(Another) Forest Living Suburban Build Thread
- Thread starter Burb One
- Start date
Forgive my crappy photo editing skills! Here's a mini trip report.
We left on Friday, returned the next Saturday. From Bay Area, CA, we took a day to get to the Moab Area (night over in Elko) and same on the return.
We decided to "wing" the trip, based on uncertain weather, the weather ended up perfect and we did all we wanted and more. Except there's always more, could go back to Moab 100 times and not do everything!
Passing the Bonneville Salt Flats flooded:
Got to the Moab Area. We decided to try and drive off road cutting diagonally across from 70 to 191.
Our first stop was at Crystal Geyser right off 70. Not much to see, but it was one of the only cold geysers in the world. Was spurting a few feet when we arrived as the sun went down, and the next day nothing came out. The river was a nice view and it was a great easy overnight stop.
We then made the trek trying to navigate the back roads to cut the corner off 70 and 191. Ended up being a lot rougher terrain than we thought, so we ended up cutting back up to 70. It's about the journey though, and has some good, albeit tougher than we expected trails with a lot of inclines and declines. Looked line fun driving the FJ with the trailer!
Group shot:
A little throttle:
Only real damage I took the entire trip. Bad luck, nicked the rock with my front tire and it propped up to hit my side. The rock sliders took the brunt, so it didn't dent or rip the door. Only other damage I took was a squished sway bar bushing later on. I've got hours of suspension footage, which I'll go through and post some highlights. You can see the this rock get popped up. Good thing my paint is roll on!
Again, more fun with the off road trailer
Beginning of the trip thought were were cool posing on the rock. Ended up being a good demonstration of the Suburban's suspension range:
Finally down to Arches and Moab.
We left on Friday, returned the next Saturday. From Bay Area, CA, we took a day to get to the Moab Area (night over in Elko) and same on the return.
We decided to "wing" the trip, based on uncertain weather, the weather ended up perfect and we did all we wanted and more. Except there's always more, could go back to Moab 100 times and not do everything!
Passing the Bonneville Salt Flats flooded:
Got to the Moab Area. We decided to try and drive off road cutting diagonally across from 70 to 191.
Our first stop was at Crystal Geyser right off 70. Not much to see, but it was one of the only cold geysers in the world. Was spurting a few feet when we arrived as the sun went down, and the next day nothing came out. The river was a nice view and it was a great easy overnight stop.
We then made the trek trying to navigate the back roads to cut the corner off 70 and 191. Ended up being a lot rougher terrain than we thought, so we ended up cutting back up to 70. It's about the journey though, and has some good, albeit tougher than we expected trails with a lot of inclines and declines. Looked line fun driving the FJ with the trailer!
Group shot:
A little throttle:
Only real damage I took the entire trip. Bad luck, nicked the rock with my front tire and it propped up to hit my side. The rock sliders took the brunt, so it didn't dent or rip the door. Only other damage I took was a squished sway bar bushing later on. I've got hours of suspension footage, which I'll go through and post some highlights. You can see the this rock get popped up. Good thing my paint is roll on!
Again, more fun with the off road trailer
Beginning of the trip thought were were cool posing on the rock. Ended up being a good demonstration of the Suburban's suspension range:
Finally down to Arches and Moab.
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We decided to stay out in Utah State Lands off of Dalton Well. The mountains were amazing. The copper really did look like this. We dropped the trailer off and made a "home base" camp for the rest of the trip.
First day after setting up camp we decide to go to "Tower Arch" All of the roads in Arches are closed so the only way in was through off road (Great!) This was well, well worth the trip. We didn't see anybody the entire day, once off the "easy" trail.
Thought these were some nice shots.
Goin' fast
There was some dinosaur prints along the trail at the start with some explanations. Very cool
Great lunch spot, before the hard trail started.
Seriously, great lunch spot.
Burb raisin' a hand
Tower Arch:
Got back at dark (and in a slight rain)
Next day we took a camping day, hit up town, and just hung out around the fire.
First day after setting up camp we decide to go to "Tower Arch" All of the roads in Arches are closed so the only way in was through off road (Great!) This was well, well worth the trip. We didn't see anybody the entire day, once off the "easy" trail.
Thought these were some nice shots.
Goin' fast
There was some dinosaur prints along the trail at the start with some explanations. Very cool
Great lunch spot, before the hard trail started.
