cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Am I crazy?

_DJ_1
Explorer II
Explorer II
OK, for those of you that actually know me, no fair to answer that!!!

Maybe it's a mid life crisis, ha, MID life?? If I live to 140!!!

Recently I have been toying with the idea of going back to a larger TC and diesel truck. But just getting home from a camping trip in the SE Oregon Owyhee Desert a stock diesel TC would still be sitting there, stuck!! I've got a lot of money in my truck and for a full size, street legal truck it is very capable off road. A spring chicken with 40K on the clock.

So, what's the problem? Power!! When DW comes along we have to take her Nash TT and if I want to bring the boat it's double tow. This was no problem with our previous smaller TT but the Nash is 2000# heavier so I haven't even welded up a hitch on it for the boat as I know how it would struggle up the passes. A diesel would fix that problem but I would have to "build" another truck and I don't want to do that. $$$

Solution: Rousch Supercharger. 600 HP!!!! :B :B :@ :@
'17 Class C 22' Conquest on Ford E 450 with V 10. 4000 Onan, Quad 6 volt AGMs, 515 watts solar.
'12 Northstar Liberty on a '16 Super Duty 6.2. Twin 6 volt AGMs with 300 watts solar.
30 REPLIES 30

deltabravo
Nomad
Nomad
Bedlam wrote:
trail-explorer wrote:
I have the same problem, so some toys stay home.

I don't see it as problem. You just have diverse tastes in hobbies. I also have to choose what I pack in my 20' enclosed trailer. If I was to take everything me, I would need a 40' stacker.



...towed by a Renegade Super C Coach. I've already picked out the size I want.

I kind of have the same problem with toys and RV setup.

I now have a Polaris Ranger in addition to 2 motorcycles. I'd like to take the Ranger and one of the motorcycles to a UTV / Side x Side Rally, as well as to some local camping at a friend's property up near Colville, WA. At a Rally, the MC would be my get around town rig and the Ranger would be the OHV for running trails.

I'd also like a small travel trailer for other type of trips, where I could set up a base camp (with the TT) then take day trips from it - an example would be like what I did with my toy hauler in 2006 when I went to Yellowstone.
2009 Silverado 3500HD Dually, D/A, CCLB 4x4 (bought new 8/30/09)
2018 Arctic Fox 992 with an Onan 2500i "quiet" model generator

Reddog1
Explorer II
Explorer II
You are only "done" when they stick you in the dirt, and cover you up.

Wayne


2004.5 Ram SLT LB 3500 DRW Quad Cab 4x4
1988 Bigfoot (C11.5) TC (1900# w/standard equip. per decal), 130 watts solar, 100 AH AGM, Polar Cub A/C, EU2000i Honda

Toad: 91 Zuke

_DJ_1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Thanks for all the replies. I wasn't worried about stressing my drive train as it is the same as the diesel. But I have decided not to do it. Rousch no longer makes the 590 horse for the Super Duty. The other choice is a Whipple with 675 horse. Even I think that would be too much stress on my engine hauling heavy, compared to a Mustang anyway.

When I'm done with the off road thing I may trade for a diesel and a Toy Hauler. But I can not stand campgrounds (screaming' kids, barking dogs, loud music and drunks). So when I'm done with this rig I just may be done for good!!
'17 Class C 22' Conquest on Ford E 450 with V 10. 4000 Onan, Quad 6 volt AGMs, 515 watts solar.
'12 Northstar Liberty on a '16 Super Duty 6.2. Twin 6 volt AGMs with 300 watts solar.

Bedlam
Moderator
Moderator
trail-explorer wrote:
kohldad wrote:
Real problem is too many toys you want to take with you while make the DW happy. Solution is to limit yourself to one of three choices: TC, TC w/boat, or DW w/Nash.


I have the same problem, so some toys stay home.

I don't see it as problem. You just have diverse tastes in hobbies. I also have to choose what I pack in my 20' enclosed trailer. If I was to take everything me, I would need a 40' stacker.

Host Mammoth 11.5 on Ram 5500 HD

Targa
Explorer
Explorer
Well DJ, I am with the treat yourself crowd.

trail-explorer
Explorer
Explorer
kohldad wrote:
Real problem is too many toys you want to take with you while make the DW happy. Solution is to limit yourself to one of three choices: TC, TC w/boat, or DW w/Nash.


I have the same problem, so some toys stay home.
Bob

SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Explorer
You've already swapped gears from 3.73 to 4.30, which was a very good move.

At this point, maybe look into adding an auxiliary underdrive gear box behind the transfer case on the rear driveshaft, to use in 2wd on highway only.

