Mods on my tow pig

[smokeonthewater]

So my 99.5 f-350 has had quite a bit done to it and I thought you guys might enjoy seeing some of the mods ...

Truck is a crew cab 4x4 longbed dually with a 7.3 powerstroke and a ZF-6 trans... It originally had a 4r100 auto but I swapped when the slush-o-matic died.
The column shifter was re-purposed into a trailer brake lever. I shortened and reshaped it and topped it off with a "not for parking" chrome knob.

I modified my electric brake controller inside to allow the cable from the shifter to actuate the manual lever on the controller.



I have a roll n lock tonneau cover, a 100 gallon aux fuel tank (plumbed to a selector valve and wired to the factory gauge with a main/aux switch on the dash) a curt 20k lb slider 5th wheel hitch and an over the bedrail toolbox dropped down with a home made bracket that bolts to the 5th wheel rails.

I have 5k lb helper air bags and have been adjusting them with a chuck from the back bumper area which leads to my current project.......

[smokeonthewater]

truck trailer and jeep in tow

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[smokeonthewater]

sooo I looked around and the commercially available inflation systems were about $450 and were limited in what they could do so I decided to save money (YEAH RIGHT) n DIY
It all started off innocent enough but as the rusty wheels started turning n I started shopping the net I MAY have gotten just a little out of control.

First step, my bmw came to me with a nice kenwood stereo with a flip out touch screen navigation dvd, sirius ipod controls, etc but it was too much of a burglar magnet to be in a convertible in it went.

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Here was plan A for controlling the bags and I even tried using a co2 tank from a paintball gun... it worked but was slow and the tank would freeze up.... like instant frost bite if you touched it frozen. Note the F-650 lower dash mod ;)
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OK soooo on to plan B:

5370 $17 5-125 psi regulator (will be in dash)

5371$15 Switch panel from AOB

[smokeonthewater]

5372 $23 Camera switch from AOB

5373 $23 Compressor switch from AOB

5374 $14 Monaco rv mirror heat switch from ebay

5375 $15 Monaco rv air dump switch from ebay

5376 $35 Waterproof wide angle night vision camera from ebay

[charlie_the_tuna]

is it just me?? I don't see any pictures.

[phatdaddy]

no pics either, plus i have no idea what your talking about

[smokeonthewater]

5377 $17 2.4 ghz tx and rx for camera (on the back of my 5th wheel to watch my jeep) from ebay

5378 $37 3 way 12v air valve to dump bags from electricsolenoidvalves.com

5379 $188 Viair 400c from Quadratech

Also into about $100 worth of brass fittings, misc hoses, and a pressure switch.

Right at $650 so far UGH

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so the roll n lock has a 1' square box in the front of the bed requiring that my fuel tank is mounted a foot back from the front... this creates a void for the tank n compressor.

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[THEFERMANATOR]

hmmm... I linked in 22 pics so far... wonder why they aren't working????
I'll work on it when I get a chance.

You're linking from another forum that requires you to be logged in to see the pictures. You need to use a photo hosting site or upload them here for us to see them.

[smokeonthewater]

I had an old air tank from a semi and I bent up some brackets n hardened by heating w a torch n dropping them into a bucket of water a few times.

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[smokeonthewater]

The autometer gauges I installed in the F650 lower dash.... Pyro, boost, and air pressure
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Still waiting on most of my parts to arrive


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Ok well it has been stupid cold and getting colder but I managed a little more progress today... no more pics yet but I got my regulator, 3 way valve, and mirror heat switch today. I got the wiring run through the dash,into the doors, and hooked up to the mirrors for both mirror heat, and the mirror turn signals. I also got the wiring (power, ground, and illumination) for the heat switch all done and have wiring in place to build the rest of the switch harnesses as the switches show up and I see what each needs.
I also got the 3-way (dump) valve plumbed in and wiring connected to it and was able to test it... Works GREAT... Very pleased with it.
Same with the regulator except that I need to go pick up a couple of 90 degree fittings for the air lines on it as the straight fittings pointing opposite directions would make routing the lines a pain. I was able to mock it up and test it and I'm very happy with it as well.
No new pics yet but soon

[Destroyer]

[QUOTE=smokeonthewater;211112]sooo I looked around and the commercially available inflation systems were about $450 and were limited in what they could do so I decided to save money (YEAH RIGHT) n DIY
It all started off innocent enough but as the rusty wheels started turning n I started shopping the net I MAY have gotten just a little out of control.


Just a little. :you: (But truthfully, it looks like a really nice job so far. Keep up the good work! You might want to put back up/proximity sensors in your rear bumper also. Less that $50 on eBay and they work really well. I put them in my Land Rover and they work great).

[RidgeRunner]

Need some curb feelers too for that Oh So Fat dually rear end.. Drive Thru's just are not your friend in that rig. How do you keep the fenders on her? LOL! Nice switchgear, hoping it works out for you. Was this begun before or after the vardka worm ordeal?

The thought of gummy flavored vardka unsettles my stomach.

[macojoe]

Nice truck! I use to have a roll cover just like yours, but here in the NE it sucked come winter, froze closed all the time. i ended up getting rid of it, but they are nice.

[bradford]

Bet it hurts filling that 100 gallons aux tank.

Sounds like a bunch of cool mods, off topic, but I can't see the pics, when I click on them it sends me to the V20.com screen telling me I'm not logged in even though I am. For what it's worth it does the same whenever I click on any of Ridgerunner's pics too, never been able to see any of them. Something MJ or valiant may be able to do?

