taz223
ExplorationOutfitters.com
Trays & canopies are available right now for pre-order, with an estimated arrival in September/October.
Full Size Dodge Thread
- Thread starter HiddenCamper53
- Start date
Trays & canopies are available right now for pre-order, with an estimated arrival in September/October.
str8t six
Member
i seen a YT vid of your truck from trailrecon. definitely looks like a awesome build!
that slide out kitchen is amazing! do you have a build thread?
what is that white thing in the driver front fender in the last pic?
huntsonora
Explorer
taz223
ExplorationOutfitters.com
I don't have a build thread, I should've started one a long time ago and didn't. I'll try to do a thread thats current, as the truck has been in progress for a couple years now
White thing is the headlight access flap, dropped down on the trail and then got covered in snow.
arielmiller
New member
What bracket did you use for the rear winch?
taz223
ExplorationOutfitters.com
Its a PCOR, part of the tray bed setup.
Yes...Both bumpers are from Move Bumpers. They are not hard to put together with MIG welds inside and out, grinders to round off the welds to match the curves from the brake bent sections and flap disk to finish it off before paint. They will tell you, and it's true, these bumpers are a blank canvas to which to begin your build. The rear did not come with any options to have swing outs so I had to beef it up to handle the load. I have attached a pic of the front at its current state. They offer light pockets on the side of the bumper for forward facing additional lighting. I opted to cut my own openings and put flush mounted lights which angle out just right for use as peripheral lighting at the edge of the trail. I am still adding some additional bracing before I paint it.
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huntsonora
Explorer
The rear bumper with the swingout is so nice. I have a denver Offroad aluminum on front and want to put something on the rear. How hard was it to beef up for the swingout?
Not too bad. The bumper wants to twist like licorice so I added bracing that ties both sides together; from where the hinge is mounted, it ties into the frame tie-in and then to the "step" in the center of the bumper then back out to the other hinge in a mirrored fashion. It made a huge difference. I have ran it that way for over a year including offroading. I think i still want to tie the hinge into the frame front to rear direction. I see slight movement in that direction but honestly it could just be the camper and the bumper vibrating in different patterns. I do have a plan to tie it to the frame with heavy duty turn buckles which will be bolted not welded in case I have to remove the bumper in the future.
Allriverssouth
Member
Here's mine, 2017 Dodge 2500. Its my third Ram but first Diesel, and I absolutely love it. I just took it out for my second trip from SC to Montana and its been amazing. Excellent for long distance driving and its been pretty good off road. Its a work in progress, but my next purchase will be a Road Armor full winch bumper, winch and more lights. Lord willing, I'll be planning my trip to Alaska next summer.
With that said, I do have a question for the forum. Does anyone run the Road Armor Stealth for overland? (Any other suggestions are also welcome)
I see a lot of people gravitating toward the AEV. It was my first choice, mainly for the look, but my concern was big animal strikes when I'm headed across country. I won't be doing any rock crawling in this truck but I will be trying to reach remote destinations off road for fishing or hunting. The Road Armor seemed to have the best wrap around protection for the Ram trucks. Your thoughts?
With that said, I do have a question for the forum. Does anyone run the Road Armor Stealth for overland? (Any other suggestions are also welcome)
I see a lot of people gravitating toward the AEV. It was my first choice, mainly for the look, but my concern was big animal strikes when I'm headed across country. I won't be doing any rock crawling in this truck but I will be trying to reach remote destinations off road for fishing or hunting. The Road Armor seemed to have the best wrap around protection for the Ram trucks. Your thoughts?
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@Allriverssouth, I can't speak to the quality of the Road Armor stuff. ARB, AEV, and Buckstop all make quality bumpers for these 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. ARB's product is perhaps the standout due to the level of engineering behind it (I believe it's the only one that is rated as air-bag compatible).
There is a good discussion on Ram bumpers at this thread: Ram Bumpers.
Good-looking Ram! This forum has seen a good number of Ram build threads in recent years. It's awesome to see how popular this platform has become. The trend certainly defies the popular logic that all Ram trucks are POS, and that anyone serious about overlanding buys a Ford or Toyota.
There is a good discussion on Ram bumpers at this thread: Ram Bumpers.
Good-looking Ram! This forum has seen a good number of Ram build threads in recent years. It's awesome to see how popular this platform has become. The trend certainly defies the popular logic that all Ram trucks are POS, and that anyone serious about overlanding buys a Ford or Toyota.
Allriverssouth
Member
Dalko43,
Thanks for the lead on the bumpers. As for the popular logic that Ram doesn't fit the mold, I guess that comes from being new to the forum. In my case, I think ignorance has been bliss. My build has been more mission specific to suit my needs and its worked out incredibly well. I wanted a diesel truck to be a daily driver truck that could pull, yet stocked, equipped, and ready for what ever adventure struck me at the moment. In fact, I was in Morgan City, LA starting off a gulf coast tour when I had a buddy call to tell me he was in Montana wanting me to come. I turned the truck north and was there in a couple of days. The Ram did an incredible job on both the highway and the off the beaten path adventures.
The only big risk I found was the exposure to a big animal strike. Thus the questions about the bumper. I'll be reading more on experienced user advice. Thanks again for the lead.
Thanks for the lead on the bumpers. As for the popular logic that Ram doesn't fit the mold, I guess that comes from being new to the forum. In my case, I think ignorance has been bliss. My build has been more mission specific to suit my needs and its worked out incredibly well. I wanted a diesel truck to be a daily driver truck that could pull, yet stocked, equipped, and ready for what ever adventure struck me at the moment. In fact, I was in Morgan City, LA starting off a gulf coast tour when I had a buddy call to tell me he was in Montana wanting me to come. I turned the truck north and was there in a couple of days. The Ram did an incredible job on both the highway and the off the beaten path adventures.
The only big risk I found was the exposure to a big animal strike. Thus the questions about the bumper. I'll be reading more on experienced user advice. Thanks again for the lead.
Explorerinil
Observer
I would not consider a road armor, if you want extreme protection look at buckstop or even a ranch hand.
Allriverssouth
Member
Thanks Explorernil,
Forgive my ignorance, but I'm trying to figure out how buckstop and Ranchhand make a superior bumper over Road Armor. No doubt they both make great looking bumpers, but looking at the specs, their all made of 3/16 in steel. Is there something I'm missing?
Forgive my ignorance, but I'm trying to figure out how buckstop and Ranchhand make a superior bumper over Road Armor. No doubt they both make great looking bumpers, but looking at the specs, their all made of 3/16 in steel. Is there something I'm missing?
Explorerinil
Observer
From my experience road armor bumpers are cheaply built, flimsy and are more for looks. If you want extreme protection and good lucks get a buckstop. I had a ranch hand on one of my old trucks, it was very heavy and extremely heavy duty (schedule 40 drill pipe). I would strongly consider buckstop and arb, AEV is much better than stock but doesn’t offer allot of grill protection.