WxNerd2015's Hot Pepper Red FX4

[WxNerd2015]

Why did you add the side bars? I thought I had seen some just using the front and back racks with the cross bars. I’m thinking of the same set up if Thule doesn’t get their quality control issues fixed on their rack.

Brian

I ended up choosing the Yakima for a few reasons, but one of them was that their rack was already an approved Ford Accessory, so I was certain it would work great on this truck! As for the side bars, you do not have to run them, and there are many who are not running them. Personally though, the side bars give me a few benefits, first one being that it boxes in the whole rack system and makes it even more stable and ridged. The towers themselves were fine, but when I was installing, they did have just a slight bit of play in them just on their own, with the side bars, they are completely ridged to the bed with zero movement. Additionally, I knew I would haul kayaks/SUPs on there and wanted to mount the paddles down lower to the sides of the rack, plus I could use the side mounts for other accessories too as needed. And lastly, I liked the complete boxes look of the rack this way as opposed to just the towers.

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[WxNerd2015]

Great shots and really nice set up. Just got my truck this week and I’m looking for a soft tonneau cover for it that won’t prevent me from using a rack system similar to Yakima. Do you (or anyone for that matter) know of a soft tonneau system that still allows for rack installation?

I think Extang and Truxedo both have covers that are compatible with some rack systems, but if you want to use the Yakima system with a tonneau, you need one that supports the T-Track on the Bed Rails. But not sure of others, I just know there are some out there. Check out this spot on the forum for some more bed cover discussions from otehrs who have installed some: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/forums/racks-carriers-toppers-cargo-bed-mods.75/

 

[WxNerd2015]

Oh, so it's been a long month, but definitely have some updates to post as I just passed 18k on the odometer this last weekend! First up, I will go into further details on the entire drama with it, but my radio setup is finally complete in the truck and working and wanted to share the setup and some pictures of it as well.

But first, just as a warning to anyone else running wires through the grommet in the firewall on the driver's side, but careful when feeding the wiring through as the main engine harness is looped very closely on the other side and I actually managed to cut a couple of wires on accident with my wire insertion tool...as I said, more details to come, but just wanted that warning here. And this is not my first time running wiring, as I have done plenty in my Jeep and never has an issue, but make sure to watch where you are going and through and be careful.

Anyways, on to the final setup! Here it is:

That is a President Bill CB Radio on the driver's side and a Baofeng UV-5RHP on the right. I used a similar Ram Track mounting setup to @WLFPIR8 in this thread: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/ram-mounts-my-setup.5323/post-84612

I mounted the T-Track through the upper dash panel and that dash panel was super easy to get on and off for me, but just make sure you start to pry from the rear, and when you put the tray back, make sure to start with the front lip.

As for the rest of the mounts, it is all Ram mounts arms, balls, and diamond mount, and for the Baofeng, I went with a company that I use in my Jeep actually called JeepUniq. They mostly make mounts for Jeeps as the name would imply, but they also make their mounts to attach to a 1" Ram ball which worked perfect for my setup!

Running the wiring then was the next tricky part, and I used a few different types of wires and connections to get everything where I wanted it. In the picks above, you can see that I ran the wiring through the rear corners of the dash tray. For the Baofeng, it only needed an antenna wire run, so that side was pretty simple, but the power wire for the CB was a bit more tricky. Additionally, I installed all the wiring through the dash tray with it off the truck, as I actually ran the antenna cables and power cable all with disconnects above the dash so if needed, I can remove all my equipment off the dash and you would barely even see it was there.

This included running converters from standard coax cable which has quite large ends into an SMA connector which allowed me to drill smaller holes and actually prevent the wiring from falling back through the holes when not connected. Additionally, I cut the power cable for the CB and installed a plug which allows for quick power disconnect at the dash. I then ran the SMA to the Coax on the passenger side of the center dash behind the glove box and ran the power and ground around the vent on the driver's side of the center dash and grounded to one of the bolts in the footwell and ran my power wire into the engine bay to the battery.

