Where is everyone #5

Back home. Had good weather this week. The delay let us completely miss the mess in MN and WI. Just hit a bit of an Alberta storm coming through ND as I was getting north of Grand Forks. Apparently I have all the luck when it comes to the weather these days.

Heading out again on Monday, not sure where yet, hoping for something short so I can get back Thursday then go out on Saturday or Sunday before my week of holidays (more like I need the weekend of the 10th and 18th off as well as the 14th, but there is not way to schedule around it and I haven't taken more than a day off since summer 2016 for my honeymoon).

--

Put in an official request to move to one of the new 389's with the high top and X15 come spring. I said I was going to tough it out in the old girl, but the shop doesn't seem interested in investing the money to keep her going (they don't even want to find the time to get the CB working, but they'll put in a new seat).

I found a bad crank seal leak last week and apparently it's been like that for over a year, they just keep topping up the oil... I'm assuming because it's one of our oldest trucks and they are probably looking to get rid of her (which makes no sense because they've rebuilt it twice already in the past few years).

She handles 75,000 gross okay on some easy hills, but I'm paranoid about 100,000 lbs on actual mountain grades. I don't want something to blow halfway up a 5 mile grade. If I'm driving a company truck, a brand new 389 that can pull 95,000 gross up a hill in top gear is fine by me. I'll tolerate DEF for more sleeper space and a badarse large car.

 

Hope you don't have issues with the X15.

 

I'm hoping so too. The fleet just got three a couple weeks ago and the drivers aren't reporting any issues yet. Just weird stuff like an un-capped air line under the dash dumping all the air from the secondary tank after the PTO switch is flipped (super-odd).

 

Well...... I talked to the owner of the 359 Pete this evening. He said he actually ended up using the twin boxes in his other everyday 359 he uses. Said he had a late model 10 speed he was going to put in the truck and hook all the drive line back up. Told me he drove the truck home nearly a 1000 miles with no issues so that's a plus. Told me the engine was suppose to have 3 new heads on it, he confirmed 1 but said he never really looked at. Truck came factory as a day cab and was sent straight and had the double eagle mounted on it, came factory with an A model Cat with 6x4 trans. Now has a BC4 400 in it. Suppose to send me a bunch of pics in the morning of the engine and other parts of the truck. Gonna look closely at the pics and do a little thinking.... But I'm already thinking it will end up in WV. Besides nobody else would want cummins power besides me anyway . Y'all be safe out there.

 

Been at the ponderosa a bit. Got a load for early Monday delivery. Couple things I need to address such as my power divider is hung engaged. I felt a little something making a turn and sure nuff both shafts rock when I turn the front. Haven't even looked at IFTA yet but gotta before I peel out and I know I'm leavin something out. .......

 

You need that truck, pardner.

As for the Cummins thing, I had driven several red ones and never cared a whole lot for them. Sure they can be made to run, but they're problematic and complicated to work on. This old N14 however, has made me a believer. It may not always be the first one to the top of the hill, but she always GETS to the top of the hill. Solid motor, easy to work on, and not bad on fuel. We really work these trucks out here in the oil patch, she just ain't got no quit in her.

Far as I'm concerned, that ole big cam fits that Pete just fine.

 

Lol off duty 30 min break you mean...

 

It being a Cummins don't really bother me to much, just don't have a lot of love for low flow cooling . But my engine was low flow too but I converted all of it over to high flow, as well as other things . Something about the truck just screams at me, actually think it would make a good summer time truck. Maybe use my KW for back up or even put a driver in it at some point, it's been a good truck so far so I can't complain. Suppose to get a bunch of pics texted to me this morning, looking forward to them for sure.

 

New trailer side wire harnesses. I replaced the tail light harnesses last December. The side ones I have been hacking on for 2 years. Finally broke down and bought new ones. $370 to my door. Hope they last another 8 years?