Posted by Lonnie in LA on Wednesday, December 13, 2000 at 14:23:15:
In Reply to: advice for a first timer posted by Mike V on Monday, December 11, 2000 at 19:30:29:
The only advice I have is simple. You have to be content with going slow. You will be passed by everything, cement trucks, garbage trucks, you name it. However, you can climb almost anything and do it towing almost anything. Your brakes will suck. It will be noisey and drafty. You will be approched by a lot of people telling you about the trucks that their family had years ago. You will hear comments like "Now THATS a TRUCK". The shifting may seem loose and you will miss the synchos that the new trucks have. First gear is all but unusable for normal driving. You will look for excuses to drive and volunteer to go to the store just to drive it. Long distance driving is VERY tough because of the short legs. You will need patience because the parts counter's computers don't go back that far and they need to look in a book for ten minutes before telling you that they don't stock that part anymore or it needs two days to be shipped there. There will always be something that you want to do to the truck - forever. Overall, it is a specialized truck that requires a patient personality, I love these trucks. Best of Luck. Lonnie