After losing around 70 percent of his ?fun money? savings, former Ford Employee Gary Mueller found a unique way to enjoy his retirement, delivering large recreational camper trailers to their owners across North America.
Mueller bought himself a brand new 2002 Ford F-350 Super Duty and has been performing the task ever since. Today he?s been to all lower 48 states and seven Canadian Provinces, racking up a total of 1,020,000 miles in his truck. Equipped with the 7.3-liter Powerstroke Diesel, Mueller averages between 600 to 800 miles per day of driving, with the trailers weighing 11,000 lbs or more.
People started telling Mueller that once his truck reached the 300,000 mile mark he should consider replacing it, but more than 700,000 miles later, it?s still running strong. To help conserve fuel he drives steadily, avoiding false starts and stops wherever possible and keeping the revs below 2000 rpm on the open road, usually cruising at speeds between 60 and 62 mph. ?I will see the same people pass me two or three times a day,? he says. ?They?re going 70 or 80 mph, and have to keep stopping for fuel.?
Apart from regular oil changes and maintenance, including 10 sets of tires, Mueller has done virtually nothing to his truck and as long as it remains economically viable, he?ll keep on hauling campers with his ?02 Super Duty. ?I don?t think I could be happier with a truck,? he says.
