Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[steved]

We are frying fish in the shop....

Hopefully in beer batter....

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[dancan]

Dancan can you show better pictures of your skidding cone? I'm wondering how to make 1 for myself

I will when I get back to the logs but it's a funnel made from an oil tank and the small part is a short piece of 2" pipe .

 

[svk]

Here comes the snow. Wish it could have held off for another 48 hours.

Normally I don't care about snow but I've got a lot of stuff to do in the next two days

 

[Ambull01]

As long as the trailer has brakes and you have them working...stopping isn't really a problem. That trailer I just rebuilt will stop the truck and trailer with ease (no truck brakes applied).

It is a lot a weight, when you think a cord of oak weighs around 5k pounds...and that's only a cord. You can overload trailers just as quick as you can overload a truck. And then you got to drag it along. In my case, when I had the big trailer set up to haul a little more than a cord, I was looking at 7500#s between the wood and trailer...that requires a stout tow rig.

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Forgot about trailer brakes too! I guess I should mark the trailer or have another way to determine a cord of stacked wood by a cursory glance. Figure if I limit the haul to a cord or a bit less I'll be good to go.

lol... I've been a bus mechanic since '03 and worked on plenty of 1 ton trucks prior. If you ever think you need help with brake issues, ask away. Hate to hear a guy got hurt over an issue that could have been avoided.

Nice. I've always wanted to train to be a mechanic, just for fun/knowledge. I like tinkering with things. I volunteered to get a military bus license last year, driving one was a fun experience. You have to really plan ahead on stops and turns. It was a 48 passenger bus I believe. I also drove one of the long haul buses or whatever they're called. My van's brakes almost feel like it, have to plan ahead. Or maybe that's just what it feels like to me after driving my Caddy then stepping into the van.

Is there any quick/easy/inexpensive thing(s) I can do to upgrade my van's braking power? I don't really like the mushy feel of the brake pedal or the overall braking performance. I know it will never brake like a supercar but I'll settle for less heart racing experience when I come upon a turn.

 

[zogger]

Forgot about trailer brakes too! I guess I should mark the trailer or have another way to determine a cord of stacked wood by a cursory glance. Figure if I limit the haul to a cord or a bit less I'll be good to go.




Nice. I've always wanted to train to be a mechanic, just for fun/knowledge. I like tinkering with things. I volunteered to get a military bus license last year, driving one was a fun experience. You have to really plan ahead on stops and turns. It was a 48 passenger bus I believe. I also drove one of the long haul buses or whatever they're called. My van's brakes almost feel like it, have to plan ahead. Or maybe that's just what it feels like to me after driving my Caddy then stepping into the van.

Is there any quick/easy/inexpensive thing(s) I can do to upgrade my van's braking power? I don't really like the mushy feel of the brake pedal or the overall braking performance. I know it will never brake like a supercar but I'll settle for less heart racing experience when I come upon a turn.

In my state, a trailer over 3500 lbs has to have brakes, they are required. I would want them anyway, with a tow weight that high or higher.

 

[MustangMike]

That is why with my 5' X 8' trailer I stack the wood on end, a 5 X 8 face should equal .4 of a cord (avg 16" length). My Escape is rated to pull more, and the trailer is rated at 2,000 (but it is 400), so limiting what I put in it keeps things safe and lets me plan for "the long run".

A P U Truck can safely pull a lot more.

Don't want to burn out my tranny or brakes.

I'd rather make the extra trips than kill a component.

 

[svk]

That is why with my 5' X 8' trailer I stack the wood on end, a 5 X 8 face should equal .4 of a cord (avg 16" length). My Escape is rated to pull more, and the trailer is rated at 2,000 (but it is 400), so limiting what I put in it keeps things safe and lets me plan for "the long run".

A P U Truck can safely pull a lot more.

Don't want to burn out my tranny or brakes.

I'd rather make the extra trips than kill a component.

What year Escape? I went through a transmission and overdrive on my Escape on different occasions. I rarely used it for towing.

 

[MustangMike]

It is a 2010 with a V-6 and the Six Speed Tranny. So far, very happy with it. Very shocked how well the AWD system works.

Has almost 60,000, had the tranny fluid changed just after 50,000.

I not only tow with it, it has hauled my ATV (several times) and all the supplies for my hunting cabin up the 2 mi 4WD rd! It is almost all up hill, with a lot of switchbacks. I can't complain! That has to be rough on a vehicle designed for the road, and it has not even needed an alignment!

 

[svk]

It is a 2010 with a V-6 and the Six Speed Tranny. So far, very happy with it. Very shocked how well the AWD system works.

Has almost 60,000, had the tranny fluid changed just after 50,000.

I not only tow with it, it has hauled my ATV (several times) and all the supplies for my hunting cabin up the 2 mi 4WD rd! It is almost all up hill, with a lot of switchbacks. I can't complain! That has to be rough on a vehicle designed for the road, and it has not even needed an alignment!

Good to hear. Mine was an 02' and definitely not built to tow anything.

 

[MustangMike]

It is rated to tow 3,500 lbs even though it only is 3,600 lbs itself, which I think is ridiculous! I try to keep it under 2,000 lbs.

My Dad used to have a 25' boat that we used to trailer (7,500 lbs total) with a 460 Mercury Station Wagon. I was driving, on a downhill, and the trailer breaks failed. As I applied the car breaks harder, it just started pushing the car w/the wheels locked. Just before I was about to crash into the cars in front of me I let off the break and did some very fancy a** maneuvering onto the shoulder of the road. No one in the car (it was full) could believe I avoided the crash, but somehow I did. I have not taken towing "for granted" since then!

