Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
2014 Is Almost Here!
January 1st is the day that my truck is no longer legally allowed to travel in one of the 50 United States of America.
California.
We practically never go to California so it will have zero impact on our business, but it will be annoying. The idea that I have been paying taxes to the government to go toward the highways in every state in the nation, and then not be permitted to drive on some of the nation's roads because of type of equipment I own, seems wrong to me. I should be allowed to drive in California despite the dirty air that my engine emits.
I have been considering my options. Here they are:
1. Stay out of California until my truck needs to be traded in or sold for a new one. That should take another 2 or 3 years.
2. Buy a new truck.
A. By trading in my truck for a complete new truck and sleeper.
B. By buying a new day-cab truck and moving my sleeper and generator to the new truck, then selling my old day cab or converting it into a motor home.
3. Add a DPF to my existing equipment which will ruin the Series 60 engine under the hood and result in many days of downtime for shop repairs.
4. Or the option that I have spent the most time looking into - selling the engine I have now and getting another engine from a newer, wrecked truck.
That last option I'm going to go into some detail on right now because it is of specific interest to me.
So here goes:
Trucks get wrecked for many reasons. I don't want to be morbid, but this is the only time the faulty education in trucking works to my benefit. I'm not saying all trucks are wrecked by students fresh out of school, but I know MANY are. I also know trucking companies routinely place new students in brand new trucks. I don't need to tell anyone what happens next. So skipping ahead...there are new trucks, which have somehow or another ended up wrapped around a pylon or a bridge support, sitting around with new engines in them. However it happened, the truck is junk, but in many cases the entire contents under the hood are up for grabs. This includes all the new emissions equipment.
The next challenge is finding a good engine that wasn't involved in a fire, submerged in a lake, or has a cracked block. So the search begins. What's beautiful about this option is that all of the major truck manufacturers are making EPA compliant trucks, and as time goes by more and more of them are hitting the roads. Literally. And sometimes they hit pylons. Literally. So the longer you can wait, the cheaper and more plentiful these engines become. Fortunately, I can wait a LONG time. So if I can wait a long time, why do I care about the deadline coming up in January, right? As a conscientious operator of a truck, I want to be compliant with the laws in all of the states.
Unfortunately, half of our job is trying to keep up with the various laws in each state. The other half is keeping the truck in good condition, and then the other half is staying in good physical condition, and the other half is finding good loads, and the other half is etc. etc. etc.
When you have found an engine that will fit your needs, chances are the new engine needs new wiring and computers inside the dash. This is where all the magic happens. The biggest challenge is the wiring. The engine will fit under the hood and bolt right up to the transmission you already have. The DPF and DEF tank will bolt right onto your existing frame. The mechanical aspect is easy. Heavy! But easy. Once you have the heavy lifting done, you need to mimic the truck the engine came out of. The trick here is maintenance in the future. You don't want to be in a situation where the truck has impossible situations to diagnose. Because you are doing the wiring, you are in control of how easy the wiring access points are. The truck's dash is still limiting, but most of the gauges and dials in a 2013 truck are the same as in a 2007. There are a few different additions such as DEF tank level indicator and DPF condition indicator, but for the most part, the HVAC, engine brake, lighting, and other basic dash switch functions are the same.
You're also at an advantage doing this operation because you can video your progress or just take pictures along the way. Most of the dealerships and mechanics I have spoken with are very against this maneuver for various reasons. The reputable shops don't want to do this type of engine conversion for warranty reasons, as they don't want to be liable for any repercussions down the line, and the dealerships want you to buy a new truck. There is no money in this for an operator who can run one truck for 30 years. There are also shops who are so scared of this type of conversion, they feel you are some kind of sick demented wacko (which I AM) wanting to do something like this, under the guise of "looking out for your best interests", they try to talk you out of what they believe is the most stupid idea they've ever heard of.
Fortunately, California has a number of shops doing these conversions because the millions of people who live in California have to, well, LIVE there. They don't get to pack up and leave their home or decide to just run a truck outside of the state for as long as they want to. These shops are charging between $5,000 and $10,000 in labor to perform the conversion. You just have to supply the parts. There's even one outlet online that has engines from all over the country.
That website has volumes of information on it, and the people selling the engines will set you up with one of their mechanics and try to get the whole process streamlined into one call and one price. I've found a few engines on there that range from $15,000 to $30,000. On top of that price is the cost of shipping the engine to the shop doing the work, that can vary from $1,000 to $3,000.
