Back from Moab....

[CheapThrillEX]

Back from Moab....5 days might be to much for a d35 IFS

We ran
Day 1 Fins and Things and Hells Revenge
Day 2 Kane Creek
Day 3 Dome Platuea and Top of the world
Day 4 Gemini Bridges, Bull Canyon, Long Canyon
Day 5 Poison Spyder, Golden Spike, Gold BarRim

Found the sway bar links gradually were torn apart through the week, and my inner tie rods gradually got more and more play everyday. Enough that I bought a spare at about day 3. Also found the front shocks at the upper mounts gradually got worse as far as the washers and bushing getting torn up, enough that at day five the RF tore apart leading to a cv axle failure. Haven't rechecked the front end and my drive home of 40 or so miles was pretty rough when we got back to Michigan. Assuming I got alot more issues then I know about.

Lots and lots of scrapes and dents on my torision bar mounts, gas tank skid, fuel tank skid, and my rear hitch was a big pita everywhere. My stock l/s in the 8.8 worked awesome though on the rocks and everywhere else. Side steps got readjusted alot through out the week.

Ran alot of trails that the explorer was underrated for and did very well. Winch wasn't used till the last day after I lost 4wd. And we ran all of the obstacles and no bypass's till that point. Now for pics, I have videos I need to organize and upload...

Hot Tub-drove in knowing I wasn't driving out. Intentionally knew it and winched out.

On top of the world

The 5.0L and true 4-lo was priceless

 

[det107]

Awesome !! Can't wait to see rest of pixs & video !! Looks like you definitely had a good time even though the Explorer was almost coming apart-

 

[CheapThrillEX]

Videos Courstey of ALboy

CTB2 moab - YouTube

CTB2 Moab - YouTube

CTB2 Moab - YouTube

CTB2 Fins-N-Things - YouTube

CTB2 on tip over challenge - YouTube

 

[Rick]

That looks awesome Can't wait to get out there next Spring

 

[AspenX]

It's hard to beat a fun trip to Moab. That view from Top of The World is something isn't it. Two tips for you, you have way too much air in your tires. Most guys out there run 10-12 lbs, and your sway bars should have been unbolted. I hope your truck isn't too damaged, but you will always have the memories of a great trip.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

It's hard to beat a fun trip to Moab. That view from Top of The World is something isn't it. Two tips for you, you have way too much air in your tires. Most guys out there run 10-12 lbs, and your sway bars should have been unbolted. I hope your truck isn't too damaged, but you will always have the memories of a great trip.

While my first trip to moab, not my first trip wheeling

Only "damage" to my truck was when the top of my rf shock pulled out of the mount letting the rf droop past the point my cv axle could handle while doing golden crack. And for taking the advice of somebody I didn't know guiding me through instead of taking the line I thought was better . And I bent my rear bumper on kane creek.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LVDNEBEMIM&list=UU2doRK7eX2vzWgy5NmdGAUg&index=8&feature=plcp

I ran 8-10psi in my tires the whole week. I wore out my inner tie rods between the low psi in the tires and constantly running 4lo. I also have 270k plus on my explorer. The only thing I would of done different was remove my hitch, that damn thing was a pita on every obstacle.

I didn't unhook my front sway bars because i have my torsion bars already maxed out and i didn't want to stress my cv's any more then i already do. And i didn't unhook the rear since the tires already flex hard into the sides of the wheel wells.

With all that said. I only winched after i broke the cv shaft and once intentionally. Up until that point I had only winched to get out of mickeys hot tub, which I knew driving into it I had no chance of driving out of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-8wwie7PNQ&list=UU2doRK7eX2vzWgy5NmdGAUg&index=7&feature=plcp

With all the trails we did, I only took by pass's and stacked rocks/winched on gold bar rim and the rest of golden spike after golden crack because all I had was 2wd and it was after 3pm after I broke on the crack. Up until that point I only took one bypass, we didn't look to take any bypass's on any obstacles other then winching on hot tub.

I was only forced into one bypass and that was because I didn't wanna take up any more time with my group to try and complete an obstacle. I think with more time and another approach I could of gotten through it, that was on kane creek.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm30HKDdTEQ&list=UU2doRK7eX2vzWgy5NmdGAUg&index=5&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GciHowon1iA&list=UU2doRK7eX2vzWgy5NmdGAUg&index=6&feature=plcp

For being open front and rear pretty much stock I think we did pretty damn good. I left the trail pig at home and brought my dd for it to be more challenging and I am glad I did....

Trail pig