What did you do to your Expo Jeep today?

[Whito123]

Prep for Yellowstone / Yosemite / Glacier National etc...

We went on a one night test last weekend and the first thing we noticed was that the Jeep was sitting very low after being loaded up. I'm using a Harbor Freight hitch rack to carry a couple Rubbermaid style cargo boxes. Maybe 75 pounds max, but with all the other gear and the four of us the rear was drooping. I'm not ready to consider a lift kit at this point, so after some reading and Youtubing I picked up an Air Lift 1000 kit from 4WP today and had it installed in 90 minutes. It was much easier than it looked on Youtube, and it seems to work perfectly (Jeep unloaded goes up quite a bit at 45 PSI - of course I forgot to measure but I'd guess it was 4 inches at least. I'll report back once I try it fully loaded.


Next I wanted more light. Specifically when we're in camp. After lots of reading I decided to try some inexpensive parts. I bought a Pilot PL-SW29 4 channel wireless 12V switch from Amazon for about $24, along with a 5 pack of relays, a 6-port fuse block, and 3 cheapo LED lights that looked like they'd fit in a low-profile install on my Gobi.



The lights were 8 bucks each. If it didn't work I'd be out less than a Ben Franklin. It took me about an hour for each light, and I made a semi-custom harness using shrink wrap and crimp-on fittings for the relay connections. In the end it is awesome. Each light is on a separate switch that works about 100 feet from the Jeep, so I can turn on left, right, and rear lighting from around the camp or from inside the RTT. Good for those noises in the night that scare me... I mean the girls...







I'll try to remember to take some pictures with the lights on at night...

 

[M35A2]

I assembled a decent trauma kit. I spend a lot of time at the range and it's only a matter of time before a negligent discharge occurs. Also in the wilderness, anything can happen and usually Murphy is nearby to throw a monkey wrench to make things worse. After several training classes, I've built up a list of gear I know how to use and not some generic bought first aid kit. First pouch on the left is for splints and bandages for sprains and broken bones. Second from the left is for extra dressings and other duplicates in case a multiple casualty situation pops up. Far right is the main kit that is removable from the panel so you can take it with you. It contains all the more serious gear like tourniquets, NPAs, chest seals, coagulant dressings, sterile dressing, shears, gloves, finger light, etc. Second from the right is a folding litter that can be used by one or more people to carry the casualty. On top of that is a strobe for signaling location if needed. There's some work gloves in case some work needs to be performed to access or retrieve the patient, that sterile rubber gloves can't handle. I think that's everything.



"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Really, really nice. You'd be performing a public service if you posted the bill of materials for each.

 

[unkamonkey]

I've only had to stop once for a rollover heading out from Lake Powell. It was a few years ago and the people in the Ford were helping each other out and headed to the ditch side. No serious injuries and the father is a DR. 8 people that stopped behind me are all on their cell phones trying to call Hanksville for help. I suppose it sort of jammed up the system in town. I have a marine band and CB in my motorhome as well as an old analog car phone that is around twice as powerful as a hand held. Weak signal but I could call for help. If you can spend the Gelt, a sat phone would help a lot. Yeah, I know that the marine band might be sort of illegal.

 

[GetOutThere]

I finally got around to straightening my steering wheel after lifting it last summer. It was only off by a bit, but bugged me enough.

Also diagnosed that my front end clunk on bumps is due to my drag link and track bar. Shocker. Just going to leave it. The rubber is fine, and it has no measurable effect.

 

[comptiger5000]

Yeah, I know that the marine band might be sort of illegal.

Not just sorta illegal, it's very illegal to use one for non-marine purposes. And if you're not very close to the coast, it's not going to do much good anyway, as there probably won't be anyone to hear you.

 

[ReconH3]

Really, really nice. You'd be performing a public service if you posted the bill of materials for each.

Will do after the weekend. I have an important training class that I've been preparing for all week. Suggestions where I should post it? What forum section?



"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[rubicon91]

Went out for a week camping. Didn't quite work out with tropical storm colin. Half the trip cancelled. Got back out yesterday but rain will not let up. If the river rises much more we will be forced to leave. However as it stands we are the only ones here at campground relaxing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Geek]

Finished it up the lift this evening. AEV 3.5 RS.

