What did you do WITH your Ranger today?

[TxOTRRanger]

The energy thing comes and goes. I'm 75 . I can vouch for you on that

Gregg, Dad is 71. He is not to far behind you on that. I have a feeling that he would agree with you on the energy coming and going lol

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[gfitzge2]

WooHooooooo! Drove the Ranger today. First time since February 11 th. When I parked it. It actually cranked a little slow after being laid up for three weeks. ( 2019 original battery) It sent me a message that it was going to take a nap while waiting my return. Just a short trip to the car wash and back, but it's a start.

BTW Thanks to you all for putting up with me telling my medical stories. Especially for all the encouragement, well wishes and your stories.

One of the best things about this forum is that you can do that and not get booted.

 

[AzScorpion]

WooHooooooo! Drove the Ranger today. First time since February 11 th. When I parked it. It actually cranked a little slow after being laid up for three weeks. ( 2019 original battery) It sent me a message that it was going to take a nap while waiting my return. Just a short trip to the car wash and back, but it's a start.

BTW Thanks to you all for putting up with me telling my medical stories. Especially for all the encouragement, well wishes and your stories.

One of the best things about this forum is that you can do that and not get booted.

That must of felt good to finally drive your Ranger!

Don't worry about the Mustang I'll return it in a few weeks. Annie's really got the hang of driving a stick now. She's been gone for a week (took it back home to Chicago) and wants to practice a little more with it before dropping it off.

One of the best things about this forum is that you can do that and not get booted.

Off topic....here, Naawww that never happens.

 

[gfitzge2]

That must of felt good to finally drive your Ranger!

Don't worry about the Mustang I'll return it in a few weeks. Annie's really got the hang of driving a stick now. She's been gone for a week (took it back home to Chicago) and wants to practice a little more with it before dropping it off.



Off topic....here, Naawww that never happens.

That car on the streets of Chicago ? for how long? It will probably just be a shell of its former self.

 

[AzScorpion]

That car on the streets of Chicago ? for how long?

It will probably just be a shell of its former self.

Might be a little worse than that.

 

[Ranger Mel]

WooHooooooo! Drove the Ranger today. First time since February 11 th. When I parked it. It actually cranked a little slow after being laid up for three weeks. ( 2019 original battery) It sent me a message that it was going to take a nap while waiting my return. Just a short trip to the car wash and back, but it's a start.

BTW Thanks to you all for putting up with me telling my medical stories. Especially for all the encouragement, well wishes and your stories.

One of the best things about this forum is that you can do that and not get booted.

Sounds like a lot of us have our own medical stories. We're all in good company it feels like!!

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

Your story is similar to mine. Nagging lower back pain that would flair up sometimes and then ease up. I was also told that I was too young for back surgery when I was 40 something. Last August that nagging pain intensified and didn't let up. I had been riding my bicycle 60 miles a week but it got to the point that I couldn't get on or off without intense pain. Oddly enough if I could get on, I could ride relatively pain free but getting off was a real challenge. This time the Dr. said that the bulging disks were rubbing on the nerves and that surgery was the only viable option. I am 75 so being too young was no longer an issue. Almost three weeks post surgery and I am very optimistic for my recovery. It is a process, a marathon not a sprint. I am seeing progress but it is very slow. My surgery got delayed by some scheduling snafu so I went from August to February in pain. At one point I asked if an epidural would help with the pain. They gave me one and it eased the pain for about 3 weeks but then it came back with a vengeance. That may be an option for you to try. I have a friend that gets the shot every 3 or 4 months and he stays ahead of the pain. I can also tell you that the surgery "ain't no picnic" but if successful it will be worth it.

When it gets to the point where it’s intolerable, I go get a shot. Not sure exactly what it is they give me, one is a steroid and one is a painkiller. It helps for a bit but I’ve also been warned that doing that can actually cause more damage long term. When you don’t feel pain, you’re more likely to do things you otherwise wouldn’t. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. When you ignore or block that signal, you end up causing more damage down the road.

I know that I’ll eventually have to get an operation done but it seems like they’re wanting to put it off as long as possible. Not sure what their reasoning is but when multiple docs have told me the same thing, there must be a valid reason. In the meantime, I try to stay conscious of my limitations and not do things that I know hurt.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

When I was 34, I got hit while on a traffic stop. Tore my back up pretty bad. Work comp kept declining everything. I fought the back and leg pain for almost 10 years until I got to the point my quality of life was so bad, I had to do something. Had surgery and I have been doing great for the last 12 years. Aggravated with myself for not having surgery sooner.

