Speaking of nuts...

 

Rodney is Facebook famous!

Well, everybody here is in bed but me.....................we had one week of good health and the little disease machine got something else. Becky feels like she's in a downward spiral now too. Sucks. So far I seem to be avoiding it.........................

 

I was there for two years Scott. This year, knock wood, she's as strong as an ox but man. I'd say 10 colds a year that she shared for the two years prior.

 

Moi???

Scott, sorry the little one and the wife are feeling bad again. Hope it doesn't last long.

 

It's been a rough year for us with sickness that's for sure. Becky normally gets everything. Mikey sucks his thumb and that's a losing battle with daycare germs. I normally avoid most of it, but I've been drug through the ringer this year too. Can't wait for cold season to end. Hopefully, he will be more resistant next year.

These winter temps are just nuts and that's not helping either. One week its snowing and the next is upper 50's. Just impatiently waiting for camping and grass mowing season!

 

Scott, we can relate to the weather similarly, except that we have record low temps with sleet and freezing rain a few days in a row, and then temps in the 70's again in the same week. I've run the A/C the last two nights at home, and the heat will likely cycle again tonight.

 

Wow. I haven't had the need to turn the A/C on yet. Did replace the old mercury thermostat for the heater with a new programmable one during one of our nasty cold snaps. We've actually got the thermostats set up to run the oil heat from 10pm to 5:15 am because it's been so damn cold and the pellet stove just doesn't move hot air far enough to get to the bedrooms when we hit lows around 0. I like the bedroom cold for sleeping, but it was getting a bit excessive.

 

I prefer sleeping between 62° and 65°. Typically, I save money on electricity during winter months, because my heater runs less during the winter than my a/c does in the summer to keep those temps. I was surprised to have to put a/c on the last two nights in order just to sleep. I only have electric heat.

 

We are set to 68 at night............ a bit warm for me, but trying to keep Mikey warm. He sleeps in a wearable blanket, but hasn't graduated to real blankets overnight yet. Our winter and summer usage on electricity are nearly identical. The pellet stove is not all that easy on electric, and my block heater for the truck is plugged in anytime its below 40. Our easy electric bills come in spring and fall.

 

With everything that happened to Trent's health in '17 we were really hoping to have a better year. Not so far. By the second week we've already met both deductibles on our insurance(hers for Trent's surgery and mine for MRIs on me). HE's been sick since just after the first. Now mom, dad and Jeriann have the flu and I've been out of work going on three weeks now. Before Trent was born, I had been 7 years without taking a sick day at work. After he started daycare, that was no longer the case as I was either out keeping him or out due to having whatever he brought home. It was pretty bad at ties with his asthma, but it got better with each year after he went to middle school as he started maturing and parents didn't send their kids to school with every sickness known to man. You are correct about the temps keeping us all sick. We've had record cold with highs in the high 20s and lows near 10. Last Sunday it was a high of 30* here and day before yesterday(Sunday) it was 70*.....Geez
Hang it there buddy. Things are bound to change the older he gets.

 

Trying to get back over to truck topics for a second. Once my insurance company found out I was plowing for money this winter on my commercial policy, they insisted the truck be equipped with "amber warning strobes visible front and rear." Well, its probably not a bad idea backing out into a street, and most guys just throw a magnetic strobe on the roof which of course doesn't work with aluminum. Plus I hate cheesy, temporary looking setups.

So, last week I ordered a Magnum headache rack and four amber strobes. The Magnum racks are 100% aluminum and are made in Maine. The strobes are about 6" long and are made in Rhode Island. Two strobes will be hidden in the grille, and the other two will be mounted on the rack. The rack itself contains two red LED "repeater" lights for tail/turn/brake, plus two more white LED lights for reverse. A modular harness connects into the trailer wiring behind the hitch with no splicing...just a plug. The strobes will be wired to the upfitter switches and I'm also planning on wiring the white LED lights to an always hot upfitter so I can have auxiliary bed lights anytime I want.

Strobes arrive today and rack might arrive late week or early next. Pics will be posted after the install. I hate having a goofy looking truck, but I think this setup will look as clean as possible. Planning to eventually add a tank / pump / toolbox combo as well for easy refueling of my tractors on job sites, but I think its about time to add a spray-in bedliner as well!

Shout-out to FTE member Lucas (NorEasterMA) for his assistance in selecting a rack, choosing strobes, and wiring assistance.

 

Sounds like a great AMERICAN made setup Tyler! Def looking forward to the pics after the install. I've always only plowed privately for myself and family but can understand the concern on a commercial policy.

 

Troverman did the ins co up your rates cus of the snow plowing??
Good strobes are the way to go for sure, nice choice on the rack

I hope I dont get the flu visiting this thread

 

Sounds like a wise choice on the Magnum rack, plus it would be transferable to a new vehicle in the future.

 

Well, Tyler tends to keep his vehicles for a looooong time so that shouldn't matter.

Oh wait...