New Shoes

I'd expected to get more miles out of the Goodyear LT265/70R17E tires that came on the truck than I did. I could have stretched a few more miles, but with the Alaska trip rapidly approaching, it was time to bite the bullet.

I fully intended to install what Michelin now calls the Defender LTX M/S because I'd had incredible experience with them on the Tacoma, but the tread life warranty was now only 50,000 miles on the LT version of the tire even though I'd gotten right at 100K on one set on the Tacoma.

I ended up going with the Michelin LTX A/T 2 tire. The tread is more aggressive than the Defender (about the same as the Goodyear LT tire from the factory) but the tread warranty is 10K better while Discount's prices were essentially the same for the two styles, making my decision easy.

The Discount Tire location I use didn't have the A/T 2 in stock in my size but I had a call from them the next morning that they'd come in, so I stopped by and within an hour (in spite of not having an appointment) the tires were going on.

The tread is about as aggressive as the Goodyear tires the truck was delivered with, but they are quieter running.

Meanwhile, I pulled the wheels on the Scamp to check the brakes and bearings but figured it wasn't worth a bunch of pictures. The Timkin bearings that I put in 33,000 miles ago when we returned from our last Alaska trip still look good so they were cleaned, packed, and reinstalled with new rear seals.

One month until we head north.

Love That Truck!

We towed the trailer just shy of 5,000 miles on this trip and drove the truck almost 7,500 miles. We wandered between sea level and 10,000 feet elevation and visited nine states or provinces in the process.

The Scamp is back in it's shady spot, sporting a to-do list of  minor fixes or mods - some that have already been finished by the time I got around to writing this.

The truck proved to be a wonderful match. We had plenty of clearance between the trailer and the top of the bedrail on the pickup. I LOVED the optional 32 gallon tank and wouldn't consider one without it. The 8 speed transmission was spectacular, especially in the mountains. The tow/haul mode worked so well that I never had to manually select the appropriate gear.

The Hemi engine and the 3.92 rear gear ratio were probably both overkill, but the end result was that we could (and often did) stay on cruise control, up mountain and down. Summed up, this truck was much more relaxing to drive, with excess capabilites in every regard except GVW where we would run very close, especially with full fuel. All in all, I'm very pleased.

BJ Thanks Him

I figured out that one of the features of the new truck was lacking. We always haul a couple jerry cans of additional water when we're boondocking for any length of time, but the tie-down rings in the truck bed are too low to retain the jerry cans on rough roads.

There are some interesting holes punched in the upper bed corners that I thought might be used for optional tie-down accessories, but a search with the parts expert at the dealer showed nothing existed for upper tie-downs.

I did some internet research and ended up ordering an Anchor Point Tie Down kit from US Cargo Control. The package arrived quickly, but then languished leaning up against a cabinet in the garage - right in the way. With a friend coming to use the garage for a few hours I decided it was time to get that package out of the way and get the parts installed.

I picked up some stainless flat-head machine screws and nyloc nuts from the local Ace Hardware. Actually, I ended up visiting all three local Ace Hardware stores to collect enough to do the job.

I drilled pilot holes and then the 1/4 inch holes for the machine screws. In a couple places, the holes lined up with the plastic nubs that helped retain the plastic bed rail protectors. I discovered the plastic was soft enough that I could grab the nubs with a pair of plies and twist them off, leaving me the clearance I needed for the hardware.

The tie-downs fit at any point along the track. Since they are easily installed and removed, I've elected to keep them in the glovebox when they're not in use so that someone else doesn't elect to remove them.

I got the project done about an hour before KB showed up to tackle a front brake job on his truck. He needed a couple special tools and a place to work, and I needed a bit of a push to get that package out of the way. BJ thanks him!!

Bob was the first Scamper I met after we got our Scamp, and has always been a fount of knowledge and well considered ideas. It was sure nice to help him out for once.

Test Flight

By the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone. I hope that you had a blessed holiday season with family and/or friends.