These engine suppliers will try to supply everything you need to make your old truck into a new one from the dash forward, but inevitably leave out a few electronic components - either because they were destroyed, or they just aren't there. In this case, more parts must be found to complete the conversion. Those parts usually run about $6,000.
So, once you buy an engine, ship it, remove your old engine, and install your new one, you're out somewhere between $25,000 to $40,000. You'll still have an engine to sell to someone else, which should be worth at least $10,000. That'll drop your out-of-pocket cost to somewhere between $15,000 to $30,000. If this conversion means you'll get another 10 years out of your truck once it's done, you've made a wise decision. There's still a chance that the engine has something wrong with it, though. So let's say you do this conversion and the engine fails after 100,000 miles for whatever reason. You can still repair it. In that 100,000 miles, you should have recouped your investment and now are only doing repairs. You've lowered your costs.
Even if you have to do an inframe on the engine, as long as the block isn't cracked, you have a good egg to work with. An inframe will only cost about $10,000 and will buy you another 400K miles or better. If you're lucky, another million miles. After all, you're an owner operator and this is your truck. You take care of it like no one else can, and you can make it last for decades.
This also should increase the resale value of the truck - assuming you have good records and can keep the electronics in such a way that another mechanic won't run screaming from the truck when a sensor fails and they have no electrical schematic for reference.
Regardless of which route you choose, you have to keep in mind the future of your business. Will you lease your truck onto a known carrier, or will you use it elsewhere under your own authority Can you sell it later? Will you put another driver in it? There are many options to consider and you must make a decision.
I am deciding to wait until later this year and keep shopping around. My current, most attractive option is to buy a new day-cab truck, put my current sleeper on the frame, and sell my old truck day-cab to someone who can use it. I can do this at any time in the future, at a price I'm comfortable with. Plus, the day-cab swap route offers more resale value and less mechanical headaches down the road.
Or I could just turn my old truck into this:
This is still legal in California without a DPF. Oh yeah!
California.
We practically never go to California so it will have zero impact on our business, but it will be annoying. The idea that I have been paying taxes to the government to go toward the highways in every state in the nation, and then not be permitted to drive on some of the nation's roads because of type of equipment I own, seems wrong to me. I should be allowed to drive in California despite the dirty air that my engine emits.
1. Stay out of California until my truck needs to be traded in or sold for a new one. That should take another 2 or 3 years.
2. Buy a new truck.
A. By trading in my truck for a complete new truck and sleeper.
B. By buying a new day-cab truck and moving my sleeper and generator to the new truck, then selling my old day cab or converting it into a motor home.
3. Add a DPF to my existing equipment which will ruin the Series 60 engine under the hood and result in many days of downtime for shop repairs.
4. Or the option that I have spent the most time looking into - selling the engine I have now and getting another engine from a newer, wrecked truck.
That last option I'm going to go into some detail on right now because it is of specific interest to me.
So here goes:
Trucks get wrecked for many reasons. I don't want to be morbid, but this is the only time the faulty education in trucking works to my benefit. I'm not saying all trucks are wrecked by students fresh out of school, but I know MANY are. I also know trucking companies routinely place new students in brand new trucks. I don't need to tell anyone what happens next. So skipping ahead...there are new trucks, which have somehow or another ended up wrapped around a pylon or a bridge support, sitting around with new engines in them. However it happened, the truck is junk, but in many cases the entire contents under the hood are up for grabs. This includes all the new emissions equipment.
The next challenge is finding a good engine that wasn't involved in a fire, submerged in a lake, or has a cracked block. So the search begins. What's beautiful about this option is that all of the major truck manufacturers are making EPA compliant trucks, and as time goes by more and more of them are hitting the roads. Literally. And sometimes they hit pylons. Literally. So the longer you can wait, the cheaper and more plentiful these engines become. Fortunately, I can wait a LONG time. So if I can wait a long time, why do I care about the deadline coming up in January, right? As a conscientious operator of a truck, I want to be compliant with the laws in all of the states.
Unfortunately, half of our job is trying to keep up with the various laws in each state. The other half is keeping the truck in good condition, and then the other half is staying in good physical condition, and the other half is finding good loads, and the other half is etc. etc. etc.
