t-15 firefighter

Just got back from Colorado and I thought I would give you guys an update on how everything went. This truck is absolutely the best investment that I have ever made. We drove to Lake City Colorado from Little Rock AR. towing our 18’ utility trailer with 2 Honda Rincons, multiple gas tanks, and various other equipment. Total weight of trailer approx 4500lbs. This truck is unbelievable!!! The total MPG for the whole trip was 15.5mpg at an average speed of 70MPH. Climbing several passes we didn’t even take it out of 6th gear. It’s like the trailer isn’t even there! Although I realize that 4500lbs isn’t anything for this truck. What is unbelievable is the mileage towing. I couldn’t be happier with the mileage especially with 4:10 gears. We went with 16 other people and everyone commented on how well this thing ran and towed. We would have to wait after going over a pass on everyone else (even the powerchoke although they were towing about 1500lbs more than us)

The truck ran perfect and the trip was great. I hope you guys have the same luck with yours!

t-15 firefighter

On a side note, we stayed at the A&A Ranch just outside of Lake City CO. I thought I would also post our experience with them. We made reservations with them about 8 months in advance of our trip. We had never stayed with them but it looked like a nice place to stay. It was convenient because it was a ride in ride out kind of place right on the Cinnamon Pass. Unfortunately the people that ran the place were the most inhospitable host that we have ever had the chance of meeting. We stayed 5 nights with them. On the first night our toilet would not work. They basically blamed my wife and I for stopping it up. We were also out of luck for that night for using the restroom. We only used it once and we didn’t stop it up. The owner said oh well we will get it fixed in the morning. “What do we do until then?” I asked. “Use someone else’s,” she said. It turned out that one of the people that cleaned one of the rooms flushed a latex glove and it stopped up 3 of the cabins. No apology from the owners. We had 14 ATV’s with us on this trip. We notified the owners of this when we made the reservations. They said that it would be no problem and that they could accommodate all of them. Well it turned out that they were unwilling to accommodate them at all. We tried to park them next to our cabins for security reasons and they threw a fit when we did. We ended up having to park them over a block away out of sight. They also hung a sign on a tree stump that read “No ATV parking at ANYTIME!” We also had problems with one of the ATVs in our group(front bearing problem) and they were really unhappy that we were trying to fix it on their ground. Not one time during our stay did they come in and clean our room. They would bring us fresh towels only after having to ask for them. We are all easy going people and will put up with a certain amount of S%$t, but this was the worst experience that I have ever had at any place that we have traveled. I would not recommend them to my worst enemy.

anaranch.com if you want to check them out.

GotCummins?

t-7 Firefighter, glad you are happy with the performance of your truck! And thanks for the heads-up on the place you stayed, I'll keep them in mind.

I do have a caouple of questions for ya.
1) How is the noise level (Inside) of your strait-piped Ram?
2)How does it sound outside?

I want to straight-pipe mine but not sure if the noise levels would be way high in the cab, we pull 7K# 5ver all over Colorado and beyond. I would not mind the noise, but Wife and three kids might not like it.

Thanks, Chris

t-15 firefighter

it is louder. no question about it. it is not that loud though. at about 2000 rpms to 2200 rpms there is some drone in the cab but not enough to bother me. at crusing speed you hardly notice it unless it starts pulling up a hill.

outside the truck it is much louder though. if you really get into the gas, you, your neighbors, and the people in the next county will hear it. to me it sounds like a big rig. i have had a bunch of people ask "what have you done to it?" and so far everyone loves it. do NOT do this mod if you don't like attention. you will get plenty of it.

i wouldn't change it back for anything. i also noticed maybe 1MPG improvement since i did it. (but this maybe in my head)

but like everything else, this is subjective and everyone has an opinion. i have heard other people on dtr that don't like it on the 3rd gens.

i bought the muffler elem. pipe from geno's and they were very fast in shipping. it is however a pain in the butt to get the muffler off. many curse words were said!

if i can answer any more questions please feel free to ask.

britt

t-15 firefighter

oh yeah,

i almost forgot. my wife loves it!!!

