Rock Rat's Imperial Jade Mica "Next Adventure" Build

[Rock_Rat]

Hi-Lift Jack Mounting on a Whitson Rack

I normally don't carry the hi-lift jack around with me except for longer trips and off road. Before I got the whitson rack I used to clamp the jack in my ski rack. It was a great fit and I never even knew it was on the roof.

I looked at a couple of options for my existing setup and decided I wanted to use as much surface area of the rack as possible to ensure there was little stress placed on it. The tube mounts for mounting on the side looked OK but the rack only has an ~ 1" diameter frame. I just didn't feel the rack should handle that kind of stress with a jack hanging off the side. I think if the tubing diameter was larger I may have gone with a tube mount.

So until I get a rear bumper I decided to mount it inside the rack. Not my favorite location because it does take up valuable real estate for additional storage containers up there. Anyway here goes...

What I bought

• Hi-Lift Jack 4X400 4XRAC Jack Mounting System
• Cost - $33 locally ($38 off of amazon)

Cons

• No way to secure it to the rack.
• The hardware didn't come with any washers or backplates or anything you can use to secure it to a perforated rack.
• It was clearly designed to be mounted to a solid surface such as a bumper. Hardware is lacking!

Pros

• It was inexpensive enough
• easy for me to modify in an afternoon
• Mounting brackets are solid
• Will suffice until I get a new bumper
• Carriage bolts and wing nuts are good

Modifications Made

1. 
   I could have used washers for each of the bolts but I wanted:
2. a more even distribution of the weight at the mounting surface
3. to use a larger area of the rack to prevent it from getting "pulled through" over time.
4. I just didn't think a washer underneath could provide me with the strength I wanted to support the jack
   
5. I used a 1 1/4" flat bar and cut four pieces to size. Next I drilled the necessary holes and shot it with Rustoleum semi-gloss. Done.

I mounted it on the passenger side

• For more weight on that side to compensate for drivers side lean
• More (cough cough) aerodynamic with the top facing forward

Only drawback is the base plate definitely rattles causing it to reverberate throughout the rack. My fix is to remove the base plate and put it in the recovery gear bag

 

[Rock_Rat]

Took it to the River

After a good day of installing the fire extinguisher and the hi-lift mount I decided to take a quick drive to the river to see how the summer Steelhead run was doing. I wanted to get a feel for the hi-lift mount and make sure it was strong enough etc... The summer run is just getting started so next weekend it's time to dust off the lamiglas and stock up the freezer, next to the whiteline bushings!!

 

[Dhowl513]

Beautiful rig.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Beautiful rig.

Thanks! Good luck with your build and welcome to the site. :thumb3:

 

[Rock_Rat]

Browns Camp, Tillamook Forest Oregon - July 9th

Took the rig out with my son and met up with a couple guys from the forum. There was supposed to be around 8 but there were just the three of us. I'm sure the threat of rain kept most away.

It turned out to be an awesome day without any rain and just enough from the night before to make the trails more interesting. The rain also kept the dust away. It was great to have my son behind the wheel on a few of the sections.

Looking forward to going back. I wanted to see how well the rig performed with the mods, gears and exhaust specifically, and just to experiment with 4H and 4L to see what the rig is capable of in various conditions. There were a few areas I tried to keep it in 4H but I needed to drop to 4L midstream.

There are a few mods I need to make to take full advantage of it's capabilities. Quick disconnect links for the front are a necessity and I need to work on the rear suspension as well. I found myself not being able to utilize all four wheels as needed. Here's a few pics from our trip.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Brown's Camp Tillamook Forest Oregon - Powerlines and Cedar Tree

Here's a couple of videos. Great trip with David, Orlando and my son. I love the sound of the TRD headers and TRD cat back exhaust at work! Real pleased with the rig. You can see where I tried to make a go of it in 4H/2 but needed to drop into Lo.



My son did most of the driving in this video. Had to stop and remove the carriage bolt for the hi-lift to get under the cedar tree.