Seriously, great lunch spot.
Burb raisin' a hand
Tower Arch:
Got back at dark (and in a slight rain)
Next day we took a camping day, hit up town, and just hung out around the fire.
We then went to "Moab" to do Fins and Things. We also ended up doing the Baby Lion's back. This part of Moab literally felt like an amusement park, you pay the $5 drive on the paved road until you hit the trail you want. We had pre-picked fins and things as a good match for our vehicle capabilities. It was a ton of fun, challenging, but more than doable in our long wheel base trucks. I am very glad we were here pre-busy season.
Start of the trail:
What we thought was a steep decline (little did we know)
The trail and the beauty of slick rock
More outward to adventure posing
Now this is a real decline
The one time my winch hit the ground (surprisingly, i thought I was going to run into trouble more often) It just pulled up the dirt with it
my buddy's f250 was actually really capable. we were all stunned
Suburban Clawing itself up
At the top!
Hanging out mid way
Suspension working
Conga line
Steep, really steep
More looking out:
Probably the scariest part of the trip (not sure where this was)
Last picture of Fins' and things. At the end of the trail we actually took a wrong turn and got turned around. This was one of the steepest things we saw, and ended up having to go back up it. Quite fun.
We then headed to baby lion's back . I kept the suburban in 2wd, and it scooted right up.
Back side of baby Lion's back
Start of the trail:
What we thought was a steep decline (little did we know)
The trail and the beauty of slick rock
More outward to adventure posing
Now this is a real decline
The one time my winch hit the ground (surprisingly, i thought I was going to run into trouble more often) It just pulled up the dirt with it
my buddy's f250 was actually really capable. we were all stunned
Suburban Clawing itself up
At the top!
Hanging out mid way
Suspension working
Conga line
Steep, really steep
More looking out:
Probably the scariest part of the trip (not sure where this was)
Last picture of Fins' and things. At the end of the trail we actually took a wrong turn and got turned around. This was one of the steepest things we saw, and ended up having to go back up it. Quite fun.
We then headed to baby lion's back . I kept the suburban in 2wd, and it scooted right up.
Back side of baby Lion's back
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The next day, which was my last, we went to dead horse point which, while expensive for the hour we were there was worth it. Would have loved to have a bike in this park:
We then went out to Uranium Arch, which was a nice moderate trail with one difficult ledge of about 20 inches, not bad.
Worth it again, everything here is worth it
Pointed home
We then went out to Uranium Arch, which was a nice moderate trail with one difficult ledge of about 20 inches, not bad.
Worth it again, everything here is worth it
Pointed home
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Holding the top of this post for more pictures..... Other buddy took the "nature" pics and not just the trucks lol
Also, will add some videos once I have time to go through the suspension
If there's any parts anyone wants any details on, whether the trip or the truck, just let me know!
Wrapup:
Destination:
It was an amazing trip. Moab and Arches are off the bucket list, but is still in top 5 places I would go tomorrow if I could. 5 days was just not enough. If you have the chance, go! We knew this would be the first of many trips, so we kind of winged the destinations. Next time we will definitely be more pointed on that, it was just hard with the weather. I definitely recommend buying a few maps prior to getting there both digital and paper. Also there are quite a few books that helped us. For us as first timers this one seemed to be the most helpful/ accessible to understanding what to expect https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Moab-B...UTF8&qid=1491894829&sr=8-1&keywords=moab+book
Truck:
Only damage was the paint scratches and a squished sway bar bushing in the rear. Developed quite a squeak in the front, and noticed that my front sway bar bushing I had just replaced before the trip was a size too big. On our off day I went to the local advance auto parts and fixed that. The truck was amazing, turned over 226k miles on the trip and had no hiccups at all. I got 13.7 mpg on the ride there and back (including idling etc) We seemed to cruise at around 75 mph, with the FJ and trailer, which is slightly higher than my trip average in CA with lower speed limits. This caused a decrease in gas mileage. The entire trip with the off roading (2745 miles- I went to Los Angeles on the way back to the Bay Area, I averaged 12.3 mpg) Most of the off road days were around 6-7 mpg, but we did a lot of idling, taking pictures and waiting
We waited so much because of the suburban's suspension. It is so smooth off road. I only hit the bump stops a few times at speed, and on the rocks and that was only on the first day when we were fully loaded up and not aired down. On fins and things, and the other days, I couldn't hit the bump stops when I tried. The truck is just butter smooth, especially over washboard roads, and surprisingly on the slick rock/ hard rock. I was easily 5 mph faster than the f250 and surprisingly the FJ. It was more than just driver (The FJ driver was much, much more experienced than I am) The suburban just simply eats up bumps. All the passengers who rode in both couldn't believe how much faster and smoother the suspension and coilovers made the truck compared to everything else. There were places where the FJ has to bounce or bob over things slowly, where I would look back and didn't even see it as an obstacle. You will be able to see it in the videos when I post them. This is additionally, on the washboard roads being able to drive much, much faster than one would want in a 7000 lb vehicle. My previous 100's of trips, while I thought I had seen the capabilities of the truck, i have always treated it is a means to get somewhere and not gone out of the way to crawl. This was the first trip doing that, and it is 10x more capable in the slow stuff than I ever thought it would have been. For the washboard roads, it just keeps surprising me as a toned down trophy truck.
