Things

[hounddog]

Why would you put drilled rotors on a tow vehicle??

Having drilled holes on a brake rotor makes it easy for heat, gas and water to be quickly moved away from the rotor surface.  Same reason I am going to change out the drums on the camper to disc brakes: they just work better.

I use the truck for everything: daily driving, farm work and hauling heavy farm equipment, hunting, off road trailing in Northern Michigan, business and now the camper.  I want brakes that will not fade, or fail due to water intrusion.

Rotors are throw away, so if one cracks you just get a new set of pads and rotors and start fresh. 

[hounddog]

I thought he was a couple years older than that. Anyways, congratulations.

Thanks.

We are looking at the possibility of having both sons on the same team, which would be incredible.  My younger has always wanted to play at State while the older only recently decided on it when he decided he wanted to do veterinarian work at zoos and with wildlife.  MSU has one of the best programs for that so it ended up being an easy choice for him.  Now we will never have to miss one sons game for the other. 

But honestly, it shocked me.  Up until maybe March he had his heart set on Rochester Medical School, but decided that he would follow his childhood dream of being a vet.  Either way, I am very proud of the boy.  I am going to be able to say, "My son, the doctor."  Haha

[GoCougs]

Actually, my truck is rated for 17,800lbs by the builder with the 4.56 gearing it now has.  The hitch is a 20k Curt, best in the business and made in Wisconsin. (Coincidently, it was exactly $1 more than the 16k Drawtite made in Mexico) The brakes were upgraded to Hawk Super Duty pad over Brembo drilled rotors.  Lastly, since that photo the truck has been fitted with AirLift air bag suspension for better ride and ride height, and better load control. 

Believe me when I tell you the vehicle is more than competent and safe in its ability to pull this trailer.   

Gearing and airbags don't give 1-ton towing capacity to a 3/4-ton (see below). If that's all it took Dodge (and other automakers) would do that from the factory.

4.44 standard gear ratio and Aisin transmission. 

The 5500 comes standard with 4.10 gears and both the 2500 and 5500 HO Cummins can be outfitted with the Aisin transmission.

Despite having the same engine, transmission and gearing as the 2500, the 5500 has significantly higher towing capacity owing to bigger brakes, stiffer/beefier springs, stronger frame, beefier differentials/axles, 19.5" commercial rims/tires, and most importantly, rear duallies.

[Rupert]

On the other hand, his rig is rated for the weight, and you see the same setup all over the place. It's dumb because it's stupid huge and slow and in the way of the rest of us, not because his truck is too small.

[Rupert]

Having drilled holes on a brake rotor makes it easy for heat, gas and water to be quickly moved away from the rotor surface.  Same reason I am going to change out the drums on the camper to disc brakes: they just work better.

I use the truck for everything: daily driving, farm work and hauling heavy farm equipment, hunting, off road trailing in Northern Michigan, business and now the camper.  I want brakes that will not fade, or fail due to water intrusion.

Rotors are throw away, so if one cracks you just get a new set of pads and rotors and start fresh. 

I do a lot of pretty much all of that (I daresay more than you), and I've never had a problem with the stock brakes on a 2500 of that generation unless the trailer brakes were busted or not set up right. No fade, certainly no failure.

[veeman]

i don't find RVs that much of a nuisance.  Almost always you see them on an interstate highway in either the right lane or center lane.  I can't remember the last time I saw an RV driver speed.  On local roads, they're real easy to pass once you get a dashed yellow center line.

RV drivers are usually real safe because they're older family guys. 

I also don't think it's very common to hear in the news about RV drivers causing havoc to themselves or other drivers on the road.  It happens but not any more common than any other type of driver. 

It's usually the large passenger vans carrying church goers that I hear about in terrible fatal accidents.

[280Z Turbo]

i don't find RVs that much of a nuisance.  Almost always you see them on an interstate highway in either the right lane or center lane.  I can't remember the last time I saw an RV driver speed.  On local roads, they're real easy to pass once you get a dashed yellow center line.

RV drivers are usually real safe because they're older family guys. 

I also don't think it's very common to hear in the news about RV drivers causing havoc to themselves or other drivers on the road.  It happens but not any more common than any other type of driver. 

