Tundras live: Agree to disagree (a lesson in civility)

Sounds like a fun day Adam...

I got to do open heart surgery on my smoker:

I was hoping the pellets just got swollen with moisture and stopped the auger. But after taking it all apart, the motor is dead. Customer service got my order in just before they closed, so new parts should be here this weekend. Not nearly as fun as buying parts for my truck. Took a run at the wife for a new smoker and she gave me a "I'll think about it" look. Oh boy...I may be getting an early Christmas present.

 

Nice. Hope she let's you get a shiny new one.

 

Well, my knee is pissed off at me today. Must have cracked it on something when I tipped the RZR over, and then kneeling on the roof of the shed to do the shingles was the final straw. Fat, red, angry, and makin' me gimp around a bit. Great way to start the work week.

 

How much does the replacement motor cost? Would it be a good bargaining chip toward a new one if you were to "save" the money and just put it toward that early Christmas gift?

 

No where near enough. An entire assembly will be $102 after tax and shipping. However, I could sell my current smoker for $350ish, which does offset sole of the new one. Unfortunately my wife is very smart and asked about “her” new furniture. So I’m pretty sure I’m dead in the water.

Even if I got the green light, the unit I want is completely sold out. Apparently smokers are selling like crack at a junkie convention right now. Multiple dealers are telling me I can put my name on a unit they hope to get in Jan/Feb next year. Lame...

 

You flopped the RS1??

 

Yup. Broke some plastic, but don't think there was anything major damaged.

 

I just saw a little comment on a work IM that I like. Thought I'd share. Good for keeping things in perspective and avoiding a victim mentality.

THE SAME BOILING WATER THAT SOFTENS THE POTATO, HARDENS THE EGG. IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF, NOT THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

Monday number 3.

 

Monday #2 for me!

 

How many Mondays do you have?

Personally, this is my last Monday of the week, so I just have Tuesday-Friday to work. Then I'm off until the 2nd of December.

 

I don't like Mondays.

 

Same.

 

I work Thur-Sun so Thur, Fri and Sat are all Monday’s and Sunday is my Friday

 

Or you could be and optimist and just say you skip Monday every week.

 

Today's my Friday because that's what the calendar says...

 

Smart ass.

 

Guilty...

Hope you had a great week...Sounds like you've got a long break now, so that's pretty awesome.

 

Well, except that I still work through Tuesday. That's why today is my 3rd Monday.

I appreciate the well wishes, and I wish you a nice weekend as well.

 

Good Evening Tundra Faithful!

Build my fear of what's out there
Cannot breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
Assuring me that I'm insane

 

Good morning, Ron.

That is a song I do know!

 

So, @Darth Tundra , what are the details on that F150? More pics?

 

Good morning, Everybody.

I hope you all awake well rested and ready to face the day.

 

Just put a slab of ribs and a chuck pot roast on the smoker.

 

That's a great way to start the day!

 

smoked meat...nom nom

 

I find myself torn right now. I'm sure it's all in my head, and I'm overthinking, but.....

With current events I am expecting a solid increase in fuel prices up to and including the scientific term of "skyrocketing", and so I may not be able to cope with the cost of the Tundra's fuel consumption. I mean, I can probably afford it as my commuter to work, but I would be greatly restricted on travel and fun trips. That's difficult when my closest friends are over a hundred miles away. What's the point of a truck if you can't afford the gas to tow your toy out to have fun? The trouble is, I can't think of a viable alternative that is fuel efficient without a major hit to reliability and capability.

I don't know that it's a livable option, so I am thinking about getting a beater to DD, and hopefully be reliable enough to make longer distance trips more fuel efficient.

Rough math:

Say 12,000 miles per year with an average of 15 MPG in the Tundra would be 800 gallons of fuel in a year. If fuel hits $5 per gallon that would run $4,000 per year. Not exactly cheap, and that is with an optimistic MPG.

If I could cut that 12k miles in half by picking up a second vehicle to run the commute and longer trips, at what point would it be diminishing returns? 6,000 miles at 30 MPG average (very optimistic) would be 200 gallons and a $5 per gallon rate would cost $1000. In this scenario my Tundra would still be using $2,000 in fuel, so it'd be a $1k savings. Take added insurance, additional maintenance on the beater, and such out of that savings, and is it actually going to be financially advantageous, or is it all just a perception of savings that doesn't actually pan out?

That's not even counting the cost of the beater's purchase. How much/little could be justifiably spent on it to have enough reliability to trust it on 1000+ mile trips, but not outspend the fuel savings over time?

This brings me full circle to the thought of trying to find a more fuel efficient vehicle that doesn't sacrifice reliability or capability, and I'm at a loss. I can't think of a fuel efficient vehicle that can handle the deep snow the way a truck can, and the more fuel efficient trucks are plagued with reliability issues. Not to mention, I couldn't possibly make a lateral move into one regarding debt. That's probably a bigger financial headache than increasing fuel prices. If I can't keep a truck, then I can't tow my trailer and toy, and I'm basically just looking at selling those and trying to get into something that would handle deep snow, ice, and wind while getting good fuel economy.


Sorry for the rant/ramble. Typing it out helps me think, and this is one of the deadest threads there is, so it shouldn't bother too many people. I'm mentally exhausted. Burnt out.

 

Yeah, not entirely sure this would be an economic proposition, especially if your truck is paid off. What's your definition of deep snow? I've done fine with my two (three including the wife's) FWD cars with snow tires but the only time I've lived outside a major city, we had a communal van for commuting to work.

ETA: Not sure I buy the whole skyrocketing fuel prices either but we may not be allowed to discuss that here.