HELP: I Bought an Overweight Overlander

[shade]

Been to GC and Vegas is awful as far as I’m concerned but the surrounding area is beautiful - red rocks, valley of fire, etc.

The sliders are custom built by some Denver area fab shop and they’re bolt on. I checked the rear and middle bolts and they seemed easy enough to get at but I’ll check the front and make sure I don’t need a super deep socket. Bolts look pretty clean but I’m sure some penetrating oil couldn’t hurt. I’ll post an ad.

I consider Las Vegas to be a blight on the planet a not very interesting place, but some feel otherwise.

IME, getting to that front nut may require a deep socket, but more importantly, a very long handle to reach. It's possible that they welded a piece of bar stock to the nut to create a lollypop arrangement. If so, it'll be easy to remove. If not, one of the best deals at Harbor Freight is their 25" Pro breaker bar for $20.

1/2 in. Drive 25 in. Breaker Bar

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Dr 25In Breaker Bar at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Ziro]

I consider Las Vegas to be a blight on the planet a not very interesting place, but some feel otherwise.

IME, getting to that front nut may require a deep socket, but more importantly, a very long handle to reach. It's possible that they welded a piece of bar stock to the nut to create a lollypop arrangement. If so, it'll be easy to remove. If not, one of the best deals at Harbor Freight is their 25" Pro breaker bar for $20.

1/2 in. Drive 25 in. Breaker Bar

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Dr 25In Breaker Bar at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I’ve got a nice big breaker bar with me so that’ll do it then. I edited my previous post to include the ATF cooler answer btw. Thanks for the help shade

 

[shade]

I’ve got a nice big breaker bar with me so that’ll do it then. I edited my previous post to include the ATF cooler answer btw. Thanks for the help shade

I'm sure many of us appreciate the updates.

I haven't been in your situation, far from home with expensive repairs, but it could befall anyone. I'm happy to do what little I can to help you get back on the road. It sounds like you're in a position to start an interesting trip report thread while underway, so you may give that a try.

 

[crolison]

I am the previous owner of the truck, I wasn’t going to comment since I didn’t have anything to really add. I didn’t know about the wheel bearing or any transmission issues when the truck was for sale. The wheel bearings were replaced in 2017 and still under warranty when the truck went up for sale. That’s all I can say in regards to those problems.

I consider Las Vegas to be a blight on the planet a not very interesting place, but some feel otherwise.

IME, getting to that front nut may require a deep socket, but more importantly, a very long handle to reach. It's possible that they welded a piece of bar stock to the nut to create a lollypop arrangement. If so, it'll be easy to remove. If not, one of the best deals at Harbor Freight is their 25" Pro breaker bar for $20.

I can add information to help with the sliders. They are adventure Offroad fabrication sliders on 1/4” full length frame plates. The front bolts do have bar stock so they are just unbolt from the outside and pull out the bar stock/nut combination.

 

[perterra]

I consider Las Vegas to be a blight on the planet a not very interesting place, but some feel otherwise.

IME, getting to that front nut may require a deep socket, but more importantly, a very long handle to reach. It's possible that they welded a piece of bar stock to the nut to create a lollypop arrangement. If so, it'll be easy to remove. If not, one of the best deals at Harbor Freight is their 25" Pro breaker bar for $20.

1/2 in. Drive 25 in. Breaker Bar

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Dr 25In Breaker Bar at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Depends on if I am winning or losing.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Where have you been in Texas, and where are you going next? If you have time, I highly suggest spending some time in Big Bend National Park and the adjacent state park.

Big Bend is amazing!

 

[BigDawwg]

Well,,,,, I've been following your Trials and Tribulations, it sounds like the Seller was "Very Lucky" you came along,,,,, but you ended up being "Very Unlucky",,,,,, but it seems as though, you may have been in a "weeee-bit" of a hurry with this purchase,,,,,, ie... "Do Diligence" comes to mind,,,,,
Also make DAM sure you have that existing "Cooler" Flushed,,,,,, and in the PROPER DIRECTION, and be there when they do it, and see it with your own eye's,,,,,,,
and also find a way to monitor that Coolers-Exit Temps, this a must, and should be a Priority for sure.
BD

 

[Ziro]

Well,,,,, I've been following your Trials and Tribulations, it sounds like the Seller was "Very Lucky" you came along,,,,, but you ended up being "Very Unlucky",,,,,, but it seems as though, you may have been in a "weeee-bit" of a hurry with this purchase,,,,,, ie... "Do Diligence" comes to mind,,,,,
Also make DAM sure you have that existing "Cooler" Flushed,,,,,, and in the PROPER DIRECTION, and be there when they do it, and see it with your own eye's,,,,,,,
and also find a way to monitor that Coolers-Exit Temps, this a must, and should be a Priority for sure.
BD

certainly seems that way. I think I got too fixated on the camper and it’s features and functions and got a bit sloppy when it came to the due diligence on the mechanics of the truck itself. Tricky when there is so much to inspect. Live and learn I guess.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

This “overlanding” trend can easily be called the “overweighting” trend 99.99% of the time these days.

