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2004 Dodge 3500 Quad Cab 4x4
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The train horn comes as a complete kit. It has a chrome 4 trumpet horn, an air tank/compressor, and a relay. They also include several feet of wire, air tubing, pressure relief valve, a fuse holder, and miscellaneous wire connectors.
I had to fabricate a bracket to hang the compressor from my frame rails underneath the truck. I also installed the horn underneath the bed, aiming down towards the ground. The instructions said it would resonate off the pavement for the loudest possible sound! Oh yeah! That's what I want!
The instructions were complete and easy to follow. They had it wired so the compressor would run whenever the ignition is on. I went one step further and installed an illuminated on/off switch in my dash. I also installed a seperate horn button. I wanted to keep my original horn. The installation went very smooth. And the horns sounds great. I almost can't wait for someone to cut me off in traffic.
The system works great. The compressor comes on at 90 psi and shuts off at 120 psi. and has enough air for a good long simulated train blast...perfect! This sound clip doesn't even come close to the real thing but give it a try anyway.
Try my horn!
It only took a couple weeks to sell the Sprinter. That was back in July.
We searched high and low for a toy hauler and decided on a Winners Circle. She's a 36' model with a seperate garage.
We just completed a two vacation and all is well....no unusual tires problems! It sure was nice to have an onboard generator too!
This is the new rig.
The axles were replaced with the next heaviest units. Since having the work completed we've only towed it about 400 miles but I believe we may have found the cure. The RV tires appear to set at a right angle to the pavement. The old axles made the tires tilt outward at the bottom which I expected caused the rapid wear. I hope this does the trick!
After asking around a bit on different RV and truck forums, I decided the best fix would be to raise to RV 4". I contacted Camping World and they assured me they could do the job for about $700.00. I figured it was well worth it. I couldn't afford to replace tires at $100.00 a pop every 3, 000 miles or so! I set up an appointment and let them do the job.
Camping World lifted the RV about 5 1/2" total. They welded a 2"x 4" piece of heavy wall steel tubing to the frame and re-attached the spring shackles to that. The replacement shackles are about an 1 1/2" longer than the originals. When added with the 2"x4" tubing, I got about a 5 1/2" lift.
After the lift was complete the frame-to-street measurement is the equal for both front and rear.
I hope this solves my tire wear problems. Time will tell. Here's a picture where you can see the tubing that was welded to the frame.
I sold the 2002 truck with all the accessories I had previously installed. I got my money back out of them though. It just means I have to do it all over again. The auxiallary fuel tank and exhaust brake are a definite must.
*The entries below pertain to my previous truck*
The installion went off without a hitch. It took about 3 hours to complete and they even topped of both fuel tanks. I have a 34 gallon factory tank and now a 70 gallon auxillary tank...104 gallons! At 10-12 mpg towing and 20-22 mpg not towing, I have a pretty good range. After leaving TFI we drove more than 600 miles completing our vacation and still haven't had to stop for fuel. I like that! Here's a couple shots of the tank installed. Tank 1, 2, 3.
A Jake Brake is a great aid in slowing down a vehicle, especially when you're towing a 11,000 pound trailer going downhill. The trucks brakes will do the job (sometimes) but it's very hard on them. And if you have to apply the brakes for any extended length of time you just may experience "brake-fade". That's when the brakes cease to work.
On our last trip, before the Jake Brake was installed, we went down a very steep grade for a few miles and I'll tell you; I was a tad concerned. I didn't like the feeling of being pushed downhill. You can only downshift so much and then you have to rely on your brakes.
We are leaving for Washington soon and I'll get a chance to try out the Jake Brake while towing the 5th wheel. I'm sure it will help slow the rig down considerable. I've been experimenting with it while driving back and forth to work this week...money well spent. I hit a couple off-ramps at 65 mph and didn't use the truck brakes until the last 100 feet or so. The old Jake Brake really puts the "whoa" on the "go"!
