This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Messages - Flyin6
1
« on: Today at 08:08:27 PM »
Can't see em, they are per invite only. I've never been on insagram.
...Facebook
2
« on: Today at 02:55:52 PM »
"Fat tanks"
3
« on: Today at 02:53:20 PM »
And, of course this very memorable day in 93.
4
« on: Today at 02:52:36 PM »
We need to show the littlebird guys some love:
5
« on: Today at 02:48:54 PM »
Ran across a bunch of more pics of the unit.
6
« on: Today at 02:44:42 PM »
My truck is sitting at the RV dealer serving as a truck camper dolly!
With the parts having been ordered to fix that, I think I need to go get the camper just to get the truck home so I can continue working on it.
I completed a research effort on those Nexens and I will be replacing them before leaving to go anywhere. I just purchased seven Toyo Open Country RT trail tires. I went up to 255/80R17. That will give me a slightly taller tire at 33.1" and will fit the stock wheels and wheel wells without modification. In my opinion, I do not like tall, big tire duallys and think something closer to stock looks best on those work-oriented trucks.
The Toyo is a great top-tier company and has the best reviews. An American-built tire will be reshoeing my dually.
7
« on: Today at 02:37:00 PM »
Dave, that was a good link for sure.
I picked my tires
Toyo Open Country RT, in size 255/80 R17
It is super highly rated and built in the USA. It stands 33.1" tall which is almost 2" taller than the stock 235 Nexen stock tires. That will reduce my gear ratio a little which I want without making the truck sluggish.
After getting the warning about the Nexens. I asked around and got mixed reviews, but when I started looking on the truck camper forums there was no shortage of people with a dually carrying 4K in the bed who experienced belt separation. I am not going to take that chance so I have just ordered seven of the new Toyos.
Oddly, I found the lowest price at my local Walmart. I feel dirty going into that store, but, hey, they have great tire prices!
8
« on: Today at 11:21:22 AM »
Day 97
9
« on: April 16, 2024, 09:35:18 PM »
Wow. Rates are going up
I spoke with the shop today to see what all the fuss was about. Not only did I destroy the window and awning, but I also did significant structural damage. The slide mechanism is bent and torqued and will be completely replaced. The sidewall and the floor of the slide are damaged as is the floor beneath the slide. That will get replaced as well. The dealership was surprised to find the damage, but it is a good thing they did. Now the clock starts to tick. Parts have all been ordered. It could take as little as a month or as much as two, flash to bang. I will be flirting with our Wyoming departure if it goes much longer than that...
10
« on: April 16, 2024, 09:08:50 AM »
Day 96
11
« on: April 16, 2024, 09:03:15 AM »
Absolutely!
12
« on: April 16, 2024, 09:02:34 AM »
you are such an over achiever. That is what insurance is for
;-)
13
« on: April 16, 2024, 09:01:54 AM »
Norm, my friend showed me his 45/70 government model Marlin. Almost the same gun as mine, but blued. He has killed a bunch of whitetail with it, but said he preferred his .44 magnum lever Winchester for deer. Both were scoped.
I'm going to drive down and take a look at that new Smith and Wesson .44 Mag lever gun. If I decide to get that, it will be for deer and I'll scope it, but not this bear gun, I'm thinking.
14
« on: April 16, 2024, 08:58:27 AM »
And now you know why I pulled the deer scope on mine when it went to bear duty when tent camping Yellowstone
Yes, I completely understand that now.
15
« on: April 15, 2024, 08:19:44 PM »
So, first, I have that new Sig scope sitting on my desk.
Secondly, I do not think I'm going to use it!
Then look into an RMR or a similar red dot sight. If you're using it for brush gun/bear gun get a red dot on it and call it done.
That or just the sights it came with now makes the most sense
16
« on: April 15, 2024, 02:59:03 PM »
I do not have a pic of the BFG KO2's but these other BFG's are looking good. A little better, spec wise are the Goodyear Duratracs. Also on my list are Toyos, Yokohama's, and Falken Wildpeak tires.
