From the top of the hill, I could see for miles. The rugged mountain terrain was dotted with ponderosa pine and manzanita, and the pungent smell of sage was in the air. “Keep your
eyes open,” my host said. “We’ve got mule deer, bears, bobcats, turkeys, mountain lions, and coyotes up here?’
“Up here” was Calilbrnia’s San Bernardino National Forest, where at 8,500 feet I was getting a lesson in 4×4 driving tactics from Gary Steffens, a reserve deputy sheriff for the San Bernardino county Sheriff’s Department. For more than 25 years Steffens and his search-and- rescue team have been called upon to find hunters and fishermen who have gotten stranded in this huge expanse of desert and alpine forest. As a lifelong outdoorsman, Steffens knows all about the lure of remote hunting and fishing locations; as a trained offroad driving and survival expert, he is also well acquainted with what can go wrong when you venture deep into the wilderness. So pay attention; his tips have been honed by years of experience. They’ll help you get out there . . and back.
Sam Anderson is a young touring pro on the walleye circuit. Between his fishing and promotion work, he drives through 17 states a year, iiiainly the northern half of the country. He tows in all kinds of weather and terrain, and his tips are worth a listen. • “First, do a walk-around inspection of the truck and trailer. Make sure everything is stowed properly on the boat.You’d be amazed how many fishing rods are lost each year because someone forgets to secure them properly with a tie-down or put them in a rod locker.”
• “One of the accessories I regularly inspect—and almost never see anyone even look at—is windshield wipers.This is critical. Try driving 5 or 6 hours in bad weather with worn-out wipers. It’s bad enough during the thy; at night, when you’re tired, forget it.You’re an accident waiting to happen?’
• “check the air pressure on the vehicle and trailer tires. A lot of people check the tires on their truck but forget the trailer. Make sure that the tire pressure is in the recommended range because of the extra weight you’re hauling. Properly inflated tires will also help the tow vehicle deliver maximum fuel economy, and when you tow, every gallon counts?’
• “check the wiring harness regularly for signs of corrosion that could cause the trailer running lights and brake lights to fail. Northern drivers take note: Road salt is a certified killer of electrical connections?’
• “check the trailer wheel hubs regularly. Most people check the hubs once a year. I do it every time I stop for fuel. Why? Because of the heat that towing generates. You want to make sure the hubs still have adequate grease, arid it’s a whole lot better to stop at a service station and get it fixed than have the hubs lock up in the middle of nowhere. And let me tell you, you don’t want to deal with a hub failure at highway speed; it’s nasty business. I know some guys who won’t even go on the road without spare bearings packed in grease and stored in sealed plastic bags in case of emergencies.”
When the marketing-economic system does not perform as well as we would like, we attempt to change it. We hope to make it serve us better by producing and distributing goods and services in a fairer way. Most people believe that the system is working sufficiently well and requires no changes and that relatively minor adjustments can achieve a fair distribution.
Four ways in which we control or influence the direction of the marketing system and try to rid it of imperfections are by (1) helping the competitive market system to operate in a self-correcting manner; (2) educating the consumer; (3) increasing regulation; and (4) encouraging political action. The competitive market system operates to allocate resources and to provide most of the products we purchase to satisfy felt needs. While we may hear many complaints about the system, most of the goods and services we purchase or use flow through it with little difficulty. Competition works if the conditions of many buyers and sellers and other technical requirements of the free-market economic model allow it. We have attempted—sometimes with limited success—to restore competition where monopolies have reduced it.
Combined with the free-market system, consumer education can lead to wise choices. As products become more complex, diverse, and plentiful, the consumer’s ability to make wise decisions must also expand. Educational programs and efforts by parents, schools, businesses, government, and consumer organizations all contribute to a better system. A responsible marketing philosophy should also encourage consumers to voice their opinions. Such comments can result in significant improvements in the seller’s goods and services.
The marketing concept must include social responsibility as a primary function of the marketing organization. Social and profit goals are compatible, but they require the aggressive implementation of an expanded marketing concept. Explicit criteria for responsible decision making must be adopted in all companies. This is truly marketing’s greatest challenge.