This is 110% fact!

We've all been there and learned the expensive cost of over-loading past the GVWR and the issues it causes.

The issues wont end with the weight over GVWR, you're band-aiding a problem.

There is a reason (other than instagram trends) there are literally DOZENS of Tacomas in the classifieds section right now and very few Full Size trucks... Just saying..

Best of luck with the issues, but for what you're describing what ya wanna do, i'd strongly suggest a bigger truck.

And for the love of christ, dont respond with the "But a bigger truck won't get to where i go" spiel! HAHAHAHA, sorry, couldnt resist

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Not to sound rude but this is just funny , bought a rig with enough weight bolted into it to need 3/4 ton drivetrain to survive , wanting to do cross county travel without the knowledge to fix your own rig , thinking a well used rig will not have a massage amount of maintenance required to get it up to near new condition . You roll the dice anytime you buy a used vehicle and you roll a even bigger dice buying a modified vehicle . Maybe sell off the rig and put a down payment on a new vehicle with a warranty through a tent and a cooler in the bed and go explore .

Agree 110%

 

[shade]

This is 110% fact!

We've all been there and learned the expensive cost of over-loading past the GVWR and the issues it causes.

The issues wont end with the weight over GVWR, you're band-aiding a problem.

There is a reason (other than instagram trends) there are literally DOZENS of Tacomas in the classifieds section right now and very few Full Size trucks... Just saying..

Best of luck with the issues, but for what you're describing what ya wanna do, i'd strongly suggest a bigger truck.

And for the love of christ, dont respond with the "But a bigger truck won't get to where i go" spiel! HAHAHAHA, sorry, couldnt resist

I haven't "been there," but I have kept an eye on the weight of my truck & gear. I'd do that no matter what I was driving.

There are many reasons for selling a vehicle, even a Tacoma. I think some 3rd gens are being sold while they're young because the competition is quite good lately, and the Tacoma is no longer the clear leader it was a few years ago.

A fullsize truck may be a better choice for the OP, but putting the current truck on a diet may make more sense now.

Some people don't want or need a fullsize truck, and there are places where a smaller truck can get around easier than a larger one. There's room in the market for both, and many other options. At least, I like to think so.

 

[jmodz]

I'm not talking 3rd gens... There are more late model (5th gen), barely used Tacoma's in the classified section

The current gen Tacoma is the 3rd gen. I believe you are confusing the 4Runner, which is on its 5th gen, with the Tacoma.

 

[shade]

There are more late model (3rd gen), barely used Tacoma's in the classified section than the next model by a ratio of about 3:1, same with super pricey "offroad trailers"

I predicted the Tacoma and small, insanely overpriced trailer trend was going to dry up faster than it came, and it is. The classified sections more than confirms this.

Don't get me wrong, Tacoma's are awesome trucks, i had one!

But they most definitely aren't up to the overloading and such, that the majority of "Overlanders" seem to do to them. I know folks will chime in they had _________ tacoma through hell and back, etc... and that's cool, but i've rolled up on 4 different Taco's in my travels on 4 different occasions with busted lower ball joints. All 4 were overloaded "Overlanders"

I'm not sure what your prediction about the Tacoma has to do with anything, but I wouldn't recommend overloading any vehicle.
Kept within their limits, most modern vehicles perform well. Exceed those limits, and bad things will probably happen.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Oops... yeah... confused the 2..

Tried to edit post and it deleted it.. arg

 

[shade]

Oops... yeah... confused the 2..

Tried to edit post and it deleted it.. arg

No big deal. I fixed the quote above. I think we're in agreement about overloaded vehicles best being avoided, no matter the make or type.

OP is on the right track. If the sliders aren't needed, maybe some of the other armor could be shed, too. I've found that 1/4" aluminum skid plates can take a pretty good beating, so that's a way to keep some protection without so much weight. If there are a lot of jerry cans or other tanks, get rid of those if they aren't needed, or at least carry them empty. When I'm on the road going to/from an off-road area, I usually have empty cans. If lighter tyres are appropriate, that's another way to save weight.