New member of the Big Truck Club!

[travelin texans]

Nice truck! If I were buying another truck today my 1st stop would be at the Ram dealer & I've been a GM guy forever.
Just FYI Harbor Freight has those 40" long folding platforms for $49.95.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Nice truck! If I were buying another truck today my 1st stop would be at the Ram dealer & I've been a GM guy forever.
Just FYI Harbor Freight has those 40" long folding platforms for $49.95.

Only difference between the two that I can see, the Lowes version is a couple inches longer and has a higher weight rating. When I purchased, the weight rating was important to me, I’m right at the HF rating. A smaller person won’t have that concern.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Only difference between the two that I can see, the Lowes version is a couple inches longer and has a higher weight rating. When I purchased, the weight rating was important to me, I’m right at the HF rating. A smaller person won’t have that concern.

Not to hijack this new truck post, but my son has the HF platform, I don't know what it's rated for, but we've both been on it at it at the same time several times which is in excess of our 500lbs & still in use.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Not to hijack this new truck post, but my son has the HF platform, I don't know what it's rated for, but we've both been on it at it at the same time several times which is in excess of our 500lbs & still in use.

Not really hijacking, he did ask for input about how to reach the center of the cab. You guys are brave. I couldn’t take the chance of it giving out while I was working on a customer vehicle and end up causing damage not only to the vehicle, but to me. I know, in most cases, weight ratings are a bit bogus and have some leeway built in for liability purposes, the question when it comes to that is how much? BTW, the HF is rated for 225.

[wegone]

My buddy has that truck, he loves it, CONGRATS.

Now I have another buddy who bought a F150 Eco-Boost.
After 2 trips he can't keep up to me on grades, he is pretty worried that he turns off his air, that upsets his wife as she melts...

I tried to tell him.

[the406life]

I don't wax my vehicles. I have them ceramic coated. Lasts for years, looks better, easier to keep clean because dirt doesn't stick to it.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by the406life

I don't wax my vehicles. I have them ceramic coated. Lasts for years, looks better, easier to keep clean because dirt doesn't stick to it.

FYI, ceramic coating doesn’t last for years. Most of them that come with a warranty require annual inspections because they need to reapply especially in areas that are exposed to a lot of sun. There’s also huge variances in quality levels. I’ve detailed cars where the coating was basically gone after a little over a year. In terms of longevity, my belief is that wax last 4-6 months, paint sealants 6-12 months, ceramic coatings 12-24 months. The variance in times are due to quality of product and exposer levels.

[Buffettfan]

Thanks for all the great advice and comments on the new TV. I'm going to try waxing it today, if the sun's not too hot. Unfortunately. it's too tall for my garage. I knew that going in, my 2wd 1500 only cleared by a couple inches. I'm planning a 24X30X14 carport, but that probably won't happen til spring.
Thanks Again,All!

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

Thanks for all the great advice and comments on the new TV. I'm going to try waxing it today, if the sun's not too hot. Unfortunately. it's too tall for my garage. I knew that going in, my 2wd 1500 only cleared by a couple inches. I'm planning a 24X30X14 carport, but that probably won't happen til spring.
Thanks Again,All!

If you have a standard 7’ tall garage door, it should fit for you to be able to get it out of the sun to wax it. What you will need to do is pull the release handle in the garage door opener and either have someone hold the garage door completely up or prop it up. That gains you an inch or so. If that’s still not enough, drop some air out of the tires. I’ve had to do that on a Ram once. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t build these things to fit into a standard garage.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If you have a standard 7’ tall garage door, it should fit for you to be able to get it out of the sun to wax it. What you will need to do is pull the release handle in the garage door opener and either have someone hold the garage door completely up or prop it up. That gains you an inch or so. If that’s still not enough, drop some air out of the tires. I’ve had to do that on a Ram once. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t build these things to fit into a standard garage.

This strictly a guess but I'm guessing it's a testosterone booster. "Look, my truck is larger than yours so it's better" is just another marketing ploy that appeals to some folks that have more leftover Neanderthal DNA than others.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by flybouy

This strictly a guess but I'm guessing it's a testosterone booster. "Look, my truck is larger than yours so it's better" is just another marketing ploy that appeals to some folks that have more leftover Neanderthal DNA than others.

