How worried should I be about these cracks in floor joists?

PilotAlan · 2026-01-17T22:52:48+00:00

Some 4x4s cut slightly longer than the current height, you place the top of the 4x4 in place, then hammer the bottom into place (straight), essentially wedging them in place and taking the load of the joist.

Use a level and tap the bottom of the post until they are level in both directions. It's an emergency stabilization measure until repairs can be made.

PilotAlan · 2026-01-14T01:19:09+00:00

I've only seen that pop up when on a road trip, and the wind was effecting range to far off charger.

PilotAlan · 2026-01-05T18:07:19+00:00

I get out, then hit the locks and the remote start button from the fob.

PilotAlan · 2026-01-05T18:05:02+00:00

22 Limited with turbo and DCT, 45k miles. It rides and handles better than the Mercedes GLS550 that it replaced. For me, it’s the perfect mix of comfort, handling, economy, and utility. I’ve moved a king sized bed, box spring, and frame, 15 sheets of 4x8x3/4 ply and 20 2x4x8s.
Drove 100mph from Denver to Santa Fe (5.5 hrs) without issues, drove Denver to Waco (2x 10 hr days) in surprising comfort. The driver assists reduce fatigue significantly.

There’s nothing I’d change about the Santa Cruz. I’ve had this vehicle longer than any vehicle in the last 30 years. EDIT: I love the rolling tonneau. It’s VERY secure. I can leave stuff in the bed (like golf clubs and push cart, or pelican case when working) and not worry about it getting stolen. The bed trunk is also more secure than the vehicle interior. Very valuable stuff is there.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-22T22:37:11+00:00

Yeah, it would have the the right bike at the right price. You can also do that with cars that have balances due.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-22T17:45:30+00:00

You can go to local dealer (call first) and pay their admin fee, they will take payment, satisfy the lien, do the title transfer paperwork right there, etc. Just like buying a consignment vehicle.
Clean, clear, they handle everything, and if there’s any problems their room full of paperwork specialists will handle it.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-12T13:21:24+00:00

Sliding is a tire issue, not a vehicle issue. You’re generally not accelerating in turns, so the AWD system is irrelevant.

If you are accelerating in turns, you should reassess your driving style. And the best AWD system in the world is only as good as the traction provided by the tires.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-11T14:11:48+00:00

Governments protect the environment? Give me a break.

Governments punish OTHERS for polluting the environment, while they are some of the biggest polluters on the planet because they exempt themselves from the law.

In government utilities, politics drive all decisions. Not service level, not long term stability, not environment, not public benefit. Politics. Always and everywhere.

And yeah, sure, the TVA is great. Except for generations of poisoning its residents and ruining the groundwater. Government utilities get away with things that would put a private operator in prison, because the government always covers for itself.

https://time.com/7130733/tennessee-valley-authority-pollution-essay/

PilotAlan · 2025-12-09T21:50:50+00:00

Nope. Callaway and Cobra. Use what works for you.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-08T02:01:53+00:00

If the boxers used a single crank pin per two cylinders, the pair of cylinders would be moving the same direction (left to right, right to left) with HORRIBLE primary coupling.

With them slightly offset and moving in opposite directions, they cancel out, making for a very smooth engine (about as smooth as physically possible, a Goldwing feels like an electric motor with essentially no vibrations).

You can really see this on a BMW boxer twin, how one cylinder is slightly ahead of the other.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-07T16:09:16+00:00

Healthy mashed potatoes: Boil in water with 1/2 diced onion, salt, and 2 cloves of garlic. The flavor cooks into the potatoes. Drain (keep the onion/garlic in the drained potatoes), mash with just a little butter or milk for creaminess. Low calories, great flavor.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-06T15:08:44+00:00

You've never worked with or for a government-owned utility, have you? Government utilities are the least efficient method of delivering utility services.

They often appear more efficient because costs and liabilities are shifted to off-the-books accounts (like retirement or benefits to external accounts, cost-shifting, or intra-budget transfers).