It's usually the large passenger vans carrying church goers that I hear about in terrible fatal accidents.

That's because the Econoline is a tippy piece of shit.

[Soup DeVille]

i don't find RVs that much of a nuisance.  Almost always you see them on an interstate highway in either the right lane or center lane.  I can't remember the last time I saw an RV driver speed.  On local roads, they're real easy to pass once you get a dashed yellow center line.

RV drivers are usually real safe because they're older family guys. 

I also don't think it's very common to hear in the news about RV drivers causing havoc to themselves or other drivers on the road.  It happens but not any more common than any other type of driver. 

It's usually the large passenger vans carrying church goers that I hear about in terrible fatal accidents.

No, they're a nuisance because they're too slow, large, and often can't seem to stay in the lane. They pull into rest stops and take up two spaces meant for rigs because they can't park any better than they can drive. They'll stay in the right lane in heavy traffic and block the entrance and exit ramps for other drivers.

[Lebowski]

I've never seen the appeal of traveling in one of these behemoths but to each their own I guess.

[Eye of the Tiger]

HAIL TO THE VICTORS! 

[Eye of the Tiger]

That's because the Econoline is a tippy piece of shit.

[Byteme]

Well life has given us some serious curve balls lately. 

Long story short, we got this for commuting to watch our son play football.

Where does your son play football that there are no motels, hotels or bed and breakfasts?   

I briefly considered a travel trailer, but soon rejected it.  When I go on a trip I don't want to spend my time cooking, cleaning and making beds.  That's what restaurants and hotel maids are for.     Plus, who wants to travel stuck in a gas hog truck dragging a small house behind them?   And don't even get me started on the economics of owning one.

But, having said that.  Enjoy your new toy and be safe with it.   

[GoCougs]

On the other hand, his rig is rated for the weight, and you see the same setup all over the place. It's dumb because it's stupid huge and slow and in the way of the rest of us, not because his truck is too small.

The 2011 Dodge 2500 Cummins is rated at ~14,000 lbs towing, depending on trim and body configuration.

[GoCougs]

No, they're a nuisance because they're too slow, large, and often can't seem to stay in the lane. They pull into rest stops and take up two spaces meant for rigs because they can't park any better than they can drive. They'll stay in the right lane in heavy traffic and block the entrance and exit ramps for other drivers.

That's just the start of it.

[GoCougs]

I do a lot of pretty much all of that (I daresay more than you), and I've never had a problem with the stock brakes on a 2500 of that generation unless the trailer brakes were busted or not set up right. No fade, certainly no failure.

I don't buy drilled rotors on a tow rig; never heard of it really. In fact I don't buy into drilled rotors in general. Tow rigs' brakes need to absorb heat for extended braking periods at relatively slow speeds - durability, reliability and extensive heat absorption is the name of the game. Advertised/believed advantages of slotted rotors aren't meant for any of that, plus they're weaker, have less brake area, and have less mass.

[Lebowski]

Where does your son play football that there are no motels, hotels or bed and breakfasts?   

I briefly considered a travel trailer, but soon rejected it.  When I go on a trip I don't want to spend my time cooking, cleaning and making beds.  That's what restaurants and hotel maids are for.     Plus, who wants to travel stuck in a gas hog truck dragging a small house behind them?   And don't even get me started on the economics of owning one.

But, having said that.  Enjoy your new toy and be safe with it.   

Yep, when I travel I don't want to clean, change bedding etc on top of the other massive hassles and expenses of owning/operating one of these things.  Give me a decent hotel over hauling my living space around with me any day.

[Rupert]

I don't buy drilled rotors on a tow rig; never heard of it really. In fact I don't buy into drilled rotors in general. Tow rigs' brakes need to absorb heat for extended braking periods at relatively slow speeds - durability, reliability and extensive heat absorption is the name of the game. Advertised/believed advantages of slotted rotors aren't meant for any of that, plus they're weaker, have less brake area, and have less mass.

Aye. IIRC, drilled/slotted rotors serve some purpose on some kinds of race cars, but beyond that, their primary function is to look cool.

