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The annex you can get for those tents are fantastic for lovely weather. They hang down around the ladder and add a downstairs room. My landcruiser is about to take us north into the Flinders Ranges this afternoon, but we’re base camping this time so we’re taking the Kimberley Kamper
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Sep 26, 2019 22:36
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Ferremit posted:The annex you can get for those tents are fantastic for lovely weather. They hang down around the ladder and add a downstairs room. I have the annex as well. The tent came with it as a combo deal. I have never even installed it yet but it seems a bit of work to set up for a single day camping trip. I have rectified the problem of coverage/shelter since this particular outing 
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Sep 26, 2019 22:41
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Let me tell you about the time I tried to paint some emblems TL; DR It didn't go as well as I had wished it would. The previous owner had gotten into the craze of plastidip and to be fair who wouldn't have when this thing had GOLD emblems. Nothing screams turn of the century like chrome and gold on a car. The adhesive backing wasn't looking all that fresh either so I decided one Saturday at home to peel them off, wash them/sand them and then spray them with some automotive black paint. Picked up some Duplicolor or whatever:   The paint took well and the new 3M trim adhesive worked a treat getting them stuck back on. While I had them peeled off the areas where they went were cleaned deeply, clay barred, then waxed. Current update on the badges - paint didn't stick as well as I would have liked it to. I am not sure if they are as bad as the faded plastidip job was but I am trying to decide what to do. I haven't done the front grill yet. I have considered using some of the spray on bed liner in a can for the emblems. It is REALLY tough and goes on thick. I have used it on a couple of projects for my RC Cars and found it to be easy to use. Not sure how the look would go. I ultimately need to spray the grill of the truck too since it is very faded and has a giant gold L on the front. An example of the bed liner sprayed on to the fender liners of my RC crawler:  Speaking of RC crawlers this is the part where one of our camping trips involves more of those. We got my five year old a crawler for his birthday. We got it assembled in time for a Fathers and sons camping trip that I attended with friends from our neighborhood. They are hosted by my church I live in Utah, so I will let you make all the assumptions which I haven't kept a secret at all at well developed campsite owned and operated through the church. This was located in the Uinta range of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache national forest. It was pretty sweet to hang out with some friends and just have one on one time with my five year old. We had canoeing, camp fires, smores, a ropes course/obstacle course etc etc. The drive there was due south then east through the Provo Canyon en route to the sleepy town of Heber for me to get there. It passes by a reservoir and is very picturesque. https://i.imgur.com/0rXAAAe.mp4 It was my sons first outing for his RC truck that I finished painting earlier that day. He drove it for probably three or four hours while we were up there. I have shared a few pics in the RC Car thread but I am very happy with how the truck turned out. He let a lot of his friends all have a crack at it. I brought mine as well which mainly got driven by other kids/dads.   Canoeing as an adult is waaay easier than I remember from being in boy scouts. I could never figure out why anyone would want to travel in such a stupid way. Turns out I was just a weak kid. Paddling around as an adult is miles easier.  Mandatory photo of the sleeping accommodations  All packed up and heading home  It is no surprise why so many people are migrating to Utah. I am so glad my kids are finally getting old enough that I can make these kinds of memories with them.  Next installment: Throwin' Shade
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Oct 8, 2019 22:44
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I suspect rolling up with that tent caused extreme Dad Jealousy.
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Oct 9, 2019 00:04
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You stop spreading pro canoe propaganda sir.  If its properly sized and you know what you're doing, they're fine, but holy poo poo did I have some bad experiences with trying to navigate a 17" long canoe upstream on a tidal river when the tide was going out. I think we tipped that fucker a half dozen times in 100ft with me and 2 other people with limited experience trying to use it. Gimme a john boat any day.
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Oct 9, 2019 00:11
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IOwnCalculus posted:I suspect rolling up with that tent caused extreme Dad Jealousy. There were a lot of raised eyebrows when I unleashed it. All the kids immediately thought I was the coolest person there. Then to have toy trucks on hand was  Lots of guys checked it out; in the morning everyone wanted to know how the sleep was, and I of course was honest  As far as I’m concerned sleeping on the ground is for the animals.Elmnt80 posted:You stop spreading pro canoe propaganda sir. On a mountain lake without any current it was good. When the wind blew it would carry you a surprising amount. It was an improvement over my memories because it wasn’t a total exercise in futility.
