Lumpskie's Prospector (Diesel Power Wagon) Build

[Lumpskie]

I'd be curious if the right side also articulated as good as the left, or if there is some difference between the two.

I completely hear what you're saying on the rock crawler vs balanced rig, always a trick to keep is in that sweet spot. I think that if you don't mind adding bags to supplement then softer, extended travel springs are well it. That said, I don't believe that most aftermarket spring options work with AEVs spacer style lift. That means you're gonna be changing out an entire lift kit for a suspension swap. I don't know how "worth it" that would be. I should take mine up a ramp and compare to give you some numbers.

If I get some time, I'll climb the same rock with the passenger side tire. My prediction is that this additional bushing in the articulink will deflect in the opposite direction:

Yeah, you should post your setup and your rough numbers. It would be good to see what stiff stock springs and no swaybar do compared to softer aftermarket springs and a swaybar. What setup are you running?

 

[UglyViking]

I'm running a full Thuren setup minus the arms. 2.75" front, 1" rear, 3.0 king resi fron, 2.5 king resi rear, plus sway bar, front and rear track bar.

I'd imagine that I'll have a higher amount of flex due to the shock travel, and softer springs but it will be interesting to see for sure.

 

[loveracing1988]

Thank you for being the guinea pig on the articulink. I asked CJC off road a while back what they do with all of the power wagon radius arms they take off of trucks because I wanted to try to put one on mine. They told me they've had people do it and they can't take the weight of the cummins. It makes them handle like crap. Obviously they were just blowing smoke...

 

[UglyViking]

Thank you for being the guinea pig on the articulink. I asked CJC off road a while back what they do with all of the power wagon radius arms they take off of trucks because I wanted to try to put one on mine. They told me they've had people do it and they can't take the weight of the cummins. It makes them handle like crap. Obviously they were just blowing smoke...

I wouldn't be so quick to judge. While I'm hopeful that this works well for obvious reasons, it's still possible that the bushings will wear unreasonably fast due to the additional moving parts and stress.

It's possible that the guys at CJC are biased towards the products they sell, and the fact they are tight with Carli, but in my experience they have been super knowledgeable and stand up guys. It's also possible that "handle like crap" is a bit of a personal feeling. Some people think that spacer lifts with fix 2.0 shocks off the shelf and 22x14s ride better than stock, so there is a lot of personal opinion at play here.

 

[Lumpskie]

I agree with both of you. The radius arm only positions the axle and doesn't bear any load. On the road (in 2 wheel drive) the only forces it is subjected to are those which would misplace the axle (like bumps). However, in 4wd, it needs to resist rolling in the axle, when torque is applied. This is where I think the extra joint may come into play. The same freedom of motion that allows the axle to articulate off pavement will now be forced to deal with a Cummins that has twice as much torque as the Hemi. My plan is twofold. First, I am using only a single articulink rather than both. My hope is that this provides me a good middle ground between flex and resistance to deflection in the arms. Second, I tend to be a somewhat gentle wheeler. I don't like wheel spin offroad and definitely wouldn't allow the truck to hop or "rock bounce". That is the one situation where I could see the articulink not being happy.

On the comment that it makes Cummins rigs handle like crap... I can definitively tell you it does not. With stock springs, I can't tell any difference in handling on smooth road. When I encounter off camber bumps and irregularities in the road, the truck is now much smoother and doesn't throw me around in the cab.... way better than before.

 

[loveracing1988]

My fear is affecting on road handling when towing my fifth wheel. I already have thuren front springs installed along with their sway bar and a set of carli mini packs to be installed. I keep looking at these replacement radius arms but I don't really want to waste $1000 if it ruins some aspect of the handling.