I think my issue is finding a doc that’s willing to do it. I’ve been to a couple docs and a few physical therapists. All of them have said the same thing, I just need to “take it easy” and “I’m too young” for that. I guess I’ll have to wait until I can’t walk and stuck in a wheelchair before they’ll address the problem…

 

[gfitzge2]

I think my issue is finding a doc that’s willing to do it. I’ve been to a couple docs and a few physical therapists. All of them have said the same thing, I just need to “take it easy” and “I’m too young” for that. I guess I’ll have to wait until I can’t walk and stuck in a wheelchair before they’ll address the problem…

I think you are correct. They want it to be very serious before doing such a major operation. And there can be complications. Fusing vertebrae will put more strain on the adjacent ones so sometime down the road they may act up, and need surgery as well. When I was explaining my symptoms to the orthopedic nurse practitioner, mostly how painful it was and it was really degrading my quality of life. She was sympathetic but not overly concerned. When I related that I was having trouble controlling my left foot and that sometimes it flopped when I walked, her tone changed. She said she considered that a medical emergency. If not addressed in time that could become permanent. My next stop was a CAT scan. The rest is history.

Ok guys, here is something else to think about. The first day of surgery required the spine Dr. and a vascular surgeon to open up from the front, and move things out of the way for the actual spine work. About a week before surgery was scheduled I had a consult with the vascular surgeon. He explained the process and then almost as a side note he said, also because of where this procedure is (lower spine), there is about a one percent chance of having issues with ED after the procedure.
I am happy to report that in this case I am not among the 1%.

 

[AzScorpion]

I think you are correct. They want it to be very serious before doing such a major operation. And there can be complications. Fusing vertebrae will put more strain on the adjacent ones so sometime down the road they may act up, and need surgery as well. When I was explaining my symptoms to the orthopedic nurse practitioner, mostly how painful it was and it was really degrading my quality of life. She was sympathetic but not overly concerned. When I related that I was having trouble controlling my left foot and that sometimes it flopped when I walked, her tone changed. She said she considered that a medical emergency. If not addressed in time that could become permanent. My next stop was a CAT scan. The rest is history.

Ok guys, here is something else to think about. The first day of surgery required the spine Dr. and a vascular surgeon to open up from the front, and move things out of the way for the actual spine work. About a week before surgery was scheduled I had a consult with the vascular surgeon. He explained the process and then almost as a side note he said, also because of where this procedure is (lower spine), there is about a one percent chance of having issues with ED after the procedure.
I am happy to report that in this case I am not among the 1%.

Not to worry there's a pill for that now. And the side effects aren't all that bad.

 

[LaBalbe]

Might be a little worse than that.

So, you're saying that Annie has some shopping to do? And for once, you wouldn't mind tagging along?

 

[gfitzge2]

So, you're saying that Annie has some shopping to do? And for once, you wouldn't mind tagging along?

Hey, I might be interested in bidding on that Coyote engine and Tremec 6 speed my self. It sounds like I will be in the market for another Fun car. A street rod with that power train would definitely be fun. Anyone have connections to ChicagoChopshop.com?

 

[LaBalbe]

Hey, I might be interested in bidding on that Coyote engine and Tremec 6 speed my self. It sounds like I will be in the market for another Fun car. A street rod with that power train would definitely be fun. Anyone have connections to ChicagoChopshop.com?

Isn't that run by Sal Capone?

 

[GhostStrykre]

this didn't seem worth creating its own thread for, but the longer i drive my ranger the more in tune i become with how it likes to be driven.

i've been doing some non-scientific testing with transmission response time to throttle input. when it comes to these modern 10 speed transmissions, and maybe just ford transmissions in general, the transmission likes to be what i call "loaded" prior to acceleration. i'll explain.

back when i had a 2011 ford edge i would mash on the gas and the transmission often had to think about what to do before downshifting and applying the horses to the driveline. while driving my ford ranger i noticed it has a tendency to do the same thing, but not always. sometimes it would shift and accelerate smoothly.

so my non-scientific testing involved me pressing on the accelerator to force the transmission to downshift a single gear. keep in mind, this does not dramatically increase speed at this moment, just jumps the RPMs. this is particularly effective when the RPMs are below 1500 and is what i call "loading" the transmission. it's like how batters in baseball wobble the bat while awaiting the pitch. the bat being in motion is easier to swing with higher speed than it is to swing a bat that is held still. once the transmission is loaded it's waiting for further input. if i then choose to accelerate, the truck effortlessly shifts and accelerates in a manner that is absolutely butter smooth. it works like 99 times out of 100. i haven't used a stop watch or anything (non-scientific, remember), but i'd bet this causes the responsiveness of the transmission to dramatically improve. it also seems to remove shifting harshness as evidenced by the butter smooth shifts.

