Mortonm's 2001 Xterra Build

[stioc]

The Duratracs do really well offroad, have the snowflake rating and look great/aggressive. However, they tend to wander/float on the road, I've had two sets in two different sizes and two different suspension setups and that's what I observed. The huge voids that give them their high traction offroad aren't very good on-road. The tire store said they'll swap them out for the BFG ATs for $120. Might be higher for the Coopers.

I was one of those guys that said 'bah, people that don't know about the new tires/technology get BFG A/Ts' but I'm passed that point to think there's a good reason for it, they simply work well in all-terrains including on-road which is where most of us spend our time. As for the Toyos, they make fantastic tires, when I used to race cars Toyo RA1s was like the BFG A/Ts. I had the previous gen Open Country on my Pathy when I bought it and they had really good traction and ride on-road. However, I felt they weren't designed to do a lot of rocky-terrain work which is what we have here. I can't speak for the AT2s but the ones I had looked like the sidewalls wouldn't be able to handle sharp rocks. Heck, I put hair line slices on my Duratracs after my death valley trip.

 

[mortonm]

The Duratracs do really well offroad, have the snowflake rating and look great/aggressive. However, they tend to wander/float on the road, I've had two sets in two different sizes and two different suspension setups and that's what I observed. The huge voids that give them their high traction offroad aren't very good on-road. The tire store said they'll swap them out for the BFG ATs for $120. Might be higher for the Coopers.

I was one of those guys that said 'bah, people that don't know about the new tires/technology get BFG A/Ts' but I'm passed that point to think there's a good reason for it, they simply work well in all-terrains including on-road which is where most of us spend our time. As for the Toyos, they make fantastic tires, when I used to race cars Toyo RA1s was like the BFG A/Ts. I had the previous gen Open Country on my Pathy when I bought it and they had really good traction and ride on-road. However, I felt they weren't designed to do a lot of rocky-terrain work which is what we have here. I can't speak for the AT2s but the ones I had looked like the sidewalls wouldn't be able to handle sharp rocks. Heck, I put hair line slices on my Duratracs after my death valley trip.

If you really aren't happy with the duratracs then $120 is pretty cheap to replace with a whole new set of tires.

Your thoughts have me rethinking the duratracs for myself in the future. Keep me updated.

 

[mortonm]

Tomorrow morning my brother and I are headed out to some property that we own in Eastern Ontario. Not much on it, but there is a couple fields, and a pretty good sized forest, and a small stream (might be dry by now). We are using this as a shake-down run for our week long trip to Pennsylvania (only a month away now!).

Hopefully we can learn a few things about our packing and logistics setup, and if we are missing anything or what is unecessary. It is a few hour drive from here, so it should give us an idea of how the new suspension is holding up with the weight. It will just be me, my brother and his dog.

There wont be too much in the way of off-road driving, but there is a short little steep hill climb and a few grassy hills to goof around in for an hour or two.

I have been looking for a couple months on a cheap and easy way to attach a shovel to the factory Xterra rack, after a few iterations here is what I came up with.

Each end of the shovel is held onto the rack by a 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch U-bolt. At home depot I found a grounding clamp to grab onto the shovel. It actually ended up working perfectly. The holes in the grounding clamp are the exact same spacing as the u bolt. One side of the clamp has threaded holes, which will have to be drilled out so they can slide over the u bolt. The other side already comes large enough, with one of the holes open on the side so it can swing out without have to take the wing-nut off. This is actually an advantage because the shovel can come out without have to undo the whole thing.

Depending on the shovel the clamps might be just a little big, but the shovel had two larger spots on it were they clamped perfectly. You can easily rock the truck with one hand on the shovel. I will see after this trip how it works out and modify if necessary, its not something that I will need often so as long as it is secure up there I don't mind if it takes a little effort to get it on and off.

Here are a couple pictures

 

[stioc]

Crafty! I like it a lot. I don't think you'll need to use it much so the effort required is actually a deterrent to someone who might be looking for a free shovel

Enjoy the trip and take some pics!

 

[mortonm]

Crafty! I like it a lot. I don't think you'll need to use it much so the effort required is actually a deterrent to someone who might be looking for a free shovel

Enjoy the trip and take some pics!

thanks, I cranked down the wing nuts with a crescent wrench so they shouldnt be going anywhere, the grounding clamps were actually about $10 each, so they are worth more than the shovel haha!

 

[stioc]

lol!

As an added measure you might want to consider using split washers to help hold the tension on the wing nuts. As for security you could always drill a hole in the u-bolt threads past one of the wing nuts and attach a small padlock to it.

 

[mortonm]

lol!

