WhatDa

I've been looking at replacing all the switches with relays on a 16 channel board with a raspberry pi. That'd make easy app control, or with the an IO board, easy control with physical switches to include a big red button. Bonus in that you can now automate it all as well so you get "welcome home" lighting as desired. As for loud noises, we have a dog that will take care of that in abundance. Animals seem to similarly shy away when the dog goes ballistic. If someone wants to open the door when they hear the dog, then not much in blinking lights and sirens will work and they are probably high and it's best to turn to plan C. Front cameras don't look like they are offered anymore, but the wiring diagram says there is still power run for it. Front camera would cover the biggest blindspot. I'd like to get 360 coverage for parking as well as keeping tabs on what's going on outside without having to peek through the blinds - with recording. At a minimum, I want to be able to see who's at the door without having to peak out.

Little further down this rabbit hole. It's easy to lift and put some bigger tires on the upper trims of the Expedition: It allows greater tire sizes. The MAX allows 630 lbs of tongue weight without a WDH, so I might try that. We've also looked at the Navigator a bit -- only 600lbs allowed on the tongue and lower towing (in the 8000's) but plenty for our needs. Bonus is the headlights become auto leveling in the Navigator and more power and torques. They both drive much smoother than an F150 and handle rutted/potholed roads without the drama the F150 has. The MAX/Navigator L can even fit plywood in the back (all seats down). Also checked out the Explorer based Aviator's specs - it supports 670 tongue weight and 6700 lbs trailers. It might not be a bad option for someone who doesn't need the space/need to max out their ollie. No Pro Trailer assist for backup but does have lane centering assist. It only weighs 4600 for the base model though...

FX4 is XLT only for 2018-19. We want the 360 camera (Limited or Platinum only). If I wait for a 2020, then I can get FX4 on Limited, but I don't think I want to wait that long - JOB1 for the 2020 isn't until 3 weeks after we pickup #529. It's easier/cheaper to get a used 18 or 19 Limited on closeout and add the skid plates and wheels. Suspension upgrade will follow if I feel I need it. The rest of the package is included in HD Tow (radiator/transfercase/LSD). I did find a special edition limited. It has everything the limited 302A has, but with 20" wheels instead of 22" - so a little less rediculous.

If any of the deals I am working work out and I don't get wooed away by the Duramax 1500, my perfect situation would be a 40-50 gallon replacement tank from TransferFlow (they sell one for the gas F150 and may be able to make/adapt for the Expedition). Then figure out a way to just draw from that either directly or siphoning. That and probably replacing the 22" tires/wheels with 18" that can handle some softer/looser surfaces.

It looks like John Davies may get the award for pinning the tail on the donkey - in hostile negotiations for an Expedition MAX now. We'll see if it pans out. If it works I'll need to relook where we put fuel/generator. ~1700lbs payload equals what I saw in the best 1/2 ton trucks, but this already comes with an HD, weight bearing "cap" which puts it about 250lbs ahead in payload. Independent rear suspension and 630lbs weight limit before needing WDH is also a big plus.

In Europe, towing is done with much less tongue weight, 10% would be considered too nose heavy. The gotchas are understanding that your weight distribution when parked and while underway will be different. The Ollie has long tanks that can shift the center of gravity if they slosh. Having more weight on the trailer front tires is important as that will generally mean it is the one to "steer" the trailer. The other thing John (and the Europeans) have going for them is their tow vehicles (SUV/station wagons) have a much shorter arm from rear axle to ball than a pickup truck. Shorter arm means less torque and sway. They also have coil rear suspension which generally has less side to side play and less chance for sway to develop. The only way to really understand your trailer's weight distribution is to weigh your TV without trailer, and then with the trailer. This will let you know how much your trailer unloads your steer axle and also ensures you are capturing weight with the tongue at ride height/with chains/WDH/etc... CAT scales has an app now that makes this pretty easy as you can do both weighs without having to go inside to the weighmaster.

Has anyone upgraded the fold-up television (searching for TV upgrade finds lots of stories about trucks). I have a 43" "smart" TV that supports airplay and all the other things we need that would be perfect, just unsure of the mechanics of the folding mechanism for weight limits or how the size would interfere. It weighs ~15 lbs vs the ~10 lbs of the Jensen. I found prior topics that upgraded the corner TV or set something on the nightstand, but we will have the "king" floor plan.

