At risk of causing further truck envy - here is the ensemble that I took out this afternoon. Brena was inside the trailer already when I took the photo.
I felt so much safer towing with the new truck. It has 50% more power than the old truck and double the torque. This means being able to accelerate readily beyond 40mph up a moderate hill where we used to crawl at 25mph unable to go any faster. I can also join the main highway (much like an Interstate) at the end of the entry lane at 60mph rather than struggling to reach 40mph whilst trying to merge with fast traffic. Besides, the whole towing dynamic is smoother and more stable.
The trailer has just been overhauled. The brakes are adjusted, the electrical socket that plugs into the truck replaced, everything checked, and all the bearings greased. It runs more quietly, and I feel happier knowing that it has been checked thoroughly. I have noticed that the hitch sits more firmly too: presumably the ball on the old truck was well worn.
Overall, I am much more content through having a rig that is fit for purpose, and not just "making do".
The day was bright but cool and breezy. It being late October, I was grateful for the clear dry weather.
Harvesting is long completed, ploughing done too, and the winter crops where sown are beginning to sprout. New growth has mitigated the bare aridity of early autumn. After years spent in a place where the ground was frozen solid from November to March, winter growth is a joyful surprise. The mud can be a nuisance, however snow and ice posed other and greater challenges.
But there is no mud yet, just dry soil and the not-inconsiderable remains of summer foliage. Having not been out for two weeks, Brena made it her mission to eat as much as possible. After all that practice as a riding holiday horse, she can get her head down very quickly indeed. The warning sign, usually, is a slight turn of her head to the left. Why to the left I am not sure: perhaps an adaptation to riding on the left side of the road? However we're riding on wide traffic-free trails here.
On the final strech we cantered up a grassy lane, Brena extending herself enthusiastically. Through a gap in the hedge I noticed a herd of young thoroughbreds grazing. They were too interested in the grass to race us, and I was grateful. Youngsters in the racing yards around here do seem pleasantly mellow in their fine great lush pastures, just as Brena is happy in her humbler but sufficient field.
OMG, I did not realize just how tiny it is! It's so adorable. I bet it's hard to park in England, but I'd *love* to have something that small for a daily driver again.
The whole thing is so low to the ground, too. My hitch ball is 22" off the ground, and the trailer tongue is almost level when it's hooked up. The truck bed walls are shoulder-high to me - I cannot reach into the bed without climbing on the bumper or a tire (very annoying!)
Americans are extremely spoiled / snobby about our trucks. Everybody thinks a half-ton is grossly underpowered, but I can accelerate to 70 going up a 6% grade and hold that speed coming back down. I can't imagine how scary it would be to top out at 40 on the highway.
Posted by: funder | October 23, 2011 at 01:58 AM
It's 5m long and weighs 1.8t empty / 2.8t max, which is big for Europe and very long. Oddly I did see what looked like an F150 towing a gooseneck on Friday, however that's the first such combination I've seen in Europe. As I'm driving alone usually and with just one horse, my rig is quite light, so 135hp is quite sufficient. However the garage has offered me an engine retuning box that adds 25% to the hp and 35% to the torque with a small reduction in fuel consumption, and that will make towing easier still.
The ball hitch on mine is at 16" and the bed is low enough that I can get in from the sides, though I do have to stand on something to reach the middle nearest the cab. Backing something so big onto the trailer requires a bit of care though, and the hitch looks very small on the reversing mirror that is fitted to the front of the trailer - probably some bright paint or tape is called for on crucial bits.
It certainly beats towing with an old truck that might have developed 90hp when new fifteen years ago.
We are seeing larger horse lorries (7.5t and upwards) coming down in price simply because of fuel costs. As the equivalent of $2/litre (that would be coming on for $10/gallon) driving has become very expensive. Increasingly very light flimsy-looking trailers are selling to people who want to tow with a small car.
Posted by: White Horse Pilgrim | October 23, 2011 at 10:34 AM
My truck is a bit longer: 5.8 meters. I have no reversing mirror (jealous!) and I've gotten really good at jumping out, checking my distance, and backing up exactly 4 more inches or whatever. I've got 292 hp and 320 ft-lb of torque - no idea how yall measure it, meters-kilos I guess! It's a gas truck, right? I don't think many people get a chip for gas trucks here, but most do for diesel trucks. A good one makes a huge difference.
Our gas got up near $4/gallon here over the summer, but it's back down to 3.50 now. This is both heartbreakingly high (I delivered pizza in the 90s at .89/gallon) and absurdly cheap compared to the rest of the world. I have very conflicting feelings about it!
Posted by: funder | October 23, 2011 at 07:09 PM
Mine has a big torque for the hp of 230 ft-lb, which is the advantage of diesel. The chip will get it up to almost 300 ft-lb. The metric equivalent is Newton-Metres.
Fuel is fearfully expensive here, and the difference between prices in Britain and the US is made up of tax. Partly as a result trains are full, which does give me a job as I build railways as a profession.
Posted by: White Horse Pilgrim | October 23, 2011 at 07:48 PM
Ooh, nice. I like your little truck more and more! ;)
G has been taking public transit busses for what, 10 months now, and it sucks. Driving in SF sucks even worse though. I am most jealous of people outside of Vancouver, who seem to have the option of nice commuter trains to get them into the city. If we relocate to the Bay Area, we'll rent a house in the east bay and he'll take a commuter train into the city. Hopefully that's a more relaxing experience than a bus.
Posted by: funder | October 24, 2011 at 06:11 AM
Probably my truck is a fair bit smaller than yours, though it seems big on teh roads here (where a Range Rover, say, is a "huge" car). It doesn't fit supermarket parking spaces, being just a bit too long, so I need to shop at quiet times.
It is quicker and more reliable by train than by bus. Unfortunately many cities in the US got rid of commuter rail and streetcars many years ago, though these are making a bit of a return. A basic two-track metro rail route can move fifty thousand people an hour in each direction. I'm working on the design of one at the moment that will run a 650ft-long train every 2.5 minutes in each direction with a top speed of 90mph. From what I have heard, the Bay Area system is pretty good. A lot of work was done to make it safe in the event of an earthquake too.
Posted by: White Horse Pilgrim | October 24, 2011 at 11:40 PM
Congratulations on your new truck! Being able to drive faster than 40 mph on a moderate hill is a clear advantage. The newly overhauled trailer is also a definite plus. With vehicles like this, managing a farm would be so much easier.
Posted by: Clorinda Disimone | February 27, 2012 at 09:39 PM