Dodge Ram and Rockwood 8265WS Review Part 1

Dodge Ram Truck and Rockwood 5th Wheel Trailer

We have had a few request to post a review of our tow vehicle and our trailer. We now own the truck for a year, and we added 20,000 km on the motor. As you may recall, we got the trailer last fall (2010) and did a great trip from Vancouver out to Saskatchewan and back to Victoria. That trip was over 5000 km, and we got a really good feel for the trailer and the truck.

2008 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab and 2011 Rockwood 8265WS 5th Wheel Trailer

Our first blog on the truck and trailer was about why we picked them and what we did. We will now tell you some of the things we like and don't like with the truck and the trailer. Here we go:

Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab

Overall the truck is just fantastic, we would not change anything. The 6 cylinder 6.7 liter cummins diesel motor has an incredible amount of power and torque. Really, if you need more power, you should get a dump truck or a Terex Titan like the one below.

Anders just had to check it out. This is in Sparwood, British Columbia.

With the trailer loaded up and tanks full, we pull around 9,000 lbs which the truck pulls up and down the Rocky Mountains (on cruise control) with a smile, and with lots of power to spare. The truck has full torque at very low rpm (1,300 rpm) and produces somewhere around 650 ft lbs of torque.


The truck is further equipped with a 6 speed automatic transmission that is just great. You can gear down manually just with a toggle switch on the gear shift if you choose to.

2008 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab and 2011 Rockwood 8265WS 5th Wheel Trailer

A great place for information on the Cummins motor is the Cummins Forum, also you can check out the Diesel Truck Recource for more of your questions. At both places you can get any question about diesel motors or trucks answered.


I did a lot of research prior to buying our truck. I compared the Chevy, Ford and Dodge. At the end we picked the Dodge (and it's really personal preference) and one of the reasons was the cummins motor. I did go out and test drive all three brands. 


At first we were going to buy a new truck, but when we saw the difference in price, we settled on a two year old unit with 52,000km on the motor. By  the way, I have been told, a cummins motor is just getting broke in at 50,000km.


Further we were also fortunate to have some family giving us feed back. My brother in-law Allan and his son Jason, who farm in Saskatchewan have nothing but good things to say about the cummins motor. 

On the Ray Family Farm

On the Ray Family Farm

Allan and his family have several trucks on the farm. They have one Dodge Ram that has over 1 million km on it. I also read an article that stated that most big Semi Trucks on the road have a straight 6 cylinder motor.


Another article that I read stated that (now referring to 2008 models) the Cummins motor was rated for a re-build at 350,000 km compared to 250,000 for both Chevy and Ford motors. 


I'm not sure what they have done with the exhaust system on these trucks, but it is the best in the industry. You can smell less fumes from our exhaust then you do from a car.


The quad cab in our truck is perfect for us. It gives us extra room in the back should we have extra people with us. When we are on the road, we most of the time keep our (hiking) back packs and a cooler with lunch and snacks in the back, so the extra room is nice.


Never really thought I was going to talk about a sun roof, but it is very nice and I'm happy we got that option. 

The sunroof option gives you a different point of view.

When driving in the mountains you do get a better view of the surroundings, and when you run in to some wild life on the road it's a great place to shoot a movie.





A comment from my wife, Liz


I asked my wife Liz to write a comment on the truck to get a woman's perspective on things. She does drive the truck and trailer when we are out camping and it is great for me to sit in the passenger side as well. 

Liz at Frank Slide in Alberta. Canada

To share the driving will be especially important when we go across Canada and back this year, we will drive around 20,000 km from May till the end of October.


Here is Liz's observations and comments:

"Our truck is great for towing our 5th wheel. I feel confident that it has the power to get us up the mountains, and more importantly has the capacity to control the weight and push when we come down mountains.  

At first I was very apprehensive to drive the truck pulling the trailer. But I feel confident, that the truck and I can handle it. I have been driving through the mountains and passes no problems. In the cities with the trailer I am still a bit cautious. In the city without the trailer is fine, although in my opinion this truck is way too big and parking is a challenge. 

I still call it the beast, but I have learned to tame it."

Liz at the Wheel, Driving Through Banff National Park, Alberta. Canada

Tow Haul and Exhaust Break


Our truck is equipped with a full tow package including Tow Haul and Exhaust Break, these are features that should not be overlooked when purchasing a truck as a tow vehicle.


