*Truck and Towing thread........ask your questions here.*

[sirenia88]

J,

I'll have to bookmark them. PA is close enough if it is the right rig. It sounds like they have discovered that exceptional customer service goes farther than closing the deal at any cost.

We looked at Grand Design before buying our current trailer 3 years ago. I really liked the build quality. Unfortunately I was looking for something a little more than the Reflections, but not quite as much as the Solitude. I really liked the Solitude, but couldn't justify the price. If I was going full time, I'd strongly consider it though.

j

As long winded as that was, that was short story. Quite frankly, it could have been the sales rep's approach. The only time we even entered an office it was for 2 things. Finalize our number for the sale. The second time was signing off the paperwork. It was 10 minutes and 2 bottles of water. My wife and I scanned all the documents before signing to verify info was correct and for boiler plate type stuff. The only way you want to spend more time in the office it would be bring a lawyer in for an official review.

I can DM you later with a total in depth experience. I will do the good, the bad, the indifferent. However at the end of the day I would not have a problem directing someone to go there to look and possibility purchase a RV there.

 

[PaHunter]

I'll have to bookmark them. PA is close enough if it is the right rig. It sounds like they have discovered that exceptional customer service goes farther than closing the deal at any cost.

We looked at Grand Design before buying our current trailer 3 years ago. I really liked the build quality. Unfortunately I was looking for something a little more than the Reflections, but not quite as much as the Solitude. I really liked the Solitude, but couldn't justify the price. If I was going full time, I'd strongly consider it though.

j

Jim,
They are close enough to us, if you ever need to, we have a place for you and DW to stay.

 

[Teamubr]

Jim,
They are close enough to us, if you ever need to, we have a place for you and DW to stay.

Thanks Chris!

We still like this new trailer and we have only had it for 3 years. Had the last one for 13. It would be nice to swap the truck and trailer for a nice DP MH, but I think a condo on the Gulf will probably happen instead and I'll keep the current setup to go to the Fort.

j

 

[jeffrey1966]

So This is my 2004 F350 Super Duty with the infamous 6.0L Powerstroke. 258,000 miles. It is all original and hasn't had the EGR delete work done or the head gasket and studs. I have a really good Diesel guy keeping his eye on things as I bring it in for regular maintenance. As you can see by the picture I take good care of it and am not towing something that really puts too much strain on the engine. I'm thinking of doing a few things to the engine including EGR delete. I'm wondering if there are any other 6.0L owners that like their truck or am I the only one? Am I the only one who hasn't deleted the EGR on their engine? I hear a lot of negative things about this truck from others that have owned one.

 

[PaHunter]

Nice setup.

 

[Teamubr]

We briefly had a 6.0 for the race team. The EGR can be a big deal, but that engine was more notorious for the bad injectors. We started replacing 2 and then 2 more. It wasn't long before we sold it and bought a 2011 with the new 6.7. I still have my 2011 and love it.

The good news about the 6.0 was if you made it past 80,000 miles or so and didn't have the injectors replaced, you were probably good. Your's sounds like it was one of the good ones. I know quite a few people that still have 6.0s and they are fine. Like anything with 250,000+ miles, how it has been care for and a bit of luck are the biggest factors in how much longer it will stay reliable.

j

 

[jeffrey1966]

Nice setup.

Thanks Chris. It's worked out really well for us as it's all paid for. I hate loans.

 

[jeffrey1966]

We briefly had a 6.0 for the race team. The EGR can be a big deal, but that engine was more notorious for the bad injectors. We started replacing 2 and then 2 more. It wasn't long before we sold it and bought a 2011 with the new 6.7. I still have my 2011 and love it.

The good news about the 6.0 was if you made it past 80,000 miles or so and didn't have the injectors replaced, you were probably good. Your's sounds like it was one of the good ones. I know quite a few people that still have 6.0s and they are fine. Like anything with 250,000+ miles, how it has been care for and a bit of luck are the biggest factors in how much longer it will stay reliable.

j

I have been adding Hot Shots Diesel Extreme to the fuel and it seems to be doing the job keeping the injectors clean. At least I think that's the reason.

