2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

[ramblinChet]

Spent time this weekend enjoying the Country Inn and Morgan Tavern in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. It was our nation's first spa, has beautiful English gardens, warm springs at 74.3° F, etc.


Original Lord Fairfax Spring from 1776. "Washington's bathtub" out of frame to the left, and mineral water bath house directly behind me.


Berkeley Castle built by one-hundred German masons, Est. 1885


Greenridge State Forest in Maryland - exploring in 2WD.

 

[ramblinChet]

Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival

The Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival also serves as the Four Wheel Campers East Coast Owners Rally, and this year is a big one as its FWC’s 50th Year in the business of making truck campers! FWC will...

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Did you attend? I was there Friday through Sunday. The last one I attended was in 2019 if I remember correctly. Spent the first part of the week in Michaux and Bald Eagle State Forests.

All pictures are from Main Line Overland and were taken at the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival. If you look real close you will see my handsome and charming self

 

[ramblinChet]

This weekend I spend exploring the NW and central sections of Tuscarora State Forest in Pennsylvania.

Camping with a warm fire and cool mountain breeze. Countless crickets and katydids sung me to sleep.


Here is some native art that I found in the forest


Just your standard trail shot - nothing special.


If you enjoy covered bridges this is the place to be - I counted four withing ten miles!


This fellow traveler had never seen an AEV Prospector with a Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper so we talked for a bit and compared notes.

As I approached the top of Tuscarora Mountain and heavy storm rolled in. Rain was heavy and winds were gusting a bit.


Whenever it rains and blows it is always a great time for a hike which includes a free shower. Unfortunately, this shot does not show the earth falling away nor does it detail the sharp rocks. Many hikes in Pennsylvania are tough on your feet even with good hiking boots.


Looking down into the valley below from Blain's Vista. No joy.


East Licking Creek was swelled up quite a bit from the storm.


Here is a final shot before the day became even more interesting...

 

[ramblinChet]

During my adventure this past weekend the heavy storm slowed down my progress to some degree so I began departing the forest behind schedule. While on my final leg out I came upon a recently fallen tree and had to make a decision - double back in the wrong direction and fall very far behind or take some time and deal with the tree?

In the pictures below you will see that I decided to deal with the tree even though I did not have the ideal equipment with me. I decided to use my winch and tree saver to drag the tree most of the way off the road so at least one lane was open. If I had more time I could have attached my snatch block to a tree off to the side and pulled the tree all the way off but it was becoming late, the optimum tree was around eight meters off the road, and the ground off to the side was wet and soft. Here are some details of my movement of the fallen tree:

Safety first - no excuses, even if you are in a hurry. And just because you are wearing gloves that does not give you permission to slide your hand along a heavy-duty steel wire rope. All of my equipment was brand new although I took a moment to inspect it anyway. It's a good habit to have and it could save a life.


Next is a shot of the tree saver wrapped around the trunk end of the fallen tree. Can you see my mistake? I should not have wrapped the web sling over itself.


What I did do correctly was rig the hook to the screw-pin shackle to the web sling. Two important details here. You can not attach the web sling directly to the hook and the screw-pin shackle is oriented correctly with the hook riding on the pin and the sling in the bowed area. Take note that the screw pin is fully threaded in and the web sling loops do not overlap. If you have questions why, ask a professional rigger.


Here is a shot just prior to the pull. The driver on the other side was heading to his hunting camp and lamented over not having his saw with him. I am glad I decided to take my winch on this short trip.


Here is the tree dragged off enough to open a single lane.


Lessons learned - my choker chain is sitting at home a few hundred miles away and would have been a more ideal option for this exercise. It would have been much easier and safer to choke the tree and hook the chain to a shackle on my rear bumper and tug it out of the way. If you pull a load from your front bumper you are placing the load on the weaker of the two axles and driving backwards with obscured vision. The load your front axle is able to support decreases significantly as you turn your front tires off at an angle.

Also, when winching make sure you are inside your vehicle with your foot on your brake. If you just leave your automatic transmission in park and set your parking brake you place most all of that load on the transmission parking pawl. Maybe not the best idea. And don't be afraid to use all of your cable with the exception of the last five or six wraps on the drum. Your maximum pull is on the first layer of your cable and decreases on successive layers. Be good to your winch and she will be good to you.

