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RE: Ford E350 1995 brakes simular on heavyer models?
The E350 of that year only has a GVWR of 10500 with the ambulance package, so no help there. (our fire department has a couple in reserve, that's how I know) A swap to a newer E450 axle would help, but probably a fair amount of work because of major differences between the 350 ('94 vintage) and 450 axles. The E450 axle is three inches wider, has disc brakes instead of drums, and uses a driveshaft parking brake as opposed to an axle mounted brake.
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rjstractor
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12/01/08 06:44pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Grill Blocking for fuel savings
Unless you have access to a wind tunnel, I don't think there's much you can do to improve your truck's aerodynamics. The manufacturers put a lot of money and research into making their trucks as aerodynamic as they can while still retaining the vehicle's function. Things like adding a cap, wind deflector or removing the tailgate actually disrupt the truck's designed air flow and add drag rather than reduce it. A while back, Mythbusters did a test on two identical pickups driven at the same speed on the same route, one with the tailgate up and the other down, and the truck with the tailgate up got consistantly better mileage.
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rjstractor
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11/28/08 06:49pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 21' Class C
Currently getting about 15mpg, but have a friend with same config in a B+ and he is getting 22-25mpg and documenting all fillups like me.
Your friend either is bad at math, or something is being lost in the translation between liters, kilometers, gallons, and miles. I can't imagine a gas powered B+, or even just a plain van conversion, consistently getting 22-25 mpg regardless of speed. My Ford Explorer, which is half the weight and of much lower profile than a B+, gets about that mileage at a steady 60 mph. I'd imagine 16-18 mpg would be pretty good for a B+, considering that conventional Cs rarely get better than 12 if their owners are honest with the numbers.
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rjstractor
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11/28/08 06:30pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Max tow capacity differences?
He may be talking about the fact that if (and only if) a Dodge 2500 is equipped with a Hemi, it gets the smaller 10.5" AAM rear, or used to anyway. I think GM did the same thing in a 2500 equipped with a 6.0L gas burner...
My truck has one. Wimpy little thing, only rated by the axle manufacturer at 10,000 lbs. :)
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rjstractor
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11/25/08 09:23pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Am I being scammed???(UPDATE - IT GETS BETTER!)
The stories in this thread underscore the need to find an honest repair shop. They do exist, even chain shops. For example, the Les Schwab store near my home gets all my business. A couple of years ago, I had my motorhome in there for new shocks. While it was there, I asked them to inspect the brakes, and flush and refill the brake fluid. I told them to do whatever brake work was necessary. When I picked my rig up, the tech told me that all my brakes were at 75% and nothing was needed. They could have replaced all the brakes and I would have paid without question, but because of their honesty they continue to get all the tire, shock and brake work for all four of my vehicles.
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rjstractor
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11/24/08 09:31pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: overdrive....
wrong!!! Always tow any trailer with O/D cancelled off. I have Overhauled hundreds of transmissions that were pulled in overdrive
This is true when you're talking about a 5000 lb. 1/2 ton pickup towing a 6000 lb. travel trailer, but he's talking about a 15000 lb. motorhome towing a car that weighs less than 4000 lbs. When a big heavy motorhome tows a car it adds almost no additional stress to the drivetrain. It's like you towing a 2000 lb. low profile trailer with your F150.
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rjstractor
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11/23/08 09:30pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: F350 vs. F450
Compare the trucks on the 2008 ford specs. You will find a substantial difference between the two. I can assure you that the 2008 F450 pickup was not a marketing ploy.
I did exactly that, only I used Cars.com, which I beleive uses specs from the factory site. As I stated in my post, there is a minimal difference between the F350 and 450 pickups in rear axle ratings. In fact, the difference is much less than than that of the F250 and F350 SRW, which share most of the same components.
I guess what I'm not understanding is why the F450 pickup is so de-rated. It's de-rated to the point where it has on paper virtually no difference in payload and therefore pin weight capacity than a DRW F350. Like I said before, I realize that the F450 pickup is built from much stronger components than the F350, it's just that the rating numbers don't reflect that. FWIW, I'm not interested in buying either truck, I just find the whole topic rather interesting.
