[bbaXJ]

Well I have a 1 year old camper that's probably depreciated about 60% lol.

So bed rack it is. 2000lbs in the bed of that truck don't bother me a bit.

2000lb in the bed is very different from 2000lb at the roofline, even without considering the extra 1000lb of tonque weight you're already sporting with the camper. Wrath is right, try before you buy. At minimum you'd want helper bags, better sway bar, and stiff tires that don't have 10" of sidewall like those 37s you just put on.

 

[SHARPMACHINE]

Well I have a 1 year old camper that's probably depreciated about 60% lol.

So bed rack it is. 2000lbs in the bed of that truck don't bother me a bit.

Speaking of your truck. How do you feel about the valve body upgrade now that it has been installed for a bit?

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Wee!

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Speaking of your truck. How do you feel about the valve body upgrade now that it has been installed for a bit?

Idk how to describe it, it's not a shift kit, doesn't bang gears or chirp second.

Just shifts normally, which it didn't before, did some kind of weird slide/slip/bump into gear for lord knows what reason. I suppose with 800 ft/lbs to save the poor thing, but now it just shifts like a normal truck.

Also, my tuning has locked shifts from 4th up

 

[Jrgunn5150]

 

[jeepfreak81]

I think I'd find one to try before you buy. I was moseying along at 70mph on M123 in the motorhome dragging the rubicant when it was deemed that the posse I was in was going to slow by a couple of bros in a F2 and 6.4L Ram. They drove by us all (there was a Q-tip ahead of me in a fullsize van and my parents dragging a TJ behind their motorhome) going maybe 80. Maybe they were going faster. I don't know. In the motorhome everything seems slow. It had a ricer of the trails on a wedge rack pulling a KZ Escape. The F2 had a similar setup but it wasn't memorable but there were a ton of those setups from Wisconsin up there. The Ram wallowed and yawed and swayed like a Mexican B2200 on a scrapyard run when it cut back into the proper lane. I thought we were going to die.

Since we ended up at the same campground, I did peruse it while there. I didn't see anything particularly wrong with it. I think I'd get adjustable rear shocks and a swaybar bigger than one that comes on a Corolla if I were to be using it with a bunch of weight up high.

Modern Rams with the coil suspension/air ride suck balls for truck campers and tall stuff in the bed. They need aftermarket swaybars and such to just be tolerable. I really like our setup, even if the camper is a bit small. I don't notice any sway from it unless it is stupid windy on a crosswind.

 

[shawn]

Modern Rams with the coil suspension/air ride suck balls for truck campers and tall stuff in the bed. They need aftermarket swaybars and such to just be tolerable. I really like our setup, even if the camper is a bit small. I don't notice any sway from it unless it is stupid windy on a crosswind.

View attachment 288725

I've hear really sketchy things about ram coils. I have a factory rear sway bar that has been fine, but I run stableloads now. Still have bags but don't really put much pressure in them. Taken this set up across the mountains and was great (although it was a different T/C)

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I'm super concerned about my coils, really think I'll just back half my truck now because the internet said so 😂

 

[Jrgunn5150]

So anyway, Windrock, fun, probably be another 8 years before I go back if ever though.

170 bucks in ride passes, 20 bucks in map/app fees, don't really feel like the day long drive there and day long drive back was all worth it.

 

[wrath]

My motorhome/Chevy Express 4500... has springs in the back from a dump truck, front and rear sway bars the size of a baseball bat, Firestone bags in the rear, Sumo springs bump stops it rides on in the front, Bilstein 4600, and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer and I think it's on the edge of sketch. I can't imagine if it were more slinky like some of the Dodge gassers I see on the road.

You can feel/watch the BFG ATs load up first then the suspension moves. I kind of wish I'd gone with G tires.

Anyway, my problem is that the Rubicant Underwhelmed pushes the back of the motorhome around. So when going straight down the road I can let go of the steering wheel and go to sleep. However, on any curve it's a PITA. The 4doorsofdespair pushes the back of the motorhome sideways, which then causes me to counter steer, which then causes the Jeep to push the back of the motorhome again, which causes me to counter steer. After the second counter after the road turns straight we're good again. My Dad claims when he's following me he can't see it but I can feel it.