a few notes:
- my truck is a stock tune. i've never gotten a tune of any kind on it.
- i'm in regular drive mode.
- i've got 92k miles on the truck, approx.
- i figure that the smooth shifting aftermarket tunes already know what i've written above and it's somehow factored into their shift strategy.
- i know, higher RPMs are obviously going to make the truck more responsive, but the key here is that i'm pressing the pedal in an ever so slight amount that doesn't actually cause the truck to speed up dramatically. i'm talking like holding speed around 55 or maybe it speeds up 3-4mph. the transmission also likes to hold the lower gear temporarily so i can manage speed for a brief period of time while the transmission is loaded before it will shift back into a higher gear.
- this method of loading the transmission really is something done by feel that i think will come easier to owners who have had the truck for longer and gelled with it. they know those little micro adjustments in the pedal that will cause the computer to make a single gear shift.
- using the +/- button on the gear shifter would work too, i figure, but doing it with my foot is way less clumsy.

anyway.. thought i'd share. i've been utilizing this transmission loading around the curvy country roads where i live and it really makes the driving experience sublime. i apply a lot of the same cornering strategies, with relation to carrying speed, that i employ while motorcycling. it's really neat to enjoy and challenge myself with while driving the truck. definitely enhanced how bonded i am with owning the truck since it feels like a new level of understanding.

anyway, throw spears at me and make fun of me, i swear it works! maybe it's just me.....

 

[AzScorpion]

this didn't seem worth creating its own thread for, but the longer i drive my ranger the more in tune i become with how it likes to be driven.

i've been doing some non-scientific testing with transmission response time to throttle input. when it comes to these modern 10 speed transmissions, and maybe just ford transmissions in general, the transmission likes to be what i call "loaded" prior to acceleration. i'll explain.

back when i had a 2011 ford edge i would mash on the gas and the transmission often had to think about what to do before downshifting and applying the horses to the driveline. while driving my ford ranger i noticed it has a tendency to do the same thing, but not always. sometimes it would shift and accelerate smoothly.

so my non-scientific testing involved me pressing on the accelerator to force the transmission to downshift a single gear. keep in mind, this does not dramatically increase speed at this moment, just jumps the RPMs. this is particularly effective when the RPMs are below 1500 and is what i call "loading" the transmission. it's like how batters in baseball wobble the bat while awaiting the pitch. the bat being in motion is easier to swing with higher speed than it is to swing a bat that is held still. once the transmission is loaded it's waiting for further input. if i then choose to accelerate, the truck effortlessly shifts and accelerates in a manner that is absolutely butter smooth. it works like 99 times out of 100. i haven't used a stop watch or anything (non-scientific, remember), but i'd bet this causes the responsiveness of the transmission to dramatically improve. it also seems to remove shifting harshness as evidenced by the butter smooth shifts.

a few notes:
- my truck is a stock tune. i've never gotten a tune of any kind on it.
- i'm in regular drive mode.
- i've got 92k miles on the truck, approx.
- i figure that the smooth shifting aftermarket tunes already know what i've written above and it's somehow factored into their shift strategy.
- i know, higher RPMs are obviously going to make the truck more responsive, but the key here is that i'm pressing the pedal in an ever so slight amount that doesn't actually cause the truck to speed up dramatically. i'm talking like holding speed around 55 or maybe it speeds up 3-4mph. the transmission also likes to hold the lower gear temporarily so i can manage speed for a brief period of time while the transmission is loaded before it will shift back into a higher gear.
- this method of loading the transmission really is something done by feel that i think will come easier to owners who have had the truck for longer and gelled with it. they know those little micro adjustments in the pedal that will cause the computer to make a single gear shift.
- using the +/- button on the gear shifter would work too, i figure, but doing it with my foot is way less clumsy.

anyway.. thought i'd share. i've been utilizing this transmission loading around the curvy country roads where i live and it really makes the driving experience sublime. i apply a lot of the same cornering strategies, with relation to carrying speed, that i employ while motorcycling. it's really neat to enjoy and challenge myself with while driving the truck. definitely enhanced how bonded i am with owning the truck since it feels like a new level of understanding.

anyway, throw spears at me and make fun of me, i swear it works! maybe it's just me.....

Curious if you've tried driving it in S mode for a while to if see there's any difference? It seems to me that's a whole lot of work when driving in S will/should do the same and having it more responsive. When I'm driving on curvy roads and ones with inclines/declines I'm always in S mode and depending on the grade I'll use the +/- to shift to get better control.

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