I had it installed at our Dodge dealer and they did an excellent job. They installed it exactly according to the instructions. However, the placement of the switch was very inconvenient. It's located near the bottom of the dash...a full arms reach away. This resulted in a quick glance to activate the Jake Brake, taking my eyes off the road...not good. So I bought a 2 speed rearend switch, like the old 1 1/2 and 2 ton trucks used to have, then fabricated a mount and secured it to my shifter. Now it's at my fingertips and I don't have to take my eyes off the road. It works great! Check it out.
We arrived at the Yosemite KOA at about 4:30 pm Thurday, July 3rd. Friday we decided to go to Yosemite and spend the day sightseeing. We drove up to Glacier Point and saw the magnificent granite formations of Half Dome and El Capitan, to name but a couple of the world famous formations. The waterfalls were just gorgeous and flowed at what appeared to be maximum flow. There was still a little snow at the upper elevations...about 11,000 feet or so.
Yosemites waterfalls are the beginning of the Merced River. There are several Falls throughout the park. Bridalveil and Yosemite Falls are two of the more recognizable names.
Saturday we just "vegged" and hung out at the campground and watched the NASCAR race. Oh yeah, we were really roughing-it! Let's see, we had the propane grill, color TV/VCR and DVD player. In one of the pictures you can see the TV on the picnic table while I cooked dinner. As a matter of fact, I cooked all the meals...outdoors. The wife didn't object!
Sunday we went back to the park and took a rafting trip down the Merced River. (Park entrance is $20.00 per vehicle and good for seven days.) It was a short 3 mile raft trip described as a "mild float". It was a nice leisurely float which gave tourists time to absorb the wonders and beauty of Yosemite. The water was absolutely clear. In a couple of the pictures you can see the fish!. We saw a deer grazing on foliage as we floated past. She was obviously used to tourists.
Like the old adage says, "All good things must come to an end". Ours came to an end Monday morning as we headed back home to Bakersfield. I did manage to do something that I didn't accomplish on past adventures...not break anything on the RV! YEAH!!! Click here for a folder full of pics.
Oh! I almost forgot. There was an astronomers club up at Glacier Point for the weekend. They had a telescope set up so visitors could view the Sun. You could actually see the flames leaping from it's surface...awesome! (That's an understatement!)
RVing sure has been a learning experience....to say the least! When I pulled into the site at Panamint, the 5th wheel brushed up against what appeared to be Willow-like soft branches. No problem, I thought. So I proceeded to park. After we got set up and went to open the door on the 5th wheel, I noticed a big gouge in the door and a broken window...great! I went back to check out the "soft" branches. They were soft alright. But hidden underneath was a 3' diameter limb that had been cut back. That explanined the hole in the door and the broken window.
Despite our troubles, we had a great time in Death Valley. If you ever have the opportunity to go, the trip is well worth while with lots to see and do. I fixed the door and replaced the broken pane the following weekend!
The next trip was to Red Rock Canyon where we stayed at the Ricardo Campground (no hookups or reservations). Like I said, it's close to home and very convenient for a quick change of scenery. There are some rather unusual rock formations and miles of dirt roads to explore. There's been many Hollywood Western films shot in Red Rock Canyon over the years.
We arrived about 7pm, still light. We were given the last available site. I swear, they must save the toughest-to-get-into sites for the last. I was on a very narrow dirt road with deep ruts on one side and huge boulders on the other. I really had to jack the rig hard to shoehorn it into the spot. I'm glad I got the Reese Slider hitch. It allowed me to put the 5th wheel at almost a 90 degree angle to the truck while backing in. It only took four or five attempts! That was Friday night. Saturday morning I wanted to complete the set-up by pulling out the awning. I have an awning and dammit, I want to use it. That was my thinking. It didn't matter that it was raining and we were inside most of the day on Saturday...I wanted the awning out anyway! So far so good.
