Is the Tacoma enough truck?
- Thread starter leman
- Start date
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
It's about your comfort level and the margin for error.
This is an extreme example of a known squeeze point on a shelf road here, but it's repeated everywhere.
There's less room between obstacles such as road edges and rocks to work the lines on the trails so you end up just bashing full sizes through rather than maneuvering. Trails were cut by miners with carts and later followed by guys driving surplus Jeeps. There's only so much width they cut in.
phsycle
Adventurer
Those steps are no joke. I don't know how wider trucks make it through. Even some sections of the trail after that, where I had what seemed like a couple inches, on each side of the truck.
I was actually wishing for a RZR in those sections. And a lower lo-range than the stock 2.6:1 would've been nice as well.
I was actually wishing for a RZR in those sections. And a lower lo-range than the stock 2.6:1 would've been nice as well.
phsycle
Adventurer
Wheelbase and just overall girth plays a big part as well...... IMO.
Hummer's are known for being very wide compared to most other road-going vehicles. Like I said earlier, a Ram 2500 was taken over Black Bear Pass.
Wheelbase, yes. Width is girth.
Frankly, I think that due to the way the hood is done on small trucks and Jeeps they feel significantly narrower than they are and that mental aspect is much more significant than the actual width on most trails. I know the hood on my Ram makes it seem wide like a bus when you are driving it but it's really the same width as every other full size truck on the road.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
That middle photo of the white FJ Cruiser is Black Bear. A Ram 2500 is I think about 5 inches wider, a lot longer. That turn isn't super technical, but you have to cut right or let the front run a bit before bringing it around.
Have you driven over Black Bear? I know I wouldn't want to try to take a full size over it. There's a lot of places where even the 120 and 150 platform trucks don't have much elbow room, forget a 3/4 or 1 ton.
Like I say, can things be done? Sure, probably can cheat the odds for a while. You would probably want to have a truck you don't care much about, too, to let body work get damaged when there's no room left.
Last edited:
jasmtis
Member
It's not just mental, visibility is important. You can walk an obstacle as much as you want and have the best spotter in the world but being able to see where you're placing your tires is the best way to not get stuck and avoid damage(or more serious situations).
You can't see the passenger side tires from the driver's seat of a Tacoma or Jeep just like I can't with my Ram. If things are tight, we are all relying on a passenger or spotter to tell us what's on that side. There's no doubt that these trails are easier in narrower vehicles, but I'm just saying that the difference is significantly smaller than it seems from the driver's seat. Wheelbase is a whole other animal though. My wheelbase is almost 10" longer than a crew long bed Tacoma. But then I could go over a lot of these passes with the weight of a Tacoma in my bed...haha.
The mental aspect of the tapering hood of Jeeps is a very real thing, however.
phsycle
Adventurer
Man, I'd love to see your 1 ton Ram go through BBP, Imogene, etc. Not being facetious--would really love to see it! I know I wouldn't have enough nerve to do it in a fullsize.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
You have to trust your spotter. That's even true of a buggy. It usually takes a while 'wheeling with people to get on the same wavelength but when you do your ability to get through stuff goes up leaps and bounds.
toylandcruiser
Expedition Leader
You’re not going to carry the weight of a Tacoma in the bed of your truck on a difficult trail.
Clutch
<---Pass
1st gen...so it is a bit smaller than the 2nd/3rd gen. However the interior bed dimensions are a smidge bigger than the later models. Which doesn't make much sense on Toyota's part...why increase the size of the truck if you're not going to make the cargo area bigger? Gained a little cab interior room but not much, fuel economy is about the same, payload went down...since the truck got heavier. I don't like the late model Tacomas for that very reason. Might was well get a half ton at that point. Cost is the same, fuel economy is a touch better, and can be ordered with up to a 3000 lbs payload (F150) if you spec it right.
Here in Idaho it is super easy to plate a bike. One of the reasons we moved here, the other is lots of places to explore right out the front all within 1-3 hour drive, so really no need to drive-camp-drive-camp-drive. Yesterday I was in Cascade...this weekend I was invited to go to McCall, the weekend after that heading to Stanley. Trying to head to the Oregon coast...but can't bring myself to do that 10 hour drive. Looks like am sticking around here for the next couple few weekends, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Oh...sounded like you don't haul any toys and only use the truck to go exploring. Even when I was hard core into mountain bikes (before the Wildernest)...was constantly having to do the gear shuffle while camping. I also slept in the bed under a canopy, and rarely used a tent.
Single dirt bike on the trailer isn't too bad...don't even know it is back there. It is when I have 2 bikes and another persons gear and whatnot it gets really tight and over worked. But that is rare.
Have my gear system down to science now, everything is loaded in a specific order...but man, still feel like I am shuffling stuff about.
I dunno... Fullsize vs Tacoma getting to base camps...saw a lot of guys out there prepping for hunter season. Amazing where a guy can drag a travel trailer with a fullsize truck. Was impressed by a few of them yesterday. There are times I think I am ************ by squeezing my Tacoma into some spots...then there is a guy with a 24' TT already back there....towed by a CCLB...then I think...that guy has way bigger balls than me. Then you see some Rancher in a 2WD dually on street tires towing a stock trailer...in even gnarlier ********. I probably shouldn't even get off the couch at that point.
Used to wheel my F250 harder than any of my Toyotas, and that was back in PA, where it is super tight and greasy. Beat the living ******** out of that poor truck. Ended up breaking the frame in half...that truck did not have an easy life. Started going down the same road with my Toyotas of wheeling them hard...but it got to the point where I got tired of breaking stuff...then trying to fix it before having to get back to work on Monday. So I started buying trail toys, ATC's Quads, Dirt Bikes, Mountain Bikes...so much more fun than wheeling trucks...and when you break them. You stick them in the corner of the garage until you can get to it.
Wonder how many guys who buy vehicles to fit down some trail....wonder what the actual percentage of trail use it gets? Guessing most people's truck gets used more running them back and forth to work than anything. I know mine does.
Last edited:
Clutch
<---Pass
The last time I was on that...we we in a big group. Some riders were afraid to go down that section...so me and another dude rode 2 up on a XR 650 up that a few times...so I could ride a couple bikes down it for a few people.
They thought we were nuts...ehhh, maybe a "little"