stellarpod
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
High vs low DRF spare mount, @CID and my machine visual comparison..... (apologies for the pic bombardment)
If @CID did have a rear view mirror, he wouldn't be able to see much out of it with the high mount spare.
Here's what I can see in my rear view with my second spare carrier removed but with the DRF low mount equipped.
Not much in the way of a departure angle here, but it's not even remotely a concern.
The height of the "high" mount makes it very unlikely to ever be a problem, especially with casual use.
I did not have the DRF spare carrier in these photos but there would be no clearance issues if I did.
Another reference, I followed a few of my buddies on their bikes for 3 days/over 350 miles of mostly dirt/varying terrain on the AZPT while using an ATV cargo carrier. Anytime I thought the carrier might be at risk of contact I'd ask them to have a look, I wasn't even close.
Here's an example, not extreme but it's the only example I have pics of.
Hitch receiver, yes, the DragonFire is compatible with the DRF bed extender but it's pretty thin walled steel. I previously had the KFI receiver and it's much more stout. When my buddy repaired my broken frame he also made a couple of cutouts so I could reuse the stronger KFI receiver with the DRF bed extender.
K
Here’ some pics of the different things I have done. Some pics don’t have the latest upgrades. I need to get it out and take some new pics with everything done. Radiator is for a small block chev, so it will never overheat no matter what the ambient temp. is. The shift handle is hand made. I couldn’t find one that I liked I could afford. The rear cooler rack swings out. The reinforcement plate at the rear doubles as a strap connection point. I use that to winch the Talon up onto the aluminum truck rack. The Donaldson filter can had the 90 deg. Elbow to start, but I added the top spin unit. The filter rarely gets any dirt in it. Since I’m kind of an old f***, I made the center caps and added the Crager knock offs. I will have to get o m ass and are some most recent pics.
stellarpod
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Exactly the kind of pics I was looking for! You have made my decision for me, Lil' Steve (I'm BIG Steve BTW 😁 ). I'll be going with the spare carrier on the DRF in the low position like yours.
Appreciate it!
Steve
stellarpod
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
That is a sensational looking rig, KenThompson! I do recall seeing your tailgate after you first fab'd it and posted pictures. I was impressed then and certainly am now.
Thanks for sharing.
Steve
K
Thanks a lot! I love fabricating custom parts. I always strive for perfection in every part I make. Teaching myself how to tig weld aluminum has been one of the hardest things, but after 3 boxes of rod, and numerous bottles of argon, I’m not so embarrassed when people look at the welds. As I’ve always said, I’m not a good welder, but I am a good grinder.
stellarpod
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
I understand. I would say the same, but I'm not sure I'm even a good grinder! Lol
When I retired six years ago I decided to learn to weld. I spent my entire career in the oil/gas valve manufacturing sector and worked closely with tool/die machinists and welders. Although I worked in Engineering and Sales, I always respected those guys. So, I bought a little Lincoln 180 Dual MIG welder and started dobbing. I got relatively proficient at that and decided to try my hand at TIG. Bought a relatively inexpensive Everlast 210 EXT and started working on TIG welding. My attempts were less than *stellar* - even with steel (I've never even attempted aluminum). I now have even MORE respect for anyone who can do that. I should have started this learning curve many years earlier when I had the hands and eyesight of a younger man. At 66 I struggle to keep the hand steady. I spend more time regrinding my tungsten than I do welding, as my shaky hand is prone to dipping the tip into the puddle.
I know what should be written on my headstone:
"Here lies Steve. It is a certain truth that whatever endeavor he attempted, it was a sure bet that he had more equipment than talent."
Steve
CID
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
First thing I did after retiring was signing up for welding classes. I was obsessed with the science of welding. What I learned was that the more I learned, the less I knew.I understand. I would say the same, but I'm not sure I'm even a good grinder! Lol
When I retired six years ago I decided to learn to weld. I spent my entire career in the oil/gas valve manufacturing sector and worked closely with tool/die machinists and welders. Although I worked in Engineering and Sales, I always respected those guys. So, I bought a little Lincoln 180 Dual MIG welder and started dobbing. I got relatively proficient at that and decided to try my hand at TIG. Bought a relatively inexpensive Everlast 210 EXT and started working on TIG welding. My attempts were less than *stellar* - even with steel (I've never even attempted aluminum). I now have even MORE respect for anyone who can do that. I should have started this learning curve many years earlier when I had the hands and eyesight of a younger man. At 66 I struggle to keep the hand steady. I spend more time regrinding my tungsten than I do welding, as my shaky hand is prone to dipping the tip into the puddle.
