livetoride21
Adventurer
I also have a M50D from a 4L ohv with a manual 1354 transfer case sitting under my deck if ever the auto goes sour.
Project "Danger Ranger"
- Thread starter livetoride21
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livetoride21
Adventurer
haha awesome, are you on the explorer forum by chance?
livetoride21
Adventurer
Took some time last night and tonight to draw out more or less how my front and rear bumpers will be. Still some tweaking to do, like mount the highlift on another angled bar behind the tire, and decide on how I want my recovery points to be. made a preliminary design but it will probably change. Anyways enjoy, the two things that will forsure stay; the overall style of the bumper, and the way the hinge is designed. I figure this will be much stronger and cheaper than the commonly used trailer bearing pivots. It will be bronze bushings in a 2" x 1/4" wall DOM tube, with 1 1/4" bolt.
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Pretty sure that's what was meant in an earlier comment about placing the pivot in double shear, that should hold up well. Design a trailer hitch into that bumper as well, the higher it sits off the ground (as opposed to the standard bolt-under-frame type) the better your departure angle will be. We've even seen the receiver tube installed right where the license plate normally goes, with the plate relocated to the swing-out carrier - you'll need a decent drop draw bar with that setup but considering what the truck itself is it is doubtful you will be towing a trailer heavy enough to cause problems with such setup. Heck we once ran into someone who was using a big adjustable-drop drawbar to pull a heavy equipment trailer - they had designed and built an A-frame that would hook up to the bottom end of said drop-bar and then its legs would run forward and up and out to the frame rails where they would pivot-attach in front of the spring shackles - when the drawbar was not installed the A-frame was lifted flat under the frame and fuel tank and pinned to the bumper for ground clearance, going from offroad to tow mode was as simple as dropping the nose of the A-frame from the bumper, sliding the drawbar in the receiver and pinning it in place, then just lifting the A-frame back up and bolting it to the drawbar's bottom end with single 5/8" Grade-8 bolt and nut that even took the same sockets as the truck's lugnuts (they could also use a standard 5/8" trailer pin in a pinch), and finally tightening the anti-wobble bolt of the receiver (again using the lugnuts wrench). It was so well thought out the A-frame even doubled as a skid-plate for the fuel tank, sure wish we had taken some pictures of the thing...
My truck is a 2006 Ranger FX4, so I'll give you my take on it all.
I wouldn't be afraid to do lift shackles, I've been running them for several years now without issues. That is, if your leaf springs are in decent shape. Belltech 6400 is what I used. I likely would have been better off with new leaves, at the time I probably had 90000kms, but like most people, I have a budget.
James Duff traction bars made a big difference in how the truck handles, especially deep snow when the tires are spinning. A great product!
I would forgo the body lift. With the shackle and mild torsion bar crank (marginally more than the trucks original ride height spec), you should be able to comfortably fit your desired tire size. I run 265/75 R16 Duratracs on factory rims for winter, and 33x10.50R15 BFG muds on factory Alcoas for the summer. Oddly enough, the 33s fit better, the 265s rub slightly when turning (barely noticeable), whereas the 33s don't. Not sure why, it's so minor I just don't care. You will need to use factory rims, as most aftermarket rims have less backspacing, and won't fit the same.
There is a little bit of aftermarket for these trucks, you just have to REALLY look for it. C4x4 makes a nice (in my opinion) winch bumper, for a pretty reasonable price. RCI metalworks makes skid plates. I haven't bought either of these products, but have heard good things, especially about the C4x4 bumper. I eventually plan on purchasing the bumper, I just want it to coincide with a trip south, to ease the shipping costs.
Alternately, you could find OE skid plates.
Lastly, camping in the bed of a Ranger is "cozy", so be prepared and have your storage dialed in. With a sleeping platform, there is no room underneath for a cooler, unless it's one of these Coleman coolers meant for a single layer of beer cans. I have to keep two coolers in the extended cab, but I also keep my spare tire under the sleeping platform. All told, especially with the reg cab, a roof rack would probably be a good idea.
Here's a pic of my setup:
No drawers, just bulk storage. Shallow rubbermaid totes work well.
I wouldn't be afraid to do lift shackles, I've been running them for several years now without issues. That is, if your leaf springs are in decent shape. Belltech 6400 is what I used. I likely would have been better off with new leaves, at the time I probably had 90000kms, but like most people, I have a budget.
James Duff traction bars made a big difference in how the truck handles, especially deep snow when the tires are spinning. A great product!