Lastly, for the CB mic, I had an extra magnetic vent clip that most people use with their phones laying around and thought that it might work well to hand the CB mic, just had to make the back of the mike magnetic. And I did that by getting an adapter from Magnetic Mic and the mic is not super secure as the magnetic force is more than strong enough for the light mic!

And right now, I am running my long antenna setup:

However I have mostly been running the short setup, and even got the chance to check it in some parking garages and no issues so far with clearance!

As mentioned at the beginning of the post though, more details to come later on my issues, but I will save that for another post a bit later!

 

[WxNerd2015]

I also have had a chance to just get some great picture of the Ranger out and about and all around!

Here she is chilling in a parking garage:

And at the lake in with my father-in-law's Ranger:

And at Lake Michigan in Ludington:

And just messing around with one of the tire from my Jeep (295/70/R17s, so ~33") seeing how it looked with the Ranger:

 

[Bsenecal]

I ended up choosing the Yakima for a few reasons, but one of them was that their rack was already an approved Ford Accessory, so I was certain it would work great on this truck! As for the side bars, you do not have to run them, and there are many who are not running them. Personally though, the side bars give me a few benefits, first one being that it boxes in the whole rack system and makes it even more stable and ridged. The towers themselves were fine, but when I was installing, they did have just a slight bit of play in them just on their own, with the side bars, they are completely ridged to the bed with zero movement. Additionally, I knew I would haul kayaks/SUPs on there and wanted to mount the paddles down lower to the sides of the rack, plus I could use the side mounts for other accessories too as needed. And lastly, I liked the complete boxes look of the rack this way as opposed to just the towers.

Thank you for the feedback. I will also be hauling kayaks but and not sure if I will leave the towers installed when not in use. My cover isn’t even here yet so I have some time to decide.
Brian

 

[WxNerd2015]

Well, after the long wait for the official release, and it coming out just a day or two ago, I went ahead and finally got my radio updated to Sync 3.4! Woohoo!

Sync 3.3 Build 19052 --> Sync 3.4 Build 20136

I am definitely liking the new UI and it seems to be performing a little faster! Some of my favorite parts of the new system is the ability to be able to chose from a few different background in both night and day, a few of the tweaks with new buttons and button placement on the nav screen, the cleaner appearance of the UI, and the what the radio station icons are displayed in the Radio page! I like the presets showing the station logo, and especially The Highway channel, I like that they support changing colors of the logo, as it used to always be while and did not look good during the daytime screen. Additionally, I noticed on the Radio screen that the song/album cover now shows on the right side of the screen too and I don't remember seeing that before either!

Overall, I am very happy with the outcome, though looking at both, I might just leave my radio in nighttime mode all the time as the all blue is pretty slick and can still be read easy during the daytime! I will have to try it out!

One issue to note though, I tried updating by WiFi, and didn't appear to be doing anything, so I tried the USB update method, and for some reason, after about 30 minutes the screen went black and would not come back. Additionally, the radio would not play any sound, however the climate still worked, as well as the backup camera. I ended up with a quick stop by the dealer, and basically, something froze up in the installation, and once they plugged their computer in, it re initiated the installation and it finished up and worked fine. So not quite sure, but something hung in the installation, but as you can see now, all is set!

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Well, after the long wait for the official release, and it coming out just a day or two ago, I went ahead and finally got my radio updated to Sync 3.4! Woohoo!

Sync 3.3 Build 19052 --> Sync 3.4 Build 20136

I am definitely liking the new UI and it seems to be performing a little faster! Some of my favorite parts of the new system is the ability to be able to chose from a few different background in both night and day, a few of the tweaks with new buttons and button placement on the nav screen, the cleaner appearance of the UI, and the what the radio station icons are displayed in the Radio page! I like the presets showing the station logo, and especially The Highway channel, I like that they support changing colors of the logo, as it used to always be while and did not look good during the daytime screen. Additionally, I noticed on the Radio screen that the song/album cover now shows on the right side of the screen too and I don't remember seeing that before either!

Overall, I am very happy with the outcome, though looking at both, I might just leave my radio in nighttime mode all the time as the all blue is pretty slick and can still be read easy during the daytime! I will have to try it out!

