2020 Ford F250 on 37s - Expedition Truck Camper Build!

[mk216v]

Typically drive in "M" manual transmission shift mode in the mountains and off road. Depending on grade... will run 4WD Low Range for increased engine braking. Ran 4WD Low 1st gear for most of this trek and bumped to 2nd gear in less rocky sections.

Low range also helps keep the transmission temp down on steep, extended climbs. We monitor engine and transmission temperature with the ScanGaugeII for accurate, real time readings.

Hill descent control is a gimmick and wouldn't recommend using for any length of decent as it rides your brakes and runs the ABS pump constantly (ie could overheat for extended use). Proper gearing and engine braking is a much better way to go.

Thx Peter.

Your off the wall silly ideas never cease to amaze me. [inset kissy face slapping self in face while laughing emoji]

Explain yoself fool. Just because you don't shave, doesn't mean I can't.
Seriously though, if a 37" X-brand tire is just too big to fit into the spare tire cage, then have the tire shaved down to fit. Places like TireRack offer this service (at least they used to) if you have an AWD vehicle, had 1 tire go flat, and they'd shave a tire down to be within 2/32" of the other 4 tires, to save you from buying 4 new tires. Nothing wrong with that sucka.

 

[vintageracer]

IF your vehicle has a quality mounted air compressor you can always deflate the spare tire to make the spare tire smaller/easier to mount in limited space and inflate the spare tire when needed.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

IF your vehicle has a quality mounted air compressor you can always deflate the spare tire to make the spare tire smaller/easier to mount in limited space and inflate the spare tire when needed.

Yup

 

[mk216v]

IF your vehicle has a quality mounted air compressor you can always deflate the spare tire to make the spare tire smaller/easier to mount in limited space and inflate the spare tire when needed.

Yes, fully understood. Peter shared data above;
"36" diameter spare will fit if fully aired down (many 37" tires measure about 36" when mounted on wheels). Requires force to jamb in there. 35.75" diameter spare will fit snugly at full air pressure."
Who knows if the 37" tire I go with will measure closer to 36" or not, so might as well have the tread shaved some, and then can adjust pressure to fit in the spare tire well. I won't rotate the spare, it'll just always remain the spare.

Peter, are you rotating your spare into your drive/steer tire mix?

 

[montypower]

Peter, are you rotating your spare into your drive/steer tire mix?

Nope. Spare stays...
I love having the spare tire under the truck and out of the way. Tires are well made today! I laugh when "expedition" guys carry 2 spares. And the spare tires are mounted high above the frame behind the rear axle - dumb.
I think I've used a spare tire once in the past decade between all the vehicles and it was repairable with a plug (on road). Never had a catastrophic failure rock crawling, off road, overland or otherwise.... I do see the value in a spare tire but don't want to look at it, swing it, touch it or think about it.

 

[montypower]

One of the most boring yet essential aspects of overland travel is fuel range. Everyone wants to focus on making their rig look cool with suspension lifts, oversized off road tires, fancy wheels, bumpers, racks and more… Yet all these modifications ruin your mpg (fuel mileage) which limits how far you can travel.

I’ve built many off road vehicles and found that maintaining a minimum of 300 mile travel range is essential. However, getting your fuel range improved to over 400 miles is a game changer.

Figuring out your true travel range is helpful for planning remote trips. Document your actual MPG fuel mileage while traveling off road. It’s good to know how much fuel your vehicle really uses. Often people calculate range using their entire fuel tank size. This isn’t realistic as you need to keep some fuel in the tank! Deduct 2-3 gallons from your tank size and multiply it by your actual fuel mileage. This will give you a reasonable expectation for travel range.

There are options for carrying additional fuel from replacement fuel tanks, auxiliary tanks and fuel cans. Extra fuel needs to be carefully considered as it adds weight, take space and can be expensive.

Carefully consider your vehicle modifications! It will determine where and how you travel…

 

[omar14711]

Can you go into more details on how you connected the auxiliary tank to your main tank. did you use an electric valve, did you run the line down through the bed? I download your drawing of the tank since i own a 2021 f250 thank you.

 

[montypower]

Can you go into more details on how you connected the auxiliary tank to your main tank. did you use an electric valve, did you run the line down through the bed? I download your drawing of the tank since i own a 2021 f250 thank you.

