08:16 – Barbara is off to work. Colin is inconsolable. He watched out the front door as she drove away. The weather forecasts agree that we’re supposed to get snow starting mid-afternoon. Estimates range from 2″ to 5″ (12.5 cm), possibly changing to sleet late this evening. Local schools are closing two hours early.
She’s driving the Trooper. During winter weather, I’m much more comfortable with her driving a 4X4, and one that outmasses the average car on the road by a factor of about two. I know from experience what happens when a vehicle of 2X mass collides with a vehicle of 1X mass. It’s not pretty for the smaller vehicle. The Trooper also carries a comprehensive emergency kit, comprising one large duffel and two medium ones.
Is the trooper auto or manual? My brother used to have one back in the 90s with the worst stick ever. Until my son’s 03 f-150 stick. Has 6 inch throws and feels like you are shifting a Kenworth. He has to double clutch 3rd gear nowadays.
Sitting at MDACC today, waiting for the wife’s procedure to end. This place is a madhouse as usual. Her doc is a full professor which is nice, lots of experience.
Lynn,
Ever drive a Kenworth?
The Trooper is an auto. IIRC, it has a Chevy transmission that was used in their F350 class pickups. I was going to buy a manual, but even back then Barbara’s knees were bothering her and she didn’t want to have to use a clutch.
No snow for Retroville here; only more single-digit temps during the sunny-with-blue-skies days and subzero nights.
The temp in the house this morning was 37 when we got up, haha. Due to us not loading firewood once an hour all night, plus the half of the house that does not have the new windows, plus our drafty front and back doors. We’ve continued the experiment today by closing off that half of the house, including the kitchen and we can get the living room and front hallway up past 60, at least.
I’m pretty sure that once we do the new windows and doors we’ll be sittin’ pretty here during the worst winter nights with just the wood-stove. Plus insulation in the attic and on the back porch, with those screens replaced by windows.
Wow. Didn’t think they did that anymore. When I was a kid we had early dismissals (usually for excessively hot days in old schools with no A/C and sometimes for a heavy afternoon snow) and late starts (usually to allow the plows to catch up or the weather to warm up a little). Now they always just cancel the whole day.
Ever drive a Kenworth?
Nope. Just a Ford or International 2.5 ton (cannot remember brand). Had a horrible 8 speed (4 x 2) in it with a 6 inch or more throw. And a lot of F350 and 3500 duallys, mostly with 4 speeds. Havent driven a dually in many years though.
Is the Kenworth a short throw?
I was going to buy a manual, but even back then Barbara’s knees were bothering her and she didn’t want to have to use a clutch.
Me too. I had 100 stitches in the left knee back in 1987 when I fell through a glass door. In the last year or two, it has been bothering me when I drive a standard. An occasional sharp pain in the middle of the knee when I let the clutch out.
I am trying to persuade the wife to replace her 2005 Honda Civic coupe manual with a new Honda CRV automatic. Then the 2005 Civic will become the backup car and we will dump the 1997 Civic.
Free e-book on emergency preparedness available for a week from Pajamas Media.
http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2015/02/16/wouldnt-you-like-to-be-a-prepper-too/
Dr. Bob should post a review of the book.
I just downloaded it and spent ten minutes flipping through it and doing searches for various terms like “food”. Summary: not much there; lots of hand-waving; few details; focus on five particular scenarios, and not the five most likely. More a political document than a serious prepping book.
Prime Darwin Award candidate here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-17/man-with-chainsaw-wound-loses-drink-driving-appeal/6128668
I’m officially over manual gearboxes. When I got my Subaru Forester I decided on manual. I soon got sick of been beeped at by drivers annoyed that I didn’t take off from trafic lights instantly (I’d had an automatic for 18.5 years.) I don’t double clutch when driving but when parking and I want to put the transmission in to Reverse I often need to pump the clutch a few times.
Lynn,
Most modern rigs have shift throws that are probably about 4 inches from neutral. They are also a bit mushy compared to the ancient ones, but shift smoothly in the hands of a good operator. Their shift patterns can be hard to learn. That said, it matters more who makes the transmission, which is usually selected by the buyer of the truck, than the make of the truck. Automatic transmissions have been around for decades, but have poor driver acceptance. Just like in cars, some automatics can get offer better acceleration and fuel economy than manuals at the hands of less than ideal operators. Most truckers pride themselves in their ability to row through the gears, even though many are not that good at it. Oops, heresy; never say something like that at a truckstop. You might get run over by the same guy trying to find the right gear.
Another class of heavy vehicles is buses. Luxury charter coaches have computer-controlled automatics nowadays. They drive a lot like modern cars: smoothly with never a power interruption. City mass transit buses have lots of variations, including hybrids, but most have automatics. Automatics probably have lower maintenance in the hands of less than perfect drivers.
Even in some of the sportier cars and motorcycles, transmissions and clutches vary a lot. Some of this might be a matter of preference, but some transmissions are balky and slow to shift, and some are smooth and fast. Clutches vary, too. The worst clutch I ever experienced had a lot of flex in the linkage, which caused a different feel while engaging and disengaging. It made smooth operation a challenge. Automatics continue to get better, while manuals seem neglected these days.
The joy of driving a stick well wears off quickly in heavy traffic.
I’ve driven a stick for so long, it’s just second nature. About the only problem is with a strange car, where the clutch engages at a different point – takes a couple of shifts to get right.
When I wind in a strange care that’s an automatic, I just about put a hole in the floor, stomping for the clutch :-0
My uncle has a RV with a 500? hp CAT diesel pusher in it. The RV has the Allison six speed automatic in it and works well. It is one of those converted Greyhound? buses. Gets about 6 mpg at 75 mph.
The wife’s five speed manual in her 2005 Honda Civic coupe is the best manual that I have ever driven. The gearshift throws are about two inches and can be done with a single finger. The clutch is a dream and works perfectly. So much better than my old Volvo, Chevy truck, and two Volkswagens which were high effort and very mushy shift patterns.
The joy of driving a stick well wears off quickly in heavy traffic.
Man, does it ever. I used to work in downtown Dallas and drove a VW Jetta GLI when I could not take the bus. I felt like I rowed that last mile or two.