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Oct 9, 2019 02:06
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Thats like the look you get when you roll in with a real proper offroad Camper trailer like our kimberley kamper we steal from the parents, reverse it in, undo 2 shot bolts and 6 latches and flip it over and telescope two poles. Literally 4 mins from rolling in to being in bed if you want. Plus they go ANYWHERE too- theres heaps of videos of idiots taking Kimberley Kampers through https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aReX0H4eZ4Y Which is WAY more stupid now... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oQtMYWwSdU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbojfun27pg Interestingly, running with the roof top tent vs towing the kimberley kamper with no roof racks on is about the same economy- Sitting on 105kph with the roof top gets me around 15L/100, towing the kimberley at 100kph gets me 14.9/100! 15MPG out of something with the aerodynamics of a chipped house that weighs 3.5 tonnes and has big mud terrains on it aint bad at all!
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Oct 9, 2019 05:27
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Ferremit posted:Thats like the look you get when you roll in with a real proper offroad Camper trailer like our kimberley kamper we steal from the parents, reverse it in, undo 2 shot bolts and 6 latches and flip it over and telescope two poles. Literally 4 mins from rolling in to being in bed if you want. That is mental. I don't know now the trailers didn't detach themselves. I spent a 15 minute clickhole watching Gunshot Creek vids. It made me think of another "iconic" obstacle we have in Utah down in Moab called the Lions Back. It has been closed for more than a decade after a couple of accidents/fatalities, one such accident has what is left of the shell of the truck which you can google image search for yourself. Have a watch of this video showing the descent of the Lion's Back. Certain death down either side, over 350 feet long. You make the ascent, then have a very tight turn around spot where you are doing a million point turn, then go down the way you came. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7Auk1ZT4s
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Oct 9, 2019 19:48
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Somewhat Heroic posted:That is mental. I don't know now the trailers didn't detach themselves. Specialist offroad couplings- Theres a few of them out there now, the Kimberleys use Treg Polyblocks which have 70 degrees of up and down deflection capacity and 360 degrees of rotation in them http://www.tregtrailers.com.au/poly-block-couplings/ but there heaps of others out there too- The Patriot camper Ronny Dahl uses runs a DO35 hitch. https://cruisemaster.com.au/cruisemaster-do35/ Neither of them are anywhere as convenient to hook up as a ball hitch, but are far superior offroad quote:Have a watch of this video showing the descent of the Lion's Back. Certain death down either side, over 350 feet long. You make the ascent, then have a very tight turn around spot where you are doing a million point turn, then go down the way you came. I've heard of the Lions Back before. Its firmly in the gently caress That category. I guess it comes from touring in the outback where if you gently caress up your vehicle it could easily cost you your life, but I dont like taking unnecessary risks when im 4wding- the cars as critically important to your survival as your first aid kit and water bottle!
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Oct 10, 2019 01:38
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This thread got me looking at LXs, keep the good content coming! I just wish the resale value for the LX 570s wasn't so insane, I'm probably going to end up with a GX 460 even though they're not as cool. I never offroad and haven't camped in 20 years, so I don't really need all the features of the LX, especially for what's really just a second vehicle. The roof rack + awning looks pretty cool for the things I would use it for, going to the mountains to hang out or towing a trailer with bikes to a track day.
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Oct 11, 2019 23:58
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Heck, y’all got me thinking about it, and all I wanted was struck to haul and tow that could be used as a daily driver. The LX and GX check those boxes, are reasonably priced, and tend to be well maintained for their age. Kind of moved in to looking at the Lexii from 4Runners, which aren’t a lot cheaper, if any.
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Oct 12, 2019 00:22
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Glad you’re all enjoying the content! The Toyota tax is a real thing. A used 4Runner is inexplicably expensive considering how many there are. Around here they are nearly on pace with Jeep’s on the road. The Lexus market are usually dealer maintained machines that never left pavement. Around here release values are lower than the Toyota counterpart too; maybe because people are more interested in the status of the newer luxury SUV? The LX570 resale value around here and most places I’ve seen is less than the Toyota Land Cruiser 200; if you can even find someone willing to sell their 200. The body cladding doesn’t lend as well to off roading and body armor. They have the hydraulic suspension too on the 570 rather than the traditional suspension making them more of a pain to convert. The 200 LC is such a low key rich person truck I love it; seriously a $90k MSRP; and only selling like 3-5k units a year? It’s a heritage platform and still hand made in Japan. So sad they are killing it off after the 2020 model year. It’ll likely be the thing that replaces our Ford Flex when the time comes. Today was an excellent adventure and I look forward to posting the pics and write up.
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Oct 14, 2019 03:38
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Is this the place for LX chat then? I test drove an 06 LX470 this weekend at a used car lot. 180,000 miles. The steering just felt kind of vague and I cant tell if that was just this example or how they are supposed to feel. I drive a TJ now, so its not like my standards of handling are high.
