3500 RAM Prospector + Alu Cabin + Custom Bed

[UglyViking]

Well this is crappy news, I had no idea. Supposedly SmartCap is set to come out with their flatbeds soon as well which look oddly similar to what PCOR was putting out.

I contacted RSI and they told me that their BRS (Bed Replacement System) is going to come out for the Tacoma mid 2024, and I've seen pictures of one on a Gladiator, so my expectation would be both come out together, or Taco followed by Glady.

I had asked about plans for Ram HD, and they said they were trying to Taco first, and if it sold well enough they would start exploring other options.

I don't expect to see these for any HD trucks till prob 2027 considering the language used, but it's purely a guess.

 

[Tex68w]

I contacted RSI and they told me that their BRS (Bed Replacement System) is going to come out for the Tacoma mid 2024, and I've seen pictures of one on a Gladiator, so my expectation would be both come out together, or Taco followed by Glady.

I had asked about plans for Ram HD, and they said they were trying to Taco first, and if it sold well enough they would start exploring other options.

I don't expect to see these for any HD trucks till prob 2027 considering the language used, but it's purely a guess.

Yea they told me a similar story last year as well.

 

[renottse]

I’ll chip in a perspective on off the shelf vs custom for the flatbed.

I’ve got a Norweld. I didn’t know what I needed so went fully optioned weekender and figured I’d 86 the stuff that was of no use but have it there for the next owner.

Positive, off the shelf is it’s all there, you just got to fit your stuff in it and work around the limitations, which for me was the box sizes.

Negative on Norweld is it’s an adaptation. It wasn’t designed for our full size trucks, it sorta works but it leaves room for improvement… other mfg’s are cashing in on this.

Opinions,

I would absolutely get the slide out drawer, but next time I’d make it have the locks that keep it open. On a slope it’s a finger chopper 5000 with the weight of tools.

Boxes need to be bigger and deeper, there’s a lot of space that isn’t utilized with off the shelf.

Step, no.

Clip on table no.

Bed sides, yes.

Side water tank yes (repurposed as grey tank so we can stay in some campgrounds).

Under bed water tank, no (might repurpose this as extra diesel but 52 gallon main tank seems fine)

Other stuff,

Integration or consideration of …Power, Norweld only has solutions only for their canopies, tray no, it’s up to you. Air, again you work it out. Camper, nothing, start drilling.

If you’re going to invest the money go custom.

That list you’re working on will be the key to unlocking the utility, the value will be the hours you spend camping not working out a solution for the day ahead.

 

[hdas]

So with the wheel backwards you need to cut this down 1 1/2” for an AEV wheel.

View attachment 800846

Then you need to protect the tire from this cross bar, coach bolt through 1/2” heavy rubber mat, double nutted with red loctite. Bolt goes up when compressed by tire.

View attachment 800848

Relocated hole

View attachment 800847

The ugly bit… my flatbed has cross bars which limits the space for the relocated tire winch so it has run at a crazy angle. Not worried as this doesn’t go up and down daily. The red circle is where I cut it so I could relocate the piece on the right. It’s welded in place on the other side. IF the bed was off when you did this you’d be able to get it flat, reshape and extend the tube the wire runs in. me, it works, has done for years no new mouse trap needed. View attachment 800853

There maybe guys up in Canada who have a bolt in solution, can’t remember where I saw it, somebody will chime in.

Thank you for the detailed report. It's certainly piqued my interest in exploring this approach. Given that I'm not highly mechanically savvy, it'll take me a bit to delve into the intricacies and weigh the tradeoffs of this handy workaround.

because you’re going to consider the bed as an alternative you need to consider the alternatives it opens up.

My suggestion is to perform basic upgrades to the truck and head out to begin enjoying some adventure. Over the next year or so it will become obvious what you really need and more importantly, what you do not.

all of a sudden you’ll just be using it and thinking about 2.0.

Your comments truly echo my present sentiments. I'm already allocating substantial funds to this build, so customization is becoming both more appealing and requisite. However, it's evident that more on-the-ground experience will fine-tune the eventual customization process. For now, my aim is to nail the fundamental decisions to ensure my options remain open moving forward.

