rancherman

Oh man~ I learned something today! ....... I've been running after dead battery recharge most of the winter... Plus a couple times of having the batteries disconnected for various repairs! Haven't had any codes thrown however.. which is fine by me! So, in theory, this tells the 'computer' what the foot pedal 'limits' are? (idle and WOT)?

I think the threads on the big nut on the fan clutch are left hand. Turn the nut clockwise to loosen. I did a front cover reseal last fall, and if memory serves, I put a wrench on that nut, and a quick smack with a hammer on the wrench had it broke loose (one time 'impact wrench' LOL )

only time you'll get 'hot' out of the bottom of the tank is to put your 'hose' on the drain bib, and shut off the cold intake, THEN go upstairs and open a hot water faucet... (lets air in, water out) Turn off the electricity before draining. You won't be able to push water up and outside like you did.. but if you have a basement drain it will drain out. I always figured the cold went clear to the bottom of the tank, so it had a chance to temper a little before 'hitting' the heating element. I'd bet the first couple gallons that came out was hot, but by the time you got outside, it was long gone... and the cold water that came in the bottom of the tank was going right out the drain bib.

That guys RE automatic must be a lot better than all the RH's I've burnt up over the years!

Isx you were on the south side of the low, and Mntom was on the north side... as it tracked to the north east. I unfortunately was right under it, and only got a little fog and mist. Severe weather in the Midwest usually starts right on top of me.... I watch little puffs of clouds all day long, just sitting here, they build up, and with a couple of sharp cracks of lightning, poof! they are racing off toward Sioux City or Sioux falls SD... with the nastiest line of thunderheads I call it the 5 o'clock storm. There goes all my soil moisture!

Dang it, I re read your post, and see you didn't turn the soil? Your wanting to plant into the remaining grass that is still there? (to thicken up the stand)? You better get it done asap, cause the plants already there will very soon start growing, they'll shade the new plants, and 'steal' the moisture from the little seedlings... Plus, dragging the new seed in doesn't work as well when the drag is bouncing up over the old plants..

what's the seed? geez, April SHOULD be a good month to seed just about any grass. I JUST got started yesterday planting oats. Shoot, usually, by now they are 3-4 inches tall! dragging, spreading, then dragging again is a good way to plant. You want very fine (very very small soil clumps....almost powder) to get the best soil to seed contact. And firmness of the ground. Don't be afraid to drag several times, in different directions. This is where YOUR observations on how wet the soil is, and how it works. Too wet, and the clumps just get bigger and bigger. your wheel tracks get worse, . (and when they do dry out, they are like cement... little seeds can't punch though) STAY OUT OF THE FIELD! Too dry, and the soil doesn't crumble very easily to make your fine seed bed... and more dragging is needed. drag, drag drag.. Theory is, the 'finer' the seed bed, the less entrapped air is in the soil.. seed will sprout, and if you miss a timely rain, that new root will find an air pocket and croak. (maybe in your neck of the woods, it rains a lot> and not so much a problem) Rain will 'melt' the tiny clods around the seed, making for good soil/seed contact. ( It's not wise to 'count' on a rain around 'here') I've got very sandy soil, and I can plant in the rain! LOL, I also pay dearly when it doesn't rain... This year, the snow and frozen ground has kept me whipped.

I'll talk about Cattle and Cummins all day long! :D I'll admit, my fall calvers are probably the most 'hands-off' set of cattle I own... until the snow flies!

typical ranch duties. pulling the hay sled, 24 ft flatbed, and the 24 livestock trailer... When unhooked, I kinda want it to 'bark' a little, maybe show some teeth, an 'play' with the 'other children'... That's kinda why I'm considering about 100-150 hp more clutch than what I'm really needing. But, isn't this how all insane builds start?

Since I'm going with the Nv5600, I'll need the right flywheel. (and the spacer for the starter) So, been looking at the kits that come with everything needed for this swap. Pretty sure I'll stay away from a DD, so I'm leaning towards something rated ~ 450-500, valair, southbend.. etc... most of these outfits have this trans swap conversion available... Then it comes down to the cost/ reviews from others on a particular clutch. Yah, I like the kiss system. Less to go haywire down the road... and easier to diagnose when things fly apart! Thanks Tom. oh man, it's snowing again... I can't catch a break! I bet if I opened up a snow plowing business.. it would be 70 degrees!