One issue to note though, I tried updating by WiFi, and didn't appear to be doing anything, so I tried the USB update method, and for some reason, after about 30 minutes the screen went black and would not come back. Additionally, the radio would not play any sound, however the climate still worked, as well as the backup camera. I ended up with a quick stop by the dealer, and basically, something froze up in the installation, and once they plugged their computer in, it re initiated the installation and it finished up and worked fine. So not quite sure, but something hung in the installation, but as you can see now, all is set!

Looks like you lost your on-screen climate controls like several others did.

 

[WxNerd2015]

Looks like you lost your on-screen climate controls like several others did.

Yep, unfortunately, even with the proper release from Ford, it was still lost. But luckily, I pretty much always just sue AUTO in my truck, so not a very big deal for me. i will go and use ForScan to bring it back.

 

[WxNerd2015]

Finally got my drop hitch for the Ranger! Went with the B&W Tow & Stow in a 5" Drop/5 1/2" Rise!

Hitch was definitely heavier than I expected, but it is super solid and I am really happy with it! It has all 3 common ball sizes, adjusts easily with just removing the pins, and if you want to have it on the truck and not knock your shins on the ball, it stores nicely under the bumper as well!

I was even impressed with what they provided in the box for documentation to help with any weight calculations and they even provided some grease to help start ya out too! Haven't had a chance to tow with it yet, but so far I am very impressed and can't wait to get some towing in with it!

 

[Taykel]

With the weather warming up, I was finally like it was time to install my door sill guards! I got these HD 3M Vinyl decals off of eBay a long while ago and just have been procrastinating getting around to installing them! They do not provide any impact protecting, however, they will protect the paint in the door jams (which was already getting scratched up at a couple doors). Being adhesive decals though, I wanted the temperature to be on the warmer side installing them so that they would be easier to work with and a bit more forgiving and I am glad I did. These allow you to place and peel them back off as needed while you are placing them on so you can carefully work the bubbles out and make sure it is straight and it doesn't ruin the adhesive, but once you place the entire decal down and press, it locks into place tight!

Here are some before and after shots of the front:

And of the rear:

Overall, I am very happy with the fit and finish of these and I love the carbon fiber look! I think they should do the job pretty dang well and for only $16, it wasn't a bad deal at all! Unfortunately, I cannot find any from the same seller on eBay as of today, so I can't provide a link, but will keep updated on how these perform.

Mine came stock with them on there . Bought it brand new

 

[MoldyTaco]

The build is looking good and very cute pupper. I miss having dogs around. Since my girl Mya passed two years ago, I can’t bring myself to buy another dog. She was the coolest husky I had ever met and super protective of me. Maybe it is time to rescue a new friend.

 

[WxNerd2015]

Took the Ranger up to Ludington a few weekends back for our 3rd anniversary weekend! It was a cold and rainy weekend (Only high 30s to low 40s and drizzling most of the weekend) but we still had an awesome time exploring some two tracks and seasonal roads along with a hike through the Nordhouse Dunes and even a great chilly sunset over Ludington Harbor again! Even the pup had an awesome time!

 

[WxNerd2015]

The build is looking good and very cute pupper. I miss having dogs around. Since my girl Mya passed two years ago, I can’t bring myself to buy another dog. She was the coolest husky I had ever met and super protective of me. Maybe it is time to rescue a new friend.

Thanks! Yeah, it's always hard moving on with a pup, but I can never imagine not having a pup around! Always love em just so much and they r just such a great part of the family!

 

[CycloneCowboy]

On to the installation now! As mentioned in the previous post, this is the Third Brake Light Dual Antenna Mount for 2019 Ford Ranger from Bullet Proof Diesel! Just to repeat a couple of things, removing the taillight itself is very simple, however I struggled with where to route the wiring through the cab, as the hole was pretty much sealed up with a piece of felt from the factory and didn't even really allow movement of the factory wiring harness, let alone getting two coax cables through! And the directions were F-150 specific that came with the mount, so all is very similar, with the exception of the wiring locations in the cab.

