2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

[Kingsize24]

It was the cheapest piece to sacrifice which still kept the winch operational and undamaged. My kinetic and winch extension straps are $130 each and this tree saver was $70. My choker chain is hundreds of miles away and would have been the ideal choice for this application. The tree saver was scuffed a bit so once I inspect it I will decide if it should be replaced.

I wouldn't worry about it in the least. Half my stuff is yrs old, cut and partially torn. And I still pull hard with it all. We were pulling creosote posts out for fence repair most the early summer, and I'll keep using them till they decide to not stay together anymore. ??

 

[Oilbrnr]

Hmm. Haven’t been on here in a while and thought I’d see what was new in the RAM HD build arena.

Interesting build and build choices. I‘ve got a chuckle on a few. What ever happened to those fancy tie-down thingy’s for the FWC?

As a 4th gen AEV Dorkel owner, I would NOT install it again. Why? The split sleeve design coupling in the fender is piss poor slip fit. The A pillar mount depends on rubber well nuts (dry rotted), the actual attachment to the air box is not watertight without significant work. Crack a wind shield? The snorkel has to come off, which means the headlight and everything to get the headlight assembly out. And that Sy-Klone pre-filter is sized for a D series Cat motor. Way more CFM that our 6.4’s ever suck even when screaming to climb grades here in the West. Trust me, I went round and round with AEV and they just gave me the finger over it. Even provided them the engineers name at Sy-Klone that gave me the correct fitment for our engine. (he also said that AEV’s choice was too big for the Cummins application)

I don’t think it made a significant drop in IAT, which is really is about the only benefit you can hope for with this mod. On a 80 series Land Cruiser, the juice is maybe worth the squeeze (depending on the overall shape of the 80 at that point). On our applications, no. And don’t mention water fording, cause let’s be real…

But you’ll do it. ;-)
(at least try to get a refund on that Sy-Klone, this was up in UT, big John Deere road grader. Same unit by all demensions.)

 

[ramblinChet]

My recent adventures has me north of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania mostly between Pine Creek to the east and West Branch of the Susquehanna River to the west. Considering all the time and hundreds of miles spent off-road, I barely even have begun to scratch the surface of Pennsylvania Wilds.

Here is a monument marking the capital of the Lenni Lenape tribe on the banks of the West Branch Susquehanna River.


The American Power Boat Association was having a race on the river so I jumped into the pits and hung out with some racers. Once you have been issued a license and dedicated a significant portion of your life to racing, all forms of racing sound fun!


The "slow" guys putter along at 60 MPH while the faster ones approach 100 MPH on the water. Keep in mind, they are kneeling in a hand-built boat and wear no harness or retainer. If things go bad they enjoy some peaceful time in the air as they are thrown from their craft. The screaming two-strokes sounded like a swarm of angry bees.


Enjoying a relaxing ride along Queens Creek Road in the Sproul State forest. Everything was so green and wet it was almost like a jungle. BTW - the picture is very poor and does not begin to show how beautiful it really was. Maybe it's time to begin dragging a DSLR out with me.


Some of the "high clearance 4x4" trails detailed in my Purple Lizard Maps had not been traveled in a long time and were not just, good and tight, but overgrown in some areas.


Here is a nice open camping spot in the middle of nowhere. A few hours after the sun dropped it began raining and rained all night long. I was somewhat concerned with departing in the morning since the trail in was not heavily used and there were a good number of elevation changes. I wheeled out in 2WD checking the traction along the way and had no problems. In the future it would be wise for me to check into the weather.


Here is the Farrandsville Blast Furnace. I have come across many furnaces during my adventures here in Pennsylvania but this one is in really good shape. The plaque reads, "The first successful hot-blast furnace to produce high quality iron. An outstanding example of dry masonry."


The fact that it rained so much recently put a big smile on my face as I began this road. Little did I know what I was in for...


This is looking out my front window. Some sections of Graham Road were overgrown while others has the parts of the shelf road washed out. There was one time I began to feel my front tire dip and when the rear dropped in it dipped even more. I will admit around an hour in I began to consider looking for a place to turn around but on a narrow shelf road there was no opportunity. After the trail improved I still had another 12-13 miles remaining with some of those sections in so-so condition.


If you have a pop-up camper it is very important to check your latches before returning to speeds above 25 MPH. Tree branches, flexing, etc. can have them come loose and the last thing an owner wants is to have the top deploy unexpectedly at speed. I have a checklist where I walk around the vehicle and count the six latches to confirm they are locked.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Looks like a fun trip! Overgrown is a bit of an understatement. Think this might make you install limb risers?

 

[Julebakken]

Best to never assume hatches and latches are secure. Same with any Camper really.

Looks more than snug on that trail!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tacollie]

Those FWC latches are junk. Ours come loose all the time. We were on a trail last week and I thought I heard one of mine rattling around. Turns out it is my buddies Hawk I was following ?

 

[ramblinChet]

Think this might make you install limb risers?

You bring up a good point considering how many times I have had limbs strike the FWC. Do you know if anyone has ever installed limb risers on a RAM with a FWC? I do not believe I have ever heard of one. I guess my main concern would be where to tie it in on each end.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

As your Ram does not have the wrap around grill guard maybe something along these lines?

 

[ramblinChet]

This fallen tree blocked half of the trail and although I considered squeezing around it I decided not to try since it had rained so much, the soil was soft, and the fall was steep. What made this interesting was the fact that the tree was sliding down the bank and while I was cutting I could tell these limbs were under a heavy load. I took my time and cut slowly making sure I was not going to catch the unexpected transformation of all the potential energy into kinetic.

I carry two different size Silky saws - this is the larger one. It is made in Japan and is a fine tool.


Looking out over West Branch Susquehanna River.


