BigTexas

I have a 2024 Ram 2500 that I'm still learning all the features that come with the infotainment system. My truck came with the 12" screen which at first seemed excessive but I've learned to split the screen into several functions (Map on top, radio and engine parameters on bottom) If that's not enough info for you, the map and additional vehicle information parameters can be also be displayed on the drivers dash screen. I love all the cameras, although this has become pretty standard these days but they greatly assist when parking. At first, I did not like the digital rear view mirror and turned it off because my old eyes didn't like the change in focal length. But it has not become my favorite feature. A rear view mirror is mostly useless when towing a trailer the size of an Oliver but the wide field of view lets you see down both sides of the trailer even before checking the side mirrors. I still use the wireless rear camera that came with our trailer. There is a convenient 12V plug up on the dash so no power wires dangling everywhere. The adaptive cruise control is handy in stop and go traffic (unless you come to a complete stop; then it kicks out) As mentioned Apple Car Play is wireless and works smoothly. Apps like IExit and MyRadar are very useful on the big screen. Things I don't like or I'm not sure of. The truck nav system is based on Tom Tom. It works well but is an interface I'm not used to. The jury is still out on the Trailer Steering option when backing up. Once it learns your trailer it's good at backing up straight but a slight turn of the knob will send your steering wheel spinning. Maybe I'm a DIY back up guy. Also, lots of reliance on voice actuation. The truck has it's VO system plus Siri is available. I don't know, I'm just not much for talking to my truck. All in all, I'm pleased with the systems. I came from a 2015 so a big jump in available technology. Finally, I'd say it strikes a good balance between being too intrusive and just letting you drive the vehicle. My wife has a new Lexus. It's always beeping at her and warning her of potential hazards. Some of it is just annoying.

We use quick connects. I also use a Y adaptor with individual gate valves at the park spigot to depressurize the line before disconnecting. Seems obvious but if you ever forget things get exciting quickly, especially if you use one of the expandable hoses. Also, the search function on this site sometimes is not very helpful. Others have posted a web format to use to make Google search the site more effectively.

As a former ad guy, I approve!! 👍

I purchased the same hitch when I switched to a 2500. In addition to looking good it also allows you to reverse the balls under the truck when not in use to save your shins.

Thanks for posting. It would have never occurred to me to check this. Looks like lock tight is in order.

Thanks for posting Mike. I'm a firm believer in having spare capacitors on hand as cheap insurance because you never know when they're going to stop working and their easy to switch out. I'm using your pictures to order the spares. I'm guessing the black capacitor is an added on hard start capacitor? Do you have the Oliver factory installed Micro-Air Easy Start option on your A/C unit? I know the Micro-Air unit also contains a capacitor but I've not taken the time to look it up. I'm thinking an A/C unit wouldn't have both a hard start cap and the Micro-Air. I need to do some preventive maintenance on mine. They're easy to forget about until they don't work.

The high viewership of the Escape video could be all the Escape owners clicking to see how bad it is (Oliver owners too). The bear delivered the best lines in the spot.

This also happened to me when I flushed the toilet not realizing the pipes were still frozen. Non replicable part. I first tried to glue it with a special "epoxy plastic glue". Worked for about three days. Did the same as others and ordered a new toilet, scavenged the useful parts I needed and discarded the rest of the toilet (what a waste for such a small part) After discussing the problem with a friend, he suggested searching the web for a 3D printing file of the part. He mentioned a lot of small parts like this get scanned and the files are posted to the web. Then one can have it printed locally (or he offered to do it for me) I know nothing of 3D printing how it works or what it takes to create a file for a small part but if someone had the knowledge and resources to create such a file, they would be making an immense contribution to mankind; or at least to those of us who had to learn the art of hand flushing the toilet.

+1 to Max Burner's description. Had the same problem. One day is fine the next day all the faucets and toilet have barely a trickle. Had to clean out all the screens. Found a white calcified substance in all of them. After that all was well. Note: there is often a screen located at the connection to the flexible hose that feeds the shower head and kitchen faucet head. I never found any in the actual valve assembly. I assumed all this calcification came from the water heater but the mystery to me was how it got into all the cold water lines.