The Boss Hog

t-7,
I am not surprised with the performance of your truck. This is absolutely the best running, most reliable truck I have ever owned, gas, diesel or otherwise
On the other hand, I can only feel disapointment and embarrassment about your treatment at the guest ranch. I am a Colorado native and can assure you most people in Colorado are not like that at all!

The Boss Hog
( . . . . . . . . sorry )

t-15 firefighter

Boss,


No need to feel embarrassment. My wife and I go to Colorado twice a year and this is the only bad treatment that we have had. You can’t win all of the time.

If we could we would move there in a heartbeat. Every time we have to leave to come back home my wife ask “ are you sure we have to leave?”

We were married in Durango and that is the place we love to go.

Forrest Nearing

been goin' up there every year of my life... that's God's country up there... I'm headed up to Creede in about 10 days. we've got a cabin in Creede. used to have one out in the box canyon a little west of where you start heading up to Lake City. I'm sure we'll make it up to Lake City for an ice cream cone at some point during the trip

summer in the Colorado Rockies = heaven on earth as far as I'm concerned

t-15 firefighter

i'm with you forrest!

we went right through creede about 5 days ago. it's still there so you shouldn't have to worry. nice little town.

temp when we went through 75 degrees. temp back home...98 degrees with 88% humidity

britt

Tfeore

My wife is a Monte Vista native, summer in the San Luis valley is pretty nice. Winter is another story, it's the exact opposite of Phoenix in the summer...

I pray every night that I can retire in Durango...It is God's country for sure!!!

Forrest Nearing

my life goal is to own a home up there for the summer... I can't stand cold snowy winters... I'm a Dallas native, so I don't do well in that climate. I get cabin fever really easily. But the summers up there are the greatest!

I can't wait to avoid a few weeks of Dallas summer!!

Forrest

GotCummins?

Thanks for the info T-7, i'll get that eliminator pipe and try it out so if it's to loud (to everyone else) i can put muff. back on. And reading all other reply's I had to chuckle. We are 20min. from RockyMountain National Park, on the east side, so many things to do around here, trout fishing, hiking, you name it plus it's so Beautiful here, not long ago my wife wanted to up and quit our jobs, sell the house and move to HOUSTON, she says it sucks here, nothing to do,"Seen one mountain, they all the same"she says. So anyway, I am happy to hear that people enjoy my home state and think it's a great place.

A bit off subject I know, but as I type this, my 5ver is in the driveway ready to go, but cant decide whether to visit Durango, Steamboat, Granby......................HOUSTON?

See ya on the road

Forrest Nearing

HOUSTON!?!?!?!?

is it the hot/nasty 95% humidity that drives the heat index way up and has you sweating like a hog when you walk out to get the morning paper, the stench of all the oil refineries that envelops the entire area, or the lack of zoning that's drawing her down there?

I could see central TX hill country (Austin, San Marcos, etc.) decent weather (for TX) pretty country, etc. or the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex (huge, if you need it, you can find it, and living just outside the metroplex, you can still get a taste of the country)

but Houston!??!

bkrukow

Hay T-7 next time try Taylor Park. It is AWSOME. My wife and I just came back from a 7 day riding trip out there. We put 625 miles on our machines. The riding there is endles literaly. Sory to here abought the bad acomodations. Talor park trading post is quite the oposite of your experience. They cater to atvs and motorcycles. Just be shure to avoid holiday weekends.

http://www.taylorparktradingpost.com

Also check out this site for great people and info on Colorado. Go to the Rocky Mountain Rockhopppers forum.

http://atvquadsquad.com/6/ubb.x?cdra=Y&s=7706027254

t-15 firefighter

bkrukow,

thanks so much for the links. that is exactly what we would be looking for. too bad we will have to wait until next year for everyone else to go out there with us. we will more than likely go back out in october to celebrate our anniv. but won't take the atvs.

thanks once again!

britt