I visited with a member on CF about what he is running in his fleet of 'hot shotters'. He has about 5 rams with the nv5600, and about 6 trucks with the G56. I figured THIS guy should know, with the amount of miles these accumulate.. He runs 50% 50wt. and 50% 5w-30. He added geno's cooler, for a total of 2 gallons of the blend per transmission. He pretty much runs Dello brand synthetic, but didn't think brand made any difference. I wouldn't mix different brands though. I'm going to give this a whirl when it's time to service mine. I'm going to just forget the mileage... and change it out every spring. Our 2000 has the oil fill relocated for more capacity... and will do the same to the one going into my 94 project.

All this info is great guys! I've read thousands of posts, in here, and everywhere about ONE particular 'upgrade'.. which sometimes caused negative impacts elsewhere... hence their post in the first place. Kinda typical of forums.... " posts are for problems" not so much "Oh man, this works sweet!, Here's what I did" ... But, again, once a person posts something HE is happy with, 10 guys will jump on him like a dog, sayin things like 'gee, why did you do that? or, " this is better"... ugg.. I don't want to re invent the mousetrap.. just copy a good combination! I remember my Mopar Direct Connection 'bible' from years ago, which gave explicit instructions/parts reqd. on how to 'build' various levels of performance... oh, should I plan on the upgraded hydraulics for the clutch right away? I've only had stock clutches, and don't know how well they respond to the upgraded pressure plate

Ya know, I never asked the kid how it landed, or how long it ran afterward... I do remember him saying he drove it for about a week afterward, until he found another ride. He was tired of not having glass, and crawling in and out of the rear window, and it was getting cold in eastern Colorado! He already found a cab and box when I came along. (I got both in the sale). Oil sumps don't work worth a dang when inverted do they!!....... geez, I better pull the pan and pop a main or two, and a couple of rod caps... sheesh.

Thanks guys! Yah, I'll have to actually get it running and 'play' with the tuning for a bit.. My main thing right now is the 'parts' chase. (what I need besides stock components) OH, btw, I've read a lot of guys talking about the drone of non muffled straight pipe, even full length ones. Is this ONLY because of the lack of muffler, or perhaps the thinness of the aftermarket tubing? I'm thinking that might contribute... Oh, ISX< I'm in Nebraska!... just a tad colder than Arkansas.. LOL, I'll play with timing... somewhere between 14-17. Might as well start with MnToms' 16* (If she starts up 'there'... it'll start here!) Thanks for the range of timing, and what can be expected. I've never even heard this engine run... I'll probably do a quick compression test, just to see what's what. If within spec, power wash it up, and fix any apparent leaks. Adjust the valves, and I'll do the crank seals, front and back. The first thing I looked at when I bought this rolled truck, was the cover on the ip. It still had the anti tamper screw in the cover... and it still has coolant. (no leaks from the accident.) Thanks for the advice.... I just needed confirmation on what's needed, so I don't go and buy a bunch of unnecessary stuff...

I figured there had to be a point where larger Dv's come into play.. Also glad to see it's way above where I'm wanting to be Oh hey, on my list of stuff to consider, I've been looking at Pacbrake's turbo elbow... It's supposed to flow better than stock, and will be already set up for my larger down pipe. Along with better flow, lower egt, But, before I throw that into the list,... I need to see if my stock turbo is alive. So, MnTom, is my stock turbo adequate.. (even if it's ok bearing and seal wise) or should I be looking at 'upgrades' here? ISX, jump in here too!

So, at what power level will DV mods be required? above ~500?

shoot, April 1 usually IS warm(er) ha. I like to have most of the calving done before I gotta 'donate' my time in the tractor (corn planting) There is a new way of thinking... and calving out on clean green WARM grass sure has it's merits... (the older ranchers are the one's doing it!) Theres a dang good reason for that! 1. calves don't freeze 2. you don't have to supplement the cow with as much high priced feed, in order for them to a. keep warm herself, and b. produce milk for junior. If you don't supplement her feed, she won't breed back as quick. THAT costs me money! 3. less scours and pneumonia in newborns 4. cows are more content, and probably are better 'mothers' when they are on open range. True, they'll be a tad lighter in the fall than February calves, but I sell later in the year anyway. I feel that the less expense and MORE calves to sell makes up for the weight differential. I've 'backed mine up' about 60 days since my 'young buck' days!.. Mother nature still wants us to know; we are NOT in control!

flurried only here today, but gosh dang wind! ambient was 22, but felt waaaay below zero with the horrendous wind. All I got done today was wrangle newborn calves. ...... stupid momma's think they can have the babes out in the open... ugg. 19 hours is enough for me! g'nite all

