Sonnyboy
-
Posts
28 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
I see some of our members have some 6.0L power strokes. Just a word from a Shop Foreman with a bunch of them in our fleet, being used as mechanics trucks and supers trucks. If you have one with over a hundred thousand on it be on top of any coolant loss as they are prone to head gasket issues. We keep a set of gaskets and heads in the shop. The heads haven't cracked yet, it is just easier to replace and check them when we have the time. The trucks with higher mileage tend to lose the high pressure oil pump and then your done until it is replaced. Even with all that I just wrote we have one and one only in the fleet that we don't have any issues with, and it is an early 6.0. The driving issues they have with the 6.4 can best be descrided as a rev limiter bump,type of feeling. The engine drops cylinders when put under lite throttle pressure at highway speeds. On roads with gradual but long inclines it will do it on cruise. Ford has no fix for it. I worked for Ford for 18years as a mechanic and still have some contacts in Fords truck division and to a man they all said it is a "live with it" situation as they have all their marbles in the 6.7L now and hope as time goes by owners will gradually upgrade. Being a Ford man and a mechanic who has always taken pride in fixing things that are broken, it really irks me that Ford has basically given up on the 6.4 and 6.0, but that seems to be what they've done.
-
I have six 6.4 power strokes in my fleet along with 12 6.0 power strokes. The 6.0's are really bad, the 6.4's are just bad. Fuel mileage is terrible, they all have a driving hesitation that Ford is unable to address. All of the 6.4's have had at least two EGR's installed and one EGR cooler installed with most having injector issues also. All of our 6.4's have around 90 to 150 thousand miles on them. The 6.0's I wouldn't use as a boat anchor as I am sure the anchor would drag, they are that bad. I have five 7.3's with over 300 thousand miles on them and all we've done is one turbo and transmissions. Any issues with the 6.4's are going by the wayside as Ford and International have severed all business assoiciations with each other and are now in litigation over the problems with these engines. The Cummins units I have have had no serious issues, we have two. The GMC's we have, also two, also have run very well, one with over 200 thousand miles without any big issues. Hope this helps
-
I wear what I want when I ride. Not always what someone else does. I have never ridden without boots and jeans. normally the weather determines wether it is a jacket or short sleeve shirt. I have laughed at the riders I've seen in the summer all suited up, full face helmets and jackets. Went down twice hard in the last four years. Hit by a car on an exit ramp, he shot in between me and a following car and took my rear wheel out. Broken ribs then and some road rash. Didn't change how I rode until this year when my wife and I hit a herd of deer at 60 plus. I came out with bruises and some rash, I was jacketed and gloved, my wife is still in recuperation four months later. I now no longer laugh at how others are dressed. My wife wouldn't have hurt her face at all with a full helmet on but she was suited up otherwise. It does make a difference. I haven't ridden since May of this year, but when I do get back on I will still wear what I always did, just won't laugh any more at those who take their protection a step further then me. Until you carry someone you love out of the road and realize there was something that could have been done different with something as simple as clothing, to help you won't know I mean. Kind of like jumping out of a plane and never having a mae west happen. Can't explain how it feels until your chute doesn't open on the way down. All of a sudden that pain in the butt reserve becomes very valuble to your well being.
-
I hear that the Marine Martial Arts program at Quantico is always looking for practice dummies. When they catch them I think the sentence should be community service as a pratice dummy. Then after two to three minutes as a dummy, the Docs will be able to practice on real casualties. Cowards and nite slinkers come in all forms Semper Fidelis
-
Had Progressive for a number of years and never had a problem except for the price. Every year it kept going up without any good reason. Haven't had, to that point an accident or moving violation in over 25 years. Switched to Dairyland and for some reason I had constant billing issues. Prices kept changing and invoices would get 'lost in the mail'. I had to keep a ledger of when to call them to make sure they took their payment out. Got tired of that and switched to Gieco and they were good to me. Had them for three months when we ran into a herd of deer on 5/30/10 and totaled my bike. They paid my bike off the following Friday withour any hassles. Then the adjuster came by the house and picked up our damaged gear and paid us for that. the only issue I had with them was that they wouldn't pay the medical to the hospital or Dr. We did it thru our insurance, submitted a bill to Gieco and they paid us, we then returned that to the insurance company after covering our deductable.
-
Like I said in an earlier post. I have never seen more animals on the road then this year, that is 40 plus years of road riding. My wife and I were heading to Washington DC on Memorial Day morning on rt 288. Set the cruise to 72mph and sat back for the ride up...came around a curve and a herd was standing in the lane, I got hit physically by two and my wife got hit in the leg by one. Motorcycle was a total but we came out of it breathing. Deb has a couple more months of recuperation and therapy on her leg and I just had some bumps and bruises. My buddy who was behind us is from Pa. no helmet law there. After watching us and going through what he went through to stop, he now wears his helmet and gloves. Without being suited up, even though it was a warm morning and going to be a hot day, my wife would have been killed by the impact her head took if not for the helmet, and her jacket and pants took almost all of the road rash instead of her. We will ride again...just not unless the sun is shinning, and I will put every whistle they say works on it too. I also renewed my hunting lic.. Going to try to thin them out.
-
My friend has an SVO ultra that has been tweaked. He and I have managed a few run offs on the open road. From a lite with both of us with passengers he will pull away from me until the high end of second gear for me, then I play catch up and do. Pulling out on the highway with a second or third gear start off it isn't even close. I would just pull away from him as long as I am holding the revs high when we start accelerating. At least I use to be able to until the deer got in the way in May. Now it recuperation and waitting to get another.
