Fubeca
1/2 ton status
Well - it isn't as exciting as Mountainexplorer's and it doesn't involve a d60 but it was definately an experience. Its long - don't read if you bore easily
.
I forgot my camera so I only got one picture - sorry.
I'd been looking at a couple 1980s diesel pickups on the internet and finally had a day off to go check them out. It was about 30* out and snowing - bad sign.
It was the only day I was going to have for a while so I decided to go check them out. I knew one of them couldn't be driven the 100 miles back to my place so I went to pick up the trailer. Drove into the yard (2" of fresh wet heavy snow) and someone had parked a 30' loaded enclosed trailer in front of the flatbed.
So I hooked on to the big trailer to move it - and the blazer just spun
, so I put it in four wheel drive, and just spun some more (bad sign #2). It seems that the snow was just the consistency that turns to ice when it compressed.
Well I was about ready to give up - but I decided there was just enough room to hook up to the small trailer if I came in at an angle through the trees and bushes that line the yard. So after the some more ice creation, a bit of sliding around, a few scratches from the trees, and just the right amount of full throttle digging down to the dirt and I was on my way.
It was now raining/snowing - but I figured I might get better
.
As I'm driving up the freeway, the snow seems to get thicker and thicker. When I finally pull off the freeway, 2 hours and 95 miles later I find myself in 8" of super heavy snow. It so slick - even though I'm going very slow, I go gliding past my turn with all 8 wheels locked up. So I have to find a place to turn around out in the middle of the country - luckily that worked out and I finally get to the first truck.
On the phone the lady says it just has a little rust around the wheel well.
Turns out - rocker is MIA, bed supports completely gone, holes all over the place. It starts right up but drives like crap (glad it was four-wheel drive - test drive would have sucked). After 2 miles I've decided it's only worth about $700 to me. Go back - ask for her lowest price she says $1,750 . I laugh, tell her good luck and drive off (after figuring out how to turn the truck/trailer around in her little lane in 8" of snow without breaking anything).
So I get into town to look at the other one. I get into the yard and check it out. It's only 2wd, but it drives nicely (luckily the roads are plowed in town), and it seems like it actually has 52,000 miles
.
So I decide to by it. I get the trailer in place - and go to start the truck to drive it up. No go. I'll find out later that the alternator is shot and the glowplugs are draining the partially charged batteries. So I figure I'll let him play with it while I go to lunch.
On my way into the local town for lunch, the empty trailer starts pushing the back of the truck out going down an icy hill (high on the pucker factor). Luckily I was able to pull out of it instead of going off the 15 foot embankment. Now I'm really starting to think I should have stayed in bed.
Finally I get lunch, get back safely and yank out the winch to pull the now running truck onto the trailer. I get it on and chained down and head off for the trip home. I white knuckled it out of the backwoods without a problem noting the new powerstroke that slide off the road into someone's front yard
and slowly worked my way onto the overpass - I was going as slow as I could without being shot at - and I still couldn't slow enough to make the onramp. Everytime I touched the brakes things started to lock up. Once again I had to drive 10 miles into the country to find a place to turn around.
Anyway, I finally got it home at 17:00, 9 hours after I'd left (200 miles round trip). I guess it was worth it. The truck runs great, and it gets great fuel mileage . (especially while it was on the trailer )
.I forgot my camera so I only got one picture - sorry.
I'd been looking at a couple 1980s diesel pickups on the internet and finally had a day off to go check them out. It was about 30* out and snowing - bad sign.
It was the only day I was going to have for a while so I decided to go check them out. I knew one of them couldn't be driven the 100 miles back to my place so I went to pick up the trailer. Drove into the yard (2" of fresh wet heavy snow) and someone had parked a 30' loaded enclosed trailer in front of the flatbed.
So I hooked on to the big trailer to move it - and the blazer just spun
, so I put it in four wheel drive, and just spun some more (bad sign #2). It seems that the snow was just the consistency that turns to ice when it compressed.Well I was about ready to give up - but I decided there was just enough room to hook up to the small trailer if I came in at an angle through the trees and bushes that line the yard. So after the some more ice creation, a bit of sliding around, a few scratches from the trees, and just the right amount of full throttle digging down to the dirt
and I was on my way.It was now raining/snowing - but I figured I might get better
.As I'm driving up the freeway, the snow seems to get thicker and thicker. When I finally pull off the freeway, 2 hours and 95 miles later I find myself in 8" of super heavy snow. It so slick - even though I'm going very slow, I go gliding past my turn with all 8 wheels locked up. So I have to find a place to turn around out in the middle of the country - luckily that worked out and I finally get to the first truck.
On the phone the lady says it just has a little rust around the wheel well.
Turns out - rocker is MIA, bed supports completely gone, holes all over the place. It starts right up but drives like crap (glad it was four-wheel drive - test drive would have sucked). After 2 miles I've decided it's only worth about $700 to me. Go back - ask for her lowest price she says $1,750
. I laugh, tell her good luck and drive off (after figuring out how to turn the truck/trailer around in her little lane in 8" of snow without breaking anything).So I get into town to look at the other one. I get into the yard and check it out. It's only 2wd, but it drives nicely (luckily the roads are plowed in town), and it seems like it actually has 52,000 miles
.So I decide to by it. I get the trailer in place - and go to start the truck to drive it up. No go. I'll find out later that the alternator is shot and the glowplugs are draining the partially charged batteries. So I figure I'll let him play with it while I go to lunch.
On my way into the local town for lunch, the empty trailer starts pushing the back of the truck out going down an icy hill (high on the pucker factor). Luckily I was able to pull out of it instead of going off the 15 foot embankment. Now I'm really starting to think I should have stayed in bed.
Finally I get lunch, get back safely and yank out the winch to pull the now running truck onto the trailer. I get it on and chained down and head off for the trip home. I white knuckled it out of the backwoods without a problem noting the new powerstroke that slide off the road into someone's front yard
and slowly worked my way onto the overpass - I was going as slow as I could without being shot at - and I still couldn't slow enough to make the onramp. Everytime I touched the brakes things started to lock up. Once again I had to drive 10 miles into the country to find a place to turn around. Anyway, I finally got it home at 17:00, 9 hours after I'd left (200 miles round trip). I guess it was worth it. The truck runs great, and it gets great fuel mileage
. (especially while it was on the trailer )
.
. But - I guess that's the way it goes. I'm still stoked to have a 3/4 ton truck that gets better than 20mpg and is comfortable for someone who's 6'4" 240lbs.
