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2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

Darkone

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Looking at their website it never shows a picture of a drivers side bracket. Almost makes one think they know it doesn’t set right…
Could you space them out from the body to get you by for your trip? I know that’s not a ideal, as it should fit, but it could get you by until a more permanent solution. Hopefully they will offer a way to solve the problem especially for what the brackets cost. It’s ridiculous companies produce products but don’t take the time to make sure they install properly or give instructions. The comment about may require modification is probably their way of saying sorry not our fault it doesn’t fit perfectly. Hope that’s not the case but it seems like it may be.
 

ramblinChet

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I called Das Mule and spoke with a representative who was very nice, asked many questions, etc. I sent over the same pictures and am awaiting his reply.

I took everything apart and measured again - even swapped brackets between sides by hanging them "backwards." The Four Wheel Camper brackets are perfectly straight. The problem with the drivers side is that the solar plug connector sticks out from the back of the truck and forces the bracket to set at this odd angle. Again, the solar plug connector has been standard since January 2015 - the design should accommodate this plug. And why wouldn't they just offer a cut out in this area anyway so the plug can still be used? And they are a FWC dealer so they have countless samples to test and have better access than most regarding communications with FWC.

Once I hear back from Das Mule I will update this post. I must resolve this within the next few days so I can carry my extra fuel on my upcoming trip.
 

ramblinChet

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On a good note, Mule has been quick to respond via phone and email. Although not the reply I would have liked - it was disappointing to receive about what I expected. Here is a reply I received from them earlier today:


Right side looks about like what I would expect. I'd bolt your accessory on, pull a rubber stopper in place between the bracket and camper, and bolt things on. Left side looks like it's going to need a hole to clear the solar plug unfortunately. We can arrange returns if needed. You could also use washers to space out the driver side plate to clear the solar plug. That's about all I can think of to solve the issues you're having in a short time period.

Here is my reply:


I was thinking along the lines of spacers too. I do appreciate your quick and informative replies but must admit - I am very disappointed in your companies inability to prevent a problem like this from occurring. My camper is a normal FWC and there is nothing special regarding the jack brackets. This is poor design.

In my estimation, with two additional vertical bends and maybe one more cut the bracket could have easily been "moved out" approximately 3/8" while still attaching directly to the jack bracket with no spacer being required. This would have easily cleared the solar connector which has been standard since 2015. It would have also left room for the heads of bolts to pass through on the backside with no worry regarding contacting the FWC skin.

One more - if the solar panel connector is standard, why do you not have a hole already punched to allow access to it?

Again, I judged the bracket by how it looked, and it looked good. Regarding how it performs, it's a poor design that requires modification before being used.

Thanks for the offer to return also but as we discussed previously - I am pressed for time. I need to find some spacers now and have them overnighted...

No mention, no cut out in their design, no pictures on their product page, etc. If these plates were $19.95 each and made in China, I would not be quite as disappointed. But at $130 each and the fact that the shop is also a FWC authorized dealer - that's unsatisfactory.

I followed up over the phone, offered a few suggestions, and with no other option available - purchased spacers I had already been preparing to order:

spacers.jpg
 

Darkone

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Good concept but poor execution. Like you said in your email they could’ve made it fit. Unfortunately quick responses don’t fix the problem. For the price you probably could’ve designed and had something built that would’ve fit a lot better and allowed the clearance you needed.
 

ramblinChet

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Recently I was able to install the 1-1/2" d-ring tie downs which will permit me to secure my ZARGES K470 aluminum cases with a 2" x 8' cam buckle strap. For fasteners I opted to use two inch long 3/8" x 16 carriage bolts plus one washer and one nut. I came close to purchasing 1-1/2" long ones but am glad I went with the 2" ones - see why below.

