Volcom
New member
Hit me up when you past through Pueblo! Grab some lunch if you have time!
I found "The One", 2001 Sport Ed. TRD SC'd
- Thread starter BigFishAllDay
- Start date
Hit me up when you past through Pueblo! Grab some lunch if you have time!
EatonKyleH
New member
Ya what's this about Northern CO?
If you have a minute to meet up anytime we are just outside Fort Collins. Give my a shout if you want.
If you have a minute to meet up anytime we are just outside Fort Collins. Give my a shout if you want.
Rockdawg84
New member
I remember when I got my ECGS Boxes
arty: took everything out and looked at it. LOL Glad your taking the plunge. Welcome to the club!!!!
arty: took everything out and looked at it. LOL Glad your taking the plunge. Welcome to the club!!!!
1moreToy4me
New member
First let me say that pic on the rocks is incredible.
Beautiful Runner.
What is that limitation strap on the front and can we have a better picture?
SS Adjustable Panhard Bar
SS Extended Bump Stops
SS Sway Bar Lift Brackets
What is SS?
Thanks.
Edit: found my answer to SS, Sonoran Steel
Beautiful Runner.
What is that limitation strap on the front and can we have a better picture?
SS Adjustable Panhard Bar
SS Extended Bump Stops
SS Sway Bar Lift Brackets
What is SS?
Thanks.
Edit: found my answer to SS, Sonoran Steel
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1moreToy4me
New member
Beautiful work.
I wish I could weld.
I wish I could weld.
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BigFishAllDay
New member
Thanks for the offer, Chris. I would still like to add some side hoops to the rear bumper, so I may have to take you up on that. It would give us a chance to talk 4Runners as well. My afternoons are free all week, so shoot me a text.
Nice additions man! Glad I took the time to open this thread up again!
I'm just enjoying my mildly modded rig... might revamp my front driving lights.... but that's still up in the air. Just repainted the housings on the old ones.... but having some wiring issues.... no power going to them right now... :/
Anyway.... I'll be around to check in.... hoping to see some upgrades before I go back to work!
Thanks, buddy. I'm glad you took the time as well. There's nothing wrong with a mildly modded rig. "Mean Green" and my '97 have a lot in common in that regard. I still remember when you added those lights, as they got the wheels turning for my setup on the '97.
Thanks!!
Aaron, sorry I missed you man. I was travelling with my Wife, Daughter, and my Mom so the trip to Ft. Collins took longer than I thought. As a result I didn't have time to make any extra stops/visits along the way. We'll catch up at the Jambo.
See above. I was up there for my cousin's wedding. It was a whirlwind trip up and back travelling with my little girl. The trip took us 9 hours up and 12 hours back, and I can do it by myself in 7. We barely had time to go to the wedding, stop to eat a few times, and take my Daughter to the park for a couple hours. I didn't even get to visit with my family much. Next time I'll leave a bigger window for hanging out.
Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting started on the install. I had the compressor, lines, fittings etc. all laid out the other night to study how they work and fit together, that way I'll be ready to go.
Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for editing your post. I appreciate you taking the time to do that promptly. I can't take credit for the pic on the front page, that was taken my friend Colin. The limit straps are meant to limit the front suspensions down travel with the goal of protecting CV joints, and avoiding overextension of the shocks. They also helped to prevent some interference I was getting between my old suspension and the spindle. Check the table of contents in post number two for the write-up on those and some more pictures.
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BigFishAllDay
New member
The tire carrier is all done and has seen real world testing under every type of condition to which it will be subjected over a span of about 2K miles. It's tough, easy to use, vibration free, and it's 10x sturdier than what CBI came up with.
We left off here...
I got started by setting up the main structure. Instead of the cheesy angle iron that CBI uses, I went with 2"x3" .125 wall rectangular tubing. This is the same material that is used for the main arm, and adds a ton of rigidity to the main structure. I set the carrier up off center this time around, moving the tire 8 inches toward the passenger side of the rig. This will help to balance the overall weight on the rig, allow for a shorter swing arm, and less stress on the spindle.
Then I started working on the tire mounting plate. The mounting plate itself is made by RuffStuff and is 3/8", the shaped gussets are Ruffstuff as well at 1/4", and the smaller gussets are 3/16" from the scrap bin. The section of tubing that joins the plate the main arm is the same 2x3 used elsewhere. Notice how the edge of the 2x3 tubing has been beveled to allow for greater weld penetration at the joint. This process was performed on all weld joints forming the main structure.
