jefe_4x4
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Joined 22 years ago
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Re: New Ford 7.3 Gas
jefe 4x4 here. I have not been on here for a few years, but am on here to add to my extensive research for a talk I'm presenting at the Truck Camper Adventure Rally next week, and a subsequent article for the on-line magazine. The piece should clear the air, or at least give you a perspective on the hot button issue of GAS VS. DIESEL Jeanie and I bought a 2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas V-8 (430HP; 475TQ) TorqShift 10 speed 10R140 auto trans 397 amps dual Alt dual batts frnt Dana 60; rear Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4190# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation. 2350 pounds wet. No, we're not selling our 2001 built Dodge H.O. Cummins. The real differences with the new Ford 7.3L gasser are twofold: 1. The engine is not like any modern Ford truck engine i have driven because is makes gobs of torque down to 1500 rpm and has enough torque to pull heavy loads without a big mpg penalty. Ford even puts the gasser into big trucks up to F-750. Chevy's 6.6L V-8 is close but not close enough. Mopar's Hemi V-8 torque drops like a rock at 1500 rpm. 2. The second half of the equation is the 10 speed truck transmission. It has the lowest of low gears, and 3, yes three overdrive gears to eek out the last drop of mpg. I might mention the 4.30 gears deliver the most rear wheel torque of all the final drives. So, keep your eye on TCA for my extensive coverage of the GAS vs. DIESEL debate from someone who has both and will continue to have both. Just know that the 7.3L gasser coupled to the 10R140 trans is a game changer, especially for us that haul truck campers. jefe391Views0likes0CommentsGood bye but with a forwarding address
My time on this forum has come and gone. It's been a good ride since I joined in 2003. Early on there were so many, "characters" who kept a lively and wide ranging discussion going. I was asked by some forum members to leave a forwarding address if I ever left, to give them some access to my future trip reports. Understanding that there is not a good site for XTC-er's to haunt, here is where i've wound up, and where any future T.R.'s will be posted: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/hard-side-truck-campers.119/ and, https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/pop-up-truck-campers.75/ and very occasionally: http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/ The XPO TC site was almost dead a few years ago, but is enjoying a resurgence of interesting posts. Thanks for all the good years. regards, as always, jefe3.8KViews0likes22CommentsRe: TC and real off-roading
"Who has taken a full-height TC down some nasty roads, or Jeep roads where the truck leans and is at the limits of tipping the camper off or something of the sort?" According to your join date you've been on here as long as I have. In my time i've "taken a full-height TC down some nasty roads" as you call them. The real question is, "how did i get there"; what was the narrow path; and what preparation and decisions were made along the way? My experience was with 13, 4WD's from grocery getters to extreme rock crawler, and covering about 1.4 million miles. Here are rigs 1, 2, and 3: still 10 more to come. The best, most complete way to come to the XTC (extreme truck camper) school is to have been a hard core, rock crawling, gnarly path, four wheel driver at one time as excellent preparation. You can get there by other means, but when you have experience welding up new driveshafts on the trail, patching broken frames; and re attaching leaf spring hangers, replacing leaf springs on the trail, you definitely obtain much of the education you need. I have stories. One time out with my home jeeper group, The (4) Beater Boys, we were in some big rocks at the Hammers, when one of the two built CJ-8's' starter gave up right in the middle of a "V" shaped rock outcropping and with the rocker panels firmly ensconced in V stone. It was impossible to winch him up and out of the obstacle. No manner of 60 inch high lifts; 2 ton come alongs; 12 ton hydraulic jacks made much difference. Those were in the mix, but he needed to get out on his own power. My CJ-8's battery had given up a few hours before so I was not wanting to turn off my engine off for any reason. The starter less CJ-8 needed MY starter to get off the obstacle. So,, what to do? I pushed my idle up a few pops and we took my starter off the rig while it was running, quickly attaching it to the other CJ-8. Everyone had full Detroit or ARB locking diffs on both ends. The final drive in low/low and the 2 that had 2 transfer cases: low/low/low were: mine @ 130:1; 142:1; 274:1; and the winner: 335:1 with 2 t. cases. Everyone had a winch and had slow rolled their rigs from 6-19 times, over time. It was a long day, and by default was full of experiences that tested and added to your ability to keep going. You face the same problems, to a lesser degree, when you attempt to off-road a 10K pound, 2650 pound loaded camper, 20 foot long,10 foot high, 86 inch wide rig where it barely fits, and you are living on the edge of sanity, which is now a lot closer than it was with a small 4bye. This final point is movable as to your experience. As far as tipping? All of the heavy stuff in my rig is as low as we can make it. Plus the 1000 pound Cummins, 360 pound transmission, 225 pound winch and bumper with heavy axles keep us upright, kind of like the low weight in a sailboat. So that big, high box full of