Constantin -

Glen

we have tried extended, mini's and near new. All had their postive aspects - but at the end of last fiscal - I had consumed $1000 bucks a month on fuel + maint and repairs. The math was easy after that. And we looked at domestics, one tons, cubes, etc. The Sprinter has an amazing amount of space - and I can almost stand fully upright in the back. But no - our clients will not be enjoying a discount - it's the old story - if you want economy - you have to pay for it.

Glen

Sat night rant -

rather enjoyed the last one. Now have my Sprinter back and am driving it like I stole it. Latest fuel calcs suggest 28 mpg (Canadian gallon) - and eventhough I think the local dealer is well over his head with the euro (MB) technology - I am still grinning from ear to ear.

Brian (Tankless)

Are you now PAYING

the customers for service calls, seeing as you're saving sooooooo much money on diesel :O))))

It does seem like a heck of a service van though.

I'm buying an ex Bell-South van tomorrow for $1,100.00. The seller thinks the trans' is gone, but I know different. I hope I'm right :O(

My dog has a radiantly heated house & mine is scorched -air, is there something wrong with this picture?

Brian, in swampland.

Robert O'Connor_11

That depends

On the dog you have!!

All the best

Robert

ME

Brian (Tankless)

Monster Yellow Lab

with a 22" neck & getting bigger all the time, what an appetite.

I found him wandering around lost, after hurricane Rita. He jumped in the back of my truck, and that was that! My daughter gave him a really sissy name at first, then realizing what a butch dog he is, called him Butch.

Is 80lbs normal for a Lab? Our neighbour's Pit Bull tried to eat his food one day, BIG mistake.

Y'all have a great Sunday.

Brian W.

Constantin

Hey, congratulations!

For me, the most important aspect of any service truck would be its reliability, followed by economy and fitness for the job. I am very happy for you that the Sprinter is working out as intended and hope that the local dealer gets with the program and starts supporting it as well as you support your customers.

As for me, the circs are SILENT, which is a totally new experience for me. Monday is the big day as far as the Lt. in Cambridge FD is concerned. Should be interesting.

Glen

donation -

to the firemans (fire womans) ball should help. :-) Failing that - when I worked in the mines locally - I seem to remember that a blast from a 2.5 inch fire hose - soon puts everyone in his place - or on the ground. That's what your stand pipe is for - isn't it? Jesting aside - hope all passes scrutiny tomorrow.

Brian (Tankless)

You worked in Mines?

Me too. Coal mines in the north of England.

I was on the first-aid & firefighting teams, we had no problem with water pressure, being 1,300ft underground

Those were the days. Some good memories.

Brian, in steamy swampland. I'm still running my A.C.

Weezbo

Take it back and have them Winterize it Glen

a fresh set of Blizzacks and some chains for the slippery and snow laden driveways would also be a REAL good Idea.

Glen

already done -

have installed a really aggressive set of winters. One customer is at the 5000' elevation - already has good skiing in his yard. Van plowed right through. Mines - yes to both coal and lead/zinc - took a long time to get the magnetite out of my hide. Good times, good crews - but environmentally full of really nasty stuff. I was working in the cyanide room one day (extracts the gold) when a pump blew up - drenched me with low grade solution - I gotta tell you - those overhead emergency showers are very cold - and necessary. I still visit - but only to look at large dryers and boilers. Much safer.

Constantin

Ah the memories...

...we had the same showers in the labs at my former employer. Some of them were coupled to air horns. We debated which would be louder, the air horn or the person screaming because of the cold water. :-)

I like my Blizzaks also. One more season and I'll have to get new ones.

Kevin_in_Denver_2

Is the Sprinter front wheel drive?

S Ebels

No

Rear wheel only. Heard via grapevine that they were investigating/designing/possibly producing a 4WD version in the next year or two for we folk who venture off the pavement from time to time.

I have to say that ours was nearly worthless on snow before we put some decent winter style tires on it and loaded about 1,200# of misc into it. Not too bad now. The only load range E tires I could find in these parts are some Cooper's that are basically the same tread design as the Blizzak. They work well.

S Ebels

So how'd it go today

Everything worked out with the inspections?

Ron Schroeder

The Sprinter is available in Europe with 4wd.

Ron

Glen

OEM tires & cold showers

original tires rode smoothly - but I agree - useless in the white stuff. Our first trip was over a 5820 ' pass which is already in the throes of winter - it kept my heart rate up though! As for the safety showers - I don't recall hearing the siren! I may have been distracted - something to do with the mandatory 15 min soak time. And then there was the walk back to the dry - past the engineering offices and support staff offices. Still don't know what all the snickering was about.

Brian (Tankless)

I can't believe you asked that

Kevin.

But, then again, I must, because you did.

I hope you weren't serious This at least a 3/4ton vehicle.

Swampster.

Kevin_in_Denver_2

FWD trivia

Those beautiful, big GMC motorhomes from the early 70's used the Olds Toronado fwd drivetrain. You can have problems on steep hills because of the weight shift to the rear.

PJO_5

80 Pound Lab...

Tankless,

My second lab, Rudy, was 85 pounds. He wasn't real tall, but was huge from his head through his shoulders...very strong. His father was built a little smaller, but his mother was "average" (about 65 pounds). I had her for 7 years and raised a litter...kept Rudy because he was the biggest.

There are a few different "variations" of Labs and this type is usually male and not the best hunters. Sure good for home protection, though :-)

I have had dogs all my life - and Labs for the last 15 years, and he was the best. Only barked when it was important, and only bit when he was protecting the babies in the house. Only exception was when a Newfoundland of 150 lbs. tried to show him up in his own yard...after a few seconds with his jaws on the poor thing's neck I called him off.

Yes, 80 pounds and above are a bit rare, but treasure him...you won't find a more loyal dog IMHO.

Take Care, PJO

Constantin

... as far as I know...

... we're on our way to a temporary CO as we're appealing the standpipe and the external annunciator requirement that the Lieutenant is demanding. Oh well. More paperwork to look forward to, I guess.

The good news is, WE MOVED! Yay! The cat is still getting used to her new digs but the wife and I are very sore, very happy, and looking forward to many years of wonderful memories here. Lots of unpacking to do in the meantime... More later...

jerry scharf_3

ah yes

My next door neighbor had one when I was growing up. Never seen such a cramped engine compartment in my life. You had to unbolt the engine mounts to change the rear spark plugs. Definitely a case of the designers winning and telling the engineers to fit 10 lbs. in a 5 lb. bag.

jerry