Must Do Tacoma Expedition Upgrades?

[Plannerman]

Yea think I am going to go the PackRack route from AllPro with an RTT and wait until I can afford the Moby1 XTR. Went and laid in the bed on my lunch break and although doable, it would get old doing that under a Soft top.

Do you have any more insight on how you lift your truck with the High Lift? I've used High Lifts in my jeep days, but never really trusted them as a real jack. Very unstable and unsafe in my opinion.

Sliders provide an excellent lift point when using a high lift jack. I've done it many times. There are several products that can be used to help stabilize the jack, as well.

Also, one additional thought: new rear springs. The stock Toyota springs are not so great at holding weight. If I remember correctly, the 2014s come with a 4-leaf pack, which is an improvement over the 3-leaf packs of the early 2nd gens. I ran the 4-leaf pack for a long time and it was not quite adequate for heavily laden offroad travel.

 

[justrom]

Must Have Newbie Tacoma Expedition Equipment:
Extra Fuel - Something like RotoPax
Recovery strap
Shovel
Rear diff breather mod
Full Size Spare[/QUOTE]

You should already have a full sized spare stock on the truck. For SoCal deserts, take a look at the stock tires vs the terrain. There are a lot of areas of volcanic rock that will tear up tires. A tire plug kit and portable air source are good insurance.

A high lift jack is going to be of limited use without aftermarket bumpers unless you're willing to accept some body damage. I've seen people carry a hydraulic bottle jack with a wide base and extensions.

Make sure you've got a sturdy rear recovery point to go along with the snatch strap. The receiver hitch models are probably the best option without a new bumper.

Adding Skids and Sliders are a decision you'll have to make based on the terrain that you plan to travel. Even the OR Tacomas have a pretty light weight front "skid plate" and no protection over the transmission and transfer case. Steel offers the most protection, but several companies are making aluminum plates to offer increased protection over stock with lower weight penalties.

Stock battery will be fine especially new unless you're planning to run a lot of high amp accessories or are going to have a constant draw accessory like a fridge running a lot with the truck turned off.

 

[Saharicon]

Sliders provide an excellent lift point when using a high lift jack. I've done it many times. There are several products that can be used to help stabilize the jack, as well.

Also, one additional thought: new rear springs. The stock Toyota springs are not so great at holding weight. If I remember correctly, the 2014s come with a 4-leaf pack, which is an improvement over the 3-leaf packs of the early 2nd gens. I ran the 4-leaf pack for a long time and it was not quite adequate for heavily laden offroad travel.

Sweet! Thanks guys. Going to look into this high lift accessory stuff.

So do you guys normally carry a high lift and jack stands? Or is the norm just a high lift with a good mounting point?

Def looking into new rear leafs and sliders will come in the future as we do some harder trails.

 

[155mm]

I just carry a floor jack in my truck. Not quite as versatile or cool, but easier for me than a farm/hi-lift jack and the various accessories.

With the floor jack, I don't carry jack stands to change a flat tire.

 

[justrom]

For travels in SoCal another critical item is WATER. If you want to camp outside established forest /park service campgrounds you'll need to carry your own. I'd recommend between 10 and 15 gallons of storage capacity. If you're only going to be out a couple days you don't have to fill them all up, but you've got the ability to carry more if you need.

 

[Saharicon]

For travels in SoCal another critical item is WATER. If you want to camp outside established forest /park service campgrounds you'll need to carry your own. I'd recommend between 10 and 15 gallons of storage capacity. If you're only going to be out a couple days you don't have to fill them all up, but you've got the ability to carry more if you need.

Great input justrom! Always got plenty of water on us as we have 2 Siberian huskies as well. Anyone playing in the desert should always keep water in mind though.

 

[justrom]

So do you guys normally carry a high lift and jack stands? Or is the norm just a high lift with a good mounting point?