[Rupert]

i don't find RVs that much of a nuisance.  Almost always you see them on an interstate highway in either the right lane or center lane.  I can't remember the last time I saw an RV driver speed.  On local roads, they're real easy to pass once you get a dashed yellow center line.

RV drivers are usually real safe because they're older family guys. 

I also don't think it's very common to hear in the news about RV drivers causing havoc to themselves or other drivers on the road.  It happens but not any more common than any other type of driver. 

It's usually the large passenger vans carrying church goers that I hear about in terrible fatal accidents.

You live in a flat area, I can tell. Where I drive a lot of the time, which is the federal and state highways throughout the west, RVs are a huge nuisance. There are not always passing lanes or dashed center lines or long straights or any of that without other traffic, and RVs drive slow up and down and around any curve. They're also huge and impossible to see around. And clueless as to what's going on behind them. And they're assholes about letting you pass and pulling out in front of you. And when they get this big, it's really just a pointless penis game to even have one of them.

There are lots of slow drivers out there, but you can at least see around them and pass them quickly and they know you're there.

[280Z Turbo]

I don't buy drilled rotors on a tow rig; never heard of it really. In fact I don't buy into drilled rotors in general. Tow rigs' brakes need to absorb heat for extended braking periods at relatively slow speeds - durability, reliability and extensive heat absorption is the name of the game. Advertised/believed advantages of slotted rotors aren't meant for any of that, plus they're weaker, have less brake area, and have less mass.

They're a good place for cracks to form.

[Raza]

Yep, when I travel I don't want to clean, change bedding etc on top of the other massive hassles and expenses of owning/operating one of these things.  Give me a decent hotel over hauling my living space around with me any day.

Jeez, anything above a bottom line motel is better than taking a shit in a bucket and then driving it around. 


But, to each his own.

[SVT666]

You live in a flat area, I can tell. Where I drive a lot of the time, which is the federal and state highways throughout the west, RVs are a huge nuisance. There are not always passing lanes or dashed center lines or long straights or any of that without other traffic, and RVs drive slow up and down and around any curve. They're also huge and impossible to see around. And clueless as to what's going on behind them. And they're assholes about letting you pass pulling out in front of you. And when they get this big, it's really just a pointless penis game to even have one of them.

There are lots of slow drivers out there, but you can at least see around them and pass them quickly and they know you're there.

Agree 100%.  We have a highway here that is so twisty that there isn't a passing lane for over an hour...and it's loaded with RVs in the summer.

[MX793]

I don't buy drilled rotors on a tow rig; never heard of it really. In fact I don't buy into drilled rotors in general. Tow rigs' brakes need to absorb heat for extended braking periods at relatively slow speeds - durability, reliability and extensive heat absorption is the name of the game. Advertised/believed advantages of slotted rotors aren't meant for any of that, plus they're weaker, have less brake area, and have less mass.

Cross drilling is done to save weight.  Slotting was originally done back when pad materials off-gassed when hot to vent gasses and prevent a "bubble" of gas from forming between the pad and the rotor.  Pad materials don't do that anymore.  Neither "feature" is of any benefit on a tow rig.  Cross drilled rotors might be of some benefit on a race car (for weight savings), though if you look at the rotors on an F1 car, they are neither drilled nor slotted.

[Soup DeVille]

Cross drilling is done to save weight.  Slotting was originally done back when pad materials off-gassed when hot to vent gasses and prevent a "bubble" of gas from forming between the pad and the rotor.  Pad materials don't do that anymore.  Neither "feature" is of any benefit on a tow rig.  Cross drilled rotors might be of some benefit on a race car (for weight savings), though if you look at the rotors on an F1 car, they are neither drilled nor slotted.

Because they're not metal. Different set of rules.

[veeman]

I'm finding the hate for RVs being expressed totally ridiculous.  There's plenty of reasons to want one that don't have to do with economics.  It's your own damn place your staying in rather than someone else's place (motel) and that's worth a lot.  You don't have to worry about ticks, theft, and early checkouts.  Cooking your own food is far healthier and more economical than eating out three meals a day.  The blight on the roads is completely overblown.  They are no more a nuisance than any other bus and I would bet a lot of us would love to ride in John Maddens bus (he is deathly afraid of flying).  And Raza that whole sleeping next to shit thing is funny but not a realistic concern.  I'm sure yacht owners arent up at night because they're sleeping next to their shit.  In addition, there's a shit load of shit inside you when you sleep at night as its lying in your colon waiting to be expelled in the morning before you go to work.

