I just installed a grille guard and a Ramsey Platinum 9000 today. The kit was a pain, mainly because it needed a lot of "persuasion" to fit right. I'm really happy with the way it came out though and wanted to show you guys. Thanks.

T-Bone

http://www.sci-proto.com/explorer/gw1.jpg
http://www.sci-proto.com/explorer/gw2.jpg




[Edited by T-Bone on 08-17-2000 at 09:06 PM]

I love the look of that winch mount! Wish someone made a cool-lookin one for the pre-95 explorers but its just the same, I couldn't mount as many lights to it if it looked cool! LOL.
Now its time to get so stuck that you actually NEED the winch! Don't feel bad if it doesn't happen for a while... I've used my winch 8-9 times now, and not once for myself... I'm thinking its ab out time I get stuck but I just haven't done extreme enough wheeling I guess (Or Im just a good driver)

Looks great T-Bone, nice job.

Matt-

Thanks. It's funny, I want to get stuck and don't want to get stuck at the same time :) Hopefully I can be a good Samaritan sometime and help someone out in the winter. But the way I drive sometimes, I'll get stuck in a ditch leaving my parking lot tomorrow. LOL.

T-Bone

Thanks Sport! Hope you guys have fun this weekend. Let me know how it was.

T-Bone

Looks sweet. That truck is getting better everytime I see it. Can't wait what it will look like in a couple months. It is alrrady blowing my mind.

Hey, thanks, Richie!

Hey T-Bone,
Man that looks great! How much (if you don't mind me asking) for the Serria Wraparound, and where did you get it?
also I don't know if you know this or not, but you need to unspoole it out to the last row and, under some resistance reel it all back in to tighten up on the cable, otherwise with loose cable when you do use it the cable will push the loose cable apart and sink into the spool. It makes it look messy and real hard to unspool it the next time you use it.
Oh! one more thing. Have you noticed if your truck runs alittle hotter because the winch is partially blocking the radiator?

Thanks Ray!

I ordered it through National Tire & Wheel and it was about $800-$830 plus shipping.
I knew I had to get the line taut, but thanks for explaining exactly why. I'm going to look for something to pull this weekend. Could I simply pull myself up a slight incline in neutral to acomplish this? I know about the 5 wraps minimum around the drum rule. What I was thinking was pulling a thousand pounds or so from the end of the drum and after 5 wraps around the drum, pulling myself up a slight hill. What do you think?

About the truck running hot, I just installed this today, so I will keep my eye on it. I hope this won't be a problem. They have some Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors near by, maybe I'll just drop some dry ice in the winch mounting plate every now and then ;)

T-Bone

Anyone-

This being my first winch and all, I'm looking for a stronger setup in the assembly where the hook attaches to the wire. I don't have any technical lingo so please bear with me. What came with the winch was the hook/adapter and a bolt that is held by a cotter pin. I don't like the idea of a tiny cotter pin. I want to use a threaded bolt with a nut to hold the wire and hook securely, but I'm unsure what kind to get. It needs to withstand 9000 lbs.. Does it need to be hardend steel? Do they make bolts & nuts for this in particular?
Thanks for the info as usual!

T-Bone

T-Bone, Ray and I are both looking at buying that grille, but I ALREADY have the basice WAAG grille that Ramsey uses to beef up for their Sierra Wraparound . Could you PLEASE do me a favor, crawl under your front, and make some detailed pictures of the mounting brackets connecting the grill to the frame? Mine are very flimsy and I am keenly interested in learning exactly what Ramsey did to beef up the brackets enough to withstand a winchpull. I'd hate to just waste the $400 I've already spent on the grill just to buy another one again.

Ray, there's a mailorder place somewhere in Oklahoma that sells them for about a hundred dollars less than T-Bone paid (sorry, T-Bone). I'll try to track down that info for you in the future.

Gerald-
Thanks for the compliment. I'll be able to snap a few pics underneath later today, but I have the instructions and parts list. I could fax them to you, I'll try to get this office scanner working again and can email them to you in a .jpg format, that is, if it works for me.
T-Bone

Thanks

Hey Gerald-

I tried to snap a pic underneath but I couldn't get a good angle. The area where the grille L-brakets (excuse my limited tech lingo), meet the end of the frame posts, is covered by the bumper.
I couldn't get my scanner working today, its one of those HP all-in-one deals that I use mainly for a fax machine.
The instructions are filled with good pictures. I obviously don't need them anymore, drop me your address and I'll mail it to you.