From the manual, it looks like the JWM40 only supports Bluetooth in, so you can send audio from your smartphone to the stereo, but the stereo can't send audio to another device. The main Oliver manual says there is a headphone output on the stereo, but I don't see one in the stereo manual itself. If you can get a headphone out working, you can use a device like this to stream over bluetooth for up to two headphones: https://amzn.to/2T4xmyK

Competition is good. The Black Series and this both have much more advanced ways to convert tables into beds. I'd like to see Oliver's answer-in-form-of-product to this as they get forced away from take it or leave it. As for the design of this: I'd look for Diesel, hopefully RAM puts the new eco diesel in the promasters. The Advanced RV and Winnebago Revel do a good job of going single fuel (and available 4x4). That said, the price on this undercuts both those offerings by a large margin. Hopefully being Canadian it is well insulated.

Completely concur. But maybe I am in timeout for asking for some of the crazy stuff during the order.

#1) Wife now agrees on composting toilet (yay). Sales says its too late to change, seeing if service can install it for a reasonable price after we are "complete". #2) Tow vehicle: I think we've paired it down to two options at this point in the 1/2 ton range (and two now more distant challengers in the 3/4 ton arena): 2019 F150 (Pro Trailer Assist) or 2020 Silverado 1500 with the 3.0 Duramax. Still waiting for more details on the Duramax.

Is that four ways to make fire (plus matches in another drawer) and two thermometers in the cutlery drawer? Nicely done. Where are you charging the Eneloops and lithium batteries? Trying to figure out where to put battery charger and various device chargers without the nightstand.

Do you think the groans were from the ball vs coupler or the sleeve cone/ball/mount area? From the other thread you mentioned you had greased, but did that become a no-no from Andersen again? There are the obvious improvements you pointed out for the sleeve/ball interface, done after how many years of "everything is fine"? I guess the options are to consider a new ball/sleeve annually a cost of doing business, install another brand of WDH, or email the dealer back about the HD he found me and tow like Raspy. Steven

Nice writeup and your shots of the tongue show how much aluminum really goes into the frame. It'd make a nice side by side with your standard stick build frame to compare. How many miles were you getting out of the 2" ball?

I think that's the TFL guys. They just lately have been doing more silly tests than anything. Their Ike runs are cool, but I also want to see the MPG loop on level ground that they sometimes do. That is 99% of my towing on the east coast. MPG Loop: The GMC Sierra 1500: 9.8 mpg The Ram 1500: 9.2 mpg The Ford F-150: 8.7 mpg But the problem is now 90% of their videos are fluff pieces like this: https://www.tfltruck.com/2019/07/can-a-tuned-650-hp-ford-expedition-grocery-getter-outrun-a-mustang-gt-v8-video/ It's cool and all but they haven't even tested the new 8 speed 2500HD outside of the PW. Maybe they have been waiting for the 2020 Ford and GMC offerings. As far as my TV deliberations go, I got emails in the last couple hours of 1) RAM 2500 cummins with 2010lb payloads with what I want in terms of other features (others were under 2000 before with extra bloat) - simultaneously another dealer confirmed that the Silverado LTZ 6.2 that is on his lot has 1990 Payload - within 20lbs of the Ram 2500 diesel. and 2) an invitation to place an order on a 2020 Silverado 1500 Diesel. The math seems to work out that we could fit everything into the Chevy 1500 diesel's payload guestimate (200-300 lbs heavier than 6.2 is my current guess), but then we are back to the Andersen Hitch and watching what we put in the truck along with tongue weight. ~30MPG highway empty and probably still pretty high towing might make it worth the added fuss.

I am toying with a 2020 Chevy 1500 if I can't find the dodge/ if the diesel offers 1800+ payload in the LTZ trim, it would be worth the tradeoff of having to watch our weight vs a 2500 or 3500 with 1000-2000 extra pounds of payload. "MrTruck" showed a 2WD with an 1800lb payload so it's possible (double cab 2WD GVWR 6900 vs 4WD GVWR 7100 or even 7300 on the diesel 4WD CC). There the diesel is the same price as the "truck" gas engine, and has the potential to turn some greater mileage. Downside is losing the sealed bed storage and having to add weight for containers or a topper vs Ramboxes which don't steal as much payload. I saw TFL Truck's video on the PW. Their numbers lined up with what I saw on the Laramie. For an HD gas engine it stands alone as the current chevy/ford gassers were giving me ~12-13 MPG vs the 15-17 on the RAM 2500 6.4. 2020 will definitely change that. Speaking of TFL trucks, I wish they would focus a little more on testing the trucks and running their flat loaded/unloaded loops and ike loaded loops (not really as interested in that test - if I drive that roads it's because I chose to drive that road). Their latest videos have stupid clickbait titles like "do my feet smell after driving 10 hours?" and don't really provide any valid comparisons or data. To believe we towed a 3-ton tractor through the cascades with an inline 6 F250 with 100hp/190lb-ft torque back in the day puts things in perspective :)