 

[el_barto]

You can not attach the web sling directly to the hook and the screw-pin shackle is oriented correctly with the hook riding on the pin and the sling in the bowed area
And...the web sling loops do not overlap.

I’m going to have to disagree with you on these points. There’s no reason you can’t use a sling directly on a hook, and you can(and should) nest the eyes so they lay nicely on each other…however if the hook/shackle is overcrowded causing bunching, they need to be spaced out with shackles.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I’m going to have to disagree with you on these points. There’s no reason you can’t use a sling directly on a hook, and you can(and should) nest the eyes so they lay nicely on each other…however if the hook/shackle is overcrowded causing bunching, they need to be spaced out with shackles.

No doubt he is being safe. Overly cautious, perhaps, but no sense in risking an injury if you have plenty of gear and time.

Me? I wouldn’t have used a tree saver on a down tree because I wouldn’t want to drag the tree saver across the road. I wouldn’t have even pulled cable. I would’ve used a junky old 30k break strap and drug it with the truck (assuming it was too large to just drive over which usually snaps the tree into thirds which are more manageable)

But no doubt he did it by the book. I applaud him for sticking to the book. I would be lying if I said I stuck to the book.

 

[b307a1]

You know Chester, a red and black GMT would have gone better with those gloves.

 

[UglyViking]

Chet, why did you choose to go with a steel rope and not synthetic?

 

[ramblinChet]

Chet, why did you choose to go with a steel rope and not synthetic?

It really boiled down to my specific application and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I strongly considered synthetic since every other winch I have had over the past quarter century has been wire rope. The few extra dollars was not a big deal, the weight savings was of no value to me, but long-term durability and immediate availability were two of the strongest factors. Last summer some products were hard to find and although AEV had a few of the Warn 16.5s available with steel wire rope they had none with synthetic. I could have waited and it was not a biggie but long term durability was and I think that is what pushed me back over to steel.

One of my Jeeps still has the same winch as it did two decades ago and it is still perfectly fine. I am not sure if a synthetic would have lasted that long but again, different choices for different applications. I don't think there is a right or wrong choice for the majority of applications. Just trade offs. What do you use?

 

[UglyViking]

I'm currently winchless, and I've actually never owned one. I have been winched out by a buddy once, but I've never had one on a rig. I plan to get one for this rig, due in no small part to the weight, and just wanting to do more trails and longer adventures than I did in my younger days. I figured you would be well researched on the topic and just made the assumption that you, like seeming everyone else, would have chosen synthetic. I had thought about the being in the elements with the synthetic line, but I'm worried that steel won't fair much better in the salt and snow caked winters we get up here. Although if I'm recalling right you're in PA? So perhaps your facing similar challenges to a lesser extent?

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

It really boiled down to my specific application and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I strongly considered synthetic since every other winch I have had over the past quarter century has been wire rope. The few extra dollars was not a big deal, the weight savings was of no value to me, but long-term durability and immediate availability were two of the strongest factors. Last summer some products were hard to find and although AEV had a few of the Warn 16.5s available with steel wire rope they had none with synthetic. I could have waited and it was not a biggie but long term durability was and I think that is what pushed me back over to steel.

One of my Jeeps still has the same winch as it did two decades ago and it is still perfectly fine. I am not sure if a synthetic would have lasted that long but again, different choices for different applications. I don't think there is a right or wrong choice for the majority of applications. Just trade offs. What do you use?

I was a steel cable holdout until covid. I used steel cable for around 18 years, so when I ordered my AEV bumper I also ordered a 16.5 with steel rope. I had the opposite experience as you… Warn rep called a few days later and told me they had to cancel my order because they did not have any nor did they have an ETA for any. He looked around and found me an M12s (synthetic) which was 1 of 2 left in the country according to him. So, I took it.

After handling and spooling up the synthetic (they don’t come spooled like cable does) and working through the learning curve of it stretching and getting past the mental block of it weighing almost nothing, I decided I like it better. It weighs so little, it is hard to believe how strong it is. The weight savings is nice on the Toyota (I changed it over to syn) but the main thing I like is how it’s super pliable and floppy like rope and not stiff and rigid. If you need to fish it through a roll cage or a rockslider it’s way easier to work with. Also, it doesn’t store energy and try to unwind in free spool. If you don’t spool your cable up perfectly (hard during some pulls) your cable will want to spring and unwind when you clutch to free spool

I think they’re both perfectly fine. Synthetic does lose some strength over time due to UV exposure but it can also be field repaired by splicing. It stretches a lot more than you expect the first time you use it. Both winches I failed to stretch it enough during initial drum spool. I tried, but underestimated, so it stretched more still.

