New Chevy 09 3500 4x4

[WKCwith5]

Some lease Company's will let you add a lift if it does not go higher than three inches and is installed by a dealer or certified tech. My uncle runs a few GMC trucks in his quarry on lease and they had the dealer install 3 inch lifts that where GM approved. And with the wear your trucks will take over the lease period resale is probably not an issue and safety would be covered if dealer approved. You might give it a shot and use the hole, it will make the truck more productive and safer to operate in your work conditions. may be worth a try if you have not checked in a while. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Outback]

I will install a leveling kit for the front end. This will raise it to be the same as the rear. This I think will eliminate my front tire rub. Generally we go as far as we can with the trucks. Then we hike in if needed. Same with the Snowcat but so far that hasnt happened. We once hiked in 2 miles back and forth 10 times carrying all of our gear on sleds and snow shoes. My snowcat was down in Nevada at the time......... That was a long day! If we get the trucks stuck then we winch them out and face them back the way we came then hike in. Nothing is worse then a long day and hike and then have to get two stuck trucks out. This usually doesnt happen and we stop short of "Hmmm I think I can make it through there"........ Today was a great day. beautiful scenery and lots of pics. Most were in 12 MB but I did get some for the forum. I will post after a quick shower and bite to eat.

 

[CLynn85]

Nice thread, thanks for the updates!

That said, this sounds like my dream job. I definitely picked the wrong career, wish I'd done something with more field work!

 

[Outback]

Screw it. Just downloaded them..... Stand by.

 

[Outback]

Heres some pics from todays adventure. I wish I had my second camera. Oh well.

 

[Outback]

Time to hit the shower and find a coffee shop.

 

[Outback]

Note: Today saw all types of dirt road surfaces. The GoodYear MTRs with Kevlar thought they were all pavment. I couldnt believe how good they gripped loose gravel roads. Hard pack roads and light comb type surfaces! Excellent! No real mud yet but I suspect they will excell in this media as well.

 

[tlbrewer]

Excellent scenery! You must love your job.

Tom

 

[Outback]

scenery oh you mean my office. Yah its nice.

 

[WKCwith5]

Nice photos. it gets the energy going seeing the open country.

 

[Outback]

Idaho is one of our most beautiful States in the Union!

 

[Zatara]

Can it be that you may have found the one true do it all tire ?!?!?! :sombrero:

 

[Outback]

I will tell you this. Of all the tires I have ever run (and thats allot) I really like this tires ability in all soil types plus on road handling abilities. So I am very impressed! Now the next biggest hurtle will be the wear test. How long will they last? I will let you know. Since my truck was down for repairs about a week I lost at least 2,000 miles of roads and trails. So far I have about 2,000 miles on them and I havent noticed any wear as of yet. I have been off for a week now and will take all of next week off. It was a long trip and I need the time with the family. I am currently working on my Military Trailer thread. I am building my camp trailer I intend to take out with me here soon. BUT of course I need to get to my properties needs. I just had 22,000 lbs of 3/4 rock delivered. :Wow1: Thats allot of rock so between that pile and my trailer build I should be busy.

 

[08Silverado]

Nice thread! It's hard to find trucks like mine to steal ideas from. Even though my silverado is a 2008 4wd half ton I'm getting some valuable information here. My next upgrade will probably be tires. I currently have stock 265/65/18's on my truck. Does the tire your running come in +1 OEM size for my 18" wheel that you know of? I've been shopping for tires and I find it hard to find many options in a 18" wheel. I guess I should've thought about that when I bought my truck

 

[tlbrewer]

Nice thread! It's hard to find trucks like mine to steal ideas from. Even though my silverado is a 2008 4wd half ton I'm getting some valuable information here. My next upgrade will probably be tires. I currently have stock 265/65/18's on my truck. Does the tire your running come in +1 OEM size for my 18" wheel that you know of? I've been shopping for tires and I find it hard to find many options in a 18" wheel. I guess I should've thought about that when I bought my truck

Chevy has been getting really bad lately at putting odd ball sized wheels on their trucks. If it's not diameter, then they use weird back spacing. This really hampers your selection of aftermarket wheels and, in turn, tires. They still haven't figured out that there's not a big selection of HD tires in 17" and 18" diameter. The ones that are avialable are $$. Unless they are going to go to 19.5's, which would also be cost prohibitive due to tire prices, they should stick with 16's and normal back spacing on HD trucks. Of course there are a lot of folks out there that go for the big bling bling wheels and tires, but that's not practical.

I just realized yours is a half ton, but the same applies. Put a wheel on a 4x4 truck from the factory that has a large tire selection available. Or, press the tire manufacturers to expand there size offerings. Very frustrating.

I really look forward to a long term evaluation on the Goodyear MTR's from Outback. He has a great first impression. Now I'd like to see how long they last.

Tom