I was able to more closely match the angle of the tire with the angle of the back window, which is something that always bugged me about the CBI setup. Theirs is close, but leans more to the vertical side of things and looks a little off when viewed from the side, IMO. I also moved the tire position up another ~2 inches and inward toward the hatch another inch.
Tire mount, tacked in place...
The next go round, I welded up the main structure. Thanks in large part to all the joint prep, the welds came out great and I have no doubt that this thing will be solid as a rock.
One of my favorite parts of the build was cutting off the POS augur latching mechanism that CBI uses. To keep this thing from rattling loose I used to have to put my foot on it and press down to get it as tight as possible. When it came time to open the damn thing I'd have to kick it loose, and after injuring my foot doing so, I resorted to keeping/using a hammer to knock it open. Needless to say, it was a pain in the ass to open/close.
Old latching setup GONE, and preparing to set up new latch arrangement. You will also notice in this picture that I added 1/8" dimple died 45 degree gussets and two more 1/4" 90 degree gussets from RuffStuff to the uprights on the main structure. Also, as I guaranteed once before, I stole another idea from [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] and welded a 2" receiver tube to the outside face of the tire mounting plate to allow for future mounting of Rotopax fuel containers. Last, I welded shut the license plate mounting holes that CBI created. They were too low, and I found it impossible to insert a tow hitch into the receiver without bending the license plate upward to gain clearance.
And by the end of that day's session... New latch setup configured and tacked in place, and hi-lift mounts tacked in place. The hi lift mounts are 45 degree, three faced sections cut from the 2x3 tubing, drilled with 1/2" holes. I used 1/2" x 3.5" bolts, locking nuts, and a couple extra nuts as spacers to create a hi lift mount. Notice that the hi lift has now been flipped to ride handle down, keeping the jaws of the jack high and tight and out of harms way. I also moved the jack inward about 1/2" and upward ~4". I was able to shorten the swing arm a total of about 4".
Next I set up the new strike plate/landing pad for the latching mechanism. I used a jigsaw to cut a section from a cutting board, then drilled it to accept 1/4" hex driven flat head bolts. The new strike plate is 3.5" x 3" versus 1.5" x 2" on the CBI setup. This distributes the clamping forces of the latch over a much greater area, and allows for a deeper, wider foot for latch end of the swing arm to sit on. The bigger footprint greatly reduces the tendency of the arm to flex from front to back and place twisting forces on the spindle.
The new De-Sta-Co latch hook welded in place, as well as bolted in place (for extra strength/backup attachment) with a grade 10.9 M10x1.25 bolt. No pictures, but I completely welded shut the 1" bolt hole for the CBI augur latch, and ground it smooth. It looks like it was never there.
Finally, some overall pics that might help answer any questions...
In this pic you can see that I moved the license plate mounting holes up about 1.5" to get the plate out of the way of the receiver. I used a small strip of 1/8" plate to create the mount for the license plate light, which I re-used from the old setup. The plate is rounded at the outside edge to match the contour of the light housing. I kept the license plate centered on the rig, which I thought looked best. The link of chain that is welded to the center upright is a security measure and allows me to pass a padlock through the link and then through the holes in the main bar of the hi-lift to keep thieves at bay and provide a measure of safety should the hi lift bolts fail catastrophically. Last, notice that each of the hi lift mounting bolts are drilled to allow for the insertion of a hitch pin. I am also using nylon locking nuts to secure the jack. Between the hitch pins and the outside lock nuts, the jack should never work itself loose.
Front view of the tire mounting plate. The studs are M12x1.50 to match the factory wheel studs, and are welded to the plate at the rear. The receiver hitch was fully welded front and back, and the front surface smoothed and rounded for a clean look (refer to previous pictures where you can clearly see that the larger surrounding square section at the front of the receiver was not fully welded). It will get a custom hitch cover eventually.
Rear view of the tire mounting plate. I capped the top of the 2x3 rectangular tubing with a section of 1/8" plate, leaving an overhanging lip on both sides, which I drilled with a 5/16" hole. This will provide a mounting surface to which I can attach my hi lift base in the future, as well as an oversized hi lift base for use on soft soil / sand. Note that I also added a 1/4" ruff stuff gusset between the main upright and the tire mount on the inboard side. I gusseted the top side as the main force will be a downward pull on that joint.