-
When my son came home for the last time we recieved some vile e-mails from Westboro and they stated they were coming to his funeral mass. I wasn't too worried as I resigned my self to jail time if they did and I knew that I would have some good Marines there with me if they showed up. Fortunately they didn't show, but my county police and fire deptments took the threat seriously. The police got, from all the neighbors on all the surrounding roads, the right to arrest anyone blocking any egress from their property or for so much as stepping on their land. We live in a rural area..no sidewalks. The fire dept ran out a huge American flag along with a charged inch and a half fire hose. I will be forever indebted to them for that. What was an occassion no parent wants to go thru, that could have turned out worse if those rejects of society had shown up, turned out to be a day of gratitude to people I had never known before. My grandson still remembers playing on the fire truck with all his new 'friends'. As for those rejects...I wouldn't waste my water to spit on them. A proud Father of a son who gave his all 1/24/2006 Semper Fidelis
-
I wonder if any one ever counted how many motorcycles hit animals and go down. Va has had two rider/deer contacts since Memorial Day that have resulted in fatalities. How many have been hit and gone down with injuries I have no idea. I do know that my wife and I are two of what I am sure are many more. I have seen riders and heard of riders who have hit already dead animals laying in the road and gone down. That's not counting the instinctive swerves when something darts out or the dog who wants to bite your tires or leg. I am a pretty safe rider. I stay away from situations that look funky, my head is always looking around and I always assume the other driver is definitely going to do what I know he couldn't possible do. But I had no defense in coming around a long sweeper at 70 and into a herd of deer standing in the highway. Fortunately I was on the best bike I ever owned and it and I did everything we could to make it and almost did. My wife has a couple more months before she can walk and my back might never be the same but we are still here. My RSV was totaled but it did everything I asked of it and took TWO deer with it. I bet more of us go down to animals then other drivers, just my thoughts
-
I think you are having trouble making the decision because you know what you must do, and you really don't want to. But family is what matters, riding is fun but family makes life worthwhile. Have faith in yourself that when the time comes to make a choice you will make the right one. My wife would get back on a bike as soon as she heals up. But I won't ever put her in that situation again....ever. No 'wind in my face' or beautiful country road will ever take the place of the fear I felt holding her head in my lap on the side of the road. I'll look across at her from the bucket seat of a convertable and be just fine with that. I will pray for your recovery and hope for your family to grow and occupy your time in watching and sharing with them, the exploration of this wonderful world we live in.
-
Know what you are going thru. My wife was riding on the back heading up to the Iwo Jima Memorial on Memorial Day weekend and I went thru a herd of deer on 288 around 60 plus mph. My wife has some road rash and a compound fracture of her ankle, I ended up in the median and the bike upside down in the left lane. Fortunately my buddy who was following didn't go down and helped get my wife out of the street before the cars got us. The first four passed us, one actually blew his horn at us. Finally some people stopped and helped us while we waited for the ambulance. Draged two dead deer off the road and the bike. I've been riding since I was 17 am now 59 and I am hanging it up. I very rarely go out without my wife on the back and I will NEVER again go thru dragging her off the road, and she will get back on if I get another. So I am now going to get a convertable and make the best of it. Will I miss it, you bet, will I wish I was riding, absolutely, but the memory of my wife laying in the street bloodied up and a broken leg will keep me in a car. Family has to take precedence. Wish you luck with your decision. Hope it comes as easy as mine did.
-
I have been to too many memorial reflections. It always amazes me that even amoung those who come with the best intentions there have to reminders that phones be turned off, mine stays in the bags, and proper behavior while people reflect on those no longer with physically. I remember going aboard a destroyer when I was in the cub scouts with my Dad. Watching him remove his cover when we entered the mess hall and asking him why. His explanation of what the mess hall was used for in time of war, his being WW2, has stayed with me and been passed down to my children and now to theirs. At the same time I was at the Marine Coprs evening parade at 8th and I and had to remind a veteran in front of me to remove his cover during the National Anthem. I have a picture on my tool box of the Colors going by in a parade. Everyone is sitting on a curb except for one old man who is standing...using the wheel chair he was sitting in for support. I've never met that man, but I know who he is. Semper Fidelis
-
You have done noble things Boomer. Your Extended Patriot Guard service is noble indeed. Coupled with your Navy service, the extra's would just be gravy on what you have done already. You have my families gratitude for your Navy service and our appreciation for your Patriot Guard duties. The honors that you give to all who have served and are serving are noble indeed. As a family who has recieved them it means more then you will ever know.
-
Thanks for posting this, I hadn't heard about it. My wife already signed us up, bought a bunch of pins, donated to the gas fund and offered our yard up for his tent. We are going to keep a watch out as he gets close and hopefully ride a ways with him. The videos are outstanding. We should all have had the Pledge taught to us by Red Skeltons teacher. I learned mine from my dad, who showed me what it means to be an American. Please help with a donation, and if you can't remember those who gave there all on Memorial Day. Keep this Marine in your thoughts and prayers for a safe trip. He has touched us with his efforts Sonnyboy Father of one who gave his all, brother to another Semper Fidelis
-
I know the pride you will feel as you watch the graduation parade, the confusion in trying to pick him out of so many marching in unison. But the feeling in your heart will exceed what you think you will feel, especially if those who have served in the brotherhood and are sitting in the stands, are asked to stand with them. I know not how we brought such strength of duty and purpose in the little packages that we brought into this world and who now stand so tall in front of us, but somehow you did. Your family continues to serve and continues to show it's love for this country and what it represents. I am as proud of you who brought him to this point in his life as I am of him. I hope some day to be able to tell him that one day, even if he never knows who I am. Semper Fi