Our Honda 2000i starts/runs the Dometic A/C with Micro Start installed. You need to make sure the fridge is on gas because the fridge will default to AC if it is set to Auto. The generator can't run both. I thought I had a bad genset until I figured this out.

KE5PRE - I'm not very active. Mostly I mount my rig on a motorcycle to support charity bicycle events around the state. The MS Society has an annual ride this weekend. I'm working the route going from to Austin to College Station with an overnight in LaGrange. The other routes are coming from the Houston area so we use a statewide linked net. I usually take an HT camping with us with some local repeaters stored when we hike. Just incase we have an emergency with no cell service.

Also, when you arrive at your campground, after traveling in very cold conditions, give the trailer time to thaw out before using any of the plumbing; especially the toilet. We were caught by a quick moving cold front which resulted in traveling in temps in the teens. When we arrived at camp, I made the mistake of using the toilet before the trailer had properly warmed up. The flush valve was frozen and the give point was the plastic pedal when I stepped on it to flush. By the way, Dometic does not sell the pedal as an individual part. Instead I had to purchase one of their cheaper all plastic models to cannibalize the foot pedal. An expensive lesson. "Run your furnace while traveling" - brilliant! Best piece of advice. I would have never thought of that. (insert sound of hand slapping forehead)

Like most things, I think the future light duty diesel trucks will be the result of marketing and if consumer demand continues. The average U.S. fleet turnover is 12 years with people holding onto pickups a bit longer. So, many light duty diesels sold today will still be on the road through 2035 and beyond. But from a marketing perspective, diesels have a reputation as being "dirty" and expensive. I found this website from MIT interesting and surprising (plus fun to play with). https://www.carboncounter.com/#!/explore?classFilter=Pickup Truck Filtered for just pickups, it shows the diesel versions (gray dots) emit fewer greehouse gases per mile than the gasoline powered versions (black dots). Hover over the dots to see where your vehicle stands. The real fun will be to watch the development of advanced fuels and battery technologies. That will probably determine the winner.

I had the same problem with poor flow. Additionally, I had a constant weeping of water from under the handle. I tried the process where you run vinegar through the lines and let it soak. No improvement. I purchased a new cartridge and attempted to change out the old one thinking a bit of debris was the problem. I couldn't find any instructions on the web of how to disassemple this type of faucet. For the life of me, I couldn't get the old cartridge out even with the correct faucet socket. (I think someone over tightened the cartridge retension ring in an attempt to stop the weeping) I eventually removed and replaced the entire faucet assemply which fixed both problems. Hopefully you're not faced with replacement. If you are, there are some things to note. The shower head hose which Oliver provides is clad in chromed metal and is much nicer. The replacement faucet, I ordered off the web, came with a vinyl hose. The Oliver hose is also shorter. This is presumably because there are two long bolts down in the cavity under the sink. A longer hose could easily get caught on these bolts and therefore not deploy long enough to be used as a shower. My (not so elegant) solution was to place zip ties across the end of the bolts to keep the hose from getting between the bolts. In hindsight, I should have contacted Oliver to see if I could order the faucet from them but I defaulted to Amazon and had the new faucet in two days. But, I now have a full flowing shower.

Like some of the others, I have a Bak Flip on my RAM truck. It has served me well. However, I've had to repair the back latch and discovered that a well placed tire iron could easily pry the rivets from the thin sheet metal if someone wanted into the bed of the truck while parked. Couple of other considerations. My Bak Flip requires you to close the tailgate first and the cover second which is counter intuitive (at least for every delivery person that has helped me load my truck) Also, because it flips up, it prevents the use of most ladder rack type systems (we'd like to carry a couple of kyaks over the bed and still have access). Finally when fully retracted, it blocks the rear window preventing me from seeing if the straps holding my motorcycle are still tight. My son-in- law has a Peragon cover on his Raptor. I'm aways jelous how easily it opens and closes.