2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission New Truck

[DGamelin]

Well it has been awhile since I have been on here, just don't seem to have the time anymore. We finally replaced the 93 (old dodge) at 310k miles still ran good but the body was rotting away. We got a 2000 (little dodge) from Dallas TX super clean. When we broght it home it towed a load on the way home. First short bed I have ever had. When we got it back we shot the works, new dash and every kind of maintenance we could think of, even had it under coated after the new gooesneck hitch. It has been out to the east cost and a couple of other runs. The other day it just died. The injection pump crapped, as we took it apart every steel fuel line and banjo fitting is rusted inside all the way to the filler neck. I have never seen this much rust in a diesel that ran. The entire fuel system is being replaced from the filler neck to the pump, only the tank and plastic lines stay. That hurts, so much for the good deal. Our 2wd is usually used for pick up and delivery of a single tractor at a time, so it can avoid the DOT bull. We are buliding a custom gooesneck trailer just for it.


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2000 2wd xc sb 354 auto 160k
2004.5 4wd cc dully 373 6speed 2005k

 

[VolsFan]

Congratulations on the truck, a shame the fuel system failed but at least you can get it put back better than factory now. See your from the U P, I worked with a guy for a few years that was from there. Just about the craziest guy I have ever known, but a great person. Ended up moving back up there, kalumett I think. Anyways, nice clean 2nd gen

 

[JR]

Clean looking truck! Interesting about the rust in the fuel lines. I wonder if the truck sat for long periods of time and developed condensation in the lines, or perhaps they were running some old farm fuel through it...that's definitely strange. That's one reason I run an extra f/w separator and a 3 mic filter, between the VP and a good set of injectors, there is a small fortune in parts that could be easily wiped out with a bad tank of fuel.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

It will be nice when the fuel system is taken care of. Be sure the tank, plastic lines, anything left over, gets thoroughly cleaned and inspected.

 

[DGamelin]

JR
The truck spent it's life in down town Dallas. I don't think it's ever seen a days work. It still has the original U-Joints in it. The owner was in the military, so it was mainly driven by the wife while he was gone. Humidity there is extremely high. I think the problem started with low quality plating of the steel parts. When I started looking for parts I saw that there is an aftermarket filler neck tube. Checked with the company that makes them and they sell a lot of them. The vent side of the tube of the neck is where all the rust was. It was literally bubbling out of the end of the tube. Seeing as it's a small tube, I suppose it's hard to plate in there. The guy had said that they had put some type of additive in it with every tank full. I'm not a big fan of all of these additives. Some are more corrosive than people realize. This additive may have ate some of the plating away, especially in the fuel lines where the fuel sat. The fuel lines had little round balls of rust stuck to the insides of them. When we took the accending unit out of the tank the top and bottom of the pick up screen had over a 1/4" of crap on it. When we tried to clean it the screen just disintegrated. The guy had said that the injection pump had been changed at 100k miles so I thought we were good. I brought a fuel gauge with me to check the fuel pressure at the injuection pump before I bought the truck and it read good. I think another part of the problem was they always had their service done at a quick lube type outfit. Just before we got there he had it serviced again. So when we got back we didn't change the fuel filter because it was on the invoice. After the pump crapped we took the filter out and it didn't look like it had been changed in years. I suppose the outfit could have been taking advantage of his wife while he was gone. The bottom 1 1/2" of the fuel fitler housing looked like it was just dissolving. I don't know if this is from water sitting in there or whatever the addivtive is they were putting in it. One more thing I found odd was the plastic return line right at the fuel tank was kinked shut so I don't believe the fuel was circulating like it should. This may have been why the first pump went out. I think the kink has been there since it was new. It doesn't look like the tank has ever been dropped.

Joesph
Yes I like knowing where the maintenance is at on a vehical, I just hate learning it like this. We have an inbed fuel tank that we haven't installed yet. We're goin to get it done now so we can eliminate some of the plastic factory fuel lines that we can't check inside of. The inside of the tank looks like new.

Our old 93 went 310k miles and the only thing ever done to the engine was a $2 o-ring and a set of valve cover gaskets. That was a good old truck.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Nice truck. Sorry to hear about the rust. That's possibly from either sitting a lot in a barn, or bad fuel, such as homebrew biodiesel. Who knows at this point?

I like running a 3/4 under a trailer, myself... I built a 24' with two 7,000lb 8lugs, so between 14Klbs + 8800lbs (or even 11,000 for my duallies), I stay below the 26,001lb GCCW DOT cutoff weight.... Been stopped twice by the weights and measures here in Texas, and after they scratch their heads for a minute, they release me with a warning for something bogus.... I'm never that lucky with the Kenworth!! I loophole several of the requirements with Farm tags, but still they're always watching for a way to raise revenue....

(Dang, I can't delete it to upload the edited/rotated pic.... bah!!)

 

[JR]

HH, if that goose is a homebuilt gadget its pretty dang slick! I fabbed a tag tilt with 2 7k lb axles, with a head ache rack up front to mount a winch. But it doesn't look that good!

