My son and I are back in New Jersey from Pennsylvania. We picked-up my snow plow pick-up truck.
As noted in a previous posting, we left NJ on Friday night after my radio show and arrived at the house around 1:30 AM.
Got up this morning around 8:45. Had coffee. did some things around that house that needed doing because it was twelve degrees outside, so we were in no hurry to go out there.
Finally went out to the truck early afternoon and,
Step one, check all the fluid levels. Oil: OK. Anti-freeze: OK. Brake fluid: OK Windshield washer fluid: OK
Step Two: Check the tires and their air pressure. Two tires a little low, common for such cold weather. Pumped them up.
Step three: Mount the plow to the truck. To our shock and delight, we got it right very fast. Within about ten minutes, all mounted. Hooked up the control wire harnesses, which also went well.
Step four: Test the plow. Raise-up: OK, Lower down: OK Turn far right: OK turn far left, loud scraping noise. The hydraulic piston shaft need some oil on it. Put oil, moved the blade left-right / left-right . . . all ok.
Step 5: Test the lights: Headlight low beams: OK. High beams: OK. Marker lights: Driver side OUT. HMMMMM. Turn signals: OK. Four-way Hazard flashers: OK. LED plow-mounted super-bright light: OK
Step 6: Test the roof amber light bar: OK
Step 7; Mount the Salter/Spreader onto the rear of the truck: Went like clockwork. Five minutes, done.
Step 8: Test the lights mounted to the spreader: Both white work lights: good. Flashing Amber lights: Good.
We pulled-out from the PA house at 3:37 PM. Got back to NJ around 6:30 . . . . B U T . . . . . .
As we're heading east on Route 80, approaching the Delaware Water Gap which is where we enter New Jersey, the exhaust on the truck started getting louder. My son said "Are you getting a hole in your Muffler?" I replied that it sounded that way to me. We keep driving.
The exhaust is now getting noticeably louder. HMMMMMMM.
We get to Secaucus, near my house, and pull into an Exxon for gasoline. My son looks under the truck. He says Dad, look at this picture I just took of the muffler. I look. The exhaust pipe that comes off the engine Manifold and goes into the front of the Muffler, rotted-out and broke. The Muffler is hanging there with no pipe going into it. That explains the loud exhaust.
It's not affecting the performance of the truck and is not unsafe. So tonight when I go plowing - as it appears WILL be needed --the truck will be louder than normal, but it will work just fine.
Will have to get the exhaust system fixed on Monday.
Incidentally, last night before we left for PA, the weather forecast called for a rain/snow mix here in northeastern NJ outside NYC. Overnight, they changed that to snow: 1" to 3"
Driving home tonight on Route 80, the traffic advisory signs all read
"HEAVY SNOW
SATURDAY-INTO-SUNDAY"
Less than 12 hours before the snow is supposed to start, and they still couldn't call the weather right until now. That's why I don't believe a word they say about "Global Warming" or "Climate Change." They can't forecast the weather twelve hours in advance and yet they expect me to believe their predictions for twenty / thirty / fifty years out? Sorry, NO!
