Need a new commuter vehicle

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Now you see things my way. :)

:D

There's roadkill all over the area I work in these days. I drive thru Craig, CO on the way home and it's known as the Elk hunting mecca of Colorado. I'll deal with the work the truck needs and the crappy MPG thru the Winter, then go back to driving the Jetta when it's warmer and there is more daylight and better visibility.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Found a beefy "cheap" Ranch Hand style bumper.... $800. It's big & fugly, but should take a hit.... I wish the edges of the grill guard were better attched to the main body of the bumper, but a welder can remedy that.

http://www.hdtruckware.com/chevrole...4_89/outlaw-traditional-chevy-only-p-393.html

fc9173b072f0926e8e74927553d034d3.image.750x470.jpg
 

gcb17

Registered User
Location
Franklin NC
Kinda... I've been getting $75 every week for mileage. At 500 miles per week, driving the Jetta (30-35 mpg) I put money in my pockets. Driving the truck or Jeep, I end up spending a decent amount of my money to cover gas costs.

Deduct what you pay out of pocket when you file your taxes.

Over the past 9 years I've been averaging 60K annually for work. I had a Silverado, Equinox, Accord, and a Camry. I recently sold the Camry and have started driving my Silverado for a work vehicle (luckily only back and forth to the airport now). In your situation, I would choose a full-size truck for sure. You don't need to risk your life to save a few dollars. And the Silverado is a rolling sofa compared to the other vehicles.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Deduct what you pay out of pocket when you file your taxes.

Over the past 9 years I've been averaging 60K annually for work. I had a Silverado, Equinox, Accord, and a Camry. I recently sold the Camry and have started driving my Silverado for a work vehicle (luckily only back and forth to the airport now). In your situation, I would choose a full-size truck for sure. You don't need to risk your life to save a few dollars. And the Silverado is a rolling sofa compared to the other vehicles.

Damn good point about the taxes! I'll just have to keep track of it... X-D Jeeper hit on how the truck is safer as well and I fully agree. I do need a new seat, the drivers seat is worn to the point that it gets uncomfortable for more than a few hours in it.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Curious why that route? It's definitely longer coming from P-burg, maybe you drove your truck to the jobsite this morning and on home from there?

Saw the jeep sitting in the yard yesterday

Yeah, we meet in P-Burg in the morning and then drive out to the machine we're working with in Craig and I leave from there on Thursdays. If I back track to P-Burg, it'll add even more time to get home. I was able to leave around 2 PM and be home at 5 PM.

I won't always be in Craig though, this territory covers 200 miles of track eventually I'll be leaving from Kremmling, Winter Park, etc making for 4-5+ hours drive home.
 

DAA

Well-Known Member
So it's not pertinent to a new commuter vehicle, but it's along similar lines as a bumper built for action. But I have hit way more than my share of animals in my life. Cows, deer, even got two flats at once hitting a porcupine.

But, anyway... Some of the critters I have hit were all me, just not paying enough attention. But others, just jumped out of the dark right in front of me and nothing I could do. I recently added some lights to my LJ specifically to help avoid animal strikes at night. A pair of Dually Side Shooter driving beams on the A pillars, aimed out to the sides. Not useable in traffic, obviously. But most of the situations where I'm really worried about hitting an animal, there isn't any traffic. Those suckers light up the shoulders and beyond just amazingly well. If I'm paying attention (a personal shortcoming...), nothing is going to sneak out in the road on me when I'm able to run those lights. A surprise added benefit, for some reason, they seem to help me stay awake too. Maybe it's just the interest in all the wildlife I'm seeing along the sides of the road I never noticed before - I see a LOT of animals, of all kinds, in those lights.

Depending on the traffic conditions you are typically dealing with in the high probability zones you are driving through, I would highly recommend some lights specifically aimed for lighting up the sides of the road. You mentioned oncoming with that buck, so maybe they just wouldn't be useful for you. But now that I have been using these lights a little bit, I'm kicking myself for not doing it a long time ago. Probably could have saved a few grills and such. My truck, doesn't get driven much in those conditions, but it does occasionally, so as soon as I can come up with the cash, it's getting the exact same lights. If nothing else, the entertainment value of seeing all the critters I have been seeing, makes them worth having to me, but I'm sort of critter centric.

- DAA
 

Noahfecks

El Destructo!
I have the most animal encounters this time of year. Summer is uneventful and winter has them bedded down

Trough road and river road have animals but the speed is slower so it's not too big a deal. I rarely even see road kill on the interstate anymore with the animal fences. Hwy 113 and Hwy 13 are the worst for animals.

