ArdWrknTrk Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 It's gonna take me a long time to warm up to electric vehicles, but I'm definitely not against them. Might as well make driving trucks 100% effortless since we can't have manual transmissions in full size pickups anymore. I'm already hot for 100% torque from 0 rpms. 😎 The ideal first adopters would be companies with fleets that return home at the end of the work day, and have plenty of low speed start and stop. Minimize drag and lots of regeneration. The Post Office could save zillions on gasoline, oil changes, brakes and transmission service alone. A van would be perfect for plumbing and electrician companies. No worries about range, and all those recurring maintenance savings. No fuel, ignition, exhaust systems. Simplified cooling and climate control. Ford has committed serious bucks to redeveloping Detroit's abandoned rail station into their new hub for electric vehicle R&D. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 In Ford pickup truck news....... Ford has put their new battery electric in the spotlight. Towing the heaviest load ever by a fully electric vehicle. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/07/ford-shows-off-electric-f-150-truck-by-towing-a-million-pounds-of-train/ That's pretty cool, but not at all surprising; anyone who knows anything about electric traction knows they can pull a LOT off the line. Case in point: I spent a couple of weeks during the 1987 Christmas season working air freight for Eastern Airlines, and we were pulling multi-ton pallets of freight for KLM 747s with these little tiny electric tugs. The battery-powered forklifts were impressive, too. Tesla already has a PR stunt where they pull a KLM airliner with a model S. You do realize how little rolling resistance trains have, right? Smooth steel wheels on polished steel rails = almost nothing for friction or deformation. You just need to overcome the inertia of it sitting there. It would be like pulling a heavy sledge in off the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Tesla already has a PR stunt where they pull a KLM airliner with a model S. You do realize how little rolling resistance trains have, right? Smooth steel wheels on polished steel rails = almost nothing for friction or deformation. You just need to overcome the inertia of it sitting there. It would be like pulling a heavy sledge in off the ice. While going to college I worked for the Scanty Pay Railway, aka AT&SF. And I've pushed rail cars by hand. If they are already moving it really isn't that bad, and if they are light like a caboose then they can be started rolling with steady pressure. But, I admit that I was just out of HS football and my legs were pretty stout back then. So putting my back to something and pushing with my legs generated quite a bit of force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 While going to college I worked for the Scanty Pay Railway, aka AT&SF. And I've pushed rail cars by hand. If they are already moving it really isn't that bad, and if they are light like a caboose then they can be started rolling with steady pressure. But, I admit that I was just out of HS football and my legs were pretty stout back then. So putting my back to something and pushing with my legs generated quite a bit of force. Gary, I can remember being in high school and an avid bicyclist. I would clear the entire leg press on the universal machine.(*1350# iirc) Even the football team was impressed when I launched across the room because the seat I was clinging so tightly to let go. I did just what you said (back into it, pushing) a HUGE station wagon with seven drunk guys in it, off my gas pump apron one night. Lol! The things I've seen and experienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Gary, I can remember being in high school and an avid bicyclist. I would clear the entire leg press on the universal machine.(*1350# iirc) Even the football team was impressed when I launched across the room because the seat I was clinging so tightly to let go. I did just what you said (back into it, pushing) a HUGE station wagon with seven drunk guys in it, off my gas pump apron one night. Lol! The things I've seen and experienced. Yes, the things..... In high school I was an amateur radio operator - ham. I was given a 44' triangular tower made out of pipe and a reinforcing rod laced between the pipes. I dug and poured a base for it in the back yard and then rigged a rope/pulley arrangement from the tower to a tree. But the folks' '64 Sword wouldn't pull it up due to lack of traction, so I did it myself. I remember Dad saying "What have I wrought?" It is amazing what you can move if you get in the right position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Yes, the things..... In high school I was an amateur radio operator - ham. You can meet some interesting people via ham radio, and not by the usual methods even. When I was trying to get my truck out of the Publix parking lot last week, I asked an older gentleman for a jump start (I didn't expect it to work, and it didn't...but it would have been foolish not to try). After the jump failed he moved his car back to the shady spot he had picked, and as he was then walking toward the grocery store he noticed my radio plate. So he stopped to chat - turns out he's had an amateur license since the '50s (I'd guess he was around 80 or so), and we talked a bit about ham radio back in the day. He also told me a funny story about trying to get a PR job at Eastern Air Lines back in the '60s. A pleasant interlude in what was otherwise a very irritating afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Yes, the things..... In high school I was an amateur radio operator - ham. You can meet some interesting people via ham radio, and not by the usual methods even. When I was trying to get my truck out of the Publix parking lot last week, I asked an older gentleman for a jump start (I didn't expect it to work, and it didn't...but it would have been foolish not to try). After the jump failed he moved his car back to the shady spot he had picked, and as he was then walking toward the grocery store he noticed my radio plate. So he stopped to chat - turns out he's had an amateur license since the '50s (I'd guess he was around 80 or so), and we talked a bit about ham radio back in the day. He also told me a funny story about trying to get a PR job at Eastern Air Lines back in the '60s. A pleasant interlude in what was otherwise a very irritating afternoon. I "met" a lot of nice people back then via amateur radio. Kinda like here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Yes, the things..... In high school I was an amateur radio operator - ham. You can meet some interesting people via ham radio, and not by the usual methods even. When I was trying to get my truck out of the Publix parking lot last week, I asked an older gentleman for a jump start (I didn't expect it to work, and it didn't...but it would have been foolish not to try). After the jump failed he moved his car back to the shady spot he had picked, and as he was then walking toward the grocery store he noticed my radio plate. So he stopped to chat - turns out he's had an amateur license since the '50s (I'd guess he was around 80 or so), and we talked a bit about ham radio back in the day. He also told me a funny story about trying to get a PR job at Eastern Air Lines back in the '60s. A pleasant interlude in what was otherwise a very irritating afternoon. Radio, amateur was a big thing back then, hence Fry's and the 'Shack. It's amazing where you could go on 100w with the right atmosphere. I carry only a tech endorsement, because of the DX and downlinks I used to do with rocketry before cell phones became widespread. Now anyone can get a live feed and (subsonic) tracking for the cost of a burner and loading an app. The world has changed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 The world has changed! That's the truth! Especially in radio...now so much of the activity is via the internet and software-defined radios. For me, the whole point of ham radio is being able to talk when the phones/internet/power grid are down, why would I want my radio to be tied in to all of that? Grrr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 The world has changed! That's the truth! Especially in radio...now so much of the activity is via the internet and software-defined radios. For me, the whole point of ham radio is being able to talk when the phones/internet/power grid are down, why would I want my radio to be tied in to all of that? Grrr. 73 buddy! I like field days. SDR and internet radio repeaters kinda miss the point. But antenna software and the cool things you can do with beam forming now are amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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