I know what should be written on my headstone:
"Here lies Steve. It is a certain truth that whatever endeavor he attempted, it was a sure bet that he had more equipment than talent."
Steve
Almost none of that knowledge translated into skill. I bought a TIG waaaaay back before there were hobby welders just so I could learn alum. That was long before the internet and youtube, the learning curve was painfully steep. My problem is that I compare my welds to those gifted few who can free hand an alum intercooler, titanium header, etc. and beat myself up mercilessly. 😢 I have 7 angle grinders. 😊My welding library, read most of most of them -
Last edited:
K
My first tig machine was a Miller machine, which was a decent quality machine. It wasn‘t water cooled and would weld 1/4”, but it struggled. My new Miller machine is water cooled, newer, and will weld 3/8”. It’s newer, so it has better features and simpler controls. I’m totally stupid as far as wave length and all of the other tech settings. I need simple! I definitely weld better with the newer water cooled machine.I understand. I would say the same, but I'm not sure I'm even a good grinder! Lol
When I retired six years ago I decided to learn to weld. I spent my entire career in the oil/gas valve manufacturing sector and worked closely with tool/die machinists and welders. Although I worked in Engineering and Sales, I always respected those guys. So, I bought a little Lincoln 180 Dual MIG welder and started dobbing. I got relatively proficient at that and decided to try my hand at TIG. Bought a relatively inexpensive Everlast 210 EXT and started working on TIG welding. My attempts were less than *stellar* - even with steel (I've never even attempted aluminum). I now have even MORE respect for anyone who can do that. I should have started this learning curve many years earlier when I had the hands and eyesight of a younger man. At 66 I struggle to keep the hand steady. I spend more time regrinding my tungsten than I do welding, as my shaky hand is prone to dipping the tip into the puddle.
I know what should be written on my headstone:
"Here lies Steve. It is a certain truth that whatever endeavor he attempted, it was a sure bet that he had more equipment than talent."
Steve
advertisement
CID
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
D
Thanks, plan is made to call weller to schedule a rebuild/respring the rear
F
Weller is familiar with this tire carrier, and they do a good job revalving and respringing the shocks for it. Their setup works as long as there is some weight on there, if you ride without a spare and/or other equipment in the back it will be a bit pogoey.
B
B
I think I heard my name mentioned. Sorry for the slow response.
I had good intentions to do a suspension comparison, but it kind of derailed on me a little. Here is what I wrote about that to another forum member who inquired about the WR suspension.
Lil Steve offered to loan me his ST shocks, so that I could do a comparison between stock, ST, and Weller. It started out well. I ran a route on the stock shocks near my home, on all of the types of terrain that I commonly ride. That includes sandy trails, sand washes, rocky trails, gravel roads, and paved roads. Obviously, I knew what my stock set up felt like, but I wanted to do a back to back comparison with the ST. So after the initial run on the stock suspension, I installed the ST shocks, adjusted the ride height, and went out to do the same loop. About 1/4 mile into the ride, my wife and I looked at each other and smiled. It was a great improvement. Nice plush ride, which is what I was looking for. I went on to put about 1000 miles on the ST shocks and was very happy with them.
I had heard good things about Weller, so the plan was to get my shocks/springs redone by WR. There was a few weeks delay getting into their shop to do the job. Meanwhile it was HOT here, so I wasn't riding much. I took my machine into WR, not just the shocks, as I wanted them to set the ride height. (that was an extra $125 or $150) My contact with James at WR was entirely pleasant. They did the work in about 2 hours. He told me that they would revalve the shocks once "for free" if I had any issues. I got the machine home, and went for a ride. It was very harsh, back almost to stock ride. I was very disappointed, having spent $1800. I ride a fair amount of rocky trails, and that is where I really felt the harsh ride.
I called WR and told James what I was experiencing. He seemed surprised. We scheduled a return visit for them to rework the suspension. Again, I took the machine in. They revalved the shocks and adjusted the crossovers. James told me that my tires were the cause of my harsh ride. I had been running these same tires for 2700 miles, on stock, ST, and WR suspension, and this was explained to James. He kept bringing that up, which really pissed me off. When I got home I took it out for a test ride and it was definitely better. The problem is that with the elapsed time, and the harsh WR setup in between, it is hard for me to accurately evaluate it compared to the ST setup. I think the WR setup is not quite as plush as the ST setup, but it is very hard to quantify. I have decided to let it ride (ha!), at least for now. As I said, I wish I had bought the ST shocks from LilSteve. I would have had less money in them, and I would still have the stock shocks which I could sell.
