The FORD Lounge

[FoxFord33]

Yesterday, on the way out of work, I hit a Gator lurking in the shadow of a bridge.

It was startling, and really took my focus off the road ahead.

Why does this even happen anymore?

Haven't TPMS been mandatory since 2008?

Just cheap retreads?

Maybe FoxFord can answer, since he works at a tire shop.

There's no good kind of gator in the road! What we call gators are the tires with separated steel belts, which can "bite" your hand when handling them.

Big truck tires are often retreaded, but it's usually not cheap-- just less expensive than a brand new one, and theres a limit on the number of times it can be done. We did have a customer who bought retreads for his pickup. The poor quality became more and more apparent as we proceeded. They looked like they were pulling themselves apart just from normal inflation. We ended up finding 4 used tires instead, and the place where the customer bought the retreads would not accept returns. These were obviously much poorer quality retread than the semi-truck tires we usually see.

TPMS is on many vehicles now, but I'm not sure if it's mandatory. It might be...

[1986F150Six]

I retired 1 November 2011, actually was 65 in May, and original plan was 1 June. There was a calibration conference near DC that my supervisor wanted to take all of us to in October, so I stayed to go to it.

BTW, I still haven't figured out how I had time to go to work.

Nature abhors a vacuum; the time will quickly be filled!

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

There's no good kind of gator in the road! What we call gators are the tires with separated steel belts, which can "bite" your hand when handling them.

Big truck tires are often retreaded, but it's usually not cheap-- just less expensive than a brand new one, and theres a limit on the number of times it can be done. We did have a customer who bought retreads for his pickup. The poor quality became more and more apparent as we proceeded. They looked like they were pulling themselves apart just from normal inflation. We ended up finding 4 used tires instead, and the place where the customer bought the retreads would not accept returns. These were obviously much poorer quality retread than the semi-truck tires we usually see.

TPMS is on many vehicles now, but I'm not sure if it's mandatory. It might be...

So, actually it was 2007....

But only for vehicles under 10k gvw.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire-pressure_monitoring_system#Firestone_recall_and_legal_mandates

Lots of truck guys like Treadwright tires.

https://www.treadwright.com/collections/all-terrain-tires?gclid=Cj0KCQjwp5_qBRDBARIsANxdcil0EEwFMoKd9mq54LEKY2z4tsf3EGltqJes2fbgBN0t5d5bKrxNf6saAgTKEALw_wcB

Their remolds are available in patterns not seen anymore.

I may get some myself, if I can't find what I want online.

[salans7]

So, actually it was 2007....

But only for vehicles under 10k gvw.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire-pressure_monitoring_system#Firestone_recall_and_legal_mandates

Lots of truck guys like Treadwright tires.

https://www.treadwright.com/collections/all-terrain-tires?gclid=Cj0KCQjwp5_qBRDBARIsANxdcil0EEwFMoKd9mq54LEKY2z4tsf3EGltqJes2fbgBN0t5d5bKrxNf6saAgTKEALw_wcB

Their remolds are available in patterns not seen anymore.

I may get some myself, if I can't find what I want online.

When I first read Jim's post, I thought he had hit an actual gator, a common occurrence in Florida, man.

Once a Floridian, always a Floridian.

[ArdWrknTrk]

When I first read Jim's post, I thought he had hit an actual gator, a common occurrence in Florida, man.

Once a Floridian, always a Floridian.

. Nope!

I did splatter an armadillo in Georgia, on my bike, though.

I can only imagine what hitting a good sized alligator could do to your vehicle.

Thankfully they haven't made it this far north..... yet.

[Gary Lewis]

. Nope!

I did splatter an armadillo in Georgia, on my bike, though.

I can only imagine what hitting a good sized alligator could do to your vehicle.

Thankfully they haven't made it this far north..... yet.

I can't imagine the splatter from an armadillo.

I used to ride a lot, and studiously avoided all stuff in the road, although sometimes you can't. I remember one time my buddy and I were riding a twisty/turny road near a lake. I rounded a bend and saw a snake in my lane all coiled up. I knew I didn't want to hit it and was able to just miss it.

A few turns later I realized my buddy wasn't behind me, so went back. I found him watching the snake, and when I pulled up he told me it had struck at me as I passed. He saw it all stretched out in the air behind me.