T-Bone

When you get that Trailmaster lift, let me know. I want one too. Haven't seen any for early model Explorers.

Looks great T-Bone. Man, I really like the 99+ XLTs. They took what was a pretty hum drum trim level, and made it one of, if not the best looking trim level on the Explorer. Keep up the good work!

Sport: The lift is in the cards, you will know for sure :)

Stephen: Thanks for the thumbs up!

With the moderators giving me the nod on this last mod, I feel better about spending the money on the mount and winch. I wanted to taut the line a bit today and went into a nearby industrial park and hooked up four discarded cement parking blocks and dragged them eighty feet across a small field. My first winching feat :) I figure if I have this thing, better learn how to use it and use it right.

Question for you all: If I'm trying to recover another vehicle that is around 4000 lbs. do I need to get something external to lock my tires in place? How much force can the park position hold?

T-Bone

This last question is very important to me, please answer if you can! Thanks!

T-Bone, it would be a great idea to carry around a wedge or two to chock the tires with. It could only make things easier for your tranny and parking brake.

RangerX-

Is that what someone with a winch would normally do if they were pulling someone out? Or are the brakes and tranny strong enough for that extra pull? Thanks.

T-Bone

T-Bone,

Yes, that is what you definitely want to do. Your winch is strong enough to drag your truck with all 4 wheels locked, especially on dirt. I drove 10 ton trucks in the military for an artillary unit and we used chocks whenever we used the winch to pull out any type of vehicle. Imagine a 10 ton truck hauling 5 tons of artillery shells stuck in mud up to the axles. Even thpugh we had heavier trucks and we had much beefier winches, we used chocks none the less. Even when the winching vehicle was loaded with 5 tons of ammo as well.

I had to tell that story, I was the one who was stuck. It actually took two trucks with winches to get me out.

My sugestion for you would be to invest in some chocks(two). Place them on the front wheels when winching, this will take the strain off your tranny.

Also, I am not sure if you know this, but I will let you know anyway. When you pull out a vehicle, attach the hook inverted(open end facing up). That way if the hooks snaps, god forbid, it will break towards the ground instead of breaking upwards like a whip back to you or onto the top of your truck.

If you really what to get into it, you can purchase a block and tackle(pully system) that will double your winch's pulling capacity. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/images/icons/icon11.gif

Good luck!

[Edited by 2001ExpSport on 08-20-2000 at 11:44 AM]

Sport-

Thanks for the tips, man! Really handy. So about the chocks: say I have my chocks underneath the front tires and am about to winch out somebody. Should I have my truck in neutral or park. Also, should the emergency brake be on as well?

OK, one more question for you, buddy. Say theres a snowstorm and some poor chump in a Grand Am has slid into a ditch. I'm feeling esp. nice that night so I want to get him out. I know sedans don't have tow hooks. What equipment would I use to winch him out? And where would the tow point be? A recovery strap around his axel?
If you could answer all of the questions, you would continue to be...da man :)

T-Bone

Well, I would just leave it in neutral and engage the E brake. Those chocks will do most of the work. On occasion I have seen vehicles with anchor straps strung form the rear towing shackles to a large tree, but those where extreme conditions. You probably won't encounter that in this part of the country seeing how we are so flat. If you want to help people out, buy a towing strap. They are about $40 and you can get 20' and 30' straps. I'm sure you have seen them. They are thick straps with loops on each end. If you are going to tow a car you don't want to piss he or she off when you retrieve the bumper and not the car. ;) If the person is stuck in snow it will be hard for you to get under the vehicle to loop the strap. Carry a shovel with you, a dirt spade will do. Don't try to use a snow shovel, it will just piss you off. Try to run it around a frame cross member or any part of the frame. Don't run it through any suspension parts or drivetrane parts, you might damage them. When you run the strap through put BOTH ends of the strap on your winch hook. Don't run the strap through one of the loops and then put the other on your hook. When you pull that vehicle out it will sinch the strap so tight you won't get it undone. Putting both loops on the hook will put more of an even stress on the strap and that's what you want. They will break if you use them incorrectly.

