OBS F250 slow adventure build
- Thread starter amgvr4
- Start date
amgvr4
Adventurer
I made it out to Tahuya state forest today with a group from NWOL and had a great time. The trails down there were super tight for my big rig at times but I made it through with only one new battle scar. The truck continues to amaze me with what it is able to do. I did suffer a similar failure to what chaos616 did with his poly bushings on his Death Valley trip. My lower radius arm bushings are shot! It might be a blessing in disguise since I can replace the bushings with rod ends and inboard the arms a little more without having to do much beyond modifying the main pivot mounts.
Airing down in the parking lot
Posing on a tree stump. The "mud lake" in the background was about rocker panel deep and I had no trouble plowing through it at all.
Two thumbs up from the little man!
The new dent
Airing down in the parking lot
Posing on a tree stump. The "mud lake" in the background was about rocker panel deep and I had no trouble plowing through it at all.
Two thumbs up from the little man!
The new dent
underdrive
jackwagon
You slid against a tree down the side of a grade, didn't you? LOL
About your bushings, with all the flex you were doing you were simply asking too much of them. Or at least too much for the typical poly most bushings seem to be made of. There are many grades of poly out there, different durometers, what's typically used to "stiffen" suspensions when replacing factory rubber bushings is obviously too hard for your application. Lower-durometer material could work good, and then of course there are the spherical rod ends that would eliminate the issues altogether. Are you thinking of doing what we discussed a while back and moving the arms to the inside of your current inboard plates, then adding new plates inboard of the arms, and finally using long bolts that go thru all three plates at once (with spacers between the plates where your arms currently reside? I think this will be the fastest and easiest way to fix the bushing binding problem and gain tire clearance at the same time. Should end up pretty darn strong too, as you're now spreading the load across three plates per side, not just two.
amgvr4
Adventurer
Actually I got that one because of my miss match front and rear in spring rate and travel. Since the front is so soft and flexible it would droop and flex great and then the back tires would pitch the cab over the roots and stumps. I was 99% through a super tight pair of trees and at the last second my passenger side rear tire hit a root and pitched the truck to the drivers side and into the tree. I really need to three think the back now!
I agree that the amount of movement that is required from the bushings is beyond what they are made for, especially with such a heavy front end. My plan is to replace them with spherical bearings in the same tubing that the bushings are in and some high misalignment spacers. This should allow me to cant the arms in a few more degrees and make some new mounts off the existing frame pads. I will also make a brace that goes between the two mounts under the transmission to help support them there. I was inspecting everything for damage this morning and found that the drivers front tire had rubbed on the coilover reservoir a little at full stuff/lock. I will need to address its position to make some more room for steering.
chaos616
Adventurer
HEY!,
Sorry to hear about your poly failure too. I know i went with the EMF ball joints (used the existing arms). If you were getting some...whats the word...lack of feel from the front suspension before, going to a hard ball joint or heim joint will make an immense difference. I know mine feels better and works better too. The axle doesn't wrap nearly like it was and the steering feels a lot tighter (still has a turning radius the size of and aircraft carrier but thats a different issue). I will be interested in what you put in there.
For the in boarding your just trying to make more room for the tires at full lock?
Also, underdrive, is there a good place to source poly bushings of different grades? It seems a lot of the manufactures pick a grade that they like and only use that. I know talking with clayton of EMF joints, the poly he uses is a water impenetrable, and as he explained it much of the poly tends to soak up water and break down, especially when adding grease to it. I honestly am not an expert on poly even the least bit, all i know was the stuff i had was pretty poor for my application.
Also sweet trail run, looked like fun!!
Cheers,
Sorry to hear about your poly failure too. I know i went with the EMF ball joints (used the existing arms). If you were getting some...whats the word...lack of feel from the front suspension before, going to a hard ball joint or heim joint will make an immense difference. I know mine feels better and works better too. The axle doesn't wrap nearly like it was and the steering feels a lot tighter (still has a turning radius the size of and aircraft carrier but thats a different issue). I will be interested in what you put in there.
For the in boarding your just trying to make more room for the tires at full lock?
