Cutting front fenders open. How much hate mail here?

[LarryB]

Truck is my 61 W300. Bed is home made for a gin pole. Cab has rusted out drivers side floor board and not a piece of straight sheet metal on it. Hood has been flipped, buckled and cracked at some point.
I'm running 16" tires, worn down all terrains w/ chains all the way around. I don't take the truck on the streets.
Hubs are the 6-lug type. Axle ratio is 4:88. I used the split rim wheel centers and welded them into new 16" tubeless wheel rings. Truck has a 12K lb Tulsa winch on the front which makes it heavy and I've had the truck stuck at least once.
The tires are skinny and kind of tiny compared to the truck.
I would love to spend $2.5K on a set of 18" loader wheels and tractor lug tires, but money is not my name. I do have a bunch of 9:00 x 20 wheels & tires from a 2-1/2 ton / M35A2. There is enough metal on the center to drill the 6 on 7-1/4" hole pattern. I would go in between the M35 6 lug holes actually!
The 16" tires are around 30" in height and the 20" tires 39" so I would gain 4-1/2" of axle clearance. The fender clearance for the 16" tires is 9" at the top, but I can easily trim another 4 - 5" out all the way around. Just don't know if the fenders are worth that much being there dented, drilled, torn, etc. I don't plan to restore the truck pretty wise. If I was going to do all that, I'd just try to find a complete replacement cab in nice shape.

Thoughts?

[PwrWgnDrvr]

1 ton fenders are unique to 1 tons. But if they're beat to hell, no great loss. If you don't want to cut them, u can swap in 100/200 fenders, or 400/500 fenders and gain a lot of clearance. But the steps won't attach to 100/200 fenders.

[Wildergarten]

Thoughts?

Reminds me of my old '69 flatbed. The cowling has been rat habitat for almost 30 years.

[LarryB]

1 ton fenders are unique to 1 tons. But if they're beat to hell, no great loss. If you don't want to cut them, u can swap in 100/200 fenders, or 400/500 fenders and gain a lot of clearance. But the steps won't attach to 100/200 fenders.

Thanks
I knew they looked different w/t wide flare, but thought it was because it was early 60's. Didn't know 1T's were unique.
They could be fixed to be serviceable fenders, but not a show truck unless someone was really dedicated.
I have the steps, but they're not attached and never will be by me as they'd get smashed by a rock or stump.
I'll ck into finding some 400/500 fenders first if the tire and wheel plan proceeds.
I assume the 4:88 gears are OK for a tire as tall as 40"

[LarryB]

Thoughts?

Reminds me of my old '69 flatbed. The cowling has been rat habitat for almost 30 years.

Oh, you run a rat sanctuary too huh!
I finally got fed up 1-1/2 yrs ago of being over run and built 5 tipping tube traps and caught over 60-70+ of them since. They're finally scarce on my land anyway. Now I just catch mice w/t traps. Well over 250 of'em. I check the traps daily.

[Wildergarten]

Oh, you run a rat sanctuary too huh!

These are wood rats. We live on forested land.

I finally got fed up 1-1/2 yrs ago of being over run and built 5 tipping tube traps and caught over 60-70+ of them since. They're finally scarce on my land anyway. Now I just catch mice w/t traps.

We have a "feral" cat by the name of Alger Hiss. Does a pretty fair job, but there are piles of steel near where we park the cars that make up a refuge. So a few get through. Don't have time for trapping rats. After 30 years, I'm just now getting to the gophers. Made up some stainless tethers for a dozen traps this morning. As soon as I get the stainless skewers I've ordered and TIG welded them into the tether loops, it's war.

[LarryB]

Mine are wood rats or pack rats. I live in the woodlands too. Anywhere they can build a nest of sticks, and anything else they can chew and steal, they will. They'll chew up belts, hoses, wiring, plug wires, plastic trim, seat cushions, etc.
I have to leave the hoods open on all my vehicles that matter then go out and shut them if rain or snow is moving in.
HONDA power equipment sells a rodent barrier tape you can wrap wiring, etc with. It's impregnated w/ hot pepper, capsaicin I believe. Developed primarily for desert rats that would chew on rural irrigation equipment.

I have a few feral cats running around here too. Bobcats as well in the woods.
During the summer, I also carry a burlap sack when I travel. I'll stop and pick up rat snakes when I see them sunning on the road then drop them in a outbuilding when I get home.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

For the damn gophers, it is EXTREMELY effective to gas their entire warren with engine exhaust. I use a 5 HP Honda motor with a stainless flex line attached to the exhaust port. Connect the out end to a short threaded pipe with an elbow or tee on the end and bury it in the tunnel. Run the engine for a couple hrs, pumping exhaust thru the tunnels and they're totally exterminated.
Traps, poisons, baits and the stupid smoke bombs are a PITA, time expensive and highly ineffective. Its particularly satisfying to see the exhaust smoke seeping out of the mounds 30-40 feet from the input point.

[Jim100]

Alger Hiss wow that's random!
Mice drive me nuts I cant imagine those wood or pack rats.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Roof rats here. They climb better than squirrels, live in attics, crawlspaces, anywhere. They chew thru the window screens to get in the house at night. Have killed two by stomping them as they run thru the room, one as it ran between my feet sitting at the desk. Electric rat zapper traps fry the little *#%^$&@!#.

[Wildergarten]

Alger Hiss wow that's random!

When we got him, he was a feral from Watsonville. The vet said we'd never see him. Called him the most violent cat he'd ever handled. When we got him home, he was on his back in his cage with all fours in the air, hissing at us and growling malevolently. Hence the name: "Alger" means "clever warrior." He is indeed.

We put him in a cage under the back porch. I’d made it in such a way as to contain his future house. OOPS, although I’d made it with two doors, I’d neglected to design it with a way to partition him off while I changed his box and brought him food. So I made a portcullis of sorts out of fiberglass fence rods. I’d come to the cage, pull the rod, Alger would hide in his house, and I’d shove in the last rod. He quickly figured out that if he went into the house, he’d get fed. So when I came, he’d pop in there and back out in a flash before I could put in the rod… ‘Is it there yet?’ I knew I had a smart cat. It was hilarious.

I gave him a scratching block of redwood and a few days later came the breakthrough… Diane suggested I give him a toy. So I brought him this pink feathered thing and tossed it in and he just sat there staring at it with this huge grin on his face, ‘Nobody has ever done anything nice to me before.’ He’s been a buddy ever since. Still has that toy in his house too.

Alger is special. He follows me wherever I work on the property. He'll climb trees, doing loops around branches for fun. Alger KNOWS he's in kitty heaven. Even at 3:00 AM when I'm out cleaning ditches by flashlight in a downpower, up he'll come, yowling at me: "Dad, what the hell are you doing? It's raining! Rain isn't good for cats!!!" When I'm weeding in the rain he'll come up to use me as an umbrella, telling me I'm out of my mind to be there. It's annoying, but he's so cute about it. He even stands watch while I work when my old dog has crashed, and growl if he sees or smells something bad. Loves his tummy rubs and armpit scritches. Occasionally cuddly, occasionally aloof, and always sweet. We both love him to pieces.

Just remember, if you're going to change that clutch fluid, purge it with denature alcohol first!

[Hobcobble]

Roof rats here. They climb better than squirrels, live in attics, crawlspaces, anywhere. They chew thru the window screens to get in the house at night. Have killed two by stomping them as they run thru the room, one as it ran between my feet sitting at the desk. Electric rat zapper traps fry the little *#%^$&@!#.

Are they worse than rug rats?

John