The Safe-T-Plus is just a normal steering stabilizer with springs in it to force it to center, which helps overcome the bad habit of GM steering of providing too much assist in the center... which exacerbates my PONG game.

If I pull the TJ behind it, it's fine. But the TJ is smaller, shorter, and I have a stiff-as-fuck steering stabilizer on it. Sometimes it doesn't follow the motorhome fast enough like in parking lots. The JKUR follows immediately like a trailer. I was thinking about getting one of those adjustable/DSC floating piston Fox steering stabilizers.

I can't imagine how much worse it'd be with slinky suspension and probably poor geometry to boot. I see a lot of Dodge trucks have what I call the dog wiggle after a curve, now I'm going to start paying attention on whether it is the coiled ones when I pass them.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Train has no legal way in and out apparently, I just followed G7 all the way to 116, which got pretty hairy with ditches from run off after it left the park.

Went over a hill and there was the train I'd been told was gated off lol.

Was no way I was going back up the trail, it was barely passable for me, so, did what I had to do and found a way out through the river.

Easy access connecting rods are a neat touch lol.

 

[shawn]

I'm super concerned about my coils, really think I'll just back half my truck now because the internet said so 😂

If I had a dodge it would be a concern but not as much as the frames breaking or wheel studs sheering off (especially on the dually's).

 

[Jrgunn5150]

If I had a dodge it would be a concern but not as much as the frames breaking or wheel studs sheering off (especially on the dually's).

It's a miracle I even make it out of the driveway!

 

[Jrgunn5150]

One of the random hollers I explored had an abandoned seeming homestead, with some kind of treasure under a cover out there. Place hadn't been disturbed in at least three years.

 

[jeepfreak81]

My motorhome/Chevy Express 4500... has springs in the back from a dump truck, front and rear sway bars the size of a baseball bat, Firestone bags in the rear, Sumo springs bump stops it rides on in the front, Bilstein 4600, and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer and I think it's on the edge of sketch. I can't imagine if it were more slinky like some of the Dodge gassers I see on the road.

You can feel/watch the BFG ATs load up first then the suspension moves. I kind of wish I'd gone with G tires.

Anyway, my problem is that the Rubicant Underwhelmed pushes the back of the motorhome around. So when going straight down the road I can let go of the steering wheel and go to sleep. However, on any curve it's a PITA. The 4doorsofdespair pushes the back of the motorhome sideways, which then causes me to counter steer, which then causes the Jeep to push the back of the motorhome again, which causes me to counter steer. After the second counter after the road turns straight we're good again. My Dad claims when he's following me he can't see it but I can feel it.

The Safe-T-Plus is just a normal steering stabilizer with springs in it to force it to center, which helps overcome the bad habit of GM steering of providing too much assist in the center... which exacerbates my PONG game.

If I pull the TJ behind it, it's fine. But the TJ is smaller, shorter, and I have a stiff-as-fuck steering stabilizer on it. Sometimes it doesn't follow the motorhome fast enough like in parking lots. The JKUR follows immediately like a trailer. I was thinking about getting one of those adjustable/DSC floating piston Fox steering stabilizers.

I can't imagine how much worse it'd be with slinky suspension and probably poor geometry to boot. I see a lot of Dodge trucks have what I call the dog wiggle after a curve, now I'm going to start paying attention on whether it is the coiled ones when I pass them.

Why not do a light trailer? It probably would have been way cheaper than the towbar setup assuming you have the brakes etc all plumbed in.

It's a miracle I even make it out of the driveway!

I know it's sarcasm, but the amount of folks that have serious issues with truck campers is pretty crazy, and they all seem to spend 5-10k on suspension to make it work. My last Ram (2014) was delivered with the airbag partly hanging out of the A-pillar and smashed in the seal. I couldn't bring myself to buy another, and I really hope my job doesn't switch back after the two I had. The other the front end was falling apart at 70k. A lot of folk's love them, but I have not figured out why other than they are cheaper. They all have their issues, so far the Fords (17, 19 (cam phasher issue), 22, & 24) I have had have been decent, and my 19 Chevy is vastly better than my 14 Suburban now that it's had a lot of shit sorted out finally.

