First Snow Trip of the Season

[section525]

Today seemed to be a great day to take the Explorer up to the white stuff. My buddy got off work early so the two of us decided to do some mild trails since we were on our own. He didn't feel his EB was worthy enough yet to take up there so it was just the Explorer.

Anyway, I decided against trailering it up there just to try out the new tires and on-road mannerisms. It did suprisingly well. It was about a 70 mile round trip of highway driving. Little to no butt-pucker the entire way!

On to the pics:

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The beginning of the trail. It sure does look nice on the new tires.


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Getting a little deeper. The snow was pretty pleasant... in the beginning.


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First winching of the day. Don't worry. I used my jacket while pulling.


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Okay, this stuff is getting deep. I was dragging pumpkins the whole way.


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Turning around was easier said than done. I basically winched myself a 180.


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And you know since I scraped pumpkin the whole way down the hill... I'd be plowing snow the whole way back up. I'd say by this point I probably ran the winch in and out about a dozen times.


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And the "back on the road end of the day flex shot". Right on time.




A couple vids:





Things I learned
-When I make the rear bumper, instead of just a receiver back there, I think I'll make it winch-ready. I'm going to order that $300 Smittybuilt that a lot of guys are using. Having a winch in the rear would have saved me a bunch of time. Being that I'll probably be up here 70% of the time, I'm sure I'd use it a lot.

-I need to turn off the auto door locks. I can't count how many times I went to grab the shovel or the tow strap and the damn hatch locked itself.

-Need to order the tire fill kit for the ARB compressor. Lame I have OBA but can't use it.

-I love my winch. A lot.

 

[FROADER]

Kick ass!

 

[specialized7]

damn that truck looks bad ass

 

[DB_1]

Nice! Looks like one of Colins R/C's with the bigger tires:

 

[cybergasm]

So does this mean we can't call him a web wheeler any more ?

 

[RangerX]

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This should be your new avatar!
Just crop off the upper part, awesome pic!

 

[section525]

So does this mean we can't call him a web wheeler any more ?

You still can. This was pretty much the first time since I did the axle swap that I've taken it out further than the local dirt hill park. You could probably call it it's Maiden Voyage

This should be your new avatar!
Just crop off the upper part, awesome pic!

Done!







Also, something I just thought of and maybe I can get some suggestions. My battery really took a beating today. Between the ARB, the 3 hours of winching, and it being a bunch of years old, the gauge on the dash dropped to Low a couple times. Now, is this "normal"? Or do I need a new battery? An additional battery? Or a better Alternator? Or all of the above? I think I bought the Optima in 2005ish. But of course it sat around for a few (*ahem, a whole lot) of months with no use.

 

[Stic-o]

Is that your P/S pump that is so loud in the first vid? :scratch:

 

[section525]

Is that your P/S pump that is so loud in the first vid? :scratch:

It's a combination of that and being in 4LO. My transfer case has been on its last leg for a long time. At Truckhaven '06 it was popping in and out of gear. I'm waiting for it to blow up and I'll go with the 4406... or something more badass.

 

[IZwack]

Lookin great there B.

That grille needs to come off

 

[rookieshooter]

Very nice pics. About the rear receiver mounted winch. They're soooo nice. I've used mine about %50 percent of the winching time. Even when pulling out logs for fire wood, stuck motorists in the snow and pulled a few deer up into the bed of the truck by running the cable up and over the rear spare to a snatch block on upper roll cage and then back to the rear, attach to deer and up he slides on a wooden ramp.
I went through 3 PS pumps before settling on a Chevy Saginaw pump. Now I can turn lock to lock on dry pavement with no squeal.
I agree with IZ on the grill partially. Paint it a Satin Black.
I would love to see more wheeling pics in that beautiful part of the country. The furthest West I've been to was Reno and the Southwestern states.
I really need to trailer up the B2 and make the trip.

 

[DB_1]

... or something more badass.

This!

 

[Tbars4]

..You haven't said what size alt you have..Upgrading to a 160 or 200 amp might be worth looking into...

...Since your rig has sat for so long, pull your alt and battery and have them both bench tested..Could be a failing battery or voltage regulator...Bad or corroded cables and connections could also cause a problem..

 

[section525]

..You haven't said what size alt you have..Upgrading to a 160 or 200 amp might be worth looking into...

...Since your rig has sat for so long, pull your alt and battery and have them both bench tested..Could be a failing battery or voltage regulator...Bad or corroded cables and connections could also cause a problem..

I have the stock 130 amp. 14 years old! So I imagine its an alt and/or battery issue. The cables and connections look uber sexy. Sounds like I should get a 200 amp since I plan on running dual batteries?








Also, just fixed the autolock issue. Here is a great post I found while searching. :

I’ve had same problem, tried few times and it didn’t work, finally found post by Howard and tried one, and it did worked, now I’m having peace of mind, details below:

1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Press the door unlock button 3 times.
3. Turn the ignition off.
4. Press the door unlock button 3 times.
5. Turn the ignition on; the horn will sound.
6. Press the unlock button, then press the lock button. The horn will sound once if the autolock system has been deactivated or twice (one short, one long) if the system has been activated.
7. Turn the ignition off. The horn will sound once to confirm the procedure is complete.

Don’t worry if it wouldn’t work first time, try again, anyway it did worked for me. Hope it will works for you as well,

and this is what you need to do if you know 5 digit entry code, it is easier and quicker as well,

make sure the ignition is OFF and all vehicle doors and liftgate window are closed

1. Enter the 5 digit entry code.
2. Press and release the 3/4 control
while holding the 7/8 control.
3. Release the 7/8 control.
The horn will chirp once if autolock
was deactivated or twice (one short
and one long chirp) if autolock was
activated.

 

[section525]

Very nice pics. I would love to see more wheeling pics in that beautiful part of the country. The furthest West I've been to was Reno and the Southwestern states.
I really need to trailer up the B2 and make the trip.

This is about 150 miles West of Reno. Right near a little town called Mineral (by Mt. Lassen). I've been going up there for many years. I learned to ski in this area at the ripe ol' age of 4. There used to be a ski park on the mountain. I'm getting old.

I agree with IZ on the grill partially. Paint it a Satin Black.

That grille needs to come off

What is wrong with my grille?! :

 

[IZwack]

What is wrong with my grille?! :

Its got unisex written all over it. What you want is a man's grille.

 

[DB_1]

That autolock fix is crazy, who the hell figures this stuff out

And there's nothing wrong with a bling grill

 

[Stic-o]

I think the grill looks fine....If you had black rims, then that would be different.

 

[section525]

Plus once, if ever, I get around to installing those bling Stainless Pro Comp lights I bought a few years ago...

 

[Tbars4]

...Second gens are "chrome challenged"..You need a first gen to get your real Bling grille thing...