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Oct 14, 2019 17:50
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Kastivich posted:Is this the place for LX chat then? I test drove an 06 LX470 this weekend at a used car lot. 180,000 miles. The steering just felt kind of vague and I cant tell if that was just this example or how they are supposed to feel. I drive a TJ now, so its not like my standards of handling are high. Yes! Bring your questions. Seeing that many miles is not difficult, usually a vague bit of steering feel could be the steering rack going out. There are two kinds of hydraulic racks on these trucks; those that leak fluid and those that will leak fluid. Mine is in the first camp. There is a power steering pump reservoir on the passenger side of the engine bay with readings of "hot" and "cold" levels. Check the fluid level there, and then look under the front of the truck. In front of the driveshafts you will see the boots of the steering rack. They will usually be weeping fluid and you will see the boot is saturated. I posted about mine on this post here: clicky link The 100 series trucks will outlast most things built today, but there are a lot of things that need attention and maintenance; so spend the $100 on getting a pre-purchase inspection done by a shop that is familiar with all things Land Cruiser. You have a nearly 100% chance of getting that money back + some on your haggling once they give you a laundry list of things that need completion (timing belt/water pump/sway bar links/fluid flush etc etc) similar to what I have been doing bit by bit in my thread. I knew going in it would need some help and bought mine priced appropriately. If any seller ever refuses to let you pay for a PPI just move on unless you are confident in your own ability to evaluate a truck.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:47
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A lot of the vagueness in the front end of the 100 series comes from the steering rack bushings- they’re a really soft rubber and get thrashed out easily. Superpro makes urethane bushings for them that really tightens the steering up- they’re easy to fit in a pre 02 truck and an absolute bear to fit in a post 02 vehicle. A crap wheel alignment will also make me feel really vague too. You can get a steering rack to last- mines 375,000km old and has been pushing 285 wide tyres since the day I bought it- trick is changing the fluid and keeping it cool. I’ve got a small auto trans cooler plumbed into the return line from rack to reservoir and it keeps the stuff so cool that it stays cherry red for 100k kms!
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Oct 14, 2019 23:59
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Good stuff. I didn't know the steering rack bushings were that commonly known. I think my hunt will continue. I'd like to find one that is a little older and therefore cheaper. Also the one I drove had the airbag light on and they didnt know what the issue was.
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Oct 15, 2019 18:02
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What are everyone's opinions on running BFG KO2s on a car that doesn't go offroad? Some of the used vehicles I'm looking at are running TRD wheels with those (or similar) tires, I'm going to guess they're louder, don't last as long, and don't grip as well (on normal roads) as a regular tire? I can always run them until they need to get replaced, but I was surprised by the tirerack reviews that they seem to last a lot longer than I'm used to for car tires. Also, I'm fairly certain I don't want a modified car just in terms of my dogs getting into the car, but one dealer close to me seems to buy up all the used GXs and LXs in the area, add a 2" old man emu lift (and other features), then resell them. I'm assuming the handling suffers due to the higher center of gravity? Handling in terms of mountain roads, not off roading. Any other downsides?
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Oct 15, 2019 19:16
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MomJeans420 posted:What are everyone's opinions on running BFG KO2s on a car that doesn't go offroad? Some of the used vehicles I'm looking at are running TRD wheels with those (or similar) tires, I'm going to guess they're louder, don't last as long, and don't grip as well (on normal roads) as a regular tire? I can always run them until they need to get replaced, but I was surprised by the tirerack reviews that they seem to last a lot longer than I'm used to for car tires. Keeping in mind that this is babby's first off roader and giving myself analysis paralysis too often to mention I will say this; The BFG KO2 is the standard in off road/all terrain tires. The reason you see them everywhere and on everything for generations upon generations is because they are awesome. They are awesome at everything. The ones I bought from Costco (33") have a 50K mile warranty, and are rated for use in the snow. They will work in dirt, on rocks, in mud (not as good as KM3 but I will get into that), they work on pavement and are really not noticeable at all RE: road noise. There are neat and good tires from Cooper, Falken, General Tire, Nitto, etc etc but nothing compares to the compliance of the BFG. I was going to get the BFG KM3 Mud Terrain tires because they look so bitchin' but after a little research found they are not as good in snow which I will deal with a lot in Utah. They also have been known to chunk out when driving on rocks, which is where I will find myself driving on often so I gave them a pass. I am not surprised someone is buying these trucks up to do a little rehab and flip for profit. Like I have chronicled here, most are well maintained and used delicately and with a little bit of modifications they look ready to tackle anything. I got a set of 5 TRD take off wheels where I posted the details of in this post. So ~$1500 for a nice set of wheels and tires that transform the look of the truck. The OME suspension kits are pretty cheap; around ~$1200. Maybe say installed you are looking around $2K and it seems if you have done it once then it is like riding a bike. Totally transformed, ready for adventure for around $3K or less? It is hard to say you can get the same value and performance out of any other platform.
