I have tried to go with a larger tire but my issue was the 6” wheels. Guys run a wider tire but they pucker because the wheel is too narrow. You have to run enough air in them so they do not rub on the duals unless you run spacers. I’m not a fan of spacers. With enough air so that they don’t rub you end up only running 3-4” contact patches in the center of the tire.
I have looked at 18x8 wheels. Then went to 19.5 wheels and tires just to abandon that idea due to a harsh ride. Then full circle to giving up and going with the stock size in a better tire. The better all terrains better fill the wheel wells some. They usually have a more aggressive tread and the sidewalls have tread that rolls over some. I have ran Cooper ST Maxx tires. They were ok but would rotate on the wheels under heavy braking in the front. They also threw every weight i had on them. I ended up going with solid non biodegradable air soft pellets in the tires. .25g from Walmart. Maximum precision brand @$12.00 total. That was an amazing way to dynamically balance the tires and balance them as they rotated on the wheels. Now i have Nitto Exo Grapplers. These never move or throw weights but i have more pellets waiting to go in if needed.
When Ram was bidding the tires they had a maximum price point of $40 per tire. Before Nexen they used General. Nexen was one of three or four companies that bid the Ram tire contract and Nexen was the only company to be able to hit the price point.
The following is a DOT. And my opinion based on articles i read years ago and my own experiences. Manufacturers go to tire companies and have the company build a tire that hits their price point and quality target. Then they place a huge order built to spec. These tires will be a different quality than if you went into the store to get the same unit. The Firestone Transforce tires found on the 2500 trucks is a good example of this. My Transforce tires on my previous 14 were gone by 15,000 miles. This was also the case with a buddys truck. We got a good deal on some from Discount and ran them again. Same look same name. Way different mileage experiences. They wore like iron. We even had some on a trailer that rotted before the tread was gone.
The tires from the manufacturer need to be cheap, quiet, and offer good braking. They don’t care about a mileage target or long life. When you go to a tire shop these tires usually have a better warranty and mileage target often covered by a warranty. These tires are often built to a different standard even though they look the same. They have different rubber compounds etc. This could explain why Discount Tire refused to buy my new take offs even though they sold the same Nexen tire in the store. I literally drove four miles from the dealer to their store like i always did. But, this Nexen was one tire they could not purchase as a take off.
These trucks are in a power and payload war. The maximum payload is listed on the door along with GVWR and a sticker tallying options like steps and such can lower this payload number. If you can save a few pounds per tire times seven tires your payload goes up and pounds count all the while keeping the 14,000 GVWR intact.
Another example of this coming from the Chevy and Duramax arena is the AC Delco brand of parts. That brand has the same name and you can find three different levels of parts. Each looking the same mostly but with a different price point and expected service life.
I will end the rambling. Just knowing you need to be on the lookout for any vibration that could be a tire will keep you safer until you can decide which direction to go. Like i said previously, i am surprised there has not been a class action lawsuit yet. There are numerous threads discussing this on the different forums and such. And, Ram went cheap on tires where they are an easy fix. I prefer they spend the money on things that are harder to fix like the Aisin and Cummins.
Other than tires I have had no other issues. Not a single one on anything. The Cummins and Aisin are simply great together. I HATED my 68rfe and its the reason i ditched the truck. It was on its third transmission by 14,800 miles. Yes, 14,800.

Don, i have the same truck as yours just a 2015. Its a 3500 dually. I usually just lurk reading all the info this site has. I have to jump in with a warning. We care about you and your families safety. Don’t over estimate those Nexen tires. They are total garbage and i am surprised there has not been a class action lawsuit yet. They are SO DANGEROUS.
My truck weighs 10,000-14,000 daily. I have had six of those Nexens either break belts, bulge sidewalls, or simply blowout. The fronts are not up to the task. Even at 80 psi cold they look like they need air.
When i got the truck i went directly to discount tire to trade them in on some better tires. Discount has always done this. This time they declined due to liability. They told me the tires were dangerous. So i ran them trying to not be wasteful. None made it to 19,000. Just look up the reviews in the forums to see how they are working out.
I know you plan to swap them so just monitor them. With a slide in camper those fronts are going to be hurting. And, a failure there could be catastrophic.

Edit: I just called Kyle, a guy I have known/trusted for years. He has heard about the Nexen tire thing, but he said he only knows of problems with the 8-ply tires and not the 10-ply ones like I have. He actually said he thought they were very reliable and has not seen problems at all with them.
Hmmm.
Anyway, I asked him to find me a tire package of a larger size to give me an option...