All measurements were taken using a digital linear caliper fresh from being calibrated at a metrology laboratory and accurate within 0.01 mm (or 0.0005"). Actually, this is all I had available since most all of the measurements I take are very precise. A Class I tape ruler or tape measure would have been fine but this was the closest.
2022-09-26_12.55.58.jpeg

All precision measurements were immediately transferred to a very precise marking system comprised of masking tape on top of carpet. This is when you should laugh.
2022-09-26_12.41.53.jpeg

Here is an installed d-ring tie down. If I remember correctly each tie-down when properly installed is good for a one ton load so securing my ZARGES K470s using two tie-downs should be fine.
2022-09-26_12.42.30.jpeg

The challenging part of this installation was the fact that the tie-down straddled a vertical wall underneath and my goal was to place one carriage bolt on each side of the invisible vertical wall. I took my time, checked my measurements, rechecked everything again, and then drilled my holes. Here is a bolt on the "inside" of the wall.
2022-09-26_12.42.55.jpeg

Here is a bolt on the "outside" of the wall. Now you can see why I was fortunate to have selected the 2" bolts - if I had not I would have run out of room here. I felt the thickness of the material while drilling the outboard holes and was unaware it was thicker in this area. Despite my limited experience with this type of operation things turned out acceptable.
2022-09-26_12.43.19.jpeg

Port:
2022-09-26_12.39.36.jpeg

Starboard:
2022-09-26_12.40.41.jpeg

Complete system: ZARGES K470, d-ring tie down, and 2" cam buckle strap.
2022-09-26_12.38.09.jpeg
 

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ramblinChet

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Spacers arrived and brackets installed - my 20 L Wehrmacht Einheitskanister fit nicely.

Here is an example of one spacer installed.
2022-09-27_19.57.45.jpeg

Can on starboard side.
2022-09-27_19.56.00.jpeg

Bracket spaced away from FWC permitting bolts to clear.
2022-09-27_19.56.31.jpeg

Bracket attached to camper.
2022-09-27_19.57.03.jpeg

Shot from abeam.
2022-09-27_19.57.22.jpeg

Solar connector clears with 1/8" to spare.
2022-09-27_19.58.20.jpeg

An extra 40 L of fuel just in case.
2022-09-27_19.54.55.jpeg
 

Brutal_HO

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Nice, but is there a 2nd attachment point - like on the bottom?

I know they are bolted to jack mounts, but it makes one wonder if over time that weight hanging out that far could start affecting the structure.
 

jsalbre

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I think I’d add some rubber bumpers as well. There’s going to be some flex there and they might help reduce it. Put some 3M protection tape on the surface where the bumper will run to protect the paint (or if the bumper is attached to the camper put the tape on the bracket, or vise versa).
 

ramblinChet

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Visited the K-25 museum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to lean about the "secret city" and the differences between liquid thermal and gaseous diffusion, and electromagnetic separation of uranium-235. Here is a scale model of "little boy," the first nuclear weapon fueled by U-235 that was dropped by a B-29 Superfortress named "Enola Gay," on the public in Hiroshima, Japan.
2022-10-01_14.38.36.jpeg

A few hours later when I stopped to fuel up I took advantage of a certified scale to weigh my truck fully loaded, with a full bag of gas. The only thing that was not present was me so we can add an additional 195 pounds to the 8,660 pound total. For reference, my truck initially weighed 6,471 pounds stock (no AEV Prospector or Four Wheel Camper).
2022-10-01_22.03.29.jpeg
 
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ramblinChet

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I spent the night camping in Colson Hollow at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. Before falling asleep I enjoyed gazing at the heavy-thick blanket of stars. Twice during the night I herd a pack of wild coyotes howling and yelling. The first time they were a good distance away. An hour plus later they were within a few hundred meters. So beautiful.
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I took time to visit the Elk and Bison prairie at Land Between the Lakes. It's a beautiful area and I enjoyed watching a small heard of bison along with a flock of hens.
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I stopped by the Golden Pond Visitor Center and purchased a nice map for $14.95 which provided all the details I needed to spend most of the day exploring. Here I am on road 145 north of Jenny Ridge:
2022-10-02_14.34.55.jpeg

A while later I met some Jeepers on road 147 and assisted them with winching out of an obstacle. Quite a bit of roads 147 and 324 had deep muddy ruts like this with most of them being part of an uphill or downhill section. Some were also filled with water which was not fun either. I ran the entire series of trails in 2WD with the exception of one five foot section of an uphill climb where the ruts has me crossed up.
2022-10-02_14.35.35.jpeg