Also for the trip I went into 4wd maybe 5 or 6 times. The only places were when wheels were coming of the ground, or into 4low to get better gearing on the super super steep inclines. It was amazing with the locker how capable the truck is.
Only things I feel now to add are:
I've been sold on having an awning. I will be looking into mounting options/ awnings in the future.
I want to redo my rear platform. I think I can make it lighter and more efficient. I also want to add a drawer for the stove/ kitchen setup. Also, right now we are using hiking mattresses, I want to see if I can incorporate foam into the top, while still being able to use it for storage because the mattresses are a pain to unpack and pack.
Would love a bit more power at 70-75mph. Definitely doing a 6.0 rather than the 5.3 when the current engine goes out.
Now that my current tires are starting to show some age, I have been thinking about replacing them at the end of this year before next winter. 33 inch tires are great for these trips because of the mpg's. However I am going to think about 35's, maybe on a separate set of wheels for the not so long trips or trips with more crawling. This is caused by getting stuck on my rear diff in a few places. That extra inch from the 35's would help.
Also, will add some videos once I have time to go through the suspension
If there's any parts anyone wants any details on, whether the trip or the truck, just let me know!
Wrapup:
Destination:
It was an amazing trip. Moab and Arches are off the bucket list, but is still in top 5 places I would go tomorrow if I could. 5 days was just not enough. If you have the chance, go! We knew this would be the first of many trips, so we kind of winged the destinations. Next time we will definitely be more pointed on that, it was just hard with the weather. I definitely recommend buying a few maps prior to getting there both digital and paper. Also there are quite a few books that helped us. For us as first timers this one seemed to be the most helpful/ accessible to understanding what to expect https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Moab-B...UTF8&qid=1491894829&sr=8-1&keywords=moab+book
Truck:
Only damage was the paint scratches and a squished sway bar bushing in the rear. Developed quite a squeak in the front, and noticed that my front sway bar bushing I had just replaced before the trip was a size too big. On our off day I went to the local advance auto parts and fixed that. The truck was amazing, turned over 226k miles on the trip and had no hiccups at all. I got 13.7 mpg on the ride there and back (including idling etc) We seemed to cruise at around 75 mph, with the FJ and trailer, which is slightly higher than my trip average in CA with lower speed limits. This caused a decrease in gas mileage. The entire trip with the off roading (2745 miles- I went to Los Angeles on the way back to the Bay Area, I averaged 12.3 mpg) Most of the off road days were around 6-7 mpg, but we did a lot of idling, taking pictures and waiting
We waited so much because of the suburban's suspension. It is so smooth off road. I only hit the bump stops a few times at speed, and on the rocks and that was only on the first day when we were fully loaded up and not aired down. On fins and things, and the other days, I couldn't hit the bump stops when I tried. The truck is just butter smooth, especially over washboard roads, and surprisingly on the slick rock/ hard rock. I was easily 5 mph faster than the f250 and surprisingly the FJ. It was more than just driver (The FJ driver was much, much more experienced than I am) The suburban just simply eats up bumps. All the passengers who rode in both couldn't believe how much faster and smoother the suspension and coilovers made the truck compared to everything else. There were places where the FJ has to bounce or bob over things slowly, where I would look back and didn't even see it as an obstacle. You will be able to see it in the videos when I post them. This is additionally, on the washboard roads being able to drive much, much faster than one would want in a 7000 lb vehicle. My previous 100's of trips, while I thought I had seen the capabilities of the truck, i have always treated it is a means to get somewhere and not gone out of the way to crawl. This was the first trip doing that, and it is 10x more capable in the slow stuff than I ever thought it would have been. For the washboard roads, it just keeps surprising me as a toned down trophy truck.