air, which looks as if you are going to capsize on a 15 degree angle is far from the tipping over stage: My brother John (JR on the Pirate Page) and I revel in getting as close the edge as we can. It's kind of a wierd high; a game. So the preparation for XTC-ing, as I call it, began a long time ago with a lot of trial and error with builds and technique. I purchased the 1998 Lance in 2001 having been used 3 times for $6500. The whole transaction took place in one afternoon-cash. Serendipitously, it was the lightest (1842 pounds, wet), least wide (86 inches), least tall (with a 6 foot 4 inch ceiling), full featured, wood framed, short bed, hard side camper that Lance produced. The guy I bought it from used it on his Dodge 1500 with air bags with no complaints. I had just bought the short bed, extended cab 4X4 Dodge 2500 to flat tow my 4bye junk to the trailhead, so the Lance was a shoe in. As time passed we started to go down the, "roads of no return" finding ways to conquer the terra not-so-firma, taking a new look at the suspension, ride height, traction devices, and tie down system for the camper itself. Ride height without the Lance on the back: This is a narrow band of goodness. Too tall and it's too tall. Not enough ground clearance; approach angle, break over angle, or departure angle and it's not enough. It's always a trade off. You need enough; but not too much. You job is to find the line, the cross hairs of the best solution. This is usually with experience. To my bullet proof drive train I added a 3 inch lift; super single steel rear wheels and 35 inch tires; upgrading to Tru Trac, torque biasing, all gear driven limited slips (also called Thorsen diffs), front and rear to go with my new homemade "super 60" front diff using mostly Dana 70 parts with Dana 70 locking hubs. After some bad experience combining a TC with air bags, I added 2 leaves to my existing 1 thicker leaf in my upper overload pack that came with the camper package from the factory at the time. This not being enough, I added 2 leaves to the main pack giving me 8 leaves in the rear spring packs. This has worked out well, but would have never come to pass without my doing a dozen springs over axle upgrades to various jeeps in the past. You develop a feel for how many and what rate the springs need to be and are all purpose built. I have a short bed truck, which was expedient when I worked downtown L.A. at the Music Center and needed something with a short w.b. to corkscrew down into the subterranean parking structure. Little did I know that a short bed truck is ideal for snaking around trails made by short, narrow jeeps. As to the wood frame camper: there are plusses and minuses. Wood does not 'sweat' or transmit cold like aluminum. Wood is not as strong nor lasting as is aluminum. However, I've got what I've got and this may be my one and only truck camper. Maybe. The only time you need to worry about pulling your camper apart is when you twist up the axles on undulating surfaces. This transmits a twisting torque to the frame of the truck and in extreme cases will actually deform and bend your truck bed. IF....the tie downs are too tight, the TC will follow this twisting and will eventually pull your camper apart. Older Fords are the worst candidates for twisting as a lot of twisting is built in at the factory. I also use Lance centering brackets which keep the tie downs from a too tight position when the box shifts from side to side or rearward. These keep the box in check at the bottom. Many homemade centering brackets made by folks on this site are much better that the factory Lance's i have. Another secret is to off-road with no jacks: narrower; loose 75 pounds; nothing to drag over rocky terrain: better visibility with side mirrors. I never take the jacks anyway and leave them at home. I've developed a technique of keeping a close eye on the undulation and tightening or loosening the tension on the tie downs as needed, PRN. Has my camper been pulled apart with all this crazy business? Not yet, and shows no signs. I've had to replace some dry rot sticks on the TC; replaced the converter with the latest and greatest; keep the caulking current; and add a lot of insulation; added 200watts of solar and this was basically upkeep. This year, the plunger attached to the starting scratcher for the 3-way fridge stopped coming back up, so my RV guru had a look at it and said the fridge needs to be taken out to replace the parts. That's it! I can still light the fridge from the outside by removing the vent, so that's the way we will make it work until it's salvage. All the rest of the appliances work fine. For the past decade, the camper has lived on the truck, so it is well ensconced like an old shoe. I've made a lot of mis calculations with 4WD's in the past and am always happy to change course and make it work. My time with the TC is waning so it's time for some of you younger off roaders to take on the XTC mantle. jefe429Views0likes0CommentsRe: Frame mount or Bed mount
