What's the burliest trail/obstacle you've overcome in your full size?

[huntoon]

I am curious what the full sized trucks can do. Stuff like logs, rocks, ditches-- things considered standard for jeeps to up and over but relatively more challenging for (less than full-tilt-built) full-sized pickups.

Or, specifically, has anyone in a full-sized truck gone down (or up) Anza Borrego's Pinyon Canyon dropoff? You see, the dropoff, aka "heart-attack hill", is kind of my litmus test for trailability in my mind. I used to do the dropoff in my '94 toyota truck, but i am thinking of graduating up to a full size, because as you can see, I am 6'5'' and too big for it! plus I rolled it and destroyed it.

I think I have read every fullsized article that has peaked my interest over the 41 or so paged in the 'Domestic: full sized' thread, and so far I think Hunter Offroad's 99 Dodge Ram 1500 is the coolest (I am not ready to graduate to diesel).

Here's what I current drive but isn't cutting it:

As far as future expiditioneering, I have in mind to do some sort of recreation of the route the Glanton gang took in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. It's probably the best book I have ever read.

So I guess this is a hello to all of you too. Thanks for the good reading so far,

JON


PS: The map is from 'Notes on Blood Meridian' , and here is the book.

 

[19psi]

I made it up a little dirt hill once in 4 wheel drive with my diesel.
Then i took my cherokee over the same hill in 2wd. backwards. stopping halfway up and then continuing.

 

[redthies]

Any cash you are thinking of putting into buying a new truck, put into your Willys! You will have a WAY nicer rig at the end of the day!

 

[huntoon]

Willys, money

For the level of eplorditioning I want to do, I'd spend way more money in the Willy's than on a sweet Ram 4x4.

I picked up the Willys a while back on a little too much of a whim, it's sweet, and could be awesome, but I'd never take it to Baja or Inyo Mtns or Anza or any of the fun places I like to go cause I'd always be worried.

 

[jp0863]

Not a 4x4, but I got my crown vic patrol car through a freshly plowed muddy field that an h-2 got stuck in... poor guy just didn't want to go back to jail. To even things out though I got stuck on the way out and got another patrol car stuck trying to push me out... does that count? It is a fullsize. I'll post a pic if I can find it.

 

[Brian McVickers]

If it's just you, or two, I would think that Willys could be brought back into shape, lightly modified and with a bin of essential spare parts in the back take you just about anywhere you would want to go at less cost.

 

[BlueBomber]

I dont see anything wrong with that jeep...well, maybe those rear fenders. They gotta go.

 

[redthies]

I guess you are wanting more serious info... If the trail isn't too tight, a fullsize can be built to go most places. My 94 Dodge 2500 will run 35s with just the $146 Revtek 2" leveling kit. Add a rear locker and you should go a lot of places on the adventure side of 4wheeling. Oh, I almost forgot... The burliest obstacle I ever overcame with my fullsize was the payment on my new 05 3500 Cummins 4x4!!!:sombrero:

 

[boellis87]

I now have a jeep xj for the tighter stuff, but before my wheeling buddies graduated to more hardcore rigs, I took my short wheelbase Chevy to some pretty interesting places. Even while it was still IFS it completed some fairly tight, challenging trails. Trees are unavoidable where I live so i had some natural pinstriping going on but nothing that couldn't be buffed out enough to satisfy me. You just have to wheel with a different mindset when taking a fullsize. More than once, my ifs front, stock gov-loc ten bolt rear and 35 inch tires out-performed some jeeps simply because of the difference in wheelbase and width, so they can actually perform quite well. I think I've posted these elsewhere, but here are some pics.

I just completed a sas with reliability and strength in mind with plans for future expo-style travel. I'm trying to wrap it up so I can focus on some other areas like bumpers and the like. It's still my daily driver, too.

 

[Desert Dan]

Huntoon
If we are thinking of the same place in Anza...As far as the drop off you wouldn’t be able to get thru the squeeze with a full size rig.

In Canyonlands I've been thru Elephant Hill and to the Dolls House in a stock Dodge Ramcharger. Width was usually the limiting factor with a full size rig.

 

[Awesome Wagon]

POINT AND SHOOT...

 

[huntoon]

That is so awesome.

That power wagon is beautiful.


Has anybody ever used their sliders to cross logs?

 

[huntoon]

Squeeze

Desert Dan, it's true you wouldn't get through the squeeze without scraping but their is that turn-around at the top of the dropoff.

How about Diablo Dropoff? Much more mellow. But a totally necessary route to get to the mudcaves from fish creek, unless you want to go all the way around.

 

[OTR]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l13/Tortoise4x4/IMG_0659.jpg[/IMG]
POINT AND SHOOT...

I like the steel roller in the rear hitch.

 

[dbreid]

I did the enitre Dusy Ershim Trail in a Full Size truck last fall. I rubbed a lot. Tore up a lot of sheetmetal, and broke the passenger window. But didn't get stuck, and basically had no issues.

I have also done the Rubicon (skipped the box) in its entirety a couple years ago (same truck). 84 K30.