Mntom, Is that what you've done to yours? Mopartechician.. where is Browns diesel? website, or local shop? Thanks guys

Hey, Is there any info about 12v mods... a place or site that has 'well known' and proven mods for various power level increases? I've checked out several sites that sell the stuff, but It would be nice to see what 'harmonizes' with each other! We all know about more fuel.....needs more air..........yada yada.. But I'm getting ready to start on my 12v, and hopefully will be 'dusting' off the credit card! I'm hoping to buy a known 'set of mods' that work very well with each other, and not have to deal with 'severe turbo lag, or coal-train-on-fire smoke... I've studied ISX's set up... and that appeals to me. It basically gives everything to the engine, and DRIVER is responsible for how it's managed. However, I am probably not the only one who will be wheeling this set up, and putting a inexperienced driver behind that steering wheel may not be too cool..... First thing I'll do is see what is still good on my current 1997 12v. (turbo) If it's still serviceable, It'll go back to work. If not, well, now is the time for 'upgrades'. I'm going with a NV 5600 with 1 3/8th input and valair clutch, at least a 4 inch turbo back exhaust, bhaf. After that, This project is going to be a 'all in all out' as far as mods. I plan on putting it all together as a complete package.... no needing this, or that... for the next year! Mntom also has a similar rig? (no doubt there are thousands of 12v's running around with similar power! I'm shooting for mid 3 to high 300's @ stock rpms. Geez, this has been close to 2 years since I bought the dumb roller in Wyoming! I am most definitely not getting any younger either! Thanks!

As in the 'old days'. they can be manually unlocked. Then, each hub is free wheeling. Not turning the axle, differential, or prop shaft.. Ok, with our axle disconnect, this isn't such a problem... but it still is turning the drivers side axle, and the differential case is spinning....and creating friction in the driveline. Also, Tapered roller bearings as opposed to ball bearings for much higher side load pressure, and can be disassembled for cleaning, inspection, and adjusting. Trucks then roll easier, turn freer. Sweet having 2wd LOW again! drawbacks.... ya gotta get out and lock em in BEFORE you get stuck. Wife just found this out yesterday on the Toyota.

well, there is a phenomena of the very high pressure 'helping' seat the ball... and upon shut down, the lesser stuff makes it out. I'm still pretty sure with our USED lines, a little scarring can 'hang up' a ball from fully making perfect contact.. and it takes a few cycles to get it seated. 30 ft lbs has that nut sprung somewhat, and as the ball fully seats, the 'spring' action in the nut should take it up... I'm thinking when we start up the engine cold, EVERYTHING is cold, but during cool off, the lines, nuts, and ball sockets will cool down somewhat faster (and shrink)... That's my wild guess.

FIL has one, Mike. It needs a special chain, and it actually sharpens the 'top' of the tooth. Apparently, when the tooth is sailing around the tip of the bar, it's pointed outward. yah, it does work, but overall, I'm not impressed with the durability of the new 'edge'. Still have to manually drop the depth gauges. I think it's best place would be in real trashy dirty type conditions... storm clean up, fence rows... etc. but for day long production type cutting.. not so much!

check your torque again.. I've had numerous engines with multiple injector replacement/line removals that tend to get 'wear grooves' in the sealing ball. Sometimes, they'll act just as you describe.. perfect until you shut off.. I truly believe when things heat up/cool down, there is movement in there, and residual pressure seeps out. Usually a quick 'bump' with the wrench takes care of it.

Nah, aftermarket's got plenty of replacement bearings (hub kits)... Problem is, not all are created equal!! I've been going with Timken brand hub/bearings for all my ram 1500's, (haven't had to do the 2500 or 3500 yet). I got a nice surprise when I opened the box, everything said 'made in USA'... rockauto had cheaper and more expensive sets than these Timkens... so far so good. Far as replacing bearings in the spyn tecs.... I sure think THOSE bearings are easily found at just about any bearing houses. (hint: write down the bearing numbers and seal numbers before installing!!!) ............. I'd have to think if you keep em lubed, and adjusted, they'll outlive the truck!..... When I get to the suspension part of my 97 build, I'm going with one of the free hub kits as well. I don't want to take any chances! The rig has a tick over 200k miles, and this rig is going to see some pretty serious hauling... I'd sure hate to be 50 miles off the pavement with a load of cows, and have a front wheel 'flop' over..