More to follow...

I have an 04 Suburban with the 5.3. It is my wife’s daily driver and now has 195,000 miles. It has never had anything other than maintenance done and an alternator rebuild. Only fluids and filters otherwise. All service done per the owners maintenance recommendations. It is on its second set of tires which are nearing the end of their life. I have no idea how they last so long. This year did not have the active fuel management. If i were to buy a new one that system would be disabled for sure.
The parts to keep these things going are cheap cheap cheap. The alternator rebuild cost less than $100. I was told by a service department in Colorado that they could swap in a new engine and transmission for $2800 each.
When it dies i will repower it. I will add a turbo or possibly do a crate motor that is much larger. I would like a 500-600 horse power sleeper. But, this thing keeps going and doesn’t burn a drop of any fluid. I have also though about shipping it to duraburb for a Duramax transplant.

Quote from: Jared Herzog on May 05, 2018, 10:56:14 AM

Those steps look great. When a company comes to carpet they add about $75 to carpet one step. Then an additional $75 per step. Lowes and Homedepot do this with the offer they have to carpet a house for $99. It does not include steps. So if you can do your own steps you can save big.

All the recent ads I’ve heard from HD say they include steps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That would be great. We have had customers call Lowes/Homedepot out to do carpet with the hope of a cheap install to have a large bid handed to them due to steps. We usually end up using our usual carpet guy who is not attached to Lowes/Homedepot. Once you have the right tools steps go pretty quickly.

Those steps look great. When a company comes to carpet they add about $75 to carpet one step. Then an additional $75 per step. Lowes and Homedepot do this with the offer they have to carpet a house for $99. It does not include steps. So if you can do your own steps you can save big.

Hiding spots are important. So is letting your family know what is where if they can be trusted. I have seen some crazy stuff i may get into here at a later time.

The rules governing the commercial side due to peoples stupidity tests my patience. I had an inspector test every door closure i did. About 200 doors. They test close speed for the initial sweep. The door must slow down right before the actual close and do a cushioned soft close that locks but not too tight all without exerting too much pressure. This is complicated as the pressure in a building changes as AC cycles and other doors may be open or closed. We were also supervised by the army core of engineers who has their own inspectors. OSHA is what most people go by. Their philosophy was that OSHA set a minimum standard so they have their own more ultra crazy standard. Cost does not matter for the government. So these government contracts take our tax money to build projects with crazy safety in place. For example i spent about six hours tightening and replacing two pieces of iron. Without the safety crap ,after hours with the inspector gone, i increased my productivity to do the same in 15 minutes. I got written up twice in one day. I was the only person on site on a Saturday, with the exception of the company safety officer, and an Army corp inspector showed up. If they show up they stay until they can write someone up. I got written up when my hard hat fell off when i looked up into the ceiling grid. Then i got written up for a Dr Pepper in a bottle with a lid in a spill proof cart in a rubber daycare where everything is made to be cleaned daily. The drink on site decision was made by the super that they were allowed. He just had nothing else to write up and wanted to go home. I filed the write ups in the folder with all job write ups.  There were just over 5000 in there. When the job is done they get tossed and no one cares. Laughable at best.
The ADA people really have gotten out of hand. There is a group here in Austin that goes to small businesses and sits on the toilet to take measurements. If anything is off or out of spec a law suit is filed for discrimination. They check wheelchair ramp angles and handrails. Even the TP holder must be in spec.

I have a confession to make. I hate going to the store when they are crowded. Back to school in a college town absolutely sucks. People leave their carts in the middle of the aisle so you can not get past while they are off looking at other stuff. Just walking slow with people trying to get around them just to stop in the middle of the aisle and walk off leaving the cart blocking everyone. I am not talking about leaving a heavy cart out of the way at Lowes as i do that all the time. JRs experience just jogged my memory. But inconveniencing everyone on purpose. So I started a game with the kids called cart roulette. If there is not a kid or purse in the cart i just take the entire thing. The whole thing and move it to a more appropriate area. Sometimes some of the selections in their cart look pretty good so find their way into my cart. Then sit back and watch the aftermath unfold. The best times are when college kids are shopping for stuff with their parents. I simply toss in stuff they would need and see what happens at the checkout. I have tossed in books for lonely women and chocolates. I have tossed in pool floats and comfort foods. I have tossed in books and magazines about Trump to our more left leaning confused citizens. I have tossed a bottle of Vagisil into a frat guys basket and none of his buddies saw it happen.  I usually just carry stuff around the store with me and toss whatever into abandoned carts. The funniest thing i have ever tossed into a college kids cart while the parents were there was a HUGE value pack of condoms. The parents were lit when it slid across the scales. The kid (a female) was embarrassed and confused.
Moral of the story: Jared is a jerk and watch your cart in my town. But, do not judge me just yet. The next time you are behind a shopper doing exactly what i described this post will come back to you. A smile will cross your face and you will have an idea. Give it a try first. Good times will be had by all.

