Build "The Milk Truck" FJ45 Preservation Sorta

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Tank5 said:
The next adventure was with @Mike Shull and his friend Wade. He organized a trip up Blanca Peak. This was certainly the toughest trail I ran all summer. The were multiple sections that were challenging but there was one spot specifically that freaked me out more than the rest. It had to do with an of camber ledge overlooking a significant steep drop, certain death is how I thought of it. It made me nervous watching others do it.

Mike testing the crazy line on this obstacle.
View attachment 4078890

I am not sure I want to run this trail again any time soon but I am glad I did it once.
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I drove that trail most of the way to the lake about 30 years ago in my totally stock FJ60. I of course had to stop just short of that obstacle - if not for that obstacle I would have made it to the lake. A friend and I camped at the old cabin ruins and climbed Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point. I imagine it's gotten a lot worse over the years.

Around the same time I drove the FJ60 up the South Colony Lakes trail almost to the lakes. My wife, youngest son, and some friends climbed Humboldt Peak from there. That road has been long closed.
 
4Cruisers said:
I drove that trail most of the way to the lake about 30 years ago in my totally stock FJ60. I of course had to stop just short of that obstacle - if not for that obstacle I would have made it to the lake. A friend and I camped at the old cabin ruins and climbed Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point. I imagine it's gotten a lot worse over the years.

Around the same time I drove the FJ60 up the South Colony Lakes trail almost to the lakes. My wife, youngest son, and some friends climbed Humboldt Peak from there. That road has been long closed.
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I bet it was a nicer drive up 30 years ago. I would not try to take a stock rig up there now but If one were to try I would suggest sliders, skids, and a winch. My 45 and the gladiator are on 37s and the sliders got used. Mikes rig is on 40s and I am not sure if he even knew there were obstacles on the trail. 😁
 
After Blanca Peak we headed to our next destination through Elmo hitting the trail to Tin Cup and up over a fun pass, forgot the name where we tested a barely, but well enough placed sign to redirect a rig back on the trail.
IMG_5314.webp


Best picture from the pass
IMG_5301.webp

We got in late to our cabin for the night which was an adventure to find in the dark. It was a great thing to sleep in a bed after that day but before we did Wade made some midnight steaks that hit the spot!
IMG_5329.webp

The next morning we left the cabin to go over another pass I don’t recall the name of or have pictures of but it had a good view where we also met up with a Veteran overland group mostly comprised of Toyotas. They were a good group to chat with before we headed out of woods.

It was a great time!
 
Tank5 said:
After Blanca Peak we headed to our next destination through Elmo hitting the trail to Tin Cup and up over a fun pass, forgot the name where we tested a barely, but well enough placed sign to redirect a rig back on the trail.
View attachment 4097427

Best picture from the pass
View attachment 4097428
We got in late to our cabin for the night which was an adventure to find in the dark. It was a great thing to sleep in a bed after that day but before we did Wade made some midnight steaks that hit the spot!
View attachment 4097430
The next morning we left the cabin to go over another pass I don’t recall the name of or have pictures of but it had a good view where we also met up with a Veteran overland group mostly comprised of Toyotas. They were a good group to chat with before we headed out of woods.

It was a great time!
Click to expand...

And you guys didnt even stop in to say hi? Lol. Have to drop by next time.
 
Tank5 said:
I was following the leader. Almost had no idea where I was or who was close by. Keep you in mind next time
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All good! Always happy to have people over here.
 
The last camping trip of the summer for the 45 was back to Ouray with my wife. We hiked Brea Creek Trail which has some pretty cool mining history on it. If your ok with some exposure I recommend fitting it in.
IMG_7316.webp

IMG_5478.webp

We headed over to the North side of the range on Owl Creek Road (I think) near the court house range (I think). We took a nice hike up to the base of Wetterhorn and back out to camp for another night.
IMG_5567.webp


On the way out on our last day the rear end of the 45 got really loose. A road side inspection revealed that I lost the rear lower pan hard bolt. I dug through what I had and was able to cobble together a fix using a ratchet strap and spare adjustable limit strap bolt. It did not thread in but I was able to hook the eye of the bolt with the ratchet strap and tighten it up to force it to stay in place.

I then reached out to @RustyNailJustin who I had never met but was aware he lived fairly close to where I was. He and his wife were awesome and allowed me to rummage through the garage to find a proper bolt to replace the hack fix, so we could get home. I really appreciate the hospitality they showed us in our time need. Can’t thank them enough.
IMG_5603.webp

IMG_5602.webp

Ratchet straps have saved me multiple times. Everyone should carry them with their duct tape and baling wire kits. If it doesn’t exist I might have to start a thread to highlight their many rescues.

