SeaDawg

@MAX Burner, humor aside, pouch cells are not a good choice, imo, for travel trailers, as @NCeagle said. I really don't know their current case or cell structure, but, I always tend to avoid the "least expensive" alternatives, unless I can truly drill down on the configuration. We invested a bunch in the best travel trailer, imo. I'm going to keep that right. I will always be on the lookout for a great price on a proven product. I think everyone here knows I'm a careful shopper. But ,as our daughter's boyfriend once said, he knows we'll "spend up" for the quality. It won't be pouch cells, if we ever decide to go with lithium. It will likely be battleborn. Like you, I don't want to look back in the mirror, and see my travel home looking like a burnt campfire marshmallow. Pouch cells are fine, for many uses. Imo, I don't want them in my trailer.

Btw, our tie rods needed replacement at about 150k on our dodge ram 1500. Could also be part of your issues.

That photo makes me smile. The Japanese invasion is really what brought on the little cars from Ford ( and others.) Back to the original discussion. (And I truly apologize for the thread drift. ) 4 x 4, for sure, if gravel roads and northern Canada are in your plans. If you're like us (and I suspect you are) we make the big purchases thoughtfully, and for the very long run. Our 2008 4x4 ram doesn't have many of today's features. That's mostly ok with us. We can add backup cameras, avoidance cameras, etc, should we desire. I would want those, though, in a new truck. Safety features are a big deal. Big tires? No. Great seats, yes. Long trips to Canada make you appreciate great seats, for sure. I replaced the foam and covers in the Ram a few years ago. But, they did last a long time. For my husband, they're very comfortable. For me, (short) the driver seat, with all its adjustments, just doesn't ever give me a great comfort, especially for my left leg. No armrest on the right I manage with a pillow. I've driven my brother's f150 several times, and I agree with my (even shorter) sister in law, the seating is awesome. With its multitude of adjustments. It's great for my brother, too. Ford had an interconnect for camera on the trailer, which is great. I'd pass on the hybrid,,as of today. Two systems to maintain is two times the problems, imo. Others may say different. I'd ask others, what features could you not live without, in your newer trucks?

I have zero problems with driving an older truck. Mine is a 2005, and we've owned it since new. But, it's regularly checked by our mechanic (now a family friend), and I trust his judgment. I'm not interested anymore in crawling around under the truck or trailer. I used to think it was fun. Not anymore. I agree with the others. I suspect your problem lies with some deferred maintenance from previous owner, and you shouldn't (imo) need or even use an Anderson with that front heavy diesel. I'll bet at least the shocks are tired, if not the springs, if you're getting a big sag hooked up. I replaced mine , and it made a huge difference.

More apologies, but funny stories about my little Maverick. I, and four of my friends, drove from Iowa to Denver to visit friends doing an internship on a college break. With luggage for a week. I was stopped in Nebraska for speeding, on the highway. I told the officer, politely, and straight faced, that I'd been trying for over a hundred miles to even get it up to the speed limit, with the human and luggage weight I was carrying. He checked my license, registration, and let us go on our "merry" way down the road. Once we got to Denver, we took the obligatory trip up the mountain. It was a huge struggle, and I thought at one point that we'd have to get out and push, or stick our legs out and pedal push. 🤣🤣 (just kidding, but you know, when youre 19, and thinking crazy stuff...) We finally made it, without extraordinary measures. 😆😆😆 Those tiny six squirrels were "barely" up to the challenge. Good thing we were all pretty skinny in those days Downhill was almost as scarey. I took advantage of pullouts, calling out viewpoints, lol. . Not a ton of braking power, nor downshift braking, in a 1970 Maverick, three on the tree. Oh, and pretty lousy emergency parking brake. Still, I loved that little car. Quite possibly because of the many road trip memories. It wasn't much, but we sure had fun.

I don't have a dog in the hunt, but I "think" you may already be heavy forward with your Cummins diesel. An Equalizer sends more weight forward. Maybe try test towing without additional hardware? See how it feels? Most 2500 owners here do not use an Anderson, nor sway bars, from what i have read. We have 1500's, nothing but the hitch, but an original elite. 2500 owners,,Cummins diesel, please weigh in.

