2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

[ramblinChet]

Have you guys not had good luck with the factory gore-tex breathers?

I think for normal applications the GORE breathers are just fine. They resist water for sixty seconds to a pressure of 5.0 PSI which is around eleven feet but this is not taking into account the possibility of reduced pressure inside the differential due to cooling. I know everyone talks as if this is a fact but I have never viewed any testing which suggests that this does occur.

Anyway, for an application where river and stream crossings are more frequent I feel much better protecting very expensive driveline components with $100 in parts and a few hours of labor.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I think for normal applications the GORE breathers are just fine. They resist water for sixty seconds to a pressure of 5.0 PSI which is around eleven feet but this is not taking into account the possibility of reduced pressure inside the differential due to cooling. I know everyone talks as if this is a fact but I have never viewed any testing which suggests that this does occur.

Anyway, for an application where river and stream crossings are more frequent I feel much better protecting very expensive driveline components with $100 in parts and a few hours of labor.

Makes sense. Where did you find the tech specs on the gore membrane breather?

 

[loveracing1988]

I think for normal applications the GORE breathers are just fine. They resist water for sixty seconds to a pressure of 5.0 PSI which is around eleven feet but this is not taking into account the possibility of reduced pressure inside the differential due to cooling. I know everyone talks as if this is a fact but I have never viewed any testing which suggests that this does occur.

Anyway, for an application where river and stream crossings are more frequent I feel much better protecting very expensive driveline components with $100 in parts and a few hours of labor.

I can assure you the axles are heated to 150 degrees Celsius and dunked in 40 degree water to test this exact thing.

 

[loveracing1988]

Have you guys not had good luck with the factory gore-tex breathers?

I'm sure they are more than adequate for 99% of people, but I've already done a water crossing that was about 200 yards long and on top of my running boards so I'm not going to take any chances.

 

[ramblinChet]

Makes sense. Where did you find the tech specs on the gore membrane breather?

I go straight to the source when looking for technical information. Please see the attached PDF.

I can assure you the axles are heated to 150 degrees Celsius and dunked in 40 degree water to test this exact thing.

Wonderful, what is the pressure drop and how was it measured? If you have additional information I would love to learn more.

 

[loveracing1988]

I go straight to the source when looking for technical information. Please see the attached PDF.

Wonderful, what is the pressure drop and how was it measured? If you have additional information I would love to learn more.

I don't really pay attention to the pressure drop, I just run the test. Every time the oil is collected and analyzed for water content though.

 

[monsuoon]

Torklift frame-mounted front tie downs D2140 mounted yesterday evening. Install took about two hours and used basic hand tools to include calibrated 20-100 & 30-250 lb-ft torque wrenches. Instructions called for three main bolts to be torqued to 75 lb-ft with the two upper OEM bolts torqued to 25 lb-ft. The front mount is effectively an extension of the existing frame and is solid beyond question.

This is the driver's side which required the brake lines to be disconnected and pulled back. Once the mount was in place brake lines were pushed back through and reconnected:
View attachment 15264

This mount results in the loss of a small amount of ground clearance although there are other factory brackets and plates that hang at the same level:
View attachment 15265

Tie down extends approximately 4" from the truck and it's lowest point is 2" below the lower body line:
View attachment 15266

Hi ramblinChet​

I'm trying to install the same Torklift tie downs D2140 on my 3500 but I don't have the installation instructions. Can you tell me where the brake lines disconnect? thanks much​

 

[ramblinChet]

Hi ramblinChet​

I'm trying to install the same Torklift tie downs D2140 on my 3500 but I don't have the installation instructions. Can you tell me where the brake lines disconnect? thanks much​

There is an area on the drivers side just under your drivers seat on the outside of the frame where the emergency brake line can be disconnected.

Here's a picture:

 

[DevilDodge]

Was out in Rothrock the weekend.

Mother Nature was playing her silly Pennsylvania games.


This last pic is the view while at campsite 2.

 

[gimmie11s]

Awesome pictures.

 

[ramblinChet]

Adventured out for a bit this weekend and enjoyed seeing the forest coming back to life.



Of course, life is balanced by death. It's sad to see these old hunting lodges slowly decaying. So much fun and great memories...

 

[johanh13]

Awesome rig & thread! would love to see a bit more of suspension... how do you like the suspension; spring rate, shocks, articulation, et cetera?

 

[ramblinChet]

Dave Harriton (AEV) on Why Innovation, Quality, and Adventure Matters​

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Dave Harriton (AEV) on Why Innovation, Quality, and Adventure Matters​

I clicked the link

But then I saw the video was about an hour and fifty minutes longer than my attention span

And then I fed my fish

 

[ramblinChet]

But then I saw the video was about an hour and fifty minutes longer than my attention span

Hmmm...so I guess a gift I was preparing for you would simply collect dust?

I was having trouble deciding between Chassis Handbook by Bernd Heißing (579 pages) or Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics, Revised Edition by Dr. Thomas Gillespie (512 pages).

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Hmmm...so I guess a gift I was preparing for you would simply collect dust?

I was having trouble deciding between Chassis Handbook by Bernd Heißing (579 pages) or Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics, Revised Edition by Dr. Thomas Gillespie (512 pages).

Oh. Yea. Um. Watching is sketchy. Reading.. that’s a no go for me.

It’s the thought that counts, though, right?

<3 U Chet.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I clicked the link

But then I saw the video was about an hour and fifty minutes longer than my attention span

And then I fed my fish

Listening at 1.5-2.0 and skipping ahead a bit...

Ram chat around :38 and something REALLY interesting especially for the diesel guys mounting LED light bars in the bumper slot around 1:51. Listen through at least 1:54

 

[loveracing1988]

Oh. Yea. Um. Watching is sketchy. Reading.. that’s a no go for me.

It’s the thought that counts, though, right?

<3 U Chet.

Get a room you two

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Get a room you two

He’s got a camper

 

[UglyViking]

Listening to Dave discuss working with OEMs is pretty interesting and you can tell they spend quite a bit of time and money in R&D. Their bumper is still probably my favorite looking for the HD platform although I prefer it with the AEV flares over the factory flares.

I wish he would have spent some time discussing the suspension on the HD platform. I know he has a video out on it, which I think is great, but wish he addressed the spring "tuning" a bit more and why they didn't want to change spring rate. If you watch some of these AEV equipped rams off road they still have the factory limitations in terms of articulation, and often times you'll see a ram lift a wheel earlier than one would expect. I'm guessing it really just comes down to payload and keeping those numbers where the OEMs want.