First real trip with the 80.

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Joined
May 7, 2005
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Location
South Jordan, UT
Added photos, 05-20-06

Well, "real" in the sense that serious rock-crawling is still "unreal" to me at this point.

Yeah, my 80 has taken me camping in the San Rafael Swell / Capitol Reef and the Uintas, but this was the first time that the journey was one of the major (THE major) aspects of the trip.

Me, wife, two boys (3 yr. & 9 mo.), my father, brother, sister, brother-in-law (I guess calling a family trip would be quicker) spent 5 days cruising and camping in the Maze District of Canyonlands and the surrounding area. We covered exactly 200 miles between leaving and returning to asphalt and camped in some incredible locations (we moved camp 3 of the 4 nights).

I couldn't be more happy with how my 80 handled the trip.

We ended up hauling a heckuva load of stuff. Water for 5 days 25 extra gallons of gas (between the three vehicles), and all the crap to keep the baby happy and the toddler occupied. The 80 absorbed all our stuff--including 10 gallons of water, 5 gallons of extra gas, and my too-heavy cargo box full of heavy tools, chain, jacks and winch crap--without flinching, and my J-Moose style roof rack did it's job well and was rock-solid the whole time.

The other two vehicles--a Rubicon and a Taco--did not handle their cargo near as gracefully. The Heep just didn't have much room and it's arse was noticeably droopy. The Taco was REALLY sagging, and we ended up swapping bulky light stuff out of the 80 and taking another 10 gallons of water (20 gallons total) and another loaded cooler from the Taco and Rubicon.

The OME Heavy springs kicked butt! My 80 was unfazed and pretty much level with a very significant load.

On the really rough sections (Teapot rock to the Dollhouse was low-range crawling ;) most of the way) the unanimous verdict was that the Cruiser was the most comfortable ride by far, and I was the only one who didn't scrape anything. I can understand why people end up escalating into serious rock-crawling--what looks like a nearly impassable trail to 90% of the nation becomes almost boring in the 80.

The Terra Grappler tires were great. Didn't feel like I really pushed them, but I never lost traction on dirt or rock, and the ride was very nice.

I can't decide if the CDL switch and pin-7 mod were a pain in the a$$ or a nice convenience. Cruising the mellow sections in high range was much better with the CDL unlocked. When driving through sections where the the open center diff
was compromising traction, low range was much more appropriate than the center diff locked in 4-high.
On the plus side, I get the impression that CDL engages quicker with the manual button than automatic when shifting into low. Might be my imagination.


Ultimately, the best praise I can give my 80 is that it took a toddler, a 9-month old, and all their crap through 200 miles and 5 long days of rough desert trails without any tantrums, fits, or toddler drama. In fact, they were incredibly happy the whole time.


Big Land Cruiser, bigger world:
Big%20Cruiser%20bigger%20world.jpg


Crossing the Dirty Devil:
Cruiser%20crossing%20I.jpg


My brother (back seat) has his head hanging out of the truck in at least half a dozen photos. I call it "Look at that tire! II":
Look%20at%20that%20tire%20II.jpg


Heading down into Hatch Canyon:
Into%20Hatch%20Canyon.jpg


Looking beyond the Dollhouse:
Beyond%20the%20Dollhouse.jpg


Coming out of the Dollhouse:
Out%20of%20the%20Dollhouse.jpg


The view from Panorama Point:
Quote from my father upon arriving at Panorama Point, "That's some straight-down sh1t!!"
Panorama%20wide.jpg


The gang below Teapot Rock:
Group%20Teapot.jpg


One PS art filter applied to my 80. I think it looks pretty cool:
ArtCruiser%2001.jpg



If you're up to a long download (94Mb!), you might enjoy this video:

Hayes Maze 2006


Hayes
 
Last edited:
Nice video. Thanks for sharing!
 
Very nicely made vid. We even learned some cool dancing moves..from a pro...:)
 
Hayes said:
I can understand why people end up escalating into serious rock-crawling--what looks like a nearly impassable trail to 90% of the nation becomes almost boring in the 80.



That sums it up nicely. :)
 
Very much worth watching. Nice job!

I am trying to convince my family we should do this or a similar Utah excursion when my wife is recovered from her recent neck surgery.

She still isn't comfortable even thinking about bouncing her new cow vertebrae on a trail...:)
 
Nice video Hayes !!!

I'm heading to Colorado myself in the next few months, should be fun...
 
Hayes said:
In the meantime, if you're up to a long download (94Mb!), you might enjoy this video:
Hayes


That is a FANTASTIC family trip video!!
Watched it with my 4 year old on my lap
and my wife looking over my shoulder.
That's when us New England folk really
envy the the places you in the west get to go.
Thanks for sharing.
 
wont work for me , windows media player refuses to play it. am i doing something wrong
 
You da Man!

Hayes -

What a great video and what a great family outing. Looked like lots of fun and it is great to see someone doing something with their family. If more parents did things with their children, the world would be a better place!
 
Awesome, just awesome !

That is incredible land out there...I can't wait to see it myself just as soon as I finish this sale of my house , pack up, and I am on the way. Thanks for sharing Hayes!

:cheers:
 
Great montage of your trip. Looked like a great family event!
 
Hayes- great trip.thank you for putting that together.it reminds me of the trip we did just after i got my 80.we spent a whole week on the white rim road in canyonlands nat'l park.moved camp just twice! we had 2 coolers and 35 gls of water ,5gls fuel and all the other stuff that was needed,loaded in a stock 80! and it handled it beautifully!
thanks again
Dave
 
Buddy...you got some cinemagraphic skills, I enjoyed your trip.
 
Most excellent job Hayes!, Great vid.

Mind me asking what editing program you are using? I use both Pinnacle (me no like) and Adobe. Again, excellent job.
 
Whattup with those gas cans on the Rubicon? Is that safe?

Pete
 
Hey, thanks for the kind words everyone.
Amatuer video, playing outside, and FZJ80 worship are hobbies that are more fun with the whole gang on board.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.


TiredIron,
Thanks. It makes my day that it made yours. No.

Wildyoats,
It's called "Video Explosion Deluxe." $90. Made by these guys:
http://www.novadevelopment.com/Products/
But I don't see it listed on their website anymore.
I came across it reading reviews of cheap editing software. I think it rocks. Way better than Pinnacle, but I've never actually talked to anyone else who uses it.
I would like to try Premier.

ptmacp,
My dad is real proud of his gas can setup. He even mounted some little "headlights" on each side of the rack to make up for the gas cans completely blocking the actual headlights.
No. I don't think it's safe.

Thanks again everyone.

Hayes
 
Hip hip hooooray! :D

Awesome vid. :D I'm going to be skipping around work today even though its been raining for 5 days and I'll be whistling "the littlest birds" :D
 
Nice video Hayes
I just got back a couple weeks ago from a family camping trip down to the needles. I loaded up very heavy and I only have mediums in the rear, I wish I had Heavies after seeing how much it sunk under the load. Sounds like your heavies handled the load better.

troy
 
Hayes,

My littleist bird turned 8 mos old yesterday. My wife and I were thinking when she hits 10 mos we would be ready for such a trip. May I pm you with some questions regarding expeditoning with a little one? BTW, great video, seeing it made my day brighter.

Buck
 

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