Some may disagree, but in my opinion, the High Lift is for recovery of a stuck vehicle. If you're planning to use it for changing tires then you need to carry jack stands as well. As you've got to get the weight off the jack before you can mess with the tires. Otherwise use the stock jack for tires and save the high lift for recovery.

 

[bknudtsen]

This looks pretty useful as a replacement for the stock jack. http://bmihydraulics.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=60&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=23

 

[ExploreNorthernBC]

You never mentioned what level of trim on your Tacoma - if you got a base model, add intermittent wipers (plug and play, easy to do - some great write ups on Tacoma World on how to do it).

A note about fuel and water - The biggest limiting factor of the Tacoma in my view is the size of the gas tank. 20 gallons is pretty small. I have 4 plastic jerry cans and two Specter water jerry cans (NATO spec). This really adds to the range. I admit that my cheap 5 gallon jerry cans do not have the curb appeal of the Rotopax, but they have yet to leak on me in 51000km and are easy to strap to the sides of the truck box and all of my jerry cans combined cost less than the MSRP of a single 4 gallon Rotopax.

Good luck with your adventures.

 

[Plannerman]

See the first post: DC Off-road model

 

[Martinjmpr]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but a good air compressor is great to have. Not only for repairs but because roads in the desert are often very washboard-y. Running washboard roads with fully inflated tires gets old really fast. Do your teeth and your nerves a favor and drop the air pressure down to 20 - 25 PSI when on washboard.
.
A good air compressor can be found for under $100. I've used the ubiquitous Masterflow MV-50 for years until my last one broke (nothing wrong with the pump, I let it fall out of my passenger door and the casing broke) and when I looked at replacements they were $80+. So instead I went with a ViAir 90P.
.
http://www.amazon.com/Viair-93-VIAI...UTF8&qid=1413901825&sr=8-1&keywords=viair+90p
.
Water, extra fuel, a way to store food, decent tires, a good map, and a way to sleep.
.
If you're planning on sleeping in the bed of the truck under a topper of some kind just be warned: The bed of your truck WILL get very dusty. I've seen people try to seal up the bed of a truck and some systems work better than others. IMO one of the advantages of the RTT is that it keeps your sleeping area relatively dust-free.

 

[millerfish]

I totally agree with:
"Some may disagree, but in my opinion, the High Lift is for recovery of a stuck vehicle."
I carry one but it is far from my first choice of tools.

I got rid of the stock jack in favor of a good hydraulic bottle jack with some attachments similar to the Bogert stuff.

If you have a winch. A sand anchor is good to have.

Maxtrax or PSP if you are going to be in the sand.

An air source is a must have. I have a simple C02 tank with fixed regulator. Not as cool as the Power Tank but a lot less $$$

 

[Saharicon]

I totally agree with:
"Some may disagree, but in my opinion, the High Lift is for recovery of a stuck vehicle."
I carry one but it is far from my first choice of tools.

I got rid of the stock jack in favor of a good hydraulic bottle jack with some attachments similar to the Bogert stuff.

If you have a winch. A sand anchor is good to have.

Maxtrax or PSP if you are going to be in the sand.

An air source is a must have. I have a simple C02 tank with fixed regulator. Not as cool as the Power Tank but a lot less $$$

Hey miller. Would be interested in what your C02 setup is? Ive rain OBA and power tank in the past with my jeep. I am def going the CO2 tank route agian this time for quickness and ease of use. Always interested in cheaper solutions.

For the ones that didnt see it in the first post... It is a DOUBLE CAB OFF ROAD PACKAGE

 

[millerfish]

I put together a C02 system something like this.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f27/build-your-own-co2-tank-system-high-quality-lowest-cost-1208163/

 

[SIZZLE]

I got the same model. Your list of equipment is good. Here are the first mods I've made, in order:

Remove or relocate everything that hangs down, mud flaps, trailer plug, etc.
Exhaust reroute
Tires tires tires!
Tcase skid plate

Next I'm going to put a mild lift on, these are sprung really soft. Not great for handling or load carrying. Then sliders. After that I can call it done (yeah right!).