The fella who sold me the 5th wheel advised that the awning be tied to stakes in the ground just incase it had gotten windy while using it. Remembering what he said, I staked the awning securely to the ground. Great, I thought. Now it's windproof. WRONG!! The afternoon wind came up just like it does almost every afternoon in the Mojave Desert. I kept a close eye on it while the wind whipped it up and down. As the gusts increased in intensity, I decide we should roll it up...just to be safe. I'd say the gust were now between 30-40 MPH. Well, I had the right idea, However, I should have thought of rolling it up a few hours earlier. We went out to retract the awning and I discovered the wind had actually bent the stabilizer arms on both sides....they wouldn't budge. They telescope into each other with a normally snug fit and the wind bent them at a slight arc which really locked them up. While my wife tried to hold the awning down by hanging onto the grab starp, I fought with the bent arms. The wind was really blowing now...I'd say at least 50 MPH! She was getting tired of holding the strap and to keep her from being airlifted to parts unknown, I grabbed the strap to give her a break. When the gust died down she took the strap and I continued trying to collapse the support arms. We went back and forth like that a couple times when finally a huge gust ripped the awning completely off from where it attaches to the trailer. So much for the awning! It was now on the ground and ruined. Live and learn. Isn't that how the saying goes? I'm learning...and paying! The new awning fabric is being installed tomorrow.
I told my wife I look forward to when we can go RVing and not break anything! Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. This past weekend we went to Oceano State Campgound near Pismo Beach and had a great time... didn't break a thing.
The truck has 13,000 miles on it now and is running very good. I'm getting 21 mpg...12-13mpg towing. Not too shabby.
See you on the road!
Towing a 5th wheel is great. Once it's up to speed you don't really notice it's behind you. It's very stable and the 1500 lb. pin (tongue) weight really makes the truck ride nice. On flat roads and moderate grades, I'm able to go as fast as I want without downshifting from 6th gear. Like I said before, severe grades for any length of time require dropping a gear to make the climb. Of course, there's numerous upgrades that can be done to a diesel engine to make it perform better. They call it "Bombing".
Before we started our trip I was more concerned about going downhill than I was about being able to climb them. I knew I could get up any grade but wasn't quite sure how it would handle going down them. I was worried about being able to hold back all that weight. That's a whole bunch of trailer pushing you dowmhill!
I remember reading where a good rule of thumb is to go down a hill in the same gear you went up the other side. That's what I did...I went down from the Siskiyou Summit in 5th and it held the rig back pretty good. I can see an exhaust brake in my future though. That will help save brake wear while providing some peace of mind.
An auxillary fuel tank would be a good thing too. Not that you want to drive a 1,000 miles without stopping; it's just one less thing you'd have to worry about...fueling up.
Here's a few pictures of the our visit to Oregon where we visited with my daughter, her husband and their son. We even got to have the little guy spend a night with us! My daughter scouted out this RV park prior to our arrival. It's right on the Rogue River and our site was on the river side. We had a nice time visiting with the kids and feeding the ducks with our grandson! You can see the river behind our site in a couple of the pictures. Click here ---> Maiden Voyage
The dealer I bought the truck from inspected the windshield and determined it was indeed something that should be covered under warranty. The dealer ordered a new Mopar windshield and scheduled for the install. I'm glad they didn't fight me on this issue...all is well.
12/2/06
On our last rv trip I heard something and knew I had to have one. We were parked in the desert and it sounded like a freight train was passing by but it was a motorhome. He had the loudest horn I've ever heard! It indeed sounded like a train horn. Needless to say, as soon as I got home I did an Ebay search...voila! Train horns! Lots of them. The most common seemed to be a 152 decibel model. That's the one I wanted. They were selling for a 'Buy it Now' price of about $200.00. and some were on a true auction. I got mine for $168.00 plus shipping.
10/25/06
In the previous entry I mentioned that I had a blowout. That was quite literally the last blow! I decided to sell the Keystone Sprinter.