Also, underdrive, is there a good place to source poly bushings of different grades? It seems a lot of the manufactures pick a grade that they like and only use that. I know talking with clayton of EMF joints, the poly he uses is a water impenetrable, and as he explained it much of the poly tends to soak up water and break down, especially when adding grease to it. I honestly am not an expert on poly even the least bit, all i know was the stuff i had was pretty poor for my application.
Also sweet trail run, looked like fun!!
Cheers,
underdrive
jackwagon
Been using Prothane and Energy Suspension poly bushings for years on all sorts of vehicles, never had problem with water ingress and deterioration. Actually I find that quite the odd issue, as when things are well greased during installation once the parts start moving the grease gets squeezed all over the place, thus coating things with a water-repelling film. I'm no chemical engineer, this is just my observations as user/installer.
On the different grades of poly, unfortunately I can't be of any help there. But here's what you can read on BroncoGraveyard.com when you get to order some of their poly bushings for leaf springs:
Wanna try getting a hold of Daystar's tech folks and see what they got to say on the subject?
amgvr4
Adventurer
The plan is to use something like this;
http://www.polyperformance.com/Poly-Performance-Uniball-Kit-Package
I should be able to add these to the ends of my arms pretty easily in place of the bushings and at the same time add a few more degrees of angle to the arms to in-board them some more. The in-boarding is entirely for adding more turning radius. It would really help to at least get back to where the truck should be stock and maybe even add a little extra if i can.
I totally agree with you an the steering precision that you get when eliminating bushings. The only reason I did not go that way on the first place was because many people were saying that the ride would be so terrible and the cost was easier to swallow. I always eliminated all bushing on my track cars and the difference was amazing. This is definitely a case of live and learn and when I do the rear three link I will go straight to rod ends and not mess around with bushings.
Here is a short video of a little hill climb from Tahuya
seanpistol
Explorer
Love this truck.... you need a pair of ARB lockers!....
amgvr4
Adventurer
Thanks guys! The old truck always surprises me with how good it does offroad, but a pair of selectable lockers are definitely on my list of "needs" lol!
We are planning on heading up to Leavenworth this weekend to try the tent out for the first time. I'm pretty excited to give the setup a good shakedown test.
We are planning on heading up to Leavenworth this weekend to try the tent out for the first time. I'm pretty excited to give the setup a good shakedown test.
chaos616
Adventurer
hey amg, that looks real good, nice to see how solid that axle stays (with resepct to axle wrap) when your climbing and braking. Yeah, those ball joints look like they will certainly do the trick.
Since were running almost the same gear, with your radius arm, as your axle droops and bumps obviously it changes your caster of your axle considerably. My question is with regard to the lower coilover mounts, do you have any binding issues with that small ball joint not being able to keep up? The worry is that i don't want to bind that up and then bend a shock rod or anything. I may switch up but figure i would consult your experiences first as you currently have that set up.\
Cheers,
Since were running almost the same gear, with your radius arm, as your axle droops and bumps obviously it changes your caster of your axle considerably. My question is with regard to the lower coilover mounts, do you have any binding issues with that small ball joint not being able to keep up? The worry is that i don't want to bind that up and then bend a shock rod or anything. I may switch up but figure i would consult your experiences first as you currently have that set up.\
Cheers,
amgvr4
Adventurer
No I am bind free. The top and bottom have the ability to pivot so it would take a lot of caster change to max them both out. Plus there isn't as much caster change as you might think. I should try and measure it some time, it would be itnteresting to have actual numbers to go off of.
amgvr4
Adventurer
Maiden Voyage for the Roof Top Tent
I took the family on a quick little overnight trip to the Icicle Creek area outside of Leavenworth this weekend. We have a favorite campsite close to the end of the road that is super awesome. The sites are huge, right by the river, and since they just opened up there was almost nobody there. We loaded up Friday morning and headed out in the early afternoon. We had a pretty uneventful trip over the pass other than needing to pull over and adjust the coilovers into single rate to cut down on the body sway. It wasn't unmanageable but the extra weight up high made some of the narrow corners more of a handful than I liked. With the front stiffened up The truck did really well and cruised at 65-70 no problem.