I'm with AnEv. If you are even remotely thinking of taking the rig off road or getting your axles twisted up at all, then the tried and true Happy Jack tie downs are good enough. These are old tech but very well designed with real world calcs. I've had no trouble with them over some noxious real estate. However, I do keep adjusting them tighter or looser, depending on how much the truck frame is flexing. Here are the features I see: *Nothing hanging down to be bent or ripped off by a passing rock. *The full sheet of the front of the bed acts as a shear plate. *Front tie downs are spring loaded to keep from pulling your TC apart. *Front tie downs are at an angle to keep your TC from moving rearward, or sliding out the back on steep upgrades. *Rear tie downs go to the bumper with buttons. *Rear tie downs at an angle to keep the TC in position. *Rear tie downs have no spring load. Mfgr. calculated the rear bumper will bend enough to reduce the need for springs. I'm still enjoying the simple pair of 3/4 inch open end wrenches style of adjustment and keep the pair at hand for a quick readjustment. I really don't see a better mouse trap out there. More expensive ones out there? Yes. Sexier ones out there? Yes. jefe763Views0likes0CommentsRe: TC Centering Guides
It's never easy, no matter what appliance you use. I've had 15 years of good luck with my Lance Centering Guides. These keep the box centered once you 'drop' it in (not slide in) position. I have about 1/2 inch of clearance space on each side between the guides and the sides of the TC. The box stays put even when you are on a sharp angle. But these are kind of old school now. Search back about 8-10 years in the archive to see a wad of well crafted, homemade guides that do the trick even better the the Lance guides. Since I had the camper off, I cornered the lower edge with 2 inch aluminum angle screwed to the floor and the joint textured with spray rubber. jefe204Views0likes0CommentsRe: TR/3 : Threading the Needles (Canyonlands) part way
I would like to add a few items that The Whaz; Alex, Cal, and jefe; the four-down XTC-ers have in common in regards to vehicle prep. 1. All single rear wheel; all pre-smog (no soot bag, urea canister or D.E.F. tank) turbo diesel Chevy's, Ford, or Dodge RAM that were not in the, "do not buy" era. The Whaz and jefe have much sturdier aftermarket wheels. Both found the stock wheels to be insufficient. 2. 2 with the lightest, least tall, least wide, full featured Lance hard side TC's to traverse those pesky narrow trails. 3. 2 with OUTFITTER! pop up campers on 8 foot beds for a lower profile and better obstacle clearance. 4. 2 with winches: Alex's 17.8K pounder, and my 15K pound Warn. 5. All with a variety of traction devices to help when you get the axles all twisted up; 3 of them with traction aids, front and rear. The only truck with an open front diff belongs to Alex. 6. 2 with a small lift: Whaz's 6 inch and jefe's 3 inch suspension lift. 7. All with upper overload springs and/or Stable Loads or equivalent. 8. All have a lot of experience in the rough, half of the group coming from the hard core jeeping tradition, and the other two ready to push the envelope of what and where you can go with a well prepped truck camper. These TC-ers have walked the walk and have improved their rigs over time. jefe981Views0likes0CommentsRe: TR/3 : Threading the Needles (Canyonlands) part way
I'm leaving my comments on Cal's wonderful T.R. because he is near the end of his TC career and will be selling his junk. I personally will miss his ascerbic humor and engineer like precision. Now onto the latest plans. It's good to have plans. They keep you hoping for a fine trip. After more minutes of perusal, and studying my Utah Gazetteer, here is a further refinement and revised prospective route near Canyonlands N.P. which includes a ruins tour in Beef Basin (el. 7K feet). Not many use this route to get to Canyonlands. The entry is now highway 191 south past Moab; turn right (west) on state route 211 toward the N.P. entrance. After about 16 miles, turn left on Bridger Jack Rd, (F.R. 088) following north Cottonwood Creek, continuing past Cathedral Butte about 25 miles; turn right on F.R.093, a dirt two track; turning into Beef Basin Rd. In 2 miles turn left onto an unnamed 2-track, the shortcut to the cliff dwellings and ruins area which we can spend days exploring. Depart Beef Basin to the north through Ruin Park trail about 4-5 miles and enter Bobby's Hole, a steep, sandy, rough, rocky, narrow, bad traction, downgrade off the 7000 foot mesa we've been on. After picking up all the pieces, motor north. After about 6 miles enter the Needles area of C.N.P. eventually entering Devils Lane, Silver stairs, and side trips to Butler Cyn. and Confluence Overlook. We then take the one way 'out' route over Elephant Hill that has no rock overhang or narrow slot (nominal el. 5K feet). The 'out' route on Elephant Hill avoids the squeeze and the 'overhang' that could be problematic for a rig that's 10 feet 4 inches tall. At 86 inches wide, it's still narrower than the honey dipper truck that services the porta potties in the park past Elephant Hill. I thought about doing Dark Canyon Overlook, but because of the possibility of deep snow; the elevation of over 8K feet is a no go for the 2nd week of April. That's the plan, so far. Alex and jefe on the White Rim Trail 2010: clearance rock in the foreground. jefe981Views0likes0CommentsRe: TR/3 : Threading the Needles (Canyonlands) part way
tiki, The time and exposure of the fearsome foursome on RV net is slowly diminishing. Whazoo, Cal, Alex, and jefe, all hard core TC-er's, are now the old men of XTC, (well, Alex is the 'kid' of the bunch) and I don't see anyone ready to take their place. They have all resisted the natural call of RV'er's to move up to more spacious and comfortable rolling domiciles, DRW's, a higher GVW, more space for cold ones, so they are as a group a fading anachronism. And, most importantly, who, who, is going to post a tinky little T.R. that stands up by comparison to the monumental monoliths of the trip reports of the Great Whazoo? Who? That's the way I see it. jefe982Views0likes0Comments
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