81 BJ42 - I have to bring it home and pass inspection

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tmarx said:
Lexie is looking great Josh ! How much weight can one safely add to a 40 ser roof ? I would love to be able fit our Hannibal Impi tent to Olive, when required for those overlanding trips where :princess: is with me.The problem is that the tent weighs 65kg and so I have been thinking of fabricating a removable exoskeleton/roll cage type rack ? But now Kevin's rack has me :hhmm:
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I don't have the tent on there yet, but the rack weighs about 100 lbs (45kg) with the feet and I don't feel any difference off road. Bear in mind though I have 60 series axles which are 2" wider.

I think an RTT up there will feel fine but I don't know about boxes, jack, etc and then going on anything too off cambre. Of course, Cruisers are inherently stable simply due to the weight of the frame, engine and axles.

Kevin will be able to say how she handled off road with all that weight.
 
The weight was noticeable for sure, but not a deal breaker. I had the tent, two(empty) fuel cans and a 60" Highlift jack up there and did the Porcupine Rim trail with only a couple white knuckle moments. Elephant Hill had the biggest pucker moment when I entered the switchback where you have to back down. I was a bit too far left and she lurched left about as far as she could without lifting the right side. I was carrying quite a bit of weight in tools in the drawers for ballast.

I had excellent spotting on Porcupine Rim from Corbin on all of the ledges and Romer on Fins-n-things in a couple places. Didn't need any spotting on Elephant Hill. I did not bypass any obstacles that I can recall.

If I were to take the 42 to Moab again I would likely build a trailer for the tent and leave it in camp. More for the setup/down time than anything. Early trail starts would be easier without having to pack up. For local overnight wheeling trips I think I'd leave it on the roof.

Josh, I have video of Coastal Kevin getting stuck in the parking lot at Old Faithful. Double locked and double cases, stuck in a parking lot. The snow was melting fast but was still 3' deep in places. It appeared they plowed part of the lot but left the rest to melt. It was 3' over half the lot and dry pavement on the rest.

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Too funny about Kevin's hilux. I do trust he'll not live that down any time soon? Maybe it was the new motor mounts :-)

How did the Surf do since he couldn't use 4wd? I hope Jason gets a Cruiser and makes it down next year.

I thought about a trailer too, just for base camping. Pretty easy to swap back and forth from rack to trailer for day trips.
 
The roads were bare and dry, just accumulated snow in the parking lot. I dared Kevin to go through the snow and he got stuck about 1' from getting rubber on pavement where he would have gotten grip again. The surf never tried the snow and I only put one side in while maneuvering for the recovery.
 
It was funny, you had to be there


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Damn it, that could have gone seriously wrong if you giys hadn't been there to snatch him out, he could have succumbed to both the cold and possible starvation! Goes to show that snow wheeling is nothing to be trifled with!
 
Christian said:
Damn it, that could have gone seriously wrong if you giys hadn't been there to snatch him out, he could have succumbed to both the cold and possible starvation! Goes to show that snow wheeling is nothing to be trifled with!
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Not to fear. Canadians always travel in herds.
 
I fixed the video link in post 907....
 
Awl_TEQ said:
If I were to take the 42 to Moab again I would likely build a trailer for the tent and leave it in camp. More for the setup/down time than anything. Early trail starts would be easier without having to pack up...
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Bingo. Exact reason why I doubt I will ever want a RTT again. It's far more convenient (and economical) to throw a small tent on top of a trailer with a platform. Still off the ground and far more convenient in many ways.

I figured that's why you snobs never came over to visit... :)
 
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COG was the main reason i never got caught up in the whole RTT craze.
even on the highway, COG is important.

sounds like you still had a good time, congrats. all those years in Calgary with the club there and never got down for Moab. my bad.
 
crushers said:
COG was the main reason i never got caught up in the whole RTT craze.
even on the highway, COG is important.

sounds like you still had a good time, congrats. all those years in Calgary with the club there and never got down for Moab. my bad.
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Moab is still here and you're still kicking...not too late.
 
yah, talking with the club down here to try and make a run out next year.
been a bit of positive response ... will have to see.
also talking an alaska run ... stupid me, since i lived in Calgary it would have been much closer and easier.
 
Kev,

I have been meaning to ask you about a review on your tent.
I ended up buying the same tent set up for my rig but I have yet to put it on my truck
(gotta finish the roof rack first)
 
ForealBoreal said:
Kev,

I have been meaning to ask you about a review on your tent.
I ended up buying the same tent set up for my rig but I have yet to put it on my truck
(gotta finish the roof rack first)
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The tent worked perfectly. Setup and teardown takes a few minutes but is faster than a traditional pole tent. One thing I did notice and that confused me for a while was moisture under the mattress when folding the tent in the morning. It was there one day, not the next, and then again the next day. Finally figured it out on a cooler morning when I noticed the condensation on the aluminum bows from exhaled breath. With the windows all sealed up it builds up and runs down the bows to the floor and creates a wet spot under the mattress. Maybe a foot square of wetness. It dried quite quickly in Moab. Was all dry by the time I took the cover off after wheeling all day. With the window flaps open or the door flap open there was no buildup.
 
Ratpuke said:
...It's far more convenient (and economical) to throw a small tent on top of a trailer with a platform. Still off the ground and far more convenient in many ways.
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... If you are Base-camping and day tripping. RTT's really are best for 'Expedition' trips where you move camping locations every day, and do not know what kind of terrain you will be camping on each night.

Last year Shaker and I went to Moab and in 2 weeks, we never camped in the same spot two nights in a row, and camped in a total of 9 different spots. RTT rocks for that type of trip. If you are heading off into the wild yonder and have no idea where you are stopping tonight, it's awesome to know that where-ever your truck stops at the end of the day, you will be sleeping in comfort.

Glad you guys had a great time.
 
Kevin,

Love what you've done with the truck. I spoke with the owner Rob bought it from... Seemed like a decent guy and it looked like a great truck, however, I wasn't up for annother project.

I hope it serves you well... :cheers:
 
15,000km so far this year. Went to Moab, Port McNeill at the top-ish of Vancouver Island, up to Edmonton to Ratpuke's place for a memorable gathering, did the whipsaw trail near Princeton, Ruby lake near Jasper and did the Tarsands Royal Boreal run up in Fort MacMurray. Also did Fischer East, a local trail, and a few other little trips.

Just pulled the rear diff tonight for pinion bearings. Headed over to Peter's (behemoth60) place tomorrow to set the gears up so I can wheel with the locals Sunday out in Waiporous and get a Christmas tree.
 
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