And the beauty... the new latch mount. This boxed section provides rigidity and fully encloses the De-Sta-Co 341-R 2,000 lb. capacity locking clamp (Link to Destaco Latch on Amazon). Boxing in the latch will protect it and prevent accidental openings resulting from impacts with the trail surface on steep climbs.
The bottom lip makes contact with the bottom, rear facing, diagonal surface of the bumper when the arm is fully latched. Combined with large flat mating surface at the top of the latch housing, the bottom lip eliminates the ability for the arm to rotate around the outside edge of the bumper and fully indexes the latch side of the arm to the bumper itself.
The only thing I added that is not pictured here is a small lip of steel that sits vertical and is welded to the innermost edge of the flat section of steel that mates with the landing pad. This small lip grabs the back edge of the landing pad once the latch is engaged and prevents ALL front to back motion of the arm. Without the lip, the arm would slowly work it's way back about 1/8" before the tension on the u-bolt fully maxed out. There was no way dial out the movement via increased tension on the u-bolt, so I added the "grabbing" lip. I can take a picture if anyone wants to have a look.
Ready for paint... I used the same paint that I used for the front bumper. Rustoleum self etching primer followed by Rustoleum Pro semi gloss black. It came out pretty good, and got a small touch up paint pen for any chips in the finish.
I also drilled & tapped the diagonal uprights on each side to accept an M8x1.25 bolt. This allowed me to mount my LED aux reverse lights. They are wired via a relay so that they come on automatically when the 4Runner is shifted into reverse. I may put them on a switch someday for those pesky tailgaters.
Also, notice that there is another side benefit to off-setting the tire to the passenger side. I can now once again access the key hole in the hatch door without opening the tire carrier. This is very convenient when you need to roll the back window down quickly from outside the vehicle to get something in/out of the back.
Lights on... I'll get a night shot one of these days. They're bright!
Overall shot, notice the amount of protection for the latch. I'll get some better shots of this too.
So that's about it. The wobbling and dancing of the tire has been completely eliminated and I'm no longer staring at tire in my rear view mirror that looks like it's going to fall off at any moment. I have noticed a dramatic decrease in vibrations inside the cab as a result of the tire staying still while the vehicle is in motion.
Everything is now high and tight and out of the way, with the back edge of the bumper being the limiting factor in departure angle. If I were to drag the back bumper on a steep ascent, the tire would still be several inches away from the ground, with no risk of the high lift taking a bite out of the trail.
The new latch mechanism is tight and trouble free, and offers true one handed operation to both open/close. It is a million times better than the augur latch and now I can leave the hammer in the tool bag.
I have a little over 30 hours in rebuilding this thing, but for me it was totally worth it. The new carrier is a HUGE improvement and has finally removed the biggest thorn in my side with regard to this rig.
If you read all that, thanks for taking the time.
We left off here...
I got started by setting up the main structure. Instead of the cheesy angle iron that CBI uses, I went with 2"x3" .125 wall rectangular tubing. This is the same material that is used for the main arm, and adds a ton of rigidity to the main structure. I set the carrier up off center this time around, moving the tire 8 inches toward the passenger side of the rig. This will help to balance the overall weight on the rig, allow for a shorter swing arm, and less stress on the spindle.
Then I started working on the tire mounting plate. The mounting plate itself is made by RuffStuff and is 3/8", the shaped gussets are Ruffstuff as well at 1/4", and the smaller gussets are 3/16" from the scrap bin. The section of tubing that joins the plate the main arm is the same 2x3 used elsewhere. Notice how the edge of the 2x3 tubing has been beveled to allow for greater weld penetration at the joint. This process was performed on all weld joints forming the main structure.
I was able to more closely match the angle of the tire with the angle of the back window, which is something that always bugged me about the CBI setup. Theirs is close, but leans more to the vertical side of things and looks a little off when viewed from the side, IMO. I also moved the tire position up another ~2 inches and inward toward the hatch another inch.
Tire mount, tacked in place...
The next go round, I welded up the main structure. Thanks in large part to all the joint prep, the welds came out great and I have no doubt that this thing will be solid as a rock.
One of my favorite parts of the build was cutting off the POS augur latching mechanism that CBI uses. To keep this thing from rattling loose I used to have to put my foot on it and press down to get it as tight as possible. When it came time to open the damn thing I'd have to kick it loose, and after injuring my foot doing so, I resorted to keeping/using a hammer to knock it open. Needless to say, it was a pain in the ass to open/close.
