Builds 2001 LX470 build LEGUSY (1 Viewer)

[Odyseuss]

We departed on another trip to run several trails south of Moab, including Lockhart Basin. It wasn’t before long that we encountered our first obstacle. A white car darted into my lane head on as I moved over to miss it. Then I watched in the rear view as it moved back into its lane of travel attempting to pass a semi at the end of the passing lanes. It hit the semi between 2 corrosive tanker trailers and spun around through oncoming traffic. I checked on the radio to see if we were all clear. My friend reported that he had been struck by debris, so another friend and I turned back to help. Dave's Land Cruiser had taken a door panel right through the windshield. What unfortunate luck! Somehow the passenger door skin had been ripped from the car and flung into Dave’s truck. Dave was covered in glass shards with minor cuts to his face. It’s good that he had been wearing sunglasses that protected his eyes, after the large object stopped just in front of his face. I could tell that he was going to be fine as he was obviously dedicated to resolving the issues at hand. I checked with the others involved to find that there were no other injuries. Within a few hours, we had sorted things out and divided the necessities into the remaining 2 vehicles and sent the Cruiser off on a tow truck. Dave assumed the responsibilities of riding shotgun with James @Tigerstripe40 as we moved along 1 vehicle less.

 

[TheForger]

We departed on another trip to run several trails south of Moab, including Lockhart Basin. It wasn’t before long that we encountered our first obstacle. A white car darted into my lane head on as I moved over to miss it. Then I watched in the rear view as it moved back into its lane of travel attempting to pass a semi at the end of the passing lanes. It hit the semi between 2 corrosive tanker trailers and spun around through oncoming traffic. I checked on the radio to see if we were all clear. My friend reported that he had been struck by debris, so another friend and I turned back to help. Dave's Land Cruiser had taken a door panel right through the windshield. What unfortunate luck! Somehow the passenger door skin had been ripped from the car and flung into Dave’s truck. Dave was covered in glass shards with minor cuts to his face. It’s good that he had been wearing sunglasses that protected his eyes, after the large object stopped just in front of his face. I could tell that he was going to be fine as he was obviously dedicated to resolving the issues at hand. I checked with the others involved to find that there were no other injuries. Within a few hours, we had sorted things out and divided the necessities into the remaining 2 vehicles and sent the Cruiser off on a tow truck. Dave assumed the responsibilities of riding shotgun with James @Tigerstripe40 as we moved along 1 vehicle less.

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WOW Tell Dave to say a few prayers and count his blessings because that could’ve been so much worse. Glad to hear he walked away with only minor scratches, and it looks like all he’ll need is a new windshield, rearview mirror, and pair of underwear. If that’s not the most Final Destination sequel thing I’ve ever seen....

 

[Odyseuss]

When we arrived in Moab, the rain was falling and it was getting late in the day. After a quick resupply we set out along Kane springs for Hurrah pass. We drove along in warm dry comfort as the soggy trail past by and eventually revealed a legitimate yet muddy spot to camp. In short order, we had set up our tent and awnings persisting to enjoy the evening. It rained most of the night and we welcomed the dry comforts of our trucks as we made our way out to chicken corners and back towards Lockhart Basin.

 

[Odyseuss]

The drizzle let up at times though the damp trail still revealed streams in some places. We made the push up through the most difficult portion of the trail. This narrow rocky climb appeared worse than I’ve seen it before, with a few very large boulders sticking right out representing harm's way. There were numerous smaller boulders that had obviously been stacked before and we weren’t too proud to try and put them to use building what we hoped would be the road that we needed. The pictures don’t do justice to the orientation of how far these large rocks hung into the space that we needed to travel. The slippery conditions did not help us drive further up the construction of rocks that hung onto my sliders and skid plate. After a few attempts at re-positioning and carefully trying to drive my rear wheels through, I conceded that this effort would require some degree of self recovery. We stretched the winch line out to a steadfast rock anchor and used the maxtrax to help guide the rubber to traction. With a strong pull near the end of my line, eventually I was free and past this gatekeeper of an obstruction. I positioned at the top facing downhill, and then pulled the Tacoma up in much the same manner.

