what "trail spares" do you carry

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rc51kid

rc51kid

10 Year 15 Year
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May 31, 2010
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I think there is a really complete thread already about spare parts to carry while traveling. Things like fusible links and belt and so on. But reading a few threads about things that break while wheeling had me thinking about adding a few items that often fail when pushing a truck hard off road. Often i carry the old parts that are in good working order that i replace as PM. For example when i did my birfield i kept wheel bearings and trunion bearings that i removed as a spare. They are of a unknown age and PM schedual so i replaced them. But they looked good enough once they were out. They are obviously good enough to get me off a trail.I am planning on replacing the studs on my birfield soon with new OEM or ARP and figure the take offs will become trail repair items.

I also see people damage drive shafts wheeling. Is a spare drive shaft a good idea or are just spare u joints good enough? What are some other items that are really stressed off road that should be in the "kit" for a 80 that might not be necessary on a simple long distance non "off road trip"?
 
It all depends on what/where/how you wheel.
The rear driveshaft is susceptible to rock damage. I usually carry a spare that is greased and ready to bolt on if needed. It's infinitely faster to swap the entire unit than play around with replacing universals in the woods.
Same idea with steering linkage. I keep a relay rod and tie rod with ends that are ready to bolt on. No adjustments needed.
I have a full front axle kit in my parts box along with complete short and long side axles/birfields ready to install as needed.
Fluids/parts/electrical/etc. In most cases I'm lending parts to others, but I've gone through more than my share of rear driveshafts ;)

Driveshafts.webp
 
jonheld said:
It all depends on what/where/how you wheel.
The rear driveshaft is susceptible to rock damage. I usually carry a spare that is greased and ready to bolt on if needed. It's infinitely faster to swap the entire unit than play around with replacing universals in the woods.
Same idea with steering linkage. I keep a relay rod and tie rod with ends that are ready to bolt on. No adjustments needed.
I have a full front axle kit in my parts box along with complete short and long side axles/birfields ready to install as needed.
Fluids/parts/electrical/etc. In most cases I'm lending parts to others, but I've gone through more than my share of rear driveshafts ;)

View attachment 1344118
Click to expand...
Can the added weight of spare part lead to more breakage ?
 
Broski said:
Can the added weight of spare part lead to more breakage ?
Click to expand...

Depending on what trail you go.

It's just like any other camping gear weight that you would carry.
It's still better to have them when you break something than not having any.

I carry the same that @jonheld carries when I take on Rubicon...

image.webp


I also have fusible links, lug nuts, wheel studs and added to the list:
Knuckle studs and trunion bearing and race.

I've only used a tie rod in Rubicon so far... But in CTW 2016, it's a different story:censor::bang:
image.webp

I may not be using all of these but some other drivers might.
 
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Along with spares, have extra fluids incase a line fails or you get something contaminated like when doing field repairs in a birf. Grease, diff fluid, coolant and brake fluid and atf (transmission and steering use it), engine oil. All good things to carry
 
I don't carry:
- Toyota OEM bottle jack, instead I carry a hydraulic jack with a cradle on top for properly supporting an axle housing. Jack has one 30" long handle.
- hi lift jack and related accessories (total waste of space, too much weight and a jaw breaker or shin splitter). Never needed one!

I do carry:
-potable water
-precious fluids for 80
-both rear axles, both DS's and one Longfield birfield packed with grease (still running the original birf)
- I'm part time Tcase so if a birf breaks, hopefully I can get to a more favorable location where I can take my time and do the project correctly and cleanly.
-usual tools and spare parts like EFI relay, misc hardware, belts, hoses, fuel pump, fusible links, old SS brake hoses,
- a short piece of hard brake pipe with the correct fitting at both ends for using it in any configuration in the field added pic below with p/an
- the short piece of hard brake piping on the front passenger side of the axle housing. This is the pipe that gets sheared when the pass front sway bar mount lets go during extreme articulation! $5 brand new from Toyota.
-54mm socket for front and the weird socket for the rear axle (only gets packed during out of town wheeling trips, otherwise they're in the garage tool box)
-converted MIG spool gun with flux core and for 24vdc operation, make shift hood & gloves.
-jumper cable with one end converted to a welding ground clamp and to allow for 24vdc welding
-welding rods good for welding on corroded metal
-toilet paper (I can think better about the situation when I'm on the throne!!)
- small folding shovel for above!!
-brake cleaner, hand cleaner, etc
-magnetic work lamp that plugs in to a cig lighter added desc
-small tarp
- 1/2" rattle gun too heavy and space sucker
- 1/4" butterfly gun (technically it's for the pneumatic blender but comes in handy at times)
- die grinder
- 3 lb hammer
- old wheel bearings packed in grease
- couple of old spark plug wires
- recovery gear in a bag that gets moved to the second row and strapped down. This is primarily for ease of access during high stress situations.
- hatchet, mostly for making kindlings added desc
-Slinky Big Boy folding wood cutting saw. added
- 3" and 1" wide ratchet straps
- Small USA made folding stool from Ace Hardware EZ Foldz is the brand name. Great for stepping on, sitting, on, laying crap on top, etc. with a fat ass capability ;)
- first aid kit for human + dog, dog shot records
- a wire stripper/crimper kit with assortment of butt splicers added

and probably more but that's all I can think of right now. I go wheeling with lots of local jeeps and most of my tools are used to fix them on the trail :hillbilly:

