Day One...not that this is going to go fast, or anything

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
I'd estimate the bare bumper at around 90# (all aluminum), and that winch added about 125#. Light bar probably 10# or so, then add in shackles for another 10#, cornering lights plus harnesses for lights, maybe another 10#, 5# for radio antenna quick disconnects.

So I'd say a pretty close estimate is around 250#. I noticed no difference in ride compliance, and see what gets hung on some front FG bumpers.......I don't think this weight is an issue. Matter of fact, this is the same bumper that ATW/Sportsmobile uses for their Global Warrior, with just a few mods to it, like the rigid bull bar and other little things.

Once I make a visit to a few of the manufacturers and get a better idea as to what the range is for front axle loading, I'll make a decision on whether or not to add in the front motorcycle rack setup.

Next step though, other than finishing dressing out the bumper, is the roof rack design we're working on.
 

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
In my experience, weight at the front is not an issue with Fusos - the load tends to be so biased towards the rear you actually end up trying to shift weight forwards.
 

Howard70

Adventurer
In my experience, weight at the front is not an issue with Fusos - the load tends to be so biased towards the rear you actually end up trying to shift weight forwards.

I agree with Pugslyy. Ours tends to be a bit up in the nose. The truck, not the owners!

Howard
 

Howard70

Adventurer
Thanks Howard!

Here are a couple more shots, including one showing how tight they were able to get it when the cab is tilted:
Cab tilt - got pretty close!

Now I understand how you designed it - weld the bulbar to the bumper, wrap the middle of the upper bar in a big heat blanket, heat up all the tubing just above those welds until the aluminum begins to shimmer, then tip the cab and push the bar into that perfect configuration. Heat treat by quenching in tuna oil (it is San Diego after all!):sombrero:

Just make sure there's a limiting strap somewhere!

Again, nice job.

Howard
 

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
Now I understand how you designed it - weld the bulbar to the bumper, wrap the middle of the upper bar in a big heat blanket, heat up all the tubing just above those welds until the aluminum begins to shimmer, then tip the cab and push the bar into that perfect configuration. Heat treat by quenching in tuna oil (it is San Diego after all!):sombrero:

Just make sure there's a limiting strap somewhere!

Again, nice job.

Howard

Aluminess will have their lawyer contact you concerning proprietary information violations :coffee:


And in other news, if you have a 2011+ truck, and order the National Seats...don't bother with the Ford mounts. They're useless. Details at 11, following our normal nightly news.
 

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
Suspension seats...and issues thereof

So, the seats I ordered finally arrived..
suspension seat shipment palletized.jpg

Unpacking commences..
suspensiion seat base.jpg

And fitting commences...and therein lies the entertainment value for this week.
suspension seat base clearance.jpg

The issue I'm having, even though I think that the most current cab floor design is probably very similar to the older cab design, is that I can't locate the driver's seat far enough inboard to match up with the centerline of the steering wheel. If I use spacers to raise the seat high enough that it'll be able to meet up with the CL, I'll be looking at around 1.25" of total height increase. If I sit in the seat and look left, I'm not looking through the side window, I'm looking directly at headliner. That's not gonna work.

So...trimming needed.

First rule: Cut the least expensive part.

So my current thoughts are to do two things with the drivers seat base, and neither one of them will affect function that I can see.

1-the pressed steel side frames of the seat itself (not the suspension base), the photo above shows the interference with the cab during full droop. I'm thinking trimming an inch or so off the bottom of the side frame part, and then boxing it in would work fine.
2-The suspension seat shock mounts need to be moved inboard on the seat base, and I should be able to trim off another inch off the suspension base itself, getting that much closer to the center line.

Of course, the passenger side works fine. It's just the driver's seat that's an issue.

Alternately, I could just deal with the offset (it's large enough that it'd drive me nuts after a while). Another alternative is just to compromise, use low risers like some others have used, and get used to looking at the headliner, and hunching down to see out....(nah..).

Thoughts, comments are welcome...
 

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
I'll try to take some better photos of mine in the next couple of days to compare.
 

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
I'll try to take some better photos of mine in the next couple of days to compare.

Sounds good, pugslyy. I finished tearing out everything but the headliner, so it's down to the steel now. Took a couple more pics that might show the issue, and I'll edit this post to show them.

suspension seat bare metal notes.jpg

Top down view at side of seat. It can be bumped easily 2.5" or so towards the P Brake handle..
suspension seat top down.jpg

Rear limit of travel
suspension seat rear travel.jpg

Forward travel limit..
suspension seat forward travel.jpg
 
Last edited:

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
In one of my rare fits of actual thinking, I tossed the stock seat back in.

Guess what?

It's offset too.

grumble mutter mutter mutter
 

SkiFreak

Crazy Person
Yes, these Chinese clone MUT III readers are readily available online, but I do not know anyone that has actually bought one and confirmed that they do what they claim to do.
Given that these scan tools are $500+, simply buying one to "see if it works" is not really an option for me, but I must admit, I have seriously considered it.
So... who's going to be the guinea pig??? One of you guys, with way more money than me, should step up and take one for the team! :)
 

Czechsix

Watching you from a ridge
Yes, these Chinese clone MUT III readers are readily available online, but I do not know anyone that has actually bought one and confirmed that they do what they claim to do.
Given that these scan tools are $500+, simply buying one to "see if it works" is not really an option for me, but I must admit, I have seriously considered it.
So... who's going to be the guinea pig??? One of you guys, with way more money than me, should step up and take one for the team! :)

I guess I'm nominated then, eh? :coffee:

Since there's really no data on whether or not they work, and the actual dealer supplied MUTSIII is unobtainium, not even considering the really hefty price tag...

I bit the bullet on this one. It'll be mated to an old CF30 Toughbook. I'll take a few shots of the controller unit if you'd like, but it's a good enough ripoff that it even has mitsubishi motor corporation logos on it. If it doesn't work for this truck, then back to eBay it goes. One thing that made me go for this over the other offerings is the assurance (hey, it's from China...I can trust them, right?) that it has coverage up to and including 2012. I basically want one for diagnostics, and to be able to do resets and purges if necessary, in the field. If this works, and combined with the more or less common problem sensors, along with wiggling connectors, it might be a decent solution to sleepless nights trying to figure out how the heck to get out of limp mode in the field....
 

SkiFreak

Crazy Person
eBay is not always the cheapest when it comes to these devices. I know, because I spent quite a bit of time scouring the net for MUT III readers.
There are also different "options" with these clones. The best one I found had the reprogramming circuitry built into the main board, not the software on a CF card (which some do and some don't have).

Have a look though the offerings on AliExpress (kind of the Chinese version of eBay)
You may find a better option there.
 

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