06 Ram 2500 Mega Cab

[Cummins_Overland]

Hello everyone just wanted to share my overland rig build with yall. After a quick search on the forums it appears the 3rd gen dodge diesels are a bit under represented. Any who here is my truck and the short story that lead me to overlanding it's 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Mega cab with the 5.9 Cummins, when I bought this truck almost 2 years ago now I never had an intent on turning it into an overland rig. Like most young men in their mid 20's buying their first common rail diesel truck I wanted to build a street-able and practical race truck. Something pushing 700hp and god awful amounts of torque but plans changed. My wife and I did a road trip to Utah did a bit of camping in a ground tent, I'm no stranger to sleeping on the ground I was an 11B (infantryman) for 6 years and then a 12B (combat engineer) for 4 years in the California army national guard. But after this Utah trip I told my wife I'm never sleeping on the ground again if I can help it woke up every morning sore and grouchy. Long story short overlanding was a compromise I wanted a 5th wheel she wanted to continue to camp, overlanding gives both of us what we wanted I get a comfortable mattress, she gets a tent still and both get to enjoy the great outdoors together.

The rig isn't quite done yet (every vehicle enthusiast ever) a few more upgrades here and there still need to be added but for any who are interested I'll put the build list below along with a list of future mods.

Currently on the rig:
MOVE Front bumper
Black Oak LED 30" Double row light bar
35" Toyo Open Country MT's
Wilco ADV Bed Rack
Tepui Autana 3
MOVE Rear Bumper
HMMWV Drop down Spare tire Carrier
ICON Vehicle Dynamics Stage 2 4.5" suspension

Performance (Remember race Truck LOL)
Edge Cold Air Intake
S&B Intake Horn
EFI Live from Calibrated Power

Mods Coming Soon
37" Toyo Open Country MT's
ICON Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 CDVC shocks
Front and rear Re gear to 4:32
Front and rear torsen diffs
ARP Head studs
Stealth 67 67mm turbo
90hp injectors

 

[jakeandhisdodge]

wow this is awesome! i have an 06 megacab 1500 with the 5.7L, how do you like the 4.5" lift. I'm putting a leveling kit on mine with 35" tires.

 

[tjZ06]

Very cool, a diesel RAM 2500 is on my list of "dream builds." Curious why the torsens not selectable lockers?

-TJ

 

[RoarinRow]

Your rig is a beast!

 

[Cummins_Overland]

Very cool, a diesel RAM 2500 is on my list of "dream builds." Curious why the torsens not selectable lockers?

-TJ

Because they are 100% mechanical and self engaging or I guess disengaging. The HMMWV being one of the most offroad capable vehicles in the world (prior to being loaded down with ridiculous amounts or armor) I figured good enough for the hummer its bound to be good enough for me.

 

[Cummins_Overland]

wow this is awesome! i have an 06 megacab 1500 with the 5.7L, how do you like the 4.5" lift. I'm putting a leveling kit on mine with 35" tires.

With the 4.5" lift its just right in my opinion, I wanted something in between a 3" and 6" so that I'd be able to run 37" tires but not have an absolute monster lift. Also the Icon lift is great and when paired with either a carli or thuren active rate sway bar night and day difference off road.

 

[tjZ06]

Because they are 100% mechanical and self engaging or I guess disengaging. The HMMWV being one of the most offroad capable vehicles in the world (prior to being loaded down with ridiculous amounts or armor) I figured good enough for the hummer its bound to be good enough for me.

Honestly, I would reconsider. The Torsen Limited Slip Differentials (LSD) in a HMMWV are actually one of their Achilles heels. They never "engage" or "disengage", they simply always are, what they are: limited slip. They will never truly "lock" up in the same way a selectable locker does. The Vari-Lok diffs in the axles of my WJ (and high-range center diff in the t-case) are also a type of LSD, with dufferent functionality to also try to approach a locking function. I could get into the Vari-Lok details, but I imagine that's not of particular interest to you, what is more interesting perhaps is that I fully intend to swap my T-case (already bought my 242HD) and put ARBs in my axles to eliminate my Vari-Lok LSDs.

