Tow Rig Lovin, Version (I've lost count)...

[tobyw]

I've even lost count at this point, but here is the latest work truck/tow pig, with the outgoing model in the background:



It's a 2012 Dodge 3500 MegaCab Laramie with the 6.7L Cummins. The front bumper that was on the truck at the time of purchase was truly unfortunate, but I fully understand the use case for them, it's just not what I need. So, first order of business is to get that handled:







Muuuuuuuuuuuuch better:



For now upgrades will be limited to some headrest DVD players for the minions, a steering gearbox brace as it suffers from some road wander that is an inherent issue with these pickups, and the tonneau cover that I ordered from Amazon as I was signing paperwork at the dealership I want to get a good baseline on how it tows before looking into the possibility of doing a DPF/EGR delete and going with a mild tune. Oh, and those step bars also hafta go...

[Lurch]

I hate those big ugly bumpers that people put on their tow pigs. Makes them a pain to work on. Looks good.

[bobracing]

Dang, if I'm thinking of a truck, just wait a couple months and Toby will do a review on it.

What was the problem with the Toy?

[Jafo]

Wondering if you were ever going to post it, nice looking rig now that you got rid of the cow catcher.

[Wrench]

[tobyw]

I got right to work on the headrest DVD players. Well, scratch that… I put the boy right to work on the headrest DVD players

Removing the stock headrests:



Assembling and pre-wiring the new headrests that contain the DVD players:



We tapped fused/switched power from the +12v power port on the backside of the center console, which allowed all of the wiring to be completely hidden within the seatbacks and inside the center console for an uber clean install:



And a shot of the finished install. It took the boy about 45 minutes while I supervised and enjoyed frosty beverages:

[tobyw]

So a couple weeks ago I took a last-minute business trip to Twin Falls, Idaho. The truck performed admirably, returning a combined 17.26mpg for the round trip, but that isn’t good enough for me… Especially considering the puny stock tires. So, in the quest to squeeze a few more empeegeez out of this outfit, I called my friends at Amazon and had them send me an EGR delete kit, throttle valve delete kit, and a couple of exhaust pipe parts to replace the DPF and catalytic converter. To top it all off, I installed an H&S Mini-Maxx tuner that I received as part of the trade for that horrible front bumper that was on the truck when I initially purchased it. Here are some quick highlights from the install.

All stock:



And here is a shot of the ports on the EGR cooler. You can clearly see one of them is already almost 50% plugged with soot, and this truck barely has 60,000 miles



Here is the finished product. So much cleaner, and a refreshing amount of room to work in there:



This is the pile of parts that came off it, along with a few other tidbits from another project for another day:

[tobyw]

In this weeks installment, I turnt my attention to some functionality, as well as some aesthetics. When you "delete" these newer diesel pickups, you also have to run a tuning device to reprogram the computer to no longer look for the stuff you deleted. I chose an H&S Mini-Maxx for my needs, and while these tuners also provide a few tuning options to increase power, I don't foresee the need given the truck was factory rated at 800ft-lbs of torque. I mean let's be honest, how much do you really need? Instead, I planned to use the tuner to perform the aforementioned delete reprogramming, as well as provide a nice set of digital gauges. I'd honestly prefer a rack of analog gauges up the A-pillar, but I'm getting old and I just can't live without my A-pillar grab handle, so digital gauges it is

Here is the H&S Mini-Maxx mounted in a nifty little pod above the rear view mirror:



The truck already has factory signals to monitor a wide variety of sensors, but unfortunately exhaust gas temps aren't one of them. So, I had to install a pyrometer probe in the exhaust manifold, and that then ties into a sensor bank which I mounted on the firewall. That sensor bank interprets the signal from the pyrometer and sends it to the Mini-Maxx, and the result is a digital EGT gauge.