 

[hdas]

If you’re going to invest the money go custom.

Even venturing down this path, I'm uncertain about the existence of reasonably-priced options. My ideal rig would encapsulate these three primary features, among many others:

• A two-room solution similar to AluCab's design, but with the capability to detach the top for winter—when travel will be minimal and garage parking is necessary. The AluCab, while one of the more low-profile, feature-rich toppers available, is still too tall to accommodate my garage's height constraints

• A custom bed, designed with a segment adjacent to the cabin that's wide enough to accommodate a pull-out kitchen kit, complete with a fridge, stove, and sink—akin to those from Patriot Camper or ARB. The hurdle here is that if I opt for custom construction of this section, it won’t mesh well with the AluCab, necessitating a custom build of the topper as well.

• 37" tire under the bed.

• Finding reasonably priced, fully customizable indoor cabinets has proven to be a challenge, as market options are sparse. Goose Gear is a plausible choice, but it comes with its own set of limitations. For example, it isn't compatible with a custom Bowen bed.

 

[renottse]

@klahanie is bang on the money with that advice, “ de-couple “ is great way to phrase it… sweet piece of concise writing.

So you want the AEV setup, great, that doesn’t mean you have to run a 37, run a 35 or 33, spare tire challenge goes away.

Some context on how we came to our set up may help.

We loved exploring in our TJ, dead standard, got us to amazing places however there were places we couldn’t get to, in comes the FJ, better, again completely standard, got to all the places we wanted to and some however not being in our 20’s we’d have to leave that amazing spot and find accommodation each night because my wife will absolutely not do a RTT.

So, we spent 2 years taking notes on the places we wanted to go and stay, how small / tight the roads were and what was the biggest little rig that would get there.

We acknowledged that we explore and don’t camp, I think we have maybe stayed in the same place for a day/night 4 times in the last 5 years, this is an important factor.

We came up with the mythical “road” which summarized the great spots and what the new rig would have navigate.

With the road in mind we went to one expo so we could see and measure rigs and it was really simple, my wife would ask “ can you get this up the road?” It’d be “yes or no”.

So, rig size chosen.

On to “the box”. My wife is visual, so all I did at the expo was put her in the different campers and kept the salesperson out off the way for 10 minutes so she could just experience being in it, again simple yes no question “Will this go on the rig?”

Box size chosen.

The rig limited the box size, the box dictated the flatbed. Done.

The FJ still stayed for another 2 years till my wife was absolutely knew the truck could, would and did go all the same places, in more comfort and better view.

Our rig will get us at least two more years of exploration then we’ll transition to a camping set up, so hard side or trailer.

We are going through the same process again, hard side won’t get to the tight techy stuff, trailer will mean stop early on the trail so you don’t get boxed in, but de-couple and explore with truck.

It’s always a compromise, just got pick the best compromise that suits what you’re actually going to do.

 

[Darwin]

Are you going with 4.10 or 4.30 gears?

 

[hdas]

So you want the AEV setup, great, that doesn’t mean you have to run a 37, run a 35 or 33, spare tire challenge goes away

I've always heard that for safety, specially off road, you want to have a full size spare.

Recently, I tested the vehicle on a notable gravel road, especially with the snow setting in above 9000ft. Between the rocks, bumps, and washboards, the truck's performance left a lot to be desired. The ride was so rough that we had to slow down considerably, particularly concerning when thinking about my baby's safety.



This experience has made me reevaluate the AEV upfitting process. I'm now contemplating upgrading to the Bilstein 8100 suspension. While it seems like a good fit on paper, I've come across a few reports of broken shock mounts on forums and certain Instagram feeds. I'll definitely be reaching out to AEV for clarity on this issue. Safe to say, I'm a bit worried.

 

[UglyViking]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, the AEV suspension is not the best bet for these trucks. If your goal is to run 37s max, then you don't need to lift 3" front and 2" rear with the stock coils/leafs, you just don't have enough travel on those to justify needing any extra height. You can run 37s on the stock suspension with the proper wheel offset and a tiny amount of trimming.

