We all know the LR3 is a heavy bugger. Even more so when armored and loaded with camping gear.
Over the weekend I ran Deer Valley from highway 4 up to the top (it's closed on past this and you can't run all the way up to 88 currently). On the way back down I had my first real mechanical failure on this rig - I snapped the eye off the bottom of my right front strut. This then allowed the strut to fall down through the remaining hole in the A arm and put the truck right down on the tire. Bumpstops? Yeah...they don't help much when they're integral to the part that is now sitting on the ground!
We eventually hacked a work-around that let me roll on down the trail to an opening then had to leave the truck there until I could return the next morning with a spare I had back at my house. I've had plenty of suspension issues, but they were always computer related. This is the first time I've heard of anybody actually breaking a strut. FWIW, this was an Arnott (Bilstien) that was less than a year old and had perhaps 6000 miles on it. I checked the other side and don't see any signs of cracking around the eye but my faith in it is not great.
Man, I really should just buy an RRC for crawling.
For those not familiar with Deer Valley, it's rated as 'difficult' and 'not for stock vehicles; serious rock obstacles; lift and lockers recommended'
Photos from the trip taken by one of the other guys:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=VF85V2FqVklVRnlaU185Mzc3Sjg1aXd5Rmp4N29R
And here's the busted strut after getting it home:
Over the weekend I ran Deer Valley from highway 4 up to the top (it's closed on past this and you can't run all the way up to 88 currently). On the way back down I had my first real mechanical failure on this rig - I snapped the eye off the bottom of my right front strut. This then allowed the strut to fall down through the remaining hole in the A arm and put the truck right down on the tire. Bumpstops? Yeah...they don't help much when they're integral to the part that is now sitting on the ground!
We eventually hacked a work-around that let me roll on down the trail to an opening then had to leave the truck there until I could return the next morning with a spare I had back at my house. I've had plenty of suspension issues, but they were always computer related. This is the first time I've heard of anybody actually breaking a strut. FWIW, this was an Arnott (Bilstien) that was less than a year old and had perhaps 6000 miles on it. I checked the other side and don't see any signs of cracking around the eye but my faith in it is not great.
Man, I really should just buy an RRC for crawling.
For those not familiar with Deer Valley, it's rated as 'difficult' and 'not for stock vehicles; serious rock obstacles; lift and lockers recommended'
Photos from the trip taken by one of the other guys:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=VF85V2FqVklVRnlaU185Mzc3Sjg1aXd5Rmp4N29R
And here's the busted strut after getting it home:
