Maiden voyage of the La Casa Del St.Laurent!

[Steve St.Laurent]

Just got back last night (Monday) from our first trip with our first TT - left last Wednesday morning. Here's a picture of the rig sitting at a rest area (63 feet nose to tail and went across the scales at 15460 lbs). Drove down to Pigeon Forge, TN from MI for a get together with the SETDR (7 of us from the GLTDR and 10 from the SETDR). Drove a total of 1323 miles and averaged 11. 9 mpg for the whole trip (best was 12. 54 through Ohio on the freeway). What a GREAT trip! Pulling the hills (Jellico) was a blast with the cruise control set at 65 pulling a max of 28 psi of boost at 1100 degrees EGT, then using the exhaust brake on the way down - rarely had to use the truck or trailer brakes. I never had to slow down on the entire trip, and didn't have any sway problems at all - very easy cruising (except in the construction zones, those lanes sure are NARROW). Going up Jellico on the way there 4 or 5 truckers were talking about me - "a little Dodge just blew past me like I was standing still and he's longer than I am" and "he just passed me and the Cummins is hummin!". My daughter was asleep in the back seat so I couldn't respond but I was grinning ear to ear! I can get REALLY used to this style of camping (upgraded to the TT from a 10x10 dome tent)! With the advice I got from here and other websites on the TT and what to bring, etc, everything went smooth as silk. The only thing we forgot to bring was the FRS radios to use in backing the rig up - but didn't have any problems using hand signals. I combined several checklists together and made up a custom one for us. We will be rearranging things in the trailer slightly based on our experience this time. Can't wait to go out again!! See you at a campsite soon!

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-Steve St. Laurent - President of the Great Lakes TDR
'98 QC LB (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, TST Powermax3, 275hp RV injectors, Joe Donnelly modifed Sachs Clutch, SS ladder bars, SW fuel pressure gauge, BD exhaust brake, Isspro turbo temp monitor, front Draw-Tite receiver, rear Draw-Tite class V receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's, (all the common stuff clipped)
'93 Fireside 35' TT

[This message has been edited by Steve St. Laurent (edited 05-01-2001). ]

 

[Archive]

Steve... that is a nice looking setup!

Is that the trailer we are all partying in at muncie?

 

[RATTLINRAM]

Hey Steve,
If you got home last night, did the rest of the rig (tail-lights, back bumper) get there this morning? #ad
#ad
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The wife and I are taking our 5er up to the mountains next week just to get away for a week. Before her, my idea of camping was a bedroll tied to the handlebars of the Harley.

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Dennis D. Tway
"RATTLIN" *1999 2500 SPORT QUAD CAB* "RAM"
IntenseBlue/SB/Cummins/4x2/auto/3. 54AS/4whlABS/Camper&TowPkg/
Keyless/Leather/TravelConGrp/SecuritySys/6spkrCD*Cass/Strngwhlcntrls/
WestinTubeSteps/SportMastersSoftTonneau/15k RBW 5th-WheelHitch/26'Nomad 5er (looking for a bigger one) and a way to take my HARLEY too!
-- email address removed -- or -- email address removed --

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yes it is Rob, think it's big enough? As of right now I'll be staying in it all by my lonesome although I've extended a number of invitations! I can fit in 5 guys besides myself with noone sharing a bed and noone sleeping on the floor - sounds like a party to me #ad
!! BRING IT ON BOYS!!

-Steve

 

[mbrolin]

Sounds like you have a working combination. BTW,have you fixed your small leak?

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2001 HO 6spd,Quad cab,LWB,4x4,Flame Red,all options except for leather,Westin Brushguard/Push bar,Painless wiring,Radio Shack CB,my own design CB mount,Smittybuilt nerf bars,NW Custom rocker covers,Custom built stainless rocker light bars,DeeZee bedrails,Isspro pyro and boost gauges,Jacobs ebrake,Reese 20k 5er hitch(more to come)

 

[Alan Reagan]

Steve, Hate I missed you at the Pigeon Forge get together. How do you like my brothers from the SETDR. They didn't light up the tires at about 30 mph for you, did they? Crazy boys #ad
. Like your rig. Great picture.

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2001 HO 6 spd 2500, 4. 10 LSD, Towing Package, Electric Brakes, SPA EGT/Boost Gauges, Fog Lights, Real Backup Lights, Molded Running Boards

 

[BillH]

Great looking rig Steve. See you at muncie.
Bill

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2001 Dark Garnett Red/Driftwood,QC, SB, SLT 4. 10 LSD, 2x4 Tow and Camper Pkg. , Grover Air Horns, Auxiliary Back-up Lights, Ex-Tang Tonneau Cover, Spray on Bed Liner. Towing 2000, 25' Shaster 5er and 17' Sea Nymph W/ 60 HP merc and 9HP merc Kicker

 

[John Berger]

Steve, I know what you mean about the TT lifestyle. Sure kicks butt, doesn't it? #ad


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1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab 2wd; 5 spd; 4:10 LSD rear; Mag-Hytec differential cover; US Gear EGT and Boost gauges. Stewart Warner Fuel Pressure Gauge with dual senders, Westach Oil Temp Gauge for differential. Amsoil foam air filter and synthetics in the motor and differential. Cummins Power, don't leave home without it

 

[mongoose]

great looking setup. glad you enjoy it!

