Recent content by MOAK

From what I have read the 4600 are a little softer. I really don’t want to mess with the suspension at all. Start messing around too much then you start voiding the warranty. I learned that lesson long ago with a Jeep. Put an OME suspension under it and a 1” body lift. Front axle u joints went...

A few years ago I installed an auxiliary tank in our 80 series LC that doubled our range to 450-500 miles. I still kept a 20l ( 5 gallon) Jerry can on the expo trailer, just in case. Our current truck has a 48 gallon tank giving us over 550 miles of range. I’ve no plans to carry an additional can.

Not an incomplete conclusion at all, I’d call it a compromised conclusion. Everything we do when building out or specing out an overland rig is full of compromises. I drive with extraordinary mechanical sympathy as this vehicle we are in is it, it’s our home. High end shocks that can handle...

The 5100s require a 1” lift to operate properly. No need for us to spent more than a thousand dollars to go up only 1 inch.

You hit the nail on the head about high end shocks needing maintenance. We are full time travelers and maintaining shocks just isn’t in the cards for us. I ran OMEs on my Landcruiser all the way around with heavy springs in the rear and mediums up front. The first set had over 100,000 miles on...

The 5100s up front require a lift or leveling kit to be installed. The rear 5100s will work with 0-1” of lifted suspension.

We have an F 350 with a constant load between 2000 to 2500 lbs. This coming spring we will be visiting Deaver for a rear spring upgrade. I’m currently doing way too much research about shocks, which has led me to 5100 Bilsteins for the rear axle, and 4600 for the front axle. I’ve never mixed...

Yup- mine scales out at 10,920 with a GVWR of 11,400. I added leveling block in the rear but next spring we will be in Deaver’s shop for added spring leafs to support a constant 2,500lb +/- load. I considered airbags, but our build is permanent with the Flatbed Grandby F4WC weighing 2,000...

Thank you Chet, all of the above has been done- scaled it all out and am about 400 lbs less than the GVRW including all our gear and full tank of gasoline. I’ve spoken to Jeff @ Deaver and he is working out a solution to improve the spring rate. Here is a copy of my CAT scale readings. All...

You guys are spot on- I should know better than to cheap out on this- the expo guy, “my conscience” says do it right, the farmer in me says do it cheap. I left the farm 50 years ago. Hmmm- Is Deaver associated with Carli?

Thanks Mike, I’ve come to that conclusion now as well. I’ve got 6330 lbs on that rear axle, that is rated at 6780. I see that add a leafs have different ratings- I’m thinking if I add a leaf that is rated for 500 lbs each, that would cause the rear to handle as if it were 1,000 lbs lighter...

Agree- I’ve scaled it out, fully laden 4560 up front & 6330 out back. This weight will only change as we use water and gasoline. I’ve got to get honest with myself concerning your 3x3 matrix- that is great advice.

in our travels we recently did our first long stretch of forest roads in our fully laden F-350. The truck has the 4FX package. With the stock shocks there is a bit of porpoising that goes on after almost any whoop de do transition. I’m considering the Bilstein 5160s to replace the rear shocks...

I have a ‘24 350 with just about the same options you pointed out with the XL including the 4FX package. I ran BFGs for nearly 3 decades, then for the past 10 years General Grabbers- never had a flat. Our 2nd week out the Duratracs picked up a piece of logging equipment tire chain which...

Here in the northeast we have Erie Insurance which is for preferred drivers. We pay a little more, however, 100% replacement on everything- the truck & the custom flatbed are primary. The 4WC Grandby and all the contents are on a rider. The rider was based on a $100,000 total loss and cost 250...