Cliff_and_Miche
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Re: Is this normal?
I need to follow up with your comment: MDKMDK - very true. that cheered me up! BB TX - My Jeep Liberty blew a valve and one pulled it out between rows. Took a while, several hookups. Very good operator. One driver put her bumper against the tow truck and tried to push it out of the way. Didn't work, damaged her car. angry Karen in a post office parking lot. Plenty of spots in other rows! Midnightsadie - lol oh man. so true! NamMedevac 70 - lots of complaints everywhere about AAA. They have made some poor decisions. valhalla460 - they do have everybody's address book database. What we pay for I guess. I would change my own tires but... KD4UPL - I have changed many many dump truck and trailer tires. Owned a truck fleet. Now missing fingers and hands crooked with arthritis. I cannot turn a wrench anymore. The problem with calling for your own assistance is remote and unknown areas, usually after hours. But if I could, I sure would do it myself. NamMedevac 70 - I'm elderly as well, Corpsman 73-78. Spent last Friday night in the hospital, respiratory arrest from massive hornet stings. Can't run anymore! Wife saved my life again. Hope she doesn't get tired of it. Haste maker - AAA did that with my wife in eastern Washington. Oh I was upset. MDKMDK - I will give them another chance. More concerned with my truck/camper rig than the Jeep. ScottG - Once my contract is up, I will prolly do the same. Hi neighbor. Brier. time2roll - cash talks, bullchips walk. Enjoyed the comments my friends. See you all out there.1View0likes0CommentsIs this normal?
We dropped AAA roadside service when they refused to change my tire in a parking lot on my RAM 2500. At my age I cannot break the nuts loose. They showed up and left without comment. Repeated calls to AAA finally resulted in my being told I needed an RV plan. They left me hanging at 2 in the morning. So I switched to Goodsam for our 5500 truck and camper, 2500, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Ultimate plan, five years, paid in full. Fast forward to today. Called and had to answer lots of questions from a computer. Lots. Then asked which vehicle: “1. (null) or 2 (null)”. We have three. Then transferred to an agent with fair English. She asked the same questions! Really? Why waste my time? We told her several times the address and the destination. Then she said we had a $30 co-pay which is not mentioned anywhere in the Goodsam documents but we paid it. This convo occurred two days ago, towing was scheduled for today at 11. Driver called at 10 that he was available. Did not have the address. Rushed over to the parking lot and it was full. Driver had to park 90 degrees to our Jeep. Wanted to start the Jeep with no oil pressure. Said he could not load it without driving it on. I blew an engine once in the exact same situation and could not start it but the AAA driver was able to get it out and load it. This guy didn’t want to be bothered and threatened to leave so we relented. Anyway, the Jeep was delivered to the mechanic and was again started and driven off the ramp. I cringe at the thought of unnecessary motor damage. Anybody else have these kind of issues? Thinking about canceling Goodsam and trying USAA. I mean. What happens when our Ram 5500 with camper breaks down many miles from the nearest dealer? Thoughts, comments, cheer me up.1.6KViews0likes17CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
Kayteg1 wrote: I am surprised nobody mention Sulastic hangers. I had them on my F350 with up to 9000lb camper and they did make the difference, for pretty small cost. I was worry about their life span, but sold the truck after 3 years/30,000 miles and they were still in very good condition, even after Alaskan Highway. Sulastic hangers do not increase the vehicle’s GVWR. You still have the same brakes, for example. That is a lot of weight for a 350 series truck. It would be a handful for a 550.1.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
jimh406 wrote: Cliff and Michele wrote: It does not have them yet. Will have lower and upper boxes, being custom built by Stablecamper. Also gonna had forged aluminum wheels and 35” tall tires. Since you are going 35s, have you thought about Super Singles and possibly going even larger? Fwiw, even my 225s are 33, so 35s just equate to 245s or so. Going to go with Falken T285/65R20 which are 34.6” tall. After owning heavy trucks a won’t do super singles. The tires you have cannot be deflated for traction plus are 120psi so ride harder than 80psi tires. All compromises!1.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
SoonDockin wrote: Cliff and Michele wrote: My CM aluminum flatbed weighed 710 pounds. Have not installed the Liquid Spring system yet but I don’t think it will add any weight because all the old suspension parts are removed. It should not add any weight so there is another 800 pounds of available capacity. I saw where the stable camper owner has his ram 5500 upgraded with liquid springs. Claimed about 50 lbs added rear and 300 added up front. Does your CM Flatbed have lower boxes? I plan on that. As for finding a 4500 with features I want, it looks like a no go. So I will probably order a 5500. Just need to get more familiar with Ram options and colors. If Ford was adding the ability to equip higher trim level options I might wait and go that route. I just hope they provide 2023 options soon. Looks like 3-4 months if I order a 2022 5500 now. It does not have them yet. Will have lower and upper boxes, being custom built by Stablecamper. Also gonna had forged aluminum wheels and 35” tall tires.904Views0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
