CrazyCooter

I'll have to play with it when I have more time and the straps get here. I just had to pit it up there and see. BoonHauler and I were having a laugh last night when I told him how close I thought it was going to be.....he told me to leave the hood open!

I got one set of these: http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Towing-Auto-Hauling/Wheel-Nets-Auto-Car-Tie-Downs/2X8-Short-Wide-Ratchet-Strap-W-Axle-Strap-10-000Lbs .....and a set of these except with snap hook ends:http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Towing-Auto-Hauling/Wheel-Nets-Auto-Car-Tie-Downs/Side-Mount-Wheel-Net-W-Ratchet-and-Flat-Hook Those cheasy straps were what I used to hold the ramp from spitting out. I just put them on there as a little joke for you guys! I have always cross tied to the axles with chains/binders but decided to try the ratchet straps since they are lighter, quieter, and don't rust. I might even weld on d rings to the axles to make it even easier! I'm getting lazy and our goal has been no more than a 20 min setup/teardown.... This is vacation.

I'm not sure how much I can tweak things to work there. If I pull that grab bar, I can get 2-3", pull the front axle down with straps to the axle should gain me 2-3" without really stressing things..... My buddy suggested sinking the tires into the deck for a few inches in the past. Swapping tires is more work that I want to deal with as the whole theme of my camping is not to work on vacation. Have to play with this a little more as I'm not sure how the front cap articulates being in front of the pivot with the different movements. That Ti front cap that was a cool feature for a pickup is now biting me in the rear!

Not much room here.....Might not work. Hitch bag at proper height. Bag dumped....at least the arc swings away from the Jeep. Top Thinking it's time to calibrate the scales. I was thinking I had it close, but that won't fly!

Got the ramps today and had to try them out..... [/url] Harbor freight rates the straps at 1,000lb....4 of these should be fine.....NOT Tight squeeze! That grab bar might have to come off......

That little 1000S is cool! I had a RZR 800S back in the day and always thought if they made something with more travel and HP, it would be a blast! That Ace 900 could be fun too!

With air bags dumped the dove tail height is 43" with 51" deck height. I measured the angle at over 40° with the 60" ramps I was using.

I love your setup! Both trucks are sooooo clean!

I can see where the lights could be an issue. I dont think the hitch will be a problem though. 30" tires on the SXS and 35's on the Jeep. Guess we'll see when the ramps get here!

Published spec on the RZR 1k is 119"? They are a tad longer than my Maverick in stock form. I got a bumper that tucked in tighter so I didn't have to pull it off every time to load it in the hauler. I'd never try to side load mine for a trip....I'd have a problem for sure!

The side loading is what pushed me to the plate end and didn't have the width left for a rub rail. If we decide to side load a SXS, it will be over width, but this would only happen way out in the desert for a few miles just to get to the trailhead.

Ended up getting some ramps from a seller on Ebay. They were slightly longer that the ones from Discount Ramp, in stock, and $300+ less. Should do the job? http://www.ebay.com/itm/171823591537 I was on the fence which ends to get.....figured a didn't need full knife and couldn't really decide hook or plate on the other. Figured these would be most universal.

Have to get heavier ramps or find a loading dock to get the Jeep up there. I want to take some measurements hooked up and see if I missed it by 1" or not! Generator, 20gal propane tank, and 110gal fresh water are in the works, but have to take a break from the truck and start working on the 5er again. Lots of little neglected items that need attention. Other than an oil change and dialing in the pinion angle some more, the Pete is ready for the road!

More progress today! The list is getting shorter by the day..... Installed quad band ham radio which required swapping out the original 75ohm co-phasing harness for new low loss 50ohm coax. That turned out to be quite the project fishing it through the mirror brackets, doors, and cab A pillars....... Hopefully that will last forever! Kept the cheesy all in one CB I had previously installed as not much chatter or use for CB these days...... Ordered up some tools to keep on board and the set I have in the Dodge has been so nice I decided to duplicate it plus some bigger stuff including some plumbing stuff. Decided to install a 5 drawer box on the passenger side just like the one in the pickup. First trip out since the rally tomorrow! 200 miles round trip and it will be nice to not tow a trailer at snail's pace! Looking forward to the new ride with the loads on the rear to smooth things out.

Pockets are definitely lighter thanks to you Joe!

I was just looking over there! So many possibilities to make your head spin...... One thing I noticed is they have recommended loading heights listed. To stay inside of their recommendation, I'd be looking at $1K+ and 10'+ length? I was thinking more like 7-8' as my vehicles have ground clearance. What an I missing here?

