Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help It ALL started, here....

Looks great RM!! Congrats!!

RC

Dang Rainman, any pics of the finished "camper" before you left? JK pal...Be safe and best of luck to you and Big Blue!!!

Nope, Anti-skid paint.

Bill, to answer your other question first, I roll out early tomorrow morning and plane to annoy you Sunday night. The fabrication shop really blew the deadlines, so I strapped my old tanks on a flat bed along with O2 and will pull them in my grocery getter. I'm pretty pissed the shop has taken so long, but still, I want it built right over fast.

The Tag axle is on and plumbed, the new bed was bolted on today and the man doing that is anxious to finish up...the guy doing the axle was just plain lazy trying to milk hours on a 12 hour job into 30+....and he let it sit for 10 days untouched before that...

What a bummer, I was hoping to see that thing tomorrow. Safe travels

Sorry Roy...I plan to be to you well before dark however.

Hey Rex
Good to see you tonight. Fish are all off and swimming. It is a pleasure to do business with you.

Hmmmmmmmmm.......... 8:52 p.m. I guess he DID sneak in there just before dark!

Glad to hear that the fishes are swimming along!

Back to work on the truck after finishing most of the spring season runs.....I really wanted to have used this ready to roll for the season, but I'd rather have it built right, than fast!

I may have to re-think using the same tires on the tag as the main drive axle just so I could have a couple spares if needed. Low Profile tires on the lift axle would give me a little extra ground and cat-walk clearance. The frame is painted, the rear-end/bumper cut, pre-formed and ready to weld up. Entire drive line has been gone over well and anything showing even minor wear, replaced (very little replaced).

Once the final cat-walk is finalized on fab work and installed, the bed stretch will be seamlessly blended in, tanks will be set and the rest will be finishing touches for the fab shop, such as lighting, graphics, generator install and underbody storage boxes. I will do all the final setups for oxygen delivery, Low Oxy/pressure alarm, cab electronics/monitoring and a few personal touches.

Be nice Scott! I was at his place around 7! lol

Rex, I haven't seen many tag axles, so I can't remember what tire sizes I've seen on them. I agree, having the same size tires on the tag as the rest of the truck would be nice - it'd allow you to run with one spare instead of 2.....

Do you have a receiver pocket in the bed to place the holder for the scale that you'll hang to weigh out the fish?

Plenty of lights including a light to look into the tanks? A couple of lights rearward that will illuminate the darkness when backing up would be nice.

Got a hanger in place to hang tire chains? I think I remember a trip to Pa.........

re: generator. Gas or diesel? I've seen and heard some small diesel generators that are almost silent, a LOT quieter than a honda gas genset.

Most tag axles we see come into work have 255/70 R 22.5 tires on them...They measure right around 37" vs 41" of a stand up 11 R 22.5..

My biggest concern with the way you have it set up is if you get offroad in a breakover or soft ground situation and the tag axle takes the weight off of the drives...

The way Rex's luck runs I can see him sinking a bit in soft ground, and the tag axle taking enough weight off of the drive axle so he needs to call for a wrecker.....

Good call!!!

The axle has been a bit of a headache for decision making since I am building a unique system. Some things are pretty easy. Other questionable set-ups/ideas simply had to be built to see how it worked and fit in, then scrapped or modified as needed.

Scott, genset is an extra I had around that is 4 years old and only run to test and keep ready...under an hour on it with a Honda GX420 Chinese clone engine. I had 2 and they are as rock solid as the real Honda's...Parts are far cheaper than a diesel genset and more readily available if needed. Noise isn't an issue for now, and if it ever becomes one, a fairly inexpensive one to eliminate.

Shawn, I agree on the concerns if on soft ground. I am looking at some reasonably priced, roll up tracks to lay down in soft areas if needed to prevent the sinking being an issue to begin with. Also, if I sink 5", I'll need the 14,000# winch with weight multiplier and 150' cable I am adding anyway. (or wrecker) I've been thinking, and since I went with virgin rubber and have a blow out, new tires are not all that much more anyway when you have to pay for a roadside call.

