4500 Camper/Jeep Hauler Build

[jetrinka]

Very nice. Taking an already beefy truck and piling on more beef. I like it!

 

[gprguy]

Did they fix the AISIN before you took delivery?

Finally got under the truck to check the serial.. 2K-2699. Not sure if that’s bad, but I think it’s not definitely good since it doesn’t start with a 3.

 

[gprguy]

Kelderman - Rear Bags and Shocks

Now we're getting somewhere. Still a long way to go, far more than is apparent, but it's starting to look like something.





I think the next plan is to put the tires back on it so it can sit on the ground and I can adjust heights, angles, etc and torque the links. After that, the most massive sway bar I have ever seen..

 

[gprguy]

Kelderman Odds and Ends, Back on 6 Wheels

Today was getting the e-brake cables (mostly) routed, working on some brake line brackets, putting the tires back on and aligning the bars. I also took a stab at what the ride height will probably be.







I need to torque the bars next, and then I might take a quick break from the suspension for another quick project. After that - sway bar, height sensors (waiting on brackets from Kelderman that were missing from my kit), final torque and then dressing up the wires and hoses. Hopefully I can take a test drive by the weekend.

 

[gprguy]

Kelderman Sway Bar, TTPMS

Finished up the suspension today, other than the air control system which is an entire other project. Everything is torqued and the sway bar is in.

Fun picture of the old sway bar vs. the new one.. The old one is 7/8". The new one is 1 3/4".



And everything in it's place:



I also installed the TTPMS TIM in the headliner.. That was fun. Still waiting for the chassis cab specific pigtail to hook up the bumper receiver.

Hopefully I can test drive it soon, and I have a lot of parts for the midship fuel tank showing up over the next week or so. I think I am going to focus on the fuel tank next before I come back to the air control system. Equalizer Systems is also building my hydraulic leveling kit, looking forward to that project too.

 

[Blythkd1]

Do you know the weight of the Kelderman kits?

Also, be interesting to know the weight of the parts removed. Or just get the truck weights before and after.

You've got me thinking thoughts that I shouldn't be thinking. Or at least thoughts my wife wouldn't appreciate me thinking

 

[gprguy]

So the shipping weight on the kit was 975 lbs. Subtract the air control system and tanks which aren't on the truck yet and the packing materials, and I'd guess the kit itself weighs 850 lbs. Those stock rear leafs are hysterically heavy so while I expect the Kelderman is a little heavier than stock, it may not be that much heavier. I did weigh the truck before and plan on weighing it again soon to find out. I also added the trailer hitch since I weighed it so I'll have to guesstimate how much that weighs.. 100-150 lbs probably.

I don't know if the 3500 CC kit weighs as much. I know it's a separate kit from the 4500/5500.

If you do decide to order from Kelderman and can be patient, sign up for their newsletter. They run flash sales now and then, I was lucky enough to get 10% off plus free shipping (another $400 off).

 

[gprguy]

Finally got under the truck to check the serial.. 2K-2699. Not sure if that’s bad, but I think it’s not definitely good since it doesn’t start with a 3.

Wow. I am poking around in TechAuthority to work on the wiring needed for the dual fuel tanks, and happened to look up the TSB. I don't think I had carefully read this section before:



Mine was built Dec 3rd. I am in the clear by the skin of my teeth. Phew.

 

[gprguy]

Kelderman Odds and Ends

Today was spent sorting out odds and ends. The biggest being the rear sway bar was binding badly and preventing full droop. Given the weight of this axle, that would not have lasted long. Talked to Kelderman about it and they had a few options. The best ended up swapping over from the 84" CA sway bar end links to the ones they supply for the 60" CA. They are longer for some reason, and attach differently to the frame. But most importantly they allow full suspension travel. I still need to take the 84" CA sway bar brackets off the frame tomorrow, they are now redundant..



Next thing was my missing brackets for the rear height sensors arrived.



That's mostly fine, but the upper e-brake cable is a bit squished in there behind the bracket and not releasing properly. As soon as I can acquire some 1/2" longer bolts so I can add some more washers behind the bracket that issue will be solved. With that, the Kelderman is done other than the air system. I plan to get the terrible fenders back on it this weekend and weigh it early next week.

Parts have started to arrive for the midship fuel tank as well, and I think I have the wiring mostly sorted out. Once all the parts get here I should be able to knock that together. My "fun" for the weekend may be installing TTPMS sensors in one of my trailers so I can test that out.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Wow. I am poking around in TechAuthority to work on the wiring needed for the dual fuel tanks, and happened to look up the TSB. I don't think I had carefully read this section before:

View attachment 59593

Mine was built Dec 3rd. I am in the clear by the skin of my teeth. Phew.

You may want to report your build date and trans serial# to @mbarber84 (well, kinda just did...)