Find a book if you can about different tactics on winching. This will teach you how to position your vehicle depending on the conditions. I am not sure there is such a book, but look anyway.

Now, I don't claim to know all there is to know about winching, but I have had a lot of experience in the military with vehicel retrieval. I always had the truck with the winch(lucky me). I even taught a few classes. Hope this helps. I don't want you to break anything, you've got a nice rig there.

Matt

[Edited by 2001ExpSport on 08-20-2000 at 06:46 PM]

Sport-

Thanks a lot, buddy! Good, detailed answers. I'm got a video on the way on winching, but its more for off road self recovery. I just needed a few details for urban conditions.

Take it easy!
T-Bone

T Bone, 2001EXPSPORT gave some good advice on winching, remember his points and DON'T winch in park, PERIOD. The parking brake and chocks should be used as well as the service brakes if needed. You could break the parking pawl or bend it and its real hard to get into and out of park if it's bent very much.

A few other tips that are for the safety consious,

Use a blanket or heavy coat on the cable, it acts kind of like a parachute if the cable or hook breaks. Your manual should have told you that.

Don't stand in front of the vehicle with the winch under load.

As far as the pin goes I would leave it as is, there's no load at all on the cotter pin. If it really bothers you talk to a bolt manufacturer about the shear strength on his bolts and remember if you're using a snatch block it needs to be able to withstand 18,000+ lbs of force. The factory pins are designed with those loads in mind or they should be, thats what they pay engineers the big bucks for.

No problem.

Hey, if your looking for a lift, Trailmasters has one for the '00 explorer for $1360.

http://www.natltire.com/pages/ford5.html

Sure for the 98 and up! :fire:

Oh well. I think I will just put add-a-leafs on and let it go at that, maybe then people wil stop flashing their lights at me at night thinking I have my high beams on.

What is the largest tire I can put on while stock, and how much will that change the steering and how it handles?

T-Bone,

Need some advise, I purchased a used 9000 Ramsey winch and I dont have any instructions for it.

How is it wired up , direct to the battery and the frame?

I don't mean to sound clueless but hear goes, I assume that when the winch is in operation it uses the amperege from the battery and the alternator only comes in to play for recharging the battery. Did you have to increase your battery and alternator size?

She looks great (The Xplorer).

Thanks,
Alan
98 Xplorer

Kilroy, trailmaster makes lifts for the early model Explorers too. I believe you have torsion bars correct? Either way talk to Trailmaster, they will hook you up with a kit.

I was was really interested in getting this Trailmaster lift, but I don't do enough 4 wheelin' to warrant the purchase. $1400 is a LOT of money for a set of brackets and some bolts. I have the add-a-leaf and torsion twist. I think I will save my money, buy some B code bars to get another inch or so and then buy some shackles to get 1.5 more inches in the back to even things out. It's cheap and if you don't like it, it only cost you 40 bucks.

Here is something interesting for you about what size tire fits. I have my stock 30" tires on my truck and they rub on the sway bar while in tight turns. Go figure! I noticed a nice clean shiney spot on my sway bar while taking some measurements. Do a search and see what you find, I am still not sure what will fit on mine and I have a 2" torsion/add-a-leaf lift. I think I might go up to 31's with a wider tread and then get 15" rims with a smaller backspace. This way it will bring the tire out and away from the wheel well. I hope I am not confusing you.

I am looking through catalogs right now for a set of rims and tires. I will start a thread when I get everything together and installed with pics.

[Edited by 2001ExpSport on 08-21-2000 at 07:29 PM]

98Xplorer: You're right. The positive attaches right on your battery terminal and the negative to the frame. My negative eye connecter is between the winch and the winch plate.
I don't have a higher output alternator yet, I'm still debating whether to get a 130 amp or a 200 amp. I'm still trying to learn more. I will definitely be getting a better battery very soon. It seems that the Optima Red Top gets the major thumbs up. Some guys have set up their rigs with dual batteries. Also some with a deep cycle marine battery for the winch since you can wear the heck out of it. I'm not too knowledgeable on the whole deal since I'm still learning myself, but there are some great threads on the subject here. You did get the remote from the guy when you bought the winch, right? What kind of 9000 is it? REP? PRO?