SO...after some work with customer service over at Bullet Proof Diesel, they were able to provide me a great explanation and some pictures as to what I needed to do, and I was able to progress from there. Here is what it looks like behind the Ranger's third brake light.

Note that hole is covered by what appears to be some sort of felt pad! So the first step, after removing the taillight of coarse, is to start right at the side the wiring loom goes through and give it a good amount of pressure with your thumb to release this sticker from the loom and the cab. You will have to give it more force than you would think for what it is, but it will start to release and open that hole up much better! And don't worry, there is a good amount of room behind the headliner there, so using your finger, you shouldn't worry about any headliner damage! Once removed, the hole should look something like this:

You can see the back of the headliner through the hole, but you, like me, might wonder what that piece of felt was for. To the best of my knowledge so far, it seems as though it was there to block light from coming into the cab from the third brake light. The third brake light is not fully sealed on the inside, so when the cab lights are on, I actually get a small light spot on the inside of the headliner now, but all it is, is the light reflecting into the cab slightly, no big deal!

Next up, is to start to run the 15 feet of coax cable through into the cab for each antenna mount that you have. In my case, two! Before you start though, I caution a few things to take into consideration, as well as a few notes! First, note where your antenna is located on the mount and where the wiring runs. This caused me to have to remove one of the cables completely and start from scratch because I did not pay close enough attention. Here is the backside of the antenna mount:

In the dual mount, note how each of the cables comes through at the outside edge of the light. (For the single mount, it will come through the middle). Also note in the above picture that there are three separate holes for the third brake light. In the directions, nothing is specifically stated which holes on the outside of the cab to run the wiring through, so I just took the most direct route, as the mount was still sitting on the bed cover until I run the wiring, which was the right side hole. I ran all of the wiring through and then went to put the mount up to the cab and released that I needed to run the driver's side antenna cable through the driver's side hole. It is a very slight difference, but make sure you get it right the first time because it is not something you would notice right away when installing! So for the dual mount, you initial cable routing should look something like this with one going through teh passenger side hole and the other the driver's side:

Next, make sure to label each wire for driver's side and passenger side. It's a minor detail, but once they are passed through the cab, it's a lot harder to tell them apart! SO I just took a small piece of tape on each able and labels DS and PS so i could more easily keep the cables straight on the inside.

And lastly, on the Ranger, it is very hard to try and get your fingers behind the headliner at the taillight, as with our manual sliding real window, the track does not provide enough space to move the headliner or pull it down without potentially damaging it. So I decided to try and make locating the wires a bit easier. I attached a zip tie to the end of each coax like below:

From there, I then had my wife go inside the truck, and I carefully routed the zip tie straight down along the headliner until it appeared on the inside of the cab.

Once my wife saw it, she pulled the zip tie through a bit further, so we had a good handhold, while I carefully routed the coax end into the cab. This also eliminated the need for us to try and pass the coax through the headliner right there. What it did do, was allow us to use the zip tie as a guide to pull sideways along the headliner to the passenger side and run the coax inside the headliner with no troubles. Once you get to the passenger side, the rear window track stops and allows more space for you to easily pull the coax through. However this part definitely takes two people to make it a lot easier!

Once the coax cables are inside the cab, the next step is getting the mount placed up to the cab and routing the stock wiring harness through the mount. The directions specify that you should disconnect the light wiring from the plug inside the cab. These clips are really are to release to begin with, and I decided against it due to the fact that you cannot get your fingers behind the headliner to push the clip back in after removed. So I opted to remove the wiring from the third brake light, which turned out to be super easy, and I had new LED bulbs from Diode Dynamics to install anyways. The bulbs simply just twist out, and the clips along the backside of the light easily release the wiring loom. I then replaced the stock bulbs with the LED bulbs and verified that they were working properly, and then it was time to get the mount up!

Also, it is important to note that this part is specific to the XL and XLT Rangers with the halogen third brake light, not the LED one. I do not have any experience with the LED Third Brake Lights!