 

[Teamubr]

That can't hurt, but I think the 6.0 injector problems were more design/production related and not as much dirt. The ones we had to replace wouldn't fire (spray), but I know others that had the opposite problem. They dumped so much fuel into the cylinder, it hydraulic'd the block and cracked it.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

So This is my 2004 F350 Super Duty with the infamous 6.0L Powerstroke. 258,000 miles. It is all original and hasn't had the EGR delete work done or the head gasket and studs. I have a really good Diesel guy keeping his eye on things as I bring it in for regular maintenance. As you can see by the picture I take good care of it and am not towing something that really puts too much strain on the engine. I'm thinking of doing a few things to the engine including EGR delete. I'm wondering if there are any other 6.0L owners that like their truck or am I the only one? Am I the only one who hasn't deleted the EGR on their engine? I hear a lot of negative things about this truck from others that have owned one.View attachment 388834

Here is the advice given to me:
The engine is built to run the way it came from the factory. The EGR delete, this is coming form two different diesel mechanics, one of them very well known in the Atlanta area, is not advised. Think about it like this. You got 258,000 with the EGR, really, I don't see a reason to do it now. That right there is proof to me running with EGR is perfectly fine, and really don't see the savings if you consider the EGR cost.

Just my opinion. I have a 2012 6.7 and when my EGR valve stopped up at 100,000 I had it replaced. I could of done the delete, but in MS you can't sell or trade in if the EGR is deleted, so I would of had to put it all back in place to see or trade, which if I would of put the old EGR back in then the sensor would of registered bad and I would of lost the money on trade anyway.

It's a big debate, but I never could justify the cost of the EGR delete along with labor considering the other losses I would of had in the long run.

 

[Teamubr]

Some of you may remember my tire blowout on the way back from Disney/GSP last September. It took out the trailer brake wiring and 2 LP gas lines (Why did they put a gas "T" next to the wheels?) I switched from load range E tires to load range G. After some research, I bought Sailun S637 trailer tires. They were half the price of the Goodyear G614 and had great reviews on the RV forums and the 'nets. Load range G tires have a max inflation of 110 psi, up from 80 psi on an E tire. I inflated the Sailuns up to 110 and went out several times last Fall. The trailer handled much better in corners, but rode very rough. From racing, I knew tire inflation pressure should be tailored to the weight on the tire, but my prior experience with Goodyear when I asked for an inflation recommendation was just "Inflate to the maximum on the sidewall".

On a chance, I emailed customer service at Sailun and got a great response. Not only did they explain why I shouldn't run 110 psi, but they included pictures and an inflation grid for the weight on each tire. Turns out I should be running about 75 psi. I lowered the tire pressures for my trip last weekend and the trailer still handles well, but rode much better. The tires still had considerably less squat compared to the E at maximum inflation. Benefits of a 14 ply vs 10 ply tire.

Below is the email and inflation grid from Sailun customer service. The inflations are for the Sailun S637, but would translate to most G range tires.



Alan Eagleson <AEagleson@sailuntire.com>

Mar 8, 2019, 9:33 AM

to James, Info, me

Jim, thank you for your inquiry to Sailun Tire. The S637 ST tire is engineered to operate at a range of air pressures to handle a range of loads. The maximum is just that, the maximum. What that means is you cannot put more air pressure than 110 psi in to carry more load than 4080 (ST235/80R16).

Benefits of the heavy duty tire.

1) The tire is all-steel belt construction compared to poly-steel of standard ST tires. This is similar to a commercial truck tire.

2) The tire is rated for 75 mph compared to 60-65 mph for most of the standard poly-steel ST tires.

3) Very reliable. We sell in excess of 100,000 of these tires in the U.S. each year with less than 10 warranty claims for the past 5 years.

In your case, the loaded weight of (12,000 lbs) equates to 3,000 lbs./tire. I have attached the load and inflation chart for the two sizes. When you reference the chart, you could go as low as 65 psi. If you use 110 psi, you actually have the tires over-inflated.

I’ll give you the full story on load and inflation for 5th wheel trailers. From my experience in dealing with many 5th wheel owners, your axles are likely rated for 7,000 lbs. which equates to 3500 lbs. per tire. This equates to approximately 80 psi per tire maximum. Your OE tires were poly-steel construction and 10 ply rated. This is because the OE manufacturer tends to put the tire on that just meets the required load spec. The other issue may be the psi rating on your wheels. They may only be rated for 80 psi. It should be stamped somewhere on the wheel. If you can’t find it, contact the trailer manufacturer.

If you put enough load on to require more than 80 psi in your tires, your axles will then be over-loaded and you could have multiple problems. Since you run the tires at 110 psi, they are over-inflated for your load. This picture below shows what happens when you “over-inflate”. With the higher air pressure, the tread of the tire has a radius and does not sit flat on the road. The load is carried by the 3 center ribs and the shoulder ribs are always “squirming”. This is what leads to the irregular wear on the shoulders (typically). The center ribs wear evenly because they are carrying the load. The trailer likely “bounces” a lot when you hit a rough section of road.

