| Pickup Trucks: How to Transport Cargo Safely |
8 Jun |
Most people who buy pickup trucks are interested in the ability to haul cargo easily. Many are farmers, construction workers, movers, or otherwise. But how many times have you been speeding down the highway or interstate only to come up on a pickup truck and realize that the driver has not properly secured the cargo he or she is carrying? Unsecured cargo has been the cause of many fatality and non-fatality accidents, and these accidents were completely preventable.
What is the best way to secure cargo in the bed of a pickup? Here are some tips.
Use a cargo net. For only $60, Isuzu sells a Bed Web Net made of a tough elastic material and designed to stretch. The mount hardware is included and installation is easy. The net keeps cargo from flying out or sliding out of the back even during hard stops or fast turns.
Buy a bed extender. Designed for the Isuzu i-370, the Bed Extender, made of steel, retails for well under $300 and gives pickup owners additional truck bed length. This particular bed extender has the ability to swing in to provide a contained cargo area as well.
Bed Covers work well too. Many pickup models also can be accessorized with bed covers that not only keep cargo inside, but help to hide it and prevent theft as well.
Cargo Sports Bags are another option. These are often used in SUVs as well and do an excellent job of keeping smaller items from rolling around or flying out of pickup truck cargo beds.
Use a safety flag or light. Laws differ by state, but many require a red cargo flag or safety light be used when transporting cargo that extends beyond the cargo bed of a pickup. For example, in the state of California, when the load on any vehicle extends at least four feet from the rear of the pickup’s body, the driver must use a fluorescent orange flag, or solid red flag at least twelve inches by twelve inches at the extreme end of the load. In addition, if the vehicle is operating after dusk, there must also be two lighted red lights at the end of the load visible at minimum of 500 feet to the side and the rear of the vehicle for safety.
It’s also important to keep in mind that using these precautions, as well as others will protect the cargo itself. When hauling cargo, it’s important to drive more cautiously than normal and make slow, steady turns. The added weight of your load can make turning more difficult and brakes may not respond as quickly or efficiently as when driving without cargo.
Every pickup truck has cargo weight guidelines. It’s extremely important to obey these guidelines. While it might not be simple to actually weigh the load you plan to haul, it is better to err on the side of caution if estimating. Hauling additional weight beyond the manufacturer’s guideline can significantly increase your chance of an accident or damage to your vehicle. There is also a chance you could be ticketed by law enforcement for hauling a load heavier than your pickup is designed to carry.
Tags: Bed Covers, Cargo Area, Cargo Bed, Construction Workers, Elastic Material, Fatality, Four Feet, Lig, Orange Flag, Pickup Models, Pickup Truck, Pickup Trucks, Red Cargo, Red Flag, Safety Flag, Safety Light, Speeding Down The Highway, Sports Bags, State Of California, Truck CargoRelated posts
read comments (0)| Cadillac Means Quality |
13 Jan |
Part of the General Motors Corporation, and produced and mostly sold in the United States, the Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobiles. And in the United States, this brand name of luxury automobiles has become a synonym for high quality. Certainly, because of this, it has been used in certain lingo and phrases like the Cadillac of clocks. Cadillac was formed from the Henry Ford Company, and the automobile was named after the 17th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who was the founder of Detroit, Michigan in 1701.
One of the vehicles running under the Cadillac name is the Cadillac Escalade. This vehicle is a luxury spin-off of the large Chevrolet/GMC SUVs, and is made available in three trim levels the base SUV wagon, the longer Escalade ESV wagon, and the Escalade EXT pickup truck. The first two versions are sport utility vehicle wagons that has three rows of seats and can take in a capacity of seven passengers. The Cadillac Escalade EXT, on the other hand is a crew-cab pickup truck that has four doors. It is similar to the Chevrolet Avalanche, has a midgate wall between the cab and the cargo bed.
All the versions of the Cadillac Escalade feature an all-wheel drive and a 6.0 liter V8. The base wagon also comes as a 2WD model. All have automatic transmission, front side airbags, ABS, antiskid/traction control, tire-pressure monitor, and Cadillacs automatic-adjusting Road Sensing Suspension. Also standard features for all trim levels of the Cadillac Escalade include a trailering package, power-adjustable gas and brake pedals, a rear obstacle detection, and OnStar assistance. The Escalade ESV Platinum Edition includes features like a navigation system, rear DVD entertainment, specific appearance touches, and 20-inch chrome alloy wheels instead of the usual standard 17-inch alloy wheels of the Escalade.
