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Messages - Flyin6
51
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:23:19 PM »
Do I look happy or what??
52
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:22:30 PM »
It has a pretty cool story associated with it.
My oldest son purchased it for me. He wanted to mark a significant birthday and to say thanks for all the years of military service and sacrifice. I am deeply touched and honored by his gesture.
He told me on the phone that he vividly remembers me talking about that rifle 40 years ago and how I wanted one. I have looked for one over the years, always seeming to come up short.
I had my eye on a stainless trapper with a shorter barrel but I like this one more. THe extra round (6) is nice to have.
I just love how Marlin builds that laminated black stained walnut stock and how good the tooling and stainless steel looks. It is a lifetime gun for sure and after my passing it will return to him for the remainder of his lifetime, a keepsake from dad.
I just love it!
53
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:17:07 PM »
I was just given a new Marlin model 1895 in 45-70 for my birthday which is coming up in a couple weeks.
54
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:15:10 PM »
My oldest son purchased that for me. I will turn 70 in a couple of weeks and he had purchased it for me for that occasion. It is one of the new Ruger-Marlin Model 1895's in 45-70!
What a gift!
What a terrific end to what started out as a pretty bad day.
55
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:13:20 PM »
^^^^^^^ That was the bad part.
Later on in the day, Kathy and her girlfriend were hell bent to get me outside into the camper to "Help measure for curtains!!"
Inside the curtain material was this:
56
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:11:45 PM »
Yesterday, I had just finished the suspension business on the dually. Kat and I decided to give it a short test drive. So we stored everything and disconnected the power fired it up and away we went.
The road we live on is very narrow, really only one lane plus a couple of feet. A couple hundred meters down the road there is this power pole, a 35-footer that is leaning well into and over the road. It sits at around a 20-degree angle and looks to be ready to fall over.
I was driving past that pole, on the road when we heard and felt a large crack and rattle. I pulled over immediately but it was too late. The awning that is bolted to the slide had contacted the pole squarely and destroyed it. The folding metal wiped out the dual pane window as well. When later I was trying to open/close the slide, it no longer worked properly.
I was sick to my stomach. This was the first time I had driven with it since purchasing it and bringing it home.
57
« on: March 31, 2024, 01:38:40 PM »
Day 80
58
« on: March 30, 2024, 06:49:48 PM »
59
« on: March 30, 2024, 09:17:59 AM »
Still that cold, wow
60
« on: March 30, 2024, 09:11:07 AM »
Did those pads in post #55 go in the stock hole our need hardware?
Stock hole...5 min mod
61
« on: March 30, 2024, 09:10:05 AM »
Day 79
62
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:21:49 PM »
And, with the air, there is some suspension travel to play with. the spring opened back up with the air springs inflated.
63
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:20:55 PM »
100 psi air and the modded spring pack:
64
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:20:00 PM »
All spacers now installed, enough with the experimentation..
65
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:17:44 PM »
Next I added that block from the spacer stack I did not install earlier back into the block on the overload spring. That helped some as well. I am now fully engaging most of the spring pack with the camper sitting there.
66
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:16:12 PM »
While I had the springs all expanded, I popped out the factory scuff pad on the bottom leaf and installed a poly bump stop about 3/4" tall.
Letting the air out of the bags, I saw a slight improvement over the same pack without the spacer:
67
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:14:17 PM »
I kicked around and found one good leak in an airbag fitting. It was a metric crap-ton of work to get that thing back out, repaired and back in. I cleaned the fitting then used old-school Teflon tape and fixed that leak. On the passenger side, I can't find a leak, but the bag lost pressure overnight so something is going on there...
Fixed, and 100 psi of air in the bags the suspension stood right up:
68
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:09:13 PM »
As I have posted previously, you’re not gonna find a wider rim unless you increase the wheel diameter.
There are a few tire brands that make a 255/80/17 that give you a 33” tall tire and keep you in the 10” wide range. Load range D or E being your capacity requirements.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Concur... That's where Kyle is, checking out the 255R80 in E range 10 ply. Probably where I'll land and I don't think I'll be opting for a wider wheel at the moment.
69
« on: March 29, 2024, 08:00:55 PM »
Well, Jared, you make a convincing argument, and I am heeding your advice, sort of.
I have my tire guy looking into this. Right off he said I could go to a 255/80 in several brands to get a bit taller. I was thinking something like a BFG AT, but I need to do more homework.
My conditions are way different than yours. I think I will flirt with the max GWT for sure. I had a max payload of just under 5,000. The camper weighs 3,400 and then there's 45 gal of water, her and I and she is now filling that camper with a kitchen, dry goods, and a hundred other things. I'm sure she will add 200 lbs. all said and done. I want to add a bumper and winch and a toolbox, and I have already bolted on 100+ pounds of airbags and sway bar stuff.
But it is not as hot here and I do not drive 80. Temps will be 10f-20f cooler than the Texas and I drive 70-73ish.