Old latching setup GONE, and preparing to set up new latch arrangement. You will also notice in this picture that I added 1/8" dimple died 45 degree gussets and two more 1/4" 90 degree gussets from RuffStuff to the uprights on the main structure. Also, as I guaranteed once before, I stole another idea from [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] and welded a 2" receiver tube to the outside face of the tire mounting plate to allow for future mounting of Rotopax fuel containers. Last, I welded shut the license plate mounting holes that CBI created. They were too low, and I found it impossible to insert a tow hitch into the receiver without bending the license plate upward to gain clearance.
And by the end of that day's session... New latch setup configured and tacked in place, and hi-lift mounts tacked in place. The hi lift mounts are 45 degree, three faced sections cut from the 2x3 tubing, drilled with 1/2" holes. I used 1/2" x 3.5" bolts, locking nuts, and a couple extra nuts as spacers to create a hi lift mount. Notice that the hi lift has now been flipped to ride handle down, keeping the jaws of the jack high and tight and out of harms way. I also moved the jack inward about 1/2" and upward ~4". I was able to shorten the swing arm a total of about 4".
Next I set up the new strike plate/landing pad for the latching mechanism. I used a jigsaw to cut a section from a cutting board, then drilled it to accept 1/4" hex driven flat head bolts. The new strike plate is 3.5" x 3" versus 1.5" x 2" on the CBI setup. This distributes the clamping forces of the latch over a much greater area, and allows for a deeper, wider foot for latch end of the swing arm to sit on. The bigger footprint greatly reduces the tendency of the arm to flex from front to back and place twisting forces on the spindle.
The new De-Sta-Co latch hook welded in place, as well as bolted in place (for extra strength/backup attachment) with a grade 10.9 M10x1.25 bolt. No pictures, but I completely welded shut the 1" bolt hole for the CBI augur latch, and ground it smooth. It looks like it was never there.
Finally, some overall pics that might help answer any questions...
In this pic you can see that I moved the license plate mounting holes up about 1.5" to get the plate out of the way of the receiver. I used a small strip of 1/8" plate to create the mount for the license plate light, which I re-used from the old setup. The plate is rounded at the outside edge to match the contour of the light housing. I kept the license plate centered on the rig, which I thought looked best. The link of chain that is welded to the center upright is a security measure and allows me to pass a padlock through the link and then through the holes in the main bar of the hi-lift to keep thieves at bay and provide a measure of safety should the hi lift bolts fail catastrophically. Last, notice that each of the hi lift mounting bolts are drilled to allow for the insertion of a hitch pin. I am also using nylon locking nuts to secure the jack. Between the hitch pins and the outside lock nuts, the jack should never work itself loose.
Front view of the tire mounting plate. The studs are M12x1.50 to match the factory wheel studs, and are welded to the plate at the rear. The receiver hitch was fully welded front and back, and the front surface smoothed and rounded for a clean look (refer to previous pictures where you can clearly see that the larger surrounding square section at the front of the receiver was not fully welded). It will get a custom hitch cover eventually.
Rear view of the tire mounting plate. I capped the top of the 2x3 rectangular tubing with a section of 1/8" plate, leaving an overhanging lip on both sides, which I drilled with a 5/16" hole. This will provide a mounting surface to which I can attach my hi lift base in the future, as well as an oversized hi lift base for use on soft soil / sand. Note that I also added a 1/4" ruff stuff gusset between the main upright and the tire mount on the inboard side. I gusseted the top side as the main force will be a downward pull on that joint.
And the beauty... the new latch mount. This boxed section provides rigidity and fully encloses the De-Sta-Co 341-R 2,000 lb. capacity locking clamp (Link to Destaco Latch on Amazon). Boxing in the latch will protect it and prevent accidental openings resulting from impacts with the trail surface on steep climbs.
The bottom lip makes contact with the bottom, rear facing, diagonal surface of the bumper when the arm is fully latched. Combined with large flat mating surface at the top of the latch housing, the bottom lip eliminates the ability for the arm to rotate around the outside edge of the bumper and fully indexes the latch side of the arm to the bumper itself.
The only thing I added that is not pictured here is a small lip of steel that sits vertical and is welded to the innermost edge of the flat section of steel that mates with the landing pad. This small lip grabs the back edge of the landing pad once the latch is engaged and prevents ALL front to back motion of the arm. Without the lip, the arm would slowly work it's way back about 1/8" before the tension on the u-bolt fully maxed out. There was no way dial out the movement via increased tension on the u-bolt, so I added the "grabbing" lip. I can take a picture if anyone wants to have a look.
