007 Returns to the Fort

[rtguy007 74]

27 minutes ago, LONE-STAR said:

I don't hate any any auto maker they have all made bad automobiles and good automobiles. I personally skipped dodge diesels from mid 07 through 2012. Ford diesels I skipped 08 through 10.  The only reason I have never bought a duramax is I don't like ifs  suspension.  Try a new megacab ram diesel it will surprise you.

Good choice on skipping those years. I still would love to know why GM doesnt do something better with their sloppy and soft suspensions for better towing. Shouldnt have to beef up a 3/4 or 1 ton trucks suspension to tow your average travel trailer or fifth wheel.

Now the water pump replacement on those duramax's......pass. What a pain.

[Starbuc71 162]

The diesels in the half tons are mainly for gas mileage and not pulling power. I owned a 2012 Silverado duramax and loved it. I just didn't need that much monster of a truck since we downsized the RV.  I agree the new Nissan Titan is an interesting weird truck.  My neighbor has a Ram rebel and it's a sweet truck even though it's a dodge....lol. I was always an American truck guy until every one I owned would start having issues the week after the warranty expired.  I'm a toyota guy now mostly for the reliability.  I need no towing power now since we are no longer towing anything. If we ever get back to camping it will be in a MH

[rtguy007 74]

56 minutes ago, Starbuc71 said:

The diesels in the half tons are mainly for gas mileage and not pulling power. I owned a 2012 Silverado duramax and loved it. I just didn't need that much monster of a truck since we downsized the RV.  I agree the new Nissan Titan is an interesting weird truck.  My neighbor has a Ram rebel and it's a sweet truck even though it's a dodge....lol. I was always an American truck guy until every one I owned would start having issues the week after the warranty expired.  I'm a toyota guy now mostly for the reliability.  I need no towing power now since we are no longer towing anything. If we ever get back to camping it will be in a MH

I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. I had a 2013 Ram 1500 and loved it but needed more suspension for the 35ft TT. We were barely within specs and it was not comfortable towing. The 2500 is much better. If we ever get ride of the camper the truck will probabaly go as well. The  again one day I dream if a nice class a diesel pusher....when I win the lottery or the kids leave the nest.

I had a 97 Ranger that dropped a clutch, blew a head gasket, and bent a shifting fork in the first 12000 miles. I had a 99 Dakota RT that was a blast. Bought it with 71k on it and traded it in in 2013 with 176k miles on the original engine and transmission. However it had 5 sets of tires while I owned it, a new rear end, and was in need of another water pump and heater core when I traded it in. Both trucks were driven hard and they were good for a small truck.

[bhall 115]

1 hour ago, rtguy007 said:

Good choice on skipping those years. I still would love to know why GM doesnt do something better with their sloppy and soft suspensions for better towing. Shouldnt have to beef up a 3/4 or 1 ton trucks suspension to tow your average travel trailer or fifth wheel.

You spelled Ford wrong. :)

Possibly the IFS is what makes you think it's sloppy.  Certainly not the best choice for installing a plow, but much better but much better handling and stability and ride comfort.  Post 2011, GMs handle payload and towing much better then Ford.  At the auction and storage rental business my now recently departed 2015 2500HD got all the heavy tongue weight loads hooked up to it because it handled the weight much better then all the Fords, meaning it hardly squatted while the same year Fords had the headlights up in the air.  One reason I never bought a Ram 2500 beside my track record with Dodge Truck transmissions was because all of the 2500s I looked at had Rear Coil springs.  Leaf springs are where it's at for towing/hauling heavy loads.  If it wasn't, Ram would have coils on the rear of the 3500s.

Glad you got the truck fixed and for free!  Kudos to that shop.

[LONE-STAR 370]

1 hour ago, bhall said:

You spelled Ford wrong. :)

Possibly the IFS is what makes you think it's sloppy.  Certainly not the best choice for installing a plow, but much better but much better handling and stability and ride comfort.  Post 2011, GMs handle payload and towing much better then Ford.  At the auction and storage rental business my now recently departed 2015 2500HD got all the heavy tongue weight loads hooked up to it because it handled the weight much better then all the Fords, meaning it hardly squatted while the same year Fords had the headlights up in the air.  One reason I never bought a Ram 2500 beside my track record with Dodge Truck transmissions was because all of the 2500s I looked at had Rear Coil springs.  Leaf springs are where it's at for towing/hauling heavy loads.  If it wasn't, Ram would have coils on the rear of the 3500s.

Glad you got the truck fixed and for free!  Kudos to that shop.

My 3500 ram srw has leaf spring's. My friend has the same truck in a 2500 we bought them a month apart. We were surprised to see that his truck sits higher then my 3500.