 

[shawn]

Why not do a light trailer? It probably would have been way cheaper than the towbar setup assuming you have the brakes etc all plumbed in.



I know it's sarcasm, but the amount of folks that have serious issues with truck campers is pretty crazy, and they all seem to spend 5-10k on suspension to make it work. My last Ram (2014) was delivered with the airbag partly hanging out of the A-pillar and smashed in the seal. I couldn't bring myself to buy another, and I really hope my job doesn't switch back after the two I had. The other the front end was falling apart at 70k. A lot of folk's love them, but I have not figured out why other than they are cheaper. They all have their issues, so far the Fords (17, 19 (cam phasher issue), 22, & 24) I have had have been decent, and my 19 Chevy is vastly better than my 14 Suburban now that it's had a lot of shit sorted out finally.

Did you read here about my nightmare 2022 Chevy Tahoe? I’ve owned them all, and your right they all have their issues, pick your poison.

 

[wrath]

Why not do a light trailer? It probably would have been way cheaper than the towbar setup assuming you have the brakes etc all plumbed in.

Way cheaper to use my car hauler, for sure.

I bought the Mopar harness that bypasses the Jeep trying to run the lights... uses relays... and charges the battery, which only half-assedly works (it highly depends on the +12v from the towing vehicle to tell it to ignore the Jeep systems, so if you have a good battery in the Jeep and the towing vehicle drifts low like they do with a modern ECM/voltage regulator, it sometimes switches to the Jeep controlling the lights). That was $150 off fleabay. Not sure I'd pay $400 for one. It's great when it works right, but sometimes the relays trip off which causes the brake lights not to be that bright. Would be so much easier to use a switch and cut the harness.

$50 for a decent 7 to 6 umbilical and 6 pin receptacle to mount on the front of the Jeep from the Shamazon.

$300 for Maximus 3 tow loops.

$110 for Roadmaster tow bar adapters to the Maximus 3 tow loops.

$300 for a used Demco Excalibar3. Like $1k otherwise. Still looking for another Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain but the Excalibar is fine, just heavy as fuck. The Sterling All Terrain is super light, I gave mine to my Dad for the TJ.

$1300 for a Blue Ox Patriot 3 2022 model (has the semi-modern wireless control panel).

$130 for a Tuffy under seat drawer so the Patriot3 had something solid to push on instead of the seat.

The difference is that I can drop the toad in two minutes and connect it in 3 minutes. I leave the tow bar on the motorhome and the only thing I have to mess around on the Jeep is to pull out the Patriot 3.


If we were fulltiming it, I'd probably build a purpose built single axle T-trailer for the Jeep. Extendable tongue. That way I can collapse it down and get it out of the way. Some of the campsites we have been on are a struggle to fit the motorhome and Jeep on.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Can't really grasp why people are broke up about a guy with a helicopter getting arrested for not paying his bills

 

[SHARPMACHINE]

^^^^ He does make some serious cash just being a show boater. My issue is that I have never seen serious proof that diesel emissions work in entirety.

 

[bbaXJ]

^^^^ He does make some serious cash just being a show boater. My issue is that I have never seen serious proof that diesel emissions work in entirety.

One of my good friends was doing tuning and calibration work for new diesel platforms at Bosch up until a couple years ago. Modern diesel emissions systems are VERY effective. So much so that in many cases in urban environments, the tailpipe emissions are actually cleaner than the ambient air that the engine draws in. They're literally cleaning the air we breath. Problem is, they do so at the expense of vehicle cost, fuel mileage, and long term reliability. Emissions requirements on diesels were accelerated at an unreasonable pace to a more unreasonable target, forcing the OEMs to adopt new technology that had not been fully validated and dialed in for dependability.