Recently I saw my first winch cable snap. It was synthetic line and it was being pulled incorrectly across a plate steel bumper and it got cut. It fell to the ground like someone dropped a rope. Steel cable probably wouldn’t have been cut but if It did break we all know how much energy those cables store.

 

[ramblinChet]

I'm currently winchless, and I've actually never owned one. I have been winched out by a buddy once, but I've never had one on a rig. I plan to get one for this rig, due in no small part to the weight, and just wanting to do more trails and longer adventures than I did in my younger days. I figured you would be well researched on the topic and just made the assumption that you, like seeming everyone else, would have chosen synthetic. I had thought about the being in the elements with the synthetic line, but I'm worried that steel won't fair much better in the salt and snow caked winters we get up here. Although if I'm recalling right you're in PA? So perhaps your facing similar challenges to a lesser extent?

In my opinion, a winch is the absolute best money you can spend on a vehicle for off road applications. No matter how great a suspension is, or how many lockers you have, or how low your gearing or low range is, or what kind of tires and rims you run...you can still find a way to become stuck. A winch solves all of that and for that reason also I recommend bolting on a winch and some skidplates, and go have fun. My time is split between PA and VA although I don't see quite as much snow as I did a few decades ago. Even then I never really had problems with rust on a winch - maybe a bit on a hook but never anything significant.

I was a steel cable holdout until covid. I used steel cable for around 18 years, so when I ordered my AEV bumper I also ordered a 16.5 with steel rope. I had the opposite experience as you… Warn rep called a few days later and told me they had to cancel my order because they did not have any nor did they have an ETA for any. He looked around and found me an M12s (synthetic) which was 1 of 2 left in the country according to him. So, I took it.

After handling and spooling up the synthetic (they don’t come spooled like cable does) and working through the learning curve of it stretching and getting past the mental block of it weighing almost nothing, I decided I like it better. It weighs so little, it is hard to believe how strong it is. The weight savings is nice on the Toyota (I changed it over to syn) but the main thing I like is how it’s super pliable and floppy like rope and not stiff and rigid. If you need to fish it through a roll cage or a rockslider it’s way easier to work with. Also, it doesn’t store energy and try to unwind in free spool. If you don’t spool your cable up perfectly (hard during some pulls) your cable will want to spring and unwind when you clutch to free spool

I think they’re both perfectly fine. Synthetic does lose some strength over time due to UV exposure but it can also be field repaired by splicing. It stretches a lot more than you expect the first time you use it. Both winches I failed to stretch it enough during initial drum spool. I tried, but underestimated, so it stretched more still.

Recently I saw my first winch cable snap. It was synthetic line and it was being pulled incorrectly across a plate steel bumper and it got cut. It fell to the ground like someone dropped a rope. Steel cable probably wouldn’t have been cut but if It did break we all know how much energy those cables store.

All good points and as we both seems to agree - the ideal choice is application specific and even then you are splitting hairs. I also came very close to picking up a Warn 12k since when I talked with their technical department they confirmed that many of the internals, save the motor, were the same as the 15k. They stated that the 12k was bulletproof. I ended up going with the 16.5k to build in a bit of a safety margin for me.

 

[el_barto]

I was a steel cable holdout until covid. I used steel cable for around 18 years, so when I ordered my AEV bumper I also ordered a 16.5 with steel rope. I had the opposite experience as you… Warn rep called a few days later and told me they had to cancel my order because they did not have any nor did they have an ETA for any. He looked around and found me an M12s (synthetic) which was 1 of 2 left in the country according to him. So, I took it.

After handling and spooling up the synthetic (they don’t come spooled like cable does) and working through the learning curve of it stretching and getting past the mental block of it weighing almost nothing, I decided I like it better. It weighs so little, it is hard to believe how strong it is. The weight savings is nice on the Toyota (I changed it over to syn) but the main thing I like is how it’s super pliable and floppy like rope and not stiff and rigid. If you need to fish it through a roll cage or a rockslider it’s way easier to work with. Also, it doesn’t store energy and try to unwind in free spool. If you don’t spool your cable up perfectly (hard during some pulls) your cable will want to spring and unwind when you clutch to free spool

I think they’re both perfectly fine. Synthetic does lose some strength over time due to UV exposure but it can also be field repaired by splicing. It stretches a lot more than you expect the first time you use it. Both winches I failed to stretch it enough during initial drum spool. I tried, but underestimated, so it stretched more still.