SoonDockin wrote: Been looking at current stock on F450 and 4500 for grins. Seems they can be outfitted with 16500 gvwr. Not the 19500 a F550 or 5500 offers but a full 2500 above what my F450 offers. I am estimating an aluminum bed and liquid springs won't eat more than 1500 lbs. Leaving only 1k breathing room is nice but probably not a good move. It would be much nicer to have 3-4k of spare payload. Never know when I might find a vein of gold and need to carry out a ton or so. My CM aluminum flatbed weighed 710 pounds. Have not installed the Liquid Spring system yet but I don’t think it will add any weight because all the old suspension parts are removed. It should not add any weight so there is another 800 pounds of available capacity.632Views0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
Grit dog wrote: Cliff and Michele wrote: As for tires and wheels, we are replacing our 19.5” tires with 20” wheels from Stazworks and Falken tires. Much better ride and you can air down the Falken’s to get through mud or snow or sand. You cannot do that with 19.5” tires. So your replacing med duty G rated tires with custom wheels that allow you to run light duty E load tires? Presumably with a srw wide front rim and tire so as not to lose front capacity and essentially be “at” max load on the front of a class V diesel, at least, I hope? Well this is a solution, but the thinking is flawed. You’re sacrificing tire life and capacity for presumably the very reason you bought the truck. To carry very heavy loads. I guess if your primary objective is to have an “off road” rig that weighs like 8 tons, then it makes sense. But at that point, I’d do it right and mod ‘er up to take some big super singles. But thanks for supporting a local Northern WI business. The depressed economy up there can use all the money it can get. I am replacing the rear tires with 20” wheels and tires for several reasons. First, better ground clearance when on BLM or NF roads. Second, I can air down as needed for sand and mud and snow. You cannot with the 19.5’s. The tires I am looking at are only 200 pound less capacity than the factory tires I have, still well within my needed capacity. And finally, a much better (I hope and have been told) ride. I am not a fan of super singles, having owned dump trucks and trailers. I also intend to add the Liquid Spring system for the ride capacity and they just announced the ability to auto level the truck and camper at the end of the day. I am sold! And John at Stazworks sounds like a super good guy. Family business I’m still waiting for my 20” wheels made from surplus MRAP vehicles. I will report back when I get them. I will post pictures when I get it all done.604Views0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
As for tires and wheels, we are replacing our 19.5” tires with 20” wheels from Stazworks and Falken tires. Much better ride and you can air down the Falken’s to get through mud or snow or sand. You cannot do that with 19.5” tires.604Views0likes0CommentsRe: Might sell the F450 and go F550 with liquid springs
Soondockin, I have a new Ram 5500with flatbed and as of yesterday, a Northern-Lite 10-2LE DB. The truck, without the camper, gave me shaken baby syndrome after just a few miles and if I hit an expansion joint, a traumatic brain injury to boot. Even with the camper, it is still a pretty rough ride. We will prolly go with the Liquid Spring system as they reportedly make the ride between a 1500 and a 2500 truck. Another advantage is when I am parked in my driveway with a 4 degree down slope, I can lift the front 4” and drop the rear 4” to level it out to get the fridge to work. Note that the Liquid Spring manufacturer says you have to remove the 22 gallon fuel tank to install the power unit, leaving just the 50 gallon tank. A friend of mine found an alternative place to mount the power unit so keep that in mind. I won’t do a 3500 series truck despite all the enthusiasts’ comments. I owned dump trucks and a truck built for 80,000 pounds and a truck built for 58,000 pounds, when both loaded to 60,000 pounds, the heavier built truck handles it much more comfortably where the lighter built truck handles it adequately. Which one do you think is more pleasant t to drive?606Views0likes0CommentsRe: Insurance and RAM 5500
I never did fill every one of the outcome. It turns out Progressive was rating me poorly because of a 2017 accident where I was the victim of a hit and run from a stolen car. They had me as the at-fault driver. They also had me down with 3 points on my driving record. I provided them with the State Patrol police report and my driving record report. I had one ticket in 2008. A clean record and Washington does not even have a point system! They came back three days later saying I had to deal with Lexusnexus, the company that provides the reports to correct their error. So, they made a mistake but the burden is on me to fix it. Well kiss my arse, Progressive. I went into the local State Farm agent, who was a former Marine as well, and got the same coverage for $2100 annually vs. Progressive’s $3600. The only problem is my USAA umbrella does not go over the State Farm policy so we will probably switch everything to State Farm since USAA will not cover my personal Ram 5500.1.1KViews0likes0Comments
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