2021 Ram 2500 Build

[Overland4Heroes]

Two years in the making of planning, setbacks, blessings, and comebacks. We started this build in Feb 2021 in order to take on challenging trails, spending time with family, and camping remotely as a representation of the challenging journey of a veterans life. My wife and I are both Veterans, but we wanted to find a way to help give back to other veterans. And so was Born "Bettie White" our 2021 Ram 2500 Tradesman that we would spend the next 6 months researching, installing, tearing apart, and continuing to try and improve our beast of a machine to take on the trails of Colorado as a family. Please join me in this journey as I peace together the last 6 months into a build forum you can enjoy.

First we have to start with the first month of truck ownership just happened to be one of the worst winter storms Texas has ever seen.




The first modifications to be completed, were minimal at first, but would quickly prove their worth in Aug. We installed Husky X-ACT Contour mats in the front (to include middle hump) and back. I have had a lot of different floor mats in past vehicles and these are by far my favorite to date.

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The next step was to cover the factory cloth seats with something that could stand up to what the trails dished out. Wet Okole is well known at what they do in the interior cover world and we thought of no other place to go for our truck seats.

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All I can say is this made a world of difference while we were on the trail getting hammered with rain and dust. The seats quickly dried and were very easy to clean. Great addition!

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Next we added some running boards.......now I know what you all are going to say.......why not rocksliders.......and believe me, I am heading in that direction very soon. But as this is a daily driver, we needed something that was easy to get in and out of the truck. Our 12 year old has a hard time putting one foot in front of the other, so the idea of sliders first was going to end with knee smackers.

So we went with the Go Rhino Raptor version of running boards as they were the lowest profile and did not hang below the frame rails. Not to mention I got a great deal on them as they were 1/3 the price of rock sliders.




The rack was something that took me quick a bit of time on trying to figure out what was going to work best for our setup as I have future plans for a RTT. So instead of installing a half rack setup, I found a unique offering through Magnum Truck Racks. The rack is made of aluminum and has built in T-Slots like you would find in 80/20 material. Perfect setup for adding just about anything as you will see how creative we got with the mounting plates.



I also had the bed Line-X'd before I installed the rack and installing the next bed accessory that would prove to really help keep us organized and items clean on the trails.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

All I have to say is Decked. The install was very straight forward and easy to do. The fun part was picking it up from the shipping company location and breaking down the pallet so that it would all fit in the back of the truck. I can say though it was an easy way to get rid of the box and pallet and do a full inspection of all the parts and pieces and not have to put all that cardboard on the street come Friday Morning for trash pickup. However it was an interesting ride home on the highway, making sure that no pieces or parts would take off into the air like a flying lawn dart until it could be fully assembled at home.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Next, it was time to modify the Decked system to hold some mobile electric power accessories. I started with a good plan, or so I thought....things always change right in the middle of a build. It also took me much longer to complete the electrical portion of the build than anything else. I'm talking months! Weather was not a help as we saw one of the wettest springs and early summer than I care to remember, which slowed down progress because the ram is way too big to fit in our garage.

Any who... I got started with the first rendition of the rear controls and accessories. (Nothing like taking a hole saw to a new truck bed drawer system)

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What I ended up with for my first rendition was all components from Powerwerx. Control switch, two accessory control switches, 30A power pole connectors, cigarette lighter plug, and voltmeter with dual usb ports. (There is a cover for the USB outlets when they are not in use, but you can still see the voltmeter)



This next picture is from earlier this month with the full configuration as the only changes to the outside that I made was to replace the switches with marine grade that were a bit brighter and added more protection. (Recharging an essential tool on the trail).

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Behind the scenes of the Rear Control Power Setup is an array of EGIS parts. EGIS 2012B Sealed Ground Block, EGIS 5015 CT Series JCase Fuse Block, and an EGIS 7023B Hermetically Sealed Contactor (100A).

Very tight conditions inside the ammo can of the decked system, but I did my best to keep the wiring as controlled as possible. The contactor is controlled by the Red control switch an powers all of the accessories connected to the Fuse Block. All of this power comes via a 4AWG Wire coming from a power distribution system located under the rear drivers side passenger seat. I will go into detail of how that it wire up in the next post.

Currently only using 1 of the Blue Switches for BLUE LED lights that light the ground when at camp. The other switch will be for installing an ARB compressor in the opposite ammo can for a back-up when the C02 tank runs out.

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[Overland4Heroes]

As I made my way to the Main Control System, I must have drawn up and tried out 3-4 different setups using different components, and honestly I'm probably still going to make a change in the future to a fully sealed Eaton Distribution Block that houses all of these items in the same box. But there are fitment issues with bulkier items under the seat and I was not ready to mount anything to the back wall of the truck, requiring the rear seat fold mod.

The brains behind the power system is the EGIS Under-voltage Relay that protects all of the accessories attach from draining the battery too low. The relay has multiple setpoints in which the loads will be disconnected and how long before the relay will switch back on. I also included a bypass switch in order to force the relay on in an emergency situation. I can also remove power simply by opening the circuit breaker that is mounted under the hood.