Tow Haul. The Tow Haul is a feature that is activated with the press of a button (at the end of the gear shift). The Tow Haul feature keeps the transmission in the first 4 gears (out of 6). It will gear down on it's own when you let off the throttle and especially when it senses a load pushing from behind, like 9000 lbs, in the form of a 5th wheel trailer. It is a feature that I would not want to be without. We even use the Tow Haul when driving in the city. It is great, because the truck does not go in to over-drive ( gear 5 and 6).


Exhaust Break. Exhaust break is what the big truckers refer to as a Jake. On our Dodge Ram it is activated by pushing a button on the dash. What happens is that the exhaust path of the motor is closed off by a valve, and the motor has to force the compressed gases past the valve, slowing the motor down. 


Driving with the exhaust break is a bit louder, especially when you go down hill, but here again, a must feature if you are thinking of buying a truck to tow. Now they can be installed after-market as well. According to the Dodge Ram manual, if you turn the exhaust break on when you start the truck up, it will help to warm up the motor faster.

Camped for the Night in Golden, British Columbia. Canada

These two features together make towing a trailer down hill a breeze, and you do not ride the breaks. It is very rare that we use our brakes coming down most hills. 


With the 29 ft trailer behind us, we came across the Coquihalla, Highway 5, coming down to Fraser Valley and Vancouver last fall. With the Tow Haul and the Exhaust Break engaged I had to touch the manual breaks once or twice in the steepest part. During the rest of the downhill grade, I had to keep the foot on the throttle or it would slow down too much. The grade on the Coquihalla is 8.5% in some places, and it drops 3000 ft in 20 km.





Fuel Economy


The truck has better fuel economy than we expected. It is improving as we go along. At  first, at 52,000 km, we got around 18 liters per 100 km (13 mpg), by now at 72,000 km it improved to approximately 13-14 liters per 100 km (18 mpg).


When pulling the trailer we average about 18-20 liters per 100 km (11-13 mpg). We travel at a speed of 90-100 km/hr if roads are good, otherwise we drop down to 70-80 km/hr.

Other Stuff

The side mirrors on the truck flip up for tow mode. This is a great feature, easy to do and works like a charm.

Extras we purchased for the truck are, a tool box for the back that fits under the cover (referred to as "underbody tool box"), a soft roll top cover, a lock for the tail gate, a TomTom XXL GPS and a set of Uniden Two Way Radios. We use the radios for backing up when parking in tight campgrounds. If you want more info on those, just let me know.

Liz and Anders at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, BC. Canada

The only extra that would be nice to have in a truck, is a built in GPS. As you know we purchased a free standing unit (see above picture). I don't like having the GPS on the front window, so I will show you later, in a separate blog how we handled that situation. 

On second thought,  maybe it is better to have a free standing unit. Reason: you have to think about how all technical gadgets change from year to year. The GPS units have come a long way since 4 years ago. So maybe it is better to have a free standing unit that you can replace when you would like to. 

Next time we are in the market for a GPS, I will also look at possibly using an iPad,  Galaxy or BlackBerry tablet. By using a tablet with a GPS app you can look at your route and plan the next day much easier. You can get a TomTom app for both the iPhone and iPod touch. If you have a Google phone like me, I use an HTC Desire Z  smart phone and it has a GPS app. I have not used it yet so I can not give you any feed back there.

We will cover the hitch and the trailer in the next two blogs.


Cheers, Anders and Liz


PS. Just in case we forget, remind me, and I will let you know how we set up for our on wireless Wi-Fi network when we are on the road.

2010 Adams River Sockeye Run

Sockeye By The Millions

An unbelievable experience! An experience of a life time! Out of this world! 


Words can not describe this spectacle of a show that nature displays. The 2010 Adam River Sockeye Run was a record run, and we had the incredible fortune to be able to be there and take it all in.






Can you imagine swimming around 400km against the current, not feeding during the whole journey and with only one purpose in mind, to make love and then die, what a way to go.

2010 Adams River Sockeye Run

Monashee Mountains, with its many creeks drains into Tumtum Lake, which drains in to Upper Adams River. Upper Adams River then drains into Adams Lake, 

Adams Lake

which dumps it's water in to the famous Adams River. Adams River in turn flows into Shuswap Lake.