7/04/06
After just completing nearly a 3,000 mile trip, I'm happy to report my wheel alignment problem is cured. The tires did not wear unevenly this trip...that's a good thing. However, I did have a blow-out. It was the last of the original tires that came with the RV. I guess they just put crappy tires on as standard equipment! The truck ran fine. I got about 11-12 mpg towing. That's an improvement from when the truck was new.
1/22/06
It's been a while since I've updated this page. I've made some changes to the RV since my last entry. I spoke with a shop that specializes in brakes and suspension systems. Their best guess was that my RV had axles that were either bent or were barely heavy enough for the load. They suggested axle replacement. It wasn't all that expensive and since I already had the RV's suspension altered by having it lifted, I felt it was useless to seek reimbursement by the manufacturer.
5/02/05
After returning from a two week trip in April I discovered my tires on the RV are still wearing unevenly. I'm disappointed to say the least, especially after having it lifted so it tows level. I decided to take the RV to a reputable shop and have it checked for a bent axle or something. At this rate I can't afford to use it and keep wearing out tires. I hope the shop can come up with an explanation and a cure.
5/02/05
Don't think diesel picups can be hot rodded? Check this out! Click here.
/24/04
I finally got around to having an exhaust brake installed. I had one on my last truck and I'm here to tell you they're worth every penny you'll pay. Put it this way. When you're going down a 6 or 7 % grade with a 11,000 pound trailer for a few miles, you're less likely to ruin your seat covers! An exhaust brake on a stick shift diesel pickup works great...don't leave home without one!
10/12/04
Yesterday we had an auxillary fuel tank installed in the truck at Transferflow, Inc.. The installation went off without a hitch. It took about 4 hours to complete and they even topped of both fuel tanks. I have a 34 gallon factory tank and now a 70 gallon auxillary tank...104 gallons! It's the same place and same tank I had in the last truck.
Next on the list is an exhaust brake. As soon as Daimler/Chrysler authorizes the sale and installation of them, I'll have one installed.
10/03/04
Since we bought the new truck and towed with it a few times I've noticed that the inside of the rear tires on the 5th wheel rear axle are wearing out at an accelerated rate. This is due to the truck being a high profile 4x4 which causes the front of the 5th wheel to sit about 4" higher in the front when being towed, as measured from the frame to the street, front and rear. That puts more weight on the rear axle which cause to rear tires to tilt outward at their base...causing the tires to wear on their inside.
7/18/03
It's been way too long since I updated this page. There's been some major changes. For starters; we got a new 5th wheel. It's a 2004 Keystone Srinter with 2 slide-outs...very nice! Since the new RV was much heavier than the previous RV, we had to get a larger truck to pull it...of course! It's a 2004 Dodge 3500 with the new "600" Cummins engine...600 ft. lbs. of torque and 325 horsepower...whoo hoo! It sure can yank that new 5th wheel!
11/29/03
While we were on vacation we made a side trip to Chico, Ca. where Transfer Flow, Inc. is located. I had made previous arrangements to have their Express-UFS Auxillary Fuel System installed in the bed of my pickup. The folks at TFI are very accomodating and friendly. They let us park our 5th wheel in a field next to their facility while they installed of our new 70 gallon tank. If you have to wait in their waiting room you'll be treated very well. They offer coffee as well as snacks and a VCR to watch a wide selection of movies...very comfy.
11/22/03
I just installed a Cool-Down Timer on the truck. The owners manual recommends idling the engine for a few minutes after driving. This is to ensure that exhaust gases have cooled sufficiently so the oil in the turbo won't overheat causing premature turbo failure.
The timer allows the engine to run for a predetermined amount of time (2,4 or 6 mimuters) after the ignition is turned off. This is convienient because you don't have to sit in the truck waiting for the engine to cool down before you get out, which can seem like an eternity as you watch the second hand on your watch slowly tick by. Just set the timer, turn off the truck, remove the key from the ignition and lock the doors as usual. Nifty, huh? The truck shuts off all by itself. At just $70.00, it's a real bargin.