 

[Odyseuss]

We were relieved to have made it through the most difficult section of the trail yet we had only covered a small portion of its distance. The rain had resumed during the recovery and we continued to sort out the equipment and keep on moving. We had learned a few things about how to utilize our gear and in some cases tested it to the edge of its capabilities. I tried to exercise some mechanical sympathy yet managed to be a bit harder on things than I usually prefer. In either case, It was time to ease up on things as the trail and the weather let up on us. As the sun began to set, the spectacular scenery and the amazing colors were all around. The occasional stops to take pictures eventually revealed a nice site for camp.

 

[Odyseuss]

After setting up and settling down, we enjoyed the quiet evening of seclusion. The morning mist rose and the clouds moved along as the sun revealed a warmer dry day. After a bit more of the usual 4WD terrain, the trail smoothed out and the pace sped up. We found a spur road that ended at a cliff edge with a nice spot for lunch. We had thought about pursuing the Elephant Hill trail through Canyonlands NP, and decided on another route that would save us a bit of time and keep us outside the park in time for camp. Rolling on past Indian creek, we instantly found people, trucks, trailers and bike setup in nearly every site and parking area. We stopped at the popular Newspaper Rock site where we had previously begun an overland route out through Bears Ears. At this point I had covered a good distance of dirt from Moab to Comb Wash in recent memory. By the end of this trip, that would amount to about 300 miles of dirt in the area that was such a fortune to behold. We cruised out onto Harts mesa and the crowds were more determined to hunt as we passed on in search of a spot to stop. We found an inspiring view from the Abajo to the LaSals, and possibly even the Henry Mountains in the distance.

 

[Odyseuss]

After setting off for the last day of the trip we proceeded to the end of Harts point. We came up behind a group of 6 jeeps on a trail ride with Red Rock 4 Wheelers. We continued behind them as the trail got more uneven and eventually found the Poison Point. “One drop will kill ya”,said the other trail leader. We said hi and farewell as we took some pictures and stocked up on some snacks before turning back the way we came. Upon reaching a soft uneven spot at the bottom of a steep hill, the Tacoma struggled a bit to gain enough traction. A quick stop to let some air out of the tires and set out the maxtrax had it climbing right through once again. Before long we had reached pavement and set off for the home stretch.

 

[saucebox]

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Oh, man! We stacked those rocks! Had my LX and a stock LR3 stuck there for a WHILE trying to get the LR3 up over that top boulder. Lost my disposable sliders on that particular section, too. Kudos to you and crew though—I can't imagine doing it wet.

 

[Odyseuss]

WOW Tell Dave to say a few prayers and count his blessings because that could’ve been so much worse. Glad to hear he walked away with only minor scratches, and it looks like all he’ll need is a new windshield, rearview mirror, and pair of underwear. If that’s not the most Final Destination sequel thing I’ve ever seen....

Yeah, it was a close call for both of us and could have been much worse. Dave is a good sport and appreciated the opportunity to continue on this adventure despite these challenges. I'm optimistic that we'll get his Cruiser back on and off the road again before long. I'll continue to look out for some of those other drivers out there, and keep my focus where it counts.

 

[Odyseuss]

Oh, man! We stacked those rocks! Had my LX and a stock LR3 stuck there for a WHILE trying to get the LR3 up over that top boulder. Lost my disposable sliders on that particular section, too. Kudos to you and crew though—I can't imagine doing it wet.

Your're right, it was a bit difficult driving on the stacked rocks in the slick conditions. That is why I resorted to using the winch. I'm sure that given better traction we could have done better track building.