View Adams River in a larger map

We stayed at a campground in Sorrento called Shuswap Lake Motel and Resort. A bit tight to get in and out with the 5th wheel and some traffic noise, but a really nice setting. Everything nice and clean. Power and water only.

Shuswap Lake Motel and Resort

Our campsite at Shuswap Lake Motel and Resort

The life cycle of the salmon is pretty incredible. Salmon are born in gravel beds in streams 20 to over 1000 km from the ocean. Eggs are laid and fertilized in the fall, the eggs then incubate over late fall and winter.

Salmon Eggs

Approximately a month after they have been laid in the gravel, eyes start to show in the eggs. This can happen as early as November - December. It is very important during this period that the water flow is not interrupted. This  period has the greatest mortality in the salmon's life cycle.


In late winter, the eggs hatch into what is called alevins. This is a tiny creatures with huge eyes attached to bright orange sacs and looks like an alien. 


View The Route Of The Sockeye Salmon in a larger map




Alevins grow rapidly under the gravel for up to four months. Apparently the orange yolk sacs contain a completely diet. The fish is completely protected being in the gravel bed.


Alevins turn into a fry in May - June sometime. At this time they are between 2-3cm long, and swim freely. Swimming freely also has its risks, larger fish now consider them good food. They then stay in the river or nearby lakes for up to a year or two. Each species behaves different. 

Anders watching the Sockeye Salmon in Adams River.

Next stage is a Smolt. Smolting is a change in their body which enables the fish to live in salt water and not absorb the salt. Once this process is finished, and the fish has turned into a smolt it is ready to begin its long swim down the river and into the ocean. 


Once in the ocean the salmon grows very fast and spend a few year here before returning to its place of birth.

Adams River and Hiuihill Creek Hike

We spent two wonderful days hiking along Adams River. The highlight was a small creek called Hiuihill Creek, just south of Adams Lake. 

Hiuihill Creek

This creek flows into Adams River. The creek was very shallow, and the fish were out of the water at times. It is a wonderful hike along the creek from both sides of the road.


At the mouth of Hiuihill Creek where it flows into Adams River we saw other species of Salmon.  From what we were told, some lake trouts come up the river feasting on Sockeye eggs. You will need at least 2-4 hours to hike the Hiuihill Creek, it is a moderate hike with incredible scenery. 

Sockeye Salmon in Adams River, just south of where Hiuihill Creek flows in.

Anders at the rapids by Adams River

Liz at the rapids by Adams River 

Our Friends Judy and Charlie

If you have a chance to take your family and friends here, please do so. It is something that is so incredible, I know this experience will stay with me forever. Not only that, I will return, just like the salmon.


More (tons of them) pictures in our Picasa Album , remember to click on slide show on the top left corner to get the big picture.

Salmon Run at Adams River, BC, Canada

Happy Traveling,


Liz and Anders

Kaslo BC, Over Vernon Bc to Sorrento, BC

Kaslo to Sorrento

First part of this trip is from Schroeder Point Resort just north of Kaslo to Fauquier ferry crossing



View Kaslo to Fauquier in a larger map






Early in the morning we left our campground at Schroeder Point traveling South, back to Kaslo.

SS Moyie, the oldest intact passenger Sternwheeler in the world, Kaslo BC

 We visited the SS Moyie, the world's oldest intact passenger sternwheeler which is a proud symbol of Kaslo's heritage. It now sits on the shore of Kootenay Lake right in Kaslo.

Dining room on the SS Moyie

The Chef preparing great meals

  At the SS Moyie we are thrown back  years when this ship was the transport and the connection to the outside world traveling the inside BC lakes and rivers ( 1898 to 1957). It is amazing the luxury and the hardships one can imagine on these voyages.


In the lower level of the SS Moyie, historical photos tell stories. 
As part of the museum there is also a prospector's cabin in the yard showing the sparse living conditions of pioneers.Leg hold traps, a cast-iron pan, a simple bed, an oil lamp.....I wonder if we could survive a week in summer, never mind in a severe BC winter.

Prospector's Cabin from around 1900

The Story of an Old Cabin

We looked right away for a Latte somewhere, to jolt us back to reality. But it was a Sunday morning and Kaslo was closed. We did a lovely walk-about through the old fashioned town with its clapboard buildings and old hotels, B&Bs,and country stores. 

Anders searching for a coffee.....