You can see they pyrometer probe installed in the rear EGR block-off plate:



And here is the sensor bank with the two wires from the pyrometer installed, and as you can see there are several available ports for additional sensor inputs if so desired on down the road:



As I mentioned before, the truck suffers from a bit of steering wander. It's an inherent issue on Dodge pickups, and there are several aftermarket widgets to help minimize or eliminate the problem. The previous owner was kind enough to have taken a stab at it, and already replaced the factory tie rod ends with very nice Moog greasable units, so that was off the list. What had not been addressed, however, was the issue of excessive movement in the sector shaft off the steering box. The aftermarket is flooded with kits that include a fabricated crossmember and a captured bearing to solidify the shaft, so I added one to the Amazon cart and spent about 20 minutes installing it this afternoon:



While I was under there, I also added a few shots of grease to the aforementioned Moog TRE's, as well as the front driveshaft CV joint. For some reason, FCA decided it was a good idea to hide a grease fitting deep, deep inside the CV joint body and then state very clearly in the owner's manual that it needed greased with every oil change. Nice I'm all about routine maintenance, but at lease make it somewhat accessible?! To make matters worse, without hubs the front driveshaft is tied into both front axleshafts, so a tire needs to be lifted in order to be able to freespin the driveshaft so you can find the damn grease fitting Oh well, at least I'm not reaching halfway under the dash to change spark plugs... I also saved myself some grief on the next go-round and marked the driveshaft:



Now for the aesthetics. Along with the horrid front bumper, the truck also came equipped with a set of step bars that just didn't pass visual muster for me. Granted they worked, and were actually setup for a very comfortable step in height, but bottom line they just weren't what I was after. Luckily I stumbled across a set of OEM Mopar steps on Craigslist, and I was able to strike up a deal for the gentleman from Seattle to meet me in Ellensburg to make the transaction. Yahtzee!!!

Muuuuuuuuuuuch better:

[SPR]

Thanks for taking the time to put together the very good write up. Please post your new average hi-way mileage when you can.

[tobyw]

This week we dive into crank case ventilation! For years, diesel, and in fact many passenger vehicles, vented crank case gases to the atmosphere. The good ole’ road drain, as it’s known. Enter the EPA and their heavy handed brand of love, and the next thing you know we have PCV valves and vacuum lines running all over the place. With light truck diesel emissions currently on a trajectory very similar to gas motors of the 70’s (most of you remember when terms like EGR and catalytic converter become commonplace), the tinkerers among us are back to doing the same old stuff – deleting what we know for fact we simply don’t need. And in this case, the systems existence is actually a detriment to other components… You see, the fine engineers that are dealing with the EPA regulations had to put those crank case vapors somewhere, and they chose to put it directly upstream of the turbo inlet. That’s right… oily vapors from the crankcase are flowing directly into the turbo inlet, gumming up the wheel and wreaking all sorts of havoc, as a factory design! Tinker we must!!

Here is the factory CCV system, fully intact, with a line running from the side of plastic case cover down to the turbo inlet. It was especially problematic in my case because the factory hose routing interfered with my re-routed coolant hose after relieving the engine of its EGR cooling system:



After removing the factory line, I cut a ¾” bolt so only the smooth shoulder was left, and slid that down into the turbo inlet nub. At the engine end of the program, I installed a ¾” ID radiator hose with a molded 90-degree bend, and topped it off with a zippy wagon crank case filter. The 90-degree bend will help ensure excess oil stays in the motor instead of flowing out, and now I don’t have to worry about dirty oily stuff doing damage to my turbo wheel:

[Roman]

Ricer parts!

[tobyw]

Thanks for taking the time to put together the very good write up. Please post your new average hi-way mileage when you can.

Not exactly apples to apples, but on the trip down here to Moab I averaged 11.88mpg (hand calculated) from the Tri-Cities to Mountain Home, Idaho towing the LJ on my flatbed at a steady 65mph. From Mountain Home down to Spanish Fork, Utah it ticked up slightly to 12.94mpg. The truck bed was packed with gear/supplies/food for the entire week down here, and the whole family was on board as well so it's about as loaded as it will get for my typical usage.