This will likely be my next-to-forever pick since I will have to buy 7 to fully reshoe the Dually.
17
« on: April 15, 2024, 02:48:59 PM »
Lots of tire companies make a 255/80r17
https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/255-80R17.htm
That keeps ya 33” tall but only 10.5 wide
Roger that And that seems where I am landing without getting something that is too wide to properly fit the rims. I do not want to buy custom rims at the moment but I do want to get a slightly taller tire on there to 1. Cut the gear ratio back some, 2. Look a tad bit better, and 3. Swap the Nexens out for my current tire choice which is the BF Goodrich KO2 All terrains
18
« on: April 15, 2024, 10:39:45 AM »
OK as is with everything I have ever owned, even a few things I didn't actually own, I tend to change up things rather early in the life of the "whatever."
I do not like these skinny little roller disc tires that came stock on my 3500 Ram.
Stock size is 235/80-R17 mounted on 6" wide factory aluminum and steel wheels.
After reading the forums some, I see that the biggest tire I can fit onto that wheel and not rub in the back is a 255/80 R17. The nice thing about that is the 255 is 33.1" in diameter and comes in the BFG KO2 which is the tire I want.
But that looks kinda of small and I am starting with a pretty deep 4.10 gear and the powerful HO engine making a stock 1050 ft/lbs.
The forums advise tires larger in diameter and require the use of a 1.5" or 2" spacer for the outboard rear wheels. Not so sure if I am a fan of that.
The limiting factor seems to be with the 6" wide factory wheels which will certainly not allow a much wider tire to properly spread out.
I am looking for some ideas about which direction to go. I will be adding the Carli to level it up and get the good shocks so I may even have more wheel well clearance although the 255/80 will not interfere with anything on a dually
Ideas?
19
« on: April 15, 2024, 10:06:36 AM »
Holy crap, I just got the estimate back from Holman Motors and RV.
$10,769!!!!!!!!!
I thought I knocked off the awning and broke the glass, but after inspection, there was a whole lot more going on.
I buggered up the floor, part of the slide track, and the slide as well.
I'll be getting back a repaired slide and a new floor along with the window and awning.
Whew!
20
« on: April 15, 2024, 09:56:02 AM »
So, first, I have that new Sig scope sitting on my desk. Secondly, I do not think I'm going to use it! I got to fire the weapon over in West Virginia this past weekend. I took some 325-grain TUI ammo which is 1,800 FPS stuff designed to tumble upon impact (TUI). That really kicked, but not bad. Next up I banged out some 405 gr bear loads. That kicked more than the 325's. I was shooting at a steel boiler plate cover about 1.5" thick and I noticed the first three rounds hit the ground at the base of the plate. I moved my point of aim to the top rim and the rest of the rounds were smacking that steel hard. So, why am I saying possibly no scope? Well, those rounds kicked so hard that without a good shoulder/cheek weld, you're going to eat a scope. If anything convinced me, Norm, my Army buddy I was visiting there handed me some 350 gr and then some 405 gr bear loads he had loaded up over 2,000fps. Those kicked so hard I was amazed. My shoulder still hurts. I did one four-round simulated bear attack where I pumped them out as fast as I could, maybe 3 seconds for all four and I have to say that you are not going to be able to get any more off and you are going to have a hard time keeping on target because of the violent muzzle rise from each round. For now, I may just adjust the ghost ring sights and go with that. Norm gave me a half dozen of his hot loads for the Wyoming trip. I'll use those on a slick top gun for now. BTW, I LOVE that gun! https://www.facebook.com/1408825386/videos/a.10232875608458351/832834182055845
21
« on: April 15, 2024, 09:42:29 AM »
Be proud Don be proud. Even if he doesn’t make it, only a few get to try out.
He is gonna make it. I tell you, when I prophesized over him at his birth and I proclaimed he would someday be a Ranger, I believe in my heart that he will.
