[Jimmy N.]

I usually order the winter front (well, the cold weather package), but don't know why, really, since I never use them.
Temps seem to be where they should be without it, but then again, it hasn't been below -10 for a few winters now.

Although, a couple of the cars could use something like it, as it can be hard or impossible to get the oil up to temp, even when it's 50 degrees out.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I suppose it could happen, if using an Ecodiesel as a car. Not enough heat created.
Also, there has to be a fair amount of moisture in the air for the ice to form from. No wonder we've never heard of it.

Either way, yes, fuel economy will improve a tiny bit by allowing fluid temps to rise faster during the start of a trip. And the winter front will improve the aerodynamics, just like that Bighorn grille did in stock form.

Although, those things really only help when a pickup is used as a car. Once used to perform work, a lot of other things will factor in, making the winter front almost useless in our climate.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Hey, on the bright side, it was the charge air cooler that was affected, not the intercooler (which an Ecodiesel doesn't have).

Either way, you don't live in any of those regions, or Canada, right?

 

[Jimmy N.]

Correct. Condensation can be an issue, so much so that AFE actually put a condensation drain on their intercooler.

Okay, fair enough. But since you don't have an intercooler, you have no reason to worry about possibly getting moisture in one.
At least no more than I'm concerned about any in my charge air coolers.

The front cover will help bring the coolant, transmission, and oil up to an optimum temperature, which can't be achieved without the winter cover in certain ambient temperatures.

It was -6*F when we left at 4:00 AM. It seemed to take forever before the truck was blowing hot air.

That's odd, since my Cummins will start providing warm air within a mile or so, without having been plugged in, and in lower ambient temperatures. And the (to me) important oil temp will indeed reach if not optimum, at least close to 200 degrees within less than 10 miles.

Again, I think that if using a diesel pickup as a car, it's a different story.

 

[Jimmy N.]

By blocking off the front grille, you're keeping the temps high enough to prevent water from condensing in the intercooler.

Then it sounds better to eliminate the charge air cooler altogether, as it doesn't do any good without air flow.
Less, weight, cost, and fewer places where leaks could occur.

Also, since this has now turned into a discussion about cars and their problems with condensation in charge air coolers, it does look like your Ecodiesel identifies as a car. And you use it as one, and have potential problems accordingly.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I like using the prairie dogs for that.

 

[Jimmy N.]

It would take a lot of bullet to penetrate a 5-foot dirt pile, wouldn't it?

 

[Jimmy N.]

I've used both reciprocating and circular saws. It works.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Wow! 14" high, 20" wide, 6,000 lb capacity (12,000 lb total), and nearly 19' feet long!

And still a lot lighter than wooden ramps. But you could quickly weld up your own, not overly large or heavy, steel ramps for cheap.

By the way, those RaceRamps are "only" good for 6,000 lbs. a pair.

 

[Jimmy N.]

idk about building a set right now, would be cheaper to dig a pit. Wood and steel prices up here are insane.

What happened to your left-over pile of steel? Did you throw it away already?

But speaking of, I need to buy some 6-inch wide 1/4-inch. I'm out. Have 5-inch and 1-inch, though.

 

[Jimmy N.]

That's about the only downside to the wooden ramps. They're going to be heavy, but the safety is hard to beat.

Hmm. My first thought when you mentioned wooden ramps was "Uh, oh. I'd hate to be underneath if they crack."
Have had enough cracked wood when cribbing stuff, and don't like or trust wood one bit.

Although, I did make some thin "leveling ramps" for the Pete's trailer. They survived, but it wouldn't have mattered if they didn't.

 

[Jimmy N.]

wood can work, when it's properly sized and built

Its best quality is still that it burns.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I'm also glad that we bought our truck before the semiconductor chip shortage. Ram dealer lots are empty in my area and no big discounts are expected for many months to come.

Make that well before the chip shortage. And who cares what the dealers have on the lot? They're still spitting many models out as we speak, and getting them is as simple as ordering.

Four "Covid cars" so far, without any issues.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Why not make them gradual? All those steps could make it interesting to drive up on them, especially if they're parallel.
And I'd put a stop at the end, no matter what.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Depends on what you mean by big discounts, I suppose. When many are asking 10-25K ADM and a vehicle can be ordered for 8K below MSRP, that's a good enough discount for me.

Since you obviously can't get a Gen 5 yet, are you looking at another 1500?

 

[Jimmy N.]

Interesting factoid: An Ecodiesel can be rated to tow 560 lbs. more than an MRAP.
Thank God we have J2807 to keep us safe.

 

[Jimmy N.]

The factory built-in charger is now working, so I left it plugged in until we get back to the property next weekend. Hopefully the battery can be rejuvenated.

This is the first winter I didn't remove the RV and dump trailer batteries. I should've pulled the batteries and stored then in the garage like I normally do.

You are a brave man. Or at least far more brave than I am.
On the trailers that have built in chargers, I have never even tried to plug them in. To leave one plugged in, unattended, in the woods, during fire season, wouldn't even cross my mind. Not with below lowest bidder chargers.

Surely you know that an attempt to rejuvenate involves very low amperage, ideally with desulfation, and a fair amount of time. With increasingly higher amps. Generally that means using two or more good chargers.

Anyway, a small (5W or so) solar panel would've kept that battery happy. At least they do on my trailers. And hooking up a panel is a lot less work than hauling batteries around. Yep, I'm lazy.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I was a little reluctant. I've used the factory built-in charger without any issues, so I'm not too worried about it. Nonetheless, I don't feel warm and fuzzy about leaving it unattended.

I've been wanting to buy a solar charger for quite some time. I just need to do a little research and see what's out there. The travel trailer already has a built-in solar charger, so those batteries should be fine.

Someday, if I get wild and crazy, I might replace the Interstate battery for an AGM battery. I love my dump trailer!

I have never even checked what voltage and amperage those things put out. Guess I could try with a sacrificial battery.

Recently I've bought Renogy panels. Maybe not the cheapest, but that's not the point when trying to keep expensive batteries happy.

Getting rid of the regular flooded batteries is one of the first things I do when getting a trailer. While the Interstates seem quite good, I don't care for having to check the water level...even on the ones where it's easy.
An Optima Group 31 will run the 16-foot dump almost all day (10-15 dumps), but I generally put a 75 watt panel on the gooseneck for those occasions.

 

[Jimmy N.]

The built-in charger on my dump trailer is rated for 4 amp.

Is there any reason why I would need to upgrade the wiring if I went from a Group 24 to a Group 27?

Four amps is too much for bringing a battery back to life. What's the voltage like, with a fully charged flooded battery?

With the motor driving the pump using a certain amount, it doesn't much matter what size larger battery you use...if the cable was the appropriate sized for that draw to start with.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Based off memory, I think the RV batteries run somewhere between 12.6 - 12.8 fully charged.

Interstate has good reserve capacity in some of their wet cell batteries, but I suppose the AGM will last longer over time.

Your travel trailer has a much better charger (hopefully), and in this case it's the one on the dump trailer that counts.

Forgot to mention that other than the couple of hours of getting charged by the tow vehicle on the way home from buying it, the dump trailer is never charged by the tow vehicle. The smaller one doesn't even have way to get charged by the tow vehicle. It's a "total loss" system, which is why I sometimes use the larger panel on the 16-footer.

Which is fine. It's quicker and easier than messing with plugs, safety chains, and such. Just hook and go.