I would forgo the body lift. With the shackle and mild torsion bar crank (marginally more than the trucks original ride height spec), you should be able to comfortably fit your desired tire size. I run 265/75 R16 Duratracs on factory rims for winter, and 33x10.50R15 BFG muds on factory Alcoas for the summer. Oddly enough, the 33s fit better, the 265s rub slightly when turning (barely noticeable), whereas the 33s don't. Not sure why, it's so minor I just don't care. You will need to use factory rims, as most aftermarket rims have less backspacing, and won't fit the same.
There is a little bit of aftermarket for these trucks, you just have to REALLY look for it. C4x4 makes a nice (in my opinion) winch bumper, for a pretty reasonable price. RCI metalworks makes skid plates. I haven't bought either of these products, but have heard good things, especially about the C4x4 bumper. I eventually plan on purchasing the bumper, I just want it to coincide with a trip south, to ease the shipping costs.
Alternately, you could find OE skid plates.
Lastly, camping in the bed of a Ranger is "cozy", so be prepared and have your storage dialed in. With a sleeping platform, there is no room underneath for a cooler, unless it's one of these Coleman coolers meant for a single layer of beer cans. I have to keep two coolers in the extended cab, but I also keep my spare tire under the sleeping platform. All told, especially with the reg cab, a roof rack would probably be a good idea.
Here's a pic of my setup:
No drawers, just bulk storage. Shallow rubbermaid totes work well.
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livetoride21
Adventurer
Great to hear from another Ranger owner on here! Have any more pics of your truck by chance? I really don't want to compromise on the factory suspension geometry if I don't haveto, just want a little more clearance for tires, and a bit nicer look ha. Hence the very mild 1" body lift. As far as shackles, I'm still in between the use of them of an add a leaf, the main reason being in between wasn't the cost, but was the fact I only really want 1" of lift to accomodate more payload, where as the add a leaf usually give around 3" lift (too much more my needs). I'm thinking however, I could remove the factory 2" lift block and install an add a leaf. As for the ranger bed being cozy to sleep in, I'd be sure of that haha! I have around 6" taller topper than normal so that should help, and the side windows open. I'll have my sleeping platform at the full height of the bed, so I SHOULD be able to fit my cooler under. if not, I'll figure it out. The way I see if with a regular cab , is it'll force me to bring less jump while on a trip, and only pack the necessities haha. I really don't want to have a storage rack, as the topper is already quite high. I may, however, add a shovel and axe mount to the top of the topper.
How did the 33s effect your gas mileage and overall drivability? I'm still on the fence as to what tires I want to get.
How did the 33s effect your gas mileage and overall drivability? I'm still on the fence as to what tires I want to get.
livetoride21
Adventurer
Just checked out C4x4s products, some cool stuff! I'll be making my own come spring, but good to see there is actually SOMEONE making ranger bumpers ha. RCI Metalworks looks like they have a very well designed front skid plate too!
With the 33s I averaged 19.2 US MPG (12.25L/100km) with two people and camping supplies. That was a round trip from Alberta to northern California, including 5 states and BC. Normally I average less than that with my (short) daily commute, a little over 16 US MPG. I have 4.10s, and definitely wouldn't want less gearing, 4.56 might almost be better. Next time I make a trip like that, I'll roll on the Duratracs instead.
Turns out I don't have many good pics of my truck, but here's some I found:
This is on the coast, in southern Oregon. Beautiful place!
Camping in northern Washington. It was July 4, a pretty neat time it visit the USA.
Turns out I don't have many good pics of my truck, but here's some I found:
This is on the coast, in southern Oregon. Beautiful place!
Camping in northern Washington. It was July 4, a pretty neat time it visit the USA.
...And a few crappy cellphone shots:
I think this was the day I went to pick up the topper. I found it used but excellent shape, in the correct color, for $350!
*** Edit: Yep, that is the day I got the new topper, you can see the reflection of the old, white topper in the paint. I wound up selling that topper to a couple of very nice ladies***
This is how I have my platform supported. The bars bolt where the bed tie down points were. Note the front bar has to be two pieces with a splice in the middle. The rear bar is one piece, that removes in about a minute so I can have full functionality of the bed when not camping. The platform is 3/4" plywood that slides in/out, and is a snug fit to the tailgate.
I think this was the day I went to pick up the topper. I found it used but excellent shape, in the correct color, for $350!