.mobile

 

[twiisted71]

Went out for a week camping. Didn't quite work out with tropical storm colin. Half the trip cancelled. Got back out yesterday but rain will not let up. If the river rises much more we will be forced to leave. However as it stands we are the only ones here at campground relaxing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

That looks nice. Where is that?

 

[96inline6]

well bought some anzo 7 inch HID offroad lights, balljoints, and u joints. installed the lights for now and had a strange situation or so i thought.i used the 300 watt hid harness for both lights but the power struggles to kick on the ballasts if the vehicle is not running .ill upgrade the harness soon.but for $34 a piece on amazon they are definitely worth it. came with wires and clear polycarbonate clip on lenses. waiting a bit to do the u joints and balljoints at the same time.

 

[Topo.Ranger]

I really like this bumper. How has it been holding up?

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk

Its been a good one! I really like it. The rear tire carrier has some wobbles but nothing major.

 

[rubicon91]

That looks nice. Where is that?

It is a WMA down here in Palmdale FL called Fisheating Creek. It is a nice place to just kick back and relax some. The river actually did end up forcing us to leave about 8 hours earlier than expected. We went to bed Saturday night everything was fine but awoke at 4 am in the morning to ankle deep water in the camp area. The river was rising significantly. We were watching it Saturday night and it didnt appear it was going to be an issue. Well we had some friends staying with us ground camping and they awoke at 4 am to it all. The first pic here is our fire pit and you can see the wetland pond area with the water. We did not stay directly on the river but had access to it. The water had come up slowly through the day from the river. The second pic was the bottom of my RTT and you can see how much water had come up. In fact from the 1st pic I posted of just us there the water was all the way to the large oak tree in the foreground of that picture. Final pic is when I was packed and leaving how much water everywhere. Ignore that nasty porta potty no clue why they have it in there lol. Crazy week all together with getting booted by mother nature out of 3 parks all before we wanted to. However we would do it all again in a heart beat!!

 

[Mitch502]

It is a WMA down here in Palmdale FL called Fisheating Creek. It is a nice place to just kick back and relax some. The river actually did end up forcing us to leave about 8 hours earlier than expected. We went to bed Saturday night everything was fine but awoke at 4 am in the morning to ankle deep water in the camp area. The river was rising significantly. We were watching it Saturday night and it didnt appear it was going to be an issue. Well we had some friends staying with us ground camping and they awoke at 4 am to it all. The first pic here is our fire pit and you can see the wetland pond area with the water. We did not stay directly on the river but had access to it. The water had come up slowly through the day from the river. The second pic was the bottom of my RTT and you can see how much water had come up. In fact from the 1st pic I posted of just us there the water was all the way to the large oak tree in the foreground of that picture. Final pic is when I was packed and leaving how much water everywhere. Ignore that nasty porta potty no clue why they have it in there lol. Crazy week all together with getting booted by mother nature out of 3 parks all before we wanted to. However we would do it all again in a heart beat!!

Glad you had someone on the ground camping, otherwise it could have gotten bad quick. We went to camp at the same spot and water was up about 50 feet or more from that last time we were at the same spot. It's amazing how much the bodies of water can change

 

[rubicon91]

Glad you had someone on the ground camping, otherwise it could have gotten bad quick. We went to camp at the same spot and water was up about 50 feet or more from that last time we were at the same spot. It's amazing how much the bodies of water can change

I dont think we would have gotten much further the manager was out coming to wake us up when we were breaking down camp but yes you are correct it could have been bad. It is crazy I was out there about a month ago and it was the lowest I had ever seen the river. Could not really Kayak anywhere as it was below 1 foot in most places. We hiked all over the place without any issue with the river. They have a set of rules in place and they will close the side I was on when it hits 6.5 feet. That was projected late Saturday for Tuesday so you can see how quickly it did come up. When I woke and checked out the USGS website to see where it was at it was at 6.51.

 

[Whito123]

A little black duck canvas, a little bit of webbing, a sewing machine, an embroidery machine, some Velcro, and a couple of Army Surplus pouches and I'm good. I have a red molle first aid pouch arriving tomorrow for the right side... (edit: delivered)