 

[Kotrin]

Here's a couple of videos. Great trip with David, Orlando and my son. I love the sound of the TRD headers and TRD cat back exhaust at work! Real pleased with the rig. You can see where I tried to make a go of it in 4H/2 but needed to drop into Lo.



My son did most of the driving in this video. Had to stop and remove the carriage bolt for the hi-lift to get under the cedar tree.

Sure looks like Browns Camp right? When did you go? I was out there not that long ago. I love how the rig has progressed from being the regular street rig to the beast it is now. Did I read right your now running a SC??

 

[Pyanet]

Subscribed fellow original owner!!! The truck looks awesome!

 

[Rock_Rat]

Sure looks like Browns Camp right? When did you go? I was out there not that long ago. I love how the rig has progressed from being the regular street rig to the beast it is now. Did I read right your now running a SC??

Yea it's Brown's Camp. Went on the 9th but just got around to posting pics. Been busy. We did Powerlines and Cedar Tree. David put the trip together. It was nice being able to fit under the quintessential cedar tree tunnel with the 3rd gen.

Hey thanks for the compliment. Definitely been a slow work in progress. The SC is still on the bench. (about a year now or longer.) Needed to get my exhaust done first. I tried to install the AEM F/IC and the Boomslang Harness but there's hardly any room behind the glove box. (Photo in the AEM thread.)

I'm thinking about holding off on the install until after our trip in the cascades in August. I don't want to run into any "mapping" problems on the trail.

I still have the LCA's and the spindles to finish up before I go. Juggling priorities right now.

 

[Kotrin]

Yea it's Brown's Camp. Went on the 9th but just got around to posting pics. Been busy. We did Powerlines and Cedar Tree. David put the trip together. It was nice being able to fit under the quintessential cedar tree tunnel with the 3rd gen.

Hey thanks for the compliment. Definitely been a slow work in progress. The SC is still on the bench. (about a year now or longer.) Needed to get my exhaust done first. I tried to install the AEM F/IC and the Boomslang Harness but there's hardly any room behind the glove box. (Photo in the AEM thread.)

I'm thinking about holding off on the install until after our trip in the cascades in August. I don't want to run into any "mapping" problems on the trail.

I still have the LCA's and the spindles to finish up before I go. Juggling priorities right now.

Awesome, yeah I can't do the extreme anymore but enjoy driving even on the gravel roads, hehe. I can't get over how nice it still looks and can't wait till you drop the SC in it. I really want to to do a SC, but have incredibly limited funds so trying to spread the money out over the next 16 months.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Preparations for the WABDR Next Week

Finishing up preparations for the WABDR trip. We'll be leaving from Stevenson on Wednesday the 10th. I'll post an itinerary on here if anyone wants to meet up along the way. We're looking at 6 days.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Bethel Ridge Bypass or Not?

For those that have done this route, did you bypass Bethel Ridge? That one section looks pretty sketch. ( [MENTION=63487]A.Wilson013[/MENTION] [MENTION=82154]GSPRunner[/MENTION])

 

[A.Wilson013]

I cannot tell where that is on Bethell Ridge, but there is nothing "sketchy" up there. Granted, I've not been up there since Memorial Day last year.

The only possibly difficult part up there is where you go back into the trees after going past Bethell Ridge. It's an actual 4x4 trail (short one) but can be rutted out, muddy, etc. We've done it a few times and have never had a single issue.

As you climb up to Umtanum Ridge there are some pretty nasty ruts that you'll need to straddle to get past. If for some reason you dropped a tire into one you'd be screwed and likely need to do some serious digging or easy winching if you have more than one vehicle with you.

I cannot remember a single truly "sketchy" part of the trip. It's all pretty mellow and could likely be done in a well driven Subaru Forester. Unless, of course, that actual trail part after Bethell Ridge is too muddy or rutted out.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Thanks Alex. I'm heading up there with traction devices (One pair of Maxsa Innovations) but no winch. I'll have a shovel and all the other necessities with me in case I get stuck. I might take one of my old static ropes with me since I have the Hi-Lift I could use as a come-along. Considering it's a month into the season, I'm hoping any fallen trees have already been cleared from the trail. If you think of anything I should be aware of, please let me know.

