Rural Mail Carrier seeks advice on Pruis

i'll be a RCA soon and will be driving the prius. did u guys actually have ur pedals on the passenger side or u just use ur left leg? anymore interior pics? pics of ur pedals? thanks.

 

Welcome 4g63,

All the Rural Mail Carriers I know use our left leg reaching across from the passenger seat. The Prius works great for this because there is not a console and shifter to straddle. Some of us have moved the center console back about 6 inches to keep it from digging into the thigh. Others have removed it completely and made a little tray to fit between the seats. You can view some pics further back in this thread and/or do a search using my user name "timm".

I'd love to have a U.S. legal right-hand drive Prius, but that does not appear to be feasible. It also looks like the 2010 Prius will not work for us due to a console in the way.

 

i might need to remove the console completely because my instructor told me that i have to put the mail on my RIGHT while i'm sitting on the passenger seat delivering mail, therefore half of my butt will be off the seat. theres no way i can fit both the tray and my butt on the seat with the console... she said we're not allowed to put anything on the drivers seat while delivering because objects can fall down underneath the pedals and prevent me from braking... but since i only work 1 day a week, its kinda stupid to take the console on and off.. and permenantly remove it for a 1-day-a-week job seems to be stupid too... sigh. :frusty:

 

I don't claim to be an expert on Postal Service rules... but I NEVER heard that one before! I would not be able to reach the mailbox if I had to sit in in the middle of the car. Can you check with other carriers where you will be working and see what they do? (Check with your union steward too)
ALL rural carriers I know put stuff on the driver's seat!

 

I use my 2008 Prius for auto parts delivery all over New Mexico. When I take the really long runs ill do upwards of 300 miles a day. Almost 30,000 miles on the car with oil changes every 5000 miles using Royal Purple 5w-30. I usually check the brakes every oil change and rotate the tires. Virtually no wear on the brakes but the stock tires suck.

I remember my first rainstorm in the Prius. Was taking a left hand turn accross an intersection and well i was taking the turn and the Prius wasnt. Understeered like crazy almost hitting the sidewalk. Luckly it turned just barely avoiding the curb.

I currently average 55 mpg with the air conditioner staying below the Medium settings. If i take my time I can get upwards of 65 mpg. I bought this car because I used to take turns using a 99 Nissan Altima, 00 Toyota Tundra 4wd, and a 05 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited on the snowy days in the winter months.

After doing the math on how much i spend on the car payment for the Jeep(its was the only one not payed off) and gas cost by using the Altima and the Tundra. I was supprised to see the Prius would take the gas cost, car payment, and insurence by just how much I save on fuel cost!

So I sold the Jeep and bought the Prius and couldnt be any happier.
Except I cant take the extreme shortcuts you can take in a jeep!





AND THE EXTREME SHORTCUTS!!!!!!

 

Just found this forum tonight and thought I'd add my 2 cents.
Just bought a 2008 pkg 2 this last May and already have 23000 mi running 142 mi a day. So far have been averaging over 40 mpg and 38-39 on wet sloppy days. I've heard about these blizzex tires? good or bad? This will be my first winter with this vehicle in blowing drifting deep drifts so there will still be the days with the s10 blazer. I pulled out the console to sit in the middle, added extra gas pedal to the left of the brake pedal to save on the twist to my left leg. Looked at this alumn. skid plate that bolts underneath which may help with keeping the underside from plugging full of snow and ice. Has anyone had any experince with these?

 

i've gone thru 2 days of training with my regular carrier and ur right.. he put stuff on the driver seats too. we just cant always follow what the book says i guess. how did u move the console back 6 inches?

 

Has anyone tried these right hand drive conversion kits?

Here's the thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/54221-right-hand-drive-kits-prius.html#post720765

Here's the vendor's website:

Right Hand Drive Conversion Kits - Postal Things Inc.

The price is $1395. Installation is $375, but they're running a half price special at $188. They're located in Cleveland, Tennessee.

 

I finished my training, also Postal Academy and LLV training. I was very happy to find out that the office I was going to used LLV's for everyone so I don't have to use my own vehicle.
After being on the job several weeks, I can say that if I had to use my own car, I would have quit by now. I guess it depends on how much you want the job.
Good luck.

BTW The GPS has been very helpful when starting new routes and for express mails that can be anywhere. Definitely a good buy that will pay for itself in time.

 

Just purchased an 08 prius for my mail route. we are educating ourselves with recent mods to the console to help with the cross over braking until we can get a full conversion. drove thru the "rough spots" on the route today just to get a feel of the response of car. Am amazed at the difference in the Prius and the Jeep Wrangler thats been banging me around the past 2 years. My rear is already thanking me! LOL.

If any of you have pics of the center console mod u made please post them. WIth the aux/cig lighter in the console it will not move back far enough (the way we see it) for me to reach the gas pedal. I guess we will completely remove it until we can find a better way. Thanks for all the posts! you guys rock!

 

Hello Dixie,
Sorry for slow response, but I've not been online lately. I left my phone number on your hubby's voice mail. He can call me anytime.
Here is a link to some earlier posts with pics about modifying thePrius for rural mail routes:
http://priuschat.com/forums/wi-wisc...-state-local-forum-post360395.html#post360395

 

wanted to reply, since buying the Prius I am in heaven. I'm averaging 43 mpg on route. I have took my magnetics and applied 3 industrial strength velcro squares to the signs, and 3 to my rear bumper. so I can take them off when I am not at work. I also have a steering ball on the wheel in the 2 oclock position that helps with turns. I removed the console completely and hubby built a small bench and covered with carpeting to match the interior. I love this car.

 

I saw a right hand drive here were i live and it was for sale, strange, I never thought of it as a post vehicle...

 

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but if you did the E-only mod, you could probably shift it into E mode when you're rolling from box to box, then let the engine run when you're moving to a new neighborhood.

 

a quick FYI, we are converting our 08 prius to RHD tomorrow. I will take pics and keep u updated on it. Very excited/nervous at the moment!

 

after a day of snow, sleet, ice and frigid cold.... prius is converted to RHD. pics soon to follow!

 

pics of 08 prius rhd conversion by postalthings.com. They do not move the emergency brake so hubby mod'ed that into the equation. Overall, a 5 star experience.

 

just bought 08 prius today and bought extended warranty. If I do this right hand conversion does it void the waranty?

 

Modifications do not void warranties unless the manufacturer can prove that the modification in some way caused the failure. For example, if you move the steering wheel to the right side and the engine blows up the engine warranty is still good unless there is a direct and provable link.

Tom

 

Cool. That's the most fuel efficient mail delivery vehicle.

In NY state, the police cars and even fire trucks has to yield the US postal vehicle. The reason is that USPS is federal agency and police and fire departments are state run.