2020 Ram 5500 DIY Composite Panel Camper Build Thread

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

If you could just be a little bit more detailed in your trip reports it would help LOL LOL
I guess I need to get to work writing a trip report of sorts, it will be no where near that good!

GREAT write up! THIS is how you help the next guy.....honest write ups and information!

CHEERS!!

Thank You Sir!

That is exactly my reasoning for the updates. To help the next guy or gal with honest real world use and feedback to help them make better, more informed decisions and save them money and time.

I find that's a HUGE issue here, and in the community as a whole, folks are either afraid of their ego to admit they did wrong, maybe just embarrassed, or simply don't know any better, i am not sure.

This leads to others making the same mistakes, and doesn't help anyone, and is very counter productive in the grand scheme of things.

Great Example: A lot of folks claim to love the Tern Stuff and the MPT tires... Yeah... I am dumbfounded on this!

I have had a fair amount of people PM me about issues with various manufactures, that are afraid to speak up publicly here and "rock the boat" for fear of angering their overland idols.

Its both sad and detrimental to all, but it is what it is.

My builds have, and will always be open books, to help others. Its the way it should be.

Cheers

 

[Darwin]

Great Example: A lot of folks claim to love the Tern Stuff and the MPT tires... Yeah... I am dumbfounded on this!

HAHAH perfect. Online and on social media they all love those MPT tires, in private they all hate them. It keeps Continental busy churning them out I guess.

 

[wfv56]

I see the point of disliking the MPT tires but ask what alternatives do you propose? Do we have any choices of 37 inch or larger tires for these trucks with load ratings equal to a MPT? These trucks are very heavy and when converted to Super Singles choices really narrow.

 

[DzlToy]

MPT is an oft-misunderstood, and one could argue, mis-used term in the tire world. It is an acronym and stands for Multi-Purpose Tire. That's it. It is not a 'tire' per se, in the sense that Michelin makes a Pilot Sport Cup 2 and no one else can make that exact tire. It is made by Michelin only, using a specific compound and tread design.

While there aren't 100 of them from which to choose, several companies make 'MPT' in large sizes. If you have researched MDT (Medium-Duty Truck) tires, you will notice there is a gap in load ratings after about 37". It is common for these tires to support about 4,000 pounds each. If your rig weighs more than 14-15k, going to a 38" - 39" tire from the 'pickup truck' world, won't get you anymore weight carrying capacity. Moving to something like an 11R22.50 or a 275/80R22.50 gets you a VERY stiff tire that will easily carry the weight of your giant camper on an F550, but will ride like crap, cannot be aired down and generally, isn't very good off highway.

Check with Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook and Toyo commercial truck tire dealers, not your local Les Schwab, Big 10 or Wall-Martz, about 40" - 46" diameter tires that are rated to carry 5k - 8k each, can be aired down, used off road and don't have a 22-ply carcass. I know that Goodyear offers a G275 MSA in 335/80R20F. It is a 12 PR tire that weighs #133, measures 41.4” tall unloaded, 13.1” wide and turns 499 revolutions per mile. It is rated at #6400 at 80 MPH inflated to 80 PSI.

Michelin's 335/80R20 MPT is one of the lightest 'big tires' in the industry. With a load rating of F (#4670), an 18.6” loaded radius, a 40.75” diameter, a 13.50” width and turning 514 revs per mile, it is the perfect tire for a large, but lighter weight expedition truck. The heavy duty tires (14R20 = <50” tall) are really made for heavy Unicat-type trucks that weigh 30 – 50k.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

I see the point of disliking the MPT tires but ask what alternatives do you propose? Do we have any choices of 37 inch or larger tires for these trucks with load ratings equal to a MPT? These trucks are very heavy and when converted to Super Singles choices really narrow.

After these horrible noise makers wear out, i will likely being going back to Dually

There are AMPLE horror stories of the Goodyears being out of round from new, and Buckstop literally warns of this on their website.

There is no chance in hell i am going to take a chance at close to $1k a tire.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

HAHAH perfect. Online and on social media they all love those MPT tires, in private they all hate them. It keeps Continental busy churning them out I guess.

Same with the Lagun table... LOL

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

So here are the 2 different styles of valves

On left is the electric ball valve style and on the right is the solenoid style i tried first and it was a fail.

It developed a small but consistent leak about midway into the trip.

This is on me, i didnt do enough research into how they worked. When the solenoid valve is "On" it gets HOT and works on heat and springs, and apparently i fried it

I ran it for 5 mins to drain my tank at home before removing it, and burnt my hand it was that hot. I honestly didnt know that was how these worked. Fail!!!

Replaced with the blue electric ball valve and all is well. Turn it on, it opens up, turn it off, it automatically closed it.

Lucky an easy fix, and a cheap mistake. Just an FYI for yall

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Gotta say of all the threads I follow on here yours good sir, is the most honest and deeply detailed. I truly appreciate your no holds barred reality-based commentary of all these issues we face with these medium duty beasts.