I always recommend 5-10 psi higher than the minimum – in your case 75 psi minimum. Check your pressure with an accurate gauge before every trip and you should have no issues.

Hope this helps.

Al Eagleson ‘ACE’
Segment Manager, Commercial Tires
Off. (289) 499-3240 x202
Cel. (416) 315-9391

300-1 Kenview Blvd.,
Brampton, ON, L6T 5E6



j

 

[jaredjohn4]

Almost got home.
The dog and I left the Fort on 4/3. About 1200 miles later and 3 miles from home the I lost all forward power. I was able to coast into a church parking lot and called my local dealer. At 73,000 miles my Ram 2500 diesel is still in warranty so Chrysler towed it in for free. I had to call some friends with fifth wheels to get somebody to pull my camper the last three miles. It could have been a lot worse if it happened somewhere out of state. The mechanic said a plastic control box on the outside of the tranny failed. He said up until about 4 years ago they replaced a lot of them, now just occasionally. This little incident won't dampen my spirit. I still love the truck and the camper.

 

[Teamubr]

Glad you were so close to home and it was covered under warranty. It's still frustrating but these things are mechanical items that will fail.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

Yep, drive me long enough and I don't care which brand you're going with, mechanical breakdowns are guaranteed

 

[friendofeeyore]

I drive a 3500 diesel duramax Chevy truck. I get 17 to 18 mpg. Love my truck!

 

[Sluf]

So I need a little guidance on my next tow vehicle. Jim already knows a little about about my plan, but I haven't spoken with him specifically about what I'm going to ask about here. A little back story and explanation of how I got to here...

On the way home from the Fort in February I blew off part of the side of my 5th wheel. I've since repaired it, and have it ready to camp in again. Before Progressive denied the claim, the wife and I were discussing what we would replace it with if they totalled it and paid it off. We decided that we'd like to have a toy hauler for our next camper, and larger than what we currently have. I can't go much bigger than our current camper, due to my tow vehicle. My truck is rated at 13,100 towing capacity. While I don't care a bit to tow that weight, or even a little beyond that (I know, I'm a bad boy), if we move up to what we want, we're looking at more like 18k. That's just a whole lot more than I'm willing to pull with a 2001 F250. That leads me to my current dilemma.

I plan on my next tow vehicle being an MDT. After looking at the options, it looks like I'm probably going to buy a used F650. I've found several, and am very seriously considering buying one of them. It's a former fire department rescue truck. It's a crew cab, is 2WD, and has air brakes. The "problem" (not really a problem) is that it has a wheelbase about 8 miles long. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's probably 220", or somewhere thereabouts. Shortening the wheelbase isn't a problem, and the driveshaft can be done easily at a local driveline shop.

The big questions I have are stuff like... Should I shorten it to a standard cab and chassis length from cab to axle, or do whatever I want? I plan to fabricate a custom hauler bed for it, regardless of what I buy, unless it already has one. I want the ability to use it to haul stuff as well, lumber, etc. Anything specific ro MDTs that I need to consider?

 

[PaHunter]

So I need a little guidance on my next tow vehicle. Jim already knows a little about about my plan, but I haven't spoken with him specifically about what I'm going to ask about here. A little back story and explanation of how I got to here...

On the way home from the Fort in February I blew off part of the side of my 5th wheel. I've since repaired it, and have it ready to camp in again. Before Progressive denied the claim, the wife and I were discussing what we would replace it with if they totalled it and paid it off. We decided that we'd like to have a toy hauler for our next camper, and larger than what we currently have. I can't go much bigger than our current camper, due to my tow vehicle. My truck is rated at 13,100 towing capacity. While I don't care a bit to tow that weight, or even a little beyond that (I know, I'm a bad boy), if we move up to what we want, we're looking at more like 18k. That's just a whole lot more than I'm willing to pull with a 2001 F250. That leads me to my current dilemma.

I plan on my next tow vehicle being an MDT. After looking at the options, it looks like I'm probably going to buy a used F650. I've found several, and am very seriously considering buying one of them. It's a former fire department rescue truck. It's a crew cab, is 2WD, and has air brakes. The "problem" (not really a problem) is that it has a wheelbase about 8 miles long. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's probably 220", or somewhere thereabouts. Shortening the wheelbase isn't a problem, and the driveshaft can be done easily at a local driveline shop.

