Advocate I
2010 VW Treg TDI (now 2015 SR5 4runner) build threadery
- Thread starter Broken Yoke
- Start date
Advocate I
first trip of the season to the Maine North Woods, 708 miles total (includes a 6 hour, 120 mile total side trip to get coffee creamer on day two!). it rained wicked hard on the way up to the MNW that first night. visibility was bad, never got above 60mph on the highway and at one point it actually started to hail.
it was def not the best way to kick off a trip.
it rained for 3.5 days of my 4 day trip and it was still the best trip ever! just me, the dog, three tents, a small woodstove and a ton of dry firewood. the new kenda MT's tires were great and even better aired down and in 4 wheel high! I felt pretty goofy putting a shiny new shovel
on my 4runner roof but I actually used it twice...once to shovel out a huge massive pile (one of three piles) of moose poop next to the fire pit and to dig out/clean out the fire pit later in the weekend. exactly the stuff I planned on using my shovel for, excellent! other highlights included chasing the
fattest mouse I have ever seen around the picnic table while breaking camp down camp @ 3am in the dark and finding a spider on my left hand that was just over half the size of my palm (I wear XL gloves)!
next trip north again in one month!
it was def not the best way to kick off a trip.
it rained for 3.5 days of my 4 day trip and it was still the best trip ever! just me, the dog, three tents, a small woodstove and a ton of dry firewood. the new kenda MT's tires were great and even better aired down and in 4 wheel high! I felt pretty goofy putting a shiny new shovel
on my 4runner roof but I actually used it twice...once to shovel out a huge massive pile (one of three piles) of moose poop next to the fire pit and to dig out/clean out the fire pit later in the weekend. exactly the stuff I planned on using my shovel for, excellent! other highlights included chasing the
fattest mouse I have ever seen around the picnic table while breaking camp down camp @ 3am in the dark and finding a spider on my left hand that was just over half the size of my palm (I wear XL gloves)!
next trip north again in one month!
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so I went snow wheeling twice this month and got stuck twice. the first time I was taking the ME/NH connector road out of Eustis, ME during heavy snow and slid off the road about 8 miles in.
the ditch was mega deep with mud below the 2.5-3 of snow. the pictures don't do it justice, it was mega deep. I figured I would have to spend the rest of the day getting back out until an empty
logging semi came down the road 15 mins after I got stuck...because karma points count! that was the only truck I saw all day except for a taco I saw during the recovery. the semi had to pull me hard and back 90' to get me out.
my bomb proof sliders saved the body but my skid plate got all torn up like a bubble gum wrapper. I have since ordered a new ARB skid plate set. I got stuck a second time near the ME/NH border
during another snow storm while backing down a goat path to yank out my friend's taco. it took 5 hours to recover both trucks. some friends have said it must of sucked to spend
all day digging out trucks vs snow wheelin but I found that time spent wicked fun and educational. we used a combo of a 90' loose winch line (no winch), hi-lift jacks,
badlands 3ton jack and a snatch block to get up and out and then pull my buddies taco 15' straight and then turn around 180 degrees to drive out. the Hi-lift jack worked awesome but it was the badlands
offroad jack that really saved the day by being able to jack the trucks up and out of the deep wet snow. now I am off to source a cheap winch because a warn winch just isn't in the budget.
the ditch was mega deep with mud below the 2.5-3 of snow. the pictures don't do it justice, it was mega deep. I figured I would have to spend the rest of the day getting back out until an empty
logging semi came down the road 15 mins after I got stuck...because karma points count! that was the only truck I saw all day except for a taco I saw during the recovery. the semi had to pull me hard and back 90' to get me out.
my bomb proof sliders saved the body but my skid plate got all torn up like a bubble gum wrapper. I have since ordered a new ARB skid plate set. I got stuck a second time near the ME/NH border
during another snow storm while backing down a goat path to yank out my friend's taco. it took 5 hours to recover both trucks. some friends have said it must of sucked to spend
all day digging out trucks vs snow wheelin but I found that time spent wicked fun and educational. we used a combo of a 90' loose winch line (no winch), hi-lift jacks,
badlands 3ton jack and a snatch block to get up and out and then pull my buddies taco 15' straight and then turn around 180 degrees to drive out. the Hi-lift jack worked awesome but it was the badlands
offroad jack that really saved the day by being able to jack the trucks up and out of the deep wet snow. now I am off to source a cheap winch because a warn winch just isn't in the budget.
12k winch installed and new Dobinsons struts, shocks, coils and UCA's ordered...hooray. I am currently way below factory SR5 ride height front and rear with all of the weight I have.
with the new suspension I should end up around a 1/2" or less higher than factory. I don't have much interest in lifting any higher than I have to. I want to keep/save all of the suspension droop that I can.
with the new suspension I should end up around a 1/2" or less higher than factory. I don't have much interest in lifting any higher than I have to. I want to keep/save all of the suspension droop that I can.
2" dobinson suspension installed finally! I really like the initial ride feel. I haven't measured the new ride height but I should be around 1.5" in the front and 1.75" in the rear above factory ride height after it settles.
