Homestead

I ran BFG 315's for awhile on the OEM aluminum wheels and liked them a lot but couldn't get them to wear flat. I'm very picky about tire pressures and tires wearing flat across the tread so I do all the tricks to get there....chalk the tread, etc etc.I needed up getting rid of them at about 25,000 miles.I am now running Goodyear Duratracs in 285 size and they wear dead flat with mileage sitting at about 70,000 miles on them right now.I have talked to and know a few people who run 315 Duratracs on stock OEM wheels and they get the same results that I am getting so the next tire purchase, real quick actually will be 315 Duratracs.The Duratrac is in my mind an awesome tire. Up here in Alberta, we get every scenario when it comes to weather and conditions and throw living on a farm into the mix and you get a good workout for a tire. I have zero complaints about them, never had a flat to date and recommend them.Jeff

My old girl gets a drooling rear seal about once every year. I always though it would be a hassle knowing the torque values and tools needed to do the job so I just took it to the dealer and about $150 later it was done.The the last time I had it at a dealer, I stood outside the bay and watched the mechanic change the seal out. It took him longer to get the drive shaft off than to change the seal. All they use is a cheap 3/4 drive, hammer the nut off, tap the yoke off, change the seal, yoke on and hammer the nut back on. Simple as that, takes a couple of minutes.I asked the mechanic about all this and he was pretty straight forward about it....there are no crush sleeves, it's all shims, blast the nut back on and be done with it. The nut will only go so tight, and it will be tight enough, easy enough.So now I do it myself at home, 20 minutes and it's done. Cheapo 3/4 drive impact puts out about 900 - 1000 lbs ft of torque, hammer it on.Have never had an issue with either my truck or all the buddies of mine who come over and borrow my junk to fix their rear seals.I know it's probably not the right way to do via "the book" but it works and I'm not doing it any different than my local dealer(s).Jeff

Not sure what part of Canada your in but AMSOIL is available just about everywhere here in Alberta.I have run AMSOIL MTF since almost day one on my truck, it's got over 255,000 miles on it now and it shifts better now than when new.The biggest key to longevity is the 6 quart (liter) overfill and you have that covered. Pulling the PTO cover is a good thing to wipe it out also. It's tight but can be done, the other thing for next time is to jack the rear end up as high as you can get it, you'll be surprised how much oil is still in there when it all bleeds out the PTO hole.Jeff

I am equipped with a pre and post pyro and there is a huge difference in readings. Pre is manifold and post is turbo elbow at exhaust.Poking along the highway in cruise mode, pretty much the same readings give or take a few degrees. Put a load on it, climb a hill or pull a trailer, huge differences upwards of over 700 degrees.Both gages are marked with the standard green, yellow and red zones. A good portion of the time when I am under load while towing up a hill, I can balance the pre pyro around 1100 degrees and the post pyro will read over 1600.Around town while towing in traffic, the post pyro is all over the scale as I up and downshift in traffic.Obviously I drive by the pre turbo pyro and you should also be monitoring that temp not at the turbo itself.Jeff

I went through Avondale Dodge in Arizona to get mine. I live in Alberta , Canada and found them on Ebay. They were factory OEM headlight assemblies with the turn signal assembly for $110 each. My local dealer was over $225 just for the headlamp.I was a little hesitant with a to good to be true thought but went for it. They arrived in OEM Mopar boxes and were identical to my truck assemblies right down to the markings and part numbers.I have since ordered quite a few parts from them directly and have had awesome service far beyond even my local dealer.They go by avondaleautomotive on Ebay and you are dealing directly with the parts department. Haven't been on Ebay lately to see what they have but I have had good luck non the less.Jeff

The little old Carter pump has gotten a bad rap for some time now but it isn't as bad as it comes across. If it is setup properly, it will live a very happy life with great service. My truck has it's pump set up almost exactly like the picture shows. Under the driver, on the outside of the frame. It's been there for over 100,000 miles right behind the driver's front tire. If you go through the motions to install bigger fuel lines and the appropriate fittings to make them work, you will have as much fuel as you need. I have removed the factory mounting, extended the factory power plug down to the new location and run 3/8 inch fuel line from the tank forward, simple as that. Everything is available online from various shops, mine was all purchased through Vulcan Performance. Even now with over 100,000 miles on it, I still get 15 psi at idle and under heavy load, can't get it below 11 psi. I will admit, there is a spare under the seat for that moment in time when it does fail, but the way it is mounted, I can change it out on the side of the road if need be in under 15 minutes. There is nothing wrong with the Raptors and AirDog pumps as well as all the others out there, but they do fail and I know lot's of people that have had them fail. Try finding parts or a replacement for one of these when your broke down in middle of nowhere USA. The old Carter is available just about anywhere and push come to shove, there is usually one sitting on a shelf in some feed store somewhere. They were used on just about everything and can be easily adapted if needed. Plus for the price of the after market pumps, you can carry a spare Carter under the seat and still be ahead $$$ Just for some stupid reason, Dodge figured they could suck fuel while mounted on the motor itself when we all know electric pumps push far more efficiently. The location is bad, not the pump. Jeff

I have had a mechanical in the dash for 10 years now with no issues. I run a stainless braided line from the bottom of the fuel filter canister directly to the guage. Have a small needle valve just slightly cracked opened working as an dampener. It also is my insurance to remove the fuel from the cab in case of a leak.Do it right and there won't be any issues with leaks or problems. Mechanical gage setups will better take the pulse abuse of the VP than an electrical.Jeff

I just welded a standard bung into the middle of the drivers side PTO plate and run an electric ISSPRO trans temp guage. Depending on the temperature in your area at the time, the guage usually doesn't move, it starts at 140 degrees. In the warmer months, it can climb pretty fast depending on what your doing, running empty or loaded. You learn to drive by the temp guage when your towing heavy. When the temps get up there, just down shifting to 5th drops the temps pretty quick. I will admit to being a bit of an information junkie with the amount of gages in my truck but I look at it as cheap insurance for warnings instead of the unexpected big bang when son=mething does go poof. Jeff - - - Updated - - - Something I forgot to mention. I don't know if anyone does this when they drain their 5600 for an oil change. I personally pull both PTO plates off, takes a few extra minutes but I feel it's worth it. When the trans is draining, I jack the rear of the truck up as high as I can get it, going so far to use a block or two of wood on the floor jack to get it a bit higher. It is surprising how much extra fluid will come out! Plus with both PTO plates off, you can see inside a little more and get an idea if something is starting to go wrong. Sorry for blabbing on Jeff

The 5600 is not an easy transmission to rebuild. The entire gear cluster is assembled outside the case and then dropped in. This requires dealing with holding fixtures and weight while you maneuver the gear cluster. The most important aspect of rebuilding the 5600 is having the use of a 50 ton hydraulic press, a 20 ton won't come close.Issue 64-May/June/July/ 2009 of the TDR magazine has a excellent wrie up about rebuilding the NV5600With regards to shift quality and such, are you running 6 quarts instead of the recommended fill? The overfill of lubricant takes care of an under oiling problem with the rear bearing and 6th gear cluster.My 02 is presently sitting at 255,000 miles, most of them towing, and the 5600 is flawless in shifting. Regular oil changes, myself using Amsoil MTF have resulted in no appreciable wear in the last 10 years.Temperature monitoring also plays a big part in the 5600's life. Running in 6th gear loaded or empty is actually hotter than running in 5th. I have had temps as high as 240 degrees towing in 6th on flat ground, but down shifting to 5th even for a short time will drop the temps 20 - 30 degrees.Hope it helpsJeff