Downtown Kaslo, BC

Nice old homes and Commercial  Buildings

Beautiful Old Hotel

We took Hwy. 31A out of town toward Nakusp. The roads are windy but good.






A Step Back in Time with our visit to Sandon BC


About 10km before New Denver we decide to explore the ghost town of Sandon. The gravel road is very narrow and goes up steep into the mountains.

Main Street in Sandon BC around 1890

The museum was open the last weekend for the season. Very interesting, this mining town once had over 5000 people living there. In its heydays, around 1890, Sandon was known as the Monte Carlo of North America with its 29 hotels, 28 saloons, 2 churches, a schoolhouse, theatre and Opera houses, etc. And naturally it attracted mostly men seeking a fortune in the incredible rich silver-lead ore deposits, gamblers, land speculators, ladies of the night, millionaires.......Sandon was also the first BC municipality serviced by Hydro electrical utility. The main Street was built right over the Carpenter Creek running through town because of the limited building land available. The town was twice destroyed, once by fire in 1900 and in 1955 by a wash-out.

Two railways served Sandon for a while

Today Sandon is a Ghost town

Carpenter Creek where the main street of Sandon once stood

Life was hard and short

The Sandon Historical Society is preserving the history of the old mining town

Sandon was known as the Monte Carlo of North America

Hotels, Saloons, and Brothels fleurished

 The sad history is that during WWII about a 1000 Japanese/Canadian internees were housed in the old buildings under the provisions of the War Measures' Act. One can hardly imagine how they must have felt in this cold, shady valley away from the homes on the West coast.

Sandon is now a ghost town and about 4 people live year around there. The Museum Society is working hard to keep the old history alive. It is a great place to visit to get an idea about the diverse BC history

Beautiful Slocan area

We continued our journey through New Denver and Rosebery on Slocan Lake, now following Hwy. # 6 to Nakusp. In New Denver there is the  Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre. It is dedicated to the history of the 23,000 Japanese Canadians that were interned by the Canadian Government. We did not stop, maybe next time. 


Nakusp is a beautiful town of about 2000 people on Upper Arrow Lake which is part of the Columbia River system. Nakusp is famous for its hot springs. But again, maybe next time. We pick up some food and drive South on Hwy.#6 toward the ferry crossing at Fauquier.

Lunch stop on Sadis Bay on Upper Arrow Lake

Liz with the Monashee Mountain across Arrow Lake

The road winds along the narrow Arrow Lake for about 60 km, it is a beautiful drive, not much traffic. Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes are really just widened portions of the Columbia River as it travels south to the US border. The Selkirk Mountains are to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Very few people live around here.This is the beautiful boonies. 


Fauquier to Sorrento




View Fauquier Ferry Crossing to Sorrento in a larger map


Again the ferry from Fauquier to Needles is free, it is a cable ferry.

Free ferry crossing from Fauquier to Needles over Lower Arrow Lake

It's a Cable Ferry

Needles is now just a ferry terminal. The town was flooded in 1960 when the water reservoir just north of Castlegar was created with the Hugh Keenleyside Dam.

Lower Arrow Lake is really the dammed Columbia River

Dutch Cheese?
From Needles to Lumby it is about a 100km drive. The countryside is beautiful, we enjoy our ride. As we approach Lumby, we feel like coming back to civilization, farms, homes, people.... Black and white cows: Anders hits the breaks, there is someone selling cheese right from the farm. Triple Island Farm with its Dutch owners were just licensed here to make cheese this year. We go in and a nice young man with a good Dutch accent serves us. The choices are Goudas. We buy $ 10.00 worth and sit in the truck and taste it. Yummy: Anders went back to get way more. Apparently the Tuijtel Family already ships all over BC.

Camping in Vernon BC

We stay overnight in Vernon BC. Next morning we head north on Hwy.# 97A Armstrong and Enderby. This area is known for its dairy farms.

From Vernon BC to Enderby BC with lots of Dairy Farms

We turn onto Hwy.# 97B toward Salmon Arm. Our goal is to meet up with Judy and Charlie at the Adams River to observe this years huge Salmon Run. We reserved a campsite at the Shuswap Lake Motel and Resort at 1185 Passchendaele Road in Sorrento, BC.

Sorrento BC campsite

It's a nice site, even though we get some highway noise. From here its about a 15 minute drive to the Adams River salmon run site. That's on the program next day.


There are more pictures in our Picasa Web Album.


Cheers,


Liz and Anders