Anticipation

I looked up the definition of the word "Anticipation" in preparing to write this post and found the exact words that describe my feelings right now. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary gives this definition.

an·tic·i·pa·tion
 noun                                                

: a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen

: the act of preparing for something

 

In my last post I stated that we had ordered our 5th wheel, the Heartland Bighorn 3585rl. Well now we traveled to Clinton, IL and placed our order for a 2014 Ford F-350 Super Cab Diesel Dually. I wrote a post back in October that outlined some of what we wanted in a tow vehicle and our ability to get a discounted X plan purchase. I was able to actually go on the X plan site and build exactly the vehicle I wanted. I took the build sheet to the dealer, the order was written and a deposit made. As I was building the truck I wasn't sure if I should order it with the 5th wheel hitch(Reese 25K) and the prep package with the hidden rails under the truck bed. I decided to get some quotes from after market dealers that sell and install 5th wheel hitches. Interestingly the quotes I got for the hitch and installation were the same for lesser weight hitches than what Ford was offering with the truck. So I added the hitch to the package. I also decided to get the 200 amp heavy duty alternator. In researching why I might want to do get the larger alternator I found out an automotive charging system is made up of three major components: the battery, the voltage regulator and an alternator. The alternator works with the battery to generate power for the electrical components of a vehicle, like the interior and exterior lights, and the instrument panel. An alternator gets its name from the term alternating current (AC).

 

After reading about alternators I decided to get the heavy duty alternator. It seemed to me that a large diesel engine would be better equipped if it had a greater ability to generate power to the battery and electrical components.

 

As I was building my truck another option available was a soft Tonneau cover that rolls up. I have a tri fold cover on my truck now and I know how well it protects the interior of the bed and the contents. The build site didn't actually tell me what brand the cover would be so I again did some research and came across the Truxedo brand soft cover. The cover I saw on the build site looked a lot like the Truxedo so I asked our salesperson, Stephani, if she had any information on the covers Ford uses. She was able to locate an after market options book that Ford dealers use and sure enough they sell Truxedo. She assured me that the Truxedo would be the brand so I ordered that with the truck too.

 

OK, I got off subject a little but I hope that by describing some of the details you can get some sense of our feelings ( I know those that are already full-timers do) now that we have the exact 5th wheel and truck that we think will work for us. We've ordered them both and now we have to WAIT. The truck and 5th wheel should arrive about the same time in mid February. The plan is to take delivery of the truck right away but will probably have the dealer store the 5th wheel a few weeks until the weather moderates some. So ANTICIPATION is now the word. That's right, we are in the  act of preparing for something and have a great excitement about something that is going to happen. Will the holidays keep our minds occupied long enough to get us through this time? We hope so. I guess we'll find out. Of course we keep working toward retirement and it won't be long. Thanks for reading.

 

P.S. - Glenda has only 5 more work weeks until she can say she is retired. January 31, 2014 She gets off 2 weeks for Christmas and New Years. (I think she'll make it.)