My 2012 ford and my 2016 ram both squat a lot when my 1500lb tounge weight hits it. But I just installed Air lifts air cells airless air bags and it now sits level when towing  I am really happy with them for only $148.00 

[bhall 115]

1 minute ago, LONE-STAR said:

My 3500 ram srw has leaf spring's. My friend has the same truck in a 2500 we bought them a month apart. We were surprised to see that his truck sits higher then my 3500.

My 2012 ford and my 2016 ram both squat a lot when my 1500lb tounge weight hits it. But I just installed Air lifts air cells airless air bags and it now sits level when towing  I am really happy with them for only $148.00 

Does that 2500 have coils?  Sounds like it might. 

That's a good price on those bags.

[LONE-STAR 370]

2 hours ago, Starbuc71 said:

The diesels in the half tons are mainly for gas mileage and not pulling power. I owned a 2012 Silverado duramax and loved it. I just didn't need that much monster of a truck since we downsized the RV.  I agree the new Nissan Titan is an interesting weird truck.  My neighbor has a Ram rebel and it's a sweet truck even though it's a dodge....lol. I was always an American truck guy until every one I owned would start having issues the week after the warranty expired.  I'm a toyota guy now mostly for the reliability.  I need no towing power now since we are no longer towing anything. If we ever get back to camping it will be in a MH

I have only owned one Toyota Tacoma I bought it for my wife we kept it 2 maybe 3 years and traded it for a 4 door wrangler now on our second jeep my wife loves them. But we actually had a pretty big problem with our Tacoma not enough to make me bad mouth them, but the front differential was leaking where the cv shafts bolts to it so they had to replace the whole front differential and both CV shafts that's a big repair for a truck that only has 42000 miles on it and it was not modified at all.

[LONE-STAR 370]

10 minutes ago, bhall said:

Does that 2500 have coils?  Sounds like it might. 

That's a good price on those bags.

Yes

[LONE-STAR 370]

http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-systems/60A2970A0A0.aspx

[bhall 115]

1 minute ago, LONE-STAR said:

http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-systems/60A2970A0A0.aspx

Nice,

I'm hoping I won't need them though with the new to me truck.  I've hooked my 24' car trailer up to it and you couldn't tell it was there on the suspension.  I have to wait until I buy the Andersen Hitch to hook up to the B&W Turnover Ball Hitch so I can hook up my 5er.  Can't wait to see what happens.  I need to install the 7 plug harness in the bed first though ;(

[LONE-STAR 370]

18 minutes ago, bhall said:

Nice,

I'm hoping I won't need them though with the new to me truck.  I've hooked my 24' car trailer up to it and you couldn't tell it was there on the suspension.  I have to wait until I buy the Andersen Hitch to hook up to the B&W Turnover Ball Hitch so I can hook up my 5er.  Can't wait to see what happens.  I need to install the 7 plug harness in the bed first though ;(

My work truck is an F-350 Dually cab and Chassis with a mechanic bed on it  and I drop a backhoe trailer on there and it don't sag it at all you should be fine with your dually

[bhall 115]

11 minutes ago, LONE-STAR said:

My work truck is an F-350 Dually cab and Chassis with a mechanic bed on it  and I drop a backhoe trailer on there and it don't sag it at all you should be fine with your dually

It's a SRW....still hoping I'm fine :)

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

8 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

 My 2012 ford and my 2016 ram both squat a lot when my 1500lb tounge weight hits it. But I just installed Air lifts air cells airless air bags and it now sits level when towing  I am really happy with them for only $148.00 

Do you find, that the air bags help with a smoother ride?  We installed Timbren Springs on our F250 to help with squat....but the ride can be pretty darn rough 

[keith_h 420]

11 hours ago, rtguy007 said:

I had a 97 Ranger that dropped a clutch, blew a head gasket, and bent a shifting fork in the first 12000 miles.

I had a 2001 B3000 and other than normal stuff like tires the only thing I replaced was the water pump at 115K miles. When I got my F-150 gave it my oldest daughter and their husband and it's still going strong although it could use new sway bar links (its at 130K now).

As an aside I have a brother-in-law that owns a GM dealership and his brothers are GM engineers. They've all said Ford makes an overall better truck. One of his brothers even drives one.  

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

4 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Do you find, that the air bags help with a smoother ride?  We installed Timbren Springs on our F250 to help with squat....but the ride can be pretty darn rough 

We took our Ford to the dealer because of the harsh ride and the fix was the leave with a Chevy    The Chevy ride\interior just fits me better and feels more plush.