Sport: Buddy, I want that Trailmaster lift as bad as you :) I'm going to lurk in the shadows until I see a few of these other guys get them installed and see what they think. Hey man, if the coast is clear and it seems like a good mod, we should get together one day and install our kits together. You can screw up yours and I can then learn from your mistakes ;) j/k

T-Bone

That would be a good idea. When I screw up mine and break something, I can take it from your kit. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

Seriously though, I want to wait for the huge price tag to go down to, oh, 1000 bucks and see some other guys with them. I saw the kit on a '99 Ranger this weekend at Hank's, didn't look much higher than stock. That's why I am a bit hesitant. If you can picture it, 4" is not a lot. Not for $1400 I know that much.

Let me know when you feel the bug and maybe you can convince me to get one. Installing them together is actually a good idea, two is better than one.

Sport-

I know what you mean. Its over $300 an inch. Can you still keep your torsion twist and add-a-lead after you do a suspension mod? Gaining a few extra inches?
I'm in for getting together to help each other out when we get a serious bug for the kit. I have powers of persuasion...beware! LOL

T-Bone

The Trailmaster kit comes with a new leaf pack so the add-a-leaf is out. I could keep the torsion twist, but I am not sure if it would make the front too high. Hey, there's nothing wrong with a little persuasion. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

T-Bone, love your truck man! Been following your pics since ya got the dual exhaust..Awesome..the gg and winch look tougher that all hell! You asked about winching someone out of a ditch. Just so you know, I know that some foreign cars such a Mazda's have towing points on them that are mounted to the frame. There should be one in each corner of the car. These "points" were used when the car was shipped overseas, they anchored them to the ship using chains and these points. My wife has a Mazda 626 and it slide into a DEEP ditch in the median on I-81(PA), and the guy who pulled it out (with a winch) said most foreign cars have these "hook points". Hope this helps...keep posting those pics man!

Hey Ru Dawg-

Thanks, man! I'm blushing. Ya, the dual outs are fun to look at and listen too, but any serious 4x4 guy here on this site probably laughed when they saw it. I'll break them off the first time I get up some steep incline or over a few rocks. Until then, I'll enjoy them and then get some side exits.
The tow point information is great, and for this reason. I love snowstorms. Now I have a vehicle and equipment to get me thru the problems associated with joyriding in a snowstorm. You see, in my minds eye, I see myself driving around on a snowy night. Seeing someone who truly needs help and getting them out of a jam. This sounds pathetic, I know. However, I would hate to get their frame out of alignment because I was ignorant to proper technique. So thanks for the info, I'll save it for a rainy, er, snowy day.
Hey you should snap a pic of your '95 and put it up on your registry!

cya,
T-Bone

T-Bone, no problem snapping shots of my truck, have a good camera, but now scanner! Only lived were I'm at for a few months and don't know anybody w/one. Will do ASAP! Not too exciting though, bone stock except for chip! Well, a very nice McGuiar's shine too! And custom stereo. If ya read my thread about my borla cat-back in the modified section you'll see why I'm a little bummed out!

Ru Dawg-

About your Borla, it sounds like they are on top of it now. Demand next day shipment of missing parts. That GG kit I got, it had a missing angle bracket (fairly big piece) and two bolts missing. This kind of stuff drives me bananas. Its like when you go thru a McDonald's drive thru and they forget to give you a straw or screw up your meal. I mean, you guys package the SAME few items day in and day out. Are they all inept or just high? When you pay a lot for these mods, you know, you expect some kind of quality control. You know what though, I blame the owners of these companies, they pay thier factory guys crap most of the time and in return, they get poor QC and an attitude that is indifferent at best.
Whew, had to get that off my chest. Sorry for the rant. Hope the Borla works out.

T-Bone

Hey man, if the coast is clear and it seems like a good mod, we should get together one day and install our kits together. You can screw up yours and I can then learn from your mistakes ;) j/k

T-Bone


Dude your stealing my lines!!

I am?? When did you say that? I took a patent out on that line in the late 70's.

