Damaged by the Dusy

[jeremyk]

The FJ could make the lower portion of Fordyce, but not without alot of work with stacking and winching. This is based on the setup shown in this trip report for FJ, which agreed very well done. Kudos on your writing ability. Would really like to see more pics of the larger obstacle areas, even though I'll never fit on that trail with the bed still on.

Fordyce doesn't have the tightness factor, but does have the unrelenting crawling. I took a group through the lower portion, 5 rigs. Smallest rig was on 31s, older TJ very short wheelbase and with a teralow 4:1 in the tcase. That saved him b/c axle ratio was stock!!! Alot of stacking. We even got him over Winch Hill 1








Again, great trip report. Have you guys picked your Rubicon date yet?

Hey thanks! No way on the Fordyce with current trim. It is so easy to make a very expensive mistake on this kind of trail. I hope to get a 1985 4Runner towed by the FJc and do trails with no worries of body damage. I really like the FJc, it is a great rig that I plan on keeping until its days are done. It's great for adventures and road trips and holds its own amazingly well. I really enjoy the Overlanding thing; long adventures on long dirt roads in remote places where few people are. Erik and I are planning on doing some of that this year.

We hope to return to the Rubicon in 2016. I want to be higher off the ground and lower geared, we'll have to check the budget...

 

[pmatusov]

... or you can get an 86-89 4Runner and swap in a solid front axle!

 

[jeremyk]

... or you can get an 86-89 4Runner and swap in a solid front axle!

I'd rather have the axle in place, but I think that the older 4Runners are the way to go. The crawlers we saw on the Rubicon were first gen 4Runners or purpose-built rigs. Now that the FJc is all fixed up, I don't want to bang it up again!

 

[elripster]

Well, I will probably never take my 60 on this trail . I would prefer a newer rig with a solid axle up front. I just don't want too feel like I am ruining a classic.

 

[craig333]

Try chicken rock with an underpowered undergeared Jeep. I had to winch up Thompson Hill. Even the dog was done by the end. Great report. Have fun if you try Fordyce. I've stopped doing it, just too hard on my rig.

It does help to have some rock crawling experience even if you only plan on mild overlanding. Stuff happens and it make you better prepared to deal with it.

 

[jeremyk]

Try chicken rock with an underpowered undergeared Jeep. I had to winch up Thompson Hill. Even the dog was done by the end. Great report. Have fun if you try Fordyce. I've stopped doing it, just too hard on my rig.

It does help to have some rock crawling experience even if you only plan on mild overlanding. Stuff happens and it make you better prepared to deal with it.

Agreed on the experience thing. It all helps; trail time is additive. I'm thinking that, in a few years, we'll all pile into Erik's rig and do the Fordyce. I'm not doing it in mine.

Right now I'm looking forward to a nice long Overland in June with the Ol' Farts and then a couple of weeks in Utah. Hopefully Erik can join in somewhere along the way

 

[Ranger Steve]

Awesome report. It was great to read.

 

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[wgyouree]

You can use cruise-control with that setup Ace!

We ran the Dusy a few months ago, with v_man, with two Rubicon LJs. Mine is on 35s and a friend's is on 37s. We definitely did not have it on cruise control :Mechanic: Good thing we brought a trail welder. Broken pitman arm, welded three times before we got off the trail. The Montero in our group broke a CV axle (he had a spare) and I also broke a coil spring retainer. But we all made it and it was the most remote and beautiful trail I've ever run. We ran it the last weekend it's open in October and we did not see 1 other vehicle or group for the 4 days we were on the trail.

 

[jeremyk]

We ran the Dusy a few months ago, with v_man, with two Rubicon LJs. Mine is on 35s and a friend's is on 37s. We definitely did not have it on cruise control :Mechanic: Good thing we brought a trail welder. Broken pitman arm, welded three times before we got off the trail. The Montero in our group broke a CV axle (he had a spare) and I also broke a coil spring retainer. But we all made it and it was the most remote and beautiful trail I've ever run. We ran it the last weekend it's open in October and we did not see 1 other vehicle or group for the 4 days we were on the trail.

Having relatively new vehicles was a major asset for us.

It is very beautiful, I would take a week to do it, if I do it again (different vehicle), and have the proper mix of challenge and relaxation

 

[Big Ed]

I enjoyed your report and pictures. I'm in the club that maintains the trail, and like to search and see what others are saying about it. It was good to see the picture of the Lakecamp table in use.

Here's me building the one at East Lake.

 

[Big Ed]

The pic of your first camp tells me you didn't see this sign.


If you kept going here you would have come to a parking area with restrooms, that's where people park tow rigs and air down.

Erik runs the Kevlar Goodyear MTR's so I'm going to check to see if they make a true 33-34" tire; maybe the lighter weight, with the Kevlar sidewall, I will be able to increase my roll-over and clearance without adding too much stress.

The only tire I cut on Dusy was an MTR Kevlar, along Dusy Creek going North to South. I went back to Iroks after that.

I can't picture who you ran across in the Four Wheel Drive Club of Fresno. I've been a member since 06 and as far as I know few people running the trail use the lake bed to skip that section of trail. If they're there to run the trail, they want to run the whole trail.

BTW, the Ershim Lake campground is adopted by Hill Hoppers 4WD Club. Kingsburg 4WD Club adopted Voyager Rock Campground, they did this to help 4WDCF focus on the trail itself.

Also, what you are calling the S turns is Gatekeeper.

 

[Ace Brown]

Big Ed, thanks for the work you and the club do up there. I did that trail a couple times in 1972 or 73 and one thing that stuck with me was the Paul Bunyon sized picnic tables. The biggest adults in our group could sit on the benches and have their feet 6" off the ground. Made you feel like a kid again.

 

[v_man]

Big Ed , thanks so much for the work and effort people like you do to maintain trails like the Dusy . The Dusy was set up so nicely , with camps, bathrooms , signs , and plenty of challenging terrain . It's so nice that we have trails like this to run and enjoy ...

 

[Big Ed]

Big Ed, thanks for the work you and the club do up there. I did that trail a couple times in 1972 or 73 and one thing that stuck with me was the Paul Bunyon sized picnic tables. The biggest adults in our group could sit on the benches and have their feet 6" off the ground. Made you feel like a kid again.

You're welcome. The club didn't build the tables at Ershim Lake,those were built by the Forest Service trail shots crew. Three years ago I took measurements of one of them and started building more in other locations on the trail. Lakecamp was the first one, then East Lake, then Thompson. The one at Thompson was built after the OP went through last year. The trail was pretty mild in 73 compared to what it is now. In 73 the club founders/trail builders could still get their rigs through, those rigs have no business on the trail now.

Big Ed , thanks so much for the work and effort people like you do to maintain trails like the Dusy . The Dusy was set up so nicely , with camps, bathrooms , signs , and plenty of challenging terrain . It's so nice that we have trails like this to run and enjoy ...

It's more of an expedition trail than any other I'm aware of, because of the length, and remote location.