2011 Ram 1500 - "The Basics" Build

jerstw

Adventurer
Shovel - Totally agree with your comments. For flat tire duty I am currently carrying a standard 5-ton floor jack around with me, until I find a bottle jack that wasn't made by the 'lowest bidder', and also have the OE scissor jack (which seem like a POS but as last resort should work...I hope). I bought the Lift-Mate for helping get off rocks, logs, etc...last year on a camping / biking trip in Wyoming we got the rear diff hung up and wedged against a semi-buried log and I promised the wife next time it wouldn't take us an hour, ok hour and a half, to get out of that predicament.
 

EMS WJ 2000

Observer
Nice idea on the lift mate.

I am wondering why you are carrying a 5 ton floor jack?

I have a 2006 Ram mega cab diesel and I can lift a corner to change a tire with a 2 ton with no problems. I have the jack on a skid so I can use it in any terrain.
 

jerstw

Adventurer
Hey EMS - Yeah, the 5-ton is overkill but its the only jack I had / have at the time I did the suspension and tires that I knew would lift it high enough in the event I get a flat. I intend to order a Norco bottle jack and then get the a SafeJack kit (without jack obviously) soon and then the floor jack will no longer be part of the 'recovery kit' I carry in the truck. I am intending to use the Hi-Lift Off Road Base with the Norco jack, just will need some minor trimming t fit properly.

Is the skid you are using homemade or something you bought?
 
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jerstw

Adventurer
Got a few items this week for the truck. JackMate for my Hi-Lift, fit just fine on my 20 year old Hi-Lift and came with the replacement quick removable pin for the base of the jack. Going to run to the local farm supply store and find a clevis or two to use with it instead of chains.

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The second item that showed up just today was the RoadShower 2. I did not have time to fully test it out but did quickly mount it up to the Thule bars just for show. Initial thoughts...lighter weight than I expected, the packaging could use some extra protection on the sides of the tank as mine looks to have received a small dent while in transit (see box and tank picture), the hose looks like decent quality and the mounting hardware looks to be sufficient and works as intended. The temperature gauge is just a stick on version and was almost hanging off it when I took it out of the box, not a major issue as I doubt I will care what temp the water is when I need to use it.

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Oddity

New member
Looks good Jer, the road shower is a perfect length and great fit. How secure is the hose? Would hare it to become unsecured at high speeds
 

jerstw

Adventurer
Hey Oddity - Yeah the length works out good as I didn't have to move the crossbars around, not a major deal but one less thing to deal with.

The hose has 4 of those plastic clips along the tank to secure the hose and then there are two sections of Velcro strapping on both ends, one of which is right next to the sprayer head. I think it should be fine for higher speed driving. If by chance it came loose the majority of the sprayer head is plastic or rubber so would hope it would cause zero to minimal issues. I still need to find a lock to secure it to the rack. I have seen others have used a handgun cable lock so will likely try that option.
 

jerstw

Adventurer
Well the Norco 5-ton showed up last night.

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Box was tore up good and it was even bubble wrapped but the body of the bottle had minor scuffing but no dents and functions fine. Like the uniweld design as I laid it on its side over night and it did not leak; since it will likely be stored in the truck on its side this was a concern of mine.

Also fits perfectly in the Hi-Lift off road base, however I do need to make one small notch in the top lip of the base for the release valve / screw. Overall exactly what I was looking for.

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Next up to determine which SafeJack adapters or kit to buy.
 
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jerstw

Adventurer
So I was just about to start getting the materials and parts together to work on my drawer setup and sleeping platform this weekend, however Craigslist struck and I picked this up after work today instead...

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Overall in good condition. It does need a good vacuuming and the top deck needs to be washed up and cleaned but no stains in the carpet in the drawers and the locks, keys and handles are all good. I am going to refinish the oak drawer faces and likely just clean up and spray paint the pull handles. Locks to get lubed up and they will be all set. It was missing the wheel well storage bin covers but that doesn't matter as I am going to redo them altogether as the current design wastes a bit too much space in my opinion. Will also likely get some marine grade carpet for the top since my two sons will be sleeping on this when we go camping.
 

Oddity

New member
Looks good, damn that's a big tire! I like how the drawers slide all the way out, do you find them sturdy?
 

jerstw

Adventurer
Yeah those 35's are pigs in this tiny 5'7" bed. Overall it seems plenty sturdy. Supposedly it will hold something like 1500 - 2000lbs on the top deck. I was planning to contact TruckVault with the serial number to see what the build date and specs were on this one.
 

jerstw

Adventurer
So the 11 year old helped me this afternoon cleaning out and sort gear to stuff in the TruckVault for now. Will work for the winter and come spring we will redo the drawer faces, carpet and drawer pulls; decided no point to try and mess with that during the winter months as we do not have a heated workspace. Did size up some initial measurements for the side panels and bins for the sections directly before and after the wheel-wells so figure we can tinker with that through Christmas.

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jerstw

Adventurer
Well this past week I was visiting my brother in Montana and picked up my Tiregate and FINALLY got the 35" spare out of my bed. Given the limited options for swing out tire carriers for my truck this was the best option I could find and was a good deal via Craigslist. Overall impressions are more positive than I was expecting...thing is solid and stout, zero rattles, tension or anti-sway mechanism in the receiver works good, the pin that hold it in place is simple and works and the ability to still tow a trailer are a plus. The only gripes I have are I am likely going to weld on the bolts / studs on the back wheel mounting plate as the bolts spin on the back side when trying to remove the lug nuts (I torqued them to 120lbs as I do not want this tire falling off at highway speeds) and it is a heavy pig of a rack...granted, it is holding a 100lbs tire and wheel assembly and 2 NATO gas cans so I can deal with the weight factor. When swung open there is plenty of tension to keep the swing out portion in place, meaning it doesn't swing back on you, even at a moderate incline. Overall very pleased with this setup.

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