IMO it is better to do a heavier first coat of primer even if you do a second coat. The first coat soaks into the drywall paper and joint compound. If the coat is too thin the primer does not get soaked in as well before it dries and seals. This keeps a second thin coat from penetrating as much as a thick first coat would have. It sort of bonds everything together when a first coat is done right. I have noticed that when the primer step is skipped the texture is easier to damage. Primer is also a wetter product than the thicker premium paints available now which also aids in absorption. Premium paints these days usually have a built in primer. This should not replace the actual step of priming. The paint and primer in one is usually pretty thick and geared more to hiding wall stains and irregularities when doing a paint over paint project.
The addition is looking great.

Interesting. I have also seen that before. Probably so the osb did not have to be cut. There is a plate joint above it also.  I guess at least they put wood there other than just seam tape.

Closets are time machines. I would rather tape, float, and paint a room than a closet. They take about the same time IMO.
I need to look around. I think i remember seeing some drywall paper tape with small pin holes to grab the mud. I am thinking it will hold better but have not had any issues with the plain old paper tape. Come to think of it i have not had issues with fiberglass tape either. Researched it a bit yesterday and it appears you must use hot mud or setting compound with the mesh tape. I have a homemade taping machine that takes the all purpose mud and paper tape. I will most likely have the wife and daughter use that to tape the house and come behind and float it out. One thing i have seen done wrong at some sites is the taper uses too much pressure and forces too much of the mud from under the tape. It pretty much pushes all the mud out. It holds for a while but will eventually come loose and sag and then crack away and need attention. So when using tape press it in but not so much that there is no mud left underneath.
I have spent many years floating new homes and making repairs on remodels. I hated it at first. Then you get a technique and it becomes enjoyable. I am floating my house to both stay on budget and to keep with the trend here of teaching my daughter how to do the work and greatly minimize the use of outside labor. The issue of taping and floating is one we will all face. This particular trade has gotten pretty expensive to hire out. The cost per sheet for labor has doubled in the last five years.

I have been researching sheetrock and have gone way down into that rat hole. What do you guys think of the lightweight sheetrock on the market? It is all that is available at HomeDepot and Lowes. It is also more expensive. I bought six sheets to prerock. I must admit i am against the use if it due to the higher cost and the addition of air into the board. I never buy in bulk from the box stores. I usually get it from the contractor outlets that only deal in drywall. It is much cheaper that way and they deliver it into the house and sort it into the rooms for the same delivery fee everyone else charges to just drop it in the driveway.
I usually just make sure it is made in the US and is a name brand. I also prefer a deeper bevel on the joints. The last brand i used was American Gypsum brand and it worked well. My hangers charge the same price per sheet to hang the heavy stuff.
My only experience with lightweight is in remodels where we remove the old lightweight stuff. It just crumbles more easily and some is actually mushy. There is also generally more cracking with it. But, this stuff is probably five years old or so which would put it at the beginning of hitting the market so maybe it has gotten better.
The house in question is also my personal home. I do have a small budget so this time i foamed the attic and batted the walls with R15 fiberglass insulation. This has proven to be great. I do not want an airtight house because the prepper in me wants to be able to live in it without electricity and not rely on air exchangers and dehumidifiers that an airtight house needs. They did the insulation on a cool day. A week has passed and it has become much hotter here and it is still very cool inside the house. Since the home is in central Texas i need to keep heat from the attic and roof out of the house.

On another note i keep an eye on this thread for questions. My goal is to put my entire home build here along with photos of customer work and some of the work of others we are called in to fix. You guys will be shocked by some of the stuff i find and see hidden from homeowners who trusted the wrong contractor.
I am waiting to set up a router to add photos more easily. From my phone the pictures are not loading properly using data and my data is limited. I have not forgotten about these photos at all. I should have the internet connection soon.