22
« on: April 15, 2024, 09:40:24 AM »
Wow!
That's a new one!
Did that kill the steer?
Thinking burgers... ;-)
No, actually I hate to see an animal injured/suffering.
While driving in the dark back to Hurricane UT from Enterprise, UT. I had to emergency brake to keep from hitting a pair of mule deer standing in my lane. I learned that these mulies are dump-deer! Not quick to react like the eastern whitetails.
Glad you two are OK. and also kinda happy that your boy has a story of his own to tell!
;-)
23
« on: April 15, 2024, 09:34:48 AM »
Day 95
25
« on: April 14, 2024, 08:51:47 PM »
Welcome back Don. Sounds like you had a well deserved great time
Thanks!
26
« on: April 14, 2024, 08:51:10 PM »
I'll put in a ticket tomorrow
27
« on: April 14, 2024, 04:42:41 PM »
Last week the Pre-Ranger became a real Pre-Ranger. He is officially in the RASP for the actual 75th Ranger regiment.
This is not Ranger school. Ranger School is a leadership course. RASP stands for "Ranger Assessment and Selection Program." It is a months-long program that takes soldiers of various MOSs and trains them to an ultimate standard to be assigned to one of the three battalions of the 75th Rangers. That is the same 75th Ranger unit that climbed the cliffs at Point du Hoc in Normandy France on D-Day in WW2. These Rangers are amongst the fiercest soldiers anywhere in the world. Chris is hanging in there, but we have lost contact. He is "coms-out" for the next four weeks.
I do have contact with a couple of the soldiers there who give me "Sightings." Today's report was that Chris was hanging tough with a smile on his face but was about to undergo a brutal physical endurance event. Details are and will remain sketchy, but the program is not for the faint of heart and tests men to the absolute limits of human endurance. If he makes it through the next 8 weeks, he will wear the coveted scroll of a soldier of the 75th Ranger regiment. As long as he does not screw up afterward the rest of his Army career will be very rewarding. He is destined for high places...
28
« on: April 14, 2024, 04:26:29 PM »
Nice wheels! I think Method may just about have the market cornered!
I have a ton of catching up to do.
I'll have to generate threads and posts but went to SW Utah for jeeping and hiking. We did hundreds of miles of off-road, over 250 on one day alone. I drove a 4XE electric Rubicon...IMPRESSIVE!
We hiked all over and around St George, Hurricane, Snow Canyon, Zion National Park (3X) the Grand Canyon at a nearly inaccessible spot. We visited Indian Petrographs and dinosaur footprints, drove over a waterfall, and Went up and back down sketchy trails and shelf roads. Didn't eat much but when we did it was all stuff I couldn't pronounce and hadn't seen before. Got to know some awesome people, really salt-of-the-earth folks. Met influencers in the LDS church who were great people. Explored two ghost towns and drove around dozens of neighborhoods carved into those red cliffs. I watched mountain sunsets, hiked in an alpine snowstorm, was awestruck by the majesty of Zion National Park, and on and on. After flying home, we loaded up the Gladiator and took off for the mountains of West Virginia where we stayed in the mountain home of a friend who I flew with decades ago. I shared that time with a bunch of other aviators and their wives and even drank moonshine brewed locally.
Wow, what an awesome adventure-packed two weeks I've had...
So what's going on here???????
;-)
29
« on: April 14, 2024, 03:16:40 PM »
Day 94...Rejoining the thread!
30
« on: April 11, 2024, 07:41:48 PM »
In and out of contact. Was in Utah for a week of hiking and Jeeping. Now enroute to W VA for a buddy's birthday. I'll be back range by Sunday evening...
31
« on: April 02, 2024, 03:53:01 PM »
Progress report: This morning I checked the PAC 7500 lb air bags. Both of them were at zero pressure! ZERO!
I am so tired of buying junk and wasting my good time bolting on things that do not work. I did everything according to the instructions, and right out of the gate on the first trial both bags leaked.
