2nd Gen Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins / The “Puller” Project

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
I DIT NOT think about that! Hmmm..... I will have to deal with that issue somehow. Thank you for bring it to my attention, thats a damn good point.

Been eyeing that shower system. I think the concept is that you prefill the bottom tub with hot water and then recirculate from there, so the pump is the only thing that gets "fouled". Shouldn't be a problem. One cool extra mod would be to add a valve that allows you to switch from "recirc mode" to to "fresh instant hot water mode" for a nice clean rinse after the dirt and suds phase. I'm designing that exact system. I figure a three gallon 15 minute hot shower is possible that way!
 

landman

Well-known member
Man-o-man its been awhile since I’ve updated. Sorry about that. To be honest we have been camping so much and enjoying the rig I lost track of time and realized I am behind on the build thread. Anyways first update is we installed the countertop and sink. We used mahogany wood and a revault (sp?) square sink. Her are some pics:

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Next we installed a fridge slider and made a matching front face:

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I will eventually change out the sliders. They are not my favorite, but are more then good enough for now.

Next up I will installed the water tank and sink faucet to complete the build out of our @HiatusCampers . Once we are done there we will turn our eye to the truck it’s self possibly. That being said I want some opinions from you folks on something. I have been thinking super hard on if I want to do a big build out on the truck itself. Meaning, full suspension system, possible some 37 inch tires, dynatrac locking front hubs, ect ect ect. BUT, I am not sure I want to go that route. It would be cool, but I almost feel that part of the magic of this truck is that its bone stock and unmolested. There are almost no stock 5.9’s out there anymore. 99% of them are driven into the ground or tuned up to be racers :rolleyes:. So, a big part of me wants to leave her stock for the pure reason of keeping it original, because thatS just as cool as being modified for this truck in my opinion.

Thoughts from you all????
 

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dstefan

Well-known member
Really great clean looking build. Functional and beautiful too! I’ve been learning a lot for my upcoming pop-up camper build out. I thought the Hiatus campers looked great, but was surprised to see their website saying they weren’t even going to do any new builds until July 2021. I have an Ovrlnd camper on order that should be available by December, so I went with that. Plus, it’s made in Flagstaff, super well built, and I live in Phoenix. The composite solid pop up on the Hiatus seems like a really great approach though.

Two questions: 1) that is a 6 1/2 foot bed, correct? It just looks like you have a ton of room in there, and I’m half tempted to think it’s an 8 foot bed, but your pictures don’t really look like it. I guess I’m just used to the tiny 5 foot bed in my Tacoma. I’m seriously looking at getting a Tundra with the 6 1/2 foot bed for the new camper because I want my room. It’s encouraging to see your pictures, if that’s not an 8 foot bed.
2) how do you like having your fridge closer to the cab not available to cooking off the back of the bed? I’m so used to having the fridge at the tailgate on my Tacoma, that I never really thought about a side pull fridge. Do you intend to always cook inside?
 

landman

Well-known member
Really great clean looking build. Functional and beautiful too! I’ve been learning a lot for my upcoming pop-up camper build out. I thought the Hiatus campers looked great, but was surprised to see their website saying they weren’t even going to do any new builds until July 2021. I have an Ovrlnd camper on order that should be available by December, so I went with that. Plus, it’s made in Flagstaff, super well built, and I live in Phoenix. The composite solid pop up on the Hiatus seems like a really great approach though.

Two questions: 1) that is a 6 1/2 foot bed, correct? It just looks like you have a ton of room in there, and I’m half tempted to think it’s an 8 foot bed, but your pictures don’t really look like it. I guess I’m just used to the tiny 5 foot bed in my Tacoma. I’m seriously looking at getting a Tundra with the 6 1/2 foot bed for the new camper because I want my room. It’s encouraging to see your pictures, if that’s not an 8 foot bed.
2) how do you like having your fridge closer to the cab not available to cooking off the back of the bed? I’m so used to having the fridge at the tailgate on my Tacoma, that I never really thought about a side pull fridge. Do you intend to always cook inside?

Hey Dstefran, thanks for the questions And complements on the build.

1) I dont exactly know know why there is a delay till July 2021 for Hiatus for manufacturing. Best guess, raw materials supply due to current events. You can contact them directly and they will likely fill you in with that information.

2) Yes, the fact that Hiatus is in Washington Stages does make it less convenient then if they were in Flagstaff, but it is what it is. But driving to Washington in genral makes for a great overland trip, especially if your going to pickup your new Hiatus Camper :) Regardless I can understand your conveinance factor.

3) I can honestly say that the hard wall pop up that Hiatus offers is a complete game changer. So much better then my Mercedes Sprinter van ever was in regards to the comfort vs capability comparison ratio. Hiatus is the first mover on this product and its only a matter of time before other company see the light and start to copy it. Mark my wrods.