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Oct 15, 2019 22:31
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Supposedly duratracs are great in snow, but on my 4runner I run the 'pathfinder all terrain' which is the discount tire house brand but they are actually Hankook atm pros. They work great on and off road, are three peak snowflake rated, and seem to have amazing treadwear qualities. Just my 2 cents.
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Oct 15, 2019 22:54
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MomJeans420 posted:
I keep seeing a couple dealers in the PNW that are doing that as well, usually a lift/wheels/tires/front bumper/rock sliders(none of which I want). A gx470 is in my top 3 cars to replace my current ls430(which I love, but isn't really the best car for what we need right now), but is also probably the most impractical and gets worse mileage than my ls. I am hoping to find one without navigation, from a private seller without 200k miles on it and not asking $18k+ for it. Which probably means I am SOL and will end up with a e91 wagon or rx350.
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Oct 15, 2019 23:29
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MomJeans420 posted:What are everyone's opinions on running BFG KO2s on a car that doesn't go offroad? Some of the used vehicles I'm looking at are running TRD wheels with those (or similar) tires, I'm going to guess they're louder, don't last as long, and don't grip as well (on normal roads) as a regular tire? I can always run them until they need to get replaced, but I was surprised by the tirerack reviews that they seem to last a lot longer than I'm used to for car tires. The whole reason to get a tire like the KO2 is for it to be used off road. The tread pattern is designed for grip on gravel, dirt and to some extent mud. The tire construction (this can vary based on load rating) is designed for reduced tire pressures which smooth out the bumps on dirt roads and trails and also help grip rocks and sloppy surfaces by allowing the tire to spread out for a wider traction patch and deflect inward to grip rocks. If you’re really planning to keep it on the road consider just sticking with normal road tires for fuel efficiency and handling. They will handle dirt roads and forest service roads and most (dry) trails just fine. If you’re planning (or even thinking of possibly planning) to do some light off reading take a look at C-range A/T tires which are lighter than the usual E range but offer the same tread pattern. Try to find stock size or perhaps one width rating up so that no suspension mods are necessary for them to fit without rubbing at full stuff or steering lock in both directions, forward as well as backwards. One thing of note on A/T tires is that they tend to slip on wet roads. This is more of a thing for 4x4s and less so for AWDs such as the GX460/470 and LX470/570. My 4Runner loves to kick out the rear end on right hand turns from a stop on wet pavement, it’s just a thing that I’ve grown used to and compensate for. As for lifting and handling it comes down partially to change of CoG but I would argue that a well set up lifted suspension is just as stable or moreso than some stock setups. Try it and find out or find one stock and do it yourself later on should the need arise. The primary reason for lifting a truck is to fit larger tires for ground clearance, but some people do it (and get the knobby tires to match) purely for aesthetic reasons. Source: I own a 4Runner on a 3ish inch lift and 285/70/17 Nitto Terra Grapplers on 17x8” wheels which gets to see dirt roughly once a month, twice if I’m pushing my luck with the spouse. I do a mix of car camping, dirt road / forest trail driving, and some light off road park driving. I’ve had the truck for two years and change now and the suspension and tire setup dates from January 2018 and it’s been very good to me. My experience prior to that was driving Hummers for Uncle Sam back in 2000-2004 looking for trouble in the woods and the desert. We’ll call that more of a ‘talented amateur’ phase as you drove what was given to you as opposed to now where it’s possible to make your own equipment choices and learn the theory of driving and practice at your own pace.  Bonus LX470 photo bomb! Arishtat fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Oct 16, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 02:11
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That was way better explaining all that stuff than my limited knowledge could offer so thanks for chiming in Arishtat! Your T4R looks awesome too. My size KO2 ended up being offered only in E rating which I think will work out okay long term since I’ll be adding some armor and hauling five bodies camping. I think a wider tire would look really good but with my stock suspension plus the wheel hub extenders there would definitely be rubbing.
