aplumma

I haven't owned a Dodge since 2001 and it had the worst drivetrain of the big 5. I hope they have improved. I rechecked into Dodge Ram promaster in 2015 as well as Chevy, Nissan and Ford. The Dodge Ram was using a front wheel drive and a new motor from Fiat. The sheet metal work and fit and finish was substandard compared to the other 3 but it was on par with the price they cost. I test drove it and at 65 mph the sides flexed and made noise as well as the wind noise made it unpleasant to drive. The Nissan had a sold build but the fuel mileage was horrible. That said a fellow tradesman ran his for 150,000miles with only maintenance and a rear axle replacement. I decided on the Ford full size 250 Transit with a ecoboost gas engine. At 45000 miles it has had no repairs only maintenance and averages 14.7 per 100 kilometers combined with a full load of tools and material. The difference between them price wise was around 10,000.oo dollars that I am glad I spent because of the way it was built and the way Ford supports it. This is the second eco boost that I have 2012 f150 is doing well and so far I am still pleased with it. Not trying to talk you into a Ford just giving you feed back from another brand that is out there. Art

Dan the answer to your water is Carbon. It will filter and neutralize the ammonia and other by products. Bulk Carbon( 40 to 60 mesh) can be bought from plumbing supply houses cheaper than anywhere else and 50 lbs will be around $ 110.00 bucks. You will need around 1 lb per excursion. Pre rinse the carbon and put it in a pair of pantyhose with a knot and drop in the water. Temperature is the critical thing the cooler they are the slower they process food and oxygen. Art

The cost of insurance down here must be a lot cheaper. I have all of my insurance thru the same company and it cost only $75 dollars a year for each of the 4 bikes I own. They are limited use vehicles meaning I ride them less than 7500 miles a year. So check around and see if raising the deductible to $1000.oo or limit the mileage or time of year you can ride. If you can find an old rebel it will be a great bike to learn on. A Yamaha Maxium 650 would be a nice second bike being easy to balance and cut low enough to put your feet on the ground. Both of them are inexpensive and well supported still. Art

I only wear a size 10 Kayak.......just saying..lol Enjoy the boat I have a 10ft fishing kayak that is a joy to hop in for a quick blast on one of the many farm ponds. Art

Nice picture I was expecting a campfire and crispy tasty fish. Art

You wouldn't believe how fast your man card gets pulled if you show up to a ride with one of those and you are not wheelchair bound or over 75 years old. Now find an old VW chopper and you are golden because it is retro cool. Go figure....lol Art

I have rode and built motorcycles since 1978 . I have been on bikes as small as 350 up to 1200 cc from cruisers to full blown race bikes. I have gone down on a bike twice and walked away from them with no broken bones but lots of aches and pains. That all said the first bike needs to be small enough for you to be able to manhandle it such as a 350 or 400 in an cruiser style very basic and under powered for attempting 2 people rides. After you get comfortable and master the bike then you might feel like getting a 650 or greater and be able to ride 2 people. Personally I do not ride 2 up because if they get hurt or killed it would make me feel like I was the reason for this. I will say the ability to ride a bike has no bearing on riding a motorcycle because of the weight difference, acceleration and braking do not cross over. If you do decide that you want to get a motorcycle you might want to find an old dirt bike and trail ride it to see if you have the low speed balance and coordination before going on the road. You can always trade or sell it if you do decide to get a road bike. Art

Sadly when pandora's box was opened and allowed handguns for everyone it did not specify that only the good people would have them. I find it creates an environment that is now balanced when after a background check and a safety course a person can own and carry a pistol. Few people will walk up to a 230lb muscular guy wearing a shirt that says " I am drunk and like to fight" it is a visible deterrent to someone that was going to mess with him for his own pleasure,open carry does the same thing. Even more effective is not knowing IF the 150lb guy is a worse target than the big guy because he is concealed carry which makes him a 250lb guy instantly. I have found that if the belief the worst thing that can happen is a fist fight which is Not life threatening you will enter into it a lot quicker than if you have the chance of it becoming life and death. Kind of like high school and a bar fight in your local badass dive. EXACTLY!!!! I have a couple of buddies that shoot long range competitions down in the states and they ring the bell out to 1,200 yards with them. I have a few friends that have some beautiful works of art in the 50 caliber range. The large bullet is needed in that range to give it a flat trajectory that wind has a less effect on deviation. The charge behind it is brutal and if not held correctly or set up poorly will bruise you and feel like a mule kicked you in the shoulder. The realisation that at that range the difference on a hit and miss is less than a 1/4 inch of your chest rising and falling makes hitting the gong that much more reason to be proud of your success. The down side is it is 5-7 bucks every time you pull the trigger. Art