At the end of the day, an LSD is certainly better than an open diff, and a more complex system like a Vari-Lok or Torsen which attempt lockup are better yet. But none of them are as good as true lockers offroad, particularly when larger/heavier than stock wheels/tires are used. AM General made some pretty funny videos for using the Hummers, but this one is particularly pertinent here:


Note that the Torsen does NOT stop just one tire from spinning, and does NOT send power to the other tire in these situations. The Civilian H1 Hummer relied on electronic traction control to apply the brakes to the spinning wheel to send power to the other one. I don't believe the HMMWVs had this, and if I recall correctly their manuals actually stated the driver should apply the brake while staying on the throttle in these situations (a common off road technique useful in anything that doesn't have true lockers). Your Ram won't have the ability to brake just one spinning wheel for you, so you'll be stuck 2-footing it which only works marginally well.

I've wheeled with a lot of H1s and surplus HMMWVs. What makes them so capable really is the factory 37" tire fitment and the portal axles, along with the huge ground-clearance provided by the combination of those 37"s, portals and IFS/IRS. However, the Torsens really let them down, especially because IFS/IRS rigs tend to lift wheels all the time, which generally renders LSDs useless. People that wheel HMMWV/H1s replace the Torsens as nearly their first mod for any real wheeling.

Anyway, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, and Torsens may still work great for you if you tend more towards light trail use and don't envision scenarios where you lift a tire, or only 1 tire is in a poor-traction scenario (ice, mud, whatever). Still, I'd give the Torsens a second thought and think about some good selectable lockers.

-TJ

 

[Cummins_Overland]

I may have to reconsider my choice although my choices for a selectable locker are quite few, I believe I only have one choice. The ARB air locker, I'd much rather go with an E-locker but thats not an option for me as they don't make one for the AAM 11.5. The airlocker has more moving and serviceable parts than I care for. I guess my other option would be a detroit locker not selectable, no maintenance required, but its always locked unless in a turn.

 

[tjZ06]

I may have to reconsider my choice although my choices for a selectable locker are quite few, I believe I only have one choice. The ARB air locker, I'd much rather go with an E-locker but thats not an option for me as they don't make one for the AAM 11.5. The airlocker has more moving and serviceable parts than I care for. I guess my other option would be a detroit locker not selectable, no maintenance required, but its always locked unless in a turn.

For fun, because I'm sick like that, I went back and tried re-familiarize myself with how the Torsen actually works. Here's a little vid if you want to wrap your head around it, it definitely took me a few watches before I "got it" and it helps to remember the whole assembly they are showing rotating around in the carrier. They show it sitting still because the carrier (and obviously ring-gear it's bolted to) and axle shafts are all rotating at the same speed, so there is no relative motion between them unless a) you're turning b) one tire is spinning.


This is also pretty handy: How Differentials Work and they even mention the HMMWV issue and the manual suggesting to use the brakes to force some drive-torque to the wheels with traction. To me, the KEY lines are:

"...The design of the gears in the differential determines the torque bias ratio. For instance, if a particular Torsen differential is designed with a 5:1 bias ratio, it is capable of applying up to five times more torque to the wheel that has good traction... However, if one set of wheels loses traction completely, the Torsen differential will be unable to supply any torque to the other set of wheels. The bias ratio determines how much torque can be transferred, and five times zero is zero."

So, a wheel in the air is always going to leave you with no drive-torque to the wheel still on the ground, UNLESS you apply the brakes. At which point you will get some drive. All things considered, this might still be a reasonable option for you.



As for selectable locking options, I wouldn't say an E-locker has any less moving parts than an ARB. They both work in a similar fashion, just one is actuated by an electromagnet, and one by air pressure. Of course, in the ARB you do have the sealing components which could go bad, but they've been around fo-ev-ah and rarely fail. Here's a good good breakdown of how they work, with visuals of the internals:


It also points out one key difference, which was the deciding factor for the person that made that video: with an E-locker when you go from Forward to Reverse the low-traction wheel will have to spin ~1/2 turn before the locker can lock-up again. Another option would be something like a Detroit Locker in the rear of your truck, and an ARB (or E-locker) just up front. The only downside to this is many don't like a rear locker in snow conditions, and you can't unlock a Detroit. Detroits are also noisy around town.

-TJ

 

[Cummins_Overland]

For fun, because I'm sick like that, I went back and tried re-familiarize myself with how the Torsen actually works. Here's a little vid if you want to wrap your head around it, it definitely took me a few watches before I "got it" and it helps to remember the whole assembly they are showing rotating around in the carrier. They show it sitting still because the carrier (and obviously ring-gear it's bolted to) and axle shafts are all rotating at the same speed, so there is no relative motion between them unless a) you're turning b) one tire is spinning.