Recently I saw my first winch cable snap. It was synthetic line and it was being pulled incorrectly across a plate steel bumper and it got cut. It fell to the ground like someone dropped a rope. Steel cable probably wouldn’t have been cut but if It did break we all know how much energy those cables store.

Yep once you go Synthetic you won’t want to go back.

Yes, Steel cable is more durable and can be dragged on rocks with less worry, but the weight/ease of handling of synthetic, ease of respooling, lack of hand slicing burrs, ability to splice in field, and safer mode of failure(I’ve seen synthetic fail in person, and it was surprisingly undramatic) …Synthetic all the way.

The other great thing about synthetic is this handy little tool made by Safe Xtract called the x-lock which can shorten synthetic line to whatever length you need. So I have a shorter line on my drum and unspool it all the way for every recovery(more power with less wraps on the drum, plus shorter line it’s less worry about stacking the line uneven); and then carry an extension line which I can shorten as needed using the x-lock but still start my pulls on the last wrap of the drum.
Also can use my drum line to make a 2:1, and then use the extension to get further reach. So if I have 75ft on my drum and 75ft of extension, I can do a 2:1 and get 112ft of reach. I would need 225ft on the drum to do this without the extension.

Sorry for the rambling.

 

[ramblinChet]

My most recent adventure began by enjoying a large plate of kielbasa, halushki, halupki, and pirohi at a Slavic-American festival just north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The live polka music was wonderful and it was really fun to watch the young and old dancing together, all smiling and full of energy. Saint Ann's is a Byzantine Catholic church so it was an interesting to learn about "the other Catholic church" as they refer to themselves. The capstone was listening to a female choir singing Marian Hymns inside the beautiful church.


Later on, I relaxed and watched the sun setting over the Susquehanna River from the east side if the river in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. While walking the banks of the river several locals approached me and asked about my truck. We smiled, laughed, told stories, and talked about adventure. Here is the Millersburgh Ferry which has been transporting people and freight across the Susquehanna River since the 1760s.


Since there was a swinging bridge nearby I couldn't help but play on it for a bit.


I spent the night relaxing with a warm fire and gentle mountain breeze in Weiser State Forest near Elizabethville, Pennsylvania.


Here are a few shots of my National Luna 80 liter refrigerator and freezer complete with Danfoss compressor. It was manufactured in South Africa for high thermal efficiency in very harsh conditions. This was purchased years ago and was previously mounted in my Jeep Wrangler.


These are the five internal baskets. Temperature can be set from -30° C up to 20° C. The nice thing about having my unit mounted here is that I have full access to it even when the top of the Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper is closed. Since it is a top-loader with steel latches, nothing ever will fall out on the trail, ever.


I bolted the optional base mounting plate to the floor with six 1/4"-20 x 1-1/4" galvanized hex lag screws.


Here are some manufacturer pictures of the base mounting plate:

 

[ramblinChet]

While hiking along the Rim Trail in Weiser State Forest I came upon another hand gliding site. If you are interested it is located at the southern end of Wolf Pond Road.


This guy was pretty quite.


Natural Beauty on White Oak Road in the same forest.


While exploring the nearby town of Williamstown, Pennsylvania, I came upon this old school built in 1930. It didn't even last one hundred years, so sad.


South of Williamstown is another tract of the Weiser State Forest which I took time to explore. There were a number of mixed trails that may have been better suited for my lifted and locked Jeep but I was confident my AEV Prospector could easily handle all of the trails. Here is one shot:

 

[DevilDodge]

Did you attend? I was there Friday through Sunday. The last one I attended was in 2019 if I remember correctly. Spent the first part of the week in Michaux and Bald Eagle State Forests.

All pictures are from Main Line Overland and were taken at the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival. If you look real close you will see my handsome and charming self

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No. I did not attend. Had a few friends who did and I had planned to meet up with them. But those plans fell through.

 

[DevilDodge]

This weekend I spend exploring the NW and central sections of Tuscarora State Forest in Pennsylvania.