New bolt got us home no more issues. I still need to swap it out.

IMG_7329.webp
 
Tank5 said:
After Blanca Peak we headed to our next destination through Elmo hitting the trail to Tin Cup and up over a fun pass, forgot the name where we tested a barely, but well enough placed sign to redirect a rig back on the trail.
View attachment 4097427

Best picture from the pass
View attachment 4097428
We got in late to our cabin for the night which was an adventure to find in the dark. It was a great thing to sleep in a bed after that day but before we did Wade made some midnight steaks that hit the spot!
View attachment 4097430
The next morning we left the cabin to go over another pass I don’t recall the name of or have pictures of but it had a good view where we also met up with a Veteran overland group mostly comprised of Toyotas. They were a good group to chat with before we headed out of woods.

It was a great time!
Click to expand...

We went over Napoleon Pass and we came back Cumberland Pass. This was my favorite part of the trip.

DangerNoodle said:
All good! Always happy to have people over here.
Click to expand...

You were invited to come with us but you had other commitments. You will have to join us after SAS this year. We are talking about heading over to the Crested Butte area.
 
Before I departed CO to return to NM I drove up to Grand Junction area to pick up this Bantam trailer to turn into some sort of off road trailer.

IMG_5685.webp

Towed it back to Southern CO where I was staying until I could take it the rest of the way home. That first trip was uneventful.

A couple weeks later I towed it five more hours home. I made the trip back home late at night, so very little traffic. Trailer towed fine. I pulled into my driveway at about 11:00 pm and after getting out of the truck I noticed the trailer was sitting funny.
Morning Pictures.

IMG_5691.webp

IMG_5692.webp

IMG_5694.webp

At that moment I had no idea how long I drove with the trailer like this. I can’t see the trailer behind me at all when driving due the rack in the bed and the single driver side mirror does not see it. No idea. The truck drove fine and it never felt off. There was an obvious drag mark from the hub riding on the road. I made my return trip the following day and was able to backtrack the trailer drag marks in the dirt and paved roads I had driven home. I found the exact spot the wheel came off, where the drag started and even found the wheel.
IMG_5697.webp

It appeared all the lug nut holes on the rim were wallowed out which must have eventually started breaking studs until the wheel came off.
IMG_5696.webp

I drove 18 miles on pavement and dirt roads dragging this thing home without any idea. Holy smokes. I am glad I didn’t lose the wheel on 550 at 80 mph. That may not have gone well even if it was just a rogue tire cruising down the highway, could have been bad. Glad it happened where it did.

I now need a new axle for this trailer.
 
Mike Shull said:
We went over Napoleon Pass and we came back Cumberland Pass. This was my favorite part of the trip.



You were invited to come with us but you had other commitments. You will have to join us after SAS this year. We are talking about heading over to the Crested Butte area.
Click to expand...
I hoped you would fill in the gaps.
 
Too much power Dennis!

Check these guys out for an economical and custom axle for that trailer:

SOUTHWEST WHEEL®

SOUTHWEST WHEEL® is a distributor of steel truck wheels, trailer parts, trailer axles, hitches, brake controllers, and more. Catering to all major Texas cities such as Dallas, Lubbock, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Midland, and Waco, and ship nation wide.
www.southwestwheel.com www.southwestwheel.com
 
Tank5 said:
Before I departed CO to return to NM I drove up to Grand Junction area to pick up this Bantam trailer to turn into some sort of off road trailer.

View attachment 4097439
Towed it back to Southern CO where I was staying until I could take it the rest of the way home. That first trip was uneventful.

A couple weeks later I towed it five more hours home. I made the trip back home late at night, so very little traffic. Trailer towed fine. I pulled into my driveway at about 11:00 pm and after getting out of the truck I noticed the trailer was sitting funny.
Morning Pictures.

View attachment 4097440
View attachment 4097441
View attachment 4097442
At that moment I had no idea how long I drove with the trailer like this. I can’t see the trailer behind me at all when driving due the rack in the bed and the single driver side mirror does not see it. No idea. The truck drove fine and it never felt off. There was an obvious drag mark from the hub riding on the road. I made my return trip the following day and was able to backtrack the trailer drag marks in the dirt and paved roads I had driven home. I found the exact spot the wheel came off, where the drag started and even found the wheel.
View attachment 4097445
It appeared all the lug nut holes on the rim were wallowed out which must have eventually started breaking studs until the wheel came off.
View attachment 4097446
I drove 18 miles on pavement and dirt roads dragging this thing home without any idea. Holy smokes. I am glad I didn’t lose the wheel on 550 at 80 mph. That may not have gone well even if it was just a rogue tire cruising down the highway, could have been bad. Glad it happened where it did.