Now, with the wring loom free, route the loom through the passenger side hole in the mount and place the mount then up to the cab like below:

The kit provides new pan head phillips screws to attach the mount to the cab using the stock mounting holes. On the mount itself, that would be the middle holes. Now is also the time to attache the cab supports if you will be installing them. On the dual mount, that consists of two two piece that you place on the inside of the cab, and you drill through the upper holes on the mount, through the cab, and then you can attach the strengthening brackets through those holes. This is the one step that I did not do. I did not feel like drilling through my cab, and the mount itself felt solid enough in it's current location as is. Additionally, I do not plan on running larger antennas very option, and the truck is not parked in a garage, so there are very minimal conditions that I would experience currently that would cause me to need the strengthening bracket, but that can be each our your own choices when installing. I decided to take my chances for now. On the single mount, I believe you only need to drill the upper middle two holes, as there is only one support bracket for the middle.

Moving on, I next grabbed my third brake light, and started reinstalling the wiring loom to the light housing, and it went back in just at it came out, with no problems at all! Honestly, if you have the halogen light, I have no idea why you would struggle with the plug in the cab, this method is so much easier! Once the lights are installed back into their sockets and the loom is attached, Bullet Proof Diesel also supplies new button head cap screws to install the taillight, and you thread those through the light housing and into the bottom holes of the mount. Initially, there will appear to be a big gap between the light housing and mount, but as you tighten the screws up, it sucks the housing up very nicely to the mount and seals great!

And without further adieu...here is the mount installed on the truck!

Overall, once I figured out the routing into the cab and I got out of my own way with some dumb mistakes, this mount was very easy to install, and with the right info and procedures you could easily get this installed in 30 minutes to an hour! The fitment is perfect and I love the look! It feels very solid and everything installed exactly as it was supposed to! I have now had the mount on for almost a month I believe and it has worked great, no noises, no leaks, and all the cables and lighting is working as it should! I know it is pricey, but if you can afford it, you get what you pay for, and this is a very high quality mount that is going to last a long time!

Additionally, here's a few shots of the new LEDs in the third brake light as well as night!

Thanks SO MUCH!!!! for posting this. I'm building a storm chasing / volunteer EMS vehicle using a 2021 Ranger. Although I use to work (while in college) installing 2-way radio systems, this information is excellent. Thanks for taking the time to post!!! I'll be posting images of the build in March and April of 2021.

 

[CycloneCowboy]

Oh, so it's been a long month, but definitely have some updates to post as I just passed 18k on the odometer this last weekend! First up, I will go into further details on the entire drama with it, but my radio setup is finally complete in the truck and working and wanted to share the setup and some pictures of it as well.

But first, just as a warning to anyone else running wires through the grommet in the firewall on the driver's side, but careful when feeding the wiring through as the main engine harness is looped very closely on the other side and I actually managed to cut a couple of wires on accident with my wire insertion tool...as I said, more details to come, but just wanted that warning here. And this is not my first time running wiring, as I have done plenty in my Jeep and never has an issue, but make sure to watch where you are going and through and be careful.

Anyways, on to the final setup! Here it is:

That is a President Bill CB Radio on the driver's side and a Baofeng UV-5RHP on the right. I used a similar Ram Track mounting setup to @WLFPIR8 in this thread: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/ram-mounts-my-setup.5323/post-84612

I mounted the T-Track through the upper dash panel and that dash panel was super easy to get on and off for me, but just make sure you start to pry from the rear, and when you put the tray back, make sure to start with the front lip.

As for the rest of the mounts, it is all Ram mounts arms, balls, and diamond mount, and for the Baofeng, I went with a company that I use in my Jeep actually called JeepUniq. They mostly make mounts for Jeeps as the name would imply, but they also make their mounts to attach to a 1" Ram ball which worked perfect for my setup!

Running the wiring then was the next tricky part, and I used a few different types of wires and connections to get everything where I wanted it. In the picks above, you can see that I ran the wiring through the rear corners of the dash tray. For the Baofeng, it only needed an antenna wire run, so that side was pretty simple, but the power wire for the CB was a bit more tricky. Additionally, I installed all the wiring through the dash tray with it off the truck, as I actually ran the antenna cables and power cable all with disconnects above the dash so if needed, I can remove all my equipment off the dash and you would barely even see it was there.

