Re: [A/S] Re: transmissions & towing AND abit about ZipDee

["Dean Sale" <deansale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have the 99' Sub 2500/454 and the transmission has the overdrive
feature.   On one 3500 mile journey in 1999 I used the overdrive
just about all the time except in the hills of West Texas and Eastern
New Mexico. The mileage averaged about 13 or the whole trip.
Using about the same itinerary and using the third gear most of the
time except on the flats and the interstate the mileage averaged 10.5
on the journey.  Both trips were at the posted speed or plus five.
The trailer is my '79 31' International at 7000 lbs. The new rules
I have decided to use while towing are use third mostly,  slow 
down a bit and use less interstate roads. Take an extra week,  make
the trips for six weeks instead of five. I live in the A/S full time and
have additional trips moving from jobsite to jobsite. I believe that
driving in the third gear gives somewhat more control entering the
freeways and  provides a little more compression braking.  The
'69 31' International I have is a little lighter than the '79 but has no
gray water tank so I really don't tow it too often anymore.

On the Zip Dee subject - I removed the awning from the curb side
of the '69 and installed it on the street side of the '79 in July of
1999.  The work was a chore but took about six hours start to finish.
I sprayed WD40 in the awning rail on the '69 and the fabric slid right
out.  However,  in about 1978 I had replaced the cloth part because 
the original one had been torn by a falling tree.  So the awning had 
not been in place since the A/S was new.  Finding the source and 
installing the extra awning rail was the hardest part.  There were 
about sixty rivets that had to be installed to hold the rail in place. 
I used an eight foot ladder about 15' in front of the trailer to hold 
the awning up in place also I unrolled the fabric so that all that I 
had to hold in the air was just the free end.  This is really a two 
man job but there was no help in sight so I had to make do. 
Don't attempt this on a windy day.

Dean