Mentone via Ford truck

StanFoster

Active Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2003
Messages
17,139
Location
Paxton, Il
Aircraft
Helicycle N360SF
Total Flight Time
1250
I appreciate all the phone calls and e-mails from people here on this fantastic forum giving me support as I continue waiting for my turbine. I am getting gunshy talking about this topic, and I am going to draw another line in the sand and let this post be the last comment I will make on this forum concerning my turbine, until I have it in my possession. It will be here when it gets here. I will get it, just will have to wait. I am being asked locaally several times a day when am I going to get my turbine. I am starting to get all kinds of negative attitude comments ranging the whole gambit of possibilities from "maybe the company is closing?" to one comment today from someone having the audacity questioning if perhaps I owed the company a bunch of money. That one stopped me cold in my tracks, I thought a second, handed them my phone with the company ready to dial. I said "call them right now, and get them on the phone, give me the phone and I will say I am Stan Foster and please tell this person exactly how much I owe on my Helicycle". The person never dialed, and just apologized. I am starting to lose patience with others impatience. I will eventually receive my turbine, but have been relieved of realistically making Mentone on kerosene. So, please accept the fact I won't respond on the forum to any comments or direct questions, until my turbine is in my shop. I just have moved to another level of patience and I would have never continually been talking about it had I known this much time would have passed. I apologize and again thank all the support I get here on the forum and in private. I am typing this hopelessly optimistic that my 2 weeks soon passes. Turbine does not exist in my vocabulary here on the forum until I have my paws on it! Stan
 
Is the ford truck a diesel at least?:boink:
 
I'm sorry buddy! But at least you will be at the party and I'm still holding out hope it will make it in time.
 
Frankly I am disappointed that you got into helicopters in such a boring way.

Pfft... anyone can get one just *paying* for it and building it. Now building one while on the run from the cops after conning the company into delivering stuff to you... now thats exciting and something to write home about.

I am very bored with the typical... I bought this, it arrived, and I installed it theme you have going on here Stan.

Please refrain from posting until you have something more exciting to write about.
 
Stan,

I am sorry that you will not have your turbine in time for Mentone.
I am even sorrier that you have to drive a Ford.

:D

Dodge-ram-logo_200.jpg
 
That is a shame isn't it Mike. Dodge can head-butt any other truck model off the road ;). Gee Stan....first "the word" and now tripping with a Ford....geessh....poor guy.....
 
Oh my. Ya'll thought politics was bad and now you're talking TRUCKS!

Gimme my pre-Obama motors Duramax/Allison Chevy any day hehehe. You Dodge guys are funny (looking) and your mommas wear underoos. :boink:

Oh whoops. Was that a personal attack?:D

Please don't ban me Mis-sa Moderator. I take back the funny looking thing.
 
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Hmmm... so you're saying their still selling those alternate reality seat covers with their trucks? :)
 
Don't worry Stan...... I'm with ya!

Us Ford drivers have to stick together.

Man....last time I even remotely argued with anyone about what truck is better....I was in highschool!


Barry (drive a Ford and like it) K
 
Stan,
I couldn't agree with you more!
 
Ron- For myself, DeWalt is the best, but after winning over $10,000.00 of DeWalt tools, I may have a biased opinion! Ha. Seriously, I love DeWalt tools and had bought a truckload of them before winning that contest. After wining and dining with DeWalts top engineer and their high dollar salesman, and Matt Kenseth, I would say I was even more convinced about DeWalt. But, just like vehicles, there are other makes that are just as good. Porter Cable, Milwaukee, Fein, Hitachi, MakitaM. I could build stairs with all of them. Stan

A Ford truck load of them? Is that more or less than a Doge load of them. One other thing about Dodge that I have never been able to reconcile. Are we supposed to Ram or Dodge? Oh by the way I have always been partial to Chevy but cant seem to buy any American truck. The want way too many dollars for them and the gas mileage is atrocious. I love my little Honda Ridgeline. Just cant figure out how to empty the grass bag. "Its self propelled.":usa::usa::usa:

I remember something my mother would never say. Opinions are like @sses we all have them but it is not polite to show them in public. :)

Did we just exchange one "T" word for another?
 
Well.........I have a Dodge(Ram 1500) and a Ford(F150).

Currently the Dodge is in the driveway. It's engine is in the garage on a stand.

The Ford just keeps going, and going, and going.........
The Ford has more miles on it too!!


Jody
 
5 Texans were given 5 different trucks to try for 5 weeks and at the end they all got to choose the one they wanted. True story. They all chose ......



I could get banned for this :)




The Toyota Tundra .




I am a Chevy guy who would buy a Ford F150 in a heartbeat (cant afford a Tundra) , besides I am a loyal (North) American and like to shop local.

The Dodge truck has an indestructible power train ....... except for the couple of times they built something that didn't have an indestructible power train.

Chevy "built like a Rock" ...... except all the components that are not built like a rock. "How's you're tailgate latches working lately"? Door hinges? Fragile wiring?

If I haven't offended anybody , please let me know :) I will reply tomorrow. That is if I don't get banned. :)


But hey , a great idea just blew through my mind ..... If I did go out and buy an F150 ..... I could come to Mentone ..... :)

There is a bright side to everything. :)
 
Stan, you take things some people say WAY WAY WAY to seriously. That has been the one fault I see in you over all these years. I don't give a rats behind what kind of truck anyone drives, or what kind of drill a person uses, etc... The whole Ford / Chevy thing is just screwing around, like the majority of the posts in Gabors build thread. It's just talk for the sake of talking.