Interesting that you are considering going back to duals. The gent I bought my Buckstop/MPT81 combo from (they had 5k miles) was doing the same. Got sick of the noise, balancing issues etc. I personally enjoy them so far, mostly because they air down so much and are a generally tough tire (I've lost no chunks so far, a huge issue in So Utah) but they are noisy AF and wear fast on hot roads. Also need to get them siped this winter for snow performance because I have to air them down a bit in winter for better grip. Looking at my options for the next round as well. Would love to know if there's a 40" tire with siping particularly.

 

[DzlToy]

Consider 'shaving' the tires to make them perfectly round. This may sound counter-intuitive, to take material off a brand new tire, but it pays dividends in heat, tire life, etc.,

The same can be done with large/heavy wheels. Put them on a lathe and mill them perfectly true. A #100 wheel, out of balance will eat tires and shocks. This may sound extreme, but on a 500k - 1m rig, it is likely a very wise investment to make.

EDIT:

tire truing/shaving - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums

928 Forum - tire truing/shaving - I have a bit of speed specific vibration and I suspect it that part of it might be due to out of round tires. I jacked the car up and spun each tire and noticed that while the wheels were perfect, my tires are out of round about 1/8 each. I took each tire off...

rennlist.com

Tire shaving or truing ?

Is there anyone around that still does this ? Ive got almost new 19.5's on my towrig and one for sure but probably al of them have a little shake after roadforce balancing. The tire guys are telling me they could see a little out of round but its as good as its gonna get on a 19.5 ? Wondering...

www.rme4x4.com

FX35 - onthemove MOD's

onthemoveMOD'S Tire Mod; Got the tires trued today. Very smooth ride, better mileage, faster acceleration, longer lasting(?) and noise reduction, all...

www.infinitiscene.com

If this is true for low-profile sports car tires, I can only imagine how out-of-round a heavy truck tire is. Balance beads/weights are not the solution, a round tire is.

 

[rruff]

Looking at my options for the next round as well. Would love to know if there's a 40" tire with siping particularly.

Pardon my ignorance... but is there are reason why 37s aren't used? More than 8,000 lbs on the rear axle? Plenty of options there would give good snow/ice performance.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Gotta say of all the threads I follow on here yours good sir, is the most honest and deeply detailed. I truly appreciate your no holds barred reality-based commentary of all these issues we face with these medium duty beasts.

Thank you sir.

That is one of the main reasons i still stick around here, not many of us left that arent painting fake pictures of living our best life and everything being perfect!

Interesting that you are considering going back to duals. The gent I bought my Buckstop/MPT81 combo from (they had 5k miles) was doing the same. Got sick of the noise, balancing issues etc. I personally enjoy them so far, mostly because they air down so much and are a generally tough tire (I've lost no chunks so far, a huge issue in So Utah) but they are noisy AF and wear fast on hot roads. Also need to get them siped this winter for snow performance because I have to air them down a bit in winter for better grip. Looking at my options for the next round as well. Would love to know if there's a 40" tire with siping particularly.

How many long road trips have you done?

 

[StenchRV]

Pardon my ignorance... but is there are reason why 37s aren't used? More than 8,000 lbs on the rear axle? Plenty of options there would give good snow/ice performance.

Not speaking for Kevin

My rear axle weighs 11,200 LBS.
I would have loved a 37” tire that could handle 6000 LBS EACH, not to be had at the time of my build.

There are very few options out there.
More options in the future? Who knows?
I do not HATE the Continental MPT81, but I do not LOVE them either after a 10 week 7000 mile trip.

Kevin has a very valid point. Nothing I did “required” a super single. I want it for the ground clearance and air down ability, plus some other factors. Would I entertain another option…..ABSOLUTELY!

CHEERS!!

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Not speaking for Kevin

My rear axle weighs 11,200 LBS.
I would have loved a 37” tire that could handle 6000 LBS EACH, not to be had at the time of my build.

There are very few options out there.
More options in the future? Who knows?
I do not HATE the Continental MPT81, but I do not LOVE them either after a 10 week 7000 mile trip.

Kevin has a very valid point. Nothing I did “required” a super single. I want it for the ground clearance and air down ability, plus some other factors. Would I entertain another option…..ABSOLUTELY!

CHEERS!!

The super singles have their advantages for sure! For ME, and MY use, i think dually would be a better option.

Only downside i see for ME and MY usage, is the loss of the amazing turning radius the Super Singles offer.

The other downsides, i would gladly give up for a nice quiet ride.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Thank you sir.

That is one of the main reasons i still stick around here, not many of us left that arent painting fake pictures of living our best life and everything being perfect!



How many long road trips have you done?

Not many long trips. Longest was up to Red Lodge over the Beartooth highway from SLC. Otherwise mostly shorter trips (define long lol) that were very slow going for longer portions. Areas like Orange Cliffs, Dirty Devil River area Arizona strip and such. So: highway for 150 to 250 miles then 40 to 100 on crappy county roads, many of them prone to washout. Fair amount of volcanic rock and ledge stuff, some stream crossings. I'm probably pushing 12-13k with the camper (need to actually weigh the thing still). Highway is fine but loud. Really depends on the road surface. Quiet on most asphalt. Loud as a rock concert on concrete freeways though.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Loud as a rock concert on concrete freeways though.

Agree 100% and here in San Diego, we have to spend A LOT of time on the freeways to get to anything cool.

Moab is a 14 hour drive for us, so yeah...