3500 RAM Prospector + Alu Cabin + Custom Bed

[UglyViking]

So that's even more to the case of the total additions being higher in weight than the loss of payload. I wonder why.

I think that generally speaking, weight is counter to offroad performance for sure.

What you need to be thinking is "this thing needs tracks for the snow", at least that is what I'm always thinking…

 

[Todd n Natalie]

So I will have the part quick, BUT I have to pay for it and claim the carrier. It’s only $160, and the carrier already gave me $200.

But this is a huge letdown from AEV. Big company that wants to ******** the tow driver because their lack of quality control….unbelievable.

I’m flying out of the country for an emergency. I don’t have time to fight the good fight with AEV now.

Thanks everybody for their input.

Yeah, I would've hoped AEV would have stepped up there. Can't imagine the transport company would have done anything to the snorkel that would have caused that part to come loose. They should have covered the part for you then went after the transport company if the felt it was negligent on their end.

 

[hdas]

Makes one wonder if that offset is helped by the rating of the tires?

This would go the other way no?. From E to D

 

[andy_b]

For people interested in payload. My truck went from 3800lbs to 3380lbs after the AEV upfit:...

I predict this will be exceeded post-haste.

 

[Kingsize24]

That is less than I expected. I guess that is one benefit with working directly with the OEMs, you get some ability to provide greater accuracy for numbers. Only 420lbs lost over factory. 37" tires prob weigh around 100lbs more for all 4. 16.5Ti has to be 100lbs. The AEV front bumper weighs 300lbs (minus say 75lbs for stock, puts you at 225lbs). Rear bumper, lets say 75lbs over stock? The suspension setup has to weigh 100lbs over stock? Plus other odds and ends (snorkel, weight of 17s over stock (if any, possibly lower?) All that adds up to about 600lbs, or about 50% more than the stated loss.

Makes one wonder if that offset is helped by the rating of the tires? I suppose my numbers could likely be way off, margin of error on these small numbers may be ~25%. Wonder what makes it different than my expectation.

Minor thing but it's nice the cold pressure ratings are listed there.

I would assume it's offset some by the subtraction of the parts removed. 🤔

 

[UglyViking]

This would go the other way no?. From E to D

The E and D ratings today really don't matter too much past the sidewall stiffness. The bigger thing is the weight rating of the tire. For example, the stock Nexen tires on the HD trucks are rated for 3640lbs per tire, where as a 37x12.5x17 Falken AT3W is rated at 3970lbs, comparing E to E tire. There are other 37s with higher and I think lower ratings as well.

I guess my point is that perhaps the increased weight rating of the tire helped offset some of the loss of the payload from the mods.

I would assume it's offset some by the subtraction of the parts removed. 🤔

Yeah, but I took that into my account with my numbers, or at least attempted to. I suppose my weights could be way off, but I don't think they are multiple hundreds of lbs off. I could be wrong.

Anyway, no need to beat this to death, just surprised is all.

 

[hdas]

+1 the starlink idea. I guess a large part of it depends on what sort of adventure travel you do. If you're often separated from your vehicle, and in a location where service is close to 0, a sat phone may be the only viable option, but assuming you generally are close enough to your vehicle to get back to make an emergency contact, or have radios to communicate between a person "at camp" at the rig, and out in an emergency, it's probably a non issue.

For what it's worth, all my adventure travel happens in the US and CA. I own a starlink for rv travel and have been pleasantly surprised by the performance. Add in a garmin inreach mini 2 for on person emergency and you really have a pretty do it all setup. If my travels took me outside north america, or through parts of mexico with heavy cartel influence, I'd probably feel strongly about carrying a sat phone on my person, but the realistic use cases here, for me, are exceedingly rare especially considering the cost.

Seems like your opinion is the consensus now:

The Best Remote Communications for Overlanders

For the modern explorer, there are plenty of communications options, including all manner of analog and digital methods.

expeditionportal.com

I feel conflicted about having connectivity. I quite enjoy unplugging and being away from the phone when I have to.

 

[hdas]

First ride in pavement impressions:

- Very happy with the suspension damping on high speed bumps.
- I can feel the difference in turning the wheel when parking.

These are some beefy rear shocks, relative to stock...

 

[hdas]

First ride in heavy snow conditions. BFG KO2 were flawless. 4H in the chunky sections.

How fast are you supposed to go on 4H?

 

[406to417]

Snorkel hat came off during transit. AEV has some explaining/compensating to do. 2 questions:

1. Is it safe to drive?
2. How much is the hat?

View attachment 816322

I recently bought an AEV snorkel and the instructions say to add a pin to secure the head as well as the clamp. I wonder if that was added since your incident.

 

[hdas]

I wonder if that was added since your incident.

The pin came in the box without instructions. I need to install it. I don't see a hole for it in the snorkel anywhere

 

[hdas]

I recently bought an AEV snorkel and the instructions say to add a pin to secure the head as well as the clamp. I wonder if that was added since your incident.

The key thing here is that AEV didn’t even install the pin themselves !!

 

[hdas]

New contender in the HD tire field: Falken Wildpeak A/T4W




The main features of this tire are:

1. While in theory a 37x12.5 R17 the tire is bigger, it measures actual 37" and it's 13.8" wide. Which is not good for fuel efficiency.
2. Its a 3-ply Load E 3970lbs......a thicker tire. If the compound doesn't counter greatly, it could also mean bad fuel efficiency.
3. It's a heavy tire, but at least they kept it under 80lbs.
4. Nice 3PMS.

It's really hard to compete with KO3's and Toyo's.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

First ride in heavy snow conditions. BFG KO2 were flawless. 4H in the chunky sections.

How fast are you supposed to go on 4H?

I drive in 4HI on the highway everyday in winter which usually consists of dry / snow / ice covered sections. Usually around 60 - 65 which is the speed of traffic flow - depending on conditions of course.

 

[hdas]

Truck is ready. Taking her out this weekend with the fam.