Thanks, gents. HHhhmmmm....
In my mind, I've set off the five months of November-March and I'm calling that winter. I've decided I've just got to survive these five months and I'll be fine. I've managed to steal the first two weeks of winter on a Chattanooga/California/Texas loop so now it's down to 4 1/2 months :clap: Hopefully, I'll spend part of the rest of the 4 1/2 months at the house, part of it in the south, that at least narrows down the number of nights in the cold.
Mine is still a lean, mean business. I could use a new driver's seat, I need the hinges on my door replaced, I don't have satelite TV yet. What I am doing is finishing the house- hopefully repairs to the ceiling, insulation and siding before Christmas. It'll be good to get that done.
So that leaves, do I do the Yukon Jack (not the liquid kind), survivalist, cave man thing or do act like a sissy like all of you and get myself a bunk heater?
Last year, calling my own shots with Landstar, I just sat at home or dodged a lot of the snow and when I did get caught in the cold, I laid under 6 of those cheap U Haul furniture pads much of the time. It ain't fun, but like I said, I've set it in my mind I have to get through 5 months of it and everything will be fine again.
Let's see, when it's very cold you still have to run the tractor!? Ok, like sitting at home or running in the South, those nights don't count in terms of savings. No thermostat and opening the windows, I dare say there must be nights when that's more of an annoyance than laying under a bunch of blankets. Parts can be hard to get ahold of if I can find a unit in the first place? Fuel has come down, idling isn't as expensive. (How come a bunch of guys were idling in California in perfect weather yesterday? People throw their money away and break the law at the same time?)
Well, I don't know what I'm going to do. If I do free up some money for this thing, I've still got to find one and a place to install it? Let's say it was 25 degrees out, would any of you feel confident heating your bunk without also heating your anti-freeze? Is that block heater a must?
Caveman trucking...well, I slept in cold holes in the ground in the military. The fact is, I've got a nicer, cozier house than I've ever had. Maybe someday I need to have a tractor with an easy chair in place of the lower bunk, a quiet APU and satelite TV (skip the chrome, who needs chrome
) Maybe someday I'll move beyond roughing it to getting everything all cushy and comfy. In the meantime, finish the house, get my door fixed, and maybe try to locate a bunk heater...maybe. Or should I get VuCube first?