Rolling with our 6x6 Beasties

[LowTech]

Some of the people that follow our travels are on here, so I thought it was about time to start a thread about them (the "Travels", not the people):ylsmoke:

We've been rolling these rigs for a few years now and previous adventures are at my site, Dirt Track Travels


I'm going to start with "Riding the Draggin',
A solo trip from J-Tree, into the `Zona's far reaches.
~~~
Tuff needed some alone time to create more beautiful things, and I needed to do some work on "MY" rig. So I'm out here on a solo trip.

I've done so much work on the She Beast over the last few years, and then I realized one day . . . I'm a dependent!
All the fuel processing set-up was on her M105, I slept in her M109 (the She Beast), . . . I did use a M146 (23' mil 5th wheel trailer)as my office/ staging area for all work on her land, :-/
Time for a change!

If I went out in the lil Draggin' I was going to be sleeping in the cab, or in the bed If I dragged a trailer along, like my M105 Hard Top, then I wouldn't be able to pull the fuel processing trailer . . .

I had been planing to set up fuel collecting / filtering on each of the trucks as well . . . guess now was the time to start.

I took turns stuffing things into the Hard Top, and figuring out a way to collect / filter fuel. Something that would stay w/ the Draggin'.



Now, the Hard Top has been dragged up north for the last two summers, . . . but not really as a live-in set up. I've put some insulation in the ceiling, and most of the lower wall sections, that's about it. It's always been more of a shed. I did sleep in it for awhile when Tuff did her solo trip down from northern Nev to J-Tree, two summers back, and I had to stay north for a few weeks, I parked up at a friends place . . . it was like sleeping in a shed.
So I had to make that livable.

First I added the basics, a board to sleep on (covered w/ wool blankets and some (LOL) padding), foot locker & backpack to hold clothing and personal things, an old mil field desk, . . . to hold food, and a stove.



Seems like the basics, next I'll have to figure how to hold them all in place :sombrero:

 

[LowTech]

Now I needed to make the pump & filter set-up work.

I started by pulling the 24v pump off the trailer, along w/ one (of three) filter bases. I figured that I could get by w/ just the one water block filter for this trial. Worst would be that I clog my primary up w/ crud, in fact I was figuring that I would anyway. I'm putting my secondary tank into action, after hauling it around for a year, and expect to have to change filters soon after.
I want to be able to draw from the tank in the bed, pump it through a filter, and into the main tank. Of course I also wanted to be able to draw from a 5 gal container and pump it into a jerry can, . . . or from a jerry can into the secondary tank, . . . or from the secondary tank . . .

Anyway, it seemed like the front of the bed, behind the cab, would be the most out of the way, reach all points, and be the hardest to mount, . . . so that was my target.
After lots of measurements, and moving the tank in the bed, I carefully drilled some holes for mounting. They were close enough that it fit. I mounted the pump . . . and found out that the stakeside pocket wouldn't let me get the hose on it's fitting. I did put the tank back as well
Moved the tank, took off the pump, made a plywood plate to act as a spacer, and remounted the pump. Just enough and it still clears the cab.
I then mounted the filter base under that w/ enough room to unscrew the filter (I think )
(disregard the small line going into the cab, it's just being held out of the way)



A couple fail trials, fittings not setting right, and hoses not tight enough, and it seemed to work.
Now gather all the oil from the separator tank, in 5 gal containers, and load them in the back of the Draggin'.



I had discovered that a cabinet that I took out of a S280 shelter, was a great fit for the veg oil 5 gals that I use. It keeps them out of the sun, of the public eye, and in place.



Time to pump from the 5 gals into the secondary tank. That would give it one filtering, a repeat would come when it went from the secondary into the main tank.
The pick-up is in the 5 gal and a smaller line is running the oil into the secondary.



Ok, now we're close enough to having it all figured out think I'll hook up the Hard Top.

 

[LowTech]

A day later I was parked up on the east-side of a small gathering not far east of the Colorado River.
On the way here, in the middle of the "120 miles, no service" zone, I passed an officer who had pulled a crotch-rocket over going the other way (he was prob getting a "No Flying" ticket). We waved at each other.
Later I'm off the side looking over maps, he pulls up next to me, . . . just to see if I was alright. I say yes and thank him through his passenger window, he points at the Draggin' and says "Bad Azz". :sombrero:


Staying on the east-side let's me have morning views like this,



After a few days of meeting people that I'd only ever heard on-line, and delaying my travels for another birthday party. Did I happen to say that that was how the start of the trip was delayed? Think I might be starting some kind of tradition

I headed for the first place that I knew would put me on a dirt track. It just happened to be on the other side of a wilderness, and the only way i knew to get to the other side was on the "I". Around 50 miles of interstate, . . . not sure if I could handle that

Once I made it to the other side, and got my "Survivor" T-shirt, I stopped and spent some time checking maps. Once before we had come this way, and on that trip we ran a pipeline road for a bit. This time I'm taking that farther and planning to skirt east of the mountains I've been scouting.



The track looks smooth, . . . but it's not. The run-off from the mountains would eat this track up. So they've reshaped the land around the pipeline. The water that crosses the track has a small berm, like a speed bump, on the down-the-street side. This keeps the water from tracking in the direction that gets driven.
