never be needed if the truck is worked hard enough to keep the exhaust hot enough. Local driving, and short trips wont heat the exhaust enough to passively regen, so active regens will occur in this situation.
Also, extended periods of highway cruising an empty truck won't passively regen either.
Right now it is a "catch22". Fuel mileage will continue to suffer because a truck that is worked hard wont get the fuel mileage that an unloaded one would. And trucks that are lightly used will under go more frequent active regens. :(
One thing that could help the more savvy diesel owners is for the manufacturers to install OEM pyrometer gauges calibrated to help monitor the exhaust temp going into the DPF. Obviously monitoring one more gauge is asking alot of the average hockey mom, but airplane pilots monitor many instruments....way more than any pick-up driver...., so I don't feel it is too much for most diesel owners to have a pyrometer.
Passive regeneration also occurs at a lower temperature (250C) in a NO2 rich environment whereas active regens occur in an O2 rich environment and must produce minimum 600C. The beautiful thing about 2010 emissions and urea SCR is that less EGR will be needed thus increasing the engine out NOx. This will then allow the dpf to regen much more effectively in a passive mode. With less EGR, the engine will regain some of the lost fuel economy. Less EGR will also produce less soot thereby reducing the overall loading of the dpf which also is advantageous for passive regeneration.
Urea is NOT recycled animal waste. Urea is a produced from ammonia and carbon dioxide. Soot oxidation produces CO2 and H2O.
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Rob_NC
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09/27/08 07:03pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford F-150 Tow Mirrors
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=AccessoryCatalog&catalogid=6146&siteid=215005&categoryID=136646
Here are the part nos. for OEM tow mirrors and these guys have the best price I've found. http://www.tascafordparts.com/
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Rob_NC
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09/24/08 06:48pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Gas price jUMP!
Good For Him, the best thing Florida did was dump Jeb Bush now we only have a few more months with the other Bush Clown and maybe we can get this Country Back On Track!
Flame Suit On
Don
What track? Neither candidate has mentioned where they intend to take us or how they'll get us there.
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Rob_NC
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09/16/08 05:43am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Gas price jUMP!
Just heard on the morning news that Floridas Governor is having 4 gas station chains investigated for jacking the price up for no apparent reason other than speculation.
The NC Attorney General has issued 25 subpoenas to investigate price gouging. He says more are likely to come.
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Rob_NC
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09/16/08 05:42am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Gas price jUMP!
As an Economics teacher I have to chime in. Many posters have hit upon good points, others not so much. To affect fuel prices, you have to know what is causing them to rise. The current rise spike in gas prices is due to the unknown effect of a direct hit on the refineries in the Golden Triangle (Houston-Beaumont-Port Arthur). The world price of cruse oil really is immaterial; the issue is the refining capacity of the Golden Triangle area. If the refineries gin back up quickly after the storm subsides, gas prices at the pump will recede. As far as gas prices in general, there are other determining factors besides these mythical "Big Oil" conspiracies.
1. Devaluation of the dollar against other currencies. Everytime the dollar dips, oil is more expensive to US in the USA. The world price of oil is set in dollars; every time the dollar loses value, the price of oil rises.
2. Speculation. Demand for oil futures increases oil prices.
3. Increased demand. The world's two most populous nations (China and India) are rapidly industrializing. Manufacturing and transportation consume oil, as do the Buicks yuppie Chinese now drive. Demand in the USA has dropped slightly as the price has risen. Unless China/India decide to regress, their demand will only increase.
4. Supply. Unless more oil is pumped and refined to keep up with demand, prices will rise. The Chinese are drilling for oil (w/Cuba) closer to our coast than we are allowed to drill. The oil bonanza of ANWR remains untapped--so we can pay terrorist-supporting nations to drill in their homelands instead pf producing our own.
5. Oil is fungible; it is a world commodity. What happens to demand or supply in one region affects the entire world's prices. This is why boycotting companies or whole nations fails. If Venezuela can't sell oil to the USA, they'll sell it to someone else. It's like drinking from a milkshake that has 3 straws---it doesn't make any difference which straw you drink from, the level in the whole glass goes down.
This is a partial list--but remember that the profit margin on oil to the companies is a fraction of the profit margin of state and federal government taxation ($.38/gal in Texas). The profit margin has actually shrunk for most gas stations. Conspiracy theories provide simple answers to complex situations; it is easier to believe the simple theories than listening to Ben Stein drone on--though he is right much of the time.