T-Bone

You shouldn't be reading these things while working! :D






Of course I shouldn't either! LMAO :eek:

Hey did you get DSL at home yet?

Hahah, We're slow. This is work. I call it stress reduction.
I don't have DSL at home. I've got ISDN and Megsinet has an A-band number a few miles away. I wish Ameritech would get off their a*s and get me wired for DSL. ISDN is weak, real weak. Of course, you already know this.

Hey, what kind of hitch do you have on your truck, Kilroy?

T-Bone

I have a valley hitch that I got from Farm & Fleet. I also have their Weight distributing hitch that acts as a huge buffer zone to protect my rear end when I'm not towing. The hitch cost me around $90, and took 15 minutes to install. I didn't care whether it was hiddin or not, just as long as it was functional, plus it's easier to clean when it is in the open.

http://www.grandillusion.org/images/hitch.jpg

My bumper looks bent, but it's not. It's just the angle of the camera.

BTW My truck is dirty and needs a bath.
http://www.grandillusion.org/images/muddyexplorer.jpg

Any takers?

uh....ehem...I have cable...I AM special and don't you forget it.



Hey T-Bone, ordered some 31" BFG MT's and a set of 15" rims to go with them. Also bought Rancho GSX17000's to go around. can't wait to get them on. When I get everything cherry I will takes some pics and post them.

Hey Kilroy, how did you bend your bumper? You need to stop towing the heavy stuff...

Sport-

Don't you have 16" rims already? Why go down to 15"? Because the tires are more common, thus cheaper? Great choice with the BFG's! I'm still trying to find the best shocks for my needs, but I have heard lots of great things about the Ranchos. I'm going to check out the set you are talking about. I would love to do the air control set-up with the air tank in the back.
Let me take a bunch of pics of your ride when you get them on and I'll put them up on my page. Looks like Cameron is almost getting the NIEC thing together.

T-Bone

T-Bone, 15's are cheaper than 16's. Besides, with a 15 you get more rubber between you and the rim. A BFG KO 32x11.5R15 is $125.95 and the BFG KO 265/75R16 is $141.95. Same size tire, different rim size. I like the KO, but I wanted a mud tire. I found this awesome site and bought a wheel and tire package from them. THey mount and balance the tires and then send them out. All I have to do is bolt them on. Pretty cool huh? I bought 4 BFG MT's and 4 AR 767 wheels mounted and balanced(it was a package deal) for the price of 4 BGF KO tires only. The AR 767's are black powdercoat steel, they will bend instead of cracking if I get a hard hit. I think the black will go well with my black sport. Trying to get the tough look. :) I won't get my shackles and wheels for about a week. My Ranchos should be here Thurs. I am adding the shackles to my add-a-leaf to get my a$$ end higher. Still sags a bit lower than the front. The wheel wells look uneven.

As for the pics, I have a real crappy camera. If you have a digicam then I would be happy to meet up, you don't live that far from me. I can use my dads camera too, but if you are looking for an excuse to pal around then lets do it. Sundays are usually best for me.

Oh, BTW I got the wheel package so I would have a set of wheels for long road trips. I don't want to burn up my MT's too quickly. ;)

Ok, I got it. Those MTs will look great! What is that web site with the tires,rims and pre-balanced tires? Give it up! :)
Heck ya, I want to come over with my camera, snap some pics of your truck and help you put on the shackles (or watch if its a one man job). Just about any day works for me. Just let me know when you plan on doing it and email me. What town do you live in? I'm in Addison and work in Streamwood. I know you told me before but I forgot.

That's a good idea about having a spare set of tires. I'd like to have some mudders handy when I want to get dirty.

T-Bone

Well, I am not sure when I will get my shackles. I ordered them from Desert Rat(today) and they said 7-10 working days. My wheels should be here by next friday. I am going to Attica, Ind. on Labor day for a run. You want to come, it is 2nd and 3rd.

Anyways, the shackle deal is sort of a one man thing, but I would be happy let you help so you get some experiance.


I live in Evanston, right on the lake. At most you would be a 45 minute drive, depending on traffic. Check the maps site on yahoo for directions and it'll tell you the est. trip time.

I posted some picks in Before & After, check 'em out.

