When you go 55 I find that I have to pay closer attention to merging traffic, and even slow a bit so my slower speed doesn't interfere with the fast lane. For the most part you can get used to it,..I prefer it, it seems a lot safer and I'm not arriving at my destination much behind the 62mph guys.
Set the cruise and settle in with a good old time radio show (XM), or the uncensored comedy 150 channel,...I laugh myself silly all the way to my destination,...and get good mpg as well.

 

sorry Doggie,I would be strewn all over the median at that speed,couldn't stay awake.I can do 62 or so but that's it.

 

not for nuttin
How accurate is your speedometer
watch closely when you idle
is your odometer slowly creeping
also take a 100 mile mileage check on a hiway
if what you say is true I would contact corporate detroit diesel and report your mileage and your set up
they would be very interested
that is unbelievable mpg

you change your own tires?
your better than me
budds or daytons

 

mike3,
If your sleepy,....pull on in and take a nap!! :wink:
I know what you mean though,..55mph is a bit boring,....but I'm OK with it,..if I want to go fast I'll get out the Triumph 8)

sonny,
Speedo is 1mph off so I use my GPS.
I don't idle at all, but the speedo doesn't move on idle either (is this a common thing,..speedo moving on idle??)
As far as the mpg,..I was told before I even started driving this truck to expect mileage like that,.....also to never expect to win a race.


Tires,
Budds,a set of tire bars and a big 1"drive socket wrench, and an air can. I hate waiting for road service,...if I can change it,..I do.

 

ok but I have never heard those numbers before


on old trucks all kinds of things happen to speedometer
they can creep at idling or "jump" a thousand miles
it can driveyou crazy doing fueltax





budds get torqued at 450 ft lbs
that's a"dry" 450lbs btw

but It could take 1000ft lbs to get them off
I've seen 1600 lb IR guns not budge a nut
it is very difficult without either a torque multiplier
or a jack stand to rest the extension
if you don't use a stand
the socket tends to go on an angle
either slipping or rounding nut
do you carry a torch with you too?

 

I drove 480 miles today at 60-62 mph. The only thing I passed was the Flying J on the way home

I still have 3/8ths left on the gauge (100 gallon tanks). We'll see tomorrow whether it was worth it. Usually I get ~7 CDN mpg at 65+. If I don't get 8+ I'll be ticked.

 

Well I posted an 8. Too bad it was to the right of the decimal place. 7.8 miles to the CDN gallon. Not exactly setting any records.

Empty from Gibson, PA to Kingston, ON (288 miles, 33,280 lbs tare)
Loaded from Kingston, ON to Auburn, NY (229 miles, 77,440 lbs gross)
Empty from Auburn to Kingston, ON (35,750 lbs tare)

Must be because I am heavier than you guys because I can't get even close to 9 miles to the US gallon. That like 11 CDN. Sheesh, I suck.

 

Keep tryin' rank,..maybe you need to slow down to 80 km 8)

Sonny,
I carry a 1"drive 4' torque wrench and a 6' breaker bar, a set of tire bars and an O/A torch.
Before I left St Pete, I took off all the lug nuts (with a torch and the breaker bar) and then retorqued them to 450 ft/lbs.
Then I took 2 tires and figured out how to dismount/mount the rubber, and inflate them without using explosive propellants.
My girl though I was crazy,.....but ,....I am so it's totally in character for me.

It's been an interesting couple of months and I have learned a few lessons.

1.Partials are a pain in the a$$ yes $$ this one looked like a good deal, but I forgot to take into consideration the unloading process. I was able to get the first one off, but the US Army (second one) told me they had to drive on my trailer to pull off their unit. I had to then go 300 miles OOR to unload the third stop second and then drive back to unload the second on third,..only to have the people US Army unload the unit with a forklift. So I could have kept my schedule if the US Army had said,.."don't worry we can unload you with a fork" but no,... they screwed the whole thing up and they got their unit 2 days late and the third stop made me wait 24 hrs to off load because they were not ready yet.
Next partials will be planned out better,..lesson learned and even though I made a profit,....I lost $$ on the deal, and made a shipper angry.

2.Second lesson,....make sure to not make out with a lot Lizard!!!! (just kidding) but I did get very sick with a mean cold that had me feeling like crap for 4 days.
I sat in PA at an abandoned truck stop for two days and then drove to a better one for the remainder of my illness.

3. I had my clutch adjusted and it seems to be better but the tranny still sounds like it should be replaced. I have been hauling light loads and I think I can make it last a few more weeks if I keep it going light,...time will tell.

4.In the event of the need of a colon cleanse,..there is a Chinese Buffet here next to the Wal Mart in KS that will be a fine way to accomplish this task.

5. Expect the unexpected,..from my truck trying to kill me in the first 2 months,..right up to my unplanned tire and colon blowout,.....this has been an interesting experience.


The solar and the propane have been life savers on this truck,...I am spending $8 to $15 a month to keep my sleeper at 70degrees ( almost no idling at all), and the solar keeps my batteries fully charged all the time.
I was a bit concerned about my weight loss but it seems to have stopped,....either I lost my Tapeworm, or my lack of eating has leveled out.
The truck is running smooth, the removal of the muffler has not been noticeable until my engine brake kicks in,...and then anyone passing my truck craps a brick,..animals run, and small children cry.
Taking off the muffler got rid of the droning sound coming through the floor, and the engine breathes better,....will I finally see 15.5mpg???,....time will tell.

My rough numbers for Dec. Jan. are.
Miles driven.......15,800 ( includes1,250 dh miles)
Gross income.....$22,991
Fuel.....2,106 gallons for $6,952
Insurance....$1,560
Load boards.....$200.00
Repairs....$977.00
Food/propane.......$300.00
IFTA...$285.00
I averaged $1.45 for all miles.
My profit for Dec-Jan is $12,627
I'm sure there are some things I missed but this seems about right. I am hoping to do better now that I know a little more about being an OO,.but so far this seems right on track for what the ##'s were before I got started.

 

$70,000/year pre tax profit? Not bad at all Dog. Of course there is a little ammorization/depreciation that comes out of there but not bad. Pretty freaking good actually.

What have you got invested in your truck and trailer?

 

Not to mention some other numbers that are missing, such as cell phone, maintenance, reserve fund, and tires. But still, not too terrible for such a slow time of the year.