Many think the federal government should step in to "fix" gas prices. Really? Being old enough to remember the disastrous Carter efforts to cap gasoline prices, I have problems with this "solution". When a supply suddenly becomes scarce, prices naturally rise rapidly; in other words, it's the price that rations gasoline. We have an incentive to use less gasoline. During Katrina/Rita, prices were allowed to rise, and gas was available for rescue, rebuilding, etc. If government caps prices, gas becomes even more scarce because consumers have no incentive to conserve; hence the long lines at gas stations during the Carter administration. The basic economic principle at work here is that if government sets price floors or price ceilings to address price issues caused by shortages or supluses, the shortage or surplus becomes permanent. I don't make up the laws of economics, I just teach them.
Beyond that, what does the federal government do so efficiently that we should also entrust it to set up a bureacracy to ration our gasoline?
BTW regular unleaded was $3.46 this afternoon in San Antonio. I'm watering my lawn right now because we received NO RAIN from this beast of a storm!
You have to admit that if the media hadn't "leaked" that the Southeast could see gas shortages due to Ike, the demand wouldn't have increased at all. This media "leak" is pure speculation.
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Rob_NC
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09/14/08 07:20pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Gas prices and people getting stupid!!
Its seems every time we have a hurricane in the gulf folks pi$$ there pants and go into panic mode,go figure.What every happened to keep plenty of food,water & some fuel on hand in case of a emergency?Scary IMHO,coobie.
Here's a scenario. When winter weather is threatened down here, everyone flocks to the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk. What doesn't happen is the price of these commodities never changes despite the demand.
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Rob_NC
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09/12/08 06:24pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Gas prices and people getting stupid!!
I believe it's all a conspiracy between the media and BIG OIL. Since the demand has been dropping lately, BIG OIL was afraid they wouldn't see their usual record profits. They've been looking for an excuse to cause a false demand and they got it with IKE. BIG OIL paid the media to scare the general public and now we have stations running dry. Their plan worked. However, if nothing had been said, the demand would have stayed the same and the refineries wouldn't have to produce at capacity to catch up. I blame our government for allowing it to happen, BIG OIL and the media for causing it to happen and especially ourselves for being so gullible
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Rob_NC
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09/12/08 06:20pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Gas price jUMP!
I believe it's all a conspiracy between the media and BIG OIL. Since the demand has been dropping lately, BIG OIL was afraid they wouldn't see their usual record profits. They've been looking for an excuse to cause a false demand and they got it with IKE. BIG OIL paid the media to scare the general public and now we have stations running dry. Their plan worked. However, if nothing had been said, the demand would have stayed the same and the refineries wouldn't have to produce at capacity to catch up. I blame our government for allowing it to happen, BIG OIL and the media for causing it to happen and especially ourselves for being so gullible.
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Rob_NC
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09/12/08 06:10pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Please settle an argument - map of US
Sounds like a personal qualification to me. IMHO, I wouldn't fill it in unless I stayed a night in the state. Other's may have a different opinion or "rule" they use.
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Rob_NC
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09/11/08 06:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Nissan heavy duty pickups and commercial trucks
I also wonder if any of the ZF tranys will be the AS Tronic Lite AMT transmission? That would be a sweet gearbox behind a Cummins.
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Rob_NC
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09/09/08 08:03am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Nissan heavy duty pickups and commercial trucks
Very interesting....Where's Toyota?
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Rob_NC
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09/09/08 07:45am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Using Eternabond on seams as preventive measure
I love eternabond, but how do you get the stuff off if needed? I have an older trailer that had a roof leak front and back. I sealed both ends with eternabond for the season and plan to recover my roof this winter. How do I get this stuff off?
When I recover, I plan to use eternabond again. I know everyone else likes Dicor, but I like the fact eternabond lays flat and is activated with pressure. I feel you can't guarantee a seal with Dicor due to pin holes or bubbles.
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Rob_NC
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08/28/08 05:49am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: I-77 south from Ohio to I-85
Exit 20 in what state? thanks
West Virginia
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Rob_NC
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08/26/08 10:03am |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: New RVer needs advice
The most important factor to consider is what you're going to tow any TT with. If you currently have a TV, you must factor in its limitations. These will have an affect on your choice of TT. The alternative is to buy the TT you want first and then buy a TV to accommodate.
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Rob_NC
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08/26/08 09:59am |
Travel Trailers
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