The single most important thing is to use your common sense and secure your cargo. If you survive a roll over, only to get your skulls smashed in by a flying drive shaft wins you a Darwin award. Don't be that guy! Have a Cargo barrier or some other means of securing all this heavy s*** and your pooch.

edit: here's the p/n for the short brake line that can shear off when the sway bar decides to let go

1611605306799.png
 
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I carry many of the items already mentioned but I also carry a spare starter. When the starter dies in a rig wih an automatic tranny, it's pretty much game over. Also, be sure to have plenty of shop towels and some nytrile gloves just in case that birfield replacement becomes necessary.
 
Broski said:
Can the added weight of spare part lead to more breakage ?
Click to expand...
IME having all the spares you might need leads to less breakage. If I don't have it, I'm going to need it.

The most important thing to take with you is common sense and to not allow your brain to switch off in favor of testosterone. If you can master that, then your chances of breaking parts is substantially reduced.
You also need to be certain the vehicle is in excellent mechanical shape before heading out. The weakest link in a chain will be realized when you're in an unfavorable situation.
 
This give me a start. drive shaft question. I know the front is much more protected from impact. But does it still tend to fail from stress the way a rear one would? Just keeping a eye on overall weight and complexity would it be OK to carry a spare rear drive shaft, assembled ready to go and carry just front CV joints?

Also it looks like the birfield joint would work in L or R side but i know the shafts are different lengths. Is that right? How often do the shafts actually fail if running just 33" tires with lockers? I know they can twist but is that usually just with larger tires?
 
Like mentioned, depends on how extended & crazy(stupid) the planned course is.

Bare minimum if we're going anywhere I have a complete rr driveshaft, and all my winch gear, a toolbox I Rhino lined in & out back when I worked at that shop & it has all the basic handtools, gloves, both nitrile & oiled leather). I keep some lumber under that toolbox & then run rachet straps over the box & lumber from the DS 3rd row seat swing-bar down to one of the cargo hooks in the floorpan.

Also I have the Jack-off kit from Slee to make the hi-lift more versatile (and it lets me get away with just a 48" where lots of guys run a 60")

My hi-lift has a provision direct on my swingout arm, and I bag & rachet strap that rear dtiveshaft to it so I keep it out of the cabin.

I have an inverter so I can either carry my mini air compressor on the PS strapped like the toolbox & lumber, if airing down becomes a thought for that trip. That or I can also bring a CO2 bottle & regulator if I need more air than the compressor can keep up with (just a mini Craftsman w/ ~3 gallon pot/165max) - if I need to bring the 1/2 impact, I bring the bottle just in case.

If we go up in altitude, I carry real chains too (criss-crossing with a bullring down the middle, not the cable chains that run horizontal) - they are also part of my general Winter carry since I live against the foothills of the Cascade range.

That's my basics, that & some extra fluids out in the basket on my other side swingout of the rr bumper.

Beyond that, the best thing I carry is baby wipes / wet wipes for whichever part of my body needs some wipe, be it greasy hands up to sweaty pits on multi-day runs or just plain hitting the woods to "mark my territory".

Wipes, some Fast Orange, and a bottle of hand sanitizer - all things I seem to be the only guy in the group who thinks to bring, IDK why.

Do any of you guys bring some combo of the above 3?
 
rc51kid said:
This give me a start. drive shaft question. I know the front is much more protected from impact. But does it still tend to fail from stress the way a rear one would? Just keeping a eye on overall weight and complexity would it be OK to carry a spare rear drive shaft, assembled ready to go and carry just front CV joints?

Also it looks like the birfield joint would work in L or R side but i know the shafts are different lengths. Is that right? How often do the shafts actually fail if running just 33" tires with lockers? I know they can twist but is that usually just with larger tires?
Click to expand...

Yes the driveshafts in the FR axle are both different lengths - I only ever damaged the short side / PS front when I bent the entire shell, so I ate some splines on the 3rd member end. Aside from that, really if you're on e-lockers only being cautious of the longer splines on RR PS that the dog cuff slides on to lock it is the only concern there for inner driveshafts.

If you have ARB lockers it's not an issue (those rear splines).
 
I carry a new starter. You can't bump start an auto trans. Carrying all suspension and steering parts is a great idea, but in reality they weigh a lot. I Dont like a lot of weight i.e. steering box ( of course I carry a 40 inch spare that I can't lift). A second battery is worth the weight. When you rely on your truck to get you home on the highway, it affects how you wheel off-road. You have to be a lot more concerned about everything as opposed to the Dana 60 buggy that just needs to limp back to the trailer.
 