We've had a bunch of messages about the aux tank and may do a video going into more details. We use a shaker siphon (gravity feed) to transfer fuel to the main tank. I've considered adding a port to the bottom of the aux tank and feeding into the primary tank with a ball valve to control... however, I haven't wanted to temper with the factory fuel system. This method is simple and reliable but does take 12 minutes or so...

 

[kilcoleman]

I’m all for a video that sheds more light on your auxiliary tank setup and use. The relatively small gas tank in these trucks for expeditions or those of us who work in remote locations is always a concern that never goes away. Carrying a slew of Jerry cans is not the most desirable solution.


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[montypower]

Sometimes the unexpected becomes an adventure! Who would have thought our 2020 Ford Super Duty wouldn’t start?

Dead battery! And it wasn’t our fault… At least we didn’t drain the battery from negligence. Of course, we do use the truck harder than most and the thousands of off road miles aren’t exactly ideal for flooded acid batteries. Heavy winching which pulls massive power isn’t great for battery longevity either.

It was surprising nevertheless. Thankfully, we were close to town with cellular coverage! It was the perfect opportunity to use our AAA membership which we’ve had for over 4 years and never used. After 15 minutes on the phone the representative said we’d have help within 1 hour. Nearly an hour later… AAA calls and informs us that they can’t help! Forest service roads are not covered… What?!?

Next option… Ford roadside assistance! This was an incredibly simple process through the Ford Pass App. Completely electronic. Maybe 5 minutes. It nailed down the location automatically and provided a link to monitor the service call assignment and progress. The estimated 1 hour response time turned out be be less than 40 minutes. Wow! So easy. Thank you Ford.

We had a service appointment scheduled at Ford the following day. The next morning… DEAD again. This time the battery had puked out acid covering the top of the battery. Thankfully, our fully charged lithium jump box saved the day!

Our service appointment went smoothly and Ford replaced the battery with no questions. How great is that?

 

[Superduty]

So, what do you think the problem was?

Is it simply a case of battery dying before it's time?

I assume Ford replaced it under warranty.

AAA seems to be a joke these days. I have an ARE aluminum shell on my F350. Last time i called for a tow they didn't want to tow it bc they said it was a commercial work truck (which it is not). Then after finally convincing the guy to tow it, they said they do not tow to a private residence. I said, well that's where my mechanic works out of (I'm my own mechanic - lol). And finally they did it. Then they didn't want to put it in the driveway since it was a private residence.

Way too many "rules" and exclusions.

They won't respond to a Forest service road kinda sucks also.

I assume the lithium jump pack wouldn't work for the first time it died. Any idea why?

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[montypower]

Think it was an internal battery failure. Possibly due to constant off road fatigue or heavy loads. AGM would be a better battery solution but figured might as well run out the stock battery. Ford replaced for it FREE (warranty).

Sad to hear your AAA experience... will be looking at alternative options. Wish we could keep the Ford Roadside past the warranty!

Our Lithium Jumper box was dead from sitting for multiple years. It didn't have enough juice to work the first time. The 2nd time we had it fully charged.

 

[Buddha.]

It’s nice the Chevys have the extra battery tray already. I took my old battery and put it there. Then I made an isolated dual battery setup.

Now I’m wondering how I’d know if one of the batteries shorted out?

 

[mk216v]

I’m all for a video that sheds more light on your auxiliary tank setup and use. The relatively small gas tank in these trucks for expeditions or those of us who work in remote locations is always a concern that never goes away. Carrying a slew of Jerry cans is not the most desirable solution.


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Are you diesel or petrol?
There are off-the-shelf solutions for a large replacement mid-ship diesel tank.
And for petrol engines, it's all custom, but it can be done if you have a whiz on your side (a whiz got my 60gal done).

Glad you were close to civilization Peter. What would have been your solution if you'd been 200mi away from civilization?, ie what are your backup fail-safes?

 

[montypower]

It’s nice the Chevys have the extra battery tray already. I took my old battery and put it there. Then I made an isolated dual battery setup.
Now I’m wondering how I’d know if one of the batteries shorted out?

2nd battery is a lot of extra weight unless needed ongoing... Those little lithium jump boxes do the trick and they are small and light. Keeping things simple is the key to reliability.