Still driving the clown car as of yesterday
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
So it's not pertinent to a new commuter vehicle, but it's along similar lines as a bumper built for action. But I have hit way more than my share of animals in my life. Cows, deer, even got two flats at once hitting a porcupine.

But, anyway... Some of the critters I have hit were all me, just not paying enough attention. But others, just jumped out of the dark right in front of me and nothing I could do. I recently added some lights to my LJ specifically to help avoid animal strikes at night. A pair of Dually Side Shooter driving beams on the A pillars, aimed out to the sides. Not useable in traffic, obviously. But most of the situations where I'm really worried about hitting an animal, there isn't any traffic. Those suckers light up the shoulders and beyond just amazingly well. If I'm paying attention (a personal shortcoming...), nothing is going to sneak out in the road on me when I'm able to run those lights. A surprise added benefit, for some reason, they seem to help me stay awake too. Maybe it's just the interest in all the wildlife I'm seeing along the sides of the road I never noticed before - I see a LOT of animals, of all kinds, in those lights.

Depending on the traffic conditions you are typically dealing with in the high probability zones you are driving through, I would highly recommend some lights specifically aimed for lighting up the sides of the road. You mentioned oncoming with that buck, so maybe they just wouldn't be useful for you. But now that I have been using these lights a little bit, I'm kicking myself for not doing it a long time ago. Probably could have saved a few grills and such. My truck, doesn't get driven much in those conditions, but it does occasionally, so as soon as I can come up with the cash, it's getting the exact same lights. If nothing else, the entertainment value of seeing all the critters I have been seeing, makes them worth having to me, but I'm sort of critter centric.

- DAA

Totally agree Dave! I have Rigid Dually D2 Flood lights on my JKU and they put light all around the front of the Jeep, up to 150' out.

I'd like to combine 2 Rigid Dually XL Floods with some Spots so I can see 300'+ down the road, plus the road sides and around the front of the truck. Thing is, that's $800 in lights.... :oops:

I'd much rather see them and have a fighting chance to avoid a collision than get surprised.

The truck has some good LED bulbs now and they're better than stock, but still need much more lighting for more than 40 mph.
 
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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
I have the most animal encounters this time of year. Summer is uneventful and winter has them bedded down

Trough road and river road have animals but the speed is slower so it's not too big a deal. I rarely even see road kill on the interstate anymore with the animal fences. Hwy 113 and Hwy 13 are the worst for animals.

Still driving the clown car as of yesterday

Most of the time I'm on the higher speed paved highways, with speed limits up to 65. I've been running 10 mph or less when in the dark, just for more time to see and avoid animals.

Just today I counted 5 dead Elk and over 20 dead Deer along the road. Saw 30+ live Elk and 100+ live Deer.... and the snow isn't even deep yet!
 

TRD270

Emptying Pockets Again
Supporting Member
Location
SaSaSandy
So I couldn't make this up. I'm sitting on a stop in Parley's canyon waiting for someone to come pick up a car. Killing time I'm reading this thread. Just starting to type up a reply about lots of gas sucks but getting hurt from thumping a deer at 70 is worse. Rock the truck through winter, you can buy a lot of gas for "insert price" of new vehicle here. Yada yada

My partner had just arrived and was walking back to his car. About 5 seconds later I hear a thump. Look in my mirror to make sure he just didn't get thumped by an oil truck ripping by in the right lane. I can see him in his car fine, so cool get back to writing.

Few seconds later I see Jetta (same gen).... yes can't make it up, with its front end smashed roll up on the other side of the highway. Poor bastard tagged a deer about 200 yards behind me fubar'd the jetta and it was a fairly small doe.

So long story short rock the truck :cool:
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
So I couldn't make this up. I'm sitting on a stop in Parley's canyon waiting for someone to come pick up a car. Killing time I'm reading this thread. Just starting to type up a reply about lots of gas sucks but getting hurt from thumping a deer at 70 is worse. Rock the truck through winter, you can buy a lot of gas for "insert price" of new vehicle here. Yada yada

My partner had just arrived and was walking back to his car. About 5 seconds later I hear a thump. Look in my mirror to make sure he just didn't get thumped by an oil truck ripping by in the right lane. I can see him in his car fine, so cool get back to writing.

Few seconds later I see Jetta (same gen).... yes can't make it up, with its front end smashed roll up on the other side of the highway. Poor bastard tagged a deer about 200 yards behind me fubar'd the jetta and it was a fairly small doe.

So long story short rock the truck :cool:

X-D

Crazy coincidence! Yeah, I dread hitting an Elk in the Jetta, especially if it was a straight on hit. Pretty sure it would come in the windshield and that would be it for me.

The Chevy it is!
 
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