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rjstractor
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11/23/08 02:39pm |
Tow Vehicles
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F350 vs. F450
I was just reading another thread about the differences between an F350 SRW and DRW and this got me thinking about comparing the F350 and F450, specifically rear axle ratings. I'll preface this by stating that I KNOW that the F450 is a much beefier truck in nearly all aspects, but I was really surprised at the minimal difference on paper concerning pin weight capacities of the two trucks. According to the numbers I found on cars.com, the difference in rear axle payload capacity is less than 200 pounds. The F350 has a RGAWR of 9000 lbs. and an empty rear curb weight of 3214 pounds, giving it a gross rear payload capacity of 5786 lbs. The F450 has a RGAWR of 9500 lbs and an empty rear curb weight of 3567 lbs., giving the truck a gross rear payload capacity of 5933 lbs., just 147 pounds more than the F350. Both trucks compared were 4x2 crew cab models.
So, why the minimal difference when the F450 is a much beefier truck? Marketing? Looking at the components the two trucks use I would think that the F450s rear axle payload should exceed the F350 by at least 2000 lbs.
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rjstractor
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11/23/08 09:41am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: e450 rear brakes
My E450's brakes were at 75% all the way around with 20K. I'd say the rears are doing too much work.
For loosening a stuck wheel, loosen the lug nuts a turn or so, and SLOWLY drive a short distance, back and forth.
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rjstractor
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11/20/08 12:25pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Ford Flex as a TV?
AWD getting people into trouble??? Common statement from 2wd folks - who didn't buy an AWD vehicle themselves...
This may be hijacking this thread, but I agree with Caddy, AWD DOES get people into trouble if not driven with some sanity. I own an AWD vehicle, and it is a superior vehicle in the snow compared with any 2WD vehicle. BUT, whenever it snows around here (which is maybe once or twice a year), the ditches are littered with vehicles, and many of them are 4WD or AWD. The reason? They have so much traction that it's easy to go as fast as you want, even uphill. When it comes time to stop or make an evasive maneuver, a lot of that traction advantage goes out the window and the vehicle loses control.
Now, if an AWD vehicle is driven in a manner that is right for the conditions, there is no doubt they are much safer and more effective in the snow and ice than a 2WD vehicle in the same conditions.
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rjstractor
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11/16/08 09:25pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford Flex as a TV?
When I drive to work in the winters and see cars in the ditch, they are mostly SUVs.
Very true. I see the same thing. With all that traction they can go as fast as they like in the snow, but when it's time to turn or stop the same rules of physics apply to AWD as they do to 2WD.
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rjstractor
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11/14/08 10:08pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Incredible. VW Bug pulling a 5'er
I actually thought it was brilliant. That little trailer couldn't have more than 200 lbs. or so of pin weight, and it is centered right in the middle of the car. On the other hand, a quick evasive manuever at 55 mph (assuming you could get it going that fast) might get a little hairy though. Better have brakes on the trailer, too, because those little Beetles could barely stop themselves.
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rjstractor
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11/14/08 09:17am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford Flex as a TV?
I can tell you with obsolute confidence that the Freestar is every bit as capable of a tow vehicle as the Flex.
The OP mentioned in his post that he was looking at AWD, and his DW had balled up the minivan on an icy road. Is the Freestar available with AWD or stability control?
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rjstractor
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11/14/08 09:07am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Nothing But Bargain Basement Priced Used H-2 Hummers
Crash comparison testing says otherwise. Both these vehicles hit the same wall at the same speed.
Ahhh, another apples and oranges comparison. When you are running vehicles into an immovable object (like a concrete wall), it levels the playing field. A Kenworth driver hitting a concrete wall at 60 mph is just as or more likely to be seriously injured or killed as a driver of a small car.
When you are talking about two vehicles colliding head-on, the larger vehicle has a tremendous advantage. An 8000 lb. F350 hitting a 4000 lb. sedan head-on at equal speeds carries four times the kinetic energy of the sedan, with the sedan predictably absorbing much more of the damage.
