Quality

I have a couple Cleaspan truss arch buildings, one for hay and the other for equipment. I keep my camper in the equipment building and truck in the winter. No boats here. All my friends have boats so I get invited out all the time. Don't need the expense. Do have numerous motorcycles and a couple quads though.

Not sure if you are aware of it but, depending on how you are zoned, your township has no control over a clearspan type building because in the State of Michigan, any building without a ratwall (even anchored to the ground like mine are (screw anchors every 8 feet), sitting on 2 x 12 x 20 foot long .40 retenton planks is considered a portable building and is exempt from property tax too.

It would depend on how you are zoned. A1-A2 and reserve ag are all okay. Residential and multi-family housing isn't.

For me, no building permits, no township approval and no RE taxes is a big plus. I have 2, 45 feet wide, 16 to the high point and 90 feet long with 14 foot roll up metal doors on one end. I put both on an engineered backfilled sand base because both are on a grade. Mine are big enough that I can get a semi inside if need be.

My truck is a 1997, bought it new in '97 and no rust because it don't get driven on salted Michigan roads, it snoozes all winter. Living on an unpaved road and using the truck as a fuel hauler during planting and harvest time probably attributed to the 'sandblasted. rear brake line. No issue now with Ni-Cop though.

I know the rules thanks to my wife, she's on the township board.

SidecarFlip,

Mine was done and ALL lines inspected and has a clean bill of health. Truck's 13 years old and has never been garaged as it's about 3" too long for the garage bay side it would be on and too high to even get it in as the Lance sits on the truck after we gat back from our approx 2 to 2-1/2 months in Florida (mid Jan until before the end of Mar each year) until the 5th wheel hitch goes back in the truck just after Thanksgiving. Last 13 years, we have only kept the one truck for our RV'ing.

There's too many boats, tractor, motorcycles, and lots of other stuff in my pole barn (Toy Barn) to get the truck/TC rig in so it doesn't get inside. The door and height is fine for the TC rig at 14' wide and 12' 6" clear span thru the building but I'd need to add another 26' min to the length. Township would never go for that as I'm already at the max sq ft allowed!

travelnutz wrote:
Even a leaking brake line will raise the hair on one's back as I found out late last summer. A trailer hauling junk ahead of us had something fall off and we ran over it and heard a clunk. Didn't know what we hit and pulled off into the next rest area and checked for any damage and none was seen. Back on our way thinking it had hit a frame member. Not that lucky though. Got back home and parked the 2004.5 truck on the south side cement driveway as usual. Next day noticed a silver dollar sized oil spot just behind the front wheel. Obvious because there are no oil spots on either of our driveways. Smelled it and it sure was brake fluid and alarm bells went off, dang!

Got down on the ground and started searching for a leak or wet area. Found it. Was brake fluid on the line and also on the frame side. Got an appointment to have it fixed and all lines inspected. The piece that fell off had hit the brake line backed by the frame and put a sharp dent in the line and that's where it was leaking. Most of the line alongside the frame was covered by the undercoating so he damage was easy to find once the wet was seen.

From where the dent kink was it looked like the tire may have run over or deflected the piece and threw it up to hit the line. Repair place seem to think the same. The line was not rusty but of course had to be replaced anyway and was. Total bill was $208.61 and was too little to turn into insurance. $100 deductible but will save a claim made for a real need.

Checked all the other lines and virtually no rust and we live in Michigan and there's nearly 200K on the 13 year old truck. Wasn't a truck component failure repair as it was caused by a freak road hazard. Such is life!

I do as well (other side of the state, I'm in Monroe County) and my truck never sees winter, it's sleeps in the barn. My lines are all in good shape (as yours was / are but the line that feeds the rear differential banjo that supplies fluid to the rear brakes is exposed to any and all road grit and **** so it gets 'sandblasted' no matter how good the rest are protected. You might want to get underneath you buggy and have a look above the rear end where the hard line transitions to the banjo and the hose connects that feeds the brakes on the rear axle. I did my own in the driveway. Not a big deal. Cut the line out at the frame rail and added a compression union and routed it along the rail, up in front of the rear fuel tank to the clip on fastener that secures the banjo, flared the tubing and called it good. Of course I bled the rear brakes. I use a vacuum brake bleeder but you can do it via gravity too. Just takes longer.