Could be. My last house I put 8’ garage doors in, they had to be special ordered and weren’t cheap. When I built my current garage/workshop I was limited on height so had to go with a standard 7’ door. My Silverado barely clears, I’ve had an F250 that I had to push the garage door up, needed an extra 1/4” clearance, and a Ram that I had to drop the air in the tires down to 15 psi to clear. I don’t know about the new body style GM trucks, they look like they could sit slightly taller than my 2019. I can see this as a very frustrating situation for many people.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Could be. My last house I put 8’ garage doors in, they had to be special ordered and weren’t cheap. When I built my current garage/workshop I was limited on height so had to go with a standard 7’ door. My Silverado barely clears, I’ve had an F250 that I had to push the garage door up, needed an extra 1/4” clearance, and a Ram that I had to drop the air in the tires down to 15 psi to clear. I don’t know about the new body style GM trucks, they look like they could sit slightly taller than my 2019. I can see this as a very frustrating situation for many people.

I live in a development that was built by several different builders so there's a mix of designs. All the houses have attached garages with the vast majority 2 car garages. Very, very few homes use the garage to park their vehicles in, at least not their daily drivers. I think it's likely a common theme in most suburbs and not a priority for the automakers. Again just a guess, no hard facts to back up, JMHO.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I live in a development that was built by several different builders so there's a mix of designs. All the houses have attached garages with the vast majority 2 car garages. Very, very few homes use the garage to park their vehicles in, at least not their daily drivers. I think it's likely a common theme in most suburbs and not a priority for the automakers. Again just a guess, no hard facts to back up, JMHO.

See a lot of that where I live as well, I’m not leaving a $70k+ truck sit outside in the NM sun. I don’ understand it.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I live in a development that was built by several different builders so there's a mix of designs. All the houses have attached garages with the vast majority 2 car garages. Very, very few homes use the garage to park their vehicles in, at least not their daily drivers. I think it's likely a common theme in most suburbs and not a priority for the automakers. Again just a guess, no hard facts to back up, JMHO.

I think it varies by city and neighborhood. I've lived places where no one used the garage for cars. I've lived in houses where I used the garage (double) for storage, work area, ping pong tables etc. Where I live now no one leaves a car out except the fire chief who leaves his fire dept. pickup outside. When I built this house I knew I wanted a larger garage so told the builder to expand it. Did not think about the doors as my 1/2 ton, long bed, single cab fit fine within those dimensions. Never thought I'd have a 1 ton but at least it squeaks by the top of the door to get in (7'). The other concern I had/have is the garage door openers as they are at just about 7' as well. With pecan trees all over the property and the leaky, gooey mess they drop every year I'd never park outside again while here. That stuff turns into solid plastic like drops if left to harden. I do think that truck manufacturers don't concern themselves with garage door dimensions when building a HD truck.

[flybouy]

Like many things geography and "typical" weather plays a major role. I wouldn't live in tornado alley or S FL unless the vehicle was at least under a carport. Hail is just too common and it tends to be LARGE. Same thing in the desert SW due to sun damage. Thing is, the majority of the population isn't concentrated in those areas.

I agree that keeping an expensive object outside while protecting typically low value "stuff" inside isn't logical but a lot of homes are that way. I think about what my garage, and most of them in my neighborhood look like when I read the weight threads and the statement "we don't carry much" "we travel light" rationalizations are declared.

[sourdough]

^^^Mine's stuffed and then I stuff a vehicle in it!!

[Buffettfan]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If you have a standard 7’ tall garage door, it should fit for you to be able to get it out of the sun to wax it. What you will need to do is pull the release handle in the garage door opener and either have someone hold the garage door completely up or prop it up. That gains you an inch or so. If that’s still not enough, drop some air out of the tires. I’ve had to do that on a Ram once. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t build these things to fit into a standard garage.

Unfortunately, it's a 6'6" door. The new truck is 6'9"

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

Unfortunately, it's a 6'6" door. The new truck is 6'9"

do you have the factory air suspension? if so you can lower it to transport mode

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

Unfortunately, it's a 6'6" door. The new truck is 6'9"

Who the heck built a house with a 6.5’ door? A standard 2 car garage door is 16x7, one car is 9x7. Unless they had height restriction like I dealt with, that’s a special order door and more $$$. Heck, even with my shop, I put in an 18’ wide door, I hate the 16’ doors when trying to put 2 cars in. I had to find a style of door I liked that was also available in a 9’ wide door for the 3rd stall, then it took 5 months to get the door, all because of going 2’ wider.

[Buffettfan]

No air suspension on this one.
Yep, it's a special order door.
Wife tried to drive through it last year. It took 6 months to get a new one.
The garage is part of the basement. If the builder had gone another course taller on the block walls, they could have used a standard door.