Yeah, I'm aware of the diminishing returns for the gears, but the wider range certainly seems helpful. Being able to run 3.xx rear end instead of a 4.xx top end can really help unloaded fuel economy. The 8 and 10 speeds do this in their 3.xx rear ends while having a lower first gear than a 6-speed with a 4.xx. They also have lockup (which many of the 6 speeds did/do have) in more/all gears, so if you are towing in 4/8, you are still efficient and delivering as much power as 5-8. The cylinder shutdown doesn't create a Prius out of an HD truck, but the 6.4 Hemi was delivering the same gas mileage as my 3.5 "eco" boost in a 1/2 ton - so it is somewhat effective. If I could order today, I would order gas. Another bonus that I didn't mention is with gas, any aux tank or jerry can that works for the truck also works for the generator. So now I wait, (un) patiently, awaiting the word if there will be more ramboxes for 2019 or if I am holding out for 2020. A search across the country found nothing that meets my requests without also having $4000 sound systems, bucket seats, $1500 20" wheels, $1200 12" nav displays, and $1000 sunroofs that all drive the price up $10k. So I'd rather buy a cummins with that money, but none of the cummins builds are as I want either. The delays are a blessing, as maybe they will have the trailer tire pressure monitoring available by then, and I will know where we are living so I can order closer to wherever home will be.

Chevy is out because of no moveable pedals on the 2020 and no Adaptive Cruise. They also ride rougher than the rams unloaded - at least for the 2019s. It's now 6.4 only for the HD trucks in gas. 6.7 for the diesel with the HO variant only in the 3500. Unladen I was seeing 15-17 mpg according to the OBC - around town. Not too bad and very close to what I was getting in the cummins ~18-19. I'd expect the difference to grow when towing hard. With the MDS, it shuts down cylinders and becomes a 3.2L 4-banger and the 6.4 is able to do this more than the 5.7. It works very well with the ZF 8 speed from what I've seen. I haven't met a dealer that is willing to let me take their brand new trucks and tow a trailer with them yet -- so I don't have the full picture first hand there yet. But at least unladen the Cummins doesn't have enough of a margin to win. The length is definitely a consideration as I need to park this beast at major airports - so a large part of going for the smallest 4-door HD truck. It'll also be better on some ferry crossings as it's under 20' which is the cutoff for "oversize" on some systems. With diesel it's not practical for us with the 2500 due to payload. Once the ollie is hitched there is 1000lbs left of payload. I hit 600lbs of stuff between us, the dog, generator, and a few other items fairly quickly and we are generally lighter than the average bear. We could probably make it work, but I'd go for the 3500 if Diesel is what's desired. The Aisin is probably a great towing transmission, but the one I drove shifted "like a truck" empty, which isn't what I'd want to bang out three hours of NE rush hour traffic in. Maybe it wasn't broken in yet? The 68RFE is better shifting. I would expect a ZF or Aisin 8 speed in either the 2020 or 2021 diesel RAM to counter everyone's 10 speed wonder transmissions. I was driven insane towing an 8.5' wide trailer with an eco boost and 26 gallon tank and switched to diesel as a result. The money leaving the pocket isn't as bad as trying to cross Texas and having to stop 65 miles after gassing up because the next station is too far at 7MPG. The closest I've seen perusing fuelly for the towing hemi burn is 8MPG over hilly terrain with a 35' TT. I am guessing that was also an 8.5' wide trailer - so hopefully better with an Ollie. I'm not 100% opposed to getting a diesel, but it's between the 2500 Gas with its coil suspension (better ride) and 3500 diesel (better engine) with leafs. If I do get a diesel it'd have to still command a premium at resale in order to payoff economically, and if next year's diesels get a measurable bump in efficiency from a new transmission, then the 6 speeds probably lose a little more value. We may end up there, but for now a foot was put down. Not based on what we see with CARB emissions, green new deals, etc... I've lived in AL, GA, and AZ so have a pretty good idea of the South. For work I need to access airports (we plan on traveling between my work trips) and sometimes we like to visit friends/family in cities. I don't plan on parallel parking in Manhattan, but I will be crossing into NYC which it would not be unthinkable either institutes an air quality ban - or more likely: tax. Sounds like a great truck! If I were going without some of the safety tech that we are going for, I'd be getting an LBZ Duramax in a heartbeat. What pulls me to the RAM trucks are the 2500's rear coils give a great ride, the ramboxes provide some better organization, the overall length is the shortest for 4-doors, and adaptive cruise control which helps with fatigue and the adjustable pedals withe memory. Oh and the air suspension provides a great ride - it's integrated/automatic - if I put Firestone bags on another truck it wouldn't be as simple. Some won't care about those things and will buy another truck. If the 2020 F250 were here now it'd be a closer race. At the end of the day it's to pull an Oliver - something that all these HD trucks are all overqualified to do. I could probably get by fine with a Ranger/Colorado/Gladiator - but who doesn't want more truck? Steven