This term indicates a method of building on a concrete foundation that goes into the ground only slightly below the frost line. The frost line is a point in the ground below which the ground never freezes. As you might guess, the depth of the frost line depends on many variables besides degree of northern latitude, such as groundwater, shade conditions, and composition of the subsoil (e.g., sand never freezes). In the coldest parts of the United States, the frost line is a maximum of about four feet down. Most people excavate at least that deeply to be sure of avoiding the frost heaves that can ruin a house’s frame. Point is that you have to make judgments about soundness on a house-by-house basis.
So what should you look for?
Outdoorsmen want a rugged wheel, but they also want to improve the appearance of their 4×4. An advantage of the fbrged aluminum wheel is that its bright chromelike appearance requires little maintenance. There is no paint to chip or flake off, and the wheel won’t rust—definitely a problem with steel.
“Although many companies use a conventional clear coating to help protect the appearance of the wheel, Alcoa does notT says Simpson. Why? “Because the coating can be damaged in certain applications, which degrades the overall look of the wheel.With our wheels, all you need to do to keep them looking good is a seasonal wash and polish.
“The wheels may not help you catch more fish,” Simpson said before signing off. “But they’ll look good. And they certainly will get you where you want to go—and get you home again.”
Slab foundations are level pads of concrete that are poured on top of the ground underneath the floor of the house. This method is seen from time to thne in the Northeast, where it was favored in the post—World War 11 building boom because it was fast and cheap. It is more common in the South and California, and it is seen everywhere in Florida, where the groundwater is only a few inches below the grass. If there’s no frost to worry about, why not use a slab? If there’s no need for oil storage, no need for a place to put the heater, and no need for occasional plumbing and wiring changes, a slab is all right.
I really wonder about slabs for main house living, though. For one thing, they can crack. For another, many people find them cold and hard to walk on, even though judicious use of carpeting and tile can moderate the problem somewhat. If they’re not well insulated, they add to your heating costs and make plumbing additions very difficult. To add a new bathroom off the family room, you have to put a jackhammer to the slab. If you find yourself with a termite problem, it’s almost impossible to cure.
OVERALL STRUCTURAL SOUNDNESS
It’s a mistake to assume that an older house, just because it is older, is somehow sturdier than a newer house. True, they don’t build them like they used to, but that can mean many things, not all of them negative for the newer structures. Today’s home- engineering technology can fulfill a dream of domestic comfort that the greatest builders of the past could hardly imagine. On the other hand, some modem contractors may be more willing to use lesser-quality materials and to take unsound shortcuts with their work than were their Victorian counterparts, The wall is something the inspector ought to notice and explain. In bad cases, problems of this kind can require substantial rebuilding of the whole foundation. That’s not common, but it happens, and you’d rather it didn’t happen to you.
I next asked Simpson to give me an example of how tough forged wheels really were.
“Easy,” she said. “The Ford Rough Rider offroad racing team has been on Alcoa forged wheels for the past four years. They’ve had more than 30,000 miles of desert racing without a single wheel failure. In the past, it’s been common to change a wheel three or four times in one eventT
“What has desert racing got to do with hunting and fishing?” I asked.
“Actually, a great deal. Offroad racing teaches us what can go wrong in extreme situations, which gives us the opportunity to make a good lightweight product for guys who hunt and fish in tough terrain.
“Most people don’t think weight savings is important, but it is,” Simpson said. “Lighter wheels improve handling, especially when you’re offroad. The less weight you have bouncing up and down underneath that spring, the easier the vehicle is to control.
“And as long as we’re talking ride, keep in mind that forged wheels ride better with less vibration. The design helps eliminate brake shudder and excess tire wear
To put the matter totally to rest, I called the owner of a truck conversion center, who said, “In all the years I’ve been installing forged wheels, not one has been returned because of breakage. J think a major reason is the one-piece design. Two-piece wheels, which are also known as fabricated wheels, regardless of construction, don’t seem to fare as weil over the long run in 4×4 applications.” As for my tobacco-squirting friend, he no doubt recalls the debate that raged among hunters and fishermen a generation ago when aluminum wheels first made large inroads in the aftermarket offroad wheel market. There were some quality issues, but those were put to bed a long time ago. In fact, many trucks come out of the factory with stock aluminum wheels.
So, the big question: Should you buy cast, billet, or forged wheels? Forged wheels are the best overall choice, but however you decide to go, buy the best wheels you can afford. Cheap wheels, like cheap tackle, won’t cut it.