BTW, you ready to start negotiations on that ol crewcab yet? Oo.

 

[DGamelin]

That gooseneck looks nice, but now my neck hurts.

 

[HHhuntitall]

That gooseneck looks nice, but now my neck hurts.

Yeah, sorry 'bout that... dang thing is right side up as it's loaded on my PC... WTH?

HH, if that goose is a homebuilt gadget its pretty dang slick! I fabbed a tag tilt with 2 7k lb axles, with a head ache rack up front to mount a winch. But it doesn't look that good!

BTW, you ready to start negotiations on that ol crewcab yet? Oo.

Yours looks pretty good, but like mine, you can't see much of it... I like yours, except for the fenders.... they won't hold me.... On mine, I used 10" channel, and have driven over them with a tractor and various other trucks repeatedly, with no problems. They'll even take a ratchet tie down.... Dang this is 3"x8" rectangular tubing frame, and you can jack up one front corner, and it barely leans, lifting the whole front of the trailer!! It's solid!! I've got close to 75k logged on it, and it's worked fantastic, other than the cheap press treated floor lumber coming apart. I've got a receiver hitch welded in on the upper gooseneck brace, so I can slide in my winch and use my jumper cables to jump to the truck battery if I don't have the quick connect. I built it as part of an FFA project with the local school, so I took time I wouldn't have in building it, teaching the kids how to get it straight, how to weld a good bead, and then paint and wiring. It took forever, but the final product was well worth it. The kids won in their class at the state finals, so they got all kinds of new tools and hardware for their shop. They did a good job, for their part. I've been really tickled with it, and plan on building another for my Dad.....

Crewcab? Which one? PM me, I might be willing, but they won't be cheap...

 

[JR]

I actually cheated on the fenders, I bought them from a trailer supply company. They were a scratch and dent pair which didn't really matter because I had to modify them a little anyway and repainted them once they were welded on when I sprayed the rest of the trailer. I've got just under 7 feet between the fenders, so driving over them hasn't been a concern with anything I've hauled yet. I'm not a real fan of deck overs, they are nice in the fact that they generally have a narrower wheel base but I like having a lower center of gravity. There are a few things I would change if I did it over, but overall it's been a good trailer for my needs.

PM on its way.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Mine's 86" between the fenders, but the Coyote Interceptor, with it's 44" boggers wouldnt' go between the fenders. Neither will my old Farmall or any of the duallies.... which usually don't get backed on, but if they do have to be backed on, you can go over the fenders with no problems... And the center of gravity is much lower, as you said, and they don't catch near as much wind. Amazing what 10-12" will do, especially when it's not catching wind!! It's great for structural steel, at 24' long, and just right for just about anything you need to haul, except pipe, which doesn't catch much wind, and usually goes on the big gooseneck or 53' step deck. 24' gets around really well in most places, clears terraces and rough ranch roads, and I can load and unload a lot of stuff by hand with it being so much more closer to the ground.... Hard to lift that 300lbs over your waist!! Also handy as a wash rack!!

I'd change a few little things on mine, like the spare tire rack, maybe.... The sun eats the spare up, so it needs a lid, and I'd put two chain pulls in the rear, and two D rings in the front. Just little things. Eventually, it'll need new paint, and I'll add that stuff on there... Gonna try to build another one next year....

 

[DGamelin]

It is really cool what you did with the FFA project and the kids, and they won, way to go. The trailer sounds tuff.

If I can I will put some pics of the one I am building now. It will have the lowest deck on a gooseneck I have built. The lower the load the less wind drag to deal with and you dont have to sweat the corners. It is being built to haul 1 or 2 compact tractors at a time, it's only a 21ft, trying to keep it light. Even the neck will be shorter in height and length for a 2wd short bed. It will have 2 6k 4" droop axles and I am hoping to use 15" tires.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Ugh!! 15" is a PITA, IMO... I've had 'em for years, and finally gotten rid of most of 'em.... I like the low profile 16" for load capacity and flat prevention. Bigger bearings, bigger brakes, better load capacity on axles...... I'd rather sacrifice the fuel economy than the axles... but again, that's JMO. But I also run a various load pattern, from just a pallet or two to a New Holland TS100, to a Cat 297 Skidsteer with grapple bucket.... If I get in a real bind, I can use a spare off my horse trailers, too, so 8 lug is the only way for me to go.... I've got two trailers that're 5 lug.... and I bent the shnot out of one this fall with a water tank, so it's out of commission until I get time to rebuild it. The other is seldom pulled with my spare welder and torch setup on it.... My boat trailer uses the same pattern, but it's not pulled much, either, so there's not a good tire to be found on the whole fleet in 15"..... Out of 10 tires, two of which are spares, I think only one has air in it.... :-laf Dang mesquite thorns are hell on those lighter walled tires.... :-laf

 

[DGamelin]