This included running converters from standard coax cable which has quite large ends into an SMA connector which allowed me to drill smaller holes and actually prevent the wiring from falling back through the holes when not connected. Additionally, I cut the power cable for the CB and installed a plug which allows for quick power disconnect at the dash. I then ran the SMA to the Coax on the passenger side of the center dash behind the glove box and ran the power and ground around the vent on the driver's side of the center dash and grounded to one of the bolts in the footwell and ran my power wire into the engine bay to the battery.

Lastly, for the CB mic, I had an extra magnetic vent clip that most people use with their phones laying around and thought that it might work well to hand the CB mic, just had to make the back of the mike magnetic. And I did that by getting an adapter from Magnetic Mic and the mic is not super secure as the magnetic force is more than strong enough for the light mic!

And right now, I am running my long antenna setup:

However I have mostly been running the short setup, and even got the chance to check it in some parking garages and no issues so far with clearance!

As mentioned at the beginning of the post though, more details to come later on my issues, but I will save that for another post a bit later!

How did you mount the rail on the dash to the

Oh, so it's been a long month, but definitely have some updates to post as I just passed 18k on the odometer this last weekend! First up, I will go into further details on the entire drama with it, but my radio setup is finally complete in the truck and working and wanted to share the setup and some pictures of it as well.

But first, just as a warning to anyone else running wires through the grommet in the firewall on the driver's side, but careful when feeding the wiring through as the main engine harness is looped very closely on the other side and I actually managed to cut a couple of wires on accident with my wire insertion tool...as I said, more details to come, but just wanted that warning here. And this is not my first time running wiring, as I have done plenty in my Jeep and never has an issue, but make sure to watch where you are going and through and be careful.

Anyways, on to the final setup! Here it is:

That is a President Bill CB Radio on the driver's side and a Baofeng UV-5RHP on the right. I used a similar Ram Track mounting setup to @WLFPIR8 in this thread: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/ram-mounts-my-setup.5323/post-84612

I mounted the T-Track through the upper dash panel and that dash panel was super easy to get on and off for me, but just make sure you start to pry from the rear, and when you put the tray back, make sure to start with the front lip.

As for the rest of the mounts, it is all Ram mounts arms, balls, and diamond mount, and for the Baofeng, I went with a company that I use in my Jeep actually called JeepUniq. They mostly make mounts for Jeeps as the name would imply, but they also make their mounts to attach to a 1" Ram ball which worked perfect for my setup!

Running the wiring then was the next tricky part, and I used a few different types of wires and connections to get everything where I wanted it. In the picks above, you can see that I ran the wiring through the rear corners of the dash tray. For the Baofeng, it only needed an antenna wire run, so that side was pretty simple, but the power wire for the CB was a bit more tricky. Additionally, I installed all the wiring through the dash tray with it off the truck, as I actually ran the antenna cables and power cable all with disconnects above the dash so if needed, I can remove all my equipment off the dash and you would barely even see it was there.

This included running converters from standard coax cable which has quite large ends into an SMA connector which allowed me to drill smaller holes and actually prevent the wiring from falling back through the holes when not connected. Additionally, I cut the power cable for the CB and installed a plug which allows for quick power disconnect at the dash. I then ran the SMA to the Coax on the passenger side of the center dash behind the glove box and ran the power and ground around the vent on the driver's side of the center dash and grounded to one of the bolts in the footwell and ran my power wire into the engine bay to the battery.

Lastly, for the CB mic, I had an extra magnetic vent clip that most people use with their phones laying around and thought that it might work well to hand the CB mic, just had to make the back of the mike magnetic. And I did that by getting an adapter from Magnetic Mic and the mic is not super secure as the magnetic force is more than strong enough for the light mic!

And right now, I am running my long antenna setup:

However I have mostly been running the short setup, and even got the chance to check it in some parking garages and no issues so far with clearance!

As mentioned at the beginning of the post though, more details to come later on my issues, but I will save that for another post a bit later!

How did you mount the rail to the dash tray? I know some of them snap out, but I would think the weight of the radios would pull it out? Thanks.