Loading up the truck. I need to find some better bins that are more water tight and fit the space better
All loaded and ready to go
We made it to town by 5pm and stopped by Safeway for a few last things
The kids were still in one piece and excited to set up camp.
The campsite is 9 miles down Icicle Creek road and about halfway down it turns to dirt so it took about 50 min to get there
I got the tent all set up and the stuff unpacked. This is the first time I have installed the annex and we debated even attaching it at first. I am glad we did, it was great having it to store all the gear and get changed in
The sites have nice fire pits with cooking grates that made cooking dinner easy. We pre-made this bratwurst, potato, and pepper hash that is a staple for us at home. It was amazing over the campfire, by far the best it has ever tasted!
At night I used a LED work light I got from Lowes to light up the tent. It came with a 12v plugin and extension cord that easily reached from the cab to the tent
All five of us slept pretty good and it was one of the most comfortable camping adventures I have ever had. Temps were down in the high 40s to low 50s and it never got cold in the tent. My wife is a particularly sensitive sleeper and she slept well all night but could feel it a little bit in the morning. We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast and cleaned up camp around 9am. On the way back into town we stopped and hiked about 3 miles of the Icicle creek trail before the girls were ready for lunch. Once in town we ate sandwiches and got some ice cream to cool off.
The weather was great and overall the trip when almost perfect. I definitely need to work out the packing and equipment for camping a little better, but that was one of the biggest goals for this trip. Now that we have used the tent and some of our gear I know what I want to get to make out kit more complete and easier to use. This was our first trip with the kidos and the last time the wife and I made it out it was about 9 years ago. It feels really good to get back out in the mountains and enjoy the PNW the way it was meant to be!
I took the family on a quick little overnight trip to the Icicle Creek area outside of Leavenworth this weekend. We have a favorite campsite close to the end of the road that is super awesome. The sites are huge, right by the river, and since they just opened up there was almost nobody there. We loaded up Friday morning and headed out in the early afternoon. We had a pretty uneventful trip over the pass other than needing to pull over and adjust the coilovers into single rate to cut down on the body sway. It wasn't unmanageable but the extra weight up high made some of the narrow corners more of a handful than I liked. With the front stiffened up The truck did really well and cruised at 65-70 no problem.
Loading up the truck. I need to find some better bins that are more water tight and fit the space better
All loaded and ready to go
We made it to town by 5pm and stopped by Safeway for a few last things
The kids were still in one piece and excited to set up camp.
The campsite is 9 miles down Icicle Creek road and about halfway down it turns to dirt so it took about 50 min to get there
I got the tent all set up and the stuff unpacked. This is the first time I have installed the annex and we debated even attaching it at first. I am glad we did, it was great having it to store all the gear and get changed in
The sites have nice fire pits with cooking grates that made cooking dinner easy. We pre-made this bratwurst, potato, and pepper hash that is a staple for us at home. It was amazing over the campfire, by far the best it has ever tasted!
At night I used a LED work light I got from Lowes to light up the tent. It came with a 12v plugin and extension cord that easily reached from the cab to the tent
All five of us slept pretty good and it was one of the most comfortable camping adventures I have ever had. Temps were down in the high 40s to low 50s and it never got cold in the tent. My wife is a particularly sensitive sleeper and she slept well all night but could feel it a little bit in the morning. We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast and cleaned up camp around 9am. On the way back into town we stopped and hiked about 3 miles of the Icicle creek trail before the girls were ready for lunch. Once in town we ate sandwiches and got some ice cream to cool off.
The weather was great and overall the trip when almost perfect. I definitely need to work out the packing and equipment for camping a little better, but that was one of the biggest goals for this trip. Now that we have used the tent and some of our gear I know what I want to get to make out kit more complete and easier to use. This was our first trip with the kidos and the last time the wife and I made it out it was about 9 years ago. It feels really good to get back out in the mountains and enjoy the PNW the way it was meant to be!
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Mission accomplished, good job!