We learned some interesting things about using the maxtracks. they came in very handy for a few vehicles at a couple points on this trip and several other occasions. When I laid them on the ground in front of my tires, I didn't get much purchase on them until the winch pulled me a bit further over them. On the Tacoma we used them as a wedge ramping up onto a rock. They were surprisingly strong and even helped to get the truck higher off of the obstruction. However, with open front and rear diffs, it still needed a winch. This maxtrax placement might have been sufficient for my atrac 100. Hard to say for sure, but worth contemplating.

The last vehicle in this photo arrived as we were in process of the recovery and the friendly driver offered to help. His vehicle, an older Montero was locked front and rear with a shorter wheel base and large tires. In the end, Maxtracks were sufficient to get that vehicle rolling through.

While my sliders performed excellent at supporting the vehicle weight and protecting it, some damage was not avoided. We did manage to crack some portions of the maxtrax and a skid plate.

 

[Odyseuss]

Here is the video from the trip.

 

[geanes]

That looks AMAZING! So inspiring for my 2019 Utah trip!

 

[ikarus]

Wow dude, Lockhart while raining? That's awesome!

 

[saucebox]

Your're right, it was a bit difficult driving on the stacked rocks in the slick conditions. That is why I resorted to using the winch. I'm sure that given better traction we could have done better track building.

No doubt. After several hours of getting the LR3 over that boulder, it was well after dark. I winched up over that last bit myself. Last in our caravan was a triple-locked 80 on 37s that made the rest of us just look silly.

And we didn't have to do it wet.

 

[Odyseuss]

Since this trip stopped at Newspaper Rock along the way, And a recent previous route started at that same location, we were able to connect a route of mostly dirt roads from Moab to comb wash covering over 300 miles of trails in the area. @geanes I'd be happy to trade some tracks with you if it helps you plan your trip. We were also able to use these trips to gather Intel or prerun for some future events. Something that is usually on my mind, especially when I see a section of trail that I have to come back for another time.

I had given the truck a good pretrip inspection to keep up on maintenance, replacing the usual wiper blades and air filter. I did also manage to stress a few items, so a damage report is in order. Fortunately there were no breakdowns or complete failures and no trail repairs were required. The cracked Maxtrax is still very use able and will remain in service. However, the stress was too great for the rear Dissent skid plate and it distorted enough to crack several welds and does not appear repairable for the future sustained use that I will require.

It looks like any repair will result in a weaker condition, as the welds are the weak point and Aluminum isn't particularly well suited to bending back and forth. The skidplate bent up until it touched the exhaust, but no other significant damage was done to any of the components above it. Its hard to say what might have happened to other components had the skid not been there. The damaged area of the skid was clear of some more valuable components, though the factory guard would have offered little protection and there was potential for more expensive damage. It would be nice if the skid had been stronger and sustained less damage or at least been repairable after, as I believe a steel unit should be. I should have favored a steel design instead of aluminum for this purpose. Several years ago, when we ran this trail, a friend put a large dent in his Slee skid on this same obstacle. We were able to straighten that skid fairly easily. So I should have known better. @benc helped me to manage my expectations and offer advice about the product. Since it sounds like he is not interested in offering a steel version, I will likely make my own that is still compatible with the other skids as they continue to serve their purpose.

 

[geanes]

Yikes! That plate took a hit for sure. Glad it did it's job and protected the more expensive bits. Kind of why I'm reconsidering aluminum in that application. Starting to think steel is a much preferred option. Similar to the bicycle industry where a steel frame can be repaired either by re-bending or welding whereas an aluminum is trash once it's bent or a weld has failed.

I'll definitely reach out when I start finalizing my Utah expedition dates for 2019. Would love to coordinate with you and some other Utah cats to maybe meet up and run some trails together. My plan is to get 2-3 of our TX cruisers to come along as well. Kind of a mini-100's in the Hills.

 

[MallX4]

Wow! What a great build thread! The trip reports and pictures are even better. Thank you.