[chart]

no problem seeing pics here!

[smokeonthewater]

Just a little. :you: (But truthfully, it looks like a really nice job so far. Keep up the good work! You might want to put back up/proximity sensors in your rear bumper also. Less that $50 on eBay and they work really well. I put them in my Land Rover and they work great).

Thanks D..... EDIT: hmm did a little research on those parking sensors.... wow they can be had for barely over $10... amazing... might have to add one at some point if I can figure out a slick way to mount w/o drilling my bumper

Need some curb feelers too for that Oh So Fat dually rear end.. Drive Thru's just are not your friend in that rig. How do you keep the fenders on her? LOL! Nice switchgear, hoping it works out for you. Was this begun before or after the vardka worm ordeal?

The thought of gummy flavored vardka unsettles my stomach.

That's what the huge mirrors are for... they stick out a couple inches wider than the fenders...

Well I've been working on the truck for years but the current project started a few days before the Drunken Worm Debacle... I was shopping for parts for the truck when I saw the two handed bag of worms and got the "bright idea"

Thx... coming along.... did a LOT of wire cutting n crimping tonight...

Nice truck! I use to have a roll cover just like yours, but here in the NE it sucked come winter, froze closed all the time. i ended up getting rid of it, but they are nice.

Thanks MJ.... I LOVE the cover 350 days out of the year and hate it with a passion the other 15.... The worst is when 6" of snow melts to 3" and freezes solid.

Bet it hurts filling that 100 gallons aux tank.

Sounds like a bunch of cool mods, off topic, but I can't see the pics, when I click on them it sends me to the V20.com screen telling me I'm not logged in even though I am. For what it's worth it does the same whenever I click on any of Ridgerunner's pics too, never been able to see any of them. Something MJ or valiant may be able to do?

Thx
Yep total capacity 140 gallons x $4.00 = lots

sounds like a permissions issue

[Destroyer]

Thanks D..... HMMMM How do those sensors work? Do they need a screen? I assume the system is powered by the backup light circuit and comes on automatically when you shift into reverse.

They pretty much work like the factory ones. As you back up they sound a buzzer or chime tone to let you know that something is behind you, and at the same time an led lights up on a little gizmo on your dash. The closer you get to what you're backing up to, the more led's light up and the more chimes sound.

The cheaper kits come with 4 sensors for your rear bumper, the more expensive kits come with 8 sensors, for your front bumper, side fenders and rear bumper.

I just got the 4 sensor rear bumper one for the Land Rover. I think it cost me in the neighborhood of $20 including shipping. Works well, and is especially handy in a tight parking space. I can usually back to within a foot of another car without worrying about touching them.

You can also buy kits that have a small camera mounted on your rear license plate bracket, that sends a pic to a small screen that you mount on your dash or wherever you want, but they cost a tad more, usually in the neighborhood of $60 or thereabouts.

Follow this link to see the proximity sensors: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3984.m570.l1311.R1.TR11.TRC1.A0.Xc ar+parking+sensors&_nkw=car+parking+sensors&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[randlemanboater]

Looking good.

How long is that rig all together?

[smokeonthewater]

Looking good.

How long is that rig all together?

I can't remember for sure.... either 73' or78' is jumping out at me but I have had two different trailers, 2 different tow bars, 2 different trucks and 2 different 5th wheel hitches, and mounting positions in the current truck.I've been meaning to measure it again and been meaning to make a video next time I hook it all up and move.

[smokeonthewater]

I used 10 gauge wire and a 40 amp fuse but have warm wire and 1.75 volt drop at the compressor... My clamp meter shows a 29 amp draw... Guess I'll have to up it to 8 gauge
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I did LOTS of wire cutting n crimping and built 95% of the wiring harness for the switch panel.. the heater mirrors are wired and functional. The mirror turn signals are wired and terminated under the steering column but I haven't figured out which wires to tap into yet.
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I installed the 3 way valve under the dash and wired it to a temporary switch (all black in pic) till my dump switch arrives.
I also decided to mount the regulator under the dash and turned my 4 bank switch panel into a 6 bank.
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I also took the whole air system back apart to seal everything with teflon.... The system is now completely plumbed except for my pressure switch that I HOPE will show up tomorrow..... At this point I can only find one small leak which is the temporary plug I put finger tight in the port where the pres switch goes...

Accidentally tested the pop off valve today too... I had the compressor running and got side tracked and didn't unplug it so it got above 150 psi... the pop off is set for 165 and it SCARED THE CRAP out of me when it went off.... It dropped the pressure in the 3.7 gallon tank from 165 to 80 in about half a second.....

[smokeonthewater]

I got my turn mirror signals wired up to the harness under the steering column and I also rewired the compressor with 8 ga wire... now I have a .25v drop instead of the 1.75 I had with the 10 ga. I had an extra starter relay so I mounted it on the fender right next to the existing one and wired the compressor from it... I will install a 50 amp fuse between the constant hot on the starter relay and the same on the added relay.
Now the compressor is drawing 33 amps and running faster plus the wire isn't getting hot any more.
I routed the remote air intake for the compressor and put the roll n lock back on.

Since I'm sooo good at staying on task I got distracted and removed the driver's seat to get the upholstery off to get a small tear repaired...... I MAY look into swapping the bottom covers and foam between the driver's and passenger's seats....would be like a whole new seat again.