Baystate Jeepers

ZAEDOCK wrote:I'm not a big Hemi fan (test drove one), but she looks like a nice truck. Consider it on the other side of the coin in going retro with the tow rig: new. No issues or potential breakdowns in the middle of winter.

It matches your rig too.

Matching my rig was #1 concern

I was pretty impressed with the power it makes. The 8,550 tow rating is nice too..tow/haul mode changes shift points. I almost went for the Big Horn edition but it has way too much ugly chrome. The center console, bucket seats, ect were a nice touch though. This one is a 60/40 split bench in the front. I'm going to take my touch screen/nav out of the jeep and put it in the truck, add a trailer brake, CB, bed liner, and a tonneau cover. Gotta find a trailer next so I can pull to Fall Crawl and run the stickies.

Now there's a load and a half ! Im looking for a 7.3 turbo Diesel as we speak. I now have a connection at the auction place down here. A 97 F-250/350 Here's hoping FjR68

Just about have everything together. After looking around at a few dealers, I found a guy in Taunton who builds them. He's finishing up a 15 1/2' deck car hauler and will have it ready for me on Tuesday....at about $1500 cheaper than what the stealerships want. This one is an 18' deck, but it'll give you an idea of what it looks like.

FWIW -

Ask what it would take to fill in the center of the deck with either wood or steel... It is convenient to be able to use the trailer for "other" hauling, which can be hard with an open center. Make sure you've got provisions for a box w/ locks on it, or it comes with one. You'll want the box for tie down straps, and misc spare trailer parts, etc...

JW

Yeah good call, I was planning on decking the center section myself, just have to weld in a few more cross braces. Its built with an extended tongue, already has a winch plate and plenty of room for a box also.

Make sure it'll be wide enough to hold your buggy project.

Definitely a concern...I don't know much about the buggy Yet in terms of wheel base but if I need to I'll make the fenders drive-over later on. It's going to be a tight fit running the 37x12.50's on a 3.5" backspace wheel. I'm at 79.5" with the 35x12.50's on a 4.5" backspace.

My YJ's width is about 84 +/-" and it's a pretty tight fit on my trailer by about an inch or two and I don't have drive overs. Max trailer width is 102" without permits, so your builder could make it wide if needed (mine's about 101"-102"). My buggy has a full width 9" though, so I think it's going to be REAL tight when she's done. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Someday....

A couple more fun things...

After discussion about the deck and thinking on it some more last night, I ended up deciding to go with an 18' wood deck car hauler he has built already. Only a couple hundred more to go that route, and either one I get will be too long to fit in the garage anyway. Just makes more sense to go this route rather than worrying about fitting the center section with planks.

On the Ram...

Will be moving the Kenwood DVD/NAV from the Jeep over to the truck and stuffing an old single-DIN unit I've got back in the Jeep. Ordered a Viper alarm with remote start. The Ram came equipped with electric locks, but no key-fob/alarm from the factory. Also got a tri-fold tonneau cover, trailer brake controller, and bed liner on the way. For looks and general sexiness, I'm going to de-badge the truck, powder coat the wheels black, and tint the front windows to match the back.

Talked to RIPP today also. Their supercharger kit for the '12 Ram's will be available this fall.

ArticRubi wrote:Talked to RIPP today also. Their supercharger kit for the '12 Ram's will be available this fall.

I wouldn't screw with the tow rig beyond a simple tune and bolt ons. Defeats the purpose.

FWIW though, you could have bought a 5.0L Ford with all the stuff you need to add to your Dodge and then tossed a Roush kit at it that would blow the doors off a Ripp'd Ram.

The wood deck is probably a good call... I think they are a lot more versatile than the dual ramp setups...

JW

X2, if and when I get one it will be a deck and not a twin channel.

We love our 17' deck trailer bought new at BTT Trailers in Swansea, MA.

I still love my Tundra. 5.7L, 381HP, 401#ft tourque, oil cooler, tranny cooler, high performance heavy duty brakes (came in real handy coming off the highway in PA last time and my trailer brakes decided to stop working), 10,000# tow capacity, 4.30 axles... pulls my rig without a problem. Even the hills going to Rausch are no big deal. Only down side is I get about 10.5mpg towing and about 14 not towing. I tend to get jealous of the diesels' mileage and fuel capacity whenever we stop at the pump!

My Ram 3500 diesel usually gets mid-17s mpg around town, unloaded. With a loaded Jeep trailer (~6500-7000 lbs) it gets ~14 mpg, with a boat (2500-3000 lbs) it will get ~15-16. No problem with hills either.

I think the truck would do better with a manual transmission and a narrower set of tires... The 13x33x18 Toyos don't help much. The 4.10 axles don't help either, except with the big loads... When I replace theese tires I'm going to try to get a tire size that would compare to a 3.73 axle with stock 265 size tires.

JW