Mike NXP's GX470

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I wonder how much of a factor is the tire tread pattern when it comes to drag on a trailer? This camper came with stupid knobby mud tires, will get a pic soon.... I'm trying to convince myself to change them out but I don't know , they're brand new and I don't want to waste money on tires for no reason...They also pick up every single rock they touch which is really annoying
 
Why on earth would anyone need this on a trailer... After about 12 seconds of thinking about this I ordered a set of normal trailer tires, a set of Goodyears. My 470 has highway tires on it, even more of a reason why the thing I pull behind it doesn't need mud tires...
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Definitely a noticeable difference going from mud to trailer tires.

Mud tires w/ vehicle in D - Would struggle to ever hit top gear and would chase gears more often. 60mph in fourth gear translates to 2500 rpms
Trailer tires w/ vehicle in D - Same stretch of road, vehicle would up shift to top gear and I could even feel the torque converter lock up. This allows for 60mph in top gear at about 1800 rpms

Big difference for sure. Still need 4th gear for uphills and when needing power but it doesn't seem to be working as hard for it.

Looking forward to getting some more miles on this setup, takes a bit of time to get used to how it all feels.
 
Finally got a few hundred miles under my belt pulling with the 470...

Sleeping in a camper something I've never done before and honestly it has some advantages but this life's not for me....I manage to find some good spots without people around but otherwise I find it challenging to get to a place where no one else is already camping....I will enjoy it for a little while and eventually sell and move on to something else....

Here are some things I noticed :
  • I am bone stock, usually getting around 18mpg on my daily driving
    >> Hooked up and pulling about 3k lbs and mileage drops do a steady 10-11mpgs. Lots of ups and downs and steep climbs out this way so she was working pretty good
    >> I keep my RPMS under 2600 except for occasional times when I push 3k
  • Engine temps stayed rock solid, never really going over 195 and mostly chillen around 187
  • Transmission temps go up quickly when under load. You can watch it go up over 200F and as I continue to push up temps were getting closer to 210 but I wouldn't let it ride there for too long.
  • Levels out and cool it down and temps drop back down in the 170-180 range

Power / Gearing
  • Really no complaints from me but it depends on what your used to. It feels like a total dump truck when pulling the camper and I drop down to like 40-50mph up steep hills
  • As noted earlier gearing would help with this but honestly I don't care I just fart along at 55-65
  • Top gear is rarely engaged unless flat / downhill under very little load
  • Mostly riding 4th gear with the occasional 3rd for steep climbs
Handling
  • This is where I am pretty impressed. Fully stock suspension all around and it rides like a cloud
  • Hitting dips in the road and banging down back roads in my 100 series translates to shakes/rattles/noises/misery . The GX just floats...In scenarios where you usually pucker up and hold on the GX just takes it and keeps going, no bouncing or anything

Its not something I would want to full time tow with around here but its a solid option for pulling a little camper around

Dog approved
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I'm thinking about just getting a small utility trailer and mounting my RTT to it. Originally planned on putting it on top of the GX but getting older and dog wouldn't make it up there. Plus it's a lot easier to pull a tiny trailer vs a small camper and find places to camp with it
 
M3GX said:
I'm thinking about just getting a small utility trailer and mounting my RTT to it. Originally planned on putting it on top of the GX but getting older and dog wouldn't make it up there. Plus it's a lot easier to pull a tiny trailer vs a small camper and find places to camp with it
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I agree for sure...The drag from the bulky camper is a big factor too. I pulled a dump trailer with similar weight recently and it didn't feel as bad at all...

I'm lucky enough to have a 100 series that's built to camp in the back so if we want to go more remote that is the vehicle to take... It can go anywhere but its like sleeping in a coffin...So we had the itch to see what it was like to have something we could stand up in... It was fun for sure but I prefer the 100 for camp duty
 
It all starts with a small camper then the next thing you know , you're taking out a second mortgage for stuff like this... Lol, don't want to get spoiled, going back to sleeping in a tent on the ground

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I'm curious if anyone else out there has a bit of resistance when shifting from D over to 4?

