Build Advice (1 Viewer)

[jayLC1]

So after a long stretch at the Fabrication shop my rig has has a number of updates. Amazingly it was all courtesy of some guy that creamed my back bumper and lower hatch. I bought a lower hatch the same color, called the paint close enough, replaced the broken tail lights and went to the fab shop.

I bought a 12,000 lb Badlands Apex winch (Aluminum case, nylon lead) for the front and found a brand new open box Tractor Supply Aluminum case, nylon lead 10,000 lb for the back for $225.

At this point I have the following:
- Front winch bumper
- OME Heavy Shocks
- OME Torsion bars
- OME Back Heavy Springs
- Freedom Off Road Front UCAs
- Diff Drop
- Wheel Spacers
- Back bumper with WINCH mounted in the old spare tire well along with a SECOND Battery
- Original Trailer hitch was added back on (need for RV)
- Tire mount on a swing out
- Added hitch though the spare tire wheel for hitch Bike Rack
- The OE muffler hangs down ALOT so it's being replaced with something smaller that will mount up tight (I don't know details)
- Big LED light up front on bumper above the winch

The one thing I feel is needed is some rock sliders so that is the last thing that will be added.

Question: Tell me what other under armor plates or protections might be needed? I know the back lower CAs tend to bend, so I will eventually update those. Am I good for now? Can I switch attention to the top rack and that damn expensive tent?

 

[Caretaker]

“Am I good for now?” Is completely dependent on the type and severity of the wheeling you do.

Depending on how hardcore the trail riding you do is, I would most definitely consider a full set of skid plates. Asfir4x4, Dissent, and a few others make great skids for the 100s. And also hit up Trail Tailor for a set of rear shock skids and lower control arm skids.

If you’re mainly cruising Forest service roads and state park byways, go for the tent and rack first.

I would for sure get sliders sooner than later if you’re doing any kind of wheeling in rocky terrain. You only get one set of rockers.

 

[suprarx7nut]

So after a long stretch at the Fabrication shop my rig has has a number of updates. Amazingly it was all courtesy of some guy that creamed my back bumper and lower hatch. I bought a lower hatch the same color, called the paint close enough, replaced the broken tail lights and went to the fab shop.

I bought a 12,000 lb Badlands Apex winch (Aluminum case, nylon lead) for the front and found a brand new open box Tractor Supply Aluminum case, nylon lead 10,000 lb for the back for $225.

At this point I have the following:
- Front winch bumper
- OME Heavy Shocks
- OME Torsion bars
- OME Back Heavy Springs
- Freedom Off Road Front UCAs
- Diff Drop
- Wheel Spacers
- Back bumper with WINCH mounted in the old spare tire well along with a SECOND Battery
- Original Trailer hitch was added back on (need for RV)
- Tire mount on a swing out
- Added hitch though the spare tire wheel for hitch Bike Rack
- The OE muffler hangs down ALOT so it's being replaced with something smaller that will mount up tight (I don't know details)
- Big LED light up front on bumper above the winch

The one thing I feel is needed is some rock sliders so that is the last thing that will be added.

Question: Tell me what other under armor plates or protections might be needed? I know the back lower CAs tend to bend, so I will eventually update those. Am I good for now? Can I switch attention to the top rack and that damn expensive tent?

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My .02:

1. Sliders then skids. Siders and skids alone make wheeling way more enjoyable for me. It drops the stress factor like little else can.
2. Use the rack for light/flat items and sleep in the car on a proper sleeper setup. A large portion of our customer base for Air Down Gear Up is former roof top tent owners.
3. Forgo the Roof Tent and spend that cash on tires/skids/upkeep, etc... and enjoy the improved handling of not having an extra 150 6' off the ground.

Awesome 100. I love that BFG KM tread. Best looking tire for these out there.

 

[jayLC1]

I live in the mountains and many of the roads are quite curvy. I have REALLY worried about that 150 lbs on the roof with maximum leverage on your center of gravity a bit. I would actually like to hear move about people's experiences with the RTTs if you care to share. My lift was 4" on back before the winch, and extra battery were mounted below in the old tire well on bottom and that steel bumper was added.

Alot of the guys around here buy those small military trailers and put the RTT on that. I have a winch on BACK and front so I am thinking it might help me handle that if I go that route. I have kids so the trailer frees up the seats.