When you have found an engine that will fit your needs, chances are the new engine needs new wiring and computers inside the dash. This is where all the magic happens. The biggest challenge is the wiring. The engine will fit under the hood and bolt right up to the transmission you already have. The DPF and DEF tank will bolt right onto your existing frame. The mechanical aspect is easy. Heavy! But easy. Once you have the heavy lifting done, you need to mimic the truck the engine came out of. The trick here is maintenance in the future. You don't want to be in a situation where the truck has impossible situations to diagnose. Because you are doing the wiring, you are in control of how easy the wiring access points are. The truck's dash is still limiting, but most of the gauges and dials in a 2013 truck are the same as in a 2007. There are a few different additions such as DEF tank level indicator and DPF condition indicator, but for the most part, the HVAC, engine brake, lighting, and other basic dash switch functions are the same.
You're also at an advantage doing this operation because you can video your progress or just take pictures along the way. Most of the dealerships and mechanics I have spoken with are very against this maneuver for various reasons. The reputable shops don't want to do this type of engine conversion for warranty reasons, as they don't want to be liable for any repercussions down the line, and the dealerships want you to buy a new truck. There is no money in this for an operator who can run one truck for 30 years. There are also shops who are so scared of this type of conversion, they feel you are some kind of sick demented wacko (which I AM) wanting to do something like this, under the guise of "looking out for your best interests", they try to talk you out of what they believe is the most stupid idea they've ever heard of.
Fortunately, California has a number of shops doing these conversions because the millions of people who live in California have to, well, LIVE there. They don't get to pack up and leave their home or decide to just run a truck outside of the state for as long as they want to. These shops are charging between $5,000 and $10,000 in labor to perform the conversion. You just have to supply the parts. There's even one outlet online that has engines from all over the country.
That website has volumes of information on it, and the people selling the engines will set you up with one of their mechanics and try to get the whole process streamlined into one call and one price. I've found a few engines on there that range from $15,000 to $30,000. On top of that price is the cost of shipping the engine to the shop doing the work, that can vary from $1,000 to $3,000.
These engine suppliers will try to supply everything you need to make your old truck into a new one from the dash forward, but inevitably leave out a few electronic components - either because they were destroyed, or they just aren't there. In this case, more parts must be found to complete the conversion. Those parts usually run about $6,000.
So, once you buy an engine, ship it, remove your old engine, and install your new one, you're out somewhere between $25,000 to $40,000. You'll still have an engine to sell to someone else, which should be worth at least $10,000. That'll drop your out-of-pocket cost to somewhere between $15,000 to $30,000. If this conversion means you'll get another 10 years out of your truck once it's done, you've made a wise decision. There's still a chance that the engine has something wrong with it, though. So let's say you do this conversion and the engine fails after 100,000 miles for whatever reason. You can still repair it. In that 100,000 miles, you should have recouped your investment and now are only doing repairs. You've lowered your costs.
Even if you have to do an inframe on the engine, as long as the block isn't cracked, you have a good egg to work with. An inframe will only cost about $10,000 and will buy you another 400K miles or better. If you're lucky, another million miles. After all, you're an owner operator and this is your truck. You take care of it like no one else can, and you can make it last for decades.
This also should increase the resale value of the truck - assuming you have good records and can keep the electronics in such a way that another mechanic won't run screaming from the truck when a sensor fails and they have no electrical schematic for reference.
Regardless of which route you choose, you have to keep in mind the future of your business. Will you lease your truck onto a known carrier, or will you use it elsewhere under your own authority Can you sell it later? Will you put another driver in it? There are many options to consider and you must make a decision.
I am deciding to wait until later this year and keep shopping around. My current, most attractive option is to buy a new day-cab truck, put my current sleeper on the frame, and sell my old truck day-cab to someone who can use it. I can do this at any time in the future, at a price I'm comfortable with. Plus, the day-cab swap route offers more resale value and less mechanical headaches down the road.
Or I could just turn my old truck into this:
This is still legal in California without a DPF. Oh yeah!
Keeping It Lubed
A couple of years ago I bought a system that automatically greases most of the points on the truck which require regular grease service. Semi trucks have numerous components which wear out over time so they are maintained with the repeated application of adding grease. Each one of these components have one or more grease zerks:
These zerks are the only access point to apply grease to things like slack adjusters:
When you push on the brake pedal, it increases the air pressure from the air system. This causes the air brake chamber on the brake system to push on the slack adjuster and the S-Cam, which then turns and forces the brake pads inside the brake drum to spread apart so the pads come into contact with the drums. This causes friction and slows the brake drum down, slowing the truck down.
