Torklift Blog

“Don’t!” Camping is great fun for the whole family.  Including the four-legged ones. So, it was time to let Ivy, my cat, enjoy the freedom of truck camping and a new second home on wheels.  Why not? Dogs love to swim, explore all the new smells of the great outdoors, sneaking dropped camping goodies, and the thrill of hunting big...

I’m not referring to basketball. Fishing this weekend netted me a big zero on my state angler’s punch card.  So, I had some time to think about what the word “net “really means. Net, a device to entrap fish and also a financial term that means what you get to keep. So, in terms of netting nothing, maybe I’m more...

Rain is no excuse to postpone a camping trip. It is inevitable for people living in the Northwest, so here are some hints for looking on the bright side and thinking about all the great things about camping in the rain. 1.  The wet dog smell- A familiar fragrance in the NW, popular on canines and humans.  2.  The relaxing sound...

Forklift Jen Beep, Beep…here I come. No, not really.  I’m actually not Forklift Jen, Tork lift Jen, Torquelift Jen or even Dorklift Jen. It’s a common mistake when you have an easily rhyming name, and I don’t take it personally. With all of the new ways I am learning to get around here at Torklift, I hope I eventually have...

Looking back to my humble beginnings of truck camping there were many learning opportunities and tips that I should have picked-up on in regard to all this truck camping stuff. I am reminded that all I really needed to know about truck camping, I learned in kindergarten. Like coloring, stay between the lines on the highway and go a little...

I’m making a splash … literally. I put myself on assignment this weekend and hauled some boating stuff up to the lake.  In my mind, this was a professional outing, so I geared-up and had hyped myself into being a rather important researcher. Then I learned the real meaning of “splash.” With all my enthusiasm I jumped into the little...

The F-350 seat adjusted: Check.    The squiggle indicator off: Check.    No explosion upon starting the engine and the Everest parts are off: Check.  Phew!  I think I can do this.    The rest of the test drive went smoothly. Really!    I was impressed by the handling of the truck, especially with such a big camper.  I felt...

“SCRRRAAAAPE…..!” Imagine my surprise as I made shave-ice out of the sidewalk on my first turn onto the main street in the Ford F-350.  I’m thinking they are going to need a “Don’t Trip” sign over that nice etching. This is a continuation of my first trip in the dually, time elapsed now less than 30 seconds. There was just...

I was warned by my manager at Torklift, “If you see the light on and you start the engine too soon you will blow those bulbs out and the bulbs are $600 each.” Those are very expensive bulbs I thought! Later I was told it was engine parts that were the concern not the bulbs! :) I was already nervous...

“These are my feet and those are the pedals,” I thought to myself. This was my first observation upon getting into the driver’s seat of the Ford F-350.  If you could call it a driver’s seat.  It’s more like a king’s throne that requires a ladder to get in. There was going to be a problem if this is as...