14-C 4th/5th Gen Ram bolt-on Adjustable Radius Long Arm

‘13/14 to Current Ram 2500/3500 Adjustable Radius Arm kit. Replaces your original radius arm with a much stronger and better looking part that is able to be adjusted to match your custom vehicle ride height. No modifications are required to fit these to your truck. From leveled to 10” of...

farfromstockstore.com

 

[UglyViking]

[…] The radius arm only positions the axle and doesn't bear any load. […]

On the comment that it makes Cummins rigs handle like crap... I can definitively tell you it does not. With stock springs, I can't tell any difference in handling on smooth road. When I encounter off camber bumps and irregularities in the road, the truck is now much smoother and doesn't throw me around in the cab.... way better than before.

I'm cautious of taking over your build page for this convo, so please flag when to stop.

That said, the radius arm does bear some load in 4wd as you noted, but also some when one wheel is crawling up a rock, or turning sharply no? I'd expect that the axle is being "pushed back" and "rolled" and the radius arm is keeping the axle centered in the wheel well and clocked correctly. Probably not much to be concerned with, and it will be interesting to see if FCA releases this new hd rebel power wagon cummins thing with the articulink arms, because that would pretty much put this to bed.

My fear is affecting on road handling when towing my fifth wheel. I already have thuren front springs installed along with their sway bar and a set of carli mini packs to be installed. I keep looking at these replacement radius arms but I don't really want to waste $1000 if it ruins some aspect of the handling.

14-C 4th/5th Gen Ram bolt-on Adjustable Radius Long Arm

‘13/14 to Current Ram 2500/3500 Adjustable Radius Arm kit. Replaces your original radius arm with a much stronger and better looking part that is able to be adjusted to match your custom vehicle ride height. No modifications are required to fit these to your truck. From leveled to 10” of...

farfromstockstore.com

I think the main difference between what you have and Lumpskie's rig is that he is running the AEV suspension, which retains stock spring, shocks, swaybar. Thuren's options are much softer, so it could be that either the sway bar and springs are ok, or the articulink arms are ok, but not both? It's hard to know for sure, if you could find the arms you could give it a shot.

 

[Lumpskie]

My fear is affecting on road handling when towing my fifth wheel. I already have thuren front springs installed along with their sway bar and a set of carli mini packs to be installed. I keep looking at these replacement radius arms but I don't really want to waste $1000 if it ruins some aspect of the handling.

14-C 4th/5th Gen Ram bolt-on Adjustable Radius Long Arm

‘13/14 to Current Ram 2500/3500 Adjustable Radius Arm kit. Replaces your original radius arm with a much stronger and better looking part that is able to be adjusted to match your custom vehicle ride height. No modifications are required to fit these to your truck. From leveled to 10” of...

farfromstockstore.com

Stupid question: What are you trying to fix on your rig by replacing the arms? (If you are just looking to correct caster as well as effective length of the arm, a drop bracket would probably be cheaper)

For me, I really wanted more articulation and freedom of motion because I take my rig offroad. Though I won't be doing any "real" rock crawling, I do want to be able to explore remote areas without worry of getting stuck when traveling solo. I could tell from my initial flex test that the stock arms were very strong and rigid. (perfect for towing but limiting for offroad) I didn't want to loose the ability to tow, but I don't have a 5th wheel. Realistically, the max I would tow would be 10,000 lbs with a bumper pull. So, for my use, a single articulink seemed to make sense.

 

[Lumpskie]

I'm cautious of taking over your build page for this convo, so please flag when to stop.

That said, the radius arm does bear some load in 4wd as you noted, but also some when one wheel is crawling up a rock, or turning sharply no? I'd expect that the axle is being "pushed back" and "rolled" and the radius arm is keeping the axle centered in the wheel well and clocked correctly. Probably not much to be concerned with, and it will be interesting to see if FCA releases this new hd rebel power wagon cummins thing with the articulink arms, because that would pretty much put this to bed.