I am wondering about this front tire issue. Can't say I have run into that before. But I have never owned a dually before with that strange wide stance.
I'll report what Kyle comes up with for a good tire choice, and I should stay with the stock skinny wheels as the aftermarket stuff is just too expensive. I may have to run a rear spacer, Dunno, but if that's what it takes to get a better/best tire, then I will consider it.
For now, I'll bust out and over to West (by God) Virginia on the tires I have with these suspension improvements and see how all that works. That will give me another 500 miles of highway and a bunch of back-country driving.
70
« on: March 29, 2024, 01:59:45 PM »
Cheap
That's what I was thinking, but guess what? According to my tire store, the Nexens are one of the pricier tires! Kyle said they are upscale tires over many of the routine tires we see. They are one of the more expensive of his offerings, and he does sell them occasionally. His tire shop is not affiliated with any tire manufacturer. Almost everyone shows up with their own tires, and he just installs them and maintains them.
71
« on: March 29, 2024, 12:54:32 PM »
Tires were in the mix anyway for an upgrade, right?
I think the rear end would love some synthetic oil too and sure the stock stuff has all the break in it needs.
Good idea JR. I'm already looking for that finned cover. I will be using the camper/truck for a trip over to W VA in a little over a week. I am now concerned that those tires will be safe for that??? I wonder why Dodge put them on the truck to begin with???
72
« on: March 29, 2024, 12:52:28 PM »
Don, i have the same truck as yours just a 2015. Its a 3500 dually. I usually just lurk reading all the info this site has. I have to jump in with a warning. We care about you and your families safety. Don’t over estimate those Nexen tires. They are total garbage and i am surprised there has not been a class action lawsuit yet. They are SO DANGEROUS.
My truck weighs 10,000-14,000 daily. I have had six of those Nexens either break belts, bulge sidewalls, or simply blowout. The fronts are not up to the task. Even at 80 psi cold they look like they need air.
When i got the truck i went directly to discount tire to trade them in on some better tires. Discount has always done this. This time they declined due to liability. They told me the tires were dangerous. So i ran them trying to not be wasteful. None made it to 19,000. Just look up the reviews in the forums to see how they are working out.
I know you plan to swap them so just monitor them. With a slide in camper those fronts are going to be hurting. And, a failure there could be catastrophic.
Holy crap, I had no idea! I have a trusted tire guy here. I'll call him right away. So any suggestions for a larger diameter tire that would fit my current wheels? Or do I have to jump in and do it all right away???
73
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:51:04 AM »
I purchased a couple of energy suspension pads to replace the factory-installed scuff pads. The idea is to close up some of that clearance to the 4th spring leaf.
The top pic shows the spacing on the overload with 80 psi air in those airbags.
And, I have a problem. For some reason, both bags lost pressure overnight! I do not know why, but the fact that both did so is troubling. Why is it that seemingly, nothing you buy these days works very well? I consistently have to fix things that are new or that are supposed to "work well" to fix some problem???
74
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:49:14 AM »
So, there you have it, the rear sway bar installed and ready for service!
75
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:48:11 AM »
I may be adding one of those finned rear diff covers to dissipate heat since this truck will spend its life pulling or hauling a bunch of weight for many hours at speed. The Hellwig bar has ample clearance.
The end links fasten to upper mounts which simply clamp/sandwich around the frame. Simple and clever design!
76
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:45:52 AM »
No assembly pics, but the kit relocates the brake lines and fits very well.
77
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:44:47 AM »
I know they do, and I'm not liking that much!
But first things first.
The suspension was the first big need, so I'll concentrate on that to where I have a good safe dual-use dually. One to drive around without a load, and one capable of driving around the back roads without falling on its side!
This brings up my next modification, a Rear sway bar.
I opted for a 1 5/16" Hellwig sway bar kit. The last time I did this I just created my own from a used F350 rear bar and added that to my Chevy. It worked very well on that 6" lift with a 37" tire truck. This truck, however, will never be lifted that far. I can see going with that Carli leveling kit I used on my 2022 Ram 35oo, but that's it. Also, with this being a dually, I do not see it with huge tires. I am unsure what the OD is for this Nexus 235R80/17, but it can't be very tall. I may look into something in the 33" range on a slightly wider wheel. I am also not keen on the two-wheel concept. It seems like the front wheels are different than the rear outboard wheels and they are very different from the dual inner wheels which are steel! I can see a change coming there, and my preference would be to switch up to an all-steel wheel setup a little bigger in diameter with a 33"-34" tall tire.
I have a pretty deep for a Cummins, 4.10 gear. These trucks come with a 3.55 to a 3.73 and that is just fine. The 4.10 feels over-geared to me so a slight reduction is in order. It has gobs + gobs of power so a slight cut will not affect me I am thinking. It may even help the mileage some. BTW, that is running in the mid-15 MPG range. That is 2-3 mpg worse than my single rear wheel 3500 with 3.73 gears.