The system includes 30A relays which serve the LED Flood Lights Mounted on the sides and back of the truck. They have both Amber and White so each relay controls each color so that they can be turned on together or individually.

The Midland Comms Radio, Under seat USB and Cigarette Lighter (Used to charge Phones and Battery Power Pack when the truck is off or running), Flood Lights, and all accessories mounted in the decked system.

All connections in the system utilize Deutsch connectors, heat shrink, and braided wire loom to help make a clean and user friendly system for future upgrades and changes.

Had to drill several holes in the back wall of the truck to allow wires to go to the back of the bed and flood lights. Installed Rubber grommets and sealed with Marine Grade Sealant.

The Decked System and the under seat system both got their own dedicated Grounds. One was attached to the seat bracket after removing the paint, and the other was tapped into a hole in the frame of the truck, again first cleaning off any paint where the lug would make contact.



And so the madness began.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

For the flood lights I needed something that would have both Amber and White so that I could work in camp without lighting up the whole woods, but also be able to light up the woods when needed. The only place I could find a small bar that would fit this need was Super Bright LED's. I have bought many products from this company and have never had any problems with their products so that's my source for these lights. Of course time will tell, but so far they are holding up great and the light output is great for my needs at 24W. The lights also received the same treatment as all the other power products with Deutsch Connectors and Braided Loom.

For the Light Controller I went with a local brand named Feniex. They do a lot of work with Emergency Response vehicles and there products are very well built. I chose the 4200 Mini so that I could control each light with each color independently, but also allow for all to be turned on and off with a single button. There is also the added benefit of allowing the rear light bar to zig and wig wag between Amber and White when in dusty or rainy conditions and fellow overlanders and following.

The controller was mounted using a proclips generic mount. I also used their mount for a magnetic phone holder.

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[Overland4Heroes]

Where to install the Midland Radio was a bit of a challenge, but after watching a lot of videos on how to form ABS plastic, I think I found a good spot.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

For Suspension I only decided to lift the front 2 inches and replace the shocks with some Fox Units. Thuren Fab was my choice, and will be for the remainder of the suspension mods that I have planned for later this year. This was the only item that I did not install myself. I took it back to the dealership given that I only had 5k miles on the truck at this point and I wanted to make sure they did the front end alignment at the same time. They were actually the best price for doing both the install and the front end alignment.

Unfortunately, I did not get any picture of the truck after the lift kit was installed. But the truck sits dead level now.

I left the read stock to maintain the load capacity for now, but will be upgrading to a Thuren 1" coil with Kings in the future. I did however install some Firestone Air Bags with the Daystar Cups to allow for flex in the rear. I installed two separate ports to allow for manually adding air to each side. May change this to a gauge that can be read in the cab, but not sure its that important for my needs.

I didn't snag any pictures of these items during my install so I have the following post Colorado Trip pictures I took a few days ago.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Wheels and Tires

Only one option came to mind for the wheel to hold the 37x12.50R17 BFG KO2's........AEV Salta HD's.

Funny how these 37's still look small in pictures, but are the opposite in person. Guess that's the effect of the giant ram stature.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Bumper Time. Another item that took me many months of research to find that one that fit my needs. The Chassis Unlimited Octane Winch Bumper.

This bumper is very stout and took 3 of us to install it. High Quality and very strong to say the least after bouncing it off several rocks with zero damage.

For lights I went with Amazon Aux Beam Specials, just some yellow, white, and flood. Nothing Special here, but I do like the yellow lights the best.

The wiring again got the most attention with wire loom and building a special harness that would work directly with the Aux Switch Panel that came from the factory.

The Addition of the Smittybilt Winch was a little added insurance, but did require me to make a bracket to hold the control solenoid seperately.

Only Required a little Inner Fender Trimming in the end.

 

[RoyB]

What are you doing for rear bumper? I need a stock 2021 rear bumper if you decide to sell it.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

What are you doing for rear bumper? I need a stock 2021 rear bumper if you decide to sell it.

Hey Roy, I plan on replacing the rear bumper at the end of this year with a dual swing out version from Chassis Unlimited. As soon as I pull the stock one off, I will reach out to you if you still need one at that point.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

Great write up, That front bumper definitely is a beast.

 

[RoyB]

Thanks! I sent you a PM with my contact info.....

What rear bumper are you looking at. I'm thinking about welding up a MOVE Bumper kit if I decide to replace my factory damaged bumper with aftermarket.

 

[Shahn]

Nice work! Great looking build!

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Rock Lights:
Another purchase from Super Bright LEDS. I chose the all white and hardwired kit as I didn't need a disco or remote control functionality, just the ability to see the ground and drivetrain at night on the trail if needed. No main street runs for this guy. All cables were wrapped in braided sleeves and all holes had a rubber grommet installed before pulling the wires through. I used strong tie galvanized cleats found in Home Depot to strengthen wood joints. They are strong and just so happen to have the right holes to allow for mounting and securing to the frame. I painted them black to blend in using Rust-Oleum truck bed liner.

