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OTH Overland

Local Expert Washington, USA
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer III

4,847
Camano Island, WA, USA
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Ballard
Member #

20527

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N7XQP
Service Branch
Fire/EMS/SAR
2012 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn Mega cab Dually, Pretty much every part of the name screams 'not suitable for overland use', but I have never been one to follow instructions or recommendations. Not our primary vehicle for most overland trips, but it has done us well on trips to Montana and the southwest were trails are a bit more open then here Washington. Nice not to have to worry about what we bring on a trip like we do with the Jeeps. Last year of the Def free diesels which is a bonus also. Truck makes a great base camp rig for extended trips and we can flat tow the WJ behind for exploring. Hoping to make a trip up the Dalton and the Dempster with it next summer if the Pandemic gods allow for travel.

Have added the following mods:

Levelling kit w/ Yokohama Geolander tires w/ factory Alcoa wheels
Buckstop outback front bumper with grill guard. (Factory color matched the powder coating to match my trim and headache rack)
Aries aluminum headache rack
Folding bed cover
Warn Zeon 12-S winch hidden in front bumper
Piaa Led driving and fog lights
Rigid backup lights
Rock lights
Led in bed lighting
Viair on board air compressor w/ 3 gallon tank and dual needle gauge and controls to allow adjustment of airbag suspension from in cab, outlet in bed for air tools and tire inflation
Train horn
Switchpros controller for lights and accessories
Icom ID-5100 dual band ham radio
Midland GMRS radio
Midland CB
Uniden BCD536Hp digital scanner w/ gps location
8" samsung tablet for navigation (Ram factory nav leaves much to be desired)

Still to be added in the near future:
Bed rack w/ roof top tent
fridge
sliding tray to allow retrieval of items in bed without opening cover, big old wide fenders make reaching over the side a pain.

Ram.jpg20201022_162845.jpg
 

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Rank III
Launch Member

Enthusiast II

722
Middletown, NJ, USA
First Name
Sean
Last Name
Crowell
Member #

16363

Here Is the current state of my ram. I am a college student so progress is slow but still enjoy the trails and camping in the mean time! Got the rust on those rear frame rails all cleaned up and painted. Then I did a front end facelift from the 2004 headlights that were stock on this truck to the more preferable (in my opinion) headlights along with some advanced fiberwerx widebody fenders. This ol girl can now fit up to 37in tires on the stock suspension setup. I have so many more DIY mods I wanna do in the future (270 degree awning, bedrack and front and rear bumpers being a few.) If anyone is interested in following along I have an instagram account you can follow @roxannetheracetruck!

P.S. Love all the full sized rigs on this sub!

truck front.JPGtruck framw.jpg
 

NorCalRam

Rank VI
Member

Influencer I

4,211
Los Angeles, California, United States
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Barlage
Member #

26248

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KN6MEU
Service Branch
Army
Hell ya I like the plan for that Ram!! Might want to get fenders for mine.
Here is a before and after of my truck. Installed Bilstein 6112s in the front and 5100 in the rear, Method 701s, Toyo ATs 35".
I'm happy, the wife is happy, the dog is happy. Now its time for bumpers and rock sliders.

IMG_2632.jpgIMG_2663.jpg
 

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Rank III
Launch Member

Enthusiast II

722
Middletown, NJ, USA
First Name
Sean
Last Name
Crowell
Member #

16363

Hell ya I like the plan for that Ram!! Might want to get fenders for mine.
Here is a before and after of my truck. Installed Bilstein 6112s in the front and 5100 in the rear, Method 701s, Toyo ATs 35".
I'm happy, the wife is happy, the dog is happy. Now its time for bumpers and rock sliders.

View attachment 175101View attachment 175102
I really love that wheel/tire setup what are they?
 

NorCalRam

Rank VI
Member

Influencer I

4,211
Los Angeles, California, United States
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Barlage
Member #

26248

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KN6MEU
Service Branch
Army
I really love that wheel/tire setup what are they?
Method 701s 17", Toyo AT III EXTREMES!!!(Not sure what it means). Only a little bit noisier than stock, little vibration at highway speeds(70+) but for the 70 or so miles they are pretty good. Going to plan a Hollister Hills trip soon to try them out. They have a pretty aggressive tread pattern.

If anyone is interested in some stockers with ~33k miles, no curb rash, Bay Area California DM me!

IMG_2679.jpgIMG_2678.jpgIMG_2680.jpg
 

Wagonlander

Rank IV

Enthusiast I

1,231
North Carolina
First Name
Daymon
Last Name
Keeton
Member #

27047

One of the last days of a recent "Mountains to Sea" trip that I've been trying to do for a few years now. 2 nights in Linville Gorge around Old NC 105, then 2 more nights in Uwharrie NF followed by a couple more nights on Cape Lookout with the lighthouse in the background.

View attachment 174192
You can camp overnight at Cape lookout? I've been looking for overnight beach access. Carolina beach is always booked and we cannot get in. Uwharrie is cool too. I live about 1.5 hrs from there east.
 

Pretzel

Rank IV
Member

Member III

1,116
Greenville, NC
First Name
Eric
Last Name
D.
Member #

25592

You can camp overnight at Cape lookout? I've been looking for overnight beach access. Carolina beach is always booked and we cannot get in. Uwharrie is cool too. I live about 1.5 hrs from there east.
Sure can! You have to make reservations with one of the two vehicle ferry services (Cape Lookout Cabins, and Davis Shore Ferry). It's not cheap (3 people + my rebel was about $140) so decide for yourself how many days makes it worth it. Once you're on the island you can camp anywhere between the high tide line and the front of the dunes (NOT in the dunes).

Just a couple things to be aware of if you do go out there:
Mosquitos as soon as the sun goes down come out with a vengeance despite the wind.
The wind itself, keep a close eye on the forecast and be prepared for changes in direction and strong gusts from time to time.
Soft sand driving, gonna definitely be lowering your tire pressure (20psi did fine for us) but you'll want a way to pump em back up. I can't tell you if there's a local pump, I brought my own and didn't bother looking.
 

Wagonlander

Rank IV

Enthusiast I

1,231
North Carolina
First Name
Daymon
Last Name
Keeton
Member #

27047

You can camp overnight at Cape lookout? I've been looking for overnight beach access. Carolina beach is always booked and we cannot get in. Uwharrie is cool too. I live about 1.5 hrs from there east.
Sure can! You have to make reservations with one of the two vehicle ferry services (Cape Lookout Cabins, and Davis Shore Ferry). It's not cheap (3 people + my rebel was about $140) so decide for yourself how many days makes it worth it. Once you're on the island you can camp anywhere between the high tide line and the front of the dunes (NOT in the dunes).

Just a couple things to be aware of if you do go out there:
Mosquitos as soon as the sun goes down come out with a vengeance despite the wind.
The wind itself, keep a close eye on the forecast and be prepared for changes in direction and strong gusts from time to time.
Soft sand driving, gonna definitely be lowering your tire pressure (20psi did fine for us) but you'll want a way to pump em back up. I can't tell you if there's a local pump, I brought my own and didn't bother looking.
Great information and thank you for your input. Its appreciated