I found a leaky fitting on the drivers bag which caused me to remove the air line, then the air fitting. Now with everything bolted securely in place, it is super hard to get to that fitting. Bit I managed to get it out, then wrapped it with teflon tape, then reinstalled it. After spraying soap solution all over it I didn't get any bubbling like I had earlier. so i figured that was fine. Obviously it was not.
The right side showed no bubbling but I did find a kink in the line, so I cut out that section and spliced it back together. Checking with soap again showed no bubbling. Fast forward 3 days and both bags were flat.
I am contacting Pac Air and the seller and asking for my money back. I am not going with anything unreliable, and these bags certainly are.
I'll replace them with some Timbren rubber springs and call that all done.
I did notice some porpoising on dips and expansion joints. All I can figure is that I have preloaded and tightened up the rear suspension and that is now transferring more energy, wheelbarrow style to the front that the weak factory shocks cannot handle.
I was going to go with some Carli parts, so that is now the road I will be going down. Tate, expect a call...
Note: The Carli Suspension stuff that Tate sold me for the other Ram 3500 worked well and caused no problems.
32
« on: April 02, 2024, 03:40:52 PM »
The process has begun. I dropped it off today at the repair facility.
Wow, that dealership has grown not to 64 acres of shops, sales rooms and inventory. There is now a whole new repair building that looks like a small Walmart. It is all very modern and well organized. I met Kevin who inspected the camper and filled out the necessary paperwork. They are key on insurance, to make sure the process has generated a claim. We talked a bit about insurance. They told me USAA can be a pickle sometimes, but they do the right thing. This dealership, however, does not accept either Progressive or General. I asked why? Kevin said those insurance companies do not pay and are a pain to work with. I guess when you are that big, where business is knocking at the door all the time, you can be more selective.
To me it is just another indicator that the "Progressive" people who really own and run Progressive insurance are fraudulent and in fact, poor businesses.
From here I have to wait on an estimate which I must then approve. That's when the parts are ordered and the work can soon follow. I am not going to worry nor focus on some distant delivery date as all of that is no longer within my control. I'm just a fish swimming upstream to an uncertain destination.
33
« on: April 02, 2024, 10:31:50 AM »
Break out the burb…..
And the customer camp trailer,
I don’t understand what your pickup has to be tied up for? They don’t have forklift to move the camper with? How do they get shipments delivered of campers?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
They will not use a forklift on it. Apparently, I provide the forklift and it is a 2024 3500 Ram! :-(
34
« on: April 02, 2024, 10:30:38 AM »
Break out the burb…..
It went off to a new home... I'm lightening my load...Paring down to mission essentials. Seems the more stuff I have the more time I spend fixing it :-0
35
« on: April 02, 2024, 10:26:37 AM »
I went with the Sig optic, 1X6x second focal plane.
I was playing around with it yesterday and I found it easy to pick up the reticle. With a second focal plane setup, the reticle stays nice and large more like a reflex sight.
They were on sale for $345 out the door so I ordered it. If I don't like it, I have a lonesome AR somewhere that could use it ;-)
36
« on: April 02, 2024, 10:03:09 AM »
Day 82
37
« on: April 01, 2024, 08:12:10 PM »
Day 81
38
« on: April 01, 2024, 08:06:50 PM »
So, I'm guessing everyone has heard that Don busted up his brand new camper.
:-(
Life goes on and I suppose that instead of lamenting or going on any camper trips for now, I'll concentrate on getting it repaired.
I started the process with a call to my insurance company, USAA. They are willing to just take care of everything or to let me get involved to any degree I feel like I need to. So, after the insurance company, my next call was to Holman Motors, the largest RV dealership and shop in the Cincinnati area. They stock hundreds of campers and RV's and sell Buick and GMC vehicles. From my perspective, they have a metric ton of experience fixing campers and pulling out slides, which mine will no doubt need.
My appointment is tomorrow and unfortunately, I will need to leave it in the truck for 1-2 weeks to get the estimate done. From there I will be given an appointment time to bring it in. It is looking like I will be without a truck for quite some time in the coming month or two.
