Kissimmee to Portland update

[punkmechanic]

Hey all! I dont know how many of you on here have been keeping up with (or even care about) my move across country but I am currently in Lafayette, Indiana till tomorrow when I am heading to woodbury wisconsin (just across from minneapolis)

So far so good. I got the Hypermax pulse kit installed and swapped the c6 for a ZF5 while I was at it. That was a ton of work but it is paying off in a hurry. I only had a week and a half to "beat on it/ shake down run" till I loaded the trailer and headed north. I have only hit one big hill so far (according to the truckers its the worse of the two routes I could have taken ) and it pulled it without problems. The boost was steady at 5psi, egts climbed and steadied at 650, and the coolant was middle of "NORMAL". I havent turned up the pump yet cause I didnt know what to expect from the load and all but I may turn it up a flat while I am sittn for the fourth of july.

in summary I have gone 1100 miles and the whole rig (87 f350 crew cab with a 6.9 hypermax and zf5 5speed manual) with trailer and fuel weights 13880 according to the cat scales in georgia.

Any comments or questions are welcomed. I will try to keep posting as internet access permits.

Thanks everyone for all the help, supplies, and advice. I'm loving this truck more and more every hour it chugs along at 65mph (getting 15mpg no less)

thanks,
Punkmechanic, Dieselpunk, R. Justin

 

[towcat]

Good to hear that things are going uneventfully
You haven't seen hills yet until you get to continental divide though.
Fortunately, the combo you have is reliable My '92 hasn't given me any trouble on my kali to TX commutes and it's basically setup the same as yours.

 

[punkmechanic]

Good to know. I was a little worried pulling out of orlando with the loaded trailer. It kinda all hit me at once that I was in a 20+ year old vehicle with unkown mileage, that I had just put a ton of work into and I was heading across the country. Kinda freaked me out, then I got on the interstate and everything simply worked. No if,ands,or buts, it just worked and I now feel A LOT better about my "old ford". She aint fast, and she aint pretty, but Damn that beast will pull!!!

 

[funnyman06]

I have never pulled a trailer, but was wondering how to the weight stations work, and who has to use them and who doesnt.

 

[Diesel JD]

Hey glad your truck is performing well as expected Punkmech. That is one heck of a long drive, so stay safe and don't hesitate to call for help if needed, though by day one you were already out of my range. The good news is where you're going there's lots of oilburners. How are you getting from WI to Oregon? What route? 15 mpg pulling your trailer at highway speeds is not too shabby no matter how you slice it.
Funnyman, I can't say for sure but I THINK the weight stations are for trucks with DOT permits to get inspected and make sure you're not over the limit. That said I think DOT or other law enforcement can pull you over at any time and check you're weight with one of those portable scale dodads. If they find you overweight or grossly overloaded, hauling too much hazmat without a permit you could face fines and possible criminal penalties. Truthfully I think you'll only get into trouble if
1) You're driving a truck that requires a CDL without one 2) You have a placardable amount of hazmats and no placard and CDL 3) You cause an accident and you're breaking the rules.

 

[Diesel JD]

BTW I qualify this by saying I'm not a professional driver or LEO, so let their statements or what you find doing your homework be definitive.

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

Glad all is going well.... hope the rest of the trip goes good too.....

 

[Joe Mc]

Great to hear that you are on the road and doing well. Enjoy the trip!

Towcat, if he crosses the divide in Wyoming on 80, it is not as impressive as it is in other places. Wyoming is pretty but the hills are so open you often don't realize how big they are. Like the 3 Sisters in western Wyoming, when you top the 1st one it is a straight shot down and it doesn't look very far, then you drive, drive, drive and then drive some more before it hits you that you have been driving a long time and you are not halfway down yet.

 

[4x4TruckinGirl]

Weigh station info:

You HAVE to hit the scales IF you have the following:

1. Drive a Semi truck w/ CDL
2. Carry DOT numbers (pickup truck/car trailer/horse trailer etc.)

Basically, if you have DOT numbers attached to you're rig you MUST weigh, you're going to get DOT on you in a hurry, and avoiding the scales is a NO-NO



Agriculture Stations info:

You must stop at these if:

1. Regardless of what license or vehicle you have, any enclosed trailer, moving truck (even uhauls), especially horse trailers.

Hope this answers the questions. Anything else, just ask....

 

[punkmechanic]

And now I am in Woodbury MN. Staying here for a few days with friends. So far so good. I got it to hit 7psi boost yesterday (pulling a hill in 4th and just mashed it to see if I could keep my speed above 60mph) Works well. Again, I am loving this truck more and more. It really is true that once you go diesel there is no going back.

thanks,
Justin

 

[69dieselfreak]

if you turn up the pump all the way ive seen on my gauge 13psi and about 1100 egt's and im running wmo and it'll roll the coals really good

 

[towcat]

update-
talked to punkmechanic on the phone this afternoon. he and his fiancee made it to their place in OR safely. He fixed the line after getting into town. Yup, he floated gears the whole way in. he's got a set of '****......

 

[LCAM-01XA]

By floating the gears you mean shifting from one into the next one without the clutch, right? How did he start from standstill without the clutch? Like, at a red light, or a stop sign, and such?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Agriculture Stations info:

You must stop at these if:

1. Regardless of what license or vehicle you have, any enclosed trailer, moving truck (even uhauls), especially horse trailers.

Hope this answers the questions. Anything else, just ask....

What is an Agriculture station? Where are those found? I ain't never ever seen one, are they mostly a southern thing?

 

[FordGuy100]

By floating the gears you mean shifting from one into the next one without the clutch, right? How did he start from standstill without the clutch? Like, at a red light, or a stop sign, and such?

Yup, that would be floating the gears, and it aint the best thing to do to a ZF. I had to do it to my truck the other day....for some reason my clutch resevoir went a little low, and I lost the function of my clutch. 30 miles to get home, and a couple of stops (jack rabbit stops where you just roll into it and dont stop, though they where on a couple 4 ways with other vehicles there, I get the horn honked at me a couple times because of that). Got home, put in some brake fluid, pumped the clutch a couple dozen times, and all is good now.