[Soup DeVille]

I'm finding the hate for RVs being expressed totally ridiculous.  There's plenty of reasons to want one that don't have to do with economics.  It's your own damn place your staying in rather than someone else's place (motel) and that's worth a lot.  You don't have to worry about ticks, theft, and early checkouts.  Cooking your own food is far healthier and more economical than eating out three meals a day.  The blight on the roads is completely overblown.  They are no more a nuisance than any other bus and I would bet a lot of us would love to ride in John Maddens bus (he is deathly afraid of flying).  And Raza that whole sleeping next to shit thing is funny but not a realistic concern.  I'm sure yacht owners arent up at night because they're sleeping next to their shit.  In addition, there's a shit load of shit inside you when you sleep at night as its lying in your colon waiting to be expelled in the morning before you go to work.

I understand why they're appealing, but on the road, a lot of them are a nuisance.

John Madden's bus is driven by a professional, who has mor experience with large vehicles than your average RVer does; as do drivers of motor coaches.

But, as far as the shit thing goes: I just wonder why incinerating toilets have never caught on in RVs. It would be worth it just to eliminate the 100 gallon black water tanks some of them have.

[GoCougs]

Because they're not metal. Different set of rules.

Well, to be fair, F1 is still ever the pansy ass collection of ninnies it's ever been; which means if it's a rule it doesn't automatically mean it's technically optimal.

[Soup DeVille]

Well, to be fair, F1 is still ever the pansy ass collection of ninnies it's ever been; which means if it's a rule it doesn't automatically mean it's technically optimal.

Go back in history far enough: F1 was pretty chock full of badasses.

[SVT32V]

I'm finding the hate for RVs being expressed totally ridiculous.  There's plenty of reasons to want one that don't have to do with economics.  It's your own damn place your staying in rather than someone else's place (motel) and that's worth a lot.  You don't have to worry about BED BUGS theft, and early checkouts.  Cooking your own food is far healthier and more economical than eating out three meals a day.  The blight on the roads is completely overblown.  They are no more a nuisance than any other bus and I would bet a lot of us would love to ride in John Maddens bus (he is deathly afraid of flying).  And Raza that whole sleeping next to shit thing is funny but not a realistic concern.  I'm sure yacht owners arent up at night because they're sleeping next to their shit.  In addition, there's a shit load of shit inside you when you sleep at night as its lying in your colon waiting to be expelled in the morning before you go to work.

FTFY

[veeman]

Thx! 

[Byteme]

I'm finding the hate for RVs being expressed totally ridiculous.  There's plenty of reasons to want one that don't have to do with economics.  It's your own damn place your staying in rather than someone else's place (motel) and that's worth a lot.  You don't have to worry about ticks, theft, and early checkouts.  Cooking your own food is far healthier and more economical than eating out three meals a day.  The blight on the roads is completely overblown.  They are no more a nuisance than any other bus and I would bet a lot of us would love to ride in John Maddens bus (he is deathly afraid of flying).  And Raza that whole sleeping next to shit thing is funny but not a realistic concern.  I'm sure yacht owners arent up at night because they're sleeping next to their shit.  In addition, there's a shit load of shit inside you when you sleep at night as its lying in your colon waiting to be expelled in the morning before you go to work.

A bit of inconsistancy there. 

Personally:
I don't want to spend the time on vacation cooking two or three meals a day.
I don't want to grocery shop. 
I don't want to make a bed, wash dishes, clean sinks.
I don't want to fiddle with grey and black water.
I don't want to be tied to RV parks.
I want to have the freedom to go places you can't go to in a small bus.   
If I go someplace like Washington DC or Charleston, I want to park close to or on the mall or downtown.


Around tourist destinations like national parks RV'S are a problem.  For every driver who knows what they are doing the is one who's rented one and has no clue.