The good news is that the whole affair will not cost me a ton and I will have it all put back together in time for the Wyoming trip.
39
« on: April 01, 2024, 07:55:00 PM »
No real airflow back there, but I like mine too. The few degrees cooler could even be you add a little more fluid.
I ordered the one Tex shared the link to. That and some good synthetic and if nothing else, I'll feel better ;-)
40
« on: April 01, 2024, 07:53:57 PM »
Very nice rifle.
Positive side of the camper is you are at home and not on the road some place
Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
Agree, this could have been much worse...
41
« on: April 01, 2024, 07:53:15 PM »
Those bear loads kick just a little bit
Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
Funny, but the guy over at Field and Stream just said the same thing ;-)
42
« on: April 01, 2024, 07:52:38 PM »
I have a Ruger no. 1 stainless 45/70. Has a fixed front blade with an adjustable ghost ring rear. That setup works very well, bring it up to my shoulder and the front blade is centered in the ghost ring.
Mine too! I like that setup. I have been practicing bringing the gun to bear after carrying it and almost every single time my eye falls right on that ghost ring with the front sight centered. Once I get back from the Utah and put some rounds through it, I'll know better how that all works. I was out today looking at that SIG low power variable 1X-6x illuminated reticle scope. It's nice but I haven't made up my mind if I'll buy it, or the EOTEC or use nothing at all...
43
« on: April 01, 2024, 10:52:04 AM »
44
« on: April 01, 2024, 10:13:09 AM »
I wish mine had the mitten lever handle….
I had a nice 3x9 stainless scope on mine. When we started camping in bear country I took it off. Figured I’m faster with irons. My 2 cents.
Concur, faster with Irons Now my experience with unexpected close in threats is the two legged variety. I rolled with an ACOG, and still use it today, but the fastest target pickup I ever used is an EOTECH. Matt Atkins suggested I get both. Swap them out. But just this morning I got an email notification from Bud's gun shop. They just got a shipment of the new Smith and Wesson .44 magnum lever guns. Now that would make a good (better) deer gun because it is less cannon-like. There may be some parts of the animal still useable if hit by a .44 magnum rather than a 45-70. A gun like that would be more deserving of a scope-like optic. https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/162329/smith+%26+wesson+model+1854+.44+rem+mag+19.25+stainless+threaded+9+1Undecided at this point, but a reflex sight seems to fit the intended purpose (Fast response to an unexpected bear encounter)
46
« on: April 01, 2024, 09:56:40 AM »
...And that's just it. I am pissed at myself. Nobody did anything to cause this except for me!
Well, the good thing is it seems my tried-and-true USAA is on the ball, I may be covered. I did not place insurance on it yet, just a timing thing really. But since it was mounted in the bed of the dually, it is covered.
47
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:53:51 PM »
That’s a hard to get riffle around her! They sure feel smooth
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes it does
48
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:52:33 PM »
Sorry JR, I can't recall whom I ordered them from
I'm a bonehead!
49
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:36:58 PM »
Surprising!
Where is quality, I mean real quality to be found these days???
50
« on: March 31, 2024, 11:32:45 PM »
So right out of the gate, I ordered a black leather sling for it that has loops for additional cartridges and 100 rounds of ammo. Those 100 rounds cost me $250!!!!!!!!!!!
Next is possibly a reflex sight or optic of some sort.
For the fast-action bear attack scenario, I was thinking of an EOTec or an ACOG. For deer hunting, I was thinking of one of those low-power SIG 1X6 X24 X30mm tube on a QD mount.
This thing is not a long-range weapon and I'll keep shots to 100 meters or less, so a low magnification would work for whitetails pretty well.
I picked up some 325 gr, 350 gr, and 405 gr cartridges. The 405 are hard-cast bear rounds that marry up well with the .44 magnum I have yet to purchase.
Suggestions for optics/ sights??
|
Show Posts