78
« on: March 29, 2024, 10:25:33 AM »
Day 78
79
« on: March 28, 2024, 11:22:14 PM »
Day 77
80
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:26:09 AM »
I attached the airlines, which are 1/4" nylon and inflated the bags to 80 psi. They lifted that heavy truck and camper up easily. I will adjust the pressure until I reach the stock height.
Those little tires look positively lost in those cavernous wheel wells.
I really need to do something about that! (No I really do not need to do it...but I want to ;-)
81
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:23:00 AM »
With the vehicle raised slightly, the bag assemblies slip into place with minimal effort. The brackets are well-engineered and very sturdy in my opinion.
82
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:20:59 AM »
After removing the factory bump stops, you next build up the bag assemblies. The installation is pretty simple and only takes a couple of hours
83
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:19:38 AM »
These bags are well made and hefty. I like the Pac-Air because the endcaps are solid 3/4" thick aluminum. Others use crimped on sheet metal plates
84
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:17:58 AM »
Here goes the airbag installation. I chose the Pac-Air bags in their larger-than-standard 7500 lb size. The 5,000 kit which I have always used uses a 5" air bag, whereas the 7500 system uses a 6" bag. I ran the Pac-Air bags on my Duramax for over 10 years with only a couple of failures caused by rubbing in that case.
85
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:14:28 AM »
To monitor the level of the propane I installed this cool monitor system that attaches magnetically to the bottom of the tank and then relays information to my cell phone.
86
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:12:36 AM »
Then to keep the bottle from sliding all over the place, I fashioned up two simple spacers that drop into place once the bottle is in there and severely limits movement...Propane compartment: Check!
87
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:10:43 AM »
To do this, I had to relocate the bottle bracket up a little higher.
I coated it liberally with 3M cavity wax. That stuff allows zero moisture penetration and remains somewhat flexible.
88
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:08:59 AM »
While I continue to go over this new Palamino, I can see areas that need addressing if this camper is to survive some of the places I envision taking it. First up, the 30 lb propane bottle compartment is a simple sheet metal affair. The floor is really flimsy and is already starting to deform a little. I can just imagine what it might look like after three thousand miles of Alcan highway and roads in AK. My solution was to add a section of 3/4" furniture-grade plywood to it.
89
« on: March 28, 2024, 10:05:27 AM »
I added this surge protector to my shore power cable. This one is highly rated and provides all sorts of additional information such as Trump's latest poll numbers and the size of the local invader population.
91
« on: March 26, 2024, 09:41:39 PM »
Day 75
92
« on: March 26, 2024, 11:57:00 AM »
https://www.morimotohid.com/Morimoto-Ram-HD-19-XB-Hybrid-LED-Headlights?quantity=1
^^^^^^^^^^I LIKE those! So, here's what I did. I researched and discovered that some LED bulb manufacturers now make exact-fit bulbs that place the filament in the same location as the Halogen bulb they replace. This is supposed to correct this "Halo" and scatter effect of the earlier LED bulbs. They are supposed to seamlessly replace the factory halogen bulbs without altering the light pattern. (Read: Non-offensive to other drivers. They are brighter than the factory halogens but not searchlight bright, which is unnecessary. I ordered a set of those to swap into the housings I have in my truck. It was a lot less expensive than the replacement housings, so I thought it was worth it to give them a try. If they do not work, then something like the Morimoto housings would be appropriate.
93
« on: March 26, 2024, 09:20:34 AM »
94
« on: March 25, 2024, 08:55:01 PM »
Day 74
95
« on: March 25, 2024, 05:31:37 PM »
Sway bar showed up today. If we have no rain it will go on tomorrow.
Still waiting on the new 7500 lb airbags (6" instead of 5,000 lb 5" bags)
96
« on: March 25, 2024, 01:56:13 PM »
Is the inner fender liner really not 100% coverage?
What about the flip in and jobs you had installed on the other trucks that seemed to sit under the spring or inside the spring pack?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Those are called "Stable-Lift" and I purchased a set for the first single-wheel 3500. But they will not work on these heavier DRW springs with that crazy-looking traction bar thing. I wondered the same thing about the wheel well liners. Seems like they are saving on plastic or something!
97
« on: March 24, 2024, 11:41:10 AM »
Here's my next question:
Is there an LED or KID bulb out there that fits the factory reflector housings so that it does not scatter light in that halo ring and blind oncoming drivers?
98
« on: March 24, 2024, 11:28:25 AM »
I know what you're talking about. There are so many "blue halo" headlights all outside factory-designed reflectors that it is getting difficult to drive at night out there...
99
« on: March 24, 2024, 11:25:49 AM »
So you gained just under an inch. But now you are on the overloads sooner.
Correct. I mean to engage them sooner. The factory setup has you squatting 3" before you even engage the overloads. Now I am into them after an inch or so of travel. I now have them in their "good" working range. People who do this report a marked increase in stability.
100
« on: March 24, 2024, 11:23:13 AM »
Day 73
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