I have been impressed with the stability of our truck/trailer setup as even with the high gusting winds, either head on or crosswinds, I only experience a very slight buffeting. I remember my first experience towing a 29' bumper pull trailer with our '09 Ram 1500. Any crosswinds, or the worst, being passed by a Semi, was like a near death experience. The wave of wind created would hit our rig and push us to the shoulder and then pull us into the passing lane. A white knuckle, heart in the throat experience. Now I don't even know a Semi is there till I catch sight of him over my shoulder.
Last year we drove this way and spent a day visiting the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert so our stay in Holbrook was just going to be an overnighter. I decided to fill up with gas before we checked in to the OK RV Park ($31 for 30 Amp with Good Sam discount) and since we were just overnighting I didn't unhitch. I did fill up with diesel at a station just off the interstate and couldn't believe the price. $3.299 per gallon. Down the road, in town, it was a more typical $2.78. What a ripoff.
I did want to mention a change we made this year with respect to our Phone/Internet service while in the US. In past years we subscribed to US service by way of a Canadian outfit called Roam Mobility. We paid them a fairly reasonable monthly fee for unlimited Talk/Text within the US or back to Canada. We additionally subscribed to a Data plan which provided us with a specific amount of GB. We used our existing iPhones, getting them unblocked by our Canadian service provider and then inserting Roams provided SIM card as we crossed the border. It all sounded great and very reasonably priced however thats where the positives ended. Roam only provides online support by way of sketchy chat and emails. No phone number to talk to a live body. Coverage is good around major centres although even then there are major dead zones. When travelling in less populated areas the coverage is pretty much non-existent. Not great in the event of a breakdown in the middle of nowhere.
This past summer we upgraded our phones to iPhone 6S and found that Bell provided a Canada/US plan that gave us unlimited Talk/Text and 1GB of data with more available for an additional fee. This applied whether we were in either Canada or US. The cost was $60 for each of us but on the plus side we didn't need to pay to get our phones unblocked, no SIM cards to lose, no change in phone numbers. Since we have crossed the border we have driven through ND, SD, NE, KS, NM and now AZ. Much of the time we are miles from any sort of development and we have always had telephone service and an Internet connection. Very impressed. Is the $60 p/m pricier than we what we paid before? Somewhat. But its nice to know that when you pick up the phone you have service and that if I need to phone Bell I will get through to someone. After of course, listening to their music playlist for awhile. I believe Telus has a similar plan. Rogers and MTS did not when we switched this past summer.
I have had a couple of blog readers ask about the new truck so here is the story. Upgrading the truck was definitely not in the plan as the 2011 F350 had only 115,000 km and was operating fine. Only the usual maintenance and it pulled the trailer well enough. The only downside was the lack of an engine brake. So why you might ask would we shell out major bucks to upgrade when the 2011 diesel would probably outlast our RVing life.
Well it all started with a flat tire which led to an oil change which led to a new truck. Pretty straight forward, right. In September we were getting our car packed up to take Lori's mom back home to Swan River. Thats when I noticed that one of the tires was real low. Rather than filling it up and risking it on the 550 km trip we decided to take the truck. The aforementioned 2011 F350 King Ranch. Problem was the Oil Change Indicator message had popped up a few days earlier but I figured that it would get us there ok and I could then book an appointment at the Swan River Ford dealer for an oil change. So when I brought the truck in to the dealer I was sitting in the waiting room drinking my Timmies and minding my own business (for US readers that is a Tim Hortons coffee. A staple for all Canadians). The sales manager came by and asked if I wanted to take a new F350 for a test drive. Now I have great control, do not buy things spontaneously and besides that I knew Lori would nix the purchase in any event. So I took the keys and drove over to pick up Lori and take it for a spin. We were very impressed with the ride, the additional power and all the new fangled gadgets. I took it back and we discussed price and was surprised how my old truck had kept its value and with the Ford Employee pricing, Costco and Loyalty discounts the cash difference wasn't as bad as I thought. The real kicker for me was that the 2017 F350 now came with an engine brake. My 2008 Ram 2500 had a Cummins with an engine brake and I fondly remember how it aided in braking when pulling down long mountain grades. Long story short we didn't buy then but when we got home I started running the numbers and with the new tires and normal maintenance that would be due on the 2011 in the next year the cash difference was starting to look more reasonable all the time. And after all, its a big NEW truck. How can any guy say no to that, especially when the little woman is ok with it. Lori did have one stipulation though. She had her eye on a Red Kitchen Aide Mixer. I thought that was fair.
So far we only have 3700 miles on it but like the way it pulls, the engine brake isn't as strong as the one in the Cummins but it certainly helps. Were a little concerned about the height. What is it with these manufacturers. Every new model has to be bigger and higher. I was already towing nose high and the bed of the 2017 was 2" higher than the 2011 and the bed rails were another inch higher, making it 60' to reach over the side and get something out of the bed of the truck. Good thing I keep a 2 step folding step ladder permanently in the back of the truck. We were able to lower the hitch 1" and raised the rear of the trailer by mounting the new axles under, rather than over, the spring pack so we are now almost level and the overall height of the trailer when towing hasn't changed much, if at all.
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| White is so much easier to keep clean than black. Another plus. |
Bottom line was we didn't need it but I think in the long term it will prove to be a good purchase. More bells and whistles than I even know how to use yet but the 5 cameras providing a 360 degree view and a view of the truck bed when backing up to hitch up are kind of neat.
Men and their toys!
Next stop Fountain Hills for 3 days and then a short drive over to Gold Canyon.
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