In the mountains it is common to find railroad lines running adjacent to rivers. In some areas there just is not enough room to also squeeze a road in also so here is an interesting way to reinforce the grade for the tracks while permitting a road to squeeze by. I would have loved to watch a train pass.


OK, one more shot of this beautiful river. The rain and the mist mixed with the slow moving water and air was wonderful. I enjoyed dozens of scenes like this as I traveled parallel to the river for miles.


This is a statue in honor of the Civilian Conservation Corps from the 1930s. It is located at the top of Hyner Mountain which also has a hang glider launch point.


If you look closely in the center and slightly off to the left you will see a litter of three black bear cubs playing on the rocks. As I approached they scurried off into the forest. I parked and waited hoping they might come back out but they never did. Earlier the same day I saw two rafter of turkey and many deer.


When driving through the mountains in Pennsylvania you will spend much of your time on scenic shelf roads like this one.


This is just one of dozens of waterfalls feeding into Trout Run just south of Wolf Run Wilderness Area. There were so many waterfalls in the area it was nearly deafening but in a very good way.


Did I mention that it rained for days?

 

[ramblinChet]

Placed an order today for four additional ZARGES K470 premium aluminum cases to be used in my AEV Prospector. Here are three that I purchased years ago and still use with my Jeep:


Here is an older photograph showing my National Luna 80L refrigerator / freezer and three ZARGES K470 in the rear of my TJ. I still have the older K470s which are beat to hell but still work as advertised.


Technical information:


All my cases are IGBC Certified Bear-Resistant:

 

[ramblinChet]

Ordered two 2" x 8' straps and tie down D-rings from US Cargo Control. I initially considered ratchet straps but decided to use cam buckle ones so I can feel the tension and reduce the risk of damaging cargo due to over-tightening. After spending a few days researching different straps from various manufacturers I can conclude there are many good options out there and most of them would be perfectly fine for my application.

There are many different end fittings such as flat hook, wire hook, snap hook, E-track, etc. but I wanted to keep it simple. My goal with this build is to use a few pieces as possible and use commonly available options.

 

[ramblinChet]

As a temporary or possibly permanent solution to carrying spare fuel I purchase two 20 liter Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister manufactured by Wavian in Latvia. I researched other options by Valpro, Gelg, etc. and found there are only minor differences between these three top companies. I also purchased two of their heavy duty front-loading Jerry can holders.

Although I am always very conservative regarding fuel use while exploring, sometimes things happen. Carrying ten additional gallons of fuel is very cheap insurance. And if I come upon another adventurer who needs fuel I will be able to assist immediately.

 

[ramblinChet]

Here are the accessory brackets manufactured by Das Mule that will permit me to mount my Jerry cans on the rear of my Four Wheel Camper:

 

[ramblinChet]

Here are my ZARGES K470 premium aluminum cases in place in my FWC. I have the 2" straps and d-rings from U.S. Cargo Control to tie everything down - I just need to pick up the correct carriage bolts, washers and nuts.

A wonderful option I have with these cases is I can empty my camper and maximize interior space in just a few minutes. All the cases are weatherproof and stack so I can store them outside or use them as a table, bench, etc. Since the refrigerator has base mounting plate with a quick disconnect I can remove it even quicker.

You can see the cases make use of unoccupied space on the sides and are close to being flush with the National Luna 80 L refrigerator/freezer.


Here is a shot of the cases on the drivers side.


Here is a shot of the cases on the passenger side.


And yes, I sized these so my bed can be pulled out with them in place. There is approximately 12 mm of clearance.


As mentioned in an earlier post, all of my cases are certified bear resistant. Many of the places I plan to visit such as Yosemite, Grand Teton, Denali, etc. require bear resistant canisters.

 

[ramblinChet]

Hmmm...to say I am somewhat disappointed is an understatement. I am preparing for a trip which departs next week and wanted to take along some additional fuel so I ordered the Mule Expedition Outfitters Four Wheel Camper accessory brackets. One drivers side ($130), one passenger side ($130), plus shipping ($35) so am in $295 for two brackets. Maybe a bit high but they looked good in pictures and I am in a crunch for time.

Unfortunately, neither one fits.

What is really disappointing is that Mule are Four Wheel Camper dealers. Ordering from a company who manufactures accessories is one thing and you may expect some issues but when they deal in the product line that the accessory is designed to attach to? No excuses.

Here are pics and details:

Here is the drivers site bracket with a picture taken from below. The bracket is snug on the left side but sticks out over an inch on the right side. Very crooked and unusable.


For reference, here is the passenger side. This fits perfect and is snug on the right side, and as I would later realize, too snug on the left side.


Here are two pictures side-by-side for comparison. On the left is the drivers side and you can clearly see the massive gap - this is way off. On the right is the passenger side and although the gap is very tight, it appears to be too tight. How will I fit the head of a bolt in there without grinding it against my camper?


If you look closely in the dark area in the center of the picture you can see the factory installed solar plug connection on the rear wall. It looks like the bracket on the drivers side is in conflict with this and that is what is forcing the bracket to be crooked. I am confused since these are not a recent addition - I checked and these have been installed on all FWC beginning in January 2015. So, nearly eight years and no accommodation?


In closing, the brackets appear to be well designed and look great but once you bolt them on the story changes quickly. Neither side fit correctly. On the drivers side the bracket is crooked. On the passenger side the bracket is so tight there is not enough room to place a bolt behind it. I am big on following instructions but none were offered. They do have a note on their website stating "Camper configurations will differ, some modifications may be needed depending on camper options." but my camper is about as standard as they come - a shell with nothing.

I am going to reach out to Das Mule and ask them if I am doing something wrong, have unusually high expectations for the price I paid, or maybe they have a solution. These are the only accessories I have purchased in the past few years that have been so wrong.