Acceleration for this vehicle is found to be ample despite occasional transmission delays in full-throttle downshifts. It has towing capacities of 7,400 lbs. for 2WD Escalades, 8,100 lbs. for AWD models, and 7,300 for EXT versions. It has an averaged 13.7-15.6 mpg in city or highway driving. The vehicle could get quite staggering at times. It is also very truck-like. The Cadillac Escalade ESV models have a longer wheelbase that provides a smoother feel on rough roads. As per the vehicles steering and handling, it is generally ponderous and has a slow response to steering inputs. It has light and vague steering that demands continuous attention on the highway. Also, it has a rear-leveling suspension that is standard and improves control with a heavy load. The brakes, however, feel soft but have adequate power. It provides a fine isolation from the wind, road, and engine noise. It also offers plenty of head and leg room and a vast shoulder width. Plush seats with fold-down armrests complete the interior. Commanding road view is given to drivers, and added in is a helpful audio/visual rear-obstacle-detection system that warns of the unseen when backing up.
Auto Parts Discount offers a variety of Cadillac Escalade parts and Cadillac performance products and replacement parts to suit the most demanding needs of Cadillac owners. They can always get the latest information on optimum quality and low-priced Cadillac parts.
Tags: Alloy Wheels, Brake Pedals, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade Ext, Cargo Bed, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Gmc, Chrome Alloy Wheels, Crew Cab Pickup, Escalade Ext, Ford Company, French Explorer, General Motors Corporation, Inch Alloy Wheels, Luxury Automobiles, Obstacle Detection, Platinum Edition, Side Airbags, Sport Utility Vehicle, Transmission DelaysRelated posts
| Getting Your Hauling Done With A Pickup Truck |
2 Jan |
Whether you need to haul heavy cargo items or transport everyday luggage or move packages to another place, getting a pick up truck could be just the right thing for you to do. Pick up trucks are sturdy looking automobiles with an open cabin in the top rear area. This vehicle has become popular among todays car owners for its domestic and commercial utility and flexibility.
Pickup trucks have commercial features like a separate cabin and compartment cargo bed or the rear load area. There are also pickup truck designs that display a well-type build with rigid short sides that comes with an opened rear gate while other designs that has a flat tray back or the so-called flatbed. There are also other special features such as having a mounted specialty body just next to cabin area. Each of these designs may be customized to serve a specific purpose or conventional use of the pickup truck.
Since pickup trucks have gained huge public approval, many car companies today have already started offering pickup truck rentals where the features and services of the vehicle are suited according to your demand. So if you are in need of a pickup truck service and you have to choose from among many options, it is best to know first the services they offer.
You can start by making an assessment of how much transporting help you need. The size of the pickup truck must be equivalent to the load of your cargo. Once you have in mind the right size of the pick truck that you just need, you can start calculating the total costs of the rental service. You do not intend to pay too much, do you?
There are also pickup truck rentals which cover the entire transport service only, which technically means that you will pack the cargoes on your own and haul it into the truck instead of paying the transport company to pack up the luggage for you. This will significantly minimize your hauling expenses. But if you mind the long delay and effort in the packing up, you can just go for the packing and loading services all combined in one.
Because of the growing competition among pickup truck companies, transport service providers keep on upgrading their services for the clientele to ensure loyal and continued patronage. In order to maximize the expenses you will have to spend on the cargo transport service, you need to choose a company that would provide accessory features like security blankets and furniture pads to avoid glitches on your luggage and packages, tie-down straps that will put your cargoes in place during the transport process and some loading ramps in order to make the unloading part a lot more easier and systematic when you finally reach your destination.
The total cost of a pickup truck service is usually based on calculated rates of the total distance traveled, the space consumed by the cargoes and the maximum weight. However since we are not talking about easy money you spend for the transport service of your cargoes, it is best to understand the rules in the rates game. Coming unprepared and clueless will take its toll on you because you might be paying more than what you actually need to for the freight charges. Basically since the rental rates are based on the calculated space occupied by the packed goods, there is a need for you to measure your cargoes appropriately based on the floor space.
Aside from the overcharging that might occur due to the miscalculation of space covered by your cargo, there is a chance that you may also be charged for the total distance traveled in transporting your cargo. Normally, rental services ask for two way travel charges, basically traveling to the destination and going back to the point of origin. But then there are actually huge companies that cover a wide scope of geographical operation and have a sub-office near your destination, thus they are practically charging you for the return travel that you actually need not to do.
Tags: Automobiles, Car Companies, Car Owners, Cargo Bed, Cargoes, Commercial Features, Flexibility, Luggage, Packing, Pick Up Truck, Pickup Truck Rentals, Pickup Trucks, Public Approval, Special Features, Transport Company, Transport Service, Utility TrucksRelated posts
