Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Hi guys... My wife found a contract in Topeka, so here we are. I am still looking for some per diem work. Have a line on a full-time job in Nebraska, just across the border. Otherwise, I will be checking out Topeka, and maybe KC.
Our route was I-17 north from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I-40 east to Albuquerque, I-25 north to Colorado Springs. There we took Hwy 24 northeast to Limon and picked up I-70. We went to Hays, KS, then turned north to Stockton to visit my parents a few days. Then back to Hays and east on I-70 to Topeka.
The day before we left Phoenix, I replaced the Voyager brake controller with the new Prodigy I got from Yogibear (Thanks Larry... it worked like a charm. ) I am not real mechanical, but Tekonsha told me to cut the wires on the Voyager, and match the blue to blue, red to red, etc. Supposedly a direct replacement. No problem. Even I could handle that. However... ... . I got everything hooked up and had no power to the Prodigy. :{ I double checked my colors, and had tight connections. Luckily, my cousin is a jet engine mechanic for Honeywell. Ken told me to come on over. He would rather work on a truck than clean carpets anyway. We (he) traced out the wires and got me working. What had happened, was when the "professional installer" put the Voyager in the '03 from the '99, he took it upon himself to change some of the wires. We wound up having to go blue to black, red to white, etc. Now it works like a charm. The Prodigy is a vast improvement over the Voyager. I am still saving pennies for a Brakesmart, but I am very happy with the Prodiigy.
My other new toy was the Garmin Street Pilot 2610. It came in very handy several times.
The CTD pulled like a dream. Some of you may remember my previous post about RPMs while towing. This time I was not afraid to pull in 6th. I spent a lot of time in 6th instead of 5th. Worked great. Even got over some of the bigger hills in 6 if I could get enough run at them. I ran 65-70 MPH unless there was lots of traffic around me, then I dropped it to 55-60. (Even with the Prodigy, it still takes a while to stop 25+K pounds rolling down the road. )
On the hills north of Phoenix, and Raton Pass I was glad I had the pyro. I watched it more than any other gauge. The Jacob's Exhaust Brake also paid for itself several times on this trip. I came down the north side of Raton Pass in 4th gear, e-brake on, 40 MPH and never had to touch the truck or trailer brakes. I felt very in control with the e-brake. If anyone is wavering about getting one, do it. It really kept the trailer in control. (When we moved from Yuma to Phoenix, it scaled out at 16,800 lbs, and the truck weighed around 8,600. )
Weather was not a problem on this trip. We followed the ice storms by about 4 days. Lots of snow on the sides of some of the roads, but the roads themselves were clear and dry.
I have not topped off the last tank of fuel yet, so don't have a hand-calculated mileage figure yet. The overhead computer reads 10 MPG now, so I am guessing I really got 8. 5 or 9. Will let you know when I do.
I have some questions about maintenance on the truck now after this pull, but I will put them in the 3rd gen fourm. I have rambled enough for now.
Steve
Our route was I-17 north from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I-40 east to Albuquerque, I-25 north to Colorado Springs. There we took Hwy 24 northeast to Limon and picked up I-70. We went to Hays, KS, then turned north to Stockton to visit my parents a few days. Then back to Hays and east on I-70 to Topeka.
The day before we left Phoenix, I replaced the Voyager brake controller with the new Prodigy I got from Yogibear (Thanks Larry... it worked like a charm. ) I am not real mechanical, but Tekonsha told me to cut the wires on the Voyager, and match the blue to blue, red to red, etc. Supposedly a direct replacement. No problem. Even I could handle that. However... ... . I got everything hooked up and had no power to the Prodigy. :{ I double checked my colors, and had tight connections. Luckily, my cousin is a jet engine mechanic for Honeywell. Ken told me to come on over. He would rather work on a truck than clean carpets anyway. We (he) traced out the wires and got me working. What had happened, was when the "professional installer" put the Voyager in the '03 from the '99, he took it upon himself to change some of the wires. We wound up having to go blue to black, red to white, etc. Now it works like a charm. The Prodigy is a vast improvement over the Voyager. I am still saving pennies for a Brakesmart, but I am very happy with the Prodiigy.
My other new toy was the Garmin Street Pilot 2610. It came in very handy several times.
The CTD pulled like a dream. Some of you may remember my previous post about RPMs while towing. This time I was not afraid to pull in 6th. I spent a lot of time in 6th instead of 5th. Worked great. Even got over some of the bigger hills in 6 if I could get enough run at them. I ran 65-70 MPH unless there was lots of traffic around me, then I dropped it to 55-60. (Even with the Prodigy, it still takes a while to stop 25+K pounds rolling down the road. )
On the hills north of Phoenix, and Raton Pass I was glad I had the pyro. I watched it more than any other gauge. The Jacob's Exhaust Brake also paid for itself several times on this trip. I came down the north side of Raton Pass in 4th gear, e-brake on, 40 MPH and never had to touch the truck or trailer brakes. I felt very in control with the e-brake. If anyone is wavering about getting one, do it. It really kept the trailer in control. (When we moved from Yuma to Phoenix, it scaled out at 16,800 lbs, and the truck weighed around 8,600. )
Weather was not a problem on this trip. We followed the ice storms by about 4 days. Lots of snow on the sides of some of the roads, but the roads themselves were clear and dry.
I have not topped off the last tank of fuel yet, so don't have a hand-calculated mileage figure yet. The overhead computer reads 10 MPG now, so I am guessing I really got 8. 5 or 9. Will let you know when I do.
I have some questions about maintenance on the truck now after this pull, but I will put them in the 3rd gen fourm. I have rambled enough for now.
Steve
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Enjoy the nice digs...
She pulled a muscle and got lots of back rubs the next few days. We still haven't decided who was at fault... me for not looking in the mirror, or her for not telling me she was going to be in the trailer 
She said she was listening for me to start the truck and was going to get out before I put it in gear. That is when I told her I filled up without shutting the truck off.
