25' 2004 Aerolite TT. Approx 4500 lbs dry weight and seems to tow ok so far. It'll take some getting used to on the back of the D, but I have enough power to move it.
Let the camping begin!
Let the camping begin!
new addition to my D?
skitzo.d
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2,058 Posts
Nice looking rig Dwayne. Best of luck with it.
Any luck finding tow mirrors? If not, I have heard good things about McKesh mirrors: http://www.hensleymfg.com/mckeshmirrors.html
Maybe the DOC can have a camping meet next spring.
Joe
Any luck finding tow mirrors? If not, I have heard good things about McKesh mirrors: http://www.hensleymfg.com/mckeshmirrors.html
Maybe the DOC can have a camping meet next spring.
Joe
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5,619 Posts
what I found were some strap on mirrors. they're soft plastic with rubber straps that hold them onto my mirrors. they work ok for now. they vibrate some, but not so bad that I can't see where I have been. I may upgrade in the future if I do any cross country hauling. I'm concerned about scratches with the ones you pictured. they do look better than the ones I bought, but I only paid $30 for the pair so it wasn't much of an investment. I had to forego the dual cam sway bar. the frame on the camper isn't sturdy enough to use it so if I decide I need one, I'll have to use a friction bar kind. for the short trips we'll be making, it may not be necessary, but I'll have to wait and see how well it handles. so far it wasn't bad for the 30 miles I towed it home from the dealer. our first trip is next weekend so we'll have it loaded and I'll get an idea of how it feels weighted down. I may be changing my mind.
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That's wierd. Did you check with Aerolite and Reese on that? Might want to make a post to www.rv.net and see what the guru's over there have to say. If you need weight distribution (and I'll bet you do), then anti-sway won't apply any more stress to the frame. Regardless, if you decide to forego that set-up, get a friction bar - don't travel without some sort of sway protection. The tail will be wagging the dog if you get into trouble.
Joe
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995 Posts
If only we had that for the Mantrip?I think the Celica could have towed it!!
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Hey!! Now Dwayne won't need to reserve a hotel room for next year's Plant Tour!!
Sweet Dwayne!! Good luck with it.
Sweet Dwayne!! Good luck with it.
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5,619 Posts
I'll have to check the sway bar thing more thouroghly. I was pretty tense on my way home Saturday. I only have a few short trips planned this year with it and I do have the weight dist hitch on it so it's not just swinging in the breeze back there. I'll do some investigating this winter and come up with the right combination before the spring. I have the electric brake setup and she really did feel stable on the road so as long as I take it easy and pay attention, I'll be ok for the next couple of short trips I have planned for this year.
as for the Mantrip, I think we'd have had a better time towing the Celica with the trailer? ha ha ha? :roll:
Hey Bill. Maybe in '07. looks like '06 is full already, but I'll keep you posted. we can meet in DE for the tour if you like and start a campground in the HoJo parking lot? :clap: oh, and YES! the D can run that thing with no problem thanks to the M1. did you ever get yours on?
as for the Mantrip, I think we'd have had a better time towing the Celica with the trailer? ha ha ha? :roll:
Hey Bill. Maybe in '07. looks like '06 is full already, but I'll keep you posted. we can meet in DE for the tour if you like and start a campground in the HoJo parking lot? :clap: oh, and YES! the D can run that thing with no problem thanks to the M1. did you ever get yours on?
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Better pushrods, good move Bill. Might as well do it while the motor is opened up.
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769 Posts
Yep, the hardened pushrods are a nice upgrade (especially considering they were cheaper than the non-heat treated ones from Crane.) I think you need them with the nylon guideplate inserts.
I got some 1.6 roller rockers on mine now, and while there isn't an increase in power, it sure revs up quicker and is more responsive.
I'm now ready for a slightly lopey camshaft in the Spring?from Dan of course.
I got some 1.6 roller rockers on mine now, and while there isn't an increase in power, it sure revs up quicker and is more responsive.
I'm now ready for a slightly lopey camshaft in the Spring?from Dan of course.
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2,079 Posts
Cams are fun
I'll cam mine out too but further down the road. I was going to wait until the cam had worn out, but from what I'm reading, that stubborn old stick is built like a brick house. You have to be careful though, our PCMs hate one too big? that's Dan's advice he gave me. My biggest issue is where I'd like to put the HP curve. I guess that depends on if I get a cool new toy like Dwayne and need torque down low. I still wonder how a D would act with a diesel like the rams. They really sound mean when opened up. And they run on used french fry oil. :lol:
Bill
I'll cam mine out too but further down the road. I was going to wait until the cam had worn out, but from what I'm reading, that stubborn old stick is built like a brick house. You have to be careful though, our PCMs hate one too big? that's Dan's advice he gave me. My biggest issue is where I'd like to put the HP curve. I guess that depends on if I get a cool new toy like Dwayne and need torque down low. I still wonder how a D would act with a diesel like the rams. They really sound mean when opened up. And they run on used french fry oil. :lol:
Bill
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193 Posts
Nice rig Dwayne. Happy camping!