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Daniel McKeehan

<A HREF="http://sites.netscape.net/ramheadracing/banner.jpg">1999 2500 QC/Short Bed/4X4 5 speed. Camper Package and of course a Cummins. </A>

 

[Bad340fish]

What setting do you run your PM3 at while towing?? Or do you?? Just wondering
Clark

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I run it at level 2 if I don't want to have to watch the gauge at all (continuous WOT on level 2 I see a max of 1150 degrees), or level 3 if I'm going to watch the gauge (max of 1300 on level 3 at WOT). On this trip I screwed up and got my map from Yahoo and it sent me on a surface street for 140 miles through Indiana, and I got stuck behind a number of white hairs. I passed 4 or 5 of them on the 2 lane (1 in each direction) and I turned the box up to 5 for those runs (didn't see over 1300 but would have if I had stayed in it)! You should see the looks you get as you pass by at 63 feet total length!! Cummins POWER! #ad


-Steve

 

[drives mopars]

steve
ru bringing it to MM vegas

bill babcock

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1993 w350 ex cab, banks,nv 4500 in
open exaust, pw Injectors are in. Big rig flaps,tach in,. Its loud and goes ok, for a 93,Ham radio Call KK6dm
has ability to communicate any where in the world. Headliner shelf
5 antenna's

 

[merryman]

Steve;
I enjoy your post both here and on irv2, but whatch the comments about the "white hairs", not all of us members of the "old Gezzers" club, are over the hill.
Speaking of Hills, wish I had your power when I hit the hills of the sierras, cascade and rocky mts. ,(I tow a 12K fiver, with an '01 CC HO DEE) but thought I would wait till near the warrantee expiration to bomb it.
Good luck with the rig.

Vaughn

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I apologize Vaughn, I obviously wasn't talking about everyone! We had a guy in our road racing club that was 70 years old and his hair was white as a ghost, he could ride circles around most of us youngins!

-Steve

 

[Hale on wheels]

Hey Steve, good looking rig. I never really realized how long my steup is until I looked at your picture. I have (well, dad has #ad
) a 36ft. bumper pull, and my truck is also a quad cab long bed. I guess we have a lot of metal cruising down the highway! The only problem I have towing the trailer is I need a longer draw bar, the trailer doesn't sit the truck down any and the trailer rides higher in the front. Do you use the weight distributing hitch bars at all, or just set it on the hitch?

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Cody Hale
01. 5 2500, QC, LB, 4x4,Auto
Gig'em Aggies!

 

[Okie-Go]

Glad you had fun. Enjoy the new toy.

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2001 quadcab slt 2500 HO 6spd. LWB,2wd,dk garnett red, trailer tow package,camper special, lock-right locker, 3. 54 gears, speed liner,oversized stainless steel chicken slide,66 gallon in bed aux. tank,K&N air filter,Reese 20k hitch, Terry 2000 EX 30ft. double slide 5er, 2000 20ft gooseneck for haulin jeep, firewood and huntin stuff. 5X12 tagalong for haulin the 4 wheeler. Okie Newton

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Cody, I'm not using WD bars. I have a Class V draw-tite hitch on the truck along with draw-tite's 8" drop (solid steel) that are both rated to 1,000 lbs tongue/10,000 GTW without WD bars. With the 8" drop my ball sits 19" off the ground (18 being perfect). The tongue weight of the unloaded trailer is only 640 lbs and I figure it's around 800-900 loaded. When I put the trailer on the truck it settles slightly and the trailer sits flat as a board. I have 1 friction style sway bar that I run. I've pulled the trailer in wind storms with gusts to 50 mph with almost no sway at all.

-Steve

 

[Andy Perreault]

Steve, I bet you are VERY happy you have an exhaust brake on your truck. People ask me what's my favorite add-on, and I always tell them, "the first thing you should put on your truck is an exhaust brake!" A co-worker of mine has a 3500 5-speed and he tows a huge horse trailer. I've been trying to get him to join the TDR and join us NW BOMBers, but he keeps finding reasons to procrastinate. He told me a few days ago that he towed his horse trailer with a tractor inside from Boise to Seattle, and he said he had some major brake fade on Deadman Pass. I said, "You need to get an exhaust brake," and he said, "Yeah, I know, I know. "
I think of that line from old American Express commercials: DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!
Andy

 

[ARARAR]

Read your post, nice set-up, but I'll have to take you to task on not using WD bars. It doesn't matter what your hitch is rated at as long as you stay with-in its limits. The problem is all the weight of that trailer sit directly on the hitch ball not the rear axel and can be compounded by any sudden evasive manuvers or sudden gusts of wind and can effect the steering because it will have a tendency to want to raise the front of the truck off the ground; it'll be like the tail wagging the dog. Consider yourself fortunate on your first outing, but please use the WD bars.

 

[merryman]

Steve;
I wasn't offended----just enviouse about your power. I am leaning more and more the bombing direction.
Andy is right about the exhaust brake. Its the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Vaughn