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Oct 16, 2019 04:10
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I didn’t get a great run out of the KO2’s on my 100, but that could be down to a lot of things- lifting the front end and not spending the coin doing it right will DESTROY front tyres faster than you can rotate them, the 1HD motor is WAY heavier than the 2UZ so the front wheels bear a lot of the vehicle weight, Australian roads have a totally different camber and are made totally different, my daily commute is mostly fast twisty roads which in a 3 tonne truck isn’t a recipe for long tyre life. I’ve tried a lot of tyres under it over the years (you get a lot of different opportunities to try things when you usually get 50k kms max out of a set!) I’ve had Dunlop AT22’s which were on it when I bought it. They were good at keeping the rotors off the ground and that’s it. Then BFG KM2’s, which did remarkably well for a muddy- they came from the old hilux to the 100 and ended up with about 30k km on the Hilux and 45k on the 100 before they were done. Goodyear duratracs went on next, which were good in the bush and outback on gravel roads but garbage handling on the sealed roads and absolutely MELTED- I got 35k km out of them and they were shagged. After that I started running two sets of rims- muddies for touring and AT’s for daily duties. Rims I bought had Sailun Terramax HT’s on them. They had 60% tread left when I bought them and lasted 900m and one tyre got a star fracture on a stone on the farm driveway and one got a stick through the sidewall- at 38psi! So I put a second hand set of BFG KO’s on it and they lasted AGES. They came off my mates 105 with 50k kms on it and I put another 40k on them before they were done. Then I went BFG KO2 and they lasted around 46k kms before the shoulders rounded off to below legal limits. After that I went to Toyo AT2’s and I’ve been REALLY impressed with them- I’ve got just on 30k kms on them now and would have probably 60% tread on average across the 4 left. Nice and quiet and good on fast gravel and wet grass and dirt as well as good on road. For the touring tyres I went for Toyo MT’s and they’re the absolute best tyre I’ve ever had. Fantastic grip on and off road, really predictable and behaved in the wet, shockingly quiet for a muddy and I got 74k kms out of them!! I went back to KM2’s after that because of stock issues getting Toyos. They probably won’t see more than 20k kms before they hit 5yrs old so I’ll probably flog emoff to a p plater in a patrol and go back to toyo again
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Oct 16, 2019 12:44
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I have yet to run a MT but the KO2s certainly aren't any worse on road than any of the AT tires that I've run that, at least based on appearance, should be nicer on pavement. Also I'd say if an IFS truck has steering worse than a TJ, poo poo is very wrong with the IFS truck.
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Oct 16, 2019 16:14
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IOwnCalculus posted:Also I'd say if an IFS truck has steering worse than a TJ, poo poo is very wrong with the IFS truck. Agreed, but to be fair I didn't think it drove worse than my TJ. Just worse than I expected. I kind of thought it would be the same as the 5th gen 4Runner I've driven. Which was no sports car, but also didnt have a vague slightly disconnected feeling to it.
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Oct 16, 2019 16:23
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slurry_curry posted:I keep seeing a couple dealers in the PNW that are doing that as well, usually a lift/wheels/tires/front bumper/rock sliders(none of which I want). A gx470 is in my top 3 cars to replace my current ls430(which I love, but isn't really the best car for what we need right now), but is also probably the most impractical and gets worse mileage than my ls. I am hoping to find one without navigation, from a private seller without 200k miles on it and not asking $18k+ for it. Which probably means I am SOL and will end up with a e91 wagon or rx350.
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Oct 16, 2019 16:37
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I've seen a couple of GX 460s in the high $18ks Accident reported, 5 owners World's ugliest wheels and a bunch of others right around $19k
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Oct 16, 2019 18:30
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MomJeans420 posted:I've seen a couple of GX 460s in the high $18ks Seems like if you want the 460 you are gonna spend a premium. Maybe/Kinda worth it for the revised V8 and 6 speed transmission though. No timing belt in the 1UR. Those seem similar to what I am finding locally, albeit with higher miles: $18988 131K miles $20800 94k miles $21400 90K miles $21995 89K miles
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Oct 16, 2019 20:14
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IOwnCalculus posted:I have yet to run a MT but the KO2s certainly aren't any worse on road than any of the AT tires that I've run that, at least based on appearance, should be nicer on pavement. Same here, never driven a truck with proper MTs, but I can say that when I ran Rausch Creek in PA in a July thunderstorm last year the Nittos performed like champs when aired down to ~15psi (warm). When it rains there all of the hill trails there turn into streams of water rushing between and over the rocks and the tires just stuck to the rocks like glue. Again coming from previous career the science and theory of adjusting tire pressure to suit the terrain is a bit new to me, but I can say that I am in love with the flexibility that E-range tires provide. On the highway I run them around 36psi. When doing mild to medium trail riding I run them at 20psi (cold, so ~25psi warm) for comfort and some additional grip. When I take it to the off road park I drop them straight to 12psi (cold, so 15-18psi warm) for maximum stick-to-everything-ness. At the medium pressure they barely show any deflection or loss of ride height, but when you encounter a log over or rock that needs to be climbed the difference is that the tire just walks up the obstacle instead of spinning uselessly against it when at highway pressure. @Ferremit - I envy your ability to have a complete alternate set of wheels to swap, that will be something I factor into when we sell House 2.0 and purchase (or build) House 3.0 + Arishtat Lair 2.0. Of course all of this pressure fuckery means that you need some way of putting air back in the tire before you go home. At