If you want a softer ride, well part of that will come from the additional sidewall and proper air pressure of a 37" on 17s or 20s, so you'll get that with AEV or whatever. For better articulation and speed performance, look to Thuren and Carli. Both will net you better suspension travel, both sell options for a lighter front swaybar, and both are loved by the Ram HD crowd.

As far as the front lower shock mount, it is an issue, but not 100% guaranteed to fail. Really depends on how much you're getting after it at speed and weight. Carli sells a lower shock mount replacement that you cut your OEM out and weld these in (link) and Thuren sells a support that you attach via welds while keeping the OEM (link). Both are valid options, pick your poison.

As for the full size spare, I think what @renottse is getting at, is that you can't fit a 37" tire in the OEM spare location without a fair amount of work (as was shown earlier in the thread). Perhaps you can avoid that by running a slightly larger tire (up to 35") so that you can maintain the OEM spare location tire. Again, that's up to you and what type of offroading you want to do. I'd say that for standard fire road stuff, 35s will be more than sufficient for this truck. If you want to do a bit more crawling stuff, more technical, or just want the look, then 37-39s are the jam. You can fit almost a true 39" with the proper offset and some minor metal trimming. Past that you're looking at major cutting.

Obviously larger tires look amazing, but there are costs. Past a 37" a hydro steering is functionally a requirement. Regear becomes a need if you don't have 4.10s. You're getting to a point where it's a lot of rotating mass for the OEM breaking setup, so you need to take that into account for highway use.

 

[hdas]

If you want a softer ride

Could you please comment on the 5100 vs 8100, if you have an educated opinion?.

a tiny amount of trimming.

I could be off base here, but trimming is a cardinal sin to me.

look to Thuren and Carli.

Last week I saw 4-5 trucks with this setup, it just doesn't look right. It could be the specific implementation of those rigs and not a apt representation of what can be done.

 

[UglyViking]

Could you please comment on the 5100 vs 8100, if you have an educated opinion?.

Truth be told I can't stand Bilstein shocks, so I don't think my input would be good here. I think as you get to a larger shock King is "king" and Fox is a valid alternative. I've heard good things about Icon from the toyota crowd, but I've got no direct experience with them myself.

I could be off base here, but trimming is a cardinal sin to me.

Well, you're gonna have to be comfortable with at least a little trimming. The AEV lift kit requires one of the sides of the coil bucket mount be trimmed for their lift. (link, page 6) When I talk about trimming, I mean trimming minor amounts of the bottom of the fender liner (depending on wheel offset and tire. I'm running 17" AEV wheels with 37x12.5 Falken AT3Ws and I didn't have to trim at all). If your tire has a more aggressive sidewall, or your wheel offset is too negative, you'll have to trim a hair of the pinch weld. We are talking 1/4" here. If you're uncomfortable with minor trimming, then I think you're gonna have a hard time with all your other mods.

Last week I saw 4-5 trucks with this setup, it just doesn't look right. It could be the specific implementation of those rigs and not a apt representation of what can be done.

I don't know what specifically you disliked, but at the end of the day you're gonna have a hard time telling the difference between a Carli 3.25" suspension and an AEV 3" DS suspension assuming you ignore the radius arm drop bracket design differences.

Again, it's your truck, and your money, so if you feel good about it at the end of the day, it's all the matters. @ramblinChet is a huge fan of the AEV suspension setup, so he can probably give you his take on some of the bracketry and such, the fact it is OEM approved and all that. I love a lot of what AEV has put out, probably like 80-90% of it, but this suspension is a big miss for myself and others. I wouldn't hesitate to run their wheels, snorkel, fenders, bumpers, etc. Basically anything else you can slap on this platform from them is good to go, but that suspension is just a miss.

Also, don't buy the "procal snap", it is so much more powerful to get a bluetooth OBD and alfaobd and it's like the same price.

 

[hdas]

Truth be told I can't stand Bilstein shocks, so I don't think my input would be good here. I think as you get to a larger shock King is "king" and Fox is a valid alternative. I've heard good things about Icon from the toyota crowd, but I've got no direct experience with them myself.

This is the closest thing to a fair test you can find. The Bilstein's seem do do ok.

I don't know what specifically you disliked

The large negative offset, and how the modifications stood up above everything, they didn't blend well with the trucks IMO. Didn't drive them, so I can speak about the drive quality.