My cost was 20 bucks for Ni-Cop and 50 for the flaring tool.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

spoon059 wrote:

transamz9 wrote:
So why not a 6.0 or a 7.3?

Give the fish a break... he bought a non-Ford and he is actually pleased with his purchase. This is but a step in a long recovery path fr his hatred of anything non "blue oval". Lets celebrate this step like an alcoholic would celebrate 1 week sober...;)

I would like to report to the admin of this site that someone stole Fish's password and is now posting under his name. :B

Noted, will keep eye on fake Fishy fishy!

Marty

Even a leaking brake line will raise the hair on one's back as I found out late last summer. A trailer hauling junk ahead of us had something fall off and we ran over it and heard a clunk. Didn't know what we hit and pulled off into the next rest area and checked for any damage and none was seen. Back on our way thinking it had hit a frame member. Not that lucky though. Got back home and parked the 2004.5 truck on the south side cement driveway as usual. Next day noticed a silver dollar sized oil spot just behind the front wheel. Obvious because there are no oil spots on either of our driveways. Smelled it and it sure was brake fluid and alarm bells went off, dang!

Got down on the ground and started searching for a leak or wet area. Found it. Was brake fluid on the line and also on the frame side. Got an appointment to have it fixed and all lines inspected. The piece that fell off had hit the brake line backed by the frame and put a sharp dent in the line and that's where it was leaking. Most of the line alongside the frame was covered by the undercoating so he damage was easy to find once the wet was seen.

From where the dent kink was it looked like the tire may have run over or deflected the piece and threw it up to hit the line. Repair place seem to think the same. The line was not rusty but of course had to be replaced anyway and was. Total bill was $208.61 and was too little to turn into insurance. $100 deductible but will save a claim made for a real need.

Checked all the other lines and virtually no rust and we live in Michigan and there's nearly 200K on the 13 year old truck. Wasn't a truck component failure repair as it was caused by a freak road hazard. Such is life!

Ron3rd wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"I bought the extended warranty, the longest they offer, 10 years or 120,000 miles for $2,000. "

I am guessing NOT a Chrysler MaxCare warranty???

Yes, that is exactly what it was, but correction, it's for 8 years, 120K miles.

Good deal!

Problem is, back then (and I say back then because I'm not sure about today but, Domestic manufacturers use steel brake lines while European manufacturers and I believe Honda, Toyota and Nissan use Ni-Cop brake lines (nickle copper alloy) that don't ever corrode. Had the same issue with my 1997 Ford diesel and I've been replacing them as they fail.

First one to go was the frame line that runs to the rear differential banjo that splits the right and left brake lines. Stuff (Ni-Cop) is inexpensive, comes in a roll and is easy to work with unlike steel brake lines that are rigid and pre-formed.

Once you change over to Ni-Cop brake lines they will never corrode. I even invested in a Rigid Flaring Tool. Makes making the SAE double flare a piece of cake.

Never could figure out why GM-Ford and Chrysler-Fiat use steel.

WE were traveling at about 60 mph on the interstate outside Boston in our 2003 GMC 2500 4x4 ... got off, pulled into the campground, and the entire brake system blew fluid all over the pad when I hit the brakes to park. Very lucky timing ...

We towed it to the repair shop, replaced all the brake lines - they were all corroded ... we were very lucky. Too many miles on it to b***h to GM, but from that point on, I always check the undercarriage and lines whenever I get our 2015 GM up to change oil etc.

It really doesn't matter to me what brand a person buys because it's their money. I will have to say that Chevy and the US Government dropped the ball on the rusting brake lines.

I bought a 2003 1500 new and really wasn't exposed to that much salt and the brakes lines rusted through. My son had a 2004 1500 and the brake lines rusted through. My friend had about a 2000 1500 and the brake lines rusted through. I had a 2001 Cavalier that my son bought new and the brake lines rusted through. The number of other vehicles that I have owned and other people that I know that have had rusted through brake lines is 0.

It is possible that some of the people that I know have had rusted lines but I haven't heard about them. My wife's 2004 Freestar brake lines have a coating on them and look great. I'm convinced that GM used inferior material on these brake lines.

None of these except my 2003 was reported to the NHTSA so I'm sure the numbers were many more than what was reported.

This guy online has the best deals on the Chrysler factory warranties. My dealer matched his price.


CHRYSLER FACTORY WARRANTY DIRECT

One of the members on this forum got me a friends and family number and also steered me to this warranty site.