I have broken some tools that way also. I have found there are many websites where you can buy parts and pieces to repair the tool. Just do a search on the brand and model number and sites will pop up. Most of the time it is cost effective to repair the tool especially if you can do it yourself. But, if a guy wants a new tool this broken one can be used on the wife as proof of death/use. Then get a new tool and fix the old. I just finished rebuilding an echo chainsaw and used www.ereplacementparts.com. Needed the saw working for doing volunteer work for a widow of an LAPD officer who is on our list to watch out for. We do what we call a widow run. There are several widows we know who are elderly so we work for free or free with the materials they purchase. Some of the work is just heavy lifting like keeping their water softeners full and such.
The shed is looking great. I wish more people would tackle their own builds at home. They would end up with a better product than can be purchased most of the time. Your added design features, like the truss tail scrolls and window trim scroll work, would add significantly to the cost so in an apples to apples comparison you are coming out nicely.
I am still having great results with the Behr paint and am buying more today. If anyone else here wants 20% off Behr paint right at the register PM me for the discount number to enter at checkout. Or ask Don for the information.

The viega tools i have match the copper crimp ring tool in size. It must go around the pipe which is at times hard in confined spaces. The clamp tool only needs to grab one side of the clamp and the same tool crimps 3/8” to 1” fittings.  My plan is to buy a 100 count pack of 3/4” sharkbite clamps and a 100 count pack of 1/2” sharkbite clamps and use these with my tool. I will use them on Apollo fittings when necessary but, otherwise i want to stick to either Viega or sharkbite when i can plan out the jobs. In an emergency i will be able to use this setup with most brands of fittings.
When i do plumbing i do manifolds. I run pex al pex under the slab when it is Viega. They call it fosta pex. This style has an aluminum inner layer. So it is pex-aluminum-pex. The outer layer of pex with the aluminum gets removed or stripped with a special tool. This lets the pex have memory and will retain bends like copper. It also can be in the sun. Pex b must be out of the direct and indirect sunlight within six months. I believe it is the same way with pex a and c also. It can be covered with insulation.
My manifolds are sized to keep good flow based on fixtures. It is best to limit the fitting count as this slows the water flow down since the fittings go inside the pipe. The water also has to make sharp turns. So have gentle non kinked bends when possible. Sharkbite also has some nice copper manifolds. These limit the number of expensive fittings needed and with Viega the cost adds up quickly. I like to use 3/4” and 1/2” stuff as much as possible. 1” fittings are real expensive and harder to work with. They also hold more water so the time it takes to get hot to a fixture increases. Most homes on a tap are fed by a 5/8” ID meter anyway. From the meter or well to the house i run parallel 1” or 1 1/4” pipe. From there i feed a manifold with (2) 3/4” pex runs. Here are some photos of what i just did at my home along with the sharkbite copper manifold piece. They have manifolds with different amounts of runs coming off of them. You can feed from manifold to manifold.

I recommend that you go to lowes. Get sharkbite pex. Type b. It is made in the USA. The Apollo pex from H Depot is made in China. Then get the sharkbite crimp tool for clamps. Also made in the USA. Use the stainless clamps. Sharkbite also has a tool that crimps copper rings. They must be checked with the go no go gauge every crimp. They are two different tools. The other tool that crimps the clamps is what i just bought. The copper rings are not rated for burial. The stainless clamps are. That is really the cheapest way to do what you are wanting to do. My tools are sitting here in the truck with me so here is a shot of the tool and clamps. If you will be closer to me near Austin you can borrow my tool. After all my research this is what i got to use when Viega is not possible.