Here is a really great old video about S-Cams and drum brakes:
These zerks are the only access point to apply grease to things like slack adjusters:
Slack adjusters are a part of the brake system. They keep the brakes adjusted every time you press the brake pedal. They work with the S-Cam inside of the drum brake system.
There are many lube points on the truck, but the brake system is the one with the most points needing regular lubrication, so I'm highlighting it here. In the video above there is mention of broken components in the brake system. The usual cause of the breakage is lack of maintenance.
This is where grease comes in. The average interval for greasing the zerks is twice a month or every 15,000 miles. To do this, you need a grease gun, a pair of coveralls, and preferably dry ground under the truck. There is a better way though and it has many attributes that make it an invaluable asset to a truck.
I am referring to a grease pump in combination with divider valves and tubing.
I am referring to a grease pump in combination with divider valves and tubing.
This system has grease lines that run along the truck's frame to each component that has a zerk and shoots a small amount of grease to the needed area while you are operating the vehicle. There are many benefits to this; one is longer component life. Because the grease is being applied regularly, it addresses the concern of a dry grease point and component, and it's also correcting the problem of over-greasing.
This reduces the cost of maintenance over the lifetime of the truck. I researched a few different pumps and systems, and decided to purchase this one:
This is the Lincoln Quiklub. It has variable settings for how often and how much grease it releases. It can handle many different types of grease so if you're in an area that doesn't use one type or another, you can pick and choose. In addition to being able to fill this pump from a source of grease such as a 55-gallon drum, there's fitting that screws onto the pump which allows you to fill it yourself with a tube of grease.
This grease system is closed to prevent contamination. These pumps don't handle dirt particles well and you have to be careful to not allow anything unwanted into the pump. The best way to avoid this is to fill the grease yourself with a new clean tube. There are several approaches to this. One is to fill the reservoir with summer grease for the summer, and winter grease for the winter. Since the pump depletes the reservoir, you can custom fill with whichever grease you like. My pump empties itself every 6 months or so - plus or minus a month - depending on how much I drive. Knowing this, I can make sure I have thin grease in the pump for winter and thicker stuff in there for summer.
The pump will push the grease at 4000 psi. so it has enough force to get the grease from the pump through the lines to just about anywhere it wants.
I had this system installed 2 years ago, but I made a slight mistake. I bought the system and had a trusted mechanic where I live install it. They had never installed one of these before so they used the instructions that Lincoln provided. Unfortunately, the system was installed missing a few fittings that were essential to the proper operation of the system, so while it worked it didn't perform exactly as expected.
Since that time, a Lincoln location became available closer to the house. They do work on semi trucks and have provided me with excellent service and knowledge regarding the proper installation and usage of this greasing system. They successfully diagnosed and repaired the mistakes made by the first installer. Their facility is located in Phoenix and has done numerous installs on semi trucks in addition to working on construction equipment:
Watch Your Back
When working around freight, you need to protect yourself. In trucking, there are two main areas on your body that are prone to damage. One is your back (your lower back to be precise).
And the other is your knees
There are several ways to protect these areas of your body. First of all you shouldn't be using your lower back to do anything trucking related. When you lift something, you should be lowering yourself to the object you are lifting while keeping your back straight.
You should use any steps on your truck or trailer to climb or descend instead of hopping up or jumping down.
When sitting in the driving seat or the passenger seat, you should keep your legs at a 90 degree angle from your back angle.
One of these lumbar supports has served me well over the years. This one allows airflow through it and behind it so that your back wont sweat. If you use it properly and every time you drive, it will save your back. Of course every person is different and you should experiment with what works for you, but you should take every step you can to protect your back. It's the only one you have.
Lastly the most important deterrent you can use to prevent injury is moderate daily exercise such as walking around the truck stop or doing low impact aerobics. If you don't stay active, you will lose your muscle tone, bone density, and healthy heart. Over the years, trucking will break you down and you will be subject to diabetes, heart disease, back problems, knee problems, hypertension, breathing problems, and so on.
You must maintain a healthy lifestyle to last in trucking or you will end up at the end of a long career in far worse condition than you can afford to be in. Do yourself a favor and protect your knees, back, heart, and overall health by being careful, getting moderate exercise, and keeping injuries at bay.
Know How To Un-Do Before You Do
Just as you would need to know how to off-load the truck before you fill the trailer with freight, you need to have a plan to release the securement devices that hold everything on the trailer.
