It came down to a matter of options.
And there weren't any.
Something has happened to trucks over the decades.
1/2 ton trucks used to be work trucks. Indeed, plenty of people who drove 1/2 tons loaded them up with more than 1/2 ton routinely. But starting in the 1980s, 1/2 tons became cars. People who needed trucks went up to 3/4 tons, and even 1 tons, but unfortunately so did a lot of people who didn't need trucks but wanted to pretend that they did.
That helped usher in the age of the automatic transmission, that pathetic excuse for a transmission that principally serves to allow uneducated drivers pilot a large vehicle down the road. Great for hauling boats or whatever to the lake, they have no business for serious out in the sticks work, but then most of them don't do that.
Of course, the automobile manufacturers did respond. They don't want their heavy truck dead out in the field or before the factory, and modern heavy truck automatics are heavy duty. So they'll get buy.
But I'm not going there.
When I switch to an automatic, it'll be because electric vehicles, which work on different principals, have fully arrived. Until that time, I'll carry on with my old manuals.
Which makes all of my current manual transmission vehicles, projects, including this one.
So here, according to my figuring, is what I need to do.
1. I need four new tires.
2. As this truck lacks real clearance for rough country use, it needs to have more, one way or another.
3. The tarp over the box is shot.
4. The box is rusting and has a crack.
5. The windshield is broken.
So, from here, we look at what to do about this.
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December 1, 2019.
And so I got it hopelessly stuck yesterday.
Not that this should have been surprising, the highways were closed and I was driving it on a county road that never closes to get where I wanted to go, as the highway was closed.
Nonetheless, this shouldn't have happened. That it did is in no small part due to the fact that my tires, which are pretty offroady, are at this point, pretty much bald.
I was unable, in spite of everything, to dig myself out or jack up my truck high enough to get chains on. In the end, I started to call somebody to come retrieve me, but some elk hunters from California came by and pulled me out. . .with a winch. . .using a truck that's set up the way I wish mine was.
Which brings me to this. After a lot of pondering, I think I'd like to go to 35" or even 37" tires. In order to do that, it needs to be lifted just a bit, probably 2", but that needs to be done in a fashion that won't wreck its ability to haul and tow. Doing that also will have the effect of changing the gearing, so I'll need new front and rear ring and pinion gears.
I'll also need fender flairs, or whatever they're called, as this will make the tires a bit wider than the wheel wells currently contemplate. But that needs to be done anyhow, as I need to address the rust above one of the wheel wells.
So much for the plan. I've hesitated to do any of this due to the costs. But it's cheaper, I suppose, than buying a new truck. But then, it also means putting money into a truck that's a decade old with 175,000 miles on it. . . albeit miles on a diesel engine.
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December 6, 2019
So in order to asses my plans I took the truck up to a local shop that specializes in this sort of work. They were very helpful, although I have to admit that the sort of had that look like "this old truck?". Be that as it may, I got estimates on the work.
And here's where my plans really start to break down, in terms of implementation.
First off, on the clearance issue, the whole thing was a bit deflating. I can go one tires size up pretty easily, although they were of the opinion that a leveling kit was really necessary for that. But even going one tire size up on my existing rims means I only gain a whopping .5" of clearance on the axle.
Not much.
Of course, I'd gain about 2.5", with that plan, on the center of the undercarriage. It's along truck, so that's definitely part of the problem.
With a 3" lift kit, as high as I'm willing to go, I could put on 35" tires. They had some of those in stock and it was a bit shocking to see them off of a vehicle as they're 12.5 wide, which is really wide. I've seen that same size recently on a Dodge Prospector and they didn't look go gigantic, but then when you see them like that, they are.
I'm not super keen on wide tires as they displace quite a bit of weight and I'd rather have tall, but narrow tires. That's gotten to be so much more difficult to do with radials as opposed to bias ply tires, but that is what it is. Radials just aren't made that way.
35" is the limit on my rim size, which is fine.