[LONE-STAR 370]

14 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Do you find, that the air bags help with a smoother ride?  We installed Timbren Springs on our F250 to help with squat....but the ride can be pretty darn rough 

When pulling the trailer it stopped a lot of the bounce. Not towing no difference. But I have the air less air bags no air required.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

18 hours ago, Helmsey......Todd said:

We took our Ford to the dealer because of the harsh ride and the fix was the leave with a Chevy    The Chevy ride\interior just fits me better and feels more plush.

9 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

When pulling the trailer it stopped a lot of the bounce. Not towing no difference. But I have the air less air bags no air required.

Thank you.

[caveat lector 181]

Hey RT, thanks for the TR. Great Job. 

I like Ford, GM, and Dodge, but don't like Ford, GM or Dodge. That settles it you bunch of yahoo hijackers.

[LONE-STAR 370]

7 hours ago, caveat lector said:

Hey RT, thanks for the TR. Great Job. 

I like Ford, GM, and Dodge, but don't like Ford, GM or Dodge. That settles it you bunch of yahoo hijackers.

It wasn't a thread jack, this was clearly a story about a truck that took place at WDW.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I have limped into the Fort more than once with tow vehicle issues, and I have limped home with them as well.  Whenever I feel sorry for myself for having truck issues on vacation, I think of my grandfather, who decided to take a trip to Florida from Western New York in the 1930's in his Model A Ford.  He loaded it up with spare tires and parts and off he went.  It took him a week, he slept on the side of the road, and when he got to the Sunshine State there wasn't much to greet him.  He loaded up his car with seashells and came home.  What an adventure, though.  I can't imagine going that distance with unreliable transportation, no major highways, no service areas, no cell phones.  He loved to tell that story.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

3 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said:

I have limped into the Fort more than once with tow vehicle issues, and I have limped home with them as well.  Whenever I feel sorry for myself for having truck issues on vacation, I think of my grandfather, who decided to take a trip to Florida from Western New York in the 1930's in his Model A Ford.  He loaded it up with spare tires and parts and off he went.  It took him a week, he slept on the side of the road, and when he got to the Sunshine State there wasn't much to greet him.  He loaded up his car with seashells and came home.  What an adventure, though.  I can't imagine going that distance with unreliable transportation, no major highways, no service areas, no cell phones.  He loved to tell that story.

Wow!  That must have been an awesome adventure!

My cousin and a friend of ours having been talking about taking one of our boats from Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico (New Orleans).   And the logistics of the trip are difficult. But nothing compared to what your grandfather did back in the day. 

 

[djsamuel 322]

19 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said:

I have limped into the Fort more than once with tow vehicle issues, and I have limped home with them as well.  Whenever I feel sorry for myself for having truck issues on vacation, I think of my grandfather, who decided to take a trip to Florida from Western New York in the 1930's in his Model A Ford.  He loaded it up with spare tires and parts and off he went.  It took him a week, he slept on the side of the road, and when he got to the Sunshine State there wasn't much to greet him.  He loaded up his car with seashells and came home.  What an adventure, though.  I can't imagine going that distance with unreliable transportation, no major highways, no service areas, no cell phones.  He loved to tell that story.

Sounds like the stories my grandfather would tell; although his Model A travels were through Pennsylvania.  He always loved to talk about how we had it so easy because we didn't have to repair flat tires every 30 miles or so!

[Travisma 1,317]

1 hour ago, djsamuel said:

Sounds like the stories my grandfather would tell; although his Model A travels were through Pennsylvania.  He always loved to talk about how we had it so easy because we didn't have to repair flat tires every 30 miles or so!

They would've fit in with these people...

http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/history/articles/tin-can-tourists-helped-boost-sarasota-economy/

 

Tin Can Tourists Helped Boost Sarasota Economy

The Tin Can Tourists of the World organized at DeSoto Park in Tampa after World War I and had a major impact on tourism in Sarasota, especially in the 1930s. Their membership card listed their purposes: to unite fraternally all auto campers, to provide clean and wholesome entertainment at all campfires and to help enforce the rules governing all camp grounds. Their emblem was a tin can worn on the front of the car.

 

and this one

 

https://tincantourists.com/blog/2016/02/01/tin-can-tourists-history/

 

 

[djsamuel 322]

1 hour ago, Travisma said:

They would've fit in with these people...

http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/history/articles/tin-can-tourists-helped-boost-sarasota-economy/

 

Tin Can Tourists Helped Boost Sarasota Economy

The Tin Can Tourists of the World organized at DeSoto Park in Tampa after World War I and had a major impact on tourism in Sarasota, especially in the 1930s. Their membership card listed their purposes: to unite fraternally all auto campers, to provide clean and wholesome entertainment at all campfires and to help enforce the rules governing all camp grounds. Their emblem was a tin can worn on the front of the car.

 

and this one

 

https://tincantourists.com/blog/2016/02/01/tin-can-tourists-history/

 

 

Those pictures are great.