We have talked about pex in the past here. I am helping finish this 6000 ft house and they used a mix of sharkbite and apollo clamps. They used a mix of apollo and sharkbite fittings. Everything was the clamp style. I usually use Viega and am comfortable with it. But, at half the price for the fittings i did a TON more research to see how to handle this. About two days worth with calls to sharkbite and apollo.
Here is what i found. The pex is the same size in each type being A, B, or C. So i use type b and can buy any brand type b and be ok. I will use either Viega or sharkbite pex pipe. They are made in the US. Apollo pex pipe is made in China. Viega fittings are made in Italy or the US. Sharkbite and apollo are Chinese fittings. Apollo tools are Chinese made. Sharkbite tools are US made. Around here Lowes has sharkbite and Home Depot has Apollo and a few sharkbite mixed in. The stuff at Home Depot is the sharkbite fittings only. They do not sell the sharkbite clamps.
The fittings are generally, almost 100%, the same OD so the fittings work with each others clamps. The builder here mixed apollo and sharkbite clamps with the fittings. But, they only had an apollo clamping tool. They said this was ok but my research says it is not. Some were leaking. I had to reclamp several. All will have issues where the apollo tool clamped a sharkbite clamp and vice versa. The sharkbite tool is calibrated to pinch their own clamps. Apollo will pinch their own clamps. DO NOT MIX APOLLO CLAMPS WITH A SHARKBITE TOOL. DO NOT MIX A SHARKBITE CLAMP WITH APOLLO TOOL. The sharkbite tool is calibrated to its own clamp and does not close as far as an apollo tool will on their own clamp. This could lead to leaks or broken clamps which may present themselves some time in the future. No leak now equals a possible leak later. One way would be to recalibrate the tool with the go no go gauge. This may allow the tool to basically crimp a competitors clamp. The difference is .001”. 
The Viega fittings are expensive. They are bronze. The sharkbite and apollo fittings are copper. The copper could suffer dezincification. This is likely with manufacturing of the materials in China. There were recent lawsuits with Zurn fittings that had the zinc leach out and the fittings crumbled. This issue is not one a bronze fitting will suffer.
So now i own the viega tools and the sharkbite tools. The sharkbite tools are much cheaper and one tool crimps 3/8-1”. Where the viega has a separate tool for each size.
I will only be using Viega on my personal homes. If a customer chooses i will do sharkbite. I can also source fittings more easily when we do repair work. Viega is only offered at actual plumbing shops around here. 
I did find the sharkbite push to connect fittings are rated for wall burial where access is limited or non existent. I wonder how this will pan out in the future when the o ring that seals dries up and starts leaking. Maybe they never will but that is not what i have seen of very old o rings.
Apollo and Sharkbite also have a copper crimp ring tool and kit. These must have each crimp checked with a go no go gauge. This copper ring is not to be buried. The stainless clamps are rated for ground burial if that matters.
Anyway, what are you guys seeing or finding about this pex stuff? I imagine in the near future these clamps will be standardized or maybe not. Using a mix of fittings and clamps with the wrong tool could be an out on a warranty claim.

Overhead cutting in sheetrock or hardi is best left to the new guy and the biggest reason every site needs a new guy. Or a son.

Looks great.

Yes, it is the profile. There are two different sizes. As far as i know it is the smaller of the two. The larger looks bad when installed as it hangs down. Just trim it with a razor knife and cut it with a circular saw. Do not cut it real cold this time of the year as it will crack. Warm it up if needed.

Here are some tricks on the ceiling hardi. Use H vinyl. Before sliding the piece into the h vinyl take a grinder to the hardi and make sure it will fit in the h vinyl. Usually the ends are mushroomed from the factory and they will not go in, just buzz around the perimeter and clean it up. Grind as fast as you can walk around it is all it takes. A heat gun helps massage the plastics if needed. That ceiling hardi is horrible to do with less than two guys. It is very flexible and breaks easily and is expensive. A 2x4 cut to ceiling height with a flat 3-4’ piece on the top can be used as a prop. It is almost impossible to do alone and have it look good. Without H vinyl the joints look wavy and the nails have a tendency to blow the edges out. Start with a chalk line for reference and mark it 4’1/2” from the beam or wall where you will be starting. If the first row is stair stepped the rest is more difficult.
Wish i was closer to your end of Texas. I would lend a hand.
Here is one i just did. Zoom in and you can see the h vinyl and how i staggered the joints.

People would be better off always building their own storage buildings. The ones that can be purchased pre built around here are expensive and poorly constructed. They utilize 2x3 studs 24”oc and masonite siding with the cheapest three tab shingles a guy can find.
You may be able to put some guys to work prefabbing walls and put your own kit together.
We have done a few storage/well buildings and we try to incorporate hidden storage in the ceiling joists for rifles. The walls and ceiling get osb sheeting on the inside which gets screwed down. The attic floor also has a layer of osb or plywood to create the hidden storage in the ceiling. These screws can be removed in different places to reveal canned food storage and ammo stockpiles. The 3 1/2” cavity can have pine dividers installed so almost anything a guy might want to hide can be stacked.
We have sat down with more than one homeowner and strongly suggested they leave their home for the storage building in the event of a tornado. These homes where we recommended this were framed terribly poorly. The walls had cracks you could fit your fingers into and swayed in the wind.
These small buildings can be made SUPER strong. When we do a reinforced storage building it gets extra concrete anchors during the pour. Then the base plate is anchored more with additional wedge anchors. All plywood sheeting must grab the bottom plate and both top plates then it is best to go with structural soffit.  The inside gets 3/4” plywood. The outside gets hardi and under that 5/8” plywood. The plywood layers stop projectiles like flying studs better than osb. This plywood sandwich can be insulated or foamed inside. Some have us fill the cavity with sand or maximizer in lifts. The sand filled cavity is better with a thicker wall.  Go 2x6 or 2x8. This will stop or slow down bullets.