In all fairness, it is a bit of a pita to get under the small dinette table (in ours), but when and how often does it happen? A handful of times, for us, in 16 seasons. In rentals we've delivered, and other rvs we've owned, the panel was in equally awkward and inconvenient locations. (Often, under the bed.) You could always move it, but fuses and breakers should logically be located as close to the power source (batteries) as possible, imo. For us, in our 2008, that's that not so fun spot, under the small dinette. Do I enjoy getting down on the floor to check? No. But, it's a rare occurrence. I'll live with it, and we have for 16 seasons.

Let's see what the market says. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. That citroen you posted still sold units. When I went to school in Spain, there was a cheaper (and uglier) little citroen that my local friends called "the duck." It was actually quite common, and especially popular with small, young families. It's definitely a departure in styling, but, hey, so was the original Mustang. And tbird. And, and... then again, could it be the AMC Gremlin of the truck world? Who knows. 😅

I'll apologize for the thread drift, and we can get back to the op's question. My Maverick was a plain jane, small six, bench seat three on the tree, "Wimbledon white" (your mom's was probably the Freudian Gilt color 😃) , economical and easy to maintain little vehicle. I could do much of maintenance and repair myself. Certainly underpowered, it probably saved me a lot in speeding tickets, as I had a pretty lead foot in college days. I got $1000 trade for it on my Dodge Dart special edition, after 4 1/2 years and 75000 miles. Never a lick of trouble, other than replacing the clutch, as I taught the next younger three how to drive a manual transmission with my little Maverick. (My next younger sister was a tough pupil. She eventually got a Maverick, too, but the cooler "upgrade" with the automatic trans and reclining bucket seats. She may even have had a glove box, as opposed to the cubby 🤣.) The three on the tree was great for rocking out of snow banks. Mine was never garaged. A lot of great memories. Wish I still had it. I did save a badge, after a lady drove 3 or 400 feet across an almost empty school parking lot to crash into my little car. The kids in commons study hall went wild, and two rushed to my room to "tell on her." The other great feature was the heater. It always worked well, as opposed to the vw bugs many of my friends drove. We had to keep blankets in their cars. Those were the days. Simplest is better, for me.

So, no time to head up to Valdez? Valdez itself isn't so much to talk about, but every trip we enjoy the scenery of the 50 miles or so of highway heading into Valdez. I truly think it's one of the most scenic stretches of highway in the US. (And, it's paved, with lots of pullouts.) Best thing about Valdez is a trip on Lulu Belle, to the glacier, imo. We've camped/boondocked a number of times in old Town, but last time it seemed pretty sketchy. If you decide to go, there is a nice state cg outside of town. The intown municipal is simply a parking lot. Homer is interesting, camping on the spit. Are you fishing? Lots of opportunities for a day of fishing. Seward is actually a really nice town. If you can, take a cruise on one of the fjord cruises. It's a great way to spend a day, and really beautiful. Whittier is really ugly, kind of Eastern Bloc buildings. The tunnel (shared with the rsilway) is most interesting. The cassiar is beautiful, and pretty empty and wild. Our favorite campground is Boya Lake. The lake is stunning. There's not much for services, so gas up when available. When we first drove it, there were stretches of gravel, but it's pretty much paved everywhere now. Other Provincial campgrounds are nice too, but none compare with Boya.

Thanks for the share, @John E Davies. That is a really cool piece of rv history. The photos show a thoughtfully done restoration. I'm a sucker for cool vintage trailers. My brother and I have often explored the idea of restoring a little bit of history. Maybe, one day....

So, finally, the first production Cybertruck rolled off the line, today. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4099564-tesla-cybertruck-built-elon-musk/?segment=1*15ghd8a*s_amp_id*OVExbFhzdUpRbUhGR2trLUZqU015c1NBVkRTZFRzLTBaNzIyNU1BVU9CdWwtbGE5MEktXzJyZEUtV1RDQ0hZVQ..

Yes.

