First drive review of Slate truck coming on Jay Leno's Garage!

[cadblu]

The wheels remind me of the spare tire wheel on past vehicles I have owned.

Exactly! The only thing missing is the yellow label, "Do not exceed 50 mph" as they appear on "space saver" spare tires. But for some reason these "steelies" look cool on the Slate.

 

[SparkYellow]

White top looks brilliant! I was wondering if silver vinyl reflects heat because all the heat reflective shades I use for camping are silver.

 

[nevermindkid]

So many great reviews for Slate. Add Jay's approval and exposure....BAM ! Winner winner, chicken dinner ! Can't wait see the interview. Cheering you on Slate. My driveway is ready and waiting. 😉

 

[sodamo]

Already warned my Tundra, Slate to get its spot in garage.

 

[cadblu]

This being a 2nd vehicle, I plan to install the rear rollbar and bench seat and keep as the open air version year round. When bad weather sets in I’ll just pull into the garage.

 

[cadblu]

The Slate pickup will soon be featured on Jay Leno's Garage and from Jay's preview words, it sounds like he's impressived! This will surely boost Slate Auto's profile among the general public.

Jay is an extraordinary wealth of information on automotive history, advice, and hands on knowledge. I’m glad to see he’s still finds time to do what he’s passionate about on his YouTube channel, while taking devoted care of Mavis. This was an excellent strategic and well timed move by Slate. Jay’s endorsement will help convert more reservations into actual sales.

 

[GaRailroader]

Old timers like me will recall
that Land Rover pioneered the iconic
contrasting white/limestone roof
on its utility vehicles,
starting with the Series II Land Rover
in the early 1960s.

A white top will add comfort here in
far Northwest Deep East Texas
in the Dirty South.

My grandfather and uncle had matching 1964 Chevy pick-ups with dark green paint and white roofs. I definitely like that look. I made one in the Slate maker with the lime green and white roof and it doesn't look as good. Definitely looks better with darker color on the bottom to contrast with the white.

 

[KevinRS]

My grandfather and uncle had matching 1964 Chevy pick-ups with dark green paint and white roofs. I definitely like that look. I made one in the Slate maker with the lime green and white roof and it doesn't look as good. Definitely looks better with darker color on the bottom to contrast with the white.

My grandmother drove a jeep style scout, by the time I saw it it was almost an olive green, I guess it started more vibrant, with the white top, and my grandfather drove the red pickup style, with white top.
They did flat tow both of them at times, and drove them up and down steep hills, rockhounding, but people 4WDing since their time are on a different level. That is where I saw some of the limits of flat towing, he had a problem on a trip I was with him on, pulling out of driveways like gas stations. The RV's rear wheels were far enough foreward that the scout was pulled left first on a right turn, then suddenly the direction changed to right. Didn't matter what you did, short of having someone in the scout steering and anticipating this, the front tires would skid. If the geometry of the RV was a bit different, with the rear wheels farther back, that would be greatly reduced, but that would have increased the turning radius of the RV.

 

[OldGoat]

Already warned my Tundra, Slate to get its spot in garage.

You shouldn’t have done that! Better be inspecting the garage floor now for oil and fluid puddles! You better run out and wash and wax that Tundra immediately and treat it to new tires before something happens. I had a Honda Ridgeline turn on me ("Strawberry Milkshake of Death") after moving it out of the garage so another vehicle could be in there instead. Who knew pickups could be so jealous!

 

[sodamo]

You shouldn’t have done that! Better be inspecting the garage floor now for oil and fluid puddles! You better run out and wash and wax that Tundra immediately and treat it to new tires before something happens. I had a Honda Ridgeline turn on me ("Strawberry Milkshake of Death") after moving it out of the garage so another vehicle could be in there instead. Who knew pickups could be so jealous!

So true 😁

 

[GaRailroader]

My grandmother drove a jeep style scout, by the time I saw it it was almost an olive green, I guess it started more vibrant, with the white top, and my grandfather drove the red pickup style, with white top.
They did flat tow both of them at times, and drove them up and down steep hills, rockhounding, but people 4WDing since their time are on a different level. That is where I saw some of the limits of flat towing, he had a problem on a trip I was with him on, pulling out of driveways like gas stations. The RV's rear wheels were far enough foreward that the scout was pulled left first on a right turn, then suddenly the direction changed to right. Didn't matter what you did, short of having someone in the scout steering and anticipating this, the front tires would skid. If the geometry of the RV was a bit different, with the rear wheels farther back, that would be greatly reduced, but that would have increased the turning radius of the RV.

Didn't think of that, that would be an issue for sure. On trains we have couplers that slew to account for the overhang of the end of the car from the wheels which prevents the coupler from being at the centerline of the track through curves.

Back in college I had an on/off road motorcycle I'd use to commute to classes. To haul it home for Christmas or summer break I had this wheelless trailer that I bought from JC Whitney for $100. It was a cradle for the front wheel and would bolt to the trailer hitch on my Ford Granada. The rear wheel would roll on the pavement behind the car. For a long trip I would remove the chain so I wasn't spinning the transmission the whole way. The handlebars would be strapped to the bumper with a little bit of fork compression to make it stable. All was good unless you tried to make a U-turn or back-up. In a reverse move, it would jack-knife very quickly. On a U-turn, you would have to get out of the vehicle and recenter the rear wheel 1/2 way through the turn. If you didn't do this, by the time you completed the U-turn the rear wheel would be adjacent to the bumper and it would fall over.