Matt-
What about the tire site? Where it be?
T-Bone

Oh ya, sorry

http://www.natltire.com/pages/home.html

Originally posted by 2001ExpSport
Hey Kilroy, how did you bend your bumper? You need to stop towing the heavy stuff...

It's NOT bent!:fire: I think my camera was though! :D

hehe.....

T-Bone,
Sorry about the late reply, I have the REP 9000 and I did get the remote cord for it.

Thanks,
Alan
98 Xplorer

Hey T-bone,
I liked your winch/winchmount so much that I bought the Serria Wraparound and the Ramsey Platinum 9500 winch. National Tire actually only charged me 685.00 delivered for the Serria Wraparound and the winch was $800.00, but there is $50.00 rebate for that model. It will take 2 weeks before I will get it.

Ray,

I don't know if they told you specifically that it would take 2 weeks. They told me the same thing(10-14 days), ordered tuesday and got it friday the same week. Needless to say I was surprised.

Cool, Ray! I wish I would have gotten the 9500, but I couldn't justify the extra $100.
They told me it would take about 4 days for the winch and up to 2 weeks for the GG. I got both items within 5 working days. I hope they are as expedient with your order.
One note, the remote for the winch that I received looked slip shod. It was dirty and the bonding between the rubber was starting to open. I called up Ramsey and demanded a new one. I got the new one last week and it looks good.
One more thing, Ray, on the Sierra mount: CHECK all the hardware first thing! They left out 1 of 2 angle brackets. They over-nighted the angle bracket. These two set backs didn't dampen my glee though :) Funny thing about the angle brackets, I didn't put them on. Tell me if I'm wrong, but the angle brackets mount onto the GG mount near the frame/bumper ends, however, they serve NO purpose. They do not enforce the frame/winch mount. They simply clamp on the winch mount. It made no sense. My biz partner is a mechanical engineer and we both looked at the setup for 15 min. and scratched our heads because it served no purpose. Let me know what you think.

T-Bone

T-Bone,
Thanks for the heads up on the parts thing and hopefully they will be as expedient on mine as they were on yours.
I'll check out the angle brackets. I will have to have some modifying done on the mounting brackets as I have a 2" body lift on as well as the 4" suspension lift. Also I have a 97 which the front bumper setup is different than yours. I'm pretty confident that my mechanic will be able to get it to work.
BTW the suspension and body lift are finished, now we're just waiting for the Atlas II transfercase to arrive so it can be put in and then she goes to the gear shop. I won't be able to see her until Friday. Pictures of the lift kit to come soon. Oh I'm still waiting for my American Eagle AE-117 15X8" wheels to arrive also.

Oh man!
Ray, you just brought up a question I hadn't considered. I'm planning on getting that Trailmaster 4" suspension lift! How will that affect my gg mount?? Mayday Mayday! I'm going to have a 4x4 shop to do the lift, maybe they can figure it out. Now I understand about mods affecting mods.
T-Bone

T-Bone,

That trailmaster lift shouldn't affect your winch setup because it is a suspension lift. A body lift would be cause for some mods.

Hey, that trailmaster is a bolt on for the '00. I have air tools if you wanted to save the shop money. We could get some good experience from this. I have already torn apart my suspension 3 times already. I like to tinker..:D
I also have jacks and stands.

Matt-

Hell, I should just pay you the $400, er I mean $25 for the work! J/K. Wow, that's a gracious offer, I appreciate it! Its going to be a few months away, but I'll be in contact.
I wasn't able to help you with you last project, but keep in touch if you need an extra set of hands. Thanks man :)

T-Bone

T-Bone
Matt's right. A suspension lift won't be a problem for the winch mount, only a body lift will cause problems.
After looking at my suspension lift, I am convinced that this could be done at home for all you 98-01 owners. It's a pretty straight forward bolt on.

Ray-

Are you talking about that Ranger lift ala Explorer? The Trailmaster alternative?

T-Bone

T-Bone,

Trailmaster makes a 4" lift for the Explorer seperate from the Ranger. The SOA and SUA is the only difference.

What Ray was trying to say was that for is early model explorer he had to get the Ranger kit and that required some mods. He is also staying with the SUA set up and getting his own leaf pack. Basically he made this kit work for his truck and I think he has a '97.