Light day today as the list is getting shorter and I ran out of parts! Hard wired a radar detector I had laying around.....Not that I really speed, but it is nice to know when the fuzz is in the vicinity. I also wired a red blinking LED that is right under the GPS mount so it "looks" like there is an alarm installed. Not really an alarm guy as it's just something else to fail at the most inconvenient time and for the most part, the places we live/travel aren't crime areas. Keeps the lazy thief away......Hopefully! Something to keep the wife happy.....Took out the single lighter outlet and installed the lighter/double USB outlet so the tablet and phone can stay charged while the GPS is plugged in. Loaded up the SXS for the first time and I ban say without a doubt 5' ramps are too short! I was planning to built something for the Jeep anyway, but I had these POS Harbor Freight ramps laying around. Lots of you have nice aluminum ramps....where did you get them? Need something that will handle at least 5K per pair preferably a little more capacity and at least 7' long? Figured I should have a 2" receiver just in case until I get around to building the back half of the bed......Had a combo tube laying around, so welded it on. Are some of you doing 2.5" receiver tubes to match the higher capacity of the truck, or just going the standard 2"?

I liked the versatility of the etrack, but felt I would be right at or over the limits of the hardware. I certainly would have been easier to install.

Back in the shop today for some more punishment, but I feel like I'm closing in on the first phase of this project. Winter will bring some more interior mods for the coming season. Lots of holes to drill! Time consuming and tiring....... Hard to know where you will need tie downs especially since I have a few different kind of machines to put on there. Hope I got it covered!

A nice MDT that would be something you would want to drive is WAY out of our budgets if we combined them together! I think that is mostly what has pushed so many of us into these HDT's.

Thanks again! Got the deck screwed down, new cab shocks, door gaskets, and new locks in the tool boxes today. First drive on the road in over a week....all I can say is WOW....it's like a new truck! Anyone annoyed with the wiggle feeling in the steering wheel on the bumpy roads should look into the Safe-T-Plus.....Made a HUGE difference in stability and confidence on the back roads. Tracie is in for a treat tonight when we go out for another lesson......

Welcome to the forum Cee (BoonHauler)! Cee is gonna want an HDT by the time he gets done building his RV....... Might only get to 112°now...... 110°tonight so I went to see the local Peterbilt dealer for some parts, gave the truck a break, and took the wife to dinner.

Lights! Can't have too many options especially when traveling the back roads and off highway at night..... Installed a set of 5K HID's in the OE housings and a pair of 7" bars each side in the bumper. Had to open the hole up a little..... Perfect timing as I had to pull the bumper to install the hood pivot bushings. I don't know how much I would use an amber lens since I had planned on using the Dodge in the winter for 4x4 capabilities, but option none the less. Still have some work and adjusting to do on the brackets. Atlas II leather seats. Big Rig Chrome shop is running a deal on these right now and they felt pretty good at the local truck shop. Wanted to buy local, but funny none of the local shops seemed to want to sell me seats.....They couldn't give me a price, options, or tell me when I could get them. Click on the internet and they were here in 4 days...... Two tone Black/grey just like the OE interior.

Thanks guys. I'm gonna take the rest of the week off as the weather is warming up. I think 115°by Friday! Regroup and acquire a few more parts the next phaze!

Another productive day! I'm usually so busy working on client vehicles that mine take a back seat....Not this time! The paint was cured pretty good so dropped the plate back on the deck for the last time...... A local exhaust shop happened to have 5" tube and a buddy had the band clamps, so the exhaust exit got moved back 6' and added a few rubber hangers. The rest of the system is solid mounted, but figured the frame flexes more the closer you get to the rear. Might have to switch to the strait pipe tip if heat on the tire is an issue. I moved the tip out 3" past the bed side and should miss the tire, but I assume that could be considered over width. Built hanger brackets for the 24x60" boxes which I expected to take more time, but it went pretty fast! Since the steering stabilizer was going to correct the slight drift to the right, I removed the wedge above the left front spring some second rate knucklehead alignment guy installed to reduce caster on the left side......When will people figure out the axle won't twist! A quick roadtest to confirm the new steering wheel position and notice the little bit of bumpsteer I had was also gone! The Safe-T-Plus bolted right up, so score on that! Popped the wheel to center and we're ready for the races..... Might have time to tackle those hood bushings tomorrow afterall. I'm noticing with every lb. that goes back on the deck, the ride and manners are improving! The truck has been pretty rowdy the past few weeks. Need to re-calibrate the air scales too! Not like I really need it, but it's there, so might as well be functional......