Trailride + Carnage

[MTMike]

This is my first trail-ride w/ this truck. It's as I bought it from the previous owner. I know it's not built for the trails, but I had to test it and find out how it did.

It's was very hard to handle this thing in the snow with 14.5" wide non-siped tires and a locker.

So I got stuck a few times:

Trail buddy helping me air down a little more while I pose:

Finally back on track:

Tearing up a hill into a 3' deep snowbank:

Where opening up that stroker and all of it's torque ripped my front driveshaft's rear yoke out of the transfer case:

So this is how I spent the rest of the day:

And a trail buddy REALLY stuck:

Despite braking parts, being frozen, windburned and soaked, we still had some fun. Though, we probably won't do a winter trailride again. I like to be warm when I'm trailriding.

The verdict on the truck as I bought it: I have a LOT of work to do to be trail ready.

1)The 12" lift and 3" body lift obviously made it very unstable. I never felt like I was going over, but it sure did make me uncomfortable on the side-hill situations. It might be great for flat terrain with deep mud (which is what the truck was built for originally) but it counter productive for the trail. I will continue as planned with the lower, more flexible suspension. As planned, I'm going for 6" of suspension (Undecided exactly which approach to take, but I'm dead-set on a rear shackle flip) and may very well take the body lift out.

2)The stock front-to-back sterring modified to with a curved draglink was IMPOSSIBLE to control. I had so little steering control at times I would have it all the way left and the tires were barely turned. Trying to navigate even the small rocks on the trail, especially coming down while in-tow caused me to have to work the steering wheel rack to rack, back and forth the whole time just to keep straight on the trail. Very unsafe and unstable. I absolutely MUST do a crossover steering before it touches the trail again.

3) If I ever decide to go on another winter trail ride, I will sipe all 4 tires and get my heater fixed. The other guys up there running 35's & 36's with siped tires were doing very well in the snow.

 

[nvrenuf]

Interesting CV failure, what brand is it? Warranty?

Snow is cool, I wish we could get some here.

 

[MTMike]

Interesting CV failure, what brand is it? Warranty?

I'll have to ask the previous owner where he got that and if it does have a warranty on it.... Thanks for mentioning that.

When he had it and was running mud with it he was having trouble keeping front shafts in it (DUH with that much lift) and he had this CV custom made.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

That is why 1/2 ton CVs do not belong in fullsize trucks.

 

[BlueBlazer]

Looks like the ujoints held up just fine

The weld seems to have failed.

 

[bigyellowjimmy]

I agree, that's an odd place for breakage

 

[BlueBlazer]

Yea, must be cause its a 1/2 ton rated weld.

 

[TWISTEDJACK]

Yea, must be cause its a 1/2 ton rated weld.

 

[big83chevy4x4]

that CV looks to be quite big, deffinetely a weld faliure. maybe its the angle, but it looks like the centering ball is also broke in the cv.

 

[rubbinz raczn]

Yea, must be cause its a 1/2 ton rated weld.

you get what you pay for! i have never had a shaft fail a local shop made but i haven't wheeled them hard. the shafts on the new truck will be HAD ones with 1410 yokes. no they will not break! mike i would suggest finalizing your suspension plans before replacing the shaft if it's not warrantied. by the way where were you wheeling ? it's snowing pretty good right now but little on the ground

 

[MTMike]

you get what you pay for! i have never had a shaft fail a local shop made but i haven't wheeled them hard. the shafts on the new truck will be HAD ones with 1410 yokes. no they will not break! mike i would suggest finalizing your suspension plans before replacing the shaft if it's not warrantied. by the way where were you wheeling ? it's snowing pretty good right now but little on the ground

Supposedly the previous owner paid ~$600 to have this CV shaft made - so I'll have to investigate this a little more.... The shaft has a sticker on it, i'll have to look at it when I get home from work. The shaft, CV, and U-joints are fine, the weld on the yoke that connects the CV to the Case is all that appears to have broken. I will get my suspension figured out and completed before I tackle the shaft, cuz it may need some changing because of the reduced angle from the lower suspension. I just have to do all this before Divide Ride 05, which seems like a long time away but will fast approch.

We were wheeling up in the Pryor mountains southeast of Red Lodge, down south of Bridger off HWY 310. We got into some pretty deep stuff later on (after my truck broke), but in the lower elevations there was hardly any on the ground, despite the impending blizzard at the time.

 

[rcurrier44]

So witch club you running with Mike? I know I have seen that tube work on someones bronco but can't remember who's...maybe Jeff Gray????

You probubly won't have to worry about making DR2005. With the rate its going we will be locked out of the forrest because of fire danger. But you could come to our mud bog this summer

Lower the lift (those billings boys like tall trucks for some reason), get a second locker, some sipes in your tires and you'll be fine running around here. The trails arn't that hard untill you get 5+ feet of snow on them. My old blazer never did very well because it was just to heavy.

ROB

 

[MTMike]

So witch club you running with Mike? I know I have seen that tube work on someones bronco but can't remember who's...maybe Jeff Gray????

You probubly won't have to worry about making DR2005. With the rate its going we will be locked out of the forrest because of fire danger. But you could come to our mud bog this summer

Lower the lift (those billings boys like tall trucks for some reason), get a second locker, some sipes in your tires and you'll be fine running around here. The trails arn't that hard untill you get 5+ feet of snow on them. My old blazer never did very well because it was just to heavy.

ROB

I'm running with the Magic City 4 Wheelers. That Bronco belongs to a guy named Zach - I don't know his last name though.

I hope that we get some more precip - we need it SO bad, plus that would royally suck to be locked out of the forests all summer.

That trail wasn't tough at all, but the combo of no front locker, no siped tires, horrible steering geometry and being way too tall really made that simple trail a real bear for my rig.

Where are you at? You seem to know the area pretty well.....

 

[rcurrier44]

I am in Bozeman and run with the Mountaineers. I have spent some time with Bill Springer, Joe Combs and that crew over there. I will be over for the rock crawling comp they are planning on having in Sept.

ROB

 

[MTMike]

I am in Bozeman and run with the Mountaineers. I have spent some time with Bill Springer, Joe Combs and that crew over there. I will be over for the rock crawling comp they are planning on having in Sept.

ROB

Sounds good, and if I don't see you at DR05 then I'll see you at the rally