I like your products, those drawer systems are nice! My company is www.mountainfreshfoods.com and we sell the type of emergency food EVERYONE may wish they had on hand at some point in the future. Perhaps we could figure something out?

 

[Mike NXP]

I live in the mountains and many of the roads are quite curvy. I have REALLY worried about that 150 lbs on the roof with maximum leverage on your center of gravity a bit. I would actually like to hear move about people's experiences with the RTTs if you care to share. My lift was 4" on back before the winch, and extra battery were mounted below in the old tire well on bottom and that steel bumper was added.

Alot of the guys around here buy those small military trailers and put the RTT on that. I have a winch on BACK and front so I am thinking it might help me handle that if I go that route. I have kids so the trailer frees up the seats.

I like your products, those drawer systems are nice! My company is www.mountainfreshfoods.com and we sell the type of emergency food EVERYONE may wish they had on hand at some point in the future. Perhaps we could figure something out?

Do you find yourself crawling over rocks with potential to bang up the underside?


Im also very biased towards a ADGU setup. I removed my second row of seats as well and have a load of storage space down there to make up for sleeping in the truck. And if your lucky enough to be single you can still get a fridge back there and a full sleep setup.

 

[jlm43]

1. Sliders then skids. Siders and skids alone make wheeling way more enjoyable for me. It drops the stress factor like little else can.
2. Use the rack for light/flat items and sleep in the car on a proper sleeper setup. A large portion of our customer base for Air Down Gear Up is former roof top tent owners.

I'll second these comments.

Sliders and skids are 100% function > fashion. They aren't really visible and don't add much to the cool factor, but they will help ensure you get your cruiser home looking the same as when you left.

As for the RTT, I opted for sleeping inside the cruiser and I'm glad I did. The biggest turn off for me on the RTT is that I need to pack it up every time I want to drive away. On a quick one nighter I did a couple years back, we woke up to a steady rain. Luckily all of our stuff was packed up on top or sitting in the front seats. I pulled my gear into the back, slid myself into the front seat, and drove off while the wife was still cozy in her sleeping bag.

 

[Patassa]

For me, sleeping with kid/s + dog, + wife in a roof top tent was a non starter. Plus the roof is a ton of valuable free storage space. The hassle of dragging a trailer behind me and having something else to store and maintain was something I didn't want, so I went with the 2 room gazelle for sleeping. Other than it being a little cumbersome to handle (ie, putting on top of the roof), it's pretty fantastic. Def not as fast as the bed being in the back of my front seats but that's not really an option for us.

 

[87warrior]

I live in the mountains and many of the roads are quite curvy. I have REALLY worried about that 150 lbs on the roof with maximum leverage on your center of gravity a bit. I would actually like to hear move about people's experiences with the RTTs if you care to share. My lift was 4" on back before the winch, and extra battery were mounted below in the old tire well on bottom and that steel bumper was added.

Alot of the guys around here buy those small military trailers and put the RTT on that. I have a winch on BACK and front so I am thinking it might help me handle that if I go that route. I have kids so the trailer frees up the seats.

Tent on the roof kind of sucks for a variety of reasons, but handling on mountain roads isn't really one of them. These 100's are heavy and 150lbs on the roof doesn't really hurt their road behavior. Sure its noticeable when in the twisty roads of the Rockies, but not dangerous. I had a tent on top of my 100 for 4 years and finally took it off last year after building a trailer for it. Life is good. I get better fuel economy with the tent+trailer than I did with the brick sitting on the roof. The tent is way easier to setup and take down closer to the ground and without the bulk of the rig in your way. Easy to leave the trailer+tent in case of emergency. No more questions about the box on the roof at gas stations.

 

[jayLC1]

Tent on the roof kind of sucks for a variety of reasons, but handling on mountain roads isn't really one of them. These 100's are heavy and 150lbs on the roof doesn't really hurt their road behavior. Sure its noticeable when in the twisty roads of the Rockies, but not dangerous. I had a tent on top of my 100 for 4 years and finally took it off last year after building a trailer for it. Life is good. I get better fuel economy with the tent+trailer than I did with the brick sitting on the roof. The tent is way easier to setup and take down closer to the ground and without the bulk of the rig in your way. Easy to leave the trailer+tent in case of emergency. No more questions about the box on the roof at gas stations.

I like the trailer idea. That is where I am likely taking it when finances allow. I have three kids so i don't think we can all fit in the LC WITH CAMPING GEAR without one.