No I met Dax years ago and a fine gentleman he is. Art

Boss has decided to escalate the situation he has been Moderated. I gave him a chance to talk in P.M. he declined. I am sorry that I can't make everyone happy I will continue to run the site in the spirit of OFC and the rules that T,J, and I a few others have written. Enjoy the evening folks Art

Some threads are doomed from the beginning due to the negative wording and subject matter. This thread has not gone wrong and I have not had to watch it. Many may know I run a plumbing company and a farm along with family matters. This keeps me busy and I usually have a limited amount of time to read the threads and make corrections when they go wrong. It is easy for people who have more time than me to not see why I am not here all the time to moderate all of the threads. If I stick to the rules tightly then many threads would be dead on arrival. When I do go out on a limb and let the ones that are edgy run people complain. The easy path would be to shut a lot of them down but when I take the harder path people complain. So if I am going to listen to people complain either way why am I taking the hard path? I think the board is pretty liberal on what you are allowed to discuss it is very rare that I get people P.M.ing me with bent feelings. If you want a board that allows free for alls I am sure it is somewhere on the internet but it is not here. If a thread is locked and you want to know why then feel free to ask me as a P.M. I will gladly give you my reasoning. Cheers Art

Well said Dan well said. Art

8813 that's all? I expected it to be much higher. Since 1 in 8 people have some form of a gun here. Statistically we should be way higher. I however do NOT wish to debate guns here since it is a hotbed discussion that will never be won by either side. I can tell you though that the majority of the people in the US are just as nice and a joy to be with as the Canadians I have had the pleasure of meeting up North. Art

Thank goodness you survived your dangerous visit to the USA.. . Art

As a kid we all had at least one mud pie fed to us. I was the king of mud ending up in my mouth one way or another. growing up. Art

Way cool nice times for sure. i went to pond X today and the overcast stayed till around 1130 and the bite was hot on deep water ledges and senco tubes. Most bass were less than 4 lbs but it was good for one or two every 10 minutes. Art

There are a few others in the armory but I have a feeling it might not be in my best interests to post pictures of them. It is kind of obscene when we have the right group of friends over who really collect weapons. it is kind of neat when you get a call from a friend who asks you if you want to come over and shoot a Civil War cannon. The thing is all of them are nice normal people who just enjoy the competition of shooting same as some enjoy golf. Art

Not arguing just answering your question. Art

less than 10 feet pistol wins. Over 10ft rifle wins. I have a CC for pistol but rarely carry unless I am carrying valuables. In fact I am heading out back to shoot with a few friends at the range we have set up on the back of my property. Practice makes perfect. Art

It is not a secret he doesn't want to argue with people. John has as much knowledge as Bernie and both of them have responded to P.M.s on my questions for years. There wealth of knowledge is amazing. Art

John you are nice enough to be a paying sponsor and a long time friend of the board. I am going to use my Owner privilege to allow this to run here so it can get maximum exposure since you are trying to give our members a chance at employment. Art

You can read locked threads it is rare that we hide them unless requested by the OP. Art

Sorry you snooze you lose. Already history. Art

Clean and season the carp. Place on oak board and broil for 20 minutes at 300 F. Then remove from oven and board. Throw carp in trash and eat the board. Art

Lots of major cities have a sewer and ground water systems that are combined. The expense to build these system before we all got water conscience was less expensive than 2 separate systems. When the clean water act of 1972 was enacted they were ordered to put in treatment facilities with settling ponds to treat the water before being released into local waterways. The times where excessive rain overwhelms the systems they are allowed to flash treat them with a chlorine spray system that has marginal contact time before being dumped into the rivers. It is fairly effective on bacterial and organic contaminants but the scouring action of the massive amounts of water can cause heavier contaminants and discoloring does occur. Not good for sure but better than the old systems where they were dumped straight into the rivers. We have a section of the Potomac river that in the early 70's would catch fire due to the chemicals that people where introducing into the water shed. The river now is much healthier but we still are cautioned on eating older fish due to the heavy metals and chemicals that are locked into the mud. Art