On tight trails sometimes there are traffic jams. I enjoyed watching these anxious guys hurrying to sort things out while I waited for the mess to clear before I moved through.
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Towards the end of the day I happened upon a nice little restaurant with great catfish, hush-puppies, beans, 'slaw, baked potato, etc.
2022-10-02_15.46.50.jpeg
 

ramblinChet

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After wheeling most of the day and then driving over 500 miles I pulled into a rest stop very late on I-70 in Kansas just west of Topeka and slept very well. When you are tired, the running diesel engines and noise from the interstate really don't matter much. A big travel day was in the plan for tomorrow so the good sleep was appreciated.
2022-10-03_14.11.20.jpeg

When I woke up, I said hello to my neighbors and spent time checking out their custom camper. They are a wonderful couple from Canada touring these United States and the camper was home built. It was very nice and definitely a four season camper with 1" insulation all around. It's always nice to meet happy and creative people exploring and enjoying life.
2022-10-03_14.10.42.jpeg

Overlanding involves many compromises and taking a shower in a parking lot is high on the list. It felt so good it was worth it.
2022-10-03_14.11.45.jpeg

This was my view from sunrise until sunset - approximately 350 miles were spent chasing the sun through Kansas on I-70. My goal for today is the warm healing waters of Pagosa Springs in Colorado. If I make it the entire way that would be a little over 700 miles today.
2022-10-03_14.11.45.jpeg

Here is a snapshot just north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. I will sleep in the mountains tonight for certain. The only questions is where...
2022-10-03_20.56.53.jpeg
 

Brutal_HO

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After wheeling most of the day and then driving over 500 miles I pulled into a rest stop very late on I-70 in Kansas just west of Topeka and slept very well. When you are tired, the running diesel engines and noise from the interstate really don't matter much. A big travel day was in the plan for tomorrow so the good sleep was appreciated.
View attachment 45082

When I woke up, I said hello to my neighbors and spent time checking out their custom camper. They are a wonderful couple from Canada touring these United States and the camper was home built. It was very nice and definitely a four season camper with 1" insulation all around. It's always nice to meet happy and creative people exploring and enjoying life.
View attachment 45083

Overlanding involves many compromises and taking a shower in a parking lot is high on the list. It felt so good it was worth it.
View attachment 45084

This was my view from sunrise until sunset - approximately 350 miles were spent chasing the sun through Kansas on I-70. My goal for today is the warm healing waters of Pagosa Springs in Colorado. If I make it the entire way that would be a little over 700 miles today.
View attachment 45085

Here is a snapshot just north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. I will sleep in the mountains tonight for certain. The only questions is where...
View attachment 45086

Almost looks like CO-83... Or maybe you're running up 105 but I don't think you can NOT see foothills on 105.

You must have been very near me (near Parker).
 

ramblinChet

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Two night ago I camped at, and explored, Great Dunes National Park and Preserve. Here is one very small section of the dunes and in order to comprehend the size, you must visit. It is approximately 150k acres.
2022-10-04_10.23.58.jpeg

Here is an abstract shot of the sandy bottom of Medano Creek. Always changing, always the same...
2022-10-04_10.58.24.jpeg

Of course, I took the opportunity to visit a private UFO watch tower while heading west.
2022-10-04_13.14.17.jpeg
 

ramblinChet

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Yesterday was spent exploring the San Juan National Forest west-north-west of Durango, Colorado. We spent a good amount of time on Echo Basin Road - the upper part was rocky and slick so 2-3 MPH was the norm.
2022-10-04_21.32.21.jpeg

Here is Helmet Peak in the background at 11,969 feet.
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We camped around 9,000 feet last night. It was very cold but when the sun rose it set the aspens on fire.
2022-10-05_10.52.06.jpeg
 

ramblinChet

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Almost looks like CO-83... Or maybe you're running up 105 but I don't think you can NOT see foothills on 105.

You must have been very near me (near Parker).
I believe we were on CO-24 between Limon and Colorado Springs although I may be mistaken. It was a long day, the sun was falling, and I was on my last Red Bull.
 