Using the tag axle tires as spares, The rubber would probably weather crack long before any tread was worn too. Knock on wood, I've not had a flat in 7 years. Tires and brakes are replaced at 80% on my equipment...the 2 things cost doesn't matter to me on. After seeing the setup, Low-Profile 255's are the way to go. I'd go with 19" wheels, but need the load capacity.

Rex, just thinking out loud here, and thinking about how my mind would work.

re: roll up tracks. In my case, it'd be too little too late. "it's firm enough" then "Oh .... I didn't expect it to sink THAT far!" Then go hook up the winch, and uproot the tree that I used as an anchor.........

Diesel vs. gas Genset. If there was a way to plumb it to the diesel fuel tank for the truck, you wouldn't have to worry about carrying gasoline in spare tanks, or worrying about running out of gas. Unless you plan on adding a spare fuel tank under the bed and filling it with gas to run the genset. Just make the filler neck small enough so it can't be filled with diesel. Easy to remove if you wanted to covert to diesel, but might prevent a "whups, that's the wrong tank" moment.

Now you've gone and done it. You'll have a flat on your first run with the new truck and new tires. My experience is like yours. Run good tires, don't run them down to nothing, and flats are very rare.

re: cable. Have you looked at Amsteel instead of wire cable? I bought a 150' length of 1/2" Amsteel to use for tree work. IIRC it's rated at over 30,000# breaking strength, and is light enough to float on water. It doesn't kink, and you don't have to worry about getting your hands poked if a strand breaks like wire cable. I got a deal on mine because it's red in color, and the sun bleaches it to a pinkish color. It wasn't selling well.......

The catwalks got prepped and are now primed and painted with anti-skid epoxy. The rear sections have a door to allow extra clearance for the tag axle wheels in the raised position...also, the rails are installed for carrying offload tubing between the frame rails. We may install the generator in the space between the pipe storage and hitch framing using a slide out system and access door on the rear end rather than a dedicated underbody box...

Also enjoyed a weekend cruising the Mississippi and Missouri rivers after taking the chemical tanks and pumps off the spray barge. It was my first eyewitness experience with Asian carp. Most were 2-3 pounds and about 18" long, but a few were well over 10 pounds and 2 feet. It was hilarious cruising a flooded bank and watching these suckers bouncing off tree branches, 8 feet in the air!

Awesome pics Rex!!! Hope you didn't jinx your "new blue" .

The fabrication shop caught up on other work now that I have until Fall. Finally getting it close to completed. Catwalks have ant-slip surfaces now. DOT Saftety bumper built. The "tube rack" is closed in, lighted, and ready for it's door. Lighting wired and installed, lower profile tires back on the lift axle for more ground clearance when raised. Tanks are on, hold down straps being fitted and installed...Once the Fab shop finishes, I hope to find some underwater graphics scenes to put on the sides of the tanks and then I get to install all the electronics....

Looking really good for hauling some fish.

Looking good Rex! How you going to keep the snow off the rear LED tails?

Since I have only driven in snow while delivering, twice, I'd call that a non-issue. But I'm unaware of anything that would prevent any more buildup of snow than what occurs on every vehicle driving in a snow storm. Cleaning is just part of the standard safety check at every stop interval.

I thought the LED's had more problems with snow build up because they didn't give off heat like the incandescents do.

Yeah, hopefully your days of delivering fish in snowstorms are past you!

Looks like the shop you chose is doing a great job.

Just glad you are paying the bill and not me. But my years of experience with equipment says that doing it right the first time is always better and cheaper than having to re-do it.

Wild pictures of the jumping fish.

That's true, LED's don't generate hardly any heat, yet there are almost no tail lights on any car that will melt snow, due to recessed bulbs and mult-layer tail light designs preventing heat reaching the outer acrylic cover.

The upside is brighter, far longer lasting lights. Plus, with the new USDOT/FMCSA rules on individual commercial drivers now being "safety rated", even a warning for a burned out bulb reduces a driver's/company's FMCSA "safety rating". Insurance companies are now using this info to raise premium rates. The new rules are almost insane, so longevity is paramount for long term cost exposure. A simple, burned out bulb even on a cab roof, can raise insurance rates on a commercial vehicle the same, or more, than a 20MPH over the limit speeding ticket does for any of us.

Very nice rig Rex. I'm proud for you.