10,000 miles with a messed up back?

[Adventure Rooster]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post so hopefully, I do it right... I need some advice regarding a huge trip I have planned.
My girlfriend and I are planning to drive from Denver to Prudhoe Bay and all around Alaska this coming summer when she graduates from college. We plan on driving around 10,000 miles over the course of two months. The plan was to take my truck (1994 Toyota Pickup) that I've been building into an overlanding rig for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, I recently had some serious back problems and now I'm worried about driving that far in such an uncomfortable truck. It's difficult to know how my back will recover over the next couple of months and it's causing a lot of problems. We were planning on replacing the bench seats with more supportive seats from Corbeau but I have no way of knowing how much more comfortable they would actually be. The truck has OME suspension and is quite rough. I need to make the decision soon whether to bail on the truck and start over on something else or stick with it and hope for the best.I'm really worried about my back issues flaring up 400 miles from nowhere while we're on the trip. My first choice if I replace my truck is a newer Tacoma, but it really isn't in the budget. If I could get a really good price for my truck then there's a chance I could finance something newer but I don't think I could get that much out of it.

Any thoughts?


Thanks!

 

[Joey83]

Having backproblems myself I'd recommend going for something alittle newer/more comfortable if possible.

Best of luck both of you :)

 

[Adventure Rooster]

Thank you!

 

[chuckoverland]

Heat blanket helps sooth my back. Other than that i just deal with it. Sucks but is what it is.

 

[Dirty Ape]

I would talk to your chiropractor and get some advice on care while traveling - stretches, time in seat, etc. and maybe map out chiropractic care opportunities, and in advance for along the way. It seems to be a more reasonable and cheaper place to start than buying/selling trucks.

 

[JungleSkunk]

Thats a long rough trip in a 94 yota for an able bodied person let alone some one with a hurt back. 10,000 miles in any truck in that amount of time can get to be hard on the body and vehicle especially averaging 160+ miles a day.

 

[Adventure Rooster]

Thats a long rough trip in a 94 yota for an able bodied person let alone some one with a hurt back. 10,000 miles in any truck in that amount of time can get to be hard on the body and vehicle especially averaging 160+ miles a day.

Yeah, it is definitely a long trip. If I hadn't already put so much time and effort into my truck it wouldn't be so hard to sell it. I guess its one of those "Don't cling to a mistake, just because you spent a lot of time making it" type situations.

 

[chuckoverland]

We loved our 90 yota pickup, did a roughly 5000 mile trip in it once. Wouldve been alot nicer with AC. Only reason we sold it was that it got stolen and stripped of our gear and we couldnt risk dealing with that again.
Would love to see pics of yours on your trip!
Which motor is in yours btw?

 

[MOAK]

I'm a retired over the road truck driver and used to average 3,000 miles a week. The seats in my last couple of decades of company assigned power units cost more than just a few hundred bucks, couple of thousand. If I were you I wouldn't spend money on a newer truck, I'd be looking into two things. You say the OME suspension is really rough, which tells me that your spring rate is too heavy. I'd get a hold of Duffy Biggs at ARB North America, in Seattle, and tell him what you are experiencing. New springs & shocks don't cost all that much money and you can soften your ride up considerably. Then, don't mess around, get a quality seat from Scheel-mann. Yes, they are expensive, but still a lot less than a newer truck, and a lot less than the pain from a bad back. That's what I'd do. In fact, as I get older, I'm thinking real serious about ordering a pair of the Scheel-mann seats. Good luck with your decision.

scheel-mann usa, seating, perfected.

scheel-mann® orthopedic aftermarket seats for long distance travel since 1966. Made in Stuttgart Germany, it does not matter if your journey takes you to Starbucks or the Sahara, we have a seat to support you on the way.

scheel-mann.com

 

[Adventure Rooster]

I'm a retired over the road truck driver and used to average 3,000 miles a week. The seats in my last couple of decades of company assigned power units cost more than just a few hundred bucks, couple of thousand. If I were you I wouldn't spend money on a newer truck, I'd be looking into two things. You say the OME suspension is really rough, which tells me that your spring rate is too heavy. I'd get a hold of Duffy Biggs at ARB North America, in Seattle, and tell him what you are experiencing. New springs & shocks don't cost all that much money and you can soften your ride up considerably. Then, don't mess around, get a quality seat from Scheel-mann. Yes, they are expensive, but still a lot less than a newer truck, and a lot less than the pain from a bad back. That's what I'd do. In fact, as I get older, I'm thinking real serious about ordering a pair of the Scheel-mann seats. Good luck with your decision.

scheel-mann usa, seating, perfected.

scheel-mann® orthopedic aftermarket seats for long distance travel since 1966. Made in Stuttgart Germany, it does not matter if your journey takes you to Starbucks or the Sahara, we have a seat to support you on the way.

scheel-mann.com

Never heard of those! I'll definitely look into it. As for the spring rate, you're right. I bought the suspension thinking I was going to add more weight than I have.

 

[Adventure Rooster]

We loved our 90 yota pickup, did a roughly 5000 mile trip in it once. Wouldve been alot nicer with AC. Only reason we sold it was that it got stolen and stripped of our gear and we couldnt risk dealing with that again.
Would love to see pics of yours on your trip!
Which motor is in yours btw?

That's terrible! I'll definitely be taking lots of pictures. Mine has the 22re 4cyl.

 

[Smileyshaun]

turn down your torsion bars
make sure everything is well lubed
how are the bushing in the rear springs ? what angle are the rear shackles at ?
are the rear shackles tourqe to the right spec?( most people overtighten them )

while not the most sophisticated suspension when loaded down with some gear it should ride rather smooth on the bumps .
what are you airing down to when off the pavement ?

 

[Smileyshaun]

oh and this won't really help ride comfort but replace all your body mounts , it can significantly improve road noise and vibrations through the cab and that can lead to some more comfortable seat time .

 

[Adventure Rooster]

The suspension is only about 4,000 miles old and I followed the instructions to the letter so I'd assume it's all torqued correctly, but I can definitely check. Body mounts are for sure on my list. Not sure about the shackle angle. I usually run 10psi off road, but I'm more concerned with on pavement ride. With a full load of gear it rides okay as far as bumps but it's still a bench seat. I think having something adjustable for that much seat time would be really nice.

Thank for the tips!

 

[JungleSkunk]

Throwing in a pair of aftermarket bucket suspension seats would not be that expensive and only help with the ride quality. I am all about airing down off road but 10 psi seems a little extreme unless your running bead locks and carry equipment to get a tire back on the bead. Even then thats on the low end. Unless your strictly on sand I would keep the Psi up around 15 to 20+ to be safe especially in rock country.

 

[smritte]

Seats have always been an issue. You cant just pop down to the seat store and try out diffrent types of aftermarket. Different seats support different ways. Some of your higher dollar ones are designed more to hold you in the seat during high G turns than they are comfortable. Every time the off-road show comes here, I spend some time sitting in display seats.
The mastercraft Baja seem to fit me well. The Corbeau Baja RS dont seem to have as much padding for my butt. They do fit well though. I found the suspension seats are more comfortable for me as an every day seat.
If you choose to replace your seats, be careful getting something with high sides if your vehicle is lifted. People tend to drag on the outer raised edge getting in and out. It tends to wear that area of the seat and can make it harder to get in.

Scott