I suppose I could have done the Los Algodones trip as a one day, out &  back trip but it seemed like a wonderful excuse to put some miles on the new truck towing the Scamp. It was about 240 miles from our house to the Sidewinder Road boondocking area north of Interstate 8 in Southeastern California.

On the trip, I made no effort to conserve. I wanted to see what sort of temps I would see when the truck was working. Not only did I run at 65 mph, I was dealing with a 15 to 20 mph headwind. Even with the headwind, the temps were very comparable to what I've observed when driving without the trailer. Because of the extra headwind, the truck ran most of the trip in 7th gear.

On the way back, I have very little headwind, but no tailwind. The truck ran the vast majority of the trip in 8th gear with temps very similar to what I observed on the westbound trip.

I still haven't pulled the trailer on significant, long grades, but I was very pleased to see how it did with the hill east of Yuma. It pulled the hill at speed with no change in temperatures.

All in all, I'm very pleased. It would be nice to have more useful load. With the hitch and all my additional options in place, full (32 gallons) fuel and me, we have 1000 pounds left for tongue weight and extra bodies.  Not a lot, but adequate for us. We're WAY under the combined gross weight rating, and comfortably under both front and rear axle ratings.

The 5.7 liter Hemi engine has lots of power and torque. The truck's traction control software keeps it from being a tire burner which is both good and sometimes a bit disappointing. It's not a neck snapping drag racer! Even in tow/haul mode, the shifts are notably softer than the old Tacoma transmission but it does a wonderful job of picking an appropriate gear without building excess heat in the transmission. I'm of the opinion that the 8HP70 transmission is the best feature of the truck.

We took a towing mileage hit of about 10% compared to the Tacoma, it seems, but it's a much more relaxed experience. Meanwhile, the optional 32 gallon tank gives me just about twice the towing range of the Tacoma.

I went with the 3.92 gear ratio in order to get the maximum certified trailer towing weight. I certainly didn't need that for the Scamp and it may be overkill but I wouldn't know without towing with the stock 3.21 or optional 3.55 ratios. Similarly, the 3.6 liter gas V6 engine may have been adequate (and lighter) but the Hemi doesn't break a sweat. I seriously considered the 3.0 diesel engine but took it off my list because of the 300 pounds of extra weight. Now, I'm glad I did. They still haven't started delivering the 2017 EcoDiesel trucks - some hangup in the EPA certification.

Speaking of weight, I could have saved about 300 pounds by not ordering the 4WD option but ...

I picked it because of the physical fit, but it turned out to be much more. It's a keeper!

Nice Fit

I finally got the Scamp hitched to the truck to see how things fit. I knew I'd need a relatively level, empty parking lot to get some measurements which was an illogical thought for Black Friday. The Baptist Church down the road had a reasonably level spot in their lot so that's where I went.

The truck settled about 2.5 inches with the 700 pound tongue load.

I was expecting 7 inches of bed rail clearance but ended up with 8.5 inches. I'm real pleased. When I started shopping I was working with a 6 inch minimum in my mind - really nice to have that extra 2.5 inches.

I set the hitch further back from the normal position for a fifth wheel hitch, but wasn't worried about that since the tongue load is less than the tongue load limit for a standard trailer with this truck. I've still got plenty of clearance between the tongue and the closed tailgate.

The mod of the 15K Reese hitch was super easy. Just pulled the pin that held the original fifth wheel and replaced it with a piece of 3/8" steel bolted to the structure using existing holes.

By mounting the hitch further back, we have tailgate clearance. Should have 1/2 inch or so even when the truck is at 45 degrees to the trailer.

I'm super please with how it's all fitting together. I drove it a few miles and like the way the truck pulls, the transmission shifts, and the temps I was seeing. The next big test will be a quick trip to Yuma. Time to go visit a Mexican dentist.

The New Tug

It's been over six weeks since I last updated the blog. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then. The Tacoma, which served us well for 15 years and 280,000 miles has a new home.