Just following up as today I got to crawl around two more RAMs. The non-HO diesel actually drives fairly nice. I wouldn't mind having one if that's what gets me the other features I want - but I don't think I'd order one at the prices they are asking either. Historically diesel held their premium cost in value and sometimes more than the gassers but I am not certain that will hold for the future. A diesel would mean 3500 as the 2500 Laramie Cummins I looked at today had 1800lbs payload. I messed around with a mega cab - and was a little underwhelmed. Payload was 2500lbs (300-400 less than the comparable crews). No huge gain in space in the back (it had the upgraded sound system so 2/3 of the "bin" was consumed by speaker and amp. The real bonus is being able to hang coats/suits behind the seats and my carryon luggage barely fit as well - not sure worth the weight/cost/12" in length (CC is 238" - shorter than even an F150 with the 6'5" bed) unless you just want the longer wheelbase. TLDR: So if I ordered right now: 2500 (maybe 3500), HEMI, crew, air suspension, ramboxes 6'4" bed. Expect 2800-2900 payload in Laramie trim. Going for Laramie level 1 to avoid subwoofer and amp taking up passenger side underseat storage. Space behind seats on mega Mega folded down Under seat storage on crew Crew flat floor panel

First choice would be to find someone in the campground to help you. People are generally want to be helpful. The problem is finding the person that is actually helpful and know what they are doing. When I was dragging my race trailer from coast to coast, I brought "disc cones" in different colors with me to mark the spot I want to be in and any obstacles. so a rock gets a couple disc cones, the edge of the road where it drops into culvert, where I know there are low hanging branches, etc... Basically throughly survey the site before I even try to pull in. I plan on using rvschool.com to brush up (it's been six years since I pulled anything) and also get the wife ready to drive and park it.

Hopefully that doesn't come any time soon - I halfway jest - based on their unwillingness to do anything other the 100% standard options on my build. They could have had an easy, willing beta tester.

John, Undecided on the 2500vs3500: I test drove both and with air on the leaf, the 3500 still felt better empty than the F250. The 2500 was better, but not by a huge margin (it also had air). Not quite F150 level plush but pretty good for a HD truck empty. I currently have about 1700lbs of weight, including the Oliver trailer's tongue on my spreadsheet. So a 2500 should work with some margin, but the 3500 would allow plenty of extra weight for whatever upgrades or unforecast items end up on the truck. We want Ramboxes, but those are unavailable for order for now (unknown why). We are going gas primarily because it costs less, the ZF 8 shifts better than the 6 speeders, and weighs a lot less (diesel 2500s have 1900lbs or less payload in crew cab). Unladen the mileage difference wasn't huge enough to pay off. We're also leaving Europe where the diesels have been banned or are being banned from many city centers and their used prices have crashed as a result. Little bit of a bad taste. With an 8 speed diesel, the 3500 would be more competitive with better shifting and economy, but for 95% of our driving the diesel experience will be worse. For the other 5%, I can listen to the hemi wind up over the hill. So we've settled on just about everything except 2500 vs 3500 and crew vs mega cab (one more space to put things!). Steven

Yeah when I was initially looking at them, it was 3x $1800 based on the local pricing here - near parity with battle borne for lighter and being able to see the batteries on the app. Now that I am seeing US prices are so much higher, reconsidering them. I'm sure the tech advances will be released in other manufactures batteries shortly. Also on placement -- if I could get a battery tray in place of the black tank - that would have been an easier sell for the composting toilet. Even with the black tank there should be some extra space down there as the tanks are sized the same as the LE?

Figured it was time to update this thread. Check's in the mail and we are hull #529 now and taking deliver late September. I ditched the Anderson as we are going for a 3/4 or 1 ton RAM - it's been a slippery slope in the TV department. Hope I can get my order in for theRAM before I end up buying an MDT. The wife was adamant about standard toilet - so that's what we are going with.

And at less than $130, the external VE.BMS is almost decimal dust when discussing a 7kWh/600Ah pack.