I noticed on my last trip that it's not a very smooth transition it kind of takes a bit of a punch from one side to get it to switch over. I've got the same style shift gate in my ES and I could move it over with ease.
 
I have resistance in my shifter but I'm fairly certain that's what you'd want. If there's no resistance, the shifter doesn't stay in 4 or in 2 and that's because the shifter pin fell out of its place. See here for conversation about the shifter: Fakebook post
 
It's pretty easy to pull out the center console and inspect the shifter gate. I've also replaced the pin in mine, and lubricated the gate. It just might need a bit of grease on it.
 
Mike NXP said:
I'm curious if anyone else out there has a bit of resistance when shifting from D over to 4?

I noticed on my last trip that it's not a very smooth transition it kind of takes a bit of a punch from one side to get it to switch over. I've got the same style shift gate in my ES and I could move it over with ease.
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Oh that's a slippery slope of too much resistance and then suddenly no resistance. Mine was like that for a while and then the pin that Red mentioned came out at some point. I need to make time to remove the bezel and fix it
 
Thanks for the comments....Its not something that bothers me too much, if I knew it wasn't doing any damage or wearing anything out

I've had the center console out before when adding Bluetooth audio and some other bits but totally forgot to inspect this..Thinking I may just live with it for now.
 
OK need some help from the Mud world before diving deeper..... I was crawling around under the truck today looking for problems and found a small leak near the transfer case

>> The oil was dripping off this black plastic shroud thing, what is this part? This setup is a bit different than on the 100 series. This is my transfer case right??

- This was just de-greased and washed down so most of this is just water . There was a tiny little drop coming from where the arrow is pointing along with some residual / dirt / oily stuff happening in the area....

Anyone else run into this?

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Spent some more time under the GX today and shes definitely leaking. It has been parked for a week after the last de-grease/washing and drips have formed...I want to fix it on my own but have more excuses than motivation at the moment.....I saw a YouTube video of some guy pulling it apart and got a bit intimidated... Some folks in the 100 series forums have had luck with AT-205 to fix some minor leaks on transfer case...I'm considering dosing a bit of that and working the CDL a few times then drain/refill gear oil....IDK

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If the level is staying relatively full, I'd personally leave it alone. You could always check it at each oil change and top off it needed. I'm pretty sure my T-case is also seeping there a bit and I've never worried about it.
 
Rednexus said:
If the level is staying relatively full, I'd personally leave it alone. You could always check it at each oil change and top off it needed. I'm pretty sure my T-case is also seeping there a bit and I've never worried about it.
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Yeah that seems like wise advice. I was thinking the same thing as I was driving to auto parts store. I ended up just getting a quart and topped it off....Only took a few ounces so I suppose its not leaking too bad.

I got it all cleaned up and will check on it , if it starts leaving puddles I will have to re-think it
 
Mike NXP said:
Yeah that seems like wise advice. I was thinking the same thing as I was driving to auto parts store. I ended up just getting a quart and topped it off....Only took a few ounces so I suppose its not leaking too bad.

I got it all cleaned up and will check on it , if it starts leaving puddles I will have to re-think it
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Also AT-205 probably won't hurt it, but it probably won't seal up an O-ring (it's really for seals around shafts).

Right now I have the dreaded 2UZ rear main seal/seal plate O-ring leak that seems to be getting a bit worse. The area is wetter and wetter and the oil level drops a bit between changes. Perhaps next year I'll pull the trans/TC and attempt to fix that. Luckily the skidplate catches all of the drips.
 
Rednexus said:
Also AT-205 probably won't hurt it, but it probably won't seal up an O-ring (it's really for seals around shafts).

Right now I have the dreaded 2UZ rear main seal/seal plate O-ring leak that seems to be getting a bit worse. The area is wetter and wetter and the oil level drops a bit between changes. Perhaps next year I'll pull the trans/TC and attempt to fix that. Luckily the skidplate catches all of the drips.
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Same boat. My rear main has been leaking for the past 3 years. Just keeping an eye on the oil level. I tried AT-205 with no luck, although it did help seal the leak in my steering box on my 60 series. Still dry 2 years later.
 
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