 

[benc]

Unfortunately the rear skid is a tricky one on steel or aluminum. There just isnt much room with the exhaust and transfer case to get much reinforcement.
I went back and forth on what to do on the rear when designing them. Most skids simply have a stiffener bend on the back, this makes it much easier to repair but offers very little strength.
I ultimately decided to triple up the 1/4" aluminum and weld in a crossmember.
It is much stronger that way but the downside is not easy to repair.
A simple steel skid with a stiffener Bend will offer less strength than the tripled up 1/4" aluminum however when you do bend it it is much easier to repair.
this is the third time I have seen similar issues with the rear skid.
The first one went all the way through the rubicon and he had said he didn't believe he would have drove out without the skids. The only skid that had major damage was the rear. The rest held up extremely well.
For that reason a steel reinforcement crossmember is being designed for the hard core guys as an option.
I still firmly believe for 99% of 100 owners aluminum is the way to go.
I do not plan on offering a full steel kit but will be offering some reinforcements.
Imo and experience a simple 3/16" steel skid without reinforcement will disappoint with hard use. A steel internally reinforced skid like my aluminum ones will be stronger but extremely heavy.
These are some old pics as you can see with just the rear stiffener bend on the back lol most others, this was extremely week. You can also see how the other 2 skids are reinforced.

Sorry for the busted skid but I'm glad it did it's job to protect your under side and get you back home.
I will send you a reinforcement plate when they are done if you haven't already done something different.

 

[Odyseuss]

Thanks for the reply and feedback @benc I like to hear your ideas about the design process. It is reassuring that no other damage was done beyond that of the skids. Ideally, It would be nice to have a skid that survives without significant damage or is at least repairable to some degree.

I appreciate your concern and support with the offer for a reinforcement plate. This wasn't an idea that we previously discussed and might be beneficial for those with plates resembling their intended form. It might be interesting to know quite what that would look like, how it would fit, or when it would be available. At this point I doubt that it would work for this plate, so I would need to order another new rear skid as well, in order to go that route.

I haven't settled on a final solution yet, though I have been considering a variety of options for a replacement skid. I might just make my own as I will need it fairly soon and might be able to put off some other projects and get after this. I still intend to make it compatible with the other 2 plates that I already have cause they are still in usable albeit somewhat tweaked condition. I would likely go with a reinforced steel design. I appreciate the thoughts and ideas shared here, and will plan to report back with things as they progress.

Here are a few more pictures of the skid plates while we are on the topic.

Here are the mounting plates for the rear bolts the 2 on the bottom are the ones I made of steel during the install.

 

[Odyseuss]

After sorting out a few other things, I found some time to build a new rear skid plate. I looked at a few of the other options on the market, and considered several aspects of the design. Based on previous experiences, I had a much better idea of what I wanted. Still, it took some thought to figure it out, and hopefully it performs well. I had some concerns about the fit and clearances of some of the other skids that I’ve worked with. I took advantage of this opportunity to build it myself and specifically to fit what I wanted for this vehicle.


One of my primary concerns was the overall ground clearance of the skid plate. I don’t really want it to hit on stuff that I could have cleared without the skid, though it will have to take up some space and be more likely to hit. I figure its a necessary evil to sit level with the bottom of the main cross member.

So I want it to be able to:

- withstand a hit with minimal intrusion into the precious ground clearance.

- be repairable.

- be reasonable to remove and install

- offer adequate protection.

- fit with the factory cross member and other plates.

- to be able to mount on its own.

- not weigh more than necessary. It weighs 58lbs, and I guess that will have to do.

- offer functional access to the Torsion bar adjusters, T- case plugs, Rear U-joint, some inspection, cleaning and drainage etc…


I was able to purchase more than enough steel material for less than $100, so I figured that was a decent start.

I used 3/16 plate and some ⅛ and ½ inch pieces for additional structure.

I welded in an angle iron catch that will rest on the edge of the cross member and support the weight while I line up the bolts for installation.

Reinforcements were added to the center and sides that sit up against the cross member, so as to distribute the stress of extensive pressure.