Since this thread started out about DOT tires, I will say that I am very happy with my BFG K02s. They work well on every type of terrain that I ride (see above). I try to avoid mud as much as possible! As CID mentioned earlier, 10 PSI is the sweet spot for me. At that pressure, I thought the tires rode essentially the same as the stock tires. I don't have much opportunity to ride dunes, but I was at Sand Hollow in October. The Talon did surprisingly well on my KO2 tires. I didn't even lower my tire pressure below my normal 10 psi. I have about 3300miles on these tires now. Checking the tread depth, it looks like I should get around 10k miles out of them. I would like more, but that isn't too bad. When I bought them they were only about $145, which I thought was a great price. Like everything else, that price has increased over the last year.
I have a thread on here somewhere about this shock comparison. I never got around to writing up the WR shocks, because of how it kind of went south on me.
I hope this is of some help.
I had good intentions to do a suspension comparison, but it kind of derailed on me a little. Here is what I wrote about that to another forum member who inquired about the WR suspension.
Lil Steve offered to loan me his ST shocks, so that I could do a comparison between stock, ST, and Weller. It started out well. I ran a route on the stock shocks near my home, on all of the types of terrain that I commonly ride. That includes sandy trails, sand washes, rocky trails, gravel roads, and paved roads. Obviously, I knew what my stock set up felt like, but I wanted to do a back to back comparison with the ST. So after the initial run on the stock suspension, I installed the ST shocks, adjusted the ride height, and went out to do the same loop. About 1/4 mile into the ride, my wife and I looked at each other and smiled. It was a great improvement. Nice plush ride, which is what I was looking for. I went on to put about 1000 miles on the ST shocks and was very happy with them.
I had heard good things about Weller, so the plan was to get my shocks/springs redone by WR. There was a few weeks delay getting into their shop to do the job. Meanwhile it was HOT here, so I wasn't riding much. I took my machine into WR, not just the shocks, as I wanted them to set the ride height. (that was an extra $125 or $150) My contact with James at WR was entirely pleasant. They did the work in about 2 hours. He told me that they would revalve the shocks once "for free" if I had any issues. I got the machine home, and went for a ride. It was very harsh, back almost to stock ride. I was very disappointed, having spent $1800. I ride a fair amount of rocky trails, and that is where I really felt the harsh ride.
I called WR and told James what I was experiencing. He seemed surprised. We scheduled a return visit for them to rework the suspension. Again, I took the machine in. They revalved the shocks and adjusted the crossovers. James told me that my tires were the cause of my harsh ride. I had been running these same tires for 2700 miles, on stock, ST, and WR suspension, and this was explained to James. He kept bringing that up, which really pissed me off. When I got home I took it out for a test ride and it was definitely better. The problem is that with the elapsed time, and the harsh WR setup in between, it is hard for me to accurately evaluate it compared to the ST setup. I think the WR setup is not quite as plush as the ST setup, but it is very hard to quantify. I have decided to let it ride (ha!), at least for now. As I said, I wish I had bought the ST shocks from LilSteve. I would have had less money in them, and I would still have the stock shocks which I could sell.
Since this thread started out about DOT tires, I will say that I am very happy with my BFG K02s. They work well on every type of terrain that I ride (see above). I try to avoid mud as much as possible! As CID mentioned earlier, 10 PSI is the sweet spot for me. At that pressure, I thought the tires rode essentially the same as the stock tires. I don't have much opportunity to ride dunes, but I was at Sand Hollow in October. The Talon did surprisingly well on my KO2 tires. I didn't even lower my tire pressure below my normal 10 psi. I have about 3300miles on these tires now. Checking the tread depth, it looks like I should get around 10k miles out of them. I would like more, but that isn't too bad. When I bought them they were only about $145, which I thought was a great price. Like everything else, that price has increased over the last year.
I have a thread on here somewhere about this shock comparison. I never got around to writing up the WR shocks, because of how it kind of went south on me.
I hope this is of some help.
CID
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
@Boundertom Sorry to hear that WR is pointing fingers, that's a bad business model IMO. I've talked to James and he seemed knowledgeable.
B
CID
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
You can bet on it.Yeah, overall James was pleasant and did seem knowledgeable. He just really got under my skin with blaming the tires. It will be interesting to see if you get any of that. Since you have those evil TRUCK tires too!
D
Great write up. I also run LT tires (goodyear wrangler authority-walmart specials ), 7000 miles on them currently, expect 13-14000 or until that perfect rock! IF there's a downside to them I'm ok with it and I'll replace with the same as needed
), 7000 miles on them currently, expect 13-14000 or until that perfect rock! IF there's a downside to them I'm ok with it and I'll replace with the same as needed