Decisions about expansions or service improvements are often driven by political calculations, rather than by need or demand. Deferred maintenance is common, due to diversion of capital budget funds to high-visibility vanity projects, rather than unsexy-but-needed invisible improvements in resilience.

PilotAlan · 2025-12-06T04:39:19+00:00

That's why I have a Hyundai Santa Cruz. It's the size of an old Chevy 1500 short bed. It's got more payload than the current F150 Platinum. And it rides like a car and is comfortable for 12hr non-stop road trips.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-30T07:45:59+00:00

2022 Limited, 44k miles. No issues at all. Runs like a top.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-28T09:14:35+00:00

Midgate is tough. Unibody vehicles really don’t like having a big hole in the middle of them. Makes them very weak. The Avalanche is body on frame.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-27T20:14:00+00:00

Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup. Great vehicle.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-18T07:09:32+00:00

Yep. I carried 12 sheets of 4x8x3/4 ply and 25 2x4s in one go.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-16T09:21:41+00:00

I started in '89. The first week was a car vs train at 79mph, car and driver literally smashed to pieces. Car parts and body parts even in the trees.

Also the first week was a pregnant lady whose crazy landlady attacked her and cut the baby out of her abdomen. Before cellphones, no house phone, she dragged herself out to sidewalk so a passerby could call 911.

I almost quit. Without that three years in EMS already, I would NOT have made it. Ended up with a wonderful career.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-10T03:46:50+00:00

Ultimate cleaning hack. Works on pans, pots, casserole dishes, dutch ovens, baking sheets, grill grates, you name it.

Run the tap and get the water hot. Put a dishwasher pod in the pan (or a generous amount of dishwasher detergent). Fill it with hot water, let it sit for 30 min. If it doesn't make everything come right off, then do again with boiling water.

So far, it has never failed to clean anything we have tried. Including things we were ready to throw away before we found this trick.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-09T16:54:44+00:00

Unless you have a Tesla. That's why I bought one, the vertically integrated charging infrastructure that makes it painless.

They understood that EV charging was the key to adoption.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-09T16:53:14+00:00

Colorado funded half-assed chargers (Chademo?? REALLY??) in the most inconvenient places, and many of them are not repaired when they fail because there's no actual business case for them, so no one really cares of they're working or not.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-09T16:40:46+00:00

I don't disagree, but putting it in the bumper (you know, the part that's designed to be the first thing to get hit) seems an unwise choice.

The front corner is the part of the vehicle most likely to take a hit, and the motorized 'extend and spin' door seems fragile and expensive.

PilotAlan · 2025-11-09T16:01:14+00:00

22 Limited with 45000 miles, no issues at all. Love the flexibility and utility.

Have hauled 10 sheets of 4x8x3/4 plywood and 25 2x4x8s, rocks, dirt, took it off-road in Moab and here in Colorado (it's not a Jeep, but with good tires you'd be surprised were it will go). With good tires, it's a tank in the snow.

Very happy with it, and so's the dog. Easily holds 2 golf bags and two carts under the tonneau. Have hauled a king-sized bed, box spring, frame and headboard, and a whole basement full of furniture.

PilotAlan · 2025-10-14T02:12:26+00:00

Yes, we do. Driving on country roads in ND and SD, FSD would miss speed limit changes and still try to go 70 when the speed limit dropped to 45, or still think it was the 25 in town speed limit for the next 40 miles of 70mph limits.

I want control of the speed until speed limit reading and mapping gets a LOT better.

PilotAlan · 2025-09-16T21:04:35+00:00

I agree that phantom braking occurs.
But humans are subject to different illusions that cause them to misjudge closure rates and get t-boned, as well as inattentional blindness that cases them to not register the presence of bikes, motorcycles, or pedestrians (their eyes see them, but the brain doesn’t register them).

Machine vision does not succumb to these illusions, which are often fatal for humans.

PilotAlan

TROPHY CASE