Makes sense to me,

I bought a hitch ball for my Ranger today, and found out I have a Class III hitch receiver. I don't know what the original owner towed (he was in the construction business) but I have NO intentions of towing anything that weighs 5,000 lbs, with a truck that weights 2,647 lbs (according to the door jamb sticker) and just over 3,000 lbs with me in it. Good to know I will have a big safety margin for the small U-Haul trailer I do plan on towing. Or even the ATV trailer if I can get the U-Ship business going (small motorcycles and ATV's only). Also found out the AC works. I was shocked. This thing had been sitting for five years before I bought it, and I just assumed it didn't work. Of course, I also assumed the heater did. So I am a happy camper. I would rather pay to have the heater fixed than the AC.

Jim

 

You can wear a sweater and roll up the window. You'll be fine.

It could be something that you can do yourself.......like changing a fuse. But you will still want heat because you need a defroster. My truck was stuck blowing only from the dash vents. Hot and cold worked fine. But I couldn't get any heat down on the floor, where it really matters on a cold day. I want floor heat to dry off and warm my feet. Heat rises, so floor heat warms the cab better. Nor could I get any heat to blow from the defrost vents. That was the most important part. I found out quickly that if I couldn't see, I couldn't drive.

I'm such a lazy jerk. Instead of fixing the problem, I bought this gimmicky device from Harbor Freight. It plugs into the cigarette lighter, has an electric heating element, and blows hot air onto the windshield. Not efficient. Imagine a low powered hair dryer. Yes, it defrosted. Very slowly, and only the immediate area next to the device. About 2' around the device was great. Just enough clear windshield for me to peek at the road. I still couldn't see out the side windows to see the mirrors.


On mornings where the windshield was frosted over, I drove the van instead of the truck.

I finally got around to fixing it myself. Last month. It cost me about $12 for the blend mode door actuator. Now the hot or cold air will blow out any port I want. It's like having a new truck again.....but not. Just in time, too. Fixed it right before the rain came. Suppose to be more rain tomorrow. Now I can drive a big, heavy pickup truck with rear wheel drive in the rain. As opposed to a lighter, more aerodynamic, closer to the ground, front wheel drive minivan. As I slap my own forehead, because the front wheel drive actually is better in the rain. I also dug through my garage, and found the windshield for my Harley. Mounted it. As if I'm going to ride a motorcycle in the rain, when I have a truck and a van.

Towing is easy. Your truck has plenty of power to tow more than that. The real problem is stopping. Your brakes aren't going to be able to stop that much weight on a dime. That's usually the problem with hauling weight in the truck bed also. Your truck has enough power to get everything moving, keep it moving, and get up to freeway speed. Stopping is a lot harder. Oh, and handling. Try cornering with that much weight. Maybe a couple of quick lane changes. Then imagine all that weight on a trailer.

Not that in my youth, I ever hitched up a big boat and jackknifed it into a snowbank. Or loaded something heavy and bulky, without strapping it down properly. I never left my personal property in the #2 lane of an Interstate.l

 

I lov HOA , even though I built my shed 5’ higher than the 6’ fence , they never said anything , I loved firing up the ol diesel and headed down the road and just watch all the neighbors come running out with their trash cans , must of sounded like the Trash truck ,

 

Lil trucks will pull a small trailer , but it does take out a lot of transmissions , around town would burn up some fuel , how about a hitch rack that you could drive up onto get off and tommy lift up the platform and not worry about parking out in the North forty parking space with a trailer attached , cut down on time and that 1/2 pint of ice cream won’t melt as fast as loading a trailer ,

 

I used to have a heater just like that one at HF but yellow in color. I had a Buick Skyhawk and the AC worked but not the heater, so I bought it to defrost the windshield. Worked okay, but I did have to wait a bit for it to defrost enough that I could see.

I have towed trailers before. However, the last time I did I was using an F350 Dually with a 460 under the hood. Used it to tow an F-250 4wd, Ford Ranchero, Jaguar XJS, and Ford Taurus. Also a Chevy C10. I am not foolish enough to tow a car or truck with the Ranger. And I know what you mean about braking, and lane changes, and even the transmission issue. However, I have a trans cooler sitting in my closet just waiting to be installed that is big enough to handle any load that Ranger can tow. I know the Ranger has enough power to tow 5,000 lbs, I just don't want that 5,000 lbs steering the Ranger. I don't see me towing anything that heavy anyway. The occasional U-Haul trailer, or the above mentioned motorcycle/ATV trailer. The Ranger has some sort of auxiliary cooler on it, but it doesn't go to the transmission. So I will have to trace the hoses to find out where it goes.

Jim

 

The first home I ever owned was a townhouse in San Jose that came with an HOA. It was a pretty good deal at that time (~~ 1976). IIRC, the fee was $35/month. The association did a lot with that paltry sum. They had outside painting and roofing included, landscaping, a community center with a pool, billiards, ping ping, etc. I certainly did not complain, as it seemed like we were getting a heck of a deal.

Since those early years, the associations have gotten more and more aggressive with their fees. I don't know that it's such a great deal any longer.

 

TGIF Nor Cal. Originally rain was predicted today, but now they say mostly sunny with a high of 74. So it is anyone's guess as to which forecast is going to be right.

Jim

 

My condo association (when I owned a condo) was about $320 a month which included all exterior maintenance, water, garbage, insurance, pool etc. We never used the pool but the insurances did come handy when our sewage drain pipes leaked into the garages of our neighbors.

My house now has a $130/month fee and its not bad - they do all exterior maintenance and even took down a tree on my driveway that was pooping little sticky fruits. Could be worse... could be $130/month and a Karen.

 

They usually work as apartment community rental office staff. They come knocking on the door to talk to you about noise complaints.

 

or a guest parked in a marked space , mine was loud music and a little

 

Apartment management said that neighbors complained of loud pornography.

It was not pornography. I'm just loud.

 

Do you punch in every fill up. Or just set up the gauges you want, and run it?

 

Entered in all the pids needed ,
oil & coolant temp, ficm, battery’s , alternator , boost, ICP , IPR, EGR , wish there were a fuel sensor but no, transmission temp, I kept it mostly on oil/ coolant temp alt, and ficm , I still have my scan gauge but not on this new truck , it’s up for sale the gauge that is .

 

15 years ago, ScanGauge II was great. It's still in my truck. I am using for RPM, coolant temp, transmission temp, and gear ratio. I used to look at mileage....but gave up knowing the mileage was just going to be lousy. I was entering every fill-up, with the price. Then checking to see the cost per mile...... Obsessed with what I can't control. Can't mod a pickup for fuel savings. Can't pay less for fuel.

With the van, I use FORSCAN on a tablet computer. More gauges on the screen to obsess over. Watching PSI in every tire, the % of fuel sloshing in the tank, how much longer until the next oil change..... I need to pay attention to the road, not a computer screen.

 

In the Ranger I use SOTP. (Seat of the pants) Works pretty good especially when combined with ATE (A trained Ear).

Jim