When you do get your kit, it will come with new springs so you don't have to mess with that. All you'll need to do is take a lot of things off to install the brackets and install the old stuff onto the brackets like is was on the frame. Move some brake line mounts, etc. and install your spring packs and you're set. I am guessing this would be a 8 hour job. The leaf pack will install in less than an hour. The front set-up will be the most difficult as it is the bulk of the lift.

I was serious about the offer, keep it in mind.

Thanks again for the offer, Matt! So you have been dabbling with your suspension, huh? That's great. Man, I have zero experience under there. I'd get under there and crush my body when the engine dropped on me.
It would be great experience to do the install with you. I think I'm going to go with the 15" rims eventually like you did. What wheel did you get again and why did you choose that one?

T-Bone

I bought the 31x10.5R15 BFG MT A/T

One good reason to have 15's is because it gives you more tire between the rim and the road. This is really for offroad use and really doesn't matter on the road. For instance; If you were to hit a large rock or stump, the tire will take the beating and not your rim. Less tire gives a better chance of your tire flatening and your rim hitting the rock or stump. It is hard to explain here, I would have to show you. I saw this big thing on some TNN 4x4 show and they talked about more tire being better. Imagine a huge 33" on a 15" rim, thats a lot of tire. I bought the AR rims because they were steel and will bend if they get a hard hit. They are 30 bucks a piece, I can't go wrong. Now that I have them, I kinda with I bought the Baja rims instead. I will run these for a while and maybe get the Baja's next year or something. I see something different everyday and then I want it so, I will stick with what I have now or I will go bankrupt!....:)

Anyways, The tread is real aggresive and looks cool. They sound cool too. Also, 15" tires are cheaper than 16", that was another of my deciding factors.

Anything else?

Also, 15" tires are cheaper than 16", that was another of my deciding factors.

Ya, I found that one out the hard way, buddyhttp://smilecwm.tripod.com/dvv/anger.gif

What do you like about the Baja rims compared to the ones you have now?

Also, with 15" rims that I will get and the 4" Trailmaster life that we will get, what kind of tires can we expect to put on?

T-Bone

33's should fit nicely.

http://www.natltire.com/media/Ar767.jpg
This is the wheel I have now, they actually look pretty good, but I miss the chrome look.
http://www.natltire.com/media/Baja.jpg
This is what I like a bit better-American Racing Baja
http://www.natltire.com/media/AE-589.jpg
Eagle Alloys AE-589
http://www.natltire.com/media/classic.jpg
Mickey Thompson Specials

[Edited by 2001ExpSport on 08-31-2000 at 09:14 PM]

One more thing, if you get 15" rims, you will have to get a new set of tires.

33" MT's!!!!!! :D

I'm on the same page, my man! I want those mudders now, I regret not getting them in the first place!
Thanks for the pics. I like the American Racing and the Eagles. Those look like polished Alum., I'm guessing they are. This is an expensive hobby, but if you have the cash, its a fun time :)

T-Bone

I saw the Bajas at Pep Boys and yes, they are polished alum.
I was trying to be thrifty when I bought my wheel package. It was either nice wheels and no name tires or BFG MT's and low end wheels. I went for the BFG's obviously and for good reason. They are a great tire and have the same 3 ply carcass w/2 full steel belts and mileage as the KO's. I'll bet I get the same mileage as you because I have thicker treads than the KO. I have twice the tread thickness as your KO tire. I am working on you real good aren't I? I looked at General MT's, they have a 2 ply and low mileage(20,000). I should get 40,000 miles out of my BFG's no prob.

Back to the wheels, the ones I have now are only 40 bucks, Pep Boys is selling the Baja's for $94. I think I might splurg and buy the rims later and just ditch or sell my black ones. I also need a spare, I might order that one from Natl Tire. You don't know until you try these things and you're right, we have expensive hobbies. I have always had expensive hobbies so I am used to it. Before this I used to be big into 1/4 scale R/C planes....talk about cash magnet.

Does anyone have and pics of a pre 95 explorer with a winch mounted on iT? i was looking into it, any ideas?

Yes, check out the webmasters rig.

Rick's Explorer (http://www.explorer4x4.com/tech.html)