Once a chain or strap is mounted over or through the freight on the deck of the trailer, it will need to be adjusted along the route, and then removed on the other end. If you place a strap where it will get caught in or on the load so that it wont come loose when you loosen it at the unload area, you are in for a trouble. Chains pose a similar threat as well, but also are far heavier than straps causing a situation that could result in injury.
A snap binder like the one pictured here needs to be used so that when you reach your destination, you can remove it safely. There are several things wrong with the binder in this picture. It is tightened upside down so that it will be hard to release and it is secured with a bungee cord, which is illegal (I use a chain with a snap ring).
If this snap binder were on the other side of the chain it could be removed easily and safely. Whoever placed this binder on this load is in for a tough time removing it later on down the road.
The same could be said of a strapped load which is compressed by the straps during transit. Once you have arrived at your destination and it is time to release the straps, you could be in a dangerous situation. Every care should be taken to make sure that you are nowhere near a point of impact should the load free itself during strap removal and fall off the trailer.
Knowing how it will be unloaded will be a key in knowing how to secure it to the trailer.
Once a chain or strap is mounted over or through the freight on the deck of the trailer, it will need to be adjusted along the route, and then removed on the other end. If you place a strap where it will get caught in or on the load so that it wont come loose when you loosen it at the unload area, you are in for a trouble. Chains pose a similar threat as well, but also are far heavier than straps causing a situation that could result in injury.
A snap binder like the one pictured here needs to be used so that when you reach your destination, you can remove it safely. There are several things wrong with the binder in this picture. It is tightened upside down so that it will be hard to release and it is secured with a bungee cord, which is illegal (I use a chain with a snap ring).
If this snap binder were on the other side of the chain it could be removed easily and safely. Whoever placed this binder on this load is in for a tough time removing it later on down the road.
The same could be said of a strapped load which is compressed by the straps during transit. Once you have arrived at your destination and it is time to release the straps, you could be in a dangerous situation. Every care should be taken to make sure that you are nowhere near a point of impact should the load free itself during strap removal and fall off the trailer.
Knowing how it will be unloaded will be a key in knowing how to secure it to the trailer.
Tire Patch
With a smaller tire patch you also get more miles per gallon because there is less rolling resistance, but the tire will wear out faster and it is very unsafe in wet or slippery conditions.
In the absence of white dirt, many things can be used. You can even use chalk by drawing a line across the tire in several places and seeing where the chalk has been worn away after driving around the parking lot.
The tire patch will change depending on how much weight you have on your trailer. There are several ways to manage your tires. Tire pressure is the number one reason for tire failure. In addition to that, tire punctures are one of the main reasons for decreased tire pressure. A great place to acquire tire punctures is the shoulder of the highway where debris accumulates over time.
Tires are relatively important so knowing the most you can about how they play a roll literally, can help you greatly improve your bottom line.
Keeping Track
Here is a mobile platform which is capable of lifting thousands of pounds up to 40 feet high. It broke down so they needed it moved elsewhere to be fixed.
I Was Gonna Buy One Of Those
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Just about every driver I meet has the same observation about the truck I drive. The first question is: "How much does your truck weigh?" followed by "I bet you can't haul much weight", and then "Can I see inside your sleeper?". Then the kicker statement is "I was going to buy a truck like that". I love the drivers who look at the truck out of curiosity and then a little envy only to then say that they are going to build one in the next week. I am fairly certain that they are not going to build a truck at any time in the future, but are dreaming about it.
The truck and trailer can scale as much as 47,000 lbs. of freight on the deck of the flatbed trailer that we pull, but we have a full line of supplies to go with the trailer that includes straps, chains, binders, tarps, coil racks, snow chains, and wooden dunnage which adds to the overall weight and this drops our capacity down to 46,000 lbs. during the summer and 45,000 lbs. in the winter. Since most drivers pull van trailers they don't believe that a truck the size of ours can carry so much weight. A van trailer is heavier than a flatbed and most can only carry 42,000 lbs. of freight with a standard size truck.
I want to believe that the drivers are going to buy a new big sleeper truck in the next week or so, but even the sales person who sold me this truck said that he gets numerous inquiries from people who dream of a truck like ours only to never return his calls or come around again. The fact is that most people are afraid and for good reason. Unless you are cash heavy and can buy one of these in one payment, you need to be concerned about the economy, the freight availability, and the future. Perhaps your loads will require a lighter truck? Perhaps you will need to go to Canada as you cannot with the extended wheelbase that this truck has. Perhaps you will have to hook to a longer trailer and this will make your overall length too long to get in and out of a customer's facility?