At 35" I was concerned that I'd need new ring and pinion gears, but they said that I wouldn't. A 3" lift kit, however, is a lot pricier than a 2" leveling kit. Not unreasonable, but pricier.
Researching it all, I've now also learned that modern 4x4s (I have a thread in the hopper about the evolution of the truck) really suffer due to not having locking axles. Old 4x4s had locking axles by default, which is why they have better off road performance (yes, they do) than modern ones. According to off road enthusiasts, lockers are "necessary" for real "off roading". I'm tending to agree that they are.
But once I get into that sort of thing, the costs really climb. I'd have $3,000 into that alone.
So, back to what to do.
In the abstract, I generally like this truck but I don't like its offroad performance. I could run out and buy a new Power Wagon, but I won't because they're short bed trucks. Getting something like the Prospector puts a person into the insane range cost wise. And I don't like automatics.
And, to add to it, while some may think it nuts, I really feel that petroleum burning vehicles are on their way out right now. I keep my vehicles a fairly long time. After all, this truck is 12 years old, my Jeep is 22 years old. If I buy a new truck, I'll have it a decade from now, and I think a decade from now we'll be seeing petroleum vehicles phasing out quickly. Given that, the resale value, I'm guessing, for a petroleum burning vehicle in 2029 (which charitably assumes positive things about my mortality) will be 0. Maybe that doesn't matter, but trucks are super expensive in my view and if I get one that's like I want, I'll be sinking a lot of money into a new vehicle that I won't be getting back out.
So in the abstract, I keep thinking that what I ought to do is put the money into this one to make it like I want it to be. It's way past warranty, spam auto calls aside, and so maybe it's best just to do what I want.
But the cost of even that, while not unreasonable, still isn't really free, which lead me to ponder whether I just ought to get new tires (which I can't avoid), probably fix the rust, and leave it at that. Particularly with two kids in college, throwing money at an old truck doesn't seem really attractive. . . but then even if I didn't have two kids in college I'd likely think that way.
_______________________________________________________________________________
December 18, 2019
Weather and work travel decided the question. A big storm came in and I had to go to Riverton. That left me with no choice but to get new tires.
I could have gone with 35" tires and risked, just a bit, their rubbing. But in looking at them at the tire store they were so wide, 12.5", that just didn't seem prudent. Besides that, my speedometer would be way off and potentially the gearing, in the view of the tire clerk. So I went one size larger.
One size larger gives me an extra 1.6" of tire diameter. Not much in real terms. That boosts my clearance by about a whopping .8". That's probably not enough to do anything, but as I had to get new tires, and I have the clearance problem, and as this won't throw my speedometer or gearing off noticeably, I went with it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 1, 2019.
And so I got it hopelessly stuck yesterday.
Not that this should have been surprising, the highways were closed and I was driving it on a county road that never closes to get where I wanted to go, as the highway was closed.
Nonetheless, this shouldn't have happened. That it did is in no small part due to the fact that my tires, which are pretty offroady, are at this point, pretty much bald.
I was unable, in spite of everything, to dig myself out or jack up my truck high enough to get chains on. In the end, I started to call somebody to come retrieve me, but some elk hunters from California came by and pulled me out. . .with a winch. . .using a truck that's set up the way I wish mine was.
Which brings me to this. After a lot of pondering, I think I'd like to go to 35" or even 37" tires. In order to do that, it needs to be lifted just a bit, probably 2", but that needs to be done in a fashion that won't wreck its ability to haul and tow. Doing that also will have the effect of changing the gearing, so I'll need new front and rear ring and pinion gears.
I'll also need fender flairs, or whatever they're called, as this will make the tires a bit wider than the wheel wells currently contemplate. But that needs to be done anyhow, as I need to address the rust above one of the wheel wells.
So much for the plan. I've hesitated to do any of this due to the costs. But it's cheaper, I suppose, than buying a new truck. But then, it also means putting money into a truck that's a decade old with 175,000 miles on it. . . albeit miles on a diesel engine.