 

[gprguy]

Drove it for the first time after the suspension install today, only probably 20 miles. It definitely still has the ride of a big truck, solid, but the sharp jars are definitely smoothed out by the Kelderman. It's not floating down the road like a waterbed but it's an improvement for sure. I am looking forward to getting some weight on the back and see how that feels. Right now I feel like most of any remaining jarring is the stiffness of the 19.5" tires.

In other news, I found out I need yet more parts for the dual fuel tank conversion and I installed TPMS sensors in one of my trailers. Now I can test out the TTPMS when my last cable for that arrives on Monday.

Plus more fuel tank parts have arrived - I should be able to kick that project off towards the end of the month at this rate. For the time being I'll probably work on the air control system as soon as I can fab up a temporary place to mount it.

 

[gprguy]

Weight update - Took it to the scales again. We are up to roughly 9250 without me in it, which is an increase of about 140 lbs almost entirely on the rear axle. The changes are the Kelderman front and rear and the Torklift rear hitch, and maybe 5 gallons less fuel.

I would guess that almost all of that difference is the hitch, which means the Kelderman (not including the air control system/compressors yet) is basically a wash compared to the stock springs and brackets.

 

[Wanderlust073]

Three days, no update… Withdrawal symptoms kicking in.

 

[gprguy]

I've been busy, just not with exciting things worth taking photos of. I did install a Noco Genius 2D trickle charger on the truck today, that's the only new addition lately.

Basically waiting for parts. I have most of the midship fuel tank parts, but a few fuel lines I ordered incorrectly, and a few more were damaged because the person packing them thought folding a hard line to fit it in the box was ok. Hopefully I will have the rest of that in one piece in the next week or so.

My hydraulic leveling system from Equalizer Systems has shipped, will be here mid next week.

And I picked up some steel to build a temporary platform to hang the air control and hydraulic control systems off of. They'll eventually go in the backpack box, but I don't have that yet.

That steel platform is next on the to-do list, other than that I have to paint a shed this weekend so that's going to slow down progress more.

Good things are coming though..

 

[gprguy]

Leveling System has arrived

This may be the part of the truck I am most excited for. An EQ Systems hydraulic auto leveling system, just like a class C or A might have. Basically, pull into camp (...or maybe a rest stop depending on the surface), dump the air bags, push a button and the truck levels itself out. No more rocking on the tires and suspension.





This is roughly the same kit that you'd get on a Dynamax Isata 5, with some slightly shorter front jacks as I need to fit them under a crew cab vs. behind a regular cab as Dynamax does. It's more than strong enough to lift the entire truck off the ground, even with the camper and a trailer hooked up.

I'm looking forward to getting started on that, but I have to finish a few other projects first. I hope to get the height sensors welded in for the front tomorrow, and my brake lines (yes brake lines) for the midship fuel tank should also arrive tomorrow. Still waiting on the last fuel lines to ship. I also need to get the air control system mounted, plumbed and wired. Then it'll be on to this new toy.

 

[buzzuti]

Leveling System has arrived

This may be the part of the truck I am most excited for. An EQ Systems hydraulic auto leveling system, just like a class C or A might have. Basically, pull into camp (...or maybe a rest stop depending on the surface), dump the air bags, push a button and the truck levels itself out. No more rocking on the tires and suspension.

View attachment 60083

View attachment 60084

This is roughly the same kit that you'd get on a Dynamax Isata 5, with some slightly shorter front jacks as I need to fit them under a crew cab vs. behind a regular cab as Dynamax does. It's more than strong enough to lift the entire truck off the ground, even with the camper and a trailer hooked up.

I'm looking forward to getting started on that, but I have to finish a few other projects first. I hope to get the height sensors welded in for the front tomorrow, and my brake lines (yes brake lines) for the midship fuel tank should also arrive tomorrow. Still waiting on the last fuel lines to ship. I also need to get the air control system mounted, plumbed and wired. Then it'll be on to this new toy.

Very excited to see how this goes!

 

[McHenry2500]

I've seen a similar auto-level on a large International RV. I thought it was an awesome solution.

Excited to see how you incorporate it into this build.

 

[gprguy]

WELP

This is the result of taking two approximately 80" hard brake lines, shoving them into a box 75" long, and then shipping them to me, the customer.



Other than a few angle bends, all those big crazy straw bends are packing damage.

More setbacks for silly reasons..

 

[Brutal_HO]

WELP

This is the result of taking two approximately 80" hard brake lines, shoving them into a box 75" long, and then shipping them to me, the customer.

View attachment 60126

Other than a few angle bends, all those big crazy straw bends are packing damage.

More setbacks for silly reasons..

WTF is wrong with some people?

 

[Ramsomair]

Theee is no recourse, no accountability that’s the problem. Nobody gets reprimanded or scolded for their actions.