I agree. The articulink will allow for more axial roll when climbing a rock in addition to radial roll with articulation. Really, allowing for that is the reason I gave the arm a try. I want the articulink to be the sacrificial member which will allow the stock arm to dominate in those climbing situations. This means that the axle could experience some small degree of roll when climbing. But, I believe that's fine because that amount of roll isn't any bigger than a power wagon could possibly experience. Also, when climbing rocks, I will be traveling slowly so I complications associated with a little roll in terms of pinion angle are negligible.

I kind of doubt they'll use the articulink in the Rebel because they'd likely have to include the disconnectable sway bar with it. But it will be interesting to see either way.

 

[UglyViking]

If they do a disconnecting sway bar I'd be pretty interested in seeing if it could port. I think my Thuren sway is bomb, but it would be great to have a disconnecting sway that still worked well for towing.

 

[Lumpskie]

If they do a disconnecting sway bar I'd be pretty interested in seeing if it could port. I think my Thuren sway is bomb, but it would be great to have a disconnecting sway that still worked well for towing.

Exactly! If I could get one on my rig, I would actually consider softer front springs.

 

[loveracing1988]

I'm cautious of taking over your build page for this convo, so please flag when to stop.

That said, the radius arm does bear some load in 4wd as you noted, but also some when one wheel is crawling up a rock, or turning sharply no? I'd expect that the axle is being "pushed back" and "rolled" and the radius arm is keeping the axle centered in the wheel well and clocked correctly. Probably not much to be concerned with, and it will be interesting to see if FCA releases this new hd rebel power wagon cummins thing with the articulink arms, because that would pretty much put this to bed.


I think the main difference between what you have and Lumpskie's rig is that he is running the AEV suspension, which retains stock spring, shocks, swaybar. Thuren's options are much softer, so it could be that either the sway bar and springs are ok, or the articulink arms are ok, but not both? It's hard to know for sure, if you could find the arms you could give it a shot.

Feel free to comment over there if you want, I really don't care.
Between the aev spacer style lift and my rear leaf springs I realize there are big differences between our trucks. The use though seem to be similar though. I've seen a few of the articulink arms on car-part.com, I've never considered getting just one. I think once the OP compares the right side vs the left side articulation I might pull the trigger if they are close. I don't want some weird situation where I can flex one way but not the other.

 

[loveracing1988]

Stupid question: What are you trying to fix on your rig by replacing the arms? (If you are just looking to correct caster as well as effective length of the arm, a drop bracket would probably be cheaper)

For me, I really wanted more articulation and freedom of motion because I take my rig offroad. Though I won't be doing any "real" rock crawling, I do want to be able to explore remote areas without worry of getting stuck when traveling solo. I could tell from my initial flex test that the stock arms were very strong and rigid. (perfect for towing but limiting for offroad) I didn't want to loose the ability to tow, but I don't have a 5th wheel. Realistically, the max I would tow would be 10,000 lbs with a bumper pull. So, for my use, a single articulink seemed to make sense.

My wants are very similar to yours. If you look at my build thread I have some videos of what I did last year with the truck in regards to going off road. This year I'll be going back and going through all of the trails not just select ones. I'll also be going to windrock in July and taking my truck through a lot of those trails. The difference is I'll be towing my fifth wheel there and back. So I not only need the truck to be good off road but not sacrifice anything towing. I'm walking a fine line with it.

 

[Lumpskie]

My wants are very similar to yours. If you look at my build thread I have some videos of what I did last year with the truck in regards to going off road. This year I'll be going back and going through all of the trails not just select ones. I'll also be going to windrock in July and taking my truck through a lot of those trails. The difference is I'll be towing my fifth wheel there and back. So I not only need the truck to be good off road but not sacrifice anything towing. I'm walking a fine line with it.

I found your build. Yeah, it looks like we are in the same boat... err build... So, are you still running the front swaybar? If so, you'll notice a liiitle difference from the radius arm but not much. With your 5th wheel, I'd consider making a disconnect to remove 1 endlink. Then, I'd buy the radius arm. You'll have all the stability you want when you drive to Windrock... then you can remove the endlink and get that front end travel you'll want while there.