If I run a 15" it'll be a 6 lug, and a 6k dexter axle will use the same wheel bearings as a 7k dexter axle. Both will use 12" brakes. As a matter of fact the 8 lug drums of a 7k can be interchanged onto a 6k axle. They also make a 15" E rated tire, kind of hard to find, I haven't ran them yet, but we have a customer running them on a dump trailer and he has good luck with them. I'm trying to keep this trailer light and low. Here is a picture of one of my favorite trailer, I didn't build this but I drew the plans for it. This was built to have the lowest deck on a 12" I-beam that I could come up with. It had drive over fenders, 8k oil bath hubs, and 215s on 17.5 rims H rated. The tires were about 30" tall. The deck was around 29" tall. I had one with triple 7s but because of costs I had 235s on it, so the deck wasn't as low. I get what you mean if 15s give me truble I will get read of them, we pull the big loads with the dually.

 

[fest3er]

Yeah, sorry 'bout that... dang thing is right side up as it's loaded on my PC... WTH?

Looks OK t'me, mate. That's how everything looks Down Under.

 

[JR]

I went with 7k axles just for the extra cushion, I rarely exceed 10-12k lbs combined (trailer and load). I have made some lengthy trips with it and did not like the idea of running axles/tires/hubs at close to their max rating for hundreds of miles...
DGamelin, I have not looked extensively into trailer tires but I would imagine you could find a lower profile 16" wheel/tire combo to match the same profile as a 15" tire? That would make me nervous just for the fact an E rated 15" tire is not going to be easy to come by in an emergency... I was in New Jersey right after I built my trailer and ran over a nasty chunk of steel in the road. I managed to miss it with the truck (barely) but my trailer has a wider track and wouldn't you know it I caught it with the right side and DESTROYED both tires. I only carry one spare so immediately I was on the phone looking for a set, and was able to source 2 within 20 miles of where I was. That may not be the case with a 15" tire...

 

[DGamelin]

You are right I checked, none of the tire stores I deal with have them in stock. My plan was when I finish it if I don't like the ground clearince I would go to 16". I want mags that mach the truck and the 16 for the truck don't come cheep but the 15" for the durango that match are a lot cheeper. Tell me about the tc lockup switch you have, and how do you like it.

 

[HHhuntitall]

I'd forgotten the 6k and 7k were the same spindles and backing plates....

Ever design anything over rectangular tubing? Put that in your sliderule and calculate it!! :-laf I like I beam, but channel iron is overated, IMO..... If you don't box it every so many feet per size, it twists too badly. I've built several 24 and 30ft trailers with it, and it whips going down the highway empty, and is prone to sag when loaded heavy.... and it's not easy to preload squarely. The I beam is fairly easy to preload, calculate the droop, and reinforce in a reasonable manner. Then you can punch the cross sections to reduce weight, but that starts getting expensive!!

 

[JR]

I agree, channel has a tendency to flex if it isnt properly supported. My main frame and tilt platform are both primarily 6" channel with 4" channel for stringers every 12". The tilt platform is 18' with 4' of fixed deck up front, 22 ft overall. For a tag it tows extremely well, but I also use a weight distribution hitch with sway control for any top heavy loads.

The TC lock up is a backyard job that only costs a toggle switch and a little wire...it only locks third and 4th gear, I installed it in anticipation of putting on an inline exhaust brake but have since decided to go a different route. I bought an HE351vgt (found on the 6.7s with the integrated exhaust brake). Turbo and exhaust brake are controlled with a stand alone controller. So basically I don't really use it at the moment, waiting for a free weekend to do the swap. Sometimes I'll flip it on if I'm rolling through some hilly terrain with a trailer, and then it will provide the same amount of engine retard as a standard transmission, they tend to be hard on stock transmissions unless your running higher line pressure, a good solid single disc convertor, etc.
PM me with your email if your interested and I can shoot you a copy of a wiring diagram. I've got it in PDF format and cant figure out how to post it on here.

 

[DGamelin]

My original plan was to use two 5k axles, which do use a smaller bearing, but Dexter no longer makes 5k axles. That's why I went up to 6s. If I end up using a 8 lug I'm going wish I had used a 7k.

I'm not a big fan of rectangular tubing. We have a problem up here with salt getting in them and rusting real quick from the inside out. Our enclosed trailers use tubing, they seal them properly and they don't have any issues with them. More of our dump trailers are coming with tubing on them. PJs uses them for the side rails on their goosenecks, I've seen them rot through in less than eight years. Also forktruck drivers play hell on the rub rails, caving in the tubes while loading. The trailer I'm building now will have a tube in it for one of the cross members only because I'm going to mount the loading/back-up lights in it. I was thinking about running one piece of tubing up the center of the trailer as a torque tube, but ground clearance is going to be an issue. My favorite is I-beam also by all means. I think C channel is fine on lighter trailers. The one we're working on now will be 8" C channel. I've got a picture here but we can't get a good shot, with so many things in the shop right now you can't back up to get a good picture.