Yes a new diesel is a shock to the wallet. My brother in law bought a new dodge dually this winter 4x4, 70K.... way to much for my blood .. I have a e350 van diesel ambulance with the 7.3 I use it for just about everything, from hauling my old case backhoe to the moto.. But for overnight weekend trips to the north with moto i take my old motorhome..  Cant beat eating BBQ ribs on the side of the road during a traffic jam..  lol

You guys must be big fans of Tim Allen !

I should think that going from a Sport Trac to a 3500 diesel would be traumatic to the thought process, comfort level, and the wallet !

Baby steps may be in order  :-)

  Yes a new diesel is a shock to the wallet. My brother in law bought a new dodge dually this winter 4x4, 80K.... way to much for my blood .. I have a e350 van diesel ambulance with the 7.3 I use it for just about everything, from hauling my old case backhoe to the moto.. But for overnight weekend trips to the north with moto i take my old motorhome..  Cant beat eating BBQ ribs on the side of the road during a traffic jam..  lol

You guys must be big fans of Tim Allen !

I should think that going from a Sport Trac to a 3500 diesel would be traumatic to the thought process, comfort level, and the wallet !

Baby steps may be in order  :-)

Yea it's a expensive hobby but I wouldn't give it up I have my kids zforce 500 and my rzr xp 1000 my toy hauler and a 12 ft trailer I pull behind my toy hauler a 22 foot trailer when it's just the 2 of us but I just bought a gooseneck so I can haul 3 or 4 side by sides but love to ride

Any / all thing Good doesn't  come cheep.. My wife cost / costs me a $$$$$$$.. LOL  I have a good buddy who Fly's for a hobby,, You want to get into cost try that,,,

Any / all thing Good doesn't  come cheep.. My wife cost / costs me a $$$$$$$.. LOL  I have a good buddy who Fly's for a hobby,, You want to get into cost try that,,,

I did try ultra lite flying till i almost killed myself in Florida.  Got caught in a thermal that just about ripped my wings off.. I then said if i make it back down alive i will never do this again  lol.. I sold it and never looked back

It's been a while since I've spent any money on this hobby, but I recently took on a project that was inspired by a near-accident trying to stop while going down a steep snow covered road towing the Z8 behind me. Lucky for me the other traffic saw my dilemma and got out of the way quick enough to avoid a formal introduction.

I decided then and there that I needed a trailer with brakes to avoid future like happen-stances. After all, the new truck came with factory brake controller, so I needed to put it to work if I was going to get my monies worth :-)

The trailer axle didn't have  brake flanges on it, so I first looked at buying a new trailer with brakes included. Ouch! Next I explored ordering a new axle complete with brakes, but with an odd axle size, and well over $500 delivered, I had to find a cheaper option.

I researched the process and ordered all the major parts online, including the brake flanges, 10" brakes, 7 wire trailer harness, and a brake-away kit for about $225 delivered (which I thought was remarkably cheap!). There were other expenses like wiring, connectors, and welding wire bought locally that brought the cost up to about $260.

My brother welded on the flanges to get me started, and within a few days the new brakes were installed and wired in. Yesterday's trip to Pisgah State Park was the first time towing with the
new brake set up. They worked perfectly and gave much greater confidence during braking in unexpected situations (like when the old hat pulled out in front of me on Rt 31!).

With this experience in mind, I would highly recommend to anyone buying a trailer to get one with brakes, or at least the flanges on the axle so you have the option later. It was a fun project that was well worth the $$$ spent.

I topped the project off by replacing the garbage Carlisle tires that came with the trailer, with a pair of radial Providers; another $200 balanced and installed.

Hey, you just described all of us here, it's not a sport, it's a LOVE ! Go give your machine ( love ) a hug !
Safe and Happy Travels bro !

just be glad you just have one hobby I got many and they are not cheep