It was tough choosing a replacement, with the primary consideration being how it will fit with the Scamp. In the end, I chose a Ram 1500. Payload is fairly similar, but the torque is twice as much and towing range will be nearly double. To get it optioned the way I wanted it, we ended up ordering it from the factory.

I ordered the Westin side steps and the Draw-Tite front receiver from eTrailer. Could have ordered steps from Ram, but I'm a cheap skate. In both cases, they bolted on with little extra effort.

The side steps leveraged existing frame holes and bolted in place very quickly. The front hitch receiver (that we'll use for supporting the canoe when we haul the canoe and the trailer at the same time) was a bit more effort since it required drilling a couple holes in the frame.

The nice carpet floor mats were removed and replaced with a full set of Husky Weatherbeater mats.

I also got mud flaps for all four corners from Husky. These were a very quick install with just a couple small holes to be drilled.

Perhaps the most important reason for selecting the Ram was that there were aftermarket springs available that would lower the back end about 1.5 inches, improving the clearance between the top of the pickup bed and the loft on the trailer.

The TufTruck TTC1210L spring kit included the shorter (but thicker) springs and slightly shorter KYB shocks. I was concerned with this project, but it turns out the toughest thing was accessing the upper shock retaining bolts. I'm real pleased with the change in stance while retaining a good ride.

The project I was avoiding was the installation of the hitch for the Scamp. I leveraged the tracks and base of a used Reese 15K hitch. I knew I wanted to install it in a 'non-standard' position so that there would be clearance for the tailgate.

Turns out I was able to leverage some of the pickup bed frame attach points so the project was easier than I anticipated. Now the hitch can be removed simply by pulling four pins, leaving just the tracks in place.

I fitted a Yakima Outdoorsman rack at the front of the pickup bed, and matched it up with one Yakima cross-bar that clamps on above the front doors for hauling boats.

The last step was to install clear paint protection film on the forward 18" of the hood and fenders as well as the headlights.

One of these days soon, we'll drag the Scamp out and see if all the measurements were correct!

For those that want the details: 2017 RAM 1500 Tradesman 4X4, 5.7L Hemi V8 with 8HP70 8 Speed Automatic Transmission. 3.92 Anti-spin rear axle, Popular Equipment Group, Chrome Appearance Group, Trailer Tow Mirrors & Brake Controller Group, LT Tires, 32 Gallon tank, Uconnect 5.0

So Much For Plans

After providing faithful service for 15 years, my Tacoma is being replaced by something new and shiny. It dawned on me that I could get my shop space back by pushing the Scamp through the garage and parking it behind the 3rd bay for a few months while I deal with prepping the Taco for sale, installing a hitch in the new truck when it comes, and finishing some cabinet projects that have been on hold for six years or more.

I was able to pick up a Reese 15K fifth wheel hitch that will form the basis of the hitch for the new truck.

With that out of the way, it was time to remove the Scamp built hitch and the modified bed liner from the Taco.

I was rather surprised that the bed didn't have more scratches from dust and stuff under the drop-in liner. Didn't take long to get it cleaned up and masked off

so that I could apply a couple coats of Herculiner. Looks much better than it did.

With the Taco hitch out, and the original canopy back on the truck, I had a bit of time to build some birdcage caches, or so I thought.

But while I was working in the garage, the HOA 'police' came around and spotted a "prohibited vehicle parked on your property." They took a picture so they could write a letter, but obviously didn't have time to stop and chat with me. Instead, our official notice gives me ten days to correct my prohibited behavior...

I got the birdcages finished up and hung out for the benefit of local geocachers. This one is called Rent Control.

At least the HOA nasty-gram arrived quickly enough that we had time to put the trailer back in the garage before we head out for our 13th Green River trip. Looks like it's nearly time to do a new tee-shirt.

Two of the three boats are loaded and I'll pick up Kathy's boat tonight. We'll hit the road at o'dark thirty in the morning.

Meanwhile, if FCA's plans are on track, the new truck is supposed to be built today.