Sean, keep me honest here.  I’m not articulating a ton with what little off roading this truck will see.

Fixed poly joints on the axle end
Heim on the frame end
The pinion and transmission angle should be the same
4 links should be equal length so the pinion angle does not change
Axle at ride height should be in the center of the arc of travel or close as possible

Not sure on the vertical spacing on the upper and lower bars, but guessing its more of a whatever can fit (8-10 inches)

Length of the bars,  longer the better within reason to keep the forward travel of the axle to a minimum during articulation.  Probably more practical to be a bout 1/2 the length of the OEM leaf springs.

The a panhard bar parallel to the ground at ride height.


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Their already boxed back to the bed, doing just the rear should be easy. 4 link rear, gonna wheel it?

Negative sir, only boxed to the firewall and a little where each of the crossmembers are for the bed.  Zoom in on the picture.

Nope, no wheeling.  Just upgrading old technology as I don’t ever want to get rid of my non emissions truck.

Well, unless that bad influence Shawn convinces me to SAS it with a SD Axle…..


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Thanks Tate.

So… things have taken a turn for the worse….

This may be a full on oil change




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Yeah. He thought 30 miles outside a suburb 30 miles from Houston was being in the “big city”


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Thanks guys.  Don, they sell these set ups (albeit a bit smaller) with linear bearings, stainless round railes and dust collection, but those were $800-$1000 and weren’t big enough for my use.  Basic idea is to use a 2 inch flat router bit at a fixed height and remove material above that height.

I have $16 in those cheap roller bearings from HF.

Design set up execution and take down in less than 8 hours.

If I was doing this more often I’d invest in some additional bits, which I may later as I have some wide red oak slabs that are about 28 inches wide and 6 ft long that have been drying for 4 years.  Haven’t decided what to with them yet, but I have proof of concept and can easily replicate as I kept the sled parts.  Just have to make new rails.


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So perhaps you guys might like my rednek engineering here.

Making a farm table for the outdoor kitchen and using white oak beams from the ranch that have been milled and drying for 4 years.

Of course some bowing and warping made them not sit flat when i put them on the base.  No one had a planer that could handle these so after much consideration, I built a slab flattening jig with some 2x4 square tubing that I was going to build another firewood rack.  Split a piece of 4x4 square tube, added ball rollers and connected those with angle for the router sled.  2 inch flattening bit and 4 passes later, I had taken 1/2 inch off in some places and nearly none in a few others and now it is perfectly flat.









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Don,  serious proud papa moment.  Good on you and God bless them.  And may he protect them.


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18T of rip rap spread.  Now just some road base or fines to smooth the top.  it’s about a 12-13 foot wide area that’s safe to drive almost anything on.


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Work begets work…

Looking good


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Yeah I’m surrounded by 18000 acres of national forest so it’s a losing battle. Just keep them off the house, the drive, and around the pool. Otherwise mow/mulch them and let them lay.

JR I have a natural gas/propane heater that’s about 600,000
BTU but normally only used for the hot tub unless the kids are having friends over. Takes a full day(24 hours) to heat the pool. Only done that a couple of times


Got a new toy. Daughter wanted Belgium waffles for her birthday this week. Tested it this morning with a yeast waffle recipe. Came out good





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Nice Don. Those chunks look like the white oak I used to make this table.   Still a work in progress





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Yes. The plan is to key the crank and cam. When the machine shop is done with it I’ll take it to another shop just to have them check the work.


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Sorry to hear about your brothers in the 160th, Don. 5 lost over Cypress.  Apparently during a night refueling operation.


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Yeah it’s pretty cool.

If I ever get rid of it you’ll be at the top of the list


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Hmm. Maybe a few others you’d like.  I like my M4 Devastator with the LED conversion just as much. 


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Light reading?

Yeah, as expensive as this is going to be, I need to make sure its done right.


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That may have been a solution in search of a problem.  Mercedes Benz has used that top engine cartridge design for decades without issue.

It sure made oil changes easier (the normal kind).

A top sider oil vacuum and a probe to insert in the dipstick and you changed the oil without ever getting underneath or really getting dirty.

The catch can is cool.  I may put one in the denali since its DI there is nothing to clean the backside of the intake valve.


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Sign up for Part B as soon as you are eligible.  It gets more expensive every year you wait to enroll.


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Lol. 88 here this week. I would welcome snow after the hot summer we’ve had.

Shawn, 500 for Ken’s gf?  That’s a bit optimistic.


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Oh man…..


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Don, I think we all wrestle with estate planning in some form or fashion.

My goal is to reduce my taxable footprint as much as possible to preserve wealth.

You might consider placing the plots along one portion of the property or on each corner so that if they decide to sell the common acreage it doesn’t hack up the footprint too badly.

Timing the sale of the main home is a bit of a guess.  The election is next year and depending on the outcome the outlook may be different.

I’m fortunate enough that my location makes my primary residence almost recession proof. (1% drop during the last recession versus 15% percent for other areas of the MSA). of course that didnt have a big increase in interest rates so it may have a bigger impact this time.

I thought I had it figured out with our place in the country fully serviceable and paid for with an ag exemption but now the wife is concerned about proximity to medical care, which can be a bit of a problem

Moral of the story, the best laid plans may change so don’t over think it. Do the best you can and be prepared for changes.


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So its been a while since I’ve updated anything.

Bought two 36 inch culverts and put them in the wet weather creek and started hauling aggregate.

16 yards so far and still need at least 8-12 more.



First time ever having the tractor to the back half of the property.  Now I can get after some real trail maintenance.


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Sean,  make the leap to onboard air.  A compressor, 5 gal tank and a few solenoids and you can air up and down with the push of a button from the cab.

Happy to point you to parts I used to build my own.

Bonus is having a Milton coupler at the hitch to use to run tools


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Sorry to hear that Chief.  Leadership principles are the same no matter what the industry or situation.  It should be a badge of honor as a leader to develop, reward and promote those that excel.  Too many times leaders are so insecure that they feel inadequate when someone they are charged with leading, show more promise than they have.

Hope he gets to where he is appreciated


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