4) My truck is a 6.5ft bed, you are correct. It offer plenty of space for my wife, my busy, and my self. The Hiatus Setup acts as a middle ground between ”live out of” and “live in” rig....if that makes sense.

5) In regards to the fridge, I don’t mind it being in a location where I have to go in and out of the Hiatus to access it (I cant access it anyway else). It really doesn’t bother me that much, and I am a impatient person. Don’t get me wrong, it takes some getting use to, considering I came from a 170 sprinter with all the space in the world. That being said you can easily build (or have hiatus build) you a layout and slider for your fridge setup to be accessible from the back doors.

Probably the only inconvenient aspect to the hiatus is getting in and out of it. You gotta remember to stay low for longer then you expect while entering it, otherwise you can scrap you back while entering it. To me, thats a small price to pay for the massive up sides to the design.

6) I primarily cook outside the Hiatus. Ive only cooked inside it twice due to bad weather. Like any rig, cooking in side it is not ideal for smells and mess.

I am in Tucson. If you ever wanna come tour my rig and see it for yourself I am MORE then happy to show you. Let me know. Some good things are worth the wait.

Cheers!
 

landman

Well-known member
By the way Expedition Portal did a full article on my build as well, check it out here if you missed it:

 
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givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
I think what you WANT to sell it for, and what it's worth may or may not be in line. Kelly Blue Book can give you a very accurate price of what your truck is worth. And, you know the price of a new Hiatus camper (which yours is newish, but not new. So consider some depreciation). You have custom furniture in the camper, which I think will be worth something but probably not what you think it is.

I honestly don't know what a fair asking price is for your truck/camper, but I think you're quite a bit high on your suggested asking price. Rare or not, low mileage or not, you have a 20 year old dodge. Kelly blue book says it's worth MAX $14k (perfect condition, top of private party sale range). The camper is what it is, Pretty cool, but you aren't going to get 100+% of its value. Of course, you have a bit of notoriety with your thread, and it is a really cool setup, so the right person might come along. Hopefully you don't take offense, but just my 2 cents.
 

landman

Well-known member
I think what you WANT to sell it for, and what it's worth may or may not be in line. Kelly Blue Book can give you a very accurate price of what your truck is worth. And, you know the price of a new Hiatus camper (which yours is newish, but not new. So consider some depreciation). You have custom furniture in the camper, which I think will be worth something but probably not what you think it is.

I honestly don't know what a fair asking price is for your truck/camper, but I think you're quite a bit high on your suggested asking price. Rare or not, low mileage or not, you have a 20 year old dodge. Kelly blue book says it's worth MAX $14k (perfect condition, top of private party sale range). The camper is what it is, Pretty cool, but you aren't going to get 100+% of its value. Of course, you have a bit of notoriety with your thread, and it is a really cool setup, so the right person might come along. Hopefully you don't take offense, but just my 2 cents.

No offense at all! Solid points, and thanks for taking your time. You and I would likely disagree on the KBB subject though. Tacomas, 4Runners, Ford 7.3’s, Dodge 5.9‘s, old diesels, vans, old military style unimog stuff, all consistently sell well-well above KBB as a standard operating procedure. The demand for them is undeniable.
 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
Don't disagree at all, in fact I sold my (bulletproofed) 6.0 ford superduty for $5k over kbb. I do think that it gives a fairly reliable starting point, however, and then you can go from there. Your truck is awesome, but there might be a reason it was rare (for the vast majority of consumers).

What I mean is that overlanders love a manual, and a diesel, but for most people, they'd rather have an auto. And while your dodge is really clean, they're sort of known for falling apart around the cummins.

Again, not knocking your truck at all and I know that given the right buyer, itll be worth much more than blue book, based on all the desirable factors that you already listed. Good luck with the sale (if your wife doesn't lay down the law)

I think you should keep it and continue posting awesome trip reports!
 

landman

Well-known member
Don't disagree at all, in fact I sold my (bulletproofed) 6.0 ford superduty for $5k over kbb. I do think that it gives a fairly reliable starting point, however, and then you can go from there. Your truck is awesome, but there might be a reason it was rare (for the vast majority of consumers).

What I mean is that overlanders love a manual, and a diesel, but for most people, they'd rather have an auto. And while your dodge is really clean, they're sort of known for falling apart around the cummins.

Again, not knocking your truck at all and I know that given the right buyer, itll be worth much more than blue book, based on all the desirable factors that you already listed. Good luck with the sale (if your wife doesn't lay down the law)

I think you should keep it and continue posting awesome trip reports!

Solid advice.
 

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