Also for the trip I went into 4wd maybe 5 or 6 times. The only places were when wheels were coming of the ground, or into 4low to get better gearing on the super super steep inclines. It was amazing with the locker how capable the truck is.
Only things I feel now to add are:
I've been sold on having an awning. I will be looking into mounting options/ awnings in the future.
I want to redo my rear platform. I think I can make it lighter and more efficient. I also want to add a drawer for the stove/ kitchen setup. Also, right now we are using hiking mattresses, I want to see if I can incorporate foam into the top, while still being able to use it for storage because the mattresses are a pain to unpack and pack.
Would love a bit more power at 70-75mph. Definitely doing a 6.0 rather than the 5.3 when the current engine goes out.
Now that my current tires are starting to show some age, I have been thinking about replacing them at the end of this year before next winter. 33 inch tires are great for these trips because of the mpg's. However I am going to think about 35's, maybe on a separate set of wheels for the not so long trips or trips with more crawling. This is caused by getting stuck on my rear diff in a few places. That extra inch from the 35's would help.
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Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Nice writeup and great pics. So it sounds like you're really liking the Atomic Coilover conversion?
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The one thing that occurred to me looking at your pics: Good Lord you carry a lot of gear! If lack of power is an issue maybe see if you can cut back on some of the stuff you're carrying?
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How many passengers are you hauling? If your passenger seats are filled up I can understand carrying all that stuff, but it's just you and your significant other then maybe see if you can get some of that stuff off the roof and inside the truck? That will lower your COG and improve your MPG a bit.
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I know when you have a big vehicle there's a temptation to fill up the empty spaces (my wife is good at doing that when we go camping with our trailer) but for solo trips I like to try and carry the bare minimum I think I'll need.
.
The one thing that occurred to me looking at your pics: Good Lord you carry a lot of gear! If lack of power is an issue maybe see if you can cut back on some of the stuff you're carrying?
.
How many passengers are you hauling? If your passenger seats are filled up I can understand carrying all that stuff, but it's just you and your significant other then maybe see if you can get some of that stuff off the roof and inside the truck? That will lower your COG and improve your MPG a bit.
.
I know when you have a big vehicle there's a temptation to fill up the empty spaces (my wife is good at doing that when we go camping with our trailer) but for solo trips I like to try and carry the bare minimum I think I'll need.
I love the atomic coil over conversion. It probably is the single greatest mod I have done to the truck. I wish you were in this area, one ride off road would have you on the phone to buy it. It is night and day compared to the torsion bars. I'll post a video of it working once I edit/ compile them from the gopros.
Ya we tend to carry a ton of gear. (FJ guy especially- but he's older and needs his stuff LOL)....
For this trip it was just 3 of us in this truck but I always keep the second row up and open (seating for 5) except for our daily hiking backpacks sitting on the seat (and a snack box ) Everything else fits behind the second row easily.
When it's just two of us or a solo trip, I fold the second row down and expand the sleeping platform for the length of the trip.(The sleeping platform then goes all the way up to the back of the drivers seat (For ~8 feet of sleeping space) and to the back of the fridge on the passenger side (~6 of sleeping space, I'm pretty short so I sleep on that side) Everything else fits either underneath the sleeping platform except for clothing/ personal bags, camp chairs and a camp tables.Then you don't have to unpack anything to sleep in the back section. I'll make sure to take a picture of the inside loaded up next trip.
This is the first big trip with the cargo box and the metal on the roof, In testing I didn't notice much of a mpg hit over the Thule. The plastic box up top and the propane can were just due to the length and and extras needed for this trip so not necessary, but were nice not having to deal with them over the trip (The metal box is full of extra parts fluids, etc.) I don't usually "rock crawl" like on this trip (Really just off road to get to a destination in the Sierras and CA coast, never go out of the way on a trail to go over a big rock) but even here, the car never got tippy even with it completely loaded up. In fact I was surprised in so many places where I thought it would have been and it wasn't.