This is also pretty handy: How Differentials Work and they even mention the HMMWV issue and the manual suggesting to use the brakes to force some drive-torque to the wheels with traction. To me, the KEY lines are:

"...The design of the gears in the differential determines the torque bias ratio. For instance, if a particular Torsen differential is designed with a 5:1 bias ratio, it is capable of applying up to five times more torque to the wheel that has good traction... However, if one set of wheels loses traction completely, the Torsen differential will be unable to supply any torque to the other set of wheels. The bias ratio determines how much torque can be transferred, and five times zero is zero."

So, a wheel in the air is always going to leave you with no drive-torque to the wheel still on the ground, UNLESS you apply the brakes. At which point you will get some drive. All things considered, this might still be a reasonable option for you.



As for selectable locking options, I wouldn't say an E-locker has any less moving parts than an ARB. They both work in a similar fashion, just one is actuated by an electromagnet, and one by air pressure. Of course, in the ARB you do have the sealing components which could go bad, but they've been around fo-ev-ah and rarely fail. Here's a good good breakdown of how they work, with visuals of the internals:


It also points out one key difference, which was the deciding factor for the person that made that video: with an E-locker when you go from Forward to Reverse the low-traction wheel will have to spin ~1/2 turn before the locker can lock-up again. Another option would be something like a Detroit Locker in the rear of your truck, and an ARB (or E-locker) just up front. The only downside to this is many don't like a rear locker in snow conditions, and you can't unlock a Detroit. Detroits are also noisy around town.

-TJ

Appreciate the reply but I did all the same research that's how I narrowed my decision down to either a detroit locker for the rear and torsen in the front or torsen both front and rear. An E locker as an entire system has less moving parts than that of an airlocker. The E locker utilizing an electromagnet to engage lock up all it needs is power fairly simple. An Airlocker requires air pressure which means it needs an air compressor moving parts there, and then an electropnuematic valve which would allow air flow once the pressure required has been obtained, air leaks and kinks can cause pressure drops and leaks rendering the system useless. I'm a believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid).

 

[tjZ06]

Appreciate the reply but I did all the same research that's how I narrowed my decision down to either a detroit locker for the rear and torsen in the front or torsen both front and rear. An E locker as an entire system has less moving parts than that of an airlocker. The E locker utilizing an electromagnet to engage lock up all it needs is power fairly simple. An Airlocker requires air pressure which means it needs an air compressor moving parts there, and then an electropnuematic valve which would allow air flow once the pressure required has been obtained, air leaks and kinks can cause pressure drops and leaks rendering the system useless. I'm a believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Fair 'nough, and I was definitely just giving my thoughts vs. proposing I had know the "right way." I see what you mean that the ARB has a lot more components as a complete system, vs. the E-lockers. Again, if you don't expect to do the type of wheeling where you have tires in the air you might love the Torsens. From what I've seen on H1 the brake trick works... okay. I will say, if you have snow driving planned and haven't snow-driven with something like a Detroit talk to some folks before you make a final call. It sounds counter-intuitive but lots of people don't like the auto-locking diffs in the snow.

-TJ

 

[Cummins_Overland]

Fair 'nough, and I was definitely just giving my thoughts vs. proposing I had know the "right way." I see what you mean that the ARB has a lot more components as a complete system, vs. the E-lockers. Again, if you don't expect to do the type of wheeling where you have tires in the air you might love the Torsens. From what I've seen on H1 the brake trick works... okay. I will say, if you have snow driving planned and haven't snow-driven with something like a Detroit talk to some folks before you make a final call. It sounds counter-intuitive but lots of people don't like the auto-locking diffs in the snow.

-TJ

Definitely appreciate the input brother it was quite thought provoking and got me thinking. I was quite dead set on the torsens and detroit lockers as I thought those were all that were available for the AAM 11.5 that didn't have the complexity of the air locker. Did a little more research and found out the 2012-current power wagons started using the AAM 11.5 rear end, previously it was the AAM 10.5. So in theory I could use the E locker from a current model power wagon, hard part is whether the dealer or AAM will sell one aftermarket.

 

[Vadim]

Love your build on this. I recently got an 03 2500 that im going to be doing some 4 wheelin in. Been hard to find a bumper that I like because none of them are really high clearance. I like the fact that you chopped up your move bumper to make it appear somewhat high clearance.