4WD Tips
Here is the newest tip from Craig!
C.B. RADIO TIPS
By C.B. (Craig Baker)
Here are a few tips for using a CB radio. You might want to keep a
copy with your radio.
Hold the microphone close to your mouth, at a right-angle so you are talking
across it instead of into it, and speak with a slightly louder than normal
voice.
After you press the transmit button, pause one second before talking, and
after you finish talking pause before releasing the transmit button.
When someone else is finished transmitting, pause before you begin
transmitting.
Do not transmit until others have stopped transmitting.
If someone has transmitted something to you, always reply.
Keep transmissions brief, in case someone has an emergency to report, or the
group leader needs to give driving directions.
Check the Squelch setting every ten minutes or so. When no one is talking,
turn the Squelch down (left) until you hear noise, then turn it up just past
the point where the noise is cancelled. And while the Squelch is down, check
the Volume.
If your radio is silent for a few minutes, check everything, including the
correct channel, and that you are not accidentally transmitting.
Do not use a hand-held radio with the antenna inside the vehicle.
Never put a sharp bend in the antenna wire, and avoid pinching it.
If you are shopping for a new radio (or if yours has problems) choose a
model with as few features as possible for the best performance. A very good
one is the Radio Shack Mini Mobile CB, model TRC-503, catalog 21-1703, for
$49.99. They also have a variety of good antennas for $25.00 - $35.00.
Anything over two feet tall will work fine. Tie a mag-mount to the roof rack
when possible.
Our new subscriber, Jim Kay, showed us a great way to save water and dish scrubbing. He put his plate inside a plastic bag so when he filled his plate with food it was on the plastic bag. When finished he pulled out the clean plate and disposed of the dirty bag. Slick!
Choosing the right gear. Long, steep hills can challenge a truck unless the gear selection lets the engine run at it’s most efficient RPM. Vehicles develop their peak horsepower at what used to be considered fairly high revolutions. The 1995 Jeep Wrangler for example is rated at 100 rear-wheel horsepower at 4,500 RPM and maximum rear-wheel torque of 131 at 3,000 RPM. The 1995 Ford Ranger is 90 hp at 4,500 and 140 torque at 3,000. Most current vehicles have similar specifications. That means to get the maximum horsepower, or maximum torque you must select a gear and range that will pull the hill with the engine turning at the best RPM. High revolutions may sound as if the engine is about to take off, but they are far better than an engine that is lugging and will be much kinder to the engine. Failure to make the right selection can result in overheating.
As an example: on the hill to Belfort the trucks which arrived with no problem used low range low or second when the hill got steep and the pull long.
For downhill you need to select a range and gear that will keep the appropriate safe speed with only occasional use of the brakes.
Here's some sound advice from John Page:
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Especially for the ladies: don't hesitate to drink lots of water in really hot conditions even though you will have to make frequent potty stops. As a wise man (Paul Ferry) once said "'Tis far, far better to pee than to pass out." -
Bring a 12" long scrap of 2x6 lumber to act as a base for your jack when changing tires on soft soil. -
Avoid wearing cotton clothing in extreme weather, either hot or cold. Cotton stays wet. -
Don't wear heavy lug-soled boots for difficult driving; it's too easy to miss the brake or accelerator.
A large safety pin stuck in your paper towel roll will keep it from unrolling while you're moving. It can also be used to poke a hole in eggs before you boil them to prevent cracking. Stainless diaper pins work great.
Be certain that your spare tire is the same size as the rest of your tires and that the rim is the same and will fit the bolt pattern. Do this by removing the spare and putting it on a wheel! You will also find out if your spare tire is easily removable.
Take the wheel locks (lug nuts with a matching "key") off your
wheels; they can get stripped and the key can get lost under off-highway tire-changing
conditions.
There is no tire that will stand up to off-road abuse as well as the B.F. Goodrich. It is
the only tire with a three ply sidewall.
Cooler Report
by Charles and Mary Hughes
On a recently trip to Baja California, we brought along a new ice chest. We first head of this new cooler from John Marnell who read about it in a magazine.
On Tuesday, December 29, at about 4:00 p.m., we put a 12"x8" block of ice into the "EXTREME" Cooler. Everything in the "EXTREME" cooler was prechilled. We also placed a block in my regular cooler. When we got home Sunday, January 3, at 11:00 p.m., everything was still cold, and we had a piece of ice left that was about 2-3" thick by about 6" square. Our regular cooler had to be replenished with ice on Dec. 31 at about 10:00 a.m. and was almost room temperature when we got home.
The daytime outside temperature was in the 80s every day and 40s to 50s at night, probably warmer inside the car which was parked in the sun at times for hikes and meals. The cooler was opened 4 or 5 times a day for food and drinks.
The cooler was the new Coleman 32-qt. "EXTREME." It sells for $29.95 at most sporting goods stores. We got ours at Sports Authority on Sunset Blvd, Henderson, NV., in the Mall just past Sunset Station Casino. We found that, like most plastic coolers, it's very hard to clean. The motion of cans, etc. causes black marks that are almost impossible to remove. Also, the desert dust was hard to remove from the outside. However, we highly recommend this cooler for extended trips.
Tire pressure gauge/deflater
Here is a great tool, introduced to us by Chuch
Kalback, that makes letting the air out of your tire a breeze! No more
looking for a twig to press on the valve stem, check remaining pressure
with a tire gauge, back to the twig, back to the gauge, etc. Best of all
it is one you can put together yourself with very little expense.
What you need:
An Accu-gage or similar swinging needle gauge.
A clip-on tire chuck.
Male quick disconnect coupler
3 1/4" threaded pipe nipple.
A tee fitting for 1/4" pipe
A 1 foot long 1/4" rubber hose, Gas line hose or vacuum hose works fine.
Remove the valve fitting from the gauge. It screws in to the bottom of the gauge. Replace with a 1/4" nipple. Attach the Tee fitting to the other end of the nipple. Opposite the gauge on the tee attach another 1/4" nipple. Slip the hose over this nipple. Hose clamps are not necessary as long as the hose doesn't fall off. At the other end of the hose add the last 1/4" nipple and the tire chuck.
To air down the tire attach the chuck to the valve stem. The air will escape through the open side of the Tee. To check the pressure remaining close the hole in the tee with a finger or thumb and read the pressure on the gauge.