I hear you on the weight and mpg hit, but I have trouble leaving with some of the stuff, so if it's a .2 mpg hit it's acceptable. The 5.3 always had some trouble with the 33's going up hills and staying at 75 mph without going down to 3rd gear even with the regear. It's not the end of the world downshifting and the power's more than adequate everywhere else. I am just starting to think ahead, because the engine does have 225k+ miles, so if replacing mine as well go to the 6.0 and 4l80E. It'll also be nicer towing my trailer as well and on 35's.
Ya we tend to carry a ton of gear. (FJ guy especially- but he's older and needs his stuff LOL)....
For this trip it was just 3 of us in this truck but I always keep the second row up and open (seating for 5) except for our daily hiking backpacks sitting on the seat (and a snack box
) Everything else fits behind the second row easily. When it's just two of us or a solo trip, I fold the second row down and expand the sleeping platform for the length of the trip.(The sleeping platform then goes all the way up to the back of the drivers seat (For ~8 feet of sleeping space) and to the back of the fridge on the passenger side (~6 of sleeping space, I'm pretty short so I sleep on that side) Everything else fits either underneath the sleeping platform except for clothing/ personal bags, camp chairs and a camp tables.Then you don't have to unpack anything to sleep in the back section. I'll make sure to take a picture of the inside loaded up next trip.
This is the first big trip with the cargo box and the metal on the roof, In testing I didn't notice much of a mpg hit over the Thule. The plastic box up top and the propane can were just due to the length and and extras needed for this trip so not necessary, but were nice not having to deal with them over the trip (The metal box is full of extra parts fluids, etc.) I don't usually "rock crawl" like on this trip (Really just off road to get to a destination in the Sierras and CA coast, never go out of the way on a trail to go over a big rock) but even here, the car never got tippy even with it completely loaded up. In fact I was surprised in so many places where I thought it would have been and it wasn't.
I hear you on the weight and mpg hit, but I have trouble leaving with some of the stuff, so if it's a .2 mpg hit it's acceptable. The 5.3 always had some trouble with the 33's going up hills and staying at 75 mph without going down to 3rd gear even with the regear. It's not the end of the world downshifting and the power's more than adequate everywhere else. I am just starting to think ahead, because the engine does have 225k+ miles, so if replacing mine as well go to the 6.0 and 4l80E. It'll also be nicer towing my trailer as well and on 35's.
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Didn't even notice it dug in until my buddy taking the picture said you gotta stop and come look at the hole you dug in the dirt lol. I was incredibly surprised the hitch did not hit more often. Apparently some of those decline/ inclines are 70 degrees!!!! (according to the trail books) and I didn't hit on any of those. The only times it touched the ground was that one small decline i mentioned, where right after the decline was a little bump, and when my truck lifted the wheel all the way where it barely skimmed the soft dirt. We also did a few staircases, with 20-30 inch ledges, and up and down those it didn't hit.
The winch carrier has a good sized angle skid on the bottom, so if it ever did hit rock, I'm not worried about it. The whole assembly could hold the entire truck up without bending, etc. so I'm sure it would just scrape. I am eventually going to do a light weight tube bumper, and was going to build the winch into it, to get some angle back. However, now after this trip, it really wasn't a problem! My rear hitch seems to be my approach/ departure angle limiter, I did scrape that on a bunch on ledges, etc. where the front didn't have problems. When I do the bumper, i'll probably make it to minimize the how far it sits out from the receiver and gain a few more degrees, but that's it (Right now the stock bumper limits how far it sits back). I really like the ability to move the winch to the rear, or another truck if needed, and I don't see any benefit from the few degrees I'd get from putting it all the way in the bumper. If there's ever a spot I truly need the degrees, It only takes a minute to take it off.
Looking forward to your other questions!
I also got a PM on my new bumper. When I get the videos sorted, I'll post some pictures of the setup.
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rayra
Expedition Leader
Glad to hear it's that robust. Been thinking and shopping and planning and I think I'm going with much the same winch / carrier / front hitch setup, with the flipped center, a la A1PER's build (and yours). All I have to do is add the front and rear power plug extensionss to my aux power setup.
Sounds like a plan, make sure to get a quality one(I got Curt off of Amazon ,both the receiver and the winch carrier)