About that time a patrolman pulled up, saw the snake and said "I hate snakes!" With that he reached back into the patrol car, pulled out his 12ga, racked a shell in, and shot the snake. My buddy and I both swore that we saw the head fly over "there", but when we looked there was no head. But, there was a groove in the pavement where the shot had hit that was an inch deep and a couple wide.

I asked the guy what shells he had and he showed me - the brass went half the way up the casing. And it held OO.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I can't imagine the splatter from an armadillo.

I used to ride a lot, and studiously avoided all stuff in the road, although sometimes you can't. I remember one time my buddy and I were riding a twisty/turny road near a lake. I rounded a bend and saw a snake in my lane all coiled up. I knew I didn't want to hit it and was able to just miss it.

A few turns later I realized my buddy wasn't behind me, so went back. I found him watching the snake, and when I pulled up he told me it had struck at me as I passed. He saw it all stretched out in the air behind me.

About that time a patrolman pulled up, saw the snake and said "I hate snakes!" With that he reached back into the patrol car, pulled out his 12ga, racked a shell in, and shot the snake. My buddy and I both swore that we saw the head fly over "there", but when we looked there was no head. But, there was a groove in the pavement where the shot had hit that was an inch deep and a couple wide.

I asked the guy what shells he had and he showed me - the brass went half the way up the casing. And it held OO.

Hard to avoid when you're doing 90 at midnight.

My first thought was 'oh, a paper bag'

We're not used to armadillos up here.

Imagine how 'ripe' I was by the time I got back to Connecticut!

And I DID stop at Bob's BMW I Jessup, MD on the way.

They are too 'refined' to deal with a sunburnt guy with a mohawk, covered in roadkill.

It was a good chuckle to remember their faces on the ride home.

[Ray Cecil]

Hard to avoid when you're doing 90 at midnight.

My first thought was 'oh, a paper bag'

We're not used to armadillos up here.

Imagine how 'ripe' I was by the time I got back to Connecticut!

And I DID stop at Bob's BMW I Jessup, MD on the way.

They are too 'refined' to deal with a sunburnt guy with a mohawk, covered in roadkill.

It was a good chuckle to remember their faces on the ride home.

Jim, I love your story about making the snobs at the beemer store feel a little uneasy. I work in a nice office, full of do-gooder, by the book, ironed slacks, polished shoe types (lots of beemers and Teslas in the parking lot). When I pull up in my beat up Silverado or blue 82 flareside with glasspacks, rev matching, Raybans, Alan Jackson blaring Chatahoochie, and Trump Sticker on the bumper, there are two types of reactions. 1. The minority response is "man I wish I had the balls to grow my beard out and drive an old truck, and speak what I really think" 2. The majority response is one of snobbery, condescention and "Virtue Signaling" from people who would melt if I looked at em sideways and said "Murica!". They really do think they are better than people like me.

I used to be a good little boy.....but now I am too amused and entertained with red pilling the npc zombies. Im the only one who "accidentally" tracks mud into the office on Monday mornings. I get the same joy remembering the looks on some of the snobs faces that you got Jim. They literally are so disconnected with reality, when they see mud on my boots they cannot imagine how it got there.

I LOVE IT. MURICA!

 

[Dorsai]

I used to be a good little boy.....but now I am too amused and entertained with red pilling the npc zombies. Im the only one who "accidentally" tracks mud into the office on Monday mornings. I get the same joy remembering the looks on some of the snobs faces that you got Jim. They literally are so disconnected with reality, when they see mud on my boots they cannot imagine how it got there.

I LOVE IT. MURICA!

 

[kramttocs]

I used to be a good little boy.....but now I am too amused and entertained with red pilling the npc zombies. Im the only one who "accidentally" tracks mud into the office on Monday mornings. I get the same joy remembering the looks on some of the snobs faces that you got Jim. They literally are so disconnected with reality, when they see mud on my boots they cannot imagine how it got there.

I LOVE IT. MURICA!

I know, I know - I am entirely ruining the point so blame it on a childhood of hearing my mom yell: "You brought it in, you take it out" but I can't help but think of this video that cracks me up:

"I've got the same coffee table at home"