8/13/03
I had a Jacobs Exhaust Brake installed on the truck. They are nicknamed Jake Brakes but aren't as noisy as the big rigs...just a nice little rumble!
7/07/03
Just got back from our 4th of July weekend trip to Yosemite National Park. We RVed at the KOA in Midpines, Calfornia. Midpines is about 35 miles from the park entrance. We had a great site that was almost totally shaded during the day. The evenings were in the 50's (great sleeping) and daytime temp's in the 90's. That's okay, because the RV AC worked A-OK at the KOA! Sorry, couldn't resist the acronym's!
(I usually take the wifes picture when she least expects it. You know; first thing in the morning type of deal. I could have deleted them but then you wouldn't know what a campwomen in-the-rough looked like. I know she'll appreciate it too!)
5/19/03
I'm long overdue for an update. Since my last entry we've gone on three more RV trips. We went to Death Valley, Ca. and stayed at the Panamint Springs Campground. The second trip was to Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave Desert. And the next outting was to Oceano State Campground near Pismo Beach. We chose Death Valley because we couldn't get in at any of the southern California beaches that particular weekend. So, the desert it was. A couple weeks after that we went to Red Rock because it's only 125 miles from home and a nice get-away for a weekend.
2/17/03
We just returned from our trip to Oregon for our maiden voyage with the 5th wheel. All went well. Going over the Siskiyou Pass gave that Cummins diesel quite a work out...5th gear and 50 mph at one point. I figure our total weight was somewhere in the neighborhood of 19,000 lbs. By the way, the Siskiyou Summit in Oregon is the highest place on Interstate 5. At least that's what the sign reads!
02/02/03
Here it is. We picked it up this morning from the sellers in our local Wal-Mart parking lot (where else!) The people we bought it from really gave us an excellent deal. They threw in so many extra's...cables, hoses, wheel chocks, etc., etc.. We are grateful we ended up buying from my buddy's in-laws. Thanks, guys!
We managed to shoe-horn it in the back yard without killing each other, so that's a plus right from the get-go!
The truck carries it well and it sure makes that Cummins diesel work! I'm so glad I got the 6 speed tranny vs. the automatic. We can't wait for our first trip. We are going to Grants Pass, Oregon in mid-February.
Unfortunately, we'll always remember this day with mixed emotions. We can only hope for the best for the Space Shuttles crew members families.
Here's a couple pictures of our "rig"(as they call them). PIC PIC PIC PIC
We found a 5th wheel trailer recently and are very happy with our choice. It's a 1995 30' with a slide-out. This RV looks like new...not exaggerating! The people we bought it from kept it in unusually good condition. I just had the hitch and brake control installed yesterday so we are ready for a "Shakedown Cruise" in a few weeks. Here's a picture of the hitch and brake control for you RVer's who are curious. Hitch Brake Control I'll post a pic of the 5th wheel as soon as we take delivery.
Also, if anyone who lives nearby Bakersfield, Ca. is interested in a new, factory installed, under-the-rail Bedliner for a 1994-2002 short bed. let me know. I want $200.00 for it. Email if interested
After we returned from Casper's maiden voyage, I discovered a crack in the lower right corner of the windshield on the passenger side. I remember hearing a sharp popping noise during our trip but didn't notice anything unusual. As a matter of fact, I don't think there was another vehicle in front of me at the time. That must have been when it cracked though. After we got home, the windshield developed another crack in the same area.
We took "Casper" on his maiden voyage during Thanksgiving week. We drove approximately 2800 miles without a hitch. We averaged 20 mpg and according to the owners manual, the mileage will get better after the break-in period (10-20,000 mi.). I'm surprised at how different it is to shift a diesel compared to a gas engine truck. You wouldn't think there'd be much difference but there really is. For one thing, you don't have to keep the RPM's up in order to launch the vehicle. It's dang near impossible to stall when taking off. Second gear launches require no acceleration during cluch engagement! The torque is astronomical...505 ft/lbs. I can't wait to get an RV hitched up and start dragging it around!