the off-road parks they usually have air stations, but the lines for those can get quite long and there are no air stations in the forest so I bought a Viair portable compressor that hooks right to the battery via alligator clips and has a 25' hose with a 3/8" NPT chuck so it can inflate tires, feed an air blaster, or run an air impact gun in a pinch (the reservoir on the compressor is tiny). Eventually I'd like to convert it to on-board by wiring it in via an Andersen plug in the trunk, adding a real reservoir tank, and an automatic pressure cutoff valve, but that's very much in the future as the space where I'd put the air tank is currently occupied by the spare tire and getting that moved out isn't happening until I amass the cash for a rear bumper and that is wayyyyyy down on the priority list right now. What is on the priority list is: - install lower link mount skids (before Nov 1st trip) - install rear shock lower bolt skids (before Nov 1st trip) - install extended end links (Jan 1st?) - increase front ride height by 1/2-3/4" to restore factory rake and reduce bumper bashing rocks (Jan 1st?) - maaaaaybe push the front caster out a little more on the driver's side to eliminate or reduce rubbing at full stuff (Jan 1st?) - ALIGNMENT! (immediately after previous three) Looking at the list I think I might just pony up and pay a proper off-road shop to do the suspension work all in one go rather than bodging it in the garage over the course of a week or two. Unfortunately my garage was built in the 80s and is sized for a 1980s car, not a mid-sized lifted SUV so while I can pull the 4Runner in to the bay (stupidly it has two separate doors, not one big one, my bad for picking a house set up like that), gaining access to the side facing the wall is less than ideal. @Somewhat Heroic - I hope you don't mind this becoming the de-facto hangout thread for the non-Jeep four wheeling and touring crowd. 
Arishtat fucked around with this message at 12:29 on Oct 17, 2019 |
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Oct 17, 2019 12:22
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Arishtat posted:@Somewhat Heroic - I hope you don't mind this becoming the de-facto hangout thread for the non-Jeep four wheeling and touring crowd. Yes please! The whole purpose of this thread is kind of my journal or guide into my novice level entry into off roading/adventure stuff. Post up your projects that you are working on, because it is fun to see. I have just started my research into a portable air system for the reasons you mentioned. Where I went this weekend something like that would have been very useful, but I instead had to go the route of compromise since air was not something readily available. I have been putting together a check list of things to take when going out for adventures and another for camping. If you have a list or specific things you have done and want to post that would be awesome! I will eventually get to posting that in my thread here too. On with today's post... Is that an awning or are you just happy to see me? After camping in the rain I realized that having a little bit of overhead protection is something that will be very nice to have for future camping trips. With other excursions out to play RC cars in the desert where there no relief from the sun I decided an awning was my next addition. In my research I found there to generally be a few types; bag awnings which are housed in a heavy duty poly bag like what roof tents covers have. Then there are the box awnings which are housed in an extruded aluminum box. Ultimately the box will hold up better for longer, but they are more expensive, typically double the cost. There are also much more complex 270* awnings that are a "Batwing" style. These cover one side of your truck and around the back. Really cool, but  kind of money. Like the Manta awning from Eezi-Awn; $1400.So I went with a bag awning, and was able to get the ARB 2.5M awning. The dimensions are 2.5x2.5M so a great amount of coverage. I was able to pick this up through 4WP for $250. My roof rack system as previously noted has tons of great modular components to buy and the Universal awning mounts ran me $40. I didn't have time to run down and pick them up in person but they shipped them to my house for free and I got them the next day. Nice.   The universal setup lends for TONS of adjustments on getting mounted up just right.  Bolts run into the channel of the rack and are captured in place with nylock nuts. All stainless hardware is used too. The awning includes hardware to bolt to the mount. An aluminum extruded backbone has grooves in place for the bolts that run through the flat wall of the bracket and are held in place with nylock nuts again. There is plenty of flexibility in moving the awning up/down and forward/aft. This would have been easier with one other person but I managed to do this all by myself.  And I of course had to unzip and see how well it worked. The legs are all cam lock so adjustable in height. Guy wires and some wimpy stakes are included to tie it down for added strength. This thing catches wind like a kite so no way do you want to use this without those in place. For just under $300 all in this is definitely going to be one of the nicer things I will have on my truck.    Running total including new parts added ARB Awning ~$250 Universal awning mounts ~$40 Total:$15,411 This post was longer than I thought it would be and I have a lot of photos with the next adventure so I will break it off here with a teaser pic and working title of Tunnel Buddies 
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Oct 17, 2019 22:56
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They do catch the wind like a sail- mines been over the top of my truck once before, but the ARB didn’t break, just bent the outer rail slightly but it was able to be smashed back with a hammer. People severely underestimate how much of a difference lowering tyre pressures off-road makes. This is on my truck with the 285/75R16 AT on it at the moment sitting on a 4x4” I beam.  38psi  24psi  14psi  10 psi It’s not just the conforming effect you benefit from lowering your tyre pressure, but it also increases your tyre footprint which increases how much tyre you have to grab onto the terrain, but also reduces your ground pressure and increases your flotation on soft ground. I’ve got twin air lockers in my truck, so that gives me the bonus of having an ARB compressor onboard hard wired into the vehicle. I’ve only got the single at the moment because it hasn’t blown up and for space constraints, but if I had more room I’d definately look at the Arb double compressor.