I've been following you're thread on the hesitation and also keeping close tabs on the Whiteline bushing situation. I'm holding off on any mods right now until after the summer. It's running great right now,and I don't want to mess with it.

 

[TotalAutomotiveLV]

Such an awesome 3rd gen.

 

[GSPRunner]

Yeah there was nothing remotely difficult up on Bethel Ridge. Beautiful views up there though. And yes, on the back side of Umtanum, if it's muddy or you're not careful, you can slide down in those ruts. I did it a couple winters ago in my stock 5th Gen Trail, and it took me some time to get out, as I was alone and didn't have any recovery gear with me.

Have fun, and hopefully no fires pop up between now and then so you can do the whole route!

 

[Rock_Rat]

Such an awesome 3rd gen.

Thank you. It's pretty well thought out and prioritized. I have a few things on my "to do" list that includes you as well!! You'll be hearing from me.

Yeah there was nothing remotely difficult up on Bethel Ridge. Beautiful views up there though. And yes, on the back side of Umtanum, if it's muddy or you're not careful, you can slide down in those ruts. I did it a couple winters ago in my stock 5th Gen Trail, and it took me some time to get out, as I was alone and didn't have any recovery gear with me.

Have fun, and hopefully no fires pop up between now and then so you can do the whole route!

Thanks for the update. It looks like Umtanum is the area I need to be concerned with. I'm changing out the TOYO/Level 8 combos for the Grappler/sequoia combos for the trip. I want the better tread. The only fire I see right now is on the east side of Lake Chelan. I'll be watching that one closely. IIRC that whole area was in flames last year or the year before.

 

[Loubaru]

I did Bethel ridge last year, it was my first time "off roading" and other than paying attention to tire placement I didn't think it was that bad at all. I do have a tiny bit track experience and a good understanding of physics though. I could see it being a little interesting during the rutted section if it was muddy but I think you'd still be fine.

I'm lifted with 265 tires so nothing special...have an elocker but never used it. The only somewhat "sketchy" part was when my wife wasn't paying attention to the map and we ended up going 1-2 hours off the WABDR into some relatively steep/rocky trails where I definitively should have used the elocker (back end slipping/moving around a little) but didn't want to stop to engage it. 4Runner ended up chugging up the hills fine though but my wife freaked out a little.

One fairly basic thing I'd recommend is airing down as it makes things a lot more comfortable and the added traction helps in some of the steep sections....probably the section that aren't even on the WABDR though.

 

[Rock_Rat]

I did Bethel ridge last year, it was my first time "off roading" and other than paying attention to tire placement I didn't think it was that bad at all. I do have a tiny bit track experience and a good understanding of physics though. I could see it being a little interesting during the rutted section if it was muddy but I think you'd still be fine.

I'm lifted with 265 tires so nothing special...have an elocker but never used it. The only somewhat "sketchy" part was when my wife wasn't paying attention to the map and we ended up going 1-2 hours off the WABDR into some relatively steep/rocky trails where I definitively should have used the elocker (back end slipping/moving around a little) but didn't want to stop to engage it. 4Runner ended up chugging up the hills fine though but my wife freaked out a little.

One fairly basic thing I'd recommend is airing down as it makes things a lot more comfortable and the added traction helps in some of the steep sections....probably the section that aren't even on the WABDR though.

Hey thanks for the input. I'll be airing down to 20 as soon as I get off the paved roads and air back up. It makes the ride so much more comfortable. I'm also carrying two 3ga rotopax gas "cans"on the roof in case I miss a turn somewhere and get off the trail.

I've screen captured the entire route and video taped it as well. (bringing a notebook with me) All the waypoints are in my Garmin and I have the hard-copy USGS maps for that whole area. I SHOULD be good. Definitely looking forward to the trip!!

Carrying a spare axle and spare LBJ's. Hope I don't need them!

 

[Rock_Rat]

Post #1000 on Unner's Build

Post #1000 on [MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION] build.