Here is my 12x14 with 4x8 porch and hidden storage. The window looks like a weak link but there is a 3/4” layer of plywood that slips into slots and is pinned in. It is then painted black to look dark inside. The door locks are anchored into studs and there are metal plates slotted into the studding. I plan to epoxy fill the door and add timbers that also prevent the door from being kicked in.

JR might be onto something. Some of the 6X6 turned posts already have a square hollow core. Maybe you can find some square tubing that fits inside without drilling and compromising the post. If you do use pipe use heavy pipe. Like rigid electrical conduit pipe or drilling pipe. The thinner fencing pipe used on corners is good with compression to a point. But, if there is a side load that causes any deformation of the wall they will bend real easy. Most posts are only strong when vertical. Induce sway and the post is no longer vertical. Also, on these covers the posts are exposed to more weather as wind blows rain into the structure. Even with good paint the expansion and contraction of the wood forms small cracks in the paint. These cracks absorb water into the post under the paint where it is harder to dry out. This increases the speed at which they rot. If you can find posts treated and rated for ground contact they will last longer. Much longer. The posts i am seeing on the market are treated with a wax type coating which makes them safe to use inside a dwelling. This coating is also used as a food preservatives and is safe and non toxic. But, outside they are not holding up well for extended time periods. 
Another thing worth mentioning is that turned posts with a hollow core get pretty thin where they are turned. The manufacturers are using (4) 2x6’s glued together with a hollow core then turning them to kick out these posts. I think the 6x6 posts are rated for @5500-6000 pounds each but only in compression.
Something else i learned the hard way is to always wrap wooden posts that are getting wrapped with rock really well. They need to be pre painted and wrapped in house wrap or tar paper or both. If not the rock absorbs water this water is transferred to the post and causes the post to swell. This swelling post expands and cracks the rock work which allows more water in and more swelling. 

If you are using the posts i think you are burying them in the dirt and concreting around them will remove any movement and also take the need for using braces on the corners away for a year or two. Then the posts will be either rotted or termite infested and will need to be redone. When we get into free standing structures we go to 4x4 steel posts galvanized and buried in a hole filled with concrete. Or we use imbeds and weld the post to the imbed.
You can do imbeds and attach wooden posts to them but no matter what there will be a pivot point there. Depending on the amount of air push and lift that roof has it could be substantial movement. If it were my structure with my family underneath it i would do at least one of these things.
1) corner braces on wood or iron posts.
2) cement in galvanized posts and have a plate at the top of the post that wraps around the beam and is structurally screwed to the beam removing movement and the ability to lift.
3) Wall in two sides of the structure and internally reinforce the roof structure to stop any side to side movement.
4) Anchor it to an existing structure.
It is nice to match existing structures but it is more important to ensure a structure is stable. The posts can be rocked around and used as a feature that matches some existing rock on the pool or in the yard to keep a theme going. I have been lucky to never have a structure come down. In my part of Central Texas it is common to get straight line winds. I have been on ranches and seen structures that are not braced and anchored properly simply get ripped from the ground and tossed into a pasture. What is more common is less wind that induces sway and the roof being heavy pivots the posts and lays over. If the corner braces are not proper it can snap the post right below the brace.

I agree that the Rigid has a pretty good warranty. Had my set from over 10 years ago fixed or replaced many times. It is used daily. It is a long and painful process at times though. Eventually my 24V Rigid stuff was warrantied out for 18V stuff which is not nearly as good. Not a fan of Ryobi. The few Ryobi tools we have purchased were geared to homeowners more than the trades. Their batteries did not hold up and i think most of the internals were plastic and stripped out. But, homeowners and older people like the light weight feel. Not a fan of any one tool manufacturer and have a mix of stuff. To me the tool must feel right. Dewalt does not have the best warranty and i think they need to improve the life span of their batteries but i run stuff hard all day and Dewalt is still in my truck. I am going to try the flex volt dewalt stuff soon. Some of my tools get run so hard you can no longer hold them due to their heat. I have actually caught my Rigid drill and circular saw on fire more than once. Rigid replaces them. Makita and Milwaukee are both good also. The battery tools have gotten pretty good over the years. Sometimes when you are really working the tools there is no replacement for a corded tool.