Another JR

Limited by GCWR maybe? If they have the same GCWR and the dually weighs 300 lbs more, it would come off the allowed trailer weight.

Keep us posted, and good luck. So far my 2021 with 12k miles is still quiet. I don’t tow heavy, though.

A mechanical whine (as opposed to an air whistling sound) that is there when applying torque and goes away when coasting sure sounds like drivetrain gear noise to me. I would suspect the rear axle ring and pinion set or bearings rather than the transmission, especially if the tone varies with speed and not with gear changes. Have you looked at the rear axle oil level and cleanliness?

There’s a pretty detailed thread on the DIY installation. Someday I will do it with my kit I ordered with the truck.

Based on the loads you described I think you will be much happier if you go with a lithium (LiFePO4) battery and a DC to DC converter charger instead of a lead-acid battery. To size the battery you’d want to estimate your daily energy usage and how many days you’d like to be able to go without running the truck to recharge. One of the nicest accessories to have camping if you have the space and the power is a 12 volt compressor fridge, so consider adding that to your sizing calculations. The DC to DC charger I’d recommend is the Victron Orion XS 50 amp charger.

If anyone is considering a torsion bar change and wants to see a DIY report on what was involved, I posted a description and photos from when I did it on my truck here:

Here are the front torsion spring part numbers from an MTU post a while back (left/right): 4400 FGAWR 84745473/5 4800 FGAWR 84745477/9 5200 FGAWR 84745481/3 5600 FGAWR 84745485/7 6000 FGAWR 84745489/91

I understand the VE direct and networking features. With a lithium battery, my chargers located beside the battery, and all devices communicating to a phone in the truck cab via Bluetooth, the remote parameter sensing, automatic charge parameter adjustment features, and Bluetooth range extension are of no benefit to me.

Accidental repost due to “wait 6 seconds” message repeatedly appearing.

Accidental repost due to “wait 6 seconds” message repeatedly appearing.

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The delay on start-up is for lower capacity alternators, to give a chance for the alternator to do the initial, high-current recovery of the start battery, letting the recovery current die down a bit before applying the load of the charger. If you have an optional oversize alternator this really isn’t needed, but I have mine set that way anyway just because I can. It’s probably a good idea to use a two minute or more delay if you have the base alternator.

I can see why you might want the VE direct Bluetooth dongle capability for a trailer. The Orion-TR 12/12-30 doesn’t have the greatest Bluetooth range and likely would not be able to be read from the truck cab if it was in a trailer. The OP has a slide in truck camper, as do I. My Orion is on the rear lower corner of my camper and I can communicate with it via Bluetooth from the driver’s seat of my CCLB truck, so he probably doesn’t need the VE direct dongle capability. At 87% efficient it will reject up to 50 watts of heat in bulk charging. It definitely needs to be installed correctly to dissipate that heat. I have never had mine get overly hot in my 2 cubic foot battery compartment (I checked it initially a few times) not have I noticed it cutting back on charge rate.

The current model Orion Smart 12/12-30 has been working fine for me for the last 4 years, and is an industry standard used by a large number of people. It relies on natural convective air cooling of its finned baseplate heat exchanger so it needs to be installed in a location and orientation per the instructions. I assume the new 50 amp unit will be very reliable as well. Victron has excellent design and build quality. I would select the model based on your electrical power system sizing decisions and not based on any worry about reliability of either unit.

I have not had that occur with my 30 amp Orion. It just comes on after the programmed delay period after truck start. I have the 220 amp upgrade alternator and ran 6 awg wire. The total wire length for positive and negative is just under 60 feet. What wire gage do you have running to the 50 amp Orion?

Do you have the base 170 amp alternator?

Welcome to smart alternators! It is designed to properly power your truck electrical system and recover your start battery while reducing accessory drag when high output is not needed, but it isn’t ideal for parallel charging a camper battery with 50 to 60 feet worth of wire losses, especially at idle. The proper solution is a DC to DC charger such as the Victron Orion series installed at your camper battery. While they cost a bit over $200 for a 30 amp charger and you’ll need to run 6 awg positive and negative wire for the whole run, the good thing is you will already be set up for a lithium battery conversion if you decide to do that.

The 2500 spring pack has four primary stage leaf springs and a fifth second stage spring on the bottom of the pack that has fairly large end gaps to the primary springs. It begin to help when the suspension is depressed a couple of inches from the empty position. The 3500 also has four primary stage springs and a similar fifth second stage leaf, but the end gaps are much smaller in the empty position and it begins helping much sooner. The 3500 also has a separate third stage spring set above the other springs that engages bumpers on the frame and adds support at around 2/3 payload

Maybe try an auto glass shop? I suspect they would have access to a bunch of vendors’ aftermarket replacement mirrors.

Agreed. I was just pointing out that you will get some fluid out of the check port when it is shut down. No I have not changed fluid on a 10 speed. My truck is a 2021 with the 6 speed.

Dunn - How heavy of a trailer do you think you will tow in the future?

Level when shut down and level when running are different.

I would say condensing rather than catching, but then I’m a non-believer.