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From fire truck to MTV

Skyhawk13205

Well-known member
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Location
Alaska
Took out the front coil springs, this leveled the truck and made for a better ride. A1R only had those spring for future armor so without it, it was overly stiff.
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Had a check engine light today, cat et showed a high voltage on the boost sensor. $280 for the sensor and a lot of fighting I got a new one back in.
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Finished all the setup for towing the Xterra and took it on a test. Using the 7 pin harness and air brake service line. All lights are functional, the brake activates proportionally with the MTV brake. It also has a breakaway tether to automatically engage the Xterra brakes. A little tough to conbect by myself but normally I'll have the wife and kids around to help.
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did you use the M&G brake system, how hard was it to put the actuator on your brake booster, out of all the car towing system this the air brake system on the brake booster seemed the safest and well designed. It would also be nice to be able to use the service glad hand rather than running a line to the brake canister.
 

aw113sgte

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Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
La Crosse, WI
Used this kit (The universal 2.0 version) https://www.mgbrakes.com/products
Would have like to use the direct mount master cylinder version, but they said it wouldn't fit.

Basically I'm just using the service brake airline from the truck and it feeds into an air cylinder that has a cable connecting to the brake pedal so when I step on the brakes in the MTV I get a proportionate braking force on the pedal in the tow vehicle. It also has a secondary chamber with breakaway so if I pull that breakaway cable, the brakes apply automatically.
 

Mullaney

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Supporting Vendor
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Used this kit (The universal 2.0 version) https://www.mgbrakes.com/products
Would have like to use the direct mount master cylinder version, but they said it wouldn't fit.

Basically I'm just using the service brake airline from the truck and it feeds into an air cylinder that has a cable connecting to the brake pedal so when I step on the brakes in the MTV I get a proportionate braking force on the pedal in the tow vehicle. It also has a secondary chamber with breakaway so if I pull that breakaway cable, the brakes apply automatically.
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That is a good deal!
Definitely a big plus.

Especially having the breakaway feature...
AND it is even Made in America!
 

aw113sgte

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
621
924
93
Location
La Crosse, WI
Another weekend trip in the books. This one was about 1.5 hours away. Started off by seeing the CTIS constantly trying to adjust to HWY. The front QRV was hissing air, indicating the front wheels valves weren't closing. This caused an imbalance in the front and two rear axles. I just unplugged ctis for the trip. Back home I cleaned out the wheel valve and put in a new diaphragm and spring that was slightly stronger - seems to be working solid now.

Don't have any pictures but the duct going from cab to habitat blew apart on the highway. It was a test fit super cheap hose and I haven't gotten around to finalizing it. Just threw some duct tape on it and continued. Ordered the proper parts when i got back,

Other than those issues, truck did great. It was colder and we were staying for a few days so we used the diesel heater to heat the water(all 4 showering every day) and sometimes to warm the habitat. No issues and worked great! Use 10-15 gallons water for all 4 over 24hours. Do want a different mixing valve for shower, this one works pretty well but doesn't allow for really hot water to pass though.

A number of bike crashes, no fish caught, lots of fires (carry lots of wood on the truck). Campground people were super cool, raced their ATV against my sons bike multiple times. It's an electric bike with DeWalt batteries. They said they maxed out at 25mph and he was pulling away. Another campground we went to, the lady camp director yelled at him saying he had to have a license and be 16 to ride one (both false in our state) - a true Karen.

Systems on the truck worked great, family puts a pretty bid demand on the electrical system - lots of tea, hot water, my coffee, showers, keeping the inside at 72+, charging lots of batteries for the bikes, no issues. Had a lot of shade and clouds but after 48 hours batteries were at 65%.

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Skyhawk13205

Well-known member
152
261
63
Location
Alaska
Regarding your CTIS issues, you might want to think of installing a CTiS off switch, the arctic trucks have them installed and I had to activate mine when it got real cold due to the tires draining when the PCU does a tire check.


Looks like you are having a good time, enjoy your time with your family, these trucks are a tool to build memories. I have taken quite a few trips with my family and the work and time I have put into the truck has been more than worth it.
 
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