I bought this controller years ago but never got around to installing it in the Excursion. Given how much lighter the Ridgeline is, I’m more concerned about being pushed about by the trailer.
I opted for the Liberty (highway) model over the Elite (off-road & highway) for the two obvious reasons – price and the fact that I don’t take a trailer off road. That being said install for the two should be identical.
Continue reading “Trailer Brake Controller”We’re getting to the point where buying a house from a flipper is catching up to us. (It didn’t help that the flipper got the house from an addict.)
It’s time to start replacing things that have been neglected for years.
Up next, the garage door openers. (I’m pretty sure the water heater is next. Good times.)
When towing with the Excursion, I never really thought about the “extra load” on the engine, because I never towed anything heavy enough for the 7.3 to notice.
But if I’m going to tow with the Ridgeline, I’m going to have to monitor the engine a bit more closely.
Continue reading “More Input!”Yet another way that 23 years of technology have made trucks easier to manage. Yesterday morning, I had to move the trailer around the yard.
Normally, I ask my wife or son to direct me as I back up to the coupler.
The downward view on the backup camera makes hitching up a one man operation.
Luckily it’s on the center display screen.
Honda was kind enough to include a “microfiber” cloth to clean the screen. One day, about a week into ownership, I was cleaning fingerprints with the official cleaning cloth & it dug into the screen & scratched it.
🤬😡🤬😡😡🤬😡🤬😡
Continue reading “First scratch!!!”The Ridgeline has a 63” bed.
84” with the gate down.
But common building materials are 96” long.
Both my F-150 and Excursion, and even my wife’s minivan can carry 8 foot long materials with the rear closed up.
Today, walking out of Home Depot, the reason for the short bed was painfully obvious.
Answer after the jump…..
Continue reading “Dreaming of an eight foot bed”I installed a pair of Romik RPD-T running boards onto the Ridgeline.
Adds a bit of visual presence to the Ridgeline and makes it easier for my youngsters to get in.
Continue reading “Running Boards”As an Eagle Scout, I still try to prepare for any contingency. One of the common roadside emergencies is a flat tire.
For the past 35 years of driving, I’ve carried a traditional four way tire wrench to remove & install tires – but the Ridgeline doesn’t have a good place to store it!🤬
The good folks at The Ridgeline Owners Club have given me some sound advice.
Continue reading “Be prepared”One of my favorite features of the Ridgeline is amount of storage that was designed into it.
A sad day indeed, but one that I’ve known was coming for a long time. Today, I said goodbye to Fessick.
When the running board broke under my weight. Removing the running boards made it painfully obvious that the rocker panels were totally rusted out.
When the Neutral Safety Switch started getting wonky. To start the car, I need to switch between Park & Neutral until the switch completes the starter circuit.
When the parking pawls stopped engaging reliably. If I’m parking on a grade I have to go in and out of Park until the transmission manages to hold the car in place. Now the parking pawls seem to have failed completely, I’m parked against a pair of wheel chocks.
When the front hubs started whining. Actually, I’m not sure if it’s the hubs or the brakes, but there’s a definite whine from the front end.
Realistically, I could have fixed any of these issues, but when you stack them all together, it just doesn’t make sense.
The Excursion really doesn’t fit into my lifestyle. I live between NYC and Philly, this truck isn’t a good city vehicle.
I don’t do any heavy towing. I don’t cart around seven passengers.
In the six years I’ve owned this truck, only once have I used a feature of this truck that is unique to it. When I built the tiny shed, Fessick lived in the backyard with all my tools and materials.
And now the search begins… {note – the search actually began several months ago.}
Modern Anachronist 