C4500 Kodiak - Grizzly

[maxbergi]

We are ready to go an a 1-2 week trip on Friday, since we just finished some minor renovations.

I sanded and refinished the drawers and cabinets, added multiple coats of poly (really hard to get a super smooth finish, but its much better than before and good enough for us)



We also took out the cupboard in the cabover and added a second bed to hang out, and kite/surf board storage on the side (still deciding if I get a aluminum box made that fits on the back to store boards)
Added foam boat flooring to avoid scratching everything up, also adds a nice contract to the white.

Before and after




The better half got creative decorating


Time will tell if these magnetic spices stay on going down rough roads

I also added a 12v dimmer light switch, hard to find these but its so much nicer being able to dim the lights at night. For reference https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...and-dimmer-for-standard-wall-switch-box/1181/

Cleaned up the rust of the wheels, they almost look too fancy now.


20 gal aux tank for winter is ready to go in shortly.

 

[Brewdiak]

How do you like the ride so far? I’m so tempted to get the mpt81’s instead of trying to grind my Goodyear’s round.
The interior of your truck is so perfect, great rig!

 

[DiploStrat]

Be VERY careful with Stazworks wheels! Check the bolts daily for loosening or breaking.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Why not get an aluminium car hauler to tow your 4Runner rsther thsn replacing it? They tow better than a flst towed vehicle, they save wear and tear on your vehicle, plus they give you more room for storage.

 

[Brewdiak]

Big downside of a car hauler is having something else to mess with at camp, at least flat tow you can separate and park vehicles normally

 

[maxbergi]

Be VERY careful with Stazworks wheels! Check the bolts daily for loosening or breaking.

Do u mean cowpig?
These are just mrap wheels, i do check them frequently.

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How do you like the ride so far? I’m so tempted to get the mpt81’s instead of trying to grind my Goodyear’s round.
The interior of your truck is so perfect, great rig!

Can't complain takes 10minutes of driving for them to warm up then they do feel better, but tbh I have nothing really to compare them to.

Why not get an aluminium car hauler to tow your 4Runner rsther thsn replacing it? They tow better than a flst towed vehicle, they save wear and tear on your vehicle, plus they give you more room for storage.

Yea that's always an option i need to consider, dealing with a trailer is pretty annoying though, fine when there is lots of BLM around but a pain on the coast.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Big downside of a car hauler is having something else to mess with at camp, at least flat tow you can separate and park vehicles normally

While very true....if they are properly set up they can be useful. I knew a guy years ago that had one and once he pulled his car off he used it as a deck. He also carried something like 40-50 gallons of extra water, two kayaks, spare tire for his class-A, and had a pretty large tool box on the front.

 

[Todd780]

Why not get an aluminium car hauler to tow your 4Runner rsther thsn replacing it? They tow better than a flst towed vehicle, they save wear and tear on your vehicle, plus they give you more room for storage.

Big downside of a car hauler is having something else to mess with at camp, at least flat tow you can separate and park vehicles normally

Yea that's always an option i need to consider, dealing with a trailer is pretty annoying though, fine when there is lots of BLM around but a pain on the coast.

Could you tow the 4Runner on a dolly? Would that be easier than a trailer?

 

[maxbergi]

Dolly won't work unless u tow it backwards, is that even legal? its the rear that spins the driveshaft when flat towing, there is a driveshaft disconnect (or crawl under and remove some bolts).
I was going to get a driveshaft disconnect, but boy does it look flimsy, not good for a vehicle that sees rocks.

 

[cjken]

How do you like the ride so far? I’m so tempted to get the mpt81’s instead of trying to grind my Goodyear’s round.
The interior of your truck is so perfect, great rig!

Hey Jim
What about these?
Claim to be a alu.
I know the aluminum military wheels you tried did not work due to offset. Are these something different?
Is there such a thing as a Hutchinson military rim that works on the Kodiak??

 

[rlrenz]

If you tow it backwards, it will be the same as if a tow truck is towing it. You probably have to put magnetic tail lights on it, though.

 

[Todd780]

If you tow it backwards, it will be the same as if a tow truck is towing it. You probably have to put magnetic tail lights on it, though.

Hot tip, if you're ever travelling behind a vehicle being towed backwards (even better if it's a semi) and your passenger happens to be sleeping, start screaming 'Oh my god!!! They're headed straight for us!! See how they react....

 

[Brewdiak]

Hah wow yeah if you separate from the cj8 right there... you separate forever!

good point about backing up hadn’t thought of that , guess that’s a point for a car hauler!

 

[DiploStrat]

Be VERY careful with Stazworks wheels! Check the bolts daily for loosening or breaking.

I mean anyone running Stazworks wheels on a heavy truck. This is no fun at highway speed.

 

[maxbergi]

So I blew a rear shock going up a pretty offroady trail to find a campsite on Smithsonian Butte rd.


Now luckily with the kelderman air-suspension the shocks don't really add too much to the suspension.
I'm deciding to replace these with just bilsteins again, or should I splurge on King shocks. It looks like all Earthroamers use the kelderman air-suspension in combination with king shocks (and remote reservoirs), even though Kelderman recommends just using stock shocks, since the airbags don't allow the shock to perform as well.

Anyone running Kings + kelderman airbags on a 450/550 vehicle? Did u notice a difference at all?



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