Ready for paint... I used the same paint that I used for the front bumper. Rustoleum self etching primer followed by Rustoleum Pro semi gloss black. It came out pretty good, and got a small touch up paint pen for any chips in the finish.
I also drilled & tapped the diagonal uprights on each side to accept an M8x1.25 bolt. This allowed me to mount my LED aux reverse lights. They are wired via a relay so that they come on automatically when the 4Runner is shifted into reverse. I may put them on a switch someday for those pesky tailgaters.
Also, notice that there is another side benefit to off-setting the tire to the passenger side. I can now once again access the key hole in the hatch door without opening the tire carrier. This is very convenient when you need to roll the back window down quickly from outside the vehicle to get something in/out of the back.
Lights on... I'll get a night shot one of these days. They're bright!
Overall shot, notice the amount of protection for the latch. I'll get some better shots of this too.
So that's about it. The wobbling and dancing of the tire has been completely eliminated and I'm no longer staring at tire in my rear view mirror that looks like it's going to fall off at any moment. I have noticed a dramatic decrease in vibrations inside the cab as a result of the tire staying still while the vehicle is in motion.
Everything is now high and tight and out of the way, with the back edge of the bumper being the limiting factor in departure angle. If I were to drag the back bumper on a steep ascent, the tire would still be several inches away from the ground, with no risk of the high lift taking a bite out of the trail.
The new latch mechanism is tight and trouble free, and offers true one handed operation to both open/close. It is a million times better than the augur latch and now I can leave the hammer in the tool bag.
I have a little over 30 hours in rebuilding this thing, but for me it was totally worth it. The new carrier is a HUGE improvement and has finally removed the biggest thorn in my side with regard to this rig.
If you read all that, thanks for taking the time.
BigFishAllDay
New member
Sonoran Steel Poly Rear Body Mounts
While I was addressing the tire carrier, I wanted to do everything possible to eliminate movement. I also wanted to prevent the bumper itself from causing any further damage to my quarter panels through contact under heavy impacts. I made a call to [MENTION=1795]sschaefer3[/MENTION] at Sonoran Steel and picked up a set of his polyurethane rear body mounts (Link) to help address these problems.
At first glance, they seem a little tall...
Exploded view, compared to stock parts...
Out with the old...
In with the new...
The new mounts helped a LOT with controlling the movement between the bumper itself and the body of the rig. Once installed, the poly compresses and they end up at the same height as the OEM body mounts, but they are much stiffer. I haven't noticed any discernible increase in road noise or transmission of road bumps into the cabin. I should have purchased these mounts a long time ago and saved my rig some unnecessary body damage. The install was a piece of cake, save for some hard to reach fasteners.
Oh, and by the way....
If anyone with a CBI rear bumper would like to have the beefed up tire mount that I made to strengthen the original CBI setup, you are welcome to have it for the price of shipping. Check the table of contents in post number 2 of this thread to find the write up I made when I built it, but it moves the tire inward a few inches for better departure angle and is MUCH stronger than the mount that CBI will send you.
While I was addressing the tire carrier, I wanted to do everything possible to eliminate movement. I also wanted to prevent the bumper itself from causing any further damage to my quarter panels through contact under heavy impacts. I made a call to [MENTION=1795]sschaefer3[/MENTION] at Sonoran Steel and picked up a set of his polyurethane rear body mounts (Link) to help address these problems.
At first glance, they seem a little tall...
Exploded view, compared to stock parts...
Out with the old...
In with the new...
The new mounts helped a LOT with controlling the movement between the bumper itself and the body of the rig. Once installed, the poly compresses and they end up at the same height as the OEM body mounts, but they are much stiffer. I haven't noticed any discernible increase in road noise or transmission of road bumps into the cabin. I should have purchased these mounts a long time ago and saved my rig some unnecessary body damage. The install was a piece of cake, save for some hard to reach fasteners.
Oh, and by the way....
If anyone with a CBI rear bumper would like to have the beefed up tire mount that I made to strengthen the original CBI setup, you are welcome to have it for the price of shipping. Check the table of contents in post number 2 of this thread to find the write up I made when I built it, but it moves the tire inward a few inches for better departure angle and is MUCH stronger than the mount that CBI will send you.