As an added measure you might want to consider using split washers to help hold the tension on the wing nuts. As for security you could always drill a hole in the u-bolt threads past one of the wing nuts and attach a small padlock to it.

both great ideas, I might run out and grab some split washers in the morning before we leave, I could see them coming loose after awhile. The lock is a great idea as well.

There is also a bolt in the middle (you can see it in the pictures) might be a good spot to put something else up there (something light) but haven't thought of anything yet. Perhaps an axe with holes drilled though the haft with longer bolts and some washers, would go up there nicely.

 

[Allof75]

Nice mod! Very simple and effective as usual mortonm. Have you considered anything in the way of off road lights?

 

[mortonm]

Nice mod! Very simple and effective as usual mortonm. Have you considered anything in the way of off road lights?

thank you, I do actually, my headlights are terrible. This fact was made very clear last weekend when traveling to a friends cottage, it was probably 15 miles down dirt roads, the last 5 or so were single lane, but no lighting of any kind. I couldn't see anything.

I have been planning on getting a couple of the Rigid dually LED lights and place them in the stock fog location, as well using the stock fog wiring.

stay tuned...Ill be adding pictures and a trip report this afternoon from the weekend

 

[mortonm]

Back from our trip, everything worked well, learned a few things about what we needed more of (toilet paper!) and what we didn't use/probably wont use in 3 weeks in Pennsylvania.'

I am going to write up a trip report, when its done I will post the link here, but for now, a few sneak peaks for you guys

 

[mortonm]

I also came across a guy with a 97 4runner, it had 422,000 km on it, but was in great shape. The most important part, however, was his in bumper front winch.



I talked with him for awhile on it, its just on a winch mount and he just bolted it to a plate and welded to the frame horns. I believe I can use a bolt on setup, but its perfect. He had a Runva winch that had a synthetic line and a wireless control. His was a 12,500 lb but I wouldn't need that big. Unfortunately the smallest winch they offer with the synthetic line and wireless controls is 11,000 pounds.

Definitely something to think about this winter. Others have done this on first gen Xterra's, so it wouldn't be too much work.

The X handled the weight quite well, there was a little sag, but we loaded most of the heavy stuff in the rear passenger area, which helped. I believe the front still needs to come down another half inch or so, which will help with the rake look. It didn't feel loaded down or wallow during sharp braking or turning, which is more important for me.

 

[mortonm]

Here is a link to the trip report, enjoy!

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/114902-A-weekend-in-Northumberland-County-Ontario

 

[Allof75]

Back from our trip, everything worked well, learned a few things about what we needed more of (toilet paper!) and what we didn't use/probably wont use in 3 weeks in Pennsylvania.'

I am going to write up a trip report, when its done I will post the link here, but for now, a few sneak peaks for you guys



Looks good! I love driving in fields, but I have a question, what exactly is the piece of what appears to be plastic on the roof rack in this picture?

PS looks like a great trip!

 

[mortonm]

Back from our trip, everything worked well, learned a few things about what we needed more of (toilet paper!) and what we didn't use/probably wont use in 3 weeks in Pennsylvania.'

I am going to write up a trip report, when its done I will post the link here, but for now, a few sneak peaks for you guys



Looks good! I love driving in fields, but I have a question, what exactly is the piece of what appears to be plastic on the roof rack in this picture?

PS looks like a great trip!

hahaha you got me

the front floor liner was wet and dirt, so I had it up there this morning to dry out, forgot it was up there so it was on the back for the last 30 minutes of messing around. We got to the front gate of the property and almost left when I realized it was missing, wasnt on the back, we had to go back and check everywhere we drove. Turns out it just fell after that picture at the top of that hill. It would have sucked if I didnt realize until home 3 hours later

I love field driving as well, it was pretty light grass so I wasn't worried about the paint scratching

 

[mortonm]

One week countdown until we leave for our week long Pennsylvania trip. We were at the in laws this weekend so I took the opportunity to do some maintenance before the trip.

Oil changed and tires rotated. I brought the pads and rotors I had at home because I couldn't remember how much was left on them but they had plenty of life left.

I loosened the tbars a few cranks so there is a little rake now when it is unloaded, so I am hoping it sits level or pretty close when loaded. It was close when loaded last time so I should be okay

I have been wanting to do the exhaust for awhile as I had a pretty bad exhaust leak. I wasn't originally planning on doing it this weekend but the parts supplier my father in law uses had it in stock so I picked it up this morning. Replaced everything from the cats back, the exhaust is a Walker exhaust and it was a great price. So that solved that problem and was a bonus
I got a few pictures but won't be able to post until tomorrow or monday.

The only casualty was I broke the nipple on the rear diff breather, so I will have to grab a new one in the morning and I am going to take the opportunity to increase its height as well.