Offroading/overlanding thread

[jamil]

Good point. I have 35’s but same concept.

BTW, that’s about the mileage I get with my 35’s.

 

[WebSnyper]

Checkout Lodoffroad.com, made in Indiana, great bumpers made with quality steel. If you go to the shop to pick them up, probably get a better price.

Seems he has a Toyota section, but at least currently no products listed for them. I was hoping he might have something of interest for an FJ (though obviously currently out of production).

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Big Bend. Photos maybe later.

Conditions can change, particularly with rain and due to lots of cuts and washes. This is just how I found them.

Dagger Flats: A well maintained dirt/gravel road. Anything other than a low rider can do this.
Glenn Springs Road: Same.
I just used these roads to get to the others below:

River Road: There's some slightly rough patches but any crossover can do it, especially if you don't mind getting out and chucking a rock off the road every now and then. Lengthy road, be good on gas before you start. Lots of elevation change, lots of different things to see...but very seldom the river despite the name. We did the trail eastbound until Black Gap then turned north there instead of finishing the last bit of River Road. More on BG later.

Old Ore Road: You can get to north camp sites from the north or south camp sites from the south with pretty much any crossover or pickup. The middle bit, I'm not saying you *can't*, but it'll be a challenge to do it without damage. Any 4wd truck, Wrangler, etc. should be able to do it without damage if you pick your lines and go slow. There's no real "obstacles", just some real rough spots and ruts as well as some kinda-sorta steep climbs out of washes. You don't need 4wd, just decent clearance and approach/departure angles. It's a very scenic drive and was quite a bit of fun.

Black Gap Road: I brushed the skids a few times on this trail with a stock Power Wagon. There are some very washed out and rutted areas. The actual "black gap" isn't that bad due to rocks stacked up and the shelf. I picked a bad line, though, and cheated too far driver's side, caught a rock with the back tire, and made it way bumpier than it needed to be. I didn't want to drop the passenger tire in a deeper rut. Either would have made it, just a more comfortable line that wasn't. I would think you could do this in any factory offroad package, Wrangler, etc. Gladiator on stock wheels may tail drag a few times. Absolute ton of fun, only a few real "obstacles" but lots of rough spots, tilty twisty areas, etc. You will almost certainly damage any crossover type vehicles and stock height trucks with running boards to start may not have them at the end. It *is* rough and unmaintained as advertised.

Lessons with the Power Wagon:
Long wheel base is sometimes an advantage, really smoothed out some places that would have been rough AF with a short wheel base. Nothing here made the turning radius or length a bother.

The front camera is handy but is not a substitute for getting out and eyeballing an obstacle. It tends to make everything look more dramatic, but once you know what it looks like for real it's helpful for picking your way around rocks or ruts that you can no longer see over the hood. Tire line indicators are accurate. I never had a reason to use the side or rear cameras.

Power fold-in mirrors were actually pretty kick ass.

Front sway bar disconnect helps the ride, but the computer won't let you disconnect if you aren't in 4wd. I ended up running way more of Old Ore in 4wd then I needed to just to have the better ride.

Never had a reason to use front or rear locker.

Seeing over the hood is a whole thing sometimes, especially up steep inclines. Again, front camera is very useful for seeing the trail when you're just seeing sky through the windshield.

 

[jamil]

Looking forward to some photos

 

[BehindBlueI's]

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Tell me that's not a face in that rock formation...

 

[BehindBlueI's]

 

[ditcherman]

Can’t remember, do you have an onboard air compressor?
Deflating tires really helps ride and grip.

Awesome pics BTW.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Can’t remember, do you have an onboard air compressor?
Deflating tires really helps ride and grip.

Awesome pics BTW.

Not on board, but one that clips to the battery.

 

[jamil]

Tell me that's not a face in that rock formation...