I have Dewalt stuff and been very happy with it. And I know Ford makes a decent truck.

Arnie, you know what I drive ?
 
Stan, you take things some people say WAY WAY WAY to seriously.

Hehe.. yup.. I was just trying to get some mock debate going that hopefully, maybe, coulda, turned into some real debate to liven the place up a little again.

I am actually about as UN-loyal a person as it is out there for anything. I'm a research junkie and I tend to first and foremost search for items that are not name brand that perform just as well as the name brand stuff. I HATE paying for a name, but I also despise crappy stuff. I also tend to avoid, if possible stuff where unions fees are wrapped up in the price of the product. Thats impossible though with American made cars.

My honest take on trucks. Dodge USED to have the best engine. Not anymore, their 12 valve engines ruled, the 24 valve engines not so much. That paired with the Duramax getting better, put Chevy on top for the engines . Ford hasn't had a reliable diesel since the 7.3L. They got horrible and have gotten a little better with each iteration since they left the 7.3 but still aren't even back up to where the 7.3 was, much less the Cummins 12 valve or newest Duramaxes. Chevy's Duramax is the best all around engine, paired with the best transmission of the 3 when its paired with the Allison. But GM's body designers have been doing crack in the last 10 years and their stuff has gotten gosh awful fugly.

So breaking it up into 3/4 classes for 2002 trucks FORWARD.. here is how I see Diesel trucks. All 3 have solid manual transmissions, so they are pretty much equal there.

Engine: Chevy 1, Dodge 2, Ford 3
Automatic Tranny: Chevy 1, Ford 2, Dodge 3
Body/Frame: Ford 1, Chevy 2, Dodge 3

For Body, if your talking ONLY about looks and not rattles and squeeks and frame rigidity, then I would rearrange it Ford 1, Dodge 2, Chevy 3

I don't consider ride quality to be a necessity for trucks. Trucks quality/durability dropped as a whole dramatically when the straight front axle went away in the name of ride quality. The various types of independent front suspension ride better but are more complex and don't last nearly as long when put under high stress like a truck is supposed to be used for. I'll take a rough ride to get a truck that lasts 20-30 years any day. If you want a smooth ride get a town car or a mini-van.

Now thats about as unbiased as I can get... anyone care to debate?
 
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Robert.... I personally think that unless you are pulling a 8000+ pound trailer on a regular basis, you'd be a stinking idiot to buy a diesel full size truck these days.

You pay WAY WAY WAY more for a diesel truck over gas. And you end up with a truck that doesn't really get much better or any better MPG over a 1/2 ton gas truck. And your paying more for Diesel than premium gasoline....

And wait till the diesel truck needs servicing, way more oil.... so even a simple oil change costs more. Then when stuff fails, such as injectors or turbos or any of a number of things, it all costs ridiculous money. Even the truck itself costs more to service, tires... brakes.... etc.... all costs more.

I know what people say, a diesel lasts longer. By the time that diesel truck has 250,000 miles, the rest of the truck is ragged out. The engine might go 300-350 thousand miles before being wore out, but the truck is falling apart around it. A gas truck these days will easily do 250-300 thousand miles.

The only reason for a diesel these days is for raw pulling power. Pulling a camper such as Roberts toyhauler, a diesel rules. But most diesel owners don't have anything big to tow, they just want a diesel cause there is some kind of notion that it's the best, top of the line, etc....


I would love to see a smaller 4 or 5 cylinder diesel offered in a 1/2 truck. The Sprinter vans are just as big as any full size truck and just as heavy and with the 5 cylinder Benz diesel they could get close to 30 mpg driven gentle and still mid 20's driving the piss out of it. Todays diesel trucks struggle to get 15 mpg driven normally without even towing anything. I get better than that with my gasser.



Arnie, I have to confess..... I sold the Volvo. My wifes aunt bought it and drives it every day. It has over 280,000 miles and still going strong. We bought my wife a new Mazda 5 mini minivan, and I took over our 2005 Toyota Camry as my run around vehicle. As for trucks, I drive a Toyota Tundra.... 42,000 miles and so far not a problem, just gas and go. I take that back, I did just replace the wiperblades.
 

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Oh I agree. Unless you need it a diesel is ridiculous. Some people do it for the image.

I drove a Toyota Tacoma before buying my first diesel at around the same time I bought my first gyro.... Diesel truck, toy hauler, and gyro all nearly at the same time for the obvious reason.

Parts are more expensive, but I do disagree about mileage. My Tacoma got 22 MPG and the thing squatted when my dog jumped in the back. I get 20 MPG (empty) in my diesel with the help of a programmer and it will tow a house when needed.

If they ever start making 1/2 ton diesel pickups again, they could conceivably get 30-35 MPG or higher and still out pull current gas trucks. That more than makes up for the premium you pay buying diesel.

Oh.. and I obviously have to have a diesel for my toy hauler, but I tried the beater thing just to drive to work. It didn't pan out monetarily. I was getting 43 MPG in a Honda civic beater to drive to work, and it still didn't even come CLOSE to making up for the cost of the extra insurance and upkeep of the third car. As long as I had to have the diesel, it was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper to have just 2 cars and just to drive it to work every day once the total costs were added up. After trying it for a year, I found that gasoline/diesel would have had to very closely approach the $6 per gallon mark just to break even.
 
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