Jim
Jim
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769 Posts
Volphin,
Yes, you don't want to get too big with a cam, especially if you want to retain low end and midrange power. Plus, I'd then have to get my recently flashed PCM from B&G, reflashed again to take advantage of the cam. Hopefully they offer some sort of lowered price for previous work on it.
IF finances allow, which is a big if, I'd like some nice ported heads to go along with the cam. Of course then I need to get a transmission to handle the power, then a new stall converter to hook it up, then of course when this 360 gets tired, I have got to get a stroked 408. I'm telling you, this Durango (second one BTW), is easily turning into my favorite vehicle in the world. Plus, it has 4 wheel drive for winters! Excellent daily driver.
Nels
Yes, you don't want to get too big with a cam, especially if you want to retain low end and midrange power. Plus, I'd then have to get my recently flashed PCM from B&G, reflashed again to take advantage of the cam. Hopefully they offer some sort of lowered price for previous work on it.
IF finances allow, which is a big if, I'd like some nice ported heads to go along with the cam. Of course then I need to get a transmission to handle the power, then a new stall converter to hook it up, then of course when this 360 gets tired, I have got to get a stroked 408. I'm telling you, this Durango (second one BTW), is easily turning into my favorite vehicle in the world. Plus, it has 4 wheel drive for winters! Excellent daily driver.
Nels
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well, thanks for the cudos on the trailer. I think we're going to have a great time with it? :cheesy:
I called the manufacturer to confirm the Dual Cam sway bar issues and they confirmed that it's not designed to take ANY sway bar attachments. :doh: In fact, it's not even designed to take a Weight Distribution Hitch? :doh: :doh: :doh:
According to the rep, the use of one will void any warrantee if the frame is damaged. it's designed to be towed by a smaller vehicle and therefore isn't designed to take the loads from a WDH. So? now I have to see how bad my D squats without the witch and how well it behaves on a regular hitch. My other thought was to add a cross member at the point where the WDH mounts at the frame so there would be no twist at those locations and therefore the stresses would be low as well as lower the hitch ride height. I think they cranked it up a bit too high anyway at the dealer. I could relax the load running through the frame to the D and it'd reduce the load to the frame on the TT? any thoughts?
I called the manufacturer to confirm the Dual Cam sway bar issues and they confirmed that it's not designed to take ANY sway bar attachments. :doh: In fact, it's not even designed to take a Weight Distribution Hitch? :doh: :doh: :doh:
According to the rep, the use of one will void any warrantee if the frame is damaged. it's designed to be towed by a smaller vehicle and therefore isn't designed to take the loads from a WDH. So? now I have to see how bad my D squats without the witch and how well it behaves on a regular hitch. My other thought was to add a cross member at the point where the WDH mounts at the frame so there would be no twist at those locations and therefore the stresses would be low as well as lower the hitch ride height. I think they cranked it up a bit too high anyway at the dealer. I could relax the load running through the frame to the D and it'd reduce the load to the frame on the TT? any thoughts?
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Dwayne, why don't you just get bags for the rear? Doesn't need to be anything fancy with a tank, just two bags with lines and couplers.
This is what I got for the Ram for when I tow the D. They're from Ride-Rite and cost me a little over $200 complete. I too was looking into a weight dist hitch but couldn't justify $400+ for a good one.
Just a thought.
This is what I got for the Ram for when I tow the D. They're from Ride-Rite and cost me a little over $200 complete. I too was looking into a weight dist hitch but couldn't justify $400+ for a good one.
Just a thought.
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Be careful Dwayne; a little investigation on RV.net turned up this thread:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/16270386.cfm
Just browsing through it, I can see why the Aerolite guy was warning you about stressing the frame. Apparen'tly there are some issues with bent frames using the Norco technology - it's not limited to Aerolite, and seems to be worse with 30 footers.
Somehow I wouldn't feel comfortable without having proper weight distribution and antisway available. But then again, most of my trips have been fairly long at speeds that could create issues. Your local trips probably won't create any problems, but some extra caution might be in order.
Joe
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/16270386.cfm
Just browsing through it, I can see why the Aerolite guy was warning you about stressing the frame. Apparen'tly there are some issues with bent frames using the Norco technology - it's not limited to Aerolite, and seems to be worse with 30 footers.
Somehow I wouldn't feel comfortable without having proper weight distribution and antisway available. But then again, most of my trips have been fairly long at speeds that could create issues. Your local trips probably won't create any problems, but some extra caution might be in order.
Joe
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5,619 Posts
great? :wall:
I looked at the link you put on, Joe. interesting stuff. I'll keep an eye on things and see how it goes. looks like the weight dist hitch comes off and I regroup with this thing. it never ends, does it? it just goes to show that you can't trust anything dealers tell you, whether it's a car dealer or a trailer dealer. it's a shame since we're putting the safety of our family in their hands.
I looked at the link you put on, Joe. interesting stuff. I'll keep an eye on things and see how it goes. looks like the weight dist hitch comes off and I regroup with this thing. it never ends, does it? it just goes to show that you can't trust anything dealers tell you, whether it's a car dealer or a trailer dealer. it's a shame since we're putting the safety of our family in their hands.
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