On another topic... I notice that you have Diode Dynamics SS3s in your fog light spots. I've wanted to put their SAE wide lens SS3s on for a while. Did you have to do anything special to mount them? How about integrating? (are you on an aftermarket switch or did you make a connector?)

 

[loveracing1988]

I found your build. Yeah, it looks like we are in the same boat... err build... So, are you still running the front swaybar? If so, you'll notice a liiitle difference from the radius arm but not much. With your 5th wheel, I'd consider making a disconnect to remove 1 endlink. Then, I'd buy the radius arm. You'll have all the stability you want when you drive to Windrock... then you can remove the endlink and get that front end travel you'll want while there.

On another topic... I notice that you have Diode Dynamics SS3s in your fog light spots. I've wanted to put their SAE wide lens SS3s on for a while. Did you have to do anything special to mount them? How about integrating? (are you on an aftermarket switch or did you make a connector?)

I have the Thuren sway bar, it really helped the whole slamming your head against the window part off road. I'm sure it isn't as good as no sway bar with articulation but it's definitely better than stock.
My truck didn't come with fog lights, so when I went to add them I went directly to the diode dynamics kit. I got a harness off of a vendor on a different forum that has ram and forum in the name that connects the two lights to the bcm under the dash and it works just like factory. When it comes to the mounts I used their kit from the 1500's it is the same kit. If you are not in any kind of hurry I can sell you my mounts when I build my new bumper. I'm keeping the lights just using their standard mounts so the "adapters" won't be needed.

 

[Lumpskie]

I have the Thuren sway bar, it really helped the whole slamming your head against the window part off road. I'm sure it isn't as good as no sway bar with articulation but it's definitely better than stock.
My truck didn't come with fog lights, so when I went to add them I went directly to the diode dynamics kit. I got a harness off of a vendor on a different forum that has ram and forum in the name that connects the two lights to the bcm under the dash and it works just like factory. When it comes to the mounts I used their kit from the 1500's it is the same kit. If you are not in any kind of hurry I can sell you my mounts when I build my new bumper. I'm keeping the lights just using their standard mounts so the "adapters" won't be needed.

That sounds good to me. Let me know when you're ready to sell!

 

[loveracing1988]

That sounds good to me. Let me know when you're ready to sell!

Will do, it might be a while... Bought a move bumper so I need to build it... And more importantly find good weather to do so.

 

[Lumpskie]

Will do, it might be a while... Bought a move bumper so I need to build it... And more importantly find good weather to do so.

Sounds good. I'm in no hurry... have a lot of other things on my plate right now anyway. PM me when you are ready and we can talk price, shipping, etc.

 

[Lumpskie]

I went on a couple mini adventures with my boy and the Ram.

First, I hosed out the bed after hauling some stuff and getting it muddy. The softopper is handy for this.

After that, we took it to a restored mill near the house. It's kind of cool because it's an "up and down" saw mill where a water wheel spins a mechanism that is a little like a connecting rod which raises and lowers a big saw. To get there we walked on a little trail

Shorty threw 100s of rocks

Here's the mill:

The water wheel is bypassed since the mill isn't running. I want to contact the state and see if/when they do run it.

After exploring there for a long while, we hiked another trail into the woods. After a bit, we discovered that the mill's pond is fed by another, larger pond.

Cool little bridge

Larger pond

After exploring there, we headed back. Shorty like rocks and found some big pieces of mica.

I still get excited seeing the truck in the parking lot

From there, we headed over to Robert Frost's old farm:

Was kind of cool... even though it was closed

Apparently he wrote about a pond in one of his poems and this is it??

And still get excited seeing the truck in the parking lot!

That's it.

 

[Lumpskie]

Good pictures and great to see a father taking his son on an adventure in an cool truck!

Thank you sir!