First time to the off-road park

[Williebeaman]

So I’ve had my truck a year now and haven’t had to use the 4wd once yet. So I’m planning on making the trek out to the off-road park an hour away for a weekend of camping and off-roading however I’m pretty new to it. I’m pretty sure I got my truck in good running order now, it’s got a 3 inch body lift on 33s but other than that it’s pretty much stock. I don’t wanna push it too far and break anything. Any advice ?? Anyone in central Texas ever been to hidden falls off-road park?

 

[centexk5]

Been there several times. About 45mins from me. Be careful with your lines. It's a difficult place to wheel a full-size like a blazer. Stick to the lower level trails and you should be fine. I always lock my hubs once I get to the camp grounds and leave them locked until I get ready to leave.

 

[rampage]

1st time using 4WD? Just curious if you’ve checked to make sure the gears in the front and rear axle match. It’s not uncommon for the previous owner to only change the rear gears to match the larger tires and put off doing the front until funds are available.

 

[centexk5]

True statement. Ran into that with my dad's bronco. 4.10 out back and 3.73 up front. Probably why the front axle u-joints were snapped when we got it.

 

[Williebeaman]

Oh dang, I assume they are the stock axles, I don’t know much about it to be honest. I just had the rear diff replaced recently. How can I tell? I recently did myself the front ball joints/bearings/etc. and new manual warn hubs. I put in 4 wheel just to make sure it all worked cause it was my first big mechanical job.

 

[centexk5]

More than likely you are fine. Easy way to check is to put the truck on jack stands and spin the tires one revolution and count the number of times the driveshaft spins.

 

[Stephen]

Well, how did it go?

I'm strangely excited, you are at the beginning of something so amazing. I literally cut my teeth offroad (chewing on the steering wheel of a CJ5 of all things) but I still get excited about new things like new suspension pieces, different drivetrain stuff, etc. Most recently I can't wait to ride in the new Tilden IFS U4 car. You have EVERYTHING offroad in front of you!

 

[ZooMad75]

Well, how did it go?

I'm strangely excited, you are at the beginning of something so amazing. I literally cut my teeth offroad (chewing on the steering wheel of a CJ5 of all things) but I still get excited about new things like new suspension pieces, different drivetrain stuff, etc. Most recently I can't wait to ride in the new Tilden IFS U4 car. You have EVERYTHING offroad in front of you!

That is so cool to see the same level of enthusiasm for a newcomer as you do for all the off road stuff you got going on with the shop and racing projects.

To the op, I also want to hear how the first off-road run went.

 

[Williebeaman]

Unfortunately work got in the way. Own my own business so hard to find time off. Have to postpone for another week or two

 

[centexk5]

Understand. If I'm not in the middle of the vortec head swap and have my new tires you might run into me out there. Plan on doing some wheeling during my time off this holiday season.

 

[obijuank5]

Well hidden falls can really hand it to you if you're not paying attention. You can have tons of fun in a stock rig out there. Dont go alone, and dont bite off more than you can chew.
You'll soon see the shortcomings of a stock rig and it will turn into a couple decades of the most fun you can ever have.