________________________________________________________________________________
December 6, 2019
So in order to asses my plans I took the truck up to a local shop that specializes in this sort of work. They were very helpful, although I have to admit that the sort of had that look like "this old truck?". Be that as it may, I got estimates on the work.
And here's where my plans really start to break down, in terms of implementation.
First off, on the clearance issue, the whole thing was a bit deflating. I can go one tires size up pretty easily, although they were of the opinion that a leveling kit was really necessary for that. But even going one tire size up on my existing rims means I only gain a whopping .5" of clearance on the axle.
Not much.
Of course, I'd gain about 2.5", with that plan, on the center of the undercarriage. It's along truck, so that's definitely part of the problem.
With a 3" lift kit, as high as I'm willing to go, I could put on 35" tires. They had some of those in stock and it was a bit shocking to see them off of a vehicle as they're 12.5 wide, which is really wide. I've seen that same size recently on a Dodge Prospector and they didn't look go gigantic, but then when you see them like that, they are.
I'm not super keen on wide tires as they displace quite a bit of weight and I'd rather have tall, but narrow tires. That's gotten to be so much more difficult to do with radials as opposed to bias ply tires, but that is what it is. Radials just aren't made that way.
35" is the limit on my rim size, which is fine.
At 35" I was concerned that I'd need new ring and pinion gears, but they said that I wouldn't. A 3" lift kit, however, is a lot pricier than a 2" leveling kit. Not unreasonable, but pricier.
Researching it all, I've now also learned that modern 4x4s (I have a thread in the hopper about the evolution of the truck) really suffer due to not having locking axles. Old 4x4s had locking axles by default, which is why they have better off road performance (yes, they do) than modern ones. According to off road enthusiasts, lockers are "necessary" for real "off roading". I'm tending to agree that they are.
But once I get into that sort of thing, the costs really climb. I'd have $3,000 into that alone.
So, back to what to do.
In the abstract, I generally like this truck but I don't like its offroad performance. I could run out and buy a new Power Wagon, but I won't because they're short bed trucks. Getting something like the Prospector puts a person into the insane range cost wise. And I don't like automatics.
And, to add to it, while some may think it nuts, I really feel that petroleum burning vehicles are on their way out right now. I keep my vehicles a fairly long time. After all, this truck is 12 years old, my Jeep is 22 years old. If I buy a new truck, I'll have it a decade from now, and I think a decade from now we'll be seeing petroleum vehicles phasing out quickly. Given that, the resale value, I'm guessing, for a petroleum burning vehicle in 2029 (which charitably assumes positive things about my mortality) will be 0. Maybe that doesn't matter, but trucks are super expensive in my view and if I get one that's like I want, I'll be sinking a lot of money into a new vehicle that I won't be getting back out.
So in the abstract, I keep thinking that what I ought to do is put the money into this one to make it like I want it to be. It's way past warranty, spam auto calls aside, and so maybe it's best just to do what I want.
But the cost of even that, while not unreasonable, still isn't really free, which lead me to ponder whether I just ought to get new tires (which I can't avoid), probably fix the rust, and leave it at that. Particularly with two kids in college, throwing money at an old truck doesn't seem really attractive. . . but then even if I didn't have two kids in college I'd likely think that way.
_______________________________________________________________________________
December 18, 2019
Weather and work travel decided the question. A big storm came in and I had to go to Riverton. That left me with no choice but to get new tires.
I could have gone with 35" tires and risked, just a bit, their rubbing. But in looking at them at the tire store they were so wide, 12.5", that just didn't seem prudent. Besides that, my speedometer would be way off and potentially the gearing, in the view of the tire clerk. So I went one size larger.
One size larger gives me an extra 1.6" of tire diameter. Not much in real terms. That boosts my clearance by about a whopping .8". That's probably not enough to do anything, but as I had to get new tires, and I have the clearance problem, and as this won't throw my speedometer or gearing off noticeably, I went with it.