It has taken me over 15 years to get to where I am in this business and Salena has been there for over half of those. As a team we are able to manage less work for more money. A solo can do well but only with specialized equipment and steady loads. Otherwise most freight will let you maintain a modest income. Teams do better on average but there is a point of diminishing returns when you work too hard. The point is that when a person considers to buy a truck, they must take many things into consideration and a large sleeper truck is seemingly more restrictive and requires a little more certainty.
The other comment I hear is from other teams who say "We should be driving a truck like that". I don't pay too much attention anymore. After driving this truck for over 4 years now, I am used to the standard questions. They are always the same and I don't mind selling the truck. The company who built the sleeper has exceeded our expectations from sales to service so I don't mind doing a little show and tell to curious colleagues while showing off the amenities, but I don't always have time. Many times we are on a tight time schedule so I have to cut the conversation short. Many of the drivers who have this same type of sleeper that I have met will just ignore the people who ask questions.
I figure that they have been driving a large sleeper truck for many more years than I have and they have given up on answering the same questions over and over again at every fuel stop and at every loading dock. I will just keep on answering the questions and I like to talk to people who are interested however with today’s technology just about everything is available online. Otherwise these large sleeper trucks are the subject of scrutiny by the DOT and the FMCSA and there have been efforts to make them obsolete. All of this makes the prospect of owning one of these large sleeper trucks a far off goal for most drivers.
I will say that it isn't as hard to drive as you might think. In fact the turning radius is actually better than a standard truck and the ride is better because of the longer frame length. The weight isn't really an issue as most loads are not that heavy on average. The truck is only a few feet longer than most trucks and that has not restricted us from going to NYC or San Francisco. We can get around anywhere that a standard truck can. So maybe instead of dreaming, if you are considering a larger truck, you can go ahead and take the plunge!
Happy Thanksgiving
At heart, all truckers are really just turkeys. Don't believe me? Take a closer look at the driver of this truck.
Happy Thanksgiving!
It's Halloween Again
Halloween is a great time to enjoy costumes, haunted houses, candy, and friends. My truck stays parked on the night of the 31st. It's also a great time to get hit with a pumpkin off an overpass while driving. All over the country semi trucks get hit with pumpkins. Kids throw them off overpasses and do tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage or more. Sometimes they even kill people. Kids! Gotta love those kids!
When a pumpkin or large object hits a windshield, it sprays glass all over the person sitting in the cab. If you're lucky enough to avoid getting glass in your eyes, you'll then have to regain control of your truck as fast as you can, while looking around to see if anyone else on the road was hit.
The best practice is to stay off the road on Halloween night. You can park the truck and start driving again early in the next morning, but usually between dusk and midnight is the worst time to be driving.
Rain And Truck Drivers
Raincoats don't fit truck drivers. If you have ever been to a truckstop when it's raining, you'll see truckers walking across the parking lot in their normal jeans and t-shirts without an umbrella or a raincoat. You will also see this on loading docks and on fuel islands.
Truck drivers don't normally use raincoats for many reasons. One of the reasons is that they have to dry out the raincoat and there are limited places to dry your rain coats out in the truck. Usually it will be hung from a hook in the truck and drip dry all over the floor leaving a wet puddle mess.
We carry umbrellas and we will let them dry out in the shower, but hardly any trucks have showers, so umbrellas are also not used much. Truckers usually will just go out into the rain and do whatever they have to do because they will just end up getting back into their trucks and taking their wet clothes off to dry on a hook.
I am a fan of the cheap plastic poncho:
In your mind's eye, picture a group of people walking around Saint Augustine, Florida's streets at night wearing these white plastic hooded ponchos. If you go to the ghost tour there, you will get to be a part of a historic tour of old Saint Augustine and eventually realize that you are wearing a white hooded suit. You don't want to wander off the tour. White hoods in the South don't have the best reputation.
As I was saying, truckers can use these cheap $1 ponchos and then throw them away. This is the preferred rain protection of most truckers, but rarely does anyone use them. Another reason for this is that many times you can simply decide to wait out the rain and work outside when it's dry. It's usually safer that way.
Truck drivers don't normally use raincoats for many reasons. One of the reasons is that they have to dry out the raincoat and there are limited places to dry your rain coats out in the truck. Usually it will be hung from a hook in the truck and drip dry all over the floor leaving a wet puddle mess.