I carry a spare ECM padded and sealed. Fusible links, EFI relay, all varieties of fuses on the truck, spare wire and ends, alternator, starter contacts.
A jar of the 3 or 4 most common sized Toyota bolts, lug nuts, knuckle stud and nut complete set, inner and outer front wheel bearings, trunnion bearings, all fluids, grease, 5/8 hose, all 3 rad hoses, belts, couple headlight bulbs and a spare rear driveshaft.
Spare battery and spare tire :)
I do more remote travel, solo, with my wife and two kids so it might be a little different.
 
I've basically set my kit up to function on the trail as needed as well as a bug out kit if need be.

Mechanical repair kit
  • One 35" spare
  • One tire patch kit
  • One rear drive shaft
  • Two rear lower control arms
  • Spare belts
  • Distributor cap
  • Bag of misc metric bolts nuts and washers
  • Hoses, clamps, hose repair kit
  • Electrical kit: wire strippers, relays, misc wire, heat shrink butt connectors, 2 fusable link sets, fuses, big dykes
  • 2 Full sets of wheel bearings
  • Front knuckle service kit (you all know what's in this)
  • 100 ft of climbing rope
  • Duct tape, zip ties, roll of rebar tieing wire
  • 2 tool roles
  • Welding rod, electrode holder, goggles
Recovery kit
  • snatch block
  • shackles
  • tree saver
  • old crane rigging strap among others.
Survival kit
  • areial & ground flares
  • various MRE's
  • fire starter
  • Blow torch
  • MSR reactor water boiler
  • Coffee
  • Hand held HAM with cheat sheet containing tri state regional repeaters, extra batteries
  • Machete
  • Blankets
  • Socks
  • Toilet paper
  • Lithium ion battery jump pack
  • Camping chair
  • 300' para cord
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Guns and ammo, that's all the detail you need :)
Medical kit
  • Trauma BLS XTRA bag: set up for large wounds, broken limbs, crushed and fallen injuries. There's enough in this kit to be dangerous if you don't know what your doing.
  • Basic first aid kit
  • Neck brace
Fluids
  • 4qts oil
  • 1qt gear oil
  • Starting fluid
  • Molly grease tube
  • 2 qts dex/merc
  • 5 gallons water (soon to be 16 gallons in tank where spare use to
  • live)
Old photos;
IMG_20160313_223426733_zpsxvgdjumx.jpg

IMG_20160313_223300073_zpszfy0lsjk.jpg
 
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JohnnyOshow22 said:
Along with spares, have extra fluids incase a line fails or you get something contaminated like when doing field repairs in a birf. Grease, diff fluid, coolant and brake fluid and atf (transmission and steering use it), engine oil. All good things to carry
Click to expand...

I would add some spare hoses. I don't have them yet, but I inspect them before my trip. Gotta get them from Joey.
 
Thanks guys. I do a lot of the stuff mentioned. Full tool kit, hi lift, M1200, dual batt system, recovery gear, 2 jerry cans fuel, Scepter can of water 5 gal, small inverted and lots of little spares like belts, spark plugs, bolts, wheel bearings, break pads, small electric stuff and so on.

I dont do any power tools. But i think will add a cordless drill soon. Not really a hand held alternative to drilling holes.
Also need to add a shovel.

But this is the beginning of me considering bigger items that fail. But weight is also really a big deal. My trips tend to be multi day into remote areas. So the gear adds up in weight. It will be a balancing act for spares and weight. So i would rather not go seriously over board. For example U joint are basically small and light weight compared to a drive shaft. So maybe i would do a rear drive shaft since it is more prone to damage and just extra front u joints. If the birfield joint can be used on L or R maybe just carry one spare? It would be a bad day to blow out a birfield. it would be really bad to blow out two.
 
@rc51kid- What type of terrain makes up the majority of your off road adventures? What part of the country? Sure it's a warm fuzzy feeling to know you have two of everything because we never know what our mechanical challenges will turn out to be.
The Rubicon and Fordyce trails are in my back yard so rock crawling makes up the majority of my wheeling for the past 26 years. I have damaged rear shafts but never beyond trail use. Toyota drive shafts are notoriously strong. Perhaps it would be a good idea to take your shaft in to have the tube upgraded to something closer to .100 thick material. I believe mine is .095. it balanced out well and takes some descent hits without giving up. I have a spare rear shaft and plan to start taking it along.
Take A 4' piece of ABS pipe to use for separating a birfield from the inner axle. Slide the shaft into the pipe and then thump the end of the ABS on a rock. The shaft should drop out of the birf. Take extra birf keeper rings. How about a spare set of tie rod ends.
I have done a lot of wheeling on tough trails and have had minimal serious problems As mentioned before, common sense and careful use of the skinny pedal combined with choosing sane lines in an 80 that has been properly prepped is most important.
You could always hire a chase truck so you still have room for food and camping gear in your personal rig if you like to wheel with a heavy right foot. I have a buddy we call "Right foot Rich". He is most entertaining.
 
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