2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG Update 8/22/2020

Ford F-250 Super Duty

A while back, I wrote a detailed post about our towing mileage, along with a baseline comparison to our 2012 Ford Expedition towing the same trailer.

We just go back from another ~ 500 mile round trip towing our trailer. This included hills, stop and go, long flat stretches, and some slight wind. I towed in “Tow/Haul” mode all the time, and whenever possible used cruise control. So here is our most current data. Continue reading 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG Update 8/22/2020 →

Can You Help My Friends Katharina and Chris?

General Talk,
A couple years ago I visited Kat and Chris and stayed with them at their home, this little enchanted cabin in the woods.

Chris and Kat live just north of Santa Cruz, California. They lost their home and most of their belongings in the recent fires. To make matters worse, three of their kids also lost their homes in the fires.

Up in the hills, this fire completely destroyed their home. They only had time to grab a car full of personal belongings.

Continue reading Can You Help My Friends Katharina and Chris? →

The Problem With Campground Reservations and How to Fix It

Camping

The focus of this post is public campgrounds, such as those run by counties, states, the US Forest Service or the National Park Service.

You want to go camping next month for a week. Hopping on the Internet you navigate to the online reservation system and find that almost every campsite is reserved for Friday and Saturday, but the other five days of the week are available to reserve. Almost no one is camping on those dates. In other words, 70% of sites are sitting empty generating zero income. Continue reading The Problem With Campground Reservations and How to Fix It →

Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack

Camper Upgrades,

5,500 lbs. lift capacity Water resistant motor and gear housing Electronic control panel Auto extend/retract 18” of travel
UF Ultra-Fab Products 38-944055 Electric Tongue Jack 5500Lb

Now retrieving the rating.

Available for Amazon Prime $508.41 (as of November 12, 2024 12:51 GMT -08:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

5,500 lbs. lift capacity Water resistant motor and gear housing Electronic control panel Auto extend/retract 18” of travel

New Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 installed on the trailer.

A few days ago, as I was hitching the trailer to the truck to leave the campground, something fell out of the tongue jack lower tube. I didn’t see it fall, but Joyce did and pointed it out. She didn’t know what it was, but I did — it was the stop collar to prevent the jack from extending too far. I wrote about our Odyssey 4000 tongue jack in this post. It wouldn’t affect the tongue jack at the time, so I would deal with it once we got home. Continue reading Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack →

2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG

Ford F-250 Super Duty

For the 2020 model year Super Duty trucks, Ford released a brand new gas engine (7.3L or approximately 445 cubic inches) and a new 10 speed automatic transmission. When I was researching the new engine and transmission there was almost zero feedback from owners on towing miles per gallon. Now that we’ve had ours for a while, here is some information on our 7.3L MPG. Continue reading 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG →

McHale Backpacks — Long Term Review (Bump 32 and Little Big Pack 36)

Backpacking Gear, , ,
McHale Little Big Pack (left) and McHale Bump (right).

It has been almost 10 years since I received my McHale LBP 36 (Little Big Pack) and almost 9 years for my McHale Bump 32. Over the years I have used either the LBP or the Bump on over 90% of my backpacking trips. Enough time and use has passed to objectively review both for function and durability. Continue reading McHale Backpacks — Long Term Review (Bump 32 and Little Big Pack 36) →