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Bed Rack Accessories:
Ezzi -Awn Dual Fuel Can Holder
Ezzi-Awn 40L Water Container
Preece Precision 10lb Co2 Tank
Fiskars Chopping Axe
X-Bull Traction Boards
Bully Tools Shovel
Fire Extinguisher with quick disconnect mount
5lb Propane Tank

On our recent 10 day trip to Colorado, We used each of these items continuously with the exception of the traction boards. (I only used them twice for another vehicle to help them get down Mineral Creek Trail - But they did the job.)

I made all the brackets out of 3/16" Aluminum Angle and used rivet nuts from the traction boards.

The Braces holding the water, fuel, Co2, and Lights were made from 80/20 1.5"x3" Aluminum Extrusions cut to length.

All of the brackets were fastened to the Rack Rails using Magnum T Slot nuts.

 

[Rooster336]

Great write up! Few questions if you don't mind...

What was the deciding factor that made you go with Thuren for suspension? I'm still going between Thuren, Carli, Pure Performance and AEV.

What gears are in your truck and how are they doing with the 37s?

I've had KO2s on a Jeep but never a HD. Are the 37s E rated?

 

[Overland4Heroes]

Great write up! Few questions if you don't mind...

What was the deciding factor that made you go with Thuren for suspension? I'm still going between Thuren, Carli, Pure Performance and AEV.

What gears are in your truck and how are they doing with the 37s?

I've had KO2s on a Jeep but never a HD. Are the 37s E rated?

Hey Rooster,
Thanks for responding.

To answer your questions:

1.) I decided on Thuren because I knew I wanted to build my suspension in stages and not with a full kit right away. As I do more off-road adventures I wanted to be able to change things out component by component. The difference between what Carli and Thuren offered was almost identical. Through my research it seemed as though Thuren was more focused on the off-road setups with softer spring rates and tuned specific shocks, and the Carli was more for on-road and occasional off-road. Of course this is only speculation as I have never owned any Carli products. Really I don't think you can go wrong either way and it just comes down to personal preference.

I'm currently only running the front 2" springs with tuned Fox Shocks. The rear is stock at the moment, but will be moving to the 1" coils with matched shocks and switching out the front's for remote reservoir Fox shocks. I will also be updating the sway bar in the rear and switching to the active rate sway bar in the front. (All of these changes are part of my experience during a 2 week off-road trip we recently completed in Colorado) Even though the truck did awesome, I noticed that I needed more articulation and travel on almost all of the passes that we completed. I also have already thrashed my Trackbar, so I will be replacing that next week. The truck has 16k miles on it now and they say it will need to be replaced before 20k....and mine started popping on the last trail....so its time.

I really wanted to do the AEV lift kit as it also has the ability of moving the front axle forward, but I did notice (unless it has changed) that the stock springs are maintained and there are spacers used to perform the lift. And because of this and the fact that I wouldn't be able to piece meal a kit together, I decided against it. I bought my 2500 because of the solid axle and don't have any plans of towing heavy loads other than my sons Jeep, so the softer spring rate that Thuren offers to allow for more travel was more of a fit for my application. I do like the addition of the Air Bags using the Cup's to allow for more travel, because they allowed for a smother and flatter trip when I did have to tow my son's Jeep up to Colorado.

I'm not familiar with Pure Performance....will have to check them out.

Sorry for the long winded response, but I hope that helps.

2.) I have stock gears in my truck. 3:73's. I bought the Tradesman package because it had the basics I was looking for, but the build potential that I needed. For the final stage of the build I will be addressing the gears with 4:10's or maybe 4:56's and an ARB locker in the rear with a limited slip in the front. I have to be honest though, I was highly impressed with the factory limited slip during this last trip. Currently at 80mph I sit around 1800rpm. Upgrading the gears I think would help with off the line power, towing, and slightly improve the gas mileage. But for now it seems to be holding up just fine.

3.) My KO's are D rated. The Max recommended PSI for these is 50 cold. I typically run 40 in the front and 28-30 in the rear unloaded, and 38-40 when I have a heavier load. I understand that the E rating tires are better suited for this truck as they came on here from the factory, but for my purposes I think the D rating is sufficient. I would not try to max tow with this truck on these tires as the weight capacity is lower than an E rated tire. I would caution that if you buy D rated tires to make sure the installer understands the PSI rating of the new tires. When I had these installed by Discount Tire, they put all the tires at 65PSI because they said they have to go off the door ratings. This truck felt like it was riding on air balloons and so I quickly lowered it down to a PSI that was determined off doing the Chalk Test. So far I have 12k miles on these tires and they are wearing really well and even.

On the trail I lowered the PSI to 20 in the rear and 25 in the front and they performed perfect.

Thanks again, hope this helps.