overland

[krokarthecrooked]

Ok gang heres the deal im looking at in 3 year to go from Nevada to the fartherest point i can overland im wanting to go 5:29 gears with 35's on an 80 not worried about highway speed as much as 4wheel. what are ur thoughts and advice i want lockers front ad rear, winch dorkel engel fridge. anything im missin here or ?. ur thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated. BTW im towing my adventure trailer as well


Dan

 

[450 DUDE]

I know a guy that has that set up 5.29 and 35's he doesnt have any probs on the hwy and he says its a little snappier. I had the 4.88 and it was perfect for me.

ken

 

[locrwln1]

I guess the bigger question is which rig? Also, if you are truely looking at an overlanding adventure, say to the tip of South America, then I this is the recipe I would follow:

Lift: OME 2.5 lift with heavy rears, add a set of air bags ($80) from Summit. Keep it as low as you can, trust me it is cheaper and way less headache.

Tires: Toyo M55's in a 255/85r16 or 285/75r16 (the miners and ranchers swear by them) they are extremely tough tires that are a good mix between an A/T and M/T.

Gears: 1FZE=4.88's /3FE=5.29's, that should help with the extreme elevations in SA, plus pulling the trailer, you would probably get better mileage than with the stock gears with 33's

Comfort: Definitely a real refrigerator, they make you question how you got by without them once you use them.

Winch: Sure.

Lockers: Not so necessary, you can drive a car to the tip of South America, people do it all the time. I'm not saying you can't have fun along the way, but remember your rig is your lifeline and breaking REALLLLLLY sucks far from home.

Dual batteries: yes, mainly for being able to jump start yourself and something along the lines of a Ready Welder. Things will fatigue and you will be able to fix it yourself.

Some kind of air source: Either York, Sanden or even one of Warn's winch/Air compressor combos.

Some way to carry extra fuel, that will be a huge peace of mind in those out of the way places when fuel may be a week or two out from being delivered. I would also carry an extra fuel filter or two. Also basic tune up items.

Biggest thing is to ensure the rig is in as good of shape mechanically as you can make it. Even if you think its ready, double check it and replace anything suspect before you leave. Much easier here than trying to find it on the road.

Plus keep it looking as stock as possible and maybe even as unattractive as possible, I wouldn't add a snorkel or anything to "bling" it up.

That would be the basics.

Now having said that, everyone says to not overstress the vehicle, just go.

Jack

 

[psreno]

2 spare tires.

I hate going to Elko on I-80 w/o 2 spares much less somewhere exotic.

"Donde esta Llanteria, por favor" get's old in every other town you drive through.

(Unless you get to drink icy coconut drinks whilst some 10 year old tears into your tire)

 

[thumper]

Your wants sound like what I have.

5.29s, 315s, Snorkel, got a freezer/fridge but it's ARB brand and sitting in the garage till i get some drawers bought/made whatever. I also have ARB front with M12000, 4x4 Labs rear bumper, Metaltech sliders, and Iron Pig skid. Sits on OME heavys front & rear. As for freeway speeds, I usually do 65-70 with some blasts to higher speeds when needed. I also have a supercharger too. I figure @ 68-69 I am doing 2850 or so. My speedometer is off and I am using the scan gauge to estimate my mph. I did check with my gps and it is fairly close. I am happy with the setup. It will keep pulling up Donner with no downshifting with the current setup.

Jon

 

[krokarthecrooked]

Ok well the first trip in 3 years will be from Nevada to lets say Main overland as much as possible one to check things out and 2 for a good shake down of the rig now im planning on using the 95 for this. like i said not to worried about highway speed but would like a good combo. as far as bling there wont be much just the needed items and i think a dorkel might be needed cause of water crossings. was thinkin 4 inch lift and 35's for the clearance and extra capability it will give me mind u im not gonna go crazy but.now i will be pullin the adventure trailer.


Dan

 

[spressomon]

Ok well the first trip in 3 years will be from Nevada to lets say Main overland as much as possible one to check things out and 2 for a good shake down of the rig now im planning on using the 95 for this. like i said not to worried about highway speed but would like a good combo. as far as bling there wont be much just the needed items and i think a dorkel might be needed cause of water crossings. was thinkin 4 inch lift and 35's for the clearance and extra capability it will give me mind u im not gonna go crazy but.now i will be pullin the adventure trailer.


