Anyone know more about this beauty?

[smurf40]

tire sizes

I was going through some pictures the other day and I thought I would post a few.

First picture shows my truck with my new skinnies on the rear. (Dunlop 7.50 R 16 on split rims.) This was a new combo for me and I loved the look, but miscalculated how much less side-wall strength these tires had. It ended up rolling and leaning like a ship (but looked good doing it)

With a trip to the Arctic coming up I needed a set of winter tires. I had these studded hankooks (front tires) already mounted on rims on another truck so I decided to swap them over for the trip. Other than looking small, I figured they would be OK for this trip.



After a spin around the block I realized the loss of kph that the new shorter winter tires brought to the truck. I ended up with a top speed around 90kph Having a 8000 km trip to leave on in two days, I decided to spring for a new set of tires that would give me the overdrive I needed and the performance on the snow / ice.

Here is what I decided on. The BFG AT 33 x 10.5 (Just a bit of a difference!)



Here is a shot of the tires mounted up. They worked great and significantly improved my overall speed on the trip.



Lastly, Here is an example of what not to do! Apparently the couple driving this 4 runner were warned that wolves and bears would eat them if they left their truck in the arctic. So after getting a flat, they took that advice and drove to the nearest tire shop (Eagle Plains Yukon - Dempster highway) to get their tire changed!

 

[smurf40]

During my trip to the Arctic I made a list of things that I felt would improve the truck on the longer trips. This past trip in particular was heavy on the gear given the remoteness and cold temperatures. We ended up using the floor for much of our cold weather clothing and boots and then used duffel bags to fill in any voids and tossed a foamy on top to create a somewhat comfortable bed to lounge on while driving. I prefer my gear to be stowed in a specific place and thus allowing the interior to function as it was designed to. One of my ideas on the trip was to add a shelf to the area directly above the front bench seat. It would be high enough that it didn't interfere with head room while driving and it needed to be able to fold up and out of the way to allow the beds to fold down. The plan was that it would store all the bedding and foamies and would free up a large cupboard in the back for other gear.

Here is what I came up with.

View attachment 282665

 

[smurf40]

Here is a finished product

 

[expeditionist]

Excellent build and a truly one of a kind! Glad you turned up on ExPo to tell us about it.

 

[mtnbike28]

nice idea! Great truck!

 

[smurf40]

Thanks for the comments. The best part about this shelf (and actually most of the truck) was that all the bits for the shelf did not cost anything All of the pieces were re-purposed items I already had. Hinges from previous job, plastic / foam board from a fellow throwing out the piece and the straps all came from a kids ski harness that wasn't getting used anymore. I Love it when a plan comes together


Now need to get out and try it out!

 

[smurf40]

Self supporting Awning

So I had built a homemade awning for this truck some time ago. It was a piece of tubing with a tarp on it through the middle of a 3" pvc pipe (with a slot cut in it) and a socket on the end to wind up. It worked OK, but I was never happy with it. It needed either trees to tie it to, or pegs and cords. It came to the point where I just never set it up unless I really needed it. I had been looking at buying a new awning, (and one day still might) but I really wanted a self supporting unit so the truck could be moved without a lot of trouble. Being as expensive as they are, and trying to maintain the inexpensive theme of this truck I decided to build my own. I am very pleased with how it turned out. It cost absolutely nothing as I already had the tarp and tubing from my last attempt at an awning. Now that it is on the truck I can honestly say the thing is pretty bomber. Time will tell, but I think this will work quite well even in the wind / rain .