Hank_McMauser
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Re: WD hitch setup with air bags
We have a 2015 ram 1500, and tow a Keystone Bullet 261RBSWE with a GVW of 7650#. I added the air bags that go inside the springs, and upgraded tires. I found that running the bags at about 13-15 psi was the sweet spot, with the husky 10,000 round bar wdh hitch. Any more air, and the bars aren't being allowed to do their job because the truck isn't sagging enough to apply the needed pressure to the bars. I've found out that the 4th link of chain is also best over the 5th for the same reason, it puts the bars a little above parallel, but on the 5th link theyre not applying consistent pressure , and the tow vehicle porpoises much more.The point of all of this is that you have to find the sweet spot for your setup, as the airbags, and the WDH work against one another by their physical nature, and how they perform their job.662Views0likes0CommentsRe: new truck cost!!
We just bought 2 RAM 1500 bighorns for about 35,000 each, both have heated cloth seats and. Steering wheel. All the years of toting shingles and sheetrock into your guys houses has made me appreciate the heated seats in the morning, and now that we are at a place in our lives that we can afford them it is really nice feature. I wasn't looking for them when we went looking. I'd have been happy with the tradesman, but for a few thou more we really upgraded alot.I think the 10 way adj seats are a better feature than heated ones, but won't go back either way. I try not to reason another man's purchases, I had a customer claim we maybe were charging too much money for materials if I could afford a truck nicer than his!??? I don't know about you, but I want us all to be successful if we are hardworking and giving it our all. I work 50+ hrs a week and finally getting to a point where I am enjoying the benefits of working my ass off all these years. We are finally to a point where we are not struggling to get enough gas/grocery money to last until payday, or faced with staying home on the weekend because going camping and putting a full tank of gas in the truck is out of our budget.365Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tongue Weight (getting sucked in by trucks)
I'd agree on the tail wagging the dog especially on a short wheelbase SUV. I towed a Honda mini van on a uhaul car trailer once behind my 99 Tahoe. It did pretty well except for the fact that I was constantly correctingthe steering.this may have also been exagerated due to worn steering/suspension components, and the fact that I was at least 12-1500# over the gvwr.482Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram selection
ttavasc wrote: Hank McMauser wrote: We have recently succumbed to the sirens song, my driving type is not good for a diesel(short trips) so we went with the 5.7 hemi. Both our trucks have the 8 speed and the 3.21 gears, the tow rating for them is 8000#. Being as that we don't even have a camp trailer yet, (possibly a couple years in our future) I thought this was our best option. Both of ours are bighorn models which are pretty sporty with the dual exhaust and lots of chrome, we have the optional comfort,and the luxury group, which includes the folding mirrors and heated wheels and seats. If you are buying a 1500 look around for a leftover 2015 model, they have 5 yr 100,000 power train warranty. Our previous rig was a 1999 Tahoe with only a 5200# tow rating, and it was a dog HP wise compared to the Hemi. Make sure and check your payload before selecting a trailer. The RAM 1500's are notorious for lower payload ratings, especially on the higher trim levels. I have a '14 Big Horn CC with the 5.7 Hemi, 3.21/8-speed plus tow package w/32g tank - my payload is only 1100. The "bling" is nice but it is also heavy. That being said, it does a great job of pulling our little Jayco, is very comfortable and over about 4000 miles of towing last year averaged about 12mpg. Thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure and check the door stickers. I am aware of the lite payload these trucks are rated at, and it is one reason I chose the quad cab over the crew. When we are ready to buy a camp trailer I'll be looking for something in the neighborhood of max.6000# gvw on the trailer.301Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram selection
The trim levels go, near as I can tell Tradesman Express Bighorn Laramie Sport Longhorn Limited Some of the moves up the food chain are somewhat sideways, or you can option up a lower trim model to have the same stuff as the next higher package.But it's usually cheaper to just get the next higer trim level I see you're from California, Not to sound like a fanboy, but check out Dennis Dillon,I'm only 35 miles away, but from what I've found they are the lowest priced, and worth the drive, even all the way from Cali. Each time we have been in on the weekends there have been out of staters due in, From Cali,Montana,New Mexico,and I think Illinois.226Views0likes0Comments
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