The big questions I have are stuff like... Should I shorten it to a standard cab and chassis length from cab to axle, or do whatever I want? I plan to fabricate a custom hauler bed for it, regardless of what I buy, unless it already has one. I want the ability to use it to haul stuff as well, lumber, etc. Anything specific ro MDTs that I need to consider?

A lot of MDT's are underpowered and overpriced. Most firetrucks I would not touch, they get driven hard, some are taken care of. But most do not have the gearing to run on the highway at highway speeds. Most are geared low to get a lot of weight moving and have no top end. And most are not comfortable, cab overs tend to bounce. I know our 8x8's did in the military. If you are insisting on going this route, I would consider looking at MDT from the horse world, they use them to tow large horse trailers. And make sure it has the cargo capacity for the pin weight, between 20/25 percent of the trailer weight.
Just my 2 cents at the end of the day.

 

[Sluf]

A lot of MDT's are underpowered and overpriced. Most firetrucks I would not touch, they get driven hard, some are taken care of. But most do not have the gearing to run on the highway at highway speeds. Most are geared low to get a lot of weight moving and have no top end. And most are not comfortable, cab overs tend to bounce. I know our 8x8's did in the military. If you are insisting on going this route, I would consider looking at MDT from the horse world, they use them to tow large horse trailers. And make sure it has the cargo capacity for the pin weight, between 20/25 percent of the trailer weight.
Just my 2 cents at the end of the day.

Without the axle code on the truck I was looking at, I have no idea what the gear ratio of that particular truck is. I can get that pretty easily though, as well as what the spring code is. The particular truck I was looking at had a rescue body on it. It's a 5.9 Cummins and Allison automatic. The guy said he drove it from Texas to Alabama and it ran 72mph. As far as power goes, it's only rated at something like 215 hp, but that should be easily taken care of with a tune.

Whatever I get, I'm definitely going to look it over real good. I'm not terribly worried about buying a firetruck/rescue truck. All of our trucks are governed, and most others are as well. While we DO run them hard, they're also pretty well maintained as well. The brakes take more of a beating on fire service equipment more so than the driveline.

 

[Teamubr]

Rodney,

I know a bit of the back story on the truck you were considering. It likely has been cared for better than "retired" ones. The gearing is a big consideration. My brother is a musician. For one of his earlier traveling bands, he bought an old International Loadstar box truck. It was considered a "city" (delivery) truck and had a 5 speed in it. 1st was useless unless the truck was very full and starting on an uphill. It would turn almost 4,000 rpm on the highway and make you go deaf. He only kept it a year before he bought a newer moving company truck with a real Allison transmission and highway gears.

If you do go the fire truck route, I wouldn't be too concerned about the wheelbase. The F450 and up trucks have a much tighter wheel cut than the "lesser" trucks. That means you can turn tighter despite the long wheelbase. I'd drive it around a bit before deciding to shorten it. I bet it turns tighter or at least the same as my F350 dually. Same the money for a nice bed conversion and hitch.

j

 

[Sluf]

Rodney,

I know a bit of the back story on the truck you were considering. It likely has been cared for better than "retired" ones. The gearing is a big consideration. My brother is a musician. For one of his earlier traveling bands, he bought an old International Loadstar box truck. It was considered a "city" (delivery) truck and had a 5 speed in it. 1st was useless unless the truck was very full and starting on an uphill. It would turn almost 4,000 rpm on the highway and make you go deaf. He only kept it a year before he bought a newer moving company truck with a real Allison transmission and highway gears.

If you do go the fire truck route, I wouldn't be too concerned about the wheelbase. The F450 and up trucks have a much tighter wheel cut than the "lesser" trucks. That means you can turn tighter despite the long wheelbase. I'd drive it around a bit before deciding to shorten it. I bet it turns tighter or at least the same as my F350 dually. Same the money for a nice bed conversion and hitch.

j

Awe man, the wheelbase on that thing is CRAZY LONG. The crossmembers and spring hangers are bolted on, not riveted, so moving the axle should be a fairly easy job. The only money involved would be shortening the driveshaft and if it works out that I could just remove the center shaft and move the rear shaft forward, it wouldn't cost anything. I'm thinking a couple hundred bucks should do the driveshaft though at a shop.

Depending on which Allison it has in it, it could be 1:1 in top gear, or it could be overdrive, or even double overdrive. One plus is that it has 22.5 wheels instead of 19.5 wheels.