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Oct 18, 2019 00:07
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Doing the needful and crossposting my blurb about wheeling yesterday here because Toyotas in the dirt per Heroic's command to do so: Celebrated day 1 of no rabies by taking my oldest wheeling with another Goon:   Most scraping of the day was here, we went right up where that 80 is.   Once we got up the dude in the 80 went back down and around and asked us to spot him.  Link to vid  Was nice at the end of the day getting my kiddo to help air up.  Paul’s Tacoma is badass and Paul is badass.   Yes I know re: front seat, first time we have ever done it and I verified the airbag on his side was disabled, and it was way more fun having him co-pilot. Had lots of fun, as usual had lots of random Toyota owner camaraderie when we ran into the 80 series dude. I need to get the full set of skids installed on the 200 over the winter. Also kinda want to put a steel front bumper on it because why not at this point.
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Oct 21, 2019 19:30
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Got my 100 on the road this week just in time to run sweep at Team O'Neils Rallysprint with ChrisGT running ham in the passenger seat:
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Oct 21, 2019 21:54
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Slow is Fast posted:Got my 100 on the road this week just in time to run sweep at Team O'Neils Rallysprint with ChrisGT running ham in the passenger seat: Who was towing whom? The hole was bigger than expected The Tintic Range railroad was a series of rails that served various mining operations in central Utah. Dating back to the 1800's these things were old as balls but there was some incredible engineering. A few tunnels served this section of railroad and you can still see rail beds and in some places rail tracks where people aren't posing as authorized recyclers of materials on things they don't own and interests they don't actually represent. Just check out this double loop:  Most tunnels have been sealed off/collapsed etc, but one remains! On a Sunday evening when my older kids were being lame Mini Heroic said he was ready for an adventure in the land cruiser, so he and I hit the road in search of this tunnel I had heard about. We found it, just south and slightly west of my locale and less than an hours drive to get there.   He was stoked about rocks  And thought it was a "Cool Cave" https://imgur.com/AG5RdeP (direct link to video) There were two guys in there that had a little camp fire going (?) but it was against the wall so we had plenty of space to get by. The tunnel itself is a little over 200 feet long. The road going in/out is getting more and more washed out with time and weather. A basic 4x4 could easily make it through there.  I'm being born The new iPhone 11 takes some pretty good photos btw.  BFG KO2 Appreciation Station  A happy copilot  After getting out of the tunnel there are tons of off road trails that branch off all over. You are met with a pretty striking view of Mount Timpanogos above the Utah Lake. We drove around some of the little trails that are all over for a little bit and then headed home for bed time. It was cool to get to check a place like this out and definitely has inspired me to find a few more spots like this including some of the ghost towns that are all over the nowhere regions of Utah. Somewhat Heroic fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Oct 29, 2019 |
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Oct 22, 2019 01:24
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I need to check out that tunnel, hot drat. I love abandoned mines and railroads. Would love to check out some proper ghost towns, I know there are a couple in western UT. I feel like my weekends fly by but there is not enough time in the world to explore this state in full! Winter is coming too, so it's almost time to fluid film the frame on the 4runner. Already swapped my ATs for the snows! wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Oct 22, 2019 |
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Oct 22, 2019 22:34
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Went to the 4wd show today... that was expensive... Picked up a 40A redarc dual input DC/DC battery manager, so it will look after my 200AH of auxiliary batteries and includes an MPPT solar controller that should maximise my solar inputs. Also got a new 80 channel remote head Icom UHF radio because I’m going to fit a double DIN stereo in the future and my current Icom IC400 Pro lives in a single din under the current stereo so I’ll have to replace it. Got a Garmin dashcam too cos I’m sick of people driving like total knobs around me and want proof for when the inevitable happens and someone runs into me. And to go on dashcams Australia! Oh... and ordered ARB sidesteps and scrub bars for the big girl too. Apparently I’m allergic to having a healthy bank account Ferremit fucked around with this message at 13:36 on Oct 26, 2019 |
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Oct 26, 2019 07:46
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That looks like a sweet haul! One benefit of the earlier 100 series trucks is that it has a double DIN for the radio and the HVAC is not integrated into it. I am not an audio snob in the slightest so it’s not high on my priority list to bump up yet. Currently in southern Utah visiting my parents. One of the places we went off road to check out there was a guy with a 5th gen 4 Runner with Florida plates. It was a sick build with armor, tent, radio comm stuff; tons of natural pin striping. He’s been on the road exploring for over two straight months.