Dan

Gotta tell ya...if the water is too deep sans snorkel you're going to be working overtime to get the AT pulled through that water .

For pure overland explore rig I'd set it up just like TrickyT's 80: 33's and a mild lift. I've been on several fairly rough trails with him and his 80 with less lift and smaller tires than mine is more capable overall. And I don't think he has a front locker!

Keep it simple and keep it reliable. And the nice benefit to this approach is less $$$ spent on that portion of the rig!

Just my $.02 and maybe all its worth

 

[WILLD420]

I'm not an expo guy, but I'll give you my .02 for traveling Mexico.

I grew up 30 minutes from the border and it has changed for the worse, a LOT, since I last visited.

Don't take anything that looks American down there. You want to look like you don't have a "pot to piss in" or you are a target the minute you cross the border. I've known a couple people that had to pay ransom to get home. They were jumped by "Banditos" with machetes and guns who took their truck (90's F250's with old pop-up campers) and left them for dead in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, some Federales came along, saw what was going on and got their trucks and property back. Then they had to pay a little fee to the Federales, but not much.

Crossing borders down there is a little difficult, but not impossible. Just make sure you keep your papers on your person, you lose your papers, you might wind up either in prison, or just detained till the Consulate can get you duplicates. Days, Weeks, or Months, depending on the ordeal.

Not trying to stop your trip, just trying to let you know, if you don't already, that travel to South America is not travel in the U.S. It's a war zone right now AND it's a Socialist/Communist environment there. Civil rights don't exist, and you are seen as a "Spoiled Gringo" once they find out you are from the U.S. Sometimes it helps to be American, sometimes it makes you a target.

 

[locrwln1]

Gotta tell ya...if the water is too deep sans snorkel you're going to be working overtime to get the AT pulled through that water .

Not to mention the distributer and other electrics shorting out

For pure overland explore rig I'd set it up just like TrickyT's 80: 33's and a mild lift. I've been on several fairly rough trails with him and his 80 with less lift and smaller tires than mine is more capable overall. And I don't think he has a front locker!

He doesn't, rear ARB only

Keep it simple and keep it reliable. And the nice benefit to this approach is less $$$ spent on that portion of the rig!

eggzackery

Just my $.02 and maybe all its worth

Keep it clear in your mind that overlanding and rockcrawling are two seperate ends of the spectrum. As has been said, keep is simple and reliable. Almost every person that has traveled extensively throughout the world, has kept the vehicle relatively stock. They only modify it enough to get the job done. We all seem to get caught up in the mod mode, when sometimes it just isn't necessary.

Jack

 

[krokarthecrooked]

Ok well the 4 inch lift prolly isnt a need as much as a want im not really lookin to mod the 80 that much other than lift tires and gears other than that yes it will be stock figured that would keep it pretty simple for the most part not gonna do alot with it other than that.And yes i know about Mexico lived right next to the border for a few years so i know what can go on there like i said iwanna do a state side run before i go other country run. my list of rig do's is lift ,tires,gears,lockers,dual bat,winch,Engel fridge,Aux fuel tank,armor,gps,and thats pretty much it other than that the drive train will be stock. but we are plannin on going from Nevada to Maine Overland as much as possible only hittin paved road if we have to or for fuel and supplies and most of u know i always carry my traveling companion with me all the time. The state side run will be a shake down for the rig and us as well. i appreciate the input and advice its much appreciated


Dan

 

[locrwln1]

Just keep in mind the difference between 2.5" of lift and 4" is considerable. You can have a 2.5" for less than $1k. To do a 4" right, plan on about $3k.

Jack

 

[DirtyHarry]

Great advice here from people who have traveled a lot of miles off road. My advice would be to start with trips in Nevada with your vehicle the way it is now and see what you need, then prioritize and add components as you go on bigger adventures until you are happy with the end product.

 

[WILLD420]

There have been several very good articles written about Mexico expeditions. You can get a very good idea of the road conditions and equipment needed on a lot of those roads from the articles.

I'm sure Dirty Harry has some good links hidden somewhere so you don't have to search for months to find what I'm talking about.