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rjstractor
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11/12/08 05:38pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GM's 1500 truck w/4.3 V6 as a tow vehicle
Like others have said if you can keep the wind resistance down (popup or Hi-Lo) it will do OK. I used to have a 1500 4WD pickup with the 4.3 and a 5 speed manual transmission. I used it to flat tow a Jeep CJ-7 from Montana, over the Rockies to Seattle. Although I was shifting gears quite a bit, it could maintain 45-50 on all the grades and I got 14-15 mpg.
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rjstractor
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11/12/08 05:27pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Nissan Frontier on Tow Dolly?
I don't have any personal experience towing a rear-drive vehicle on a dolly, but I'll share a related story that may make you think twice.
A little while back the fire department I work for had to have a rig (ladder truck) towed. The tow truck operator removed the driveshaft, and I assumed it was because our truck has an automatic transmission. I made a comment to that effect, and the operator said that they remove the driveshaft on all rear drive vehicles that they tow any distance, because with the front of the vehicle elevated (like on a tow truck or up on a dolly), the gears in the transmission do not get adequate lubrication because most of the lube is in the back of the transmission case due to gravity. It made sense to me, and I would not dolly tow any rear-drive vehicle a significant distance at any speed without first disconnecting the driveshaft.
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rjstractor
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11/09/08 08:34pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Can a Car tow a 34'TT
Motorcade magazine test a 65 Dodge and a 4,500lb., 30' Airstream and reached 94MPH. Conclusion...The Dodge made an excellent tow vehicle for this TT. Towing the Airstream was a solid and steady, an almost effortless delight. Once again I doubt if a modern pickup would do as well in the same test.
A common thread to this is that all the cars are towing Airstream trailers. One point that I wholeheartedly agree with you on is that an Airstream is much easier to tow than a conventional "square" travel trailer. A new pickup with a good hitch setup could easily tow an Airstream at 95 mph, probably much easier than a car built on 45 year old technology.
I know that you tow or at least used to tow a 26' Airstream with a 150 hp Nissan minivan, and I beleive you when you say it did fine. Hook that minivan up to a conventional travel trailer with it's brick like aerodynamics and it would struggle to even attain freeway speeds, let alone be controllable.
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rjstractor
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11/09/08 10:05am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Can a Car tow a 34'TT
Wouldn't you think better than a 1500 pickup?
Those cars would weigh less, have a better ride, lower centre of gravity, and better aerodynamics.
Are you talking about an 80's 1500 pickup? If so you are probably right. However, today's 1500 series pickups would be superior in every respect.
Thanks to modern technology, a new 1500 series pickup has much better brakes, a smooth ride, twice as much power, twice as much braking capacity and probably even better fuel economy than a smog-choked carbuerated 80's Caprice. Aerodynamics? That car is shaped like a brick and probably has the drag coefficient of one. The new pickup may have a higher profile, but without seeing wind tunnel numbers I would imagine it takes no more HP to push that pickup down the road than the boxy Caprice. The Caprice may have a lower center of gravity as well, but that alone doesn't make them handle very well. The skinny tires, mushy suspension and overassisted steering all contribute to make these older sedans handle like the boats that they are.
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rjstractor
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11/08/08 09:34pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: need some ideas on wireing please
yes battery power. might not be useing all of the items on battery power but will at lest use a few of the spot light on battery power.
If you plan on only running the outside lights while on battery power, a bigger converter won't make your batteries last longer. All it will do is charge them faster when your generator is on or you are plugged into shore power.
You are planning 41 amps of just lights. My whole rig, everything, is only 30 amps. Heck, my stick house is only 60 amps!
He's talking 41 amps at 12VDC (around 500 watts), which is the equivalent of just roughly 4 amps at 120VAC. Your rig is 30 amps at 120VAC.
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rjstractor
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11/08/08 09:11pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 1983 Dodge W150 4x4 for towing
My fire department's technical rescue team uses a 1987 D350 dually with a 360 to pull a 7000 lb. trailer. Gross combined weight is around 15000. It moves the load, but is very slow. The throttle must be pinned to make it up a significant hill at any speed.
Like others have said, this truck will pull the load but performance will be drastically less than what you are used to.
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rjstractor
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11/05/08 08:35am |
Tow Vehicles
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