I loaded a bag of sand in the trunk of my little Maverick in the winter, in Iowa and Minnesota. Plus shovel, etc.. We always carried "something " heavy in the pickup bed, in winter. Thanks for the memories. I fortunately don't need that stuff anymore, in Florida winter. I really hate driving in snow and ice, now. Since Mom moved to Florida, I don't have to, anymore! (And, I'm very happy about that.)

After Denali?

Do you have reservations? The hop on hop off bus is a great ride. Best cg is the furthest out (Teklanika?) Longest bus ride. Not so great (certainly not the worst) as cg's go, but best tours from there. I hope the clouds and rain let up, so that you see Denali in all its glory. Rare, but so very beautiful.

Looks like you are having "chamber of commerce" weather. Hope it stays the same. What's your next destination? Thanks for the great pics.

I know you've already checked, but for someone new, stumbling on this post in the future, all the secondary switches are in the "on" position, right? I remember a day when we were camped, and rhe main switch was on, but one of us had accidentally bumped the kitchen switch to off. A minute of consternation, then checked secondary switches. We have a 2008.

I wouldn't want to try that with my Silverado 1500. Even though I have the lighter Elite. Your 2500 def gives you more ability to"power through," in lowered gear.

What kind of hand pump? I'm curious. We have a manual foot pump in our sailboat, for the kitchen sink, only. Backup system. Only used it a few times, other than testing, annually. Nice feature, though. Oh, you probably mean a hand pump for winterizing?

Tires for my Silverado (17 inch pirellis, currently) vs my husband's michelin 20's on his ram, are significantly less costly. Unless you plan to do off-roading, independent of the trailer, anything that exceeds the Ollie clearances is pretty much a waste, imo. And, my 87 year old mom can get into my truck, (with running boards) but no way can she get into my husband's (even with running boards.) 😃 It can be a "dance" somedays for me, with my shorter legs, to get in and out of the Ram, but ok for now.

Some batteries are built for light duty/stationary, others are built for the rigors of trailer travel. I'd look at a bunch of reviews, and maybe talk to owners via email, before I'd put "really cheap" lithium in my trailer. Could just be my hinky self, but I think it's usually the cheap batteries that catch fire. I'll add that I have zero experience with any of the rv lithium batteries. My experience is with Tesla powerwall, for my home. I'm still running agm (trailer), fla (boat).

It all depends. If your travels are groomed rv park to rv park , and you always stay on paved roads, and usually travel in flatter country, 2wd is fine. But, chances are, you'll someday, somewhere wish you'd spent a bit more, and bought the 4x4. Our experience is similar to @Frank C . The 4wd in our ram has "saved the bacon" many, many times, and on our camping property in WNC, there are areas that simply require the 4wd (gravel, steep inclines, mud, etc.) As much as I love my 2wd Silverado, it's not a good fit for our camping style, as we discovered early on. (It's still great for local towing in Florida.) The payload difference is basically the added weight of the 4wd drive train. 4x4 trucks are simply heavier than 2wd. I do get minimally better gas mileage with the Silverado than the Ram, especially in town.

@Patriot, we are so very sorry for your loss. No apologies necessary. Spend your time with your family, and hopefully the good memories, and your faith, will carry you and sustain you through this very difficult time. Our sincere condolences.

Which way are you going from Fairbanks? In town, Cookie Jar restaurant is great. Excellent, really. Just outside, in Fox, Silver Gulch brewery. There's a good viewpoint stop along the way, explaining the oil pipeline. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/15097 Fairbanks is a nice small city. There's a lovely park just outside of town. The campground in town can get kind of buggy . Enjoy your stay, and resupply here. Better, and bigger, stores than you'll find til Anchorage. Two Fred Meyer stores, and a Costco, also. Every service you can need, in other stores. There's a really nice car wash by the close in Fred Meyer. If you decide to visit the arctic circle, I'd really recommend leaving the trailer at the campsite, and drive up and back, get rhe obligatory photo (batting the bugs away), and drive back, same day The cg at the arctic circle isn't much, and really, really buggy when we were there. I think it was free, and worth exactly the price.