That means a speed bump w/ a cross wash at the bottom. Sometimes that's big enough to have the whole rig/trailer in, . . . sometimes its not. It's the small ones that make the going slow. A little trench, maybe 6"-12", hard to hit at speed. Add that to a few gates, that are 9' wide, and the track is really a 15mph track.

A couple hours later I had passed the northern point of the mountains and was moving around to the east side. All of which was well worth seeing and I'll def come back here for more looking around. Of course no photos because I was too busy driving.

Coming out into what I had thought might be a rural type development, based on road grids and such, I discovered that it was an Ag area . . . in the winter Dirt fields everywhere, roads that weren't roads because they were in fields, fences, . . . time to run south till I could get back into the mountains. No! The Draggin' had had enough of the crap from the new tank and it was running like I needed to change out the primary filter, . . . and I was headed out to nowhere . . .
I pulled off where there was space and looked at the maps again.
If I go east instead of south I'll get to another close mountain range, can do replacements there.
Once there I discover that the primary is the only filter I don't have

Napa is not going to be close.
I decide it's time to pull the primary filter, and w/ no good way to clean it, I put the can back on empty (one reason not to get a spin-on, I may have to keep thinking about this). Time to skip the mountains and run pavement to the SE and see if I can find a Napa or CQuest.

I catch the lowering light on the place that I stopped at,



and head out, . . . my headlights haven't failed on me for a while . . .:smiley_drive:

 

[buckwilk]

Really enjoy your pictures and dialog. See you at the SoCal.

 

[El Gordo]

My first post..your awesome rig warrants it!!

I would l-o-v-e to do what you're doing! :drool::drool:
great work.

 

[FLR1]

Beautiful ..... I first crossed the country on a Yamaha 360, slightly bigger than a lawn mower, the an 1100ZX, Benz, bago and last my FJ...... Would've loved to have a rig like your Dragon Lady!! Cheers! And onward!

 

[chilliwak]

Great to see some pics and updates on your travels LowTech. You rig as usual looks awesome and the detailed description of your trip makes it exciting to follow. Did you get a new rig at the auctions or are you still with the same 2 trucks? Looking forward to seeing more posts, Cheers, Chilli....

 

[LowTech]

Thanks guys, and I could make that happen for you. These rigs are herd animals, once you get one more start showing up

Great to see some pics and updates on your travels LowTech. You rig as usual looks awesome and the detailed description of your trip makes it exciting to follow. Did you get a new rig at the auctions or are you still with the same 2 trucks? Looking forward to seeing more posts, Cheers, Chilli....

Same trucks. For us it's a great platform to work w/. Parts are easy enough, cost of things are double and triple digits instead of triple and greater, it's primitive mech, and will eat things that people want to get rid of. :sombrero:
It does become a way of life thou. I had gotten excited that bumping up to 11x20's let me cruse 56mph at max sustained RPM on pavement, instead of 52mph. I was telling someone that I know, and he was thinking like " . . . and, my car will do that stuck in 3rd . . ."

A hundred miles is a day, 15mph is an average speed on dirt tracks, . . . loads of time to look at things :sombrero:

 

[westyss]

Nice report, its not about getting there its about the trip! I agree, slow down and smell the roses.

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Hub disconnects make a huge difference in steering, speed, and mileage. Something to think about. Nice TR.

 

[LowTech]

This I know, and they are on the list. Even one for the mid-axle :sombrero:

 

[LowTech]

After pulling the filter it ran great!

I headed toward, so called, "civilization" as the day-star moved closer to the horizon.
My goal was to get as close to town as possible, and yet still have room to park-up for the night, . . . and do it before dark . . . I don't trust those lights

Not only made town, made it out the other side, . . . town didn't have the needed shops. There were more towns in front of me.

I pushed for a place that I knew south of town. It was getting too dark, time to stop. Didn't want to be in the black of night if my lights did their blink out thing.
Pulled off the side of the road far enough that I could point back toward the pavement. Now I could have the Hard Top open and still use the light w/o being seen by passing traffic.


The next morning I started early w/ just a cup of tea.
I soon rolled into one of my favorite areas in this part of the `Zona, . . . too bad it's fenced off and non-accessible. All part of a Military Playground




As I rolled through the first town of the day I spotted a Napa, yes!

No!

They would have to order it.
That was after the young woman behind the terminal couldn't find it in the database. Guess that's what happens when you try to translate the napa # that I had, for another napa #.

I roll on . . .

About 10 miles off another road "T's" into this one, and like a lot of these type intersections there's room for road tractors to pull-off among the greasewoods. I'm headed for that. Time to top-up my main tank.


By mid-day I'm backing through the gate at my buddy's VW Dry Dock.
Pull out the things that take up floor space and I still have half a day to relax

 

[buckwilk]

It is thanks to you, LowTech, that I got the fever for these rigs. Hope to see you at the SoCal.

 

[LowTech]

Don't say that!
I could get quarantined for spreading that fever around.

sent without me knowing

 

[chilliwak]

Don't say that!
I could get quarantined for spreading that fever around.

Or you could get a medal for sparking our interest in such a cool vehicle.... :Wow1:

sent without me knowing

You got to love it....