Also, don't buy the "procal snap", it is so much more powerful to get a bluetooth OBD and alfaobd and it's like the same price.

Interesting. Will look into this. Thanks.

 

[renottse]

@UglyViking got it right, I meant run 35’s or 33’s on all 5 wheels, sure the “look” will be different but we’re talking function.

Also I think AEV have stopped offering re-gearing, but you should check. If you’re going to climb into places a smaller diameter is going to be easier on the drive train if you’re stuck with a 3.73. This is where Ford has Ram beat, more ratio’s choices standard and the cab choices.

Suspension, like an oil thread, will consume many pages.

So, you’ve discovered part 1 of the equation, slower is better, for both family and rig.

Part 2 is there is room for improvement, but to what? Insert whatever brand rant with anecdotal evidence justifies said brand.

So how did I choose mine?

Firstly, camper on summer, off winter so need something that’s not brutal when unloaded.

Ran the AEV 5100 bilstiens for about 3 months with no camper (was being built) and slowly found their limits unloaded. Ride quality average at best.

Got the camper on, did 3 trips and discovered these things love having a load on, ride quality way better, shocks struggled to cope if the velocity was too high and my main method of adjusting ride quality was air pressure ( yay 37” and pro-cal so no low pressure alarm).

Added Sumo springs for a bit of load support and did a year with it. They helped but if you miss read the road ( think sudden drop off or side compression) we were suddenly on a roller coaster ride, not good, too taxing and on technical stuff , I was exhausted at days end.

So, new shocks time. Looked at all the usual suspects and tried to work through want we actually needed. That list was pretty short because I wasn’t planning on going any faster just needed more capability (read control). So if not going faster and the lift is good enough and we don’t want to redo the complete suspension a fox or king will be good enough and yes reservoir.

Note: AEV had just released their 8 series Bilstien, rang and inquired, nope got to wait and thinking about them, front would probably be fine they know the mass, rear loaded probably way off.

Did the front first, weight stays pretty much constant loaded or unloaded, change one thing at a time and understand it. Way better, room for improvement yep but good enough. Added a more flexible sway bar and was satisfied with the performance.

Did rear second but had them valved to cope with the weight variation, compromise so it’s better loaded.

Sumo went back in the box and I went airbag. Chose a big airbag so I could easily re level at lower PSI ( F = P x A ) and the ride and compliance ( read flex) would still be there. Bonus is they extend to 11” so no daystar needed and won’t rip out ( ours has 7” full cycle if we are lucky). 45 PSI gets me 2 1/2 to 3” of lift with the camper fully loaded and truck full of diesel.

Ran that setup for 3 yrs now with great success with manual fill. My son got a 2500 with rear air, after seeing how functional it is putting on his boat trailer, I added a 2 channel wireless one, recommended as it adds ride height, ride quantity, and leveling control in cab.

What would I do differently?

Rant on;

What I’m waiting for is the effing shock industry to get us into this century.

If I can have electronic control of my compression, rebound ,ride height and with programmable functions for different conditions with a 6 axis IMU that helps dictate/ control those functions in a motorcycle that ranges in price 15-30 grand… where the ******** are our options? Drop 80-90K on a truck and you get a shock that is none adjustable, springs that are so, so and that’s it… pathetic.

Rant off:

 

[tacollie]

Full size spare is a requirement IMO. Weigh your truck and adjust the tire pressure to your load. If you run the factory 80 PSI in your rear tires it won't matter how much you spend on shocks.

Carli and Thuren make good stuff. The key is having a good instal of all the necessary components. Same applies to AEV.

 

[hdas]

My son got a 2500 with rear air

I drove a 3500 with long bed with rear air. I really didn't feel any improvement. The truth is that these trucks drive atrociously without load. I'll be putting a load, so hopefully that helps..

Note: AEV had just released their 8 series Bilstien, rang and inquired, nope got to wait and thinking about them, front would probably be fine they know the mass, rear loaded probably way off.

I wonder if their tunning process includes the scenario where I'm putting load in the back.

you get a shock that is none adjustable

This is a plus for the 8100


Thanks for your input!