Brutus the '09 FX4

[SightPicture]

I've posted a pic or two of my rig in various threads but don't think I've ever really introduced myself.

My name is Mike and this is my DD/do it all rig Brutus. A 2009 F150 FX4 scab. I bought her new with 4 miles on her in October 2009 and have been wanting to outfit her a little for overland. Obviously since its still my daily it'll remain relatively tame for now but I do think I have a solid plan for what I want for now.

As of now I only plan to level her out and when the stock tires get replaced I'll go with something approximately 33"s. I'll add/ upgrade the factory skids as I can and throw some Rock sliders on it and down the road a set of bumpers. I'd really like to add a rack on the cab for a basket when we hit the trail. Another thing I really want to do is a dual batter setup, possibly with solar but we'll see how that pans out. OBA is also in the plans.

The topper is an A.R.E. MX that I got this year and obsolutely love it. I also have the bed rug which is nice. I did a two night trip in the bed and with my little buddy space heater I was very comfortable.

Here is how I normally keep the bed. Two small action packers, one with recovery tools the other with extra food and water. A tarp, my get home bag w/ therma rest, a camp stool and a small tool set. I also started keeping a spare set of boots and a cooler in it as well.

Some of the recover gear.

I am really digging the forums here and looking forward to contributing. Hopefully now that I'm out of the military I can get out and explore with my family and share with everyone. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Mike

 

[SightPicture]

Finally wore out the factory rubber. After some debate I decided on the Cooper AT3's in 285-65-18 load range E. the first few days I had them I rain like a mother and they performed just fine. I'm really digging the tread pattern and they are quiet on the highway. Interestingly enough, the larger tire size seems to have caused my transmission to shift smoother and the drivability is better. I don't know how to explain it. Anyways here are a few pics of them pre leveling kit, which will be on order shortly.

 

[oldblue]

Nicely outfitted truck. I'm curious to hear how those tires work out for you. I have been toying with picking up a set.

 

[SightPicture]

Thanks, yea it's plain and basic right now. I actually just pulled the trigger on an AutoSpring leveling kit. I've been researching dual battery setups and OBA. Thinking about putting together a dual battery system based off the $50 dual batt system thread here on ExPo.

 

[SightPicture]

Leveled, Finally!

Well I finally pulled the trigger on an AutoSpring 2" leveling kit, front and rear. I managed to turn this


Into this


Took longer than expected but its done and getting aligned in the a.m. Slow progress, but progress none the less. I really want to get a dual battery setup soon and then the OBA but I also have a Mustang I'm re-building so we'll see when that happens. I did wire up an auxiliary 12v socket hidden in the dash and hid my GPS cable and ran it to it. Its setup to only have power when the truck is running. Not the most high speed mod but it cleaned up my interior a but and I don't have to mess around with unplugging when I shut the truck off. And it's hidden which is nice.

 

[Jwood70]

Good looking truck. I cannot wait to watch the progress over time.

 

[SightPicture]

Thanks. I can't wait to get more done on it. We have a family trip planned for next month to go to Ocean City NJ. I'm interested to see what kind of mileage I get with the tires and level. If it weren't such a pain to be able to drive on the beach I'd try and get her out in the sand.