An aux gear box with a 1:1 direct and 1.2:1 underdrive would allow use of your 4.30 gears most of the time, and use of 4.30 x 1.2= 5.16 gears when towing heavy.

A divorce-mount gear box will make it easy to install, no adaptor needed for the transfer case. A short pony driveshaft is needed between the t-case and the gear box, then shorten the rear main shaft to fit. Fabricate a new cross member to mount the gearbox to.
01 International 4800 4x4 CrewCab DT466E Allison MD3060
69Bronco 86Samurai 85ATC250R 89CR500
98Ranger 96Tacoma
20' BigTex flatbed
8' truck camper, 14' Aristocrat TT
73 Kona 17' ski boat & Mercury 1150TB
92F350 CrewCab 4x4 351/C6 285 BFG AT 4.56 & LockRite rear

burningman
Explorer II
Explorer II
I get it, I'm a hot rodder, there's a '55 Chevy with dual quads and a four speed in my garage... but I'll echo what a few other wise guys (ok that came out wrong haha) said. You'll stress the heck out of that truck. The supercharger will rock when the truck is empty and all that power is easily converted into GO. When you're loaded up heavy, all that power will break stuff.

Get a diesel if you want to fly under a heavy load! And turbo diesels are a hot rodder's dream! It's so easy to turn the power up to ludicrous levels your gas motor could never handle!
My '99 Cummins was a dog. A few simple things, and now it's a monster my old Ford with a very hot-rodded '68 428 could never keep up with, pulling weight up a hill.
You can have 600HP with a turbo diesel too - but the HUGE difference is the 600HP diesel will have 1200 ft/lbs of torque, at a useable RPM, and it can run at heavy throttle under a load for an extended period without blowing up.

How embarrassed and annoyed are your going to be when you hit the hills in your newly supercharged, bad-*** truck and some guy in a pumped-up diesel pulling an apartment complex blows by like you're a '67 VW Microbus while you're at 6000 RPM and getting hot?

Come to the dark side.
2017 Northern Lite 10-2 EX CD SE
99 Ram 4x4 Dually Cummins
A whole lot more fuel, a whole lot more boost.
4.10 gears, Gear Vendors overdrive, exhaust brake
Built auto, triple disc, billet shafts.
Kelderman Air Ride, Helwig sway bar.

noteven
Explorer III
Explorer III
Soon to be introduced Ford V10 EcoBoost 600HP!

Mote
Explorer
Explorer
Looks like you have three choices:
1) diesel truck
2) smaller travel trailer
3) smaller boat

Personally if I could afford it I'd go for the diesel truck. Maybe you can take some of the custom items off of your existing truck and install them on the new truck.
2005 Dodge 3500
2001 Lance 1030
2006 Cougar 29RL

3_tons
Explorer
Explorer
Supercharger seems more like a solution in search of yet another problem.

3 tons

wnjj
Explorer II
Explorer II
GpnAZ wrote:
Once you go diesel you never go back!


Except for the OP, who went back after a couple of diesels. 😉

Boatycall
Explorer
Explorer
portscanner wrote:
stress on the transmission and the rest of the drive train? You also need to address the issues for cooling also. Will the engine be able to handle the power? (i.e. blown head gaskets, blown heads, cracked/broken crankshaft


Ya know, if you were doing this for fun, sure, go for it, but not for towing for the reasons mentioned.

Yer gonna cook your tranny, blow head gaskets, and see oil blowing through the rings in no time towing.

"You'll shoot yer eye out kid"... :B
'15 F450, 30k Superhitch, 48" Supertruss, 19.5's, Torklift Fast Guns
'12 Eagle Cap 1160, 800watts solar, Tristar MPPT, Magnum Hybrid 3k Inverter
'15 Wells Cargo 24' Race Trailer, 600 watts Solar, TriStar MPPT, Xantrex 2kw inverter
'17 Can Am X3 XDS Turbo

GeoBoy
Explorer
Explorer
The wife and I have been retired about 5 years. We are enjoying the life of travel, one day the wife looks out the window at our then 1 year old 2014 AF 22G and says "you know we were a lot more spontaneous when we had a TC". So off we go to look at TC's with slides, then of course my beautiful, never seen winter, always garaged, all set up to tow and handle a TC 2005 Silverado 3500 with only 44K on the meter, is too light for the AF 990. So out to look for a gasoline dually, found it, bought it and now we are back traveling the way we want to.
I always tell people under 60, once you reach 60 and beyond you can see the other side and it keeps getting closer.
I don't know your financial situation, and everyone's is different, but you can't take it with you and you and your wife worked hard to get there, Enjoy It.