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- #261
Absolutely fantastic trip this weekend. Truly years in the making, where do I even start?!
The truck/tow setup worked fantastic. Rolled across the scales at a bit over 16k, and the mighty Cummins pulled it like a champ. The 40 tracked wonderfully even a few times when I hit 75 on accident. I hit the brakes really hard once and they seemed to work quite nicely through the tow bar brake setup. 4 locking hubs is the prefect setup for flat towing. I have the steering wheel strapped to the seat frame, and it certainly is working well, but wondering if I should allow a little more play?
The 40- this was my first real taste of true off roading in this thing and I'm staggered. It will go anywhere, with ease. Locked, 33s down to about 12psi, and in 4 low, it was unstoppable. And surprisingly comfortable. It was so apparent this is the natural habitat of the FJ40- off-road at 15 mph or less. Some commentary and improvements desired:
- I'm very much looking forward to the new transmission still, as (not sure if I've ever mentioned this) but I hate this damn 3 Spd. Needing to shift down to first at times is such a pain on the trail when it either grinds and won't go in, or you have to double clutch and bump second. Can't wait for the even lower H55f first gear. 1st 4low still isn't quite enough sometimes.
- I definitely need some soft doors. It started snowing one day and everyone really wanted the heat! (which also means I need to get the heater back in as well). Maybe ill just get some of the best top ones and keep them under the back seat.
- I have a wheel bearing or sticking caliper somewhere. I'm getting an awful groan that is certainly rotational, and seems to appear once things are warm. Jabbing the brakes can sometimes make it go away immediately. Its definitely wheel bearing out though, as I could hear it when we left camp, so all four hubs were unlocked and things were still warm, but it was behind the truck so no drivetrain was spinning.
- Rear springs appear to have about had it. We were hitting the bumps a lot in the rear and it's squatting noticebly. The shackle angle on the drivers side looks about maxed out at rest.
- The motor is running fantastic. My stupid high dollar duralast AGM is not holding a charge well, but once it's charged up, the motor really sings. It will make someone a nice runner in a few months when I swap it. But mercy its thirsty. I think we did around 60 miles on a half a tank (granted all between 9,000 and nearly 12,000 ft), so under 6-7 mpg.... This isn't a big concern for me, as I don't drive this thing enough for it to make a dent in my wallet, but dang, that go FAST when you're far away from a gas station! If the 12HT doubles that, it'd be a game changer.
- My front axle may be bent? Both of my front wheels are showing some noticeable camber...
My boys and wife had a blast, the fall colors were absolutely off the charts, and perhaps most importantly, my wife loved it, waxing nostalgic for bumping around her great grandparents farm in rural Maine with her dad in an ancient CJ3 Jeep. We're all hooked! Even my old dog had plenty of space to take a nap!
The truck/tow setup worked fantastic. Rolled across the scales at a bit over 16k, and the mighty Cummins pulled it like a champ. The 40 tracked wonderfully even a few times when I hit 75 on accident. I hit the brakes really hard once and they seemed to work quite nicely through the tow bar brake setup. 4 locking hubs is the prefect setup for flat towing. I have the steering wheel strapped to the seat frame, and it certainly is working well, but wondering if I should allow a little more play?
The 40- this was my first real taste of true off roading in this thing and I'm staggered. It will go anywhere, with ease. Locked, 33s down to about 12psi, and in 4 low, it was unstoppable. And surprisingly comfortable. It was so apparent this is the natural habitat of the FJ40- off-road at 15 mph or less. Some commentary and improvements desired:
- I'm very much looking forward to the new transmission still, as (not sure if I've ever mentioned this) but I hate this damn 3 Spd. Needing to shift down to first at times is such a pain on the trail when it either grinds and won't go in, or you have to double clutch and bump second. Can't wait for the even lower H55f first gear. 1st 4low still isn't quite enough sometimes.
- I definitely need some soft doors. It started snowing one day and everyone really wanted the heat! (which also means I need to get the heater back in as well). Maybe ill just get some of the best top ones and keep them under the back seat.
- I have a wheel bearing or sticking caliper somewhere. I'm getting an awful groan that is certainly rotational, and seems to appear once things are warm. Jabbing the brakes can sometimes make it go away immediately. Its definitely wheel bearing out though, as I could hear it when we left camp, so all four hubs were unlocked and things were still warm, but it was behind the truck so no drivetrain was spinning.
- Rear springs appear to have about had it. We were hitting the bumps a lot in the rear and it's squatting noticebly. The shackle angle on the drivers side looks about maxed out at rest.
- The motor is running fantastic. My stupid high dollar duralast AGM is not holding a charge well, but once it's charged up, the motor really sings. It will make someone a nice runner in a few months when I swap it. But mercy its thirsty. I think we did around 60 miles on a half a tank (granted all between 9,000 and nearly 12,000 ft), so under 6-7 mpg.... This isn't a big concern for me, as I don't drive this thing enough for it to make a dent in my wallet, but dang, that go FAST when you're far away from a gas station! If the 12HT doubles that, it'd be a game changer.
- My front axle may be bent? Both of my front wheels are showing some noticeable camber...
My boys and wife had a blast, the fall colors were absolutely off the charts, and perhaps most importantly, my wife loved it, waxing nostalgic for bumping around her great grandparents farm in rural Maine with her dad in an ancient CJ3 Jeep. We're all hooked! Even my old dog had plenty of space to take a nap!