We carry umbrellas and we will let them dry out in the shower, but hardly any trucks have showers, so umbrellas are also not used much. Truckers usually will just go out into the rain and do whatever they have to do because they will just end up getting back into their trucks and taking their wet clothes off to dry on a hook.
I am a fan of the cheap plastic poncho:
As I was saying, truckers can use these cheap $1 ponchos and then throw them away. This is the preferred rain protection of most truckers, but rarely does anyone use them. Another reason for this is that many times you can simply decide to wait out the rain and work outside when it's dry. It's usually safer that way.
New Air Dog Fuel Preporator II Fuel Pump Install
The diesel fuel that I use comes from different truckstops all over the USA and it's hard to know if the fuel you are getting is clean. This is where the fuel filter comes in. All vehicles that run fuel have them and with a big rig, the amount of fuel that is flowing through the filter is thousands of gallons per year.
My truck is equipped with a water separator which removes water from the diesel fuel and keeps it out of the engine's fuel injectors. Water can ruin fuel injectors. In addition to the factory installed Davco brand water separator fuel filter, I have installed an AirDog II Fuel Preporator.
This device has a water separator and a 2 micron fuel filter. Microns are used as a measurement for the size of the particles that the filter will allow through. Most factory fuel filters are about 12 microns, so the Air Dog II is 6 times better than the standard fuel filter.
In addition to the filtration that the Air Dog II offers, the system also pulls any air that is in the fuel and send this air in the form of foam back to the fuel tanks. The system practically guarantees that your fuel will be clean and free of contaminants. It has a fuel pressure gauge on it that will measure fuel flow restriction and alert you with a light to so that you know when to change the filter.
Only time will tell if this system is doing what it claims. So far, so good and I don't worry about bad fuel anymore. If the fuel pump fails, the system reverts back to just being a fuel filter. I installed this fuel system last year and the pump lasted about that long. When it failed they sent me a new pump under warranty for free and this is the detailed step by step procedure for replacing the fuel pump.
1. Here is the Air Dog II without the water separator filter ready for the pump to be removed.
2.First unplug the pump and then remove the water separator filter, then remove these 4 bolts.
4. The new pump is slightly longer than the older pump.
My truck is equipped with a water separator which removes water from the diesel fuel and keeps it out of the engine's fuel injectors. Water can ruin fuel injectors. In addition to the factory installed Davco brand water separator fuel filter, I have installed an AirDog II Fuel Preporator.
This device has a water separator and a 2 micron fuel filter. Microns are used as a measurement for the size of the particles that the filter will allow through. Most factory fuel filters are about 12 microns, so the Air Dog II is 6 times better than the standard fuel filter.
In addition to the filtration that the Air Dog II offers, the system also pulls any air that is in the fuel and send this air in the form of foam back to the fuel tanks. The system practically guarantees that your fuel will be clean and free of contaminants. It has a fuel pressure gauge on it that will measure fuel flow restriction and alert you with a light to so that you know when to change the filter.
Only time will tell if this system is doing what it claims. So far, so good and I don't worry about bad fuel anymore. If the fuel pump fails, the system reverts back to just being a fuel filter. I installed this fuel system last year and the pump lasted about that long. When it failed they sent me a new pump under warranty for free and this is the detailed step by step procedure for replacing the fuel pump.
1. Here is the Air Dog II without the water separator filter ready for the pump to be removed.
2.First unplug the pump and then remove the water separator filter, then remove these 4 bolts.
3. After the pump is unbolted, just lift the pump off and keep the check ball area clean.
4. The new pump is slightly longer than the older pump.
5. This is the new pump with the new O-Rings.
6. When installing the new O-Rings, I had no problems keeping the O-Rings in place, but a small amount of grease can be used to hold them in place if they don't stay put. Everything must be clean. It is important to keep the O-Rings in position because you don't want to have a pinched O-Ring. A pinched O-Ring won't provide a good seal. This went very easily.
7. Here is the pump placed on the dowels and lined up for bolting in.
8. Secure the bolts into the pump and torque them down to at least 20 lbs. This is easily done without a torque wrench. You are almost done.
9. All that is left to do is screw the water separator on, plug the unit back in and run it.
And this completes the pump replacement of an Air Dog II Fuel Preporator. It took about 15 minutes from start to finish and now the pump is quieter than before.
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