On a side note, I had forgotten just how cool and exhaust brake is. The only time I touched the service brakes was due to traffic or potty stops

[iaccocca]

Wow! Somebody uses (abuses) Amazon more than I do.

Nice tow-pig. Working on the wife for one... no luck yet. I guess I'll sit in the motorhome and try to figure out why.

[rennat_2006]

I would highly recomend running that breather hose down to underneath of the cab or atleast down to the side of the engine like the older ones were setup. You will get some oil out of it after awhile and you will definetely smell it. I wouldnt want to chance dumping oil directly onto the manifold where it is currently sitting and thats about the best spot possible to get the smell of it into the cab of the truck.

Just my 2cents from past expirences

[tobyw]

Thanks for the feedback. I've read of similar issues if the filter isn't regularly cleaned or otherwise maintained. I will definitely keep an eye on it.

[tobyw]

I'm not sure why, but 17" wheels are among the lowest load capacity rated diameter among modern-era pickups. Heck, the 16's on my 1999 Super Duty were rated higher than these... So much for 13 years of technology Anyhow, what's a girl to do? Well, turns out the folks at Fiat caught onto the gig and starting in 2013, began outfitting their heavy duty pickups with 18" wheels, which translates into an upgrade in capacity from 3,195lbs per tire up to a whopping 3,640lbs per tire. Quick math says that is nearly 1,000lbs of additional load capacity, simply by swapping tires/wheels (yes, the rear axle assembly is identical, so that's a no-nevermind). I stumbled upon a set of factory Laramie wheels from a 2015, and had them wrapped in a set of BFG A/T KO2's in the 275/70-18 variety:

[tobyw]

With the Dodge now routinely taking on what would be considered, even in pharmer terms, moderate towing duty, it was time to address a couple things to make that experience a little better. Namely, suspension and brakes.





The Marriott is heavy. Like, really heavy, particularly when a certain portly JKU on 38’s is stuffed inside:



The first item to address was the severe case of sag brought about by the significant pin weight of the Marriott. I called up my friends at Firestone and they set me up with one of their 5,000lb capacity air bag systems, complete with a wireless controller for the air compressor. No more running wires and relays and switches and gauges all over the place inside the cab!! Installation was extremely straightforward, and I barely had time to enjoy a frosty beverage before it was all over:





The next item on the list was shocks. The truck is now pushing 75,000 miles and the factory shocks appeared to be in reasonable condition, but the performance of them had me suspicious. There was a definite floating feeling on rougher stretches of road, and any significant jarring or bumps resulted a lot of swaying before it finally settled out again. I’ve been a fan of FOX shocks for many years now, so when I decided to upgrade the Dodge, the fine folks at FOX once again got the nod:











I topped it all off with a FOX steering stabilizer as well:



As I had suspected, when I removed the factory shocks I found the dirty little secret they had been hiding. There was no evidence of damage or leaking visible on the front sides of them, but the back side (facing the frame) on both front shocks looked like this:



Ruint… Lesson to be learnt here kids: don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

With that out of the way, it was time to bring some whoa to this road show. I’ve used the Powerstop brake kits on other rigs, and have been consistently impressed with the fit, finish, and most importantly the function. Thankfully, this go-round was no exception:

[Lud]

Joining the ranks of the 5th wheel toyhaulers I see awesome. Didn’t think a lot of the newer ones had the capacity. Good idea putting boards down to spread the load on the ramp.

[tobyw]

Good idea putting boards down to spread the load on the ramp.

Little trick I learnt back when I was putting Jeeps in toy haulers before it was cool to put Jeeps in toy haulers:







Wait... Is it cool to put Jeeps in toy haulers? Probably not, because it's actually a royal pain the @$$, especially for old fat pharmers like me. I thought I learnt my lesson many many years ago, but I guess I forgotted

[bobracing]

Would love a toyhauler about the size above, but where did you find a short one that A: fit the Jeep and B: had the load capacity? or was that not an issue?

[Lurch]

Look at the Work and Play toy haulers. I haul my bronco in one. We love it.