Oddly, the tires look larger on the truck and actually it looks a little better than it did before, which of course was not the point. At any rate, I had the chance to try them out on icy roads right away as I drove off towards Riverton, although I turned around at Hiland as the deposition I was traveling over for cancelled.
Anyhow, I had intended to either put a 2" leveling kit on or a 3" lift kit. But after looking at the 35" tires, I don't think I will. These will work. I could still boost 2" in height, but I don't think that would achieve that much. For that reason, I'm now considering my options on lockers.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 22, 2019
Okay, at this point I'll admit that I'm so confused on differentials its not even funny.
I educated myself on the various kinds of differentials through the video above and thought I knew what I wanted. But in checking for a recommendation, I found that Ox lockers aren't available for my truck, which actually makes some sense. My truck is a heavy (1-ton) truck, and I think that by and large, most of the "sport trucks" (which I don't want this to be) are no larger than 3/4 ton (and rarely long beds.
I received a recommendation for a torsen differential for the rear (and air lockers for the front), which the above video describes and which sounds really promising. I also learned that the rear axle on my truck is a AAM 11.5 axle.
Now the problem.
According to some things I've seen, the 11.5 AAM used by Chrysler has a torsen differential, in which case, I don't dare want to do anything to my rear axle. But in trying to find the specifications that actually I apply, I just can't find any.
I know it seems to behave like an open differential, but maybe that's just my imagination and a sign that anything I do to the differential won't do what I was imagining it would. If it really has a torsen, I don't want to mess with it, and for that matter, I'd forgo a front air locker too.
January 15, 2020
After trying and trying to figure it out, I finally determined, thanks to the Dodge Power Wagon Forum, which is about older Power Wagons, that my D3500 does indeed have open differentials.
Boo hiss Chrysler.
I posted about my efforts to figure this out here:
Which puts me back in the position of wanting to install a torsen differential in the rear axle.
Here's how they work.
I've been stuck since I last posted, again, and of course, all the power went to the two wheels, one front and one rear, that had no resistance on the ground at all.
If only torsens weren't so pricey.
Related Threads:
Anyhow, I had intended to either put a 2" leveling kit on or a 3" lift kit. But after looking at the 35" tires, I don't think I will. These will work. I could still boost 2" in height, but I don't think that would achieve that much. For that reason, I'm now considering my options on lockers.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 22, 2019
Okay, at this point I'll admit that I'm so confused on differentials its not even funny.
I educated myself on the various kinds of differentials through the video above and thought I knew what I wanted. But in checking for a recommendation, I found that Ox lockers aren't available for my truck, which actually makes some sense. My truck is a heavy (1-ton) truck, and I think that by and large, most of the "sport trucks" (which I don't want this to be) are no larger than 3/4 ton (and rarely long beds.
I received a recommendation for a torsen differential for the rear (and air lockers for the front), which the above video describes and which sounds really promising. I also learned that the rear axle on my truck is a AAM 11.5 axle.
Now the problem.
According to some things I've seen, the 11.5 AAM used by Chrysler has a torsen differential, in which case, I don't dare want to do anything to my rear axle. But in trying to find the specifications that actually I apply, I just can't find any.
I know it seems to behave like an open differential, but maybe that's just my imagination and a sign that anything I do to the differential won't do what I was imagining it would. If it really has a torsen, I don't want to mess with it, and for that matter, I'd forgo a front air locker too.
January 15, 2020
After trying and trying to figure it out, I finally determined, thanks to the Dodge Power Wagon Forum, which is about older Power Wagons, that my D3500 does indeed have open differentials.
Boo hiss Chrysler.
I posted about my efforts to figure this out here:
Truck Forums and the Lack of Cogent Comment
Which puts me back in the position of wanting to install a torsen differential in the rear axle.
Here's how they work.
I've been stuck since I last posted, again, and of course, all the power went to the two wheels, one front and one rear, that had no resistance on the ground at all.
If only torsens weren't so pricey.
Related Threads:
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