Ah. Looks like the simulation designer cleverly hid an image of zerself in the render.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Power Wagon is the ****. Been up 25.5 hours. Drove Ft. Stockton TX to Carlsbad Caverns. Explored that. Drove home. Stopped at Whataburger in Lubbock, and then just gas stops and one major transaction at the first rest stop in Indiana. Incredibly comfortable truck, tired but not the least bit stiff or sore. Wife slept some, said like flying first class. Averaged 15.4 mpg for the trip. Mostly stuck to speed limits, maybe 7 over in the 70 and 75 zones, at or just under in the 80 zones. Did 17.6 in the flats of Texas with no traffic and a very robust tail wind.

Sleepy time now.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

T i t s is censored here? Can't discuss ornithology?

 

[daddyusmaximus]

I talked to a friend who's opinion I respect and he stated that 97 precent of automotive batteries sold in the FUSA are made at 4 factories. He said basically there all about the same anymore.
I think for now maybe just stick with the Toyota OEM battery that is in it. Cheaper than the interstate by 50 dollars. The FJ is a 2009 it is 2023 and since he received it in November 2008 that is 14 years old. The date code on the current battery has 2 months left on the and I get 10 or 15 precent. 84 month warranty or 7 years and had it replaced in dec 2016 in the service records. So according to what I see it will be 7 years before she needs another one. It also say's Toyota. On the battery. Why not.

A lot of products are made this way... under contract from various factories. However this does NOT mean they are gonna be of equal quality. A factory doesn't just make one type of product, then package it differently for each client. They get an order that specifies how that product is to be made, what materials are to be uses, what quality control measures are to be taken... etc. The set up for, and do a run for that specific client... say 6,000 of a unit. Then they reset the line for the next order. Could be similar, of better quality, or not as good.

For example trailer hitches. They may run the line for one companies order this week, then another's next. Both products could look identical, but one may call for a better quality steel, and powder coating, while the other a cheaper steel, and regular paint.

Same for batteries.

 

[Skullglide]

BBI, looks like those sliders were well worth the money. I am going to try and purchase on the Black Friday sale. Looks like you had a great trip.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Decided it was time to fit the roof rack on. It will require adjusting because it came off a modern Jeep, and light mounting tabs welded on as well. The wife (teacher) had some high school kids over to weld the tabs on the front bar to the roof rack, and grill. I have 3 sets of Rigid pod lights for the roof rack, and a set that will shine out from the where factory turn signals where. Also made up some tabs to go on the front bumper for military turn signals. These kids are just learning, so there boogers aren't any better than mine, but it's practice, and they earned some of their required "government hours" by helping a disabled veteran do some work around the house. Also, it's light mounting tabs, so it's not like there's gonna be any high stress to them. Two helped me on the Jeep, and two more did garden work for the wife. Used the golf cart to take the back section to a local machine shop to be shortened. That welding has to be strong. Lights go on the outside edges, and I kept the center of the rack open so I can carry a canoe.

 

[pitbulld45]

Put a Apex Badland winch in my f250 yesterday

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Week of the 4th of July I'd like to hit one of the off-road parks, Haspin, Badlands, or Redbird. I've never been to any of them and fairly new to "off roading". I've got an 04' TJ with a 3.5" lift on 33s and a winch. Anyone want to go and show me the ropes? Another question, is an orange flag required?

 

[jjohnson878]

i just moved to fort wayne from western mass where wheeling is a personality trait, i wish i still had this thing

 

[ditcherman]

Went out to Wyoming with @SmileDocHill for a few days of prairie dog hunting, and decided to go ahead and take the RTT and do some exploring in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Ended up backpacking about 16 miles as well and climbed Harney peak, the highest point between the Mississippi Pyrenees in Europe and the Rocky Mountains.

The trail choices in the Black Hills are overwhelming. Had a lot of fun, had a truly epic trip.

 

[jjohnson878]

Went out to Wyoming with @SmileDocHill for a few days of prairie dog hunting, and decided to go ahead and take the RTT and do some exploring in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Ended up backpacking about 16 miles as well and climbed Harney peak, the highest point between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains.

The trail choices in the Black Hills are overwhelming. Had a lot of fun, had a truly epic trip.

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beautiful