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A.Wilson013
New member
The new swing out looks very functional. How much weight do you think it added? Looks sturdy, that's for sure.
I'd also like to get away from the angle iron, but honestly for what I do it's probably more than enough. I have been theory crafting a way to make a modular bike rack that I can bolt on to it somehow.
Let me know the price shipped to 98056... I'll take that off of your hands unless it's crazy.
I'd also like to get away from the angle iron, but honestly for what I do it's probably more than enough. I have been theory crafting a way to make a modular bike rack that I can bolt on to it somehow.
Let me know the price shipped to 98056... I'll take that off of your hands unless it's crazy.
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SCRunner12
New member
Wow you are simply an animal. That is an awesome design and very well thought out. I just put on my CBI and wondered if I had an old or new latch design because mine looks like the one you just put on. I guess it is the new one and glad I got it from the sound of yours.
I was also just noticing how much my body mounts compress now that I have the bumper on. My passenger side compresses a lot and I might need to look into the poly ones before it becomes a problem. Did you need to get any new bolts with your 1/2 body in there?
Also if A.Wilson013 doesn't take the tire mount I will. Mine is already bent from the PO and one of the holes on the tire mounting surface has been ovaled out due to a wheel stud being used. It works, but a beefier one would be better.
I was also just noticing how much my body mounts compress now that I have the bumper on. My passenger side compresses a lot and I might need to look into the poly ones before it becomes a problem. Did you need to get any new bolts with your 1/2 body in there?
Also if A.Wilson013 doesn't take the tire mount I will. Mine is already bent from the PO and one of the holes on the tire mounting surface has been ovaled out due to a wheel stud being used. It works, but a beefier one would be better.
BrianSD_42
New member
Great stuff as usual. I think you'll be happy with the poly rear body mounts. I replaced all my BM with poly a year ago and I've been very happy with the results which mainly were less shuddering on tough washes.
BigFishAllDay
New member
After getting the tire carrier finished up the week before last, it was time to get the '01 out of the garage and test all the new stuff.
The first trip was 5/29-5/31 and was just a long road trip, no wheeling. It allowed me to observe fuel economy and check for added noise with the new roof rack, and gave me an opportunity to see whether or not the new tire carrier would feel any better on the highway with regard to vibration.
I hadn't had the tires balanced in two years and they were all chunked from a bunch of wheeling trips, so I had that done before we left. It made a big difference and got rid of the steering wheel vibration I was experiencing at 60-70 mph. Each wheel/tire took 2-4 ounces of weight to balance, and my duratracs are a little more than half worn at this point.
We put ~1,100 miles on the '01 for that trip and it did great. Everything felt tight and smooth, and the absence of tire carrier vibration was a nice change. The roof rack was quiet, and on 4 tanks of gas I got 15.5 / 16.2 / 17.1 / 16.9 mpg averages. The range for each tank was 240-275 miles on 16 gallons of fuel.
For those of you that live in/around Ft. Collins, the only evidence I have that I was even there is this picture of my Daughter riding a pony at the Farm at Lee Martinez Park... good times.
On the trip home, my passengers were getting antsy, so we made a small side trip to Sugarite Canyon State Park on the NM/CO border near I-25 and got out of the vehicle for awhile to hike a short trail.
My daughter hit the ground running... she was done with being in the 4Runner.
The rig, getting a little break...
And on the final leg, we caught a nice sunset over the east side of the Pecos in NM.
Our plan was to head right back out of town on 6/1, but we were so beat from the long trip back from Ft. Collins that we took that Monday off and just relaxed. On 6/2 we packed up the '01 once again and headed to the cabin.
My Daughter seems to have caught the fishing bug, as she's really into it. She helps me dig worms, wants to cast her own line, and can reel in her own fish. This is the second one that she has landed on her own, and the biggest.
Checking out an overlook above Cumbres pass...
I snuck in a sunrise hike to one of my favorite high mountain lakes and caught a nice cutthroat. The fish slipped out of my hands before I could get a photo, so this picture of a mountain meadow will have to suffice.
On the second full day, we decided to drive the dirt road up to the top of the drainage and go fishing. The amount of travel that I do on this road was a major contributing factor in me upgrading to the Icons (and eventually getting a matching rear setup), because it is often in very poor condition. It's full of rocks, dips, cattle guards, pot holes, washboard surfaces, and mud. They grade it for the first 10 miles or so once per year and then it gets worse and worse until the next time around. The upper section is always in terrible shape, and most people do 10-20 mph, with their teeth rattling out the whole way.