*** Edit: Yep, that is the day I got the new topper, you can see the reflection of the old, white topper in the paint. I wound up selling that topper to a couple of very nice ladies***
This is how I have my platform supported. The bars bolt where the bed tie down points were. Note the front bar has to be two pieces with a splice in the middle. The rear bar is one piece, that removes in about a minute so I can have full functionality of the bed when not camping. The platform is 3/4" plywood that slides in/out, and is a snug fit to the tailgate.
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livetoride21
Adventurer
very nice looking truck! and great setup for the back to keep it convertible. I'm debating on what to do, whether I will get 32x11.5 mud terrains (bf KM2) or the goodyear wrangler 265/75 r16 I had said before. the 265 is roughly 10.4" x 31.6". Most 32s are actually about 31.5 tall, so it wouldn't be much different, just a little narrower. I'm figuring for my use they'll be just fine. But 15" rims and tires can be had a bit cheaper, and look meatier overall. They also offer a softer ride. I like the look of 33s but I don't think they will offer much to gain over the 32" tall tire, other than appearance.
Any opinions ? 33" on 15s , 32s on 15s, or 265/75 on 16s??
Any opinions ? 33" on 15s , 32s on 15s, or 265/75 on 16s??
Pretty sure you have 16" rims, so I'd go for the 265s, simply to reuse the factory wheels. I'll snap a pic of my truck with the 265s for you. Sorry, I don't actually know what the backspacing is on these wheels. Probably 4.5", but that's a guess.
Regarding your PM on the 265s rubbing, I went out and had a look for you. There appears to be extremely minor contact to the anti-sway bar. The "rubbing" I was noticing actually seems to be the splash guard on the P/S getting caught on the side lugs of the tire when reversing. Oddly enough, it didn't actually come with a splash guard on that side, so I bought a D/S splash guard and installed in on the P/S many years ago. I had forgotten all about it, until now.
There are very few choices in 33x10.50R15, so I'd generally advise against that size, unless you really like one of the few offerings. Also, I wouldn't suggest a dedicated MT tire for anybody that sees real winter. The only reason I have them is because I had 5 matching, excellent condition tires off my old Bronco.
All told, I really like the Goodyear Duratracs. They would be a very capable, all-year-round choice.
Regarding your PM on the 265s rubbing, I went out and had a look for you. There appears to be extremely minor contact to the anti-sway bar. The "rubbing" I was noticing actually seems to be the splash guard on the P/S getting caught on the side lugs of the tire when reversing. Oddly enough, it didn't actually come with a splash guard on that side, so I bought a D/S splash guard and installed in on the P/S many years ago. I had forgotten all about it, until now.
There are very few choices in 33x10.50R15, so I'd generally advise against that size, unless you really like one of the few offerings. Also, I wouldn't suggest a dedicated MT tire for anybody that sees real winter. The only reason I have them is because I had 5 matching, excellent condition tires off my old Bronco.
All told, I really like the Goodyear Duratracs. They would be a very capable, all-year-round choice.
livetoride21
Adventurer
Yeah, I have the stock 16x7" 4.5" backspacing rims with 245/75 r16 currently for my summer tires and 255/70/r16 on steelies for winter. I don't really care much for summer/winter rated tires, as we legally have to have an extreme winter rated tire here in Quebec from december until march, and I already have good winters. I'm planning on buying new wheels anyways that are an 8" width with either 4.5 or 4" backspacing to get a little wider stance, so IT doesnt bother me to change from 16 to 15" if I can get something better suited to the application. I pretty much have it narrowed down to two tires, the General grabber AT2 and the Goodyear Wrangler Authority (basicly a duratrac with a harder compound) , in either 285 /75 r16 or 265/75 r16. The other option is a mud terrain in 32x11.5 .
I'm glad to hear that the rubbing you're hearing is just a splash guard, as this leads me to believe with a little less backspacing, it wouldn't rub.
Thanks again for the reply!
I'm glad to hear that the rubbing you're hearing is just a splash guard, as this leads me to believe with a little less backspacing, it wouldn't rub.
Thanks again for the reply!
RangerXLT
Adventurer
There is a roll call thread on here for Rangers. I have had my 2006 for about 4 yrs now and have loved every bit of it. Haven't done much for suspension other than helper springs and a torsion bar crank. I'm running 31" Firestone Destination A/T's. Great tire for a DD and camping rig. I would agree with the above post, it is difficult to find aftermarket parts but they are out there. I happen to have the RCI front skid and intend to get the additional skid. I don't have a platform, I utilize a cot set up.
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