 

[svk]

Last winter I was hauling a trailer full of wood. Icy, going about 50 down the highway. Car ahead of me all of a sudden decides to turn to the left on the highway, rather than turning in motion, decides to come to a complete stop before starting the turn. Not sure if he didn't use blinker or if it was covered in snow but I didn't see anything until I was quickly gaining on him. Now I'm quite a ways behind him but he stopped so quickly with no warning versus me with a load that I couldn't stop in time and was ready to take the ditch and he finally makes the turn as I go by him on the shoulder.

 

[Pulp]

"We don need no skinkin' 'skid cone" ( Bogart).
Our redneck "cone" is a hood from a dead GMC truck---NO fee, no cost. Oh I forgot, the nose goes first
if some of you need a manual. Don't forget the nylon line thru drilled holes.
Black paint works best you know.

 

[steved]

Forgot about trailer brakes too! I guess I should mark the trailer or have another way to determine a cord of stacked wood by a cursory glance. Figure if I limit the haul to a cord or a bit less I'll be good to go.




Nice. I've always wanted to train to be a mechanic, just for fun/knowledge. I like tinkering with things. I volunteered to get a military bus license last year, driving one was a fun experience. You have to really plan ahead on stops and turns. It was a 48 passenger bus I believe. I also drove one of the long haul buses or whatever they're called. My van's brakes almost feel like it, have to plan ahead. Or maybe that's just what it feels like to me after driving my Caddy then stepping into the van.

Is there any quick/easy/inexpensive thing(s) I can do to upgrade my van's braking power? I don't really like the mushy feel of the brake pedal or the overall braking performance. I know it will never brake like a supercar but I'll settle for less heart racing experience when I come upon a turn.

One of the easiest things to do is flush the old fluid...if it looks dark, flush it.

Depending on the age, replacing all the rubber lines will help as they tend to swell shut with age. Both front wheels and the frame to rear axle or rear wheel lines...basically anything rubber gets replaced.

If you have drum brakes in the rear, make sure the adjusters are working. Sometimes you can get lucky and replace the wheel cylinder with one off a heavier duty model and that will give better braking...the Dodge crowd did this at one point in the 1500s by swapping in the wheel cyclinder from a 2500.

For disc brakes, make sure the slides are good and replace the calipers if they have any age to them. While they won't tend to leak, they will start to seize and that will cause poor braking.

And then you can get into different pads and shoes, basically more aggressive brake material.

But I would start by just making sure your system is in good shape, then go from there.

 

[MustangMike]

So, the weather prediction was for snow to start at 7 pm, rapidly changing to rain, no accumulation.

Looked at the radar on my computer this morning and told my wife, they are wrong!

It started heavy at 1 pm, everything is now white, and it is still coming strong!

I may finally get to use that plow on the ATV!

 

[steved]

In my state, a trailer over 3500 lbs has to have brakes, they are required. I would want them anyway, with a tow weight that high or higher.

In PA anything over 3k pounds (or over 60% of the tow rigs weight) and anything beyond single axle needs brakes. And if its in PA, if it needs brakes; all axles have to have brakes...you can't have a brake axle and an idler axle.

 

[steved]

That is why with my 5' X 8' trailer I stack the wood on end, a 5 X 8 face should equal .4 of a cord (avg 16" length). My Escape is rated to pull more, and the trailer is rated at 2,000 (but it is 400), so limiting what I put in it keeps things safe and lets me plan for "the long run".

A P U Truck can safely pull a lot more.

Don't want to burn out my tranny or brakes.

I'd rather make the extra trips than kill a component.

At one time I was all about getting the most bang per load...now I would rather pull less weight and make more trips.

 

[steved]

It is a 2010 with a V-6 and the Six Speed Tranny. So far, very happy with it. Very shocked how well the AWD system works.

Has almost 60,000, had the tranny fluid changed just after 50,000.

I not only tow with it, it has hauled my ATV (several times) and all the supplies for my hunting cabin up the 2 mi 4WD rd! It is almost all up hill, with a lot of switchbacks. I can't complain! That has to be rough on a vehicle designed for the road, and it has not even needed an alignment!

I had a rental Escape (both the old body style and the new body style)...the 4wd was very impressive. As it would slip a wheel, it would apply the brake at that wheel and force the power to the other wheel...sort of like an active limited slip.

Not to mention, it got me 28mpg driving from PA to FL...not bad for a little SUV.

 

[MustangMike]

I always used to order posi w/4wd on my Explorers. When we got the Escape, only AWD was available, and I was skeptical. Well, it took me up that snow covered 2 mi 4wd rd when the only other vehicles that went up had chains on, and it has street tires on it. I was very impressed.

 

[SteveSS]

My work vehicle is a 2013 Escape. I was pretty impressed how it got around in the snow last winter. The other guy in my office had his burn last week. They (fire and police) don't know what happened or why it burned. He parked it after work at 6:00 p.m., and found it burning at 3:00 a.m. that next morning. Kind of makes me nervous, but I'm pretty sure it was just one of those freak things that occur.

 

[Ambull01]

My work vehicle is a 2013 Escape. I was pretty impressed how it got around in the snow last winter. The other guy in my office had his burn last week. They (fire and police) don't know what happened or why it burned. He parked it after work at 6:00 p.m., and found it burning at 3:00 a.m. that next morning. Kind of makes me nervous, but I'm pretty sure it was just one of those freak things that occur.
View attachment 391643

Holy hell. Good thing it was on the street and not in a attached garage.

Didn't realize they changed the body style. I like the old style more, this new style makes it look more like a mini-van.