[thingstodo]

Measure how much force (in pounds) is needed to move SalvageS10. Use the existing engine and transmission. The truck normally starts (gently) when put into gear and the engine run at idle. Reproduce this and measure the force exerted.

How to measure the force that the truck puts on the ground (and uses to move the truck forward)?

An ordinary bathroom scale should be able to measure this. A truck that is stuck in winter can be pushed out by one person. The force required to move the truck should be less than one person leaning on the truck, maybe 100 - 200 lbs.

The scale measures weight pushing down from above, perpendicular to the scale, when the scale is level. To make one scale measure the whole force, I need to stop one wheel from turning. Drill the 2 x 6 for the bolt pattern on one wheel, fit the 2 x 6 onto the studs and jam it against the ground so that it won't turn. The other wheel should exert the force for both wheels, since the force would be equally split between the two wheels if both were free to spin.

1 - jack up the truck, put it on blocks
2 - remove wheels
3 - jam the passenger's side with a 2 x 6
4 - drill out another 2 x 6 for the driver's side wheel
5 - mount the 2 x 6 horizontally
6 - mount a vertical 2x4 to the 2 x 6
7 - shim a bathroom scale to level so it reads properly
8 - zero the bathroom scale
9 - set up a video camera to show the reading on the scale
10 - start the truck and put it into gear