Two quick questions

[dirtgum]

First I know it's diffrent in every truck and the way I drive but what on average are you guys getting milage wise per gallon. I'm driving the 710m home and I've got no gas gauge so I'm trying to feel herout.....

Second. If I'm driving around 55mph is there any lenghth of time that I should stop and let the truck cool down? Or is it not an issue? Is there any addedrisk of break down or failure if I drive 10 hrs straight?

Your opinions are appreciated!

[blackstack]

I just got back from an 1100 mile trip thru Alaska and the Yukon. I used the odometer metric distance and the distance in miles from my GPSr that was running whenever we were underway..Mileage was consistently over 13 mpg at interim checks and 13.5 mpg overall. There was a 45 mile difference between the GPSr distance and the calculated kilometer to miles conversion at the end of the trip (more on the GPSr)

It was a pleasant surprise!!!!

I have a gas gauge but as an extra precaution I used a wooden dowel as a dipstick gauge and marked every 5 gallons as I filled an empty tank. I found a rule of thumb of one inch per gallon. If you check yours the same way please post your results

[stiffler4444]

I seem to be getting about 380 to 400 km's per tank full....my guage is messed up, so the gas can has saved the day while I was figuring this out....

[totaljoint]

Hey blackstack:
I would love to hear more about your trip, 1100 miles in a 712 to Alaska, I'll bet you have some interesting stories!
Pictures you could share?
Ed

[blackstack]

Actually the trip was most remarkable for the lack of mishaps or incident. The scenery was awe inspiring, the weather was fantastic , the main roads well maintained..off road was muddy...As usual the Pinz (710 by the way) broke the ice (no pun intended) and we met a lot of really nice locals...the tourist season doesnt start till well in to May.......We took the Alaska ferry from Bellingham to Skagway and drove up to Whitehorse and then toward Dawson...Heartily reccomend the ferry trip as a stand alone excursion. The only downer on the trip was the rude and unpleasant Customs person at the US border. Some of the locals in Skagway told us he is even rude to them and he knows them !!

Here is the link to the pics on flicker

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agingman/s ... 848243179/

[totaljoint]

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Ed

[edzz]

Second. If I'm driving around 55mph is there any lenghth of time that I should stop and let the truck cool down? Or is it not an issue? Is there any addedrisk of break down or failure if I drive 10 hrs straight?

Your opinions are appreciated!

Drive 10 hrs straight? Don’t even consider it.
Stop at least every 2 – 3 hours to stretch your legs and for a head call least your butt and bladder go numb.
As for the Pinz, if your speed is kept to ~55 it will likely enjoy the 10 hour road trip.

:idea: On a serious note however do remember to check oil at gas stops and don’t rely on gas stations to have 20-50 on hand, I always like to have a couple of spare quarts in the truck.

Ed

[blackstack]

:idea: On a serious note however do remember to check oil at gas stops and don’t rely on gas stations to have 20-50 on hand, I always like to have a couple of spare quarts in the truck.

Why is it everytime lubes are mentioned there is fuel for controversy?

[undysworld]

I haven't checked my mileage lately, but I've gotten up to 14 on long trips in my 712. (I only recently repaired the odo.) It generally ran around 13 on-road, but as low as 1-2 on long off-road trails. It seems best when I'm not pushing hard.

As to an extended drive, no problem for the truck so long as it's fluids are at the correct levels and you don't try to exceed it's rated speed for long. From my experience, you're more likely to need to stop than the truck will be.

Blackstack - We love controversy?

[edzz]

:idea: On a serious note however do remember to check oil at gas stops and don’t rely on gas stations to have 20-50 on hand, I always like to have a couple of spare quarts in the truck.

Why is it everytime lubes are mentioned there is fuel for controversy?

OK so change 20-50 oil to motor oil of your choice.

Ed

[Middlebury_Pinz]

Sounds like a great trip and thanks for sharing the pictures. Alaska is high on my list of places to visit too!!

[spandit]

This post scared the hell out of me with figures of 14mpg maximum - then I remembered the US Gallon is smaller than the British Imperial Gallon, so 14mpg(US) equates to nearly 17mpg(UK) - that's much better, practically a hybrid!*





* at time of writing, 25/05/2010 a litre of petrol (gas) in the UK costs approximate £1.20, that's $1.72, so per imperial gallon, that's £5.45, which at 17mpg is £0.32 a mile ($0.46)**

** Holy Sh*t!

[pinzmeister-uk]

Hi Spandit. If you get 17 mpg you will be very, very lucky, 14 is nearer the mark If you are doing anything like high mileages think about an LPG conversion ( LPG currently about 60p per litre ) although Dreadnought prefered to go down the diesel route. Cheers Nigel.

[spandit]

How much can one get an LPG conversion for?

[texas pinzgauer]

I thought we had agreed that running straight weight 30 grade was the proper oil for a Pinz? I thought that multi-weights were a no no.