Thanks Max! Remember though, when you least expect it.....it just might happen....

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All this talk about the Bio....makes me wish I had got involved in it too. Just to much other stuff on our plate right now.....and expenses. Maybe i'll catch yall next time around.

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Quit a few I'm sure.
Don't know if Haz Mat stickers are required or not.... for diesel fuel??
But no worse than guys with 12-15 1600 lb round bails on a gooseneck... right Justin?

To my mind that's good! Short of breaking a spring, they keep the truck level and improve handling. The rear pad sure works hard though.
Right after leaving Eli, I saw a 1/2 ton chevy with 5 plastic blue drums of some fluid accelerating to get onto I-30...... right in front of me. I could see him bouncing as he bottomed out his rear suspension and he had trouble holding a straight line on the hwy. He's the one going to get pulled over...not you!

Also, still no toll booths opened yet on George Bush Freeway!! Anyone know when that will change?
Until it does, that's a great way to get across town. IMO.

RJ

 

I don't think they are going to open any. You have to have a NTTA toll tag or they bill the registered owner on the tag....If I understand it correctly.

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They have the booths built at the exits... just not open?? But have signs that say "drive on...we'll bill you later"!
Never have been billed by Texas... and without a tag, I have driven through my share of toll cameras.
Suspect it may be because I have no front plate??

Have a great cruise Robert!

RJ

 

Thanks RJ!!

Regarding the NTTA booths....I think they started building them and then decided to go to "zip cash". They decided it saved them money...I suppose by not having to pay to man them. You can read more about it at their website here....... http://www.ntta.org/AboutUs/ and https://help.ntta.org/QA/FAQs/

Hope that helps. Im not sure how they handle out of state tags though...I guess they still send a bill somehow.

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I get a bill everytime I run the tollway in my wifes truck, but never get a bill when I do it in the Dodge and both a registered to me and the same address. Maybe they just have a dodge fan watching those videos.

 

Actually, they built all the tollbooths on the PGBT and used them for a long time. Then last year in July they went to all electronic collection. So now the manned booths just sit empty. Not sure what they're going to do with them as I don't see them going back to manned collection. Seems like a huge waste of cash to build all the manned plazas when all they needed was the gantry like they have on 121 (which is the same way, all electronic). The all-electronic method is much nicer since it did away with the traffic slowdowns at the plazas where the cash customers were getting in line at the manned lane, then having to merge back into traffic. Now it's just 70mph straight through.

As for not getting a bill, last I heard, NTTA did not have an agreement with Oklahoma to be able to send bills. Apparently they have to work out a deal with the state to get access to the vehicle registrations so they know where to send the bill to based on the license plate. So until that's done, you can just drive right through and not worry about paying. Not sure front plate has anything to do with it as I think they have cameras facing both directions so they could grab a rear plate.

They do have the electronic systems working better now. I used to be able to run the length of the tollway (before the extension) and might only get hit for 1 or 2 tolls instead of all three. But I haven't seen a missed one lately. And when we were moving, they were figuring the trailer into my toll and getting me for the 4 axle rate instead of 2. In the past, I thought that was just tied to what vehicle you had attached to the tag. Now I guess they're picking up the size from the video.

 

Finally found one benefit to living near, but not in, Texas!
And yeah....did not really believe what I was saying about getting away free due to no front plate!
That would just be too simple.

RJ

 

no front plate + lowered tailgate = no camera time. . . but I just use the toll tag. and load it $40 at a time.

 

No wonder Stephanie's Dodge has never gotten a bill for tolls... on our way to transfer title & registration to TX today - guess the free ride is over!

 

I put my HE341 in the classifieds if you all know of anyone interested. Trying to raise funds for stock injectors..

 

How much do you want for it, Max?

I'm gathering a pair for the V10.

 

From what I have gathered it seems the going rate is $300 + shipping. But for some fine North TEXAS folks like any of ya'll I think I could eat the shipping.

 

A little work from this weekend...

We've got a creek crossing on our land in Giddings that is always washing out with all the rain lately. We found some old concrete culvert pipes that a road contractor was getting rid of that we picked up for free (good to have friends). Going to break these down put the pieces around the crossing to stop the erosion.

It was a nice little load to clean out any carbon buildup. I didn't get a pic with the trailer fully loaded up. But the three pipes on the ground were in line behind the two still on the trailer. We figure the big round one on the ground and the one on end behind it both came in around 6K each. The backhoe that loaded us up wouldn't come close to picking those up. He said he can pick up 4K of wet gravel in the bucket with no problem, but those two wouldn't move. We had to use the backhoe to roll them up the ramps and over the deck so we could block them in place and chain them down. We figured it was around 20-22K total in concrete.