Camping with a warm fire and cool mountain breeze. Countless crickets and katydids sung me to sleep.
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Here is some native art that I found in the forest
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Just your standard trail shot - nothing special.
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If you enjoy covered bridges this is the place to be - I counted four withing ten miles!
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This fellow traveler had never seen an AEV Prospector with a Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper so we talked for a bit and compared notes.
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As I approached the top of Tuscarora Mountain and heavy storm rolled in. Rain was heavy and winds were gusting a bit.
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Whenever it rains and blows it is always a great time for a hike which includes a free shower. Unfortunately, this shot does not show the earth falling away nor does it detail the sharp rocks. Many hikes in Pennsylvania are tough on your feet even with good hiking boots.
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Looking down into the valley below from Blain's Vista. No joy.
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East Licking Creek was swelled up quite a bit from the storm.
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Here is a final shot before the day became even more interesting...
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We stayed at site 20 and site 9 with our camper. We spent 7 days at 20 and 6 at 9.

Tuscarora is high on our list for best camping.

East and West Locking Creek was not flowing that fast.

We found similar native art...haha

 

[DevilDodge]

we spent the last few weekends just adventuring in Central PA.

2 weekends ago we turned off the phones jumped in the truck and went looking for dark skies and Aurora Borealis. (We later found out it was Thursday not Saturday Night like an article we read)

We just packed a cooler and napped in the truck vista peeping and wildlife seeking.

Woke up with the sun at one of my favorite vistas. Of course the clouds moved in as we tried to star gaze and sun rise watch.

Autumn has already arrived.

 

[DevilDodge]

Went to Bilgers Rocks this weekend. To check out campsites and to see the Roland Walker Rockhouse replica.

We like to spend the night...the rocks look so much different at night

 

[ramblinChet]

My recent adventures has me north of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania mostly between Pine Creek to the east and West Branch of the Susquehanna River to the west. Considering all the time and hundreds of miles spent off-road, I barely even have begun to scratch the surface of Pennsylvania Wilds.

Here is a monument marking the capital of the Lenni Lenape tribe on the banks of the West Branch Susquehanna River.


The American Power Boat Association was having a race on the river so I jumped into the pits and hung out with some racers. Once you have been issued a license and dedicated a significant portion of your life to racing, all forms of racing sound fun!


The "slow" guys putter along at 60 MPH while the faster ones approach 100 MPH on the water. Keep in mind, they are kneeling in a hand-built boat and wear no harness or retainer. If things go bad they enjoy some peaceful time in the air as they are thrown from their craft. The screaming two-strokes sounded like a swarm of angry bees.


Enjoying a relaxing ride along Queens Creek Road in the Sproul State forest. Everything was so green and wet it was almost like a jungle. BTW - the picture is very poor and does not begin to show how beautiful it really was. Maybe it's time to begin dragging a DSLR out with me.


Some of the "high clearance 4x4" trails detailed in my Purple Lizard Maps had not been traveled in a long time and were not just, good and tight, but overgrown in some areas.


Here is a nice open camping spot in the middle of nowhere. A few hours after the sun dropped it began raining and rained all night long. I was somewhat concerned with departing in the morning since the trail in was not heavily used and there were a good number of elevation changes. I wheeled out in 2WD checking the traction along the way and had no problems. In the future it would be wise for me to check into the weather.


Here is the Farrandsville Blast Furnace. I have come across many furnaces during my adventures here in Pennsylvania but this one is in really good shape. The plaque reads, "The first successful hot-blast furnace to produce high quality iron. An outstanding example of dry masonry."


The fact that it rained so much recently put a big smile on my face as I began this road. Little did I know what I was in for...


This is looking out my front window. Some sections of Graham Road were overgrown while others has the parts of the shelf road washed out. There was one time I began to feel my front tire dip and when the rear dropped in it dipped even more. I will admit around an hour in I began to consider looking for a place to turn around but on a narrow shelf road there was no opportunity. After the trail improved I still had another 12-13 miles remaining with some of those sections in so-so condition.


If you have a pop-up camper it is very important to check your latches before returning to speeds above 25 MPH. Tree branches, flexing, etc. can have them come loose and the last thing an owner wants is to have the top deploy unexpectedly at speed. I have a checklist where I walk around the vehicle and count the six latches to confirm they are locked.