The way I saw it, it was a perfect opportunity to try and break the welds on the new tire carrier and make sure it was up to snuff. I got past the graded section and proceeded to hammer the rig up the roughest portion at 40-50 mph, purposely hitting the biggest holes and roughest spots. The Icons did fantastic, and the tire carrier held steady and strong. Even on the roughest spots it had very little movement and the latch mechanism didn't move a millimeter.
Looking the way it should, covered in dirt... ( [MENTION=56044]downpour11[/MENTION] - still representing)
The next day we checked out the Great Sand Dunes near Mt. Blanca. I couldn't help staring at the trail heading up Mt. Blanca and wishing I could run it. The Dunes were awesome as always, and we hit it at the right time while Medano Creek was flowing strong, which gave us some fun options for playing in the water on a warm day.
Dogs had fun...
Our little brick sh!thouse of a Pitbull is getting big... almost 50lbs at 9 months old.
After the Dunes we had some delicious Lasagna at Bistro Rialto in Alamosa. It's a neat little local spot if you're ever hungry and in the area. Their building used to be an early 1900's theater that had a fire and was rebuilt. It was cool to see the historic architecture.
We had time to kill, so I got out the maps and picked some remote back roads along the Rio Grande to go and explore. Along the way we saw many open mine shafts, some wild horses, a natural arch that I never knew was there, a cemetery with graves from the 1800's, and some cool reptiles and amphibians. I found a nice trail up a wash, but it was a little too rough to attempt solo and with the kiddo in the truck.
...continued in next post...
The first trip was 5/29-5/31 and was just a long road trip, no wheeling. It allowed me to observe fuel economy and check for added noise with the new roof rack, and gave me an opportunity to see whether or not the new tire carrier would feel any better on the highway with regard to vibration.
I hadn't had the tires balanced in two years and they were all chunked from a bunch of wheeling trips, so I had that done before we left. It made a big difference and got rid of the steering wheel vibration I was experiencing at 60-70 mph. Each wheel/tire took 2-4 ounces of weight to balance, and my duratracs are a little more than half worn at this point.
We put ~1,100 miles on the '01 for that trip and it did great. Everything felt tight and smooth, and the absence of tire carrier vibration was a nice change. The roof rack was quiet, and on 4 tanks of gas I got 15.5 / 16.2 / 17.1 / 16.9 mpg averages. The range for each tank was 240-275 miles on 16 gallons of fuel.
For those of you that live in/around Ft. Collins, the only evidence I have that I was even there is this picture of my Daughter riding a pony at the Farm at Lee Martinez Park... good times.
On the trip home, my passengers were getting antsy, so we made a small side trip to Sugarite Canyon State Park on the NM/CO border near I-25 and got out of the vehicle for awhile to hike a short trail.
My daughter hit the ground running... she was done with being in the 4Runner.
The rig, getting a little break...
And on the final leg, we caught a nice sunset over the east side of the Pecos in NM.
Our plan was to head right back out of town on 6/1, but we were so beat from the long trip back from Ft. Collins that we took that Monday off and just relaxed. On 6/2 we packed up the '01 once again and headed to the cabin.
My Daughter seems to have caught the fishing bug, as she's really into it. She helps me dig worms, wants to cast her own line, and can reel in her own fish. This is the second one that she has landed on her own, and the biggest.
Checking out an overlook above Cumbres pass...
I snuck in a sunrise hike to one of my favorite high mountain lakes and caught a nice cutthroat. The fish slipped out of my hands before I could get a photo, so this picture of a mountain meadow will have to suffice.
On the second full day, we decided to drive the dirt road up to the top of the drainage and go fishing. The amount of travel that I do on this road was a major contributing factor in me upgrading to the Icons (and eventually getting a matching rear setup), because it is often in very poor condition. It's full of rocks, dips, cattle guards, pot holes, washboard surfaces, and mud. They grade it for the first 10 miles or so once per year and then it gets worse and worse until the next time around. The upper section is always in terrible shape, and most people do 10-20 mph, with their teeth rattling out the whole way.
The way I saw it, it was a perfect opportunity to try and break the welds on the new tire carrier and make sure it was up to snuff. I got past the graded section and proceeded to hammer the rig up the roughest portion at 40-50 mph, purposely hitting the biggest holes and roughest spots. The Icons did fantastic, and the tire carrier held steady and strong. Even on the roughest spots it had very little movement and the latch mechanism didn't move a millimeter.