Brutal_HO

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Two night ago I camped at, and explored, Great Dunes National Park and Preserve. Here is one very small section of the dunes and in order to comprehend the size, you must visit. It is approximately 150k acres.
View attachment 45148

Here is an abstract shot of the sandy bottom of Medano Creek. Always changing, always the same...
View attachment 45149

Of course, I took the opportunity to visit a private UFO watch tower while heading west.
View attachment 45150

Been to the dunes, haven't done the UFO tower. ;-)

We run 160 a lot going to Navajo Reservoir south of Durango. Did you have fun going over Wolf creek pass? I run that with my rig (in sig). Not so much off road adventures.
 

ramblinChet

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Although it dipped to around 35° F the other night, it seems the couple I am adventuring with had a failure in the morning when they turned on their water pump. Water began pouring out from under the cabinets and for 10-15 minutes they were sopping it up with a small towel.
2022-10-05_11.03.19.jpg

With no end in site to the continuous leak the owner first opened the tank drain which was draining painfully slow. A few moments later he opened the faucet in the sink to full, turn on the pump, and opened up the grey water drain on the side. Within another ten minutes the internal tank was drained, the flow of leaking water was stopped, and the final bit of water on the floor and inside the cabinet was sopped up.
2022-10-05_11.12.40.jpeg

That morning was cold enough for me to test my secondary stove and heating unit. It is a Camp Chef Everest unit left over from my Jeep adventures years ago. As simple as it is, it has always served me well and continues to do so. Turning on medium heat quickly brought the internal temperature in my camper up around 20° F. Of course, excessive humidity is a by-product of burning propane so everything in the camper had a very moist surface in very little time. The rise in temperature certainly knocked the edge off a very chilly morning.
2022-10-05_10.20.23.jpeg
 
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jsalbre

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Although it dipped to around 35° F the other night, it seems the couple I am adventuring with had a failure in the morning when they turned on their water pump. Water began pouring out from under the cabinets and for 10-15 minutes so they were sopping it up with a small towel.
View attachment 45235

With no end in site to the continuous leak the owner first opened the tank drain which was draining painfully slow. A few moments later he opened the faucet in the sink to full, turn on the pump, and opened up the grey water drain on the side. Within another ten minutes the internal tank was drained, the lead stopped, and the final bit of water was sopped up.
View attachment 45236

That morning was cold enough for me to test my secondary stove and heating unit. It is a Camp Chef Everest unit left over from my Jeep adventures years ago. As simple as it is, it has always served me well and continues to do so. Turning on medium heat quickly brought the internal temperature in my camper up around 20° F. Of course, excessive humidity is a by-product of burning propane so everything in the camper had a very moist surface in very little time. The rise in temperature certainly knocked the edge off a very chilly morning.
I think everyone with an RV or camper of any kind lives in fear of a water line leak, especially in a hidden spot you can’t get to. I just spent probably 8 hours over the last few days shortening too-long and kinked hoses and checking clamps on all the plumbing in my trailer. I hope your friends find the leak fast.
 

Rockcrawlindude

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Although it dipped to around 35° F the other night, it seems the couple I am adventuring with had a failure in the morning when they turned on their water pump. Water began pouring out from under the cabinets and for 10-15 minutes they were sopping it up with a small towel.
View attachment 45235

With no end in site to the continuous leak the owner first opened the tank drain which was draining painfully slow. A few moments later he opened the faucet in the sink to full, turn on the pump, and opened up the grey water drain on the side. Within another ten minutes the internal tank was drained, the flow of leaking water was stopped, and the final bit of water on the floor and inside the cabinet was sopped up.
View attachment 45236

That morning was cold enough for me to test my secondary stove and heating unit. It is a Camp Chef Everest unit left over from my Jeep adventures years ago. As simple as it is, it has always served me well and continues to do so. Turning on medium heat quickly brought the internal temperature in my camper up around 20° F. Of course, excessive humidity is a by-product of burning propane so everything in the camper had a very moist surface in very little time. The rise in temperature certainly knocked the edge off a very chilly morning.
View attachment 45237
Why do you flip your propane up like that? Genuinely curious as you seem to know things. I never did any research but I always thought the crud and impurities settled to the bottom of the tank and the tank should be as upright as possible. I always set mine up like the pic.
39517BFD-EE5A-49DB-87F9-464AB01E7939.jpeg
 

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