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Oct 26, 2019 15:10
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Im no audio snob, but I do enjoy good tunes when travelling. Or just going too and from work, so the whole system has been worked over- theres 6.5" components in the front doors, 6.5" splits in the rear door, a 400w amp under the drivers seat and a 10" active slimline sub under the passenger seat. Im replacing the head unit because the pioneer thats in there was put in when i bought the drat car but its a late 2000's unit and doesnt even have bluetooth, so im going to upgrade to a kenwood unit with full car play integration and finally fit up the reverse camera I've had in a box for.... 6 years now... Even my 2005 100 had the separate radio- Must have been a US thing to integrate the whole mess in the late models.
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Oct 26, 2019 21:16
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oh DEEEEEEER Because maintenance never ends on this thing and I forgot to post about it before one of the first things I replaced on this after the timing belt service was the failing hood struts. It was so uneventful that I didn't even take pictures. I Amazon Primed them to my door for $33 and had them changed out so quickly I think I just spent time looking at the engine bay to feel like I had accomplished more. The adventure this week was an effort to get out during the fall weather to enjoy that brief week that Utah gets where the trees explode with color. It happens in the higher altitude first and then works its way down. Getting my family to get out of the house and into the truck took some convincing but once we were going all were in good spirits and thought it was pretty sweet. The Salt Lake Valley is an interesting geographical place. It resides between two mountain fronts that run North/South. The west side of the valley is home to the Oquirrh Mountains. The other side of those mountains are the boonies of places like Tooele (Two-Illuh), Grantsville.  Notable things about Tooele is that it has been used as a massive storage facility for decommissioned munitions and stuff like chemical weapons that get dismantled. like the old Deseret Chemical Depot that at one point had a whopping 45% stockpiling of the US chemical weapons. Yikes. If you want a truly  view on how many things and what kinds of stuff were disposed of you can see more on the Wikipedia entry for the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.To get from one side of the mountains to the other you have to circumnavigate the friggin things by a not-short distance either to the north or south. Through the nicer parts of the year though there is an up and over pass which is basically a one car width drive through Butterfield Canyon. It runs just south of the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine Editors note: Holy balls I cannot express the shear size of this mine. It looks like the earth vomited itself up. It is one of the few man-made things that can be seen from space with the naked eye. Entering through a once sleepy farmtown called Herriman you begin the drive on a paved road just enveloped by trees on either side. As you make your way to the peak the road narrows, and while paved it is scattered with massive potholes and lots of gravel/dirt that has washed on it. There are lots of switch backs and blind corners. When an opposing vehicle is coming on you need to creatively give way and it worked out well. Once at the peak you are met with a trail head for various hikes and other roads you can travel, including the one going down towards Tooele. We opted to turn right, and head higher up.My family can only put up with so much adventuring so we got out at one of the bigger turnouts and the obliged me by getting out and letting me snap a few pics. Being that I try not to post too many kid photos here I will forego those but have a look at the views!  Looking toward the east. To the south is Utah County. The water you see is Utah Lake, which flows north into the Great Salt Lake. You can also see the narrow switchback road creeping through the trees as well. Center left is Mt Timpanogos. Second outing with the iPhone 11 and pretty pleased with how well a shot like this turned out.  Wide angle on the new 11. The moon also makes an appearance in the sky. Being my first time up here I learned after that another ~1/2 mile down the road is an overlook into the open pit mine. Would have been very cool to see that but that will now have to wait until spring. The road up and over gets closed for the winter. I did not take as many pictures because I didn't want to inconvenience everyone too much (although once we got to where we were going they all thought it was pretty awesome) but I have a few videos from my GoPro mounted to my windshield that captured some great fall colors. It wasn't perfect timing but it was what I had to work with.  Imgur links to short vids! https://imgur.com/6RKkBtS (Sound on for this one. It is where my post title came from!) https://imgur.com/b5HHkg8 https://imgur.com/v78g68j https://imgur.com/C8Nlx4f My next installment can your Grand Caravan DO THIS??!!
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Nov 7, 2019 22:28
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Somewhat Heroic posted:My next installment can your Grand Caravan DO THIS??!! IDK, I've seen first/second gen Mopar minivans do some crazy poo poo in the name of church camping
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Nov 7, 2019 22:51
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