Looking the way it should, covered in dirt... ( [MENTION=56044]downpour11[/MENTION] - still representing)
The next day we checked out the Great Sand Dunes near Mt. Blanca. I couldn't help staring at the trail heading up Mt. Blanca and wishing I could run it. The Dunes were awesome as always, and we hit it at the right time while Medano Creek was flowing strong, which gave us some fun options for playing in the water on a warm day.
Dogs had fun...
Our little brick sh!thouse of a Pitbull is getting big... almost 50lbs at 9 months old.
After the Dunes we had some delicious Lasagna at Bistro Rialto in Alamosa. It's a neat little local spot if you're ever hungry and in the area. Their building used to be an early 1900's theater that had a fire and was rebuilt. It was cool to see the historic architecture.
We had time to kill, so I got out the maps and picked some remote back roads along the Rio Grande to go and explore. Along the way we saw many open mine shafts, some wild horses, a natural arch that I never knew was there, a cemetery with graves from the 1800's, and some cool reptiles and amphibians. I found a nice trail up a wash, but it was a little too rough to attempt solo and with the kiddo in the truck.
...continued in next post...
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BigFishAllDay
New member
....continued...
We stopped at Jack Dempsey's childhood home in Manassa, where my Wife did her best impression of the "Manassa Mauler".
And then we rounded out the day with a killer sunset at the cabin...
Our last full day brought rain that kept up all morning, so we just sat around and drank coffee, took naps and hung out until it cleared. Around 4pm we decided we needed to get out of the cabin so I picked another faint line on the map and we set out to go explore.
The goal was to run a remote section of trail that starts below La Manga pass, goes through Spruce Hole, up and over Pinorealosa Mountain, around Osier Mountain and down to the Cumbres and Toltec station at Osier. The rain had turned the trail into a muddy mess, and there was still a lot of snow above 10,500 feet. As a result it was slow going and we didn't complete the trail, but I got to have some fun punching through 2-3 foot snow drifts that were up to 80 feet across. We saw some new country and the clouds playing on the peaks/ridges made for some cool pictures.
On the way out we saw a HUGE black bear... probably in the neighborhood of 300lbs. He was on the road right in front of us and took off running ahead of the truck. I gave him some time to vacate the area and took a picture of one of the prints.
We ran through a few more tanks of gas and averaged 16-17 mpg on each tank. It's good to have a mileage baseline for this thing so I can see what kind of effect the re-gear has on my fuel mileage.
That's about it for now, and catches me up for the last month or so. Now all I need to do is get the new diffs installed and enjoy the summer in this thing.
We stopped at Jack Dempsey's childhood home in Manassa, where my Wife did her best impression of the "Manassa Mauler".
And then we rounded out the day with a killer sunset at the cabin...
Our last full day brought rain that kept up all morning, so we just sat around and drank coffee, took naps and hung out until it cleared. Around 4pm we decided we needed to get out of the cabin so I picked another faint line on the map and we set out to go explore.
The goal was to run a remote section of trail that starts below La Manga pass, goes through Spruce Hole, up and over Pinorealosa Mountain, around Osier Mountain and down to the Cumbres and Toltec station at Osier. The rain had turned the trail into a muddy mess, and there was still a lot of snow above 10,500 feet. As a result it was slow going and we didn't complete the trail, but I got to have some fun punching through 2-3 foot snow drifts that were up to 80 feet across. We saw some new country and the clouds playing on the peaks/ridges made for some cool pictures.
On the way out we saw a HUGE black bear... probably in the neighborhood of 300lbs. He was on the road right in front of us and took off running ahead of the truck. I gave him some time to vacate the area and took a picture of one of the prints.
We ran through a few more tanks of gas and averaged 16-17 mpg on each tank. It's good to have a mileage baseline for this thing so I can see what kind of effect the re-gear has on my fuel mileage.
That's about it for now, and catches me up for the last month or so. Now all I need to do is get the new diffs installed and enjoy the summer in this thing.
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A.Wilson013
New member
Great shots man. Love the pictures of people getting out with their families even more than crawling over rocks.
As for the snake... Nope. I won't even get out of my vehicle after I run a rattler over. My luck he'll have one more strike left in him. Even if I am parked on his head.
As for the snake... Nope. I won't even get out of my vehicle after I run a rattler over. My luck he'll have one more strike left in him. Even if I am parked on his head.
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