I now need a new axle for this trailer.
Click to expand...
That’s wild, that you didn’t notice it and it even pulled. Have you ever considered a passenger side mirror? That’d drive me nuts, I need my mirrors.

Enjoyed the trip review and pictures!
 
Ditcherman said:
That’s wild, that you didn’t notice it and it even pulled. Have you ever considered a passenger side mirror? That’d drive me nuts, I need my mirrors.

Enjoyed the trip review and pictures!
Click to expand...


I have considered a passenger mirror but decided not to initially because I didn’t want to add extra hole to install it. I came to the conclusion after this incident that I will try to find a way to add a camera to the back somehow. I used an IPad to navigate with up front, so it could blue tooth to that I hope. Maybe I will have this added before SAS.
 
I have something like this on mine and I love them. They also don’t vibrate nearly as much because they are mounted to the cowl.

www.cityracerllc.com

OEM Windshield Hinge Mount Mirrors with Arms for Land Cruiser FJ40 - Set of 2

Set of windshield hinge mounted mirrors for Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Consists of 2 mirrors with 2 arms. Your choice of flat or convex mirrors.Fits all years. Perfect for open air touring when the doors are removed! Stainless windshield hinge screws are available separately.
www.cityracerllc.com
 
Mike Shull said:
I have something like this on mine and I love them. They also don’t vibrate nearly as much because they are mounted to the cowl.

www.cityracerllc.com

OEM Windshield Hinge Mount Mirrors with Arms for Land Cruiser FJ40 - Set of 2

Set of windshield hinge mounted mirrors for Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Consists of 2 mirrors with 2 arms. Your choice of flat or convex mirrors.Fits all years. Perfect for open air touring when the doors are removed! Stainless windshield hinge screws are available separately.
www.cityracerllc.com
Click to expand...
I'd love to get a set of these things, but I'm curious for the fussy folks out there... What do you do with the holes on the door at that point?
 
RevISK said:
Too much power Dennis!

Check these guys out for an economical and custom axle for that trailer:

SOUTHWEST WHEEL®

SOUTHWEST WHEEL® is a distributor of steel truck wheels, trailer parts, trailer axles, hitches, brake controllers, and more. Catering to all major Texas cities such as Dallas, Lubbock, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Midland, and Waco, and ship nation wide.
www.southwestwheel.com www.southwestwheel.com
Click to expand...
I should add that the trailer was empty except for a couple gear bags. It is very light.

Thanks for the link for axles. They offer 9.99 for shipping that seems pretty good.
 
Mike Shull said:
I have something like this on mine and I love them. They also don’t vibrate nearly as much because they are mounted to the cowl.

www.cityracerllc.com

OEM Windshield Hinge Mount Mirrors with Arms for Land Cruiser FJ40 - Set of 2

Set of windshield hinge mounted mirrors for Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Consists of 2 mirrors with 2 arms. Your choice of flat or convex mirrors.Fits all years. Perfect for open air touring when the doors are removed! Stainless windshield hinge screws are available separately.
www.cityracerllc.com
Click to expand...
The original mirror mounts to the cowl with the same arms. It didn’t come with one on the passenger side and I was trying to keep the original look. I have seen where others have mounted them to the window hinges, not sure I like that either. I may have to rethink the mirrors though.
 
Tank5 said:
At that moment I had no idea how long I drove with the trailer like this. I can’t see the trailer behind me at all when driving due the rack in the bed and the single driver side mirror does not see it. No idea. The truck drove fine and it never felt off. There was an obvious drag mark from the hub riding on the road. I made my return trip the following day and was able to backtrack the trailer drag marks in the dirt and paved roads I had driven home. I found the exact spot the wheel came off, where the drag started and even found the wheel.
View attachment 4097445

I drove 18 miles on pavement and dirt roads dragging this thing home without any idea. Holy smokes. I am glad I didn’t lose the wheel on 550 at 80 mph. That may not have gone well even if it was just a rogue tire cruising down the highway, could have been bad. Glad it happened where it did.

I now need a new axle for this trailer.
Click to expand...
It looks like you weren't far from Seven Springs and Fenton Lake.
 
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