Back to Archie's this morning for a new set of tires...my last set barely made it a year and a half due to a bad front end alignment that ruined those tires and then the pointy mesquite that took out number 3 on Sunday. Looks like #4 is the new spare. Forget the dirt and rocky roads out here - I think Brewster County should offer a tire subsidy due to their archaic paving methods for our highways. Trying Yokohama Geolanders this time.
Had to leave early this morning so I skipped the AM watering routine. The EarthBox squash plants were VERY unhappy when I got home at 1:30. I know big leaf plants are water hogs and I think 3 in one waterbox is too many. They require about a gallon a day. A good long drink brought back most of the life by the end of the day. We all learn from weather stress out here so maybe the plants will pick up on that. Chopped off my second harvest - a black beauty squash that weighed in at 392 grams.
Got a great post birthday present package in the mail today from Swamp Girl 2011. Prunes - for my ass, figs - Turkish, pistachios - unsalted, fckn granola with pumpkin seeds - good for my prostate (whatever
that is), an actual cat claw collection in a glass vial (that will come in handy some day), real maple syrup - grade B for most nutrients, and super homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. To top it off, the note included a paw print from her dog, Alex. 88,100,69,0,B, .86
Got a great post birthday present package in the mail today from Swamp Girl 2011. Prunes - for my ass, figs - Turkish, pistachios - unsalted, fckn granola with pumpkin seeds - good for my prostate (whatever that is), an actual cat claw collection in a glass vial (that will come in handy some day), real maple syrup - grade B for most nutrients, and super homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. To top it off, the note included a paw print from her dog, Alex. 88,100,69,0,B, .86
John, the Yokohamas are too hard. They will not like the rocks, go with Michelins, and spend the extra, you'll be glad you did.
ReplyDeletemy trucks always get fantastic tread mileage with Michelins... 50K+ on a pickup and a Van... worth every penny. The Van front will chew up most brands...
ReplyDeletebut sounds like John should be including periodic alignment jobs on his trips to civilization... My Toyota has never needed much alignment ... must be those roads that John has....
what a big squash you have!
ReplyDeleteOut here, we've had good luck with the B.F. Goodrich AT tires on all three vehicles. We have gotten over 50,000 miles so far on each, and counting....We do rotations the old-fashioned way every 5000 miles. LF to RR, RF to LR, and LR to LF, RR to RF. Also, an alignment every 10,000 miles is key. Before we used this method, we had premature wear due to cupping...
ReplyDeleteJohn ... Here's my two cents worth ... I put Michelin LTX M/S 31x10.50 R15 LT 109R Tubeless M+S Radial X Load Range C tires on my Suburban seven years ago at 118,000 miles. Today I have 203,378 miles ... that comes to 85,378 miles of wear and tear or about 12,200 miles per year. I have driven and camped out all over the country ... east coast to west coast, northwest corner down to Big Bend, Corpus Christi to Chicago and even to New England. I've pulled many a heavily loaded trailer (14 footer), taken the vehicle off road quite a bit ... even in the Davis Mountains, southwest Texas, Big Bend, Terlingua, etc. I have quite a bit of tread left (7/16"). I rotate and align once a year. I have never had any tire trouble. Maybe I've just been lucky, but for my money, Michelin tires are the only way to go.
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ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time you changed your shocks? Heavy off-road use eats them up in no time at all causing premature wear on just about everything else especially tires. Don't skimp on them either. Check the truck boards to find out the brands with the best reputation.
ReplyDeleteLook at all the goodies from NY. Maple syrup! Figs! Granola!
ReplyDeleteLucky duck.
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/suv-crossover/ltx-m-s/tire-details#techspec_table
ReplyDeletetechnical specifications :
tire specs. tread depth
This fellow put together a simple automatic watering device as part of an SIP bucket gardening system. One of the videos in this series shows an earthbox in the chain. Getting your garden through the summer is essential to your cause.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRZt2YG1VaY
About watering container plants: From the decades my Dad's nursery was in container plant propagation (roughly 1955 - 1992), he found that missing once got you pretty distressed plants that couldn't be sold for a while; missing twice got you dead plants and no profit at all! That's here on the Texas Gulf Coast. I worked in his nursery for about 15 years--lots of time holding a water hose since he didn't hold with sprinkler systems.
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever down our way, stop at Hester Garden Park in Seabrook. That was my Dad's nursery. It's on the Coastal Birding Trail. But it's really urban now--so much so that we plan on moving down Rockport way. (Love reading about you and your place; but I'm too much of a born and bred Coastal girl to live there!)
Your plants are sure growing fast. It's great to see all your hard work start paying off. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your new tires. I've had good luck with Michelin's, and, more recently, with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A's. All the discussion about rotation, and good shocks is good advise. I will get some new shocks and tires soon.
ReplyDeleteThe plants look amazing. I guess the timely watering is essential.
What a great, funky care package! We are getting you one together now, from our trip to Korea. Hope to get it in the mail to you in the next few days.
Michelin. Hands down.
ReplyDeleteWell worth the expense.
The Geolanders are great tires. Have had them on my Burb for several years and they have weathered the climate/terrain of off grid N AZ well. I have 2 trucks one with the Geolanders and the other with Wranglers. Both are good, but the sidewalls on the Geos seem to be holding up better in the sun. As for shocks I have had really great results on the Doetsch Prerunners on my K3500. I also have Doetsch on my FJ40. You can get the shocks directly from the company.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can’t help but blame the road surface for wearing out my tires too. Anyway, I think it’s more acceptable in your case that you constantly drive on dirt roads. I think it would help if you reduce your speed, since I know you’re extra focused on the surface and roadsides ahead of you. ;) -->Rita McCall
ReplyDeleteDo you always try different brands when you change tires? Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Car owners do it because they just want to determine which brand is the best for their vehicles. So how was the Geolanders? And have you changed your tires recently? It’s been almost a year, but I hope that it’s still in good condition.
ReplyDeleteEnoch Ross
Thanksgiving allows us to put our busy lives on pause and give thanks for what we have and the people around us. We give thanks to our families, friends, and even our employees and employers. We even give thanks for our position in life, and for the ability to put food on the table and live comfortably. In this time of feasting, family gatherings and holiday spirit, it is easy to overlook some of the people around us who have a much bigger impact on our lives than we may realize. One of these important unsung heroes is the truck driver. Truck tires
ReplyDelete