Overlanding, off-roading, mountaineering...? Whatever you want to call it. Truckin'.

[LeadFootLarry]

Love reading stuff like this. About your comment with load E tires, why do you find them necessary @Bracamonte? I’m actually looking at Falken’s to replace the stock KO2’s

 

[Bracamonte]

Love reading stuff like this. About your comment with load E tires, why do you find them necessary @Bracamonte? I’m actually looking at Falken’s to replace the stock KO2’s

3-ply. Ability to take a beating. Sharp hematite, granite, and pegmatite in the high mountain trails can trash tires or destroy them. The truck and load I have is light enough to do Load D rating. The ruggedness of the X3's in Load E inspired a lot of confidence. I read on here others saying they would not overland in anything less than E. I could see how you could almost get away with C in the lower elevations and dirt/sand with some loose rock. Not the case in mountains.

 

[Derek50]

Awesome report and looks like you had an amazing time! How did you know what trails would be wide enough for you to drive on?

 

[Bracamonte]

Awesome report and looks like you had an amazing time! How did you know what trails would be wide enough for you to drive on?

I didn't. Had to do the best I could researching route from home on the computer.

Never got pics of the tight or tense places. There were times there wasn't even room to get out or for it to be safe enough to jump out and get a pic. Sometimes I wouldn't even realize how gnarly and difficult some of the trail was until I'd jump out to **** and then I'd struggle to claw my way back into the truck - slipping and falling. Truck was a beast.

West of the Collegiate Peaks, I had two routes I started that I had to turn around and find a new route. One was so steep, icy, and tight, it was going to take me hours longer than I had anticipated, and there was no turning around should I encounter and insurmountable obstacle. The second ended up in very tight trees at the 11,000ft elevation where I came upon a lot of deadfall over the trail. I packed a saw to deal with potential deadfall, but this was going to take over an hour to remove in the snow. Don't know how, but I managed to squeeze the Raptor in reverse and snake it back the way I came until I could reverse over a large boulder and point the front end back down the trail.

Scraping and tight body fit wasn't as much as a concern for me as being able to turn around was.

 

[MurderedOutSVT]

Dahm that looks like a good time. Thanks for the pics

 

[John M BUNMAN]

Love reading stuff like this. About your comment with load E tires, why do you find them necessary @Bracamonte? I’m actually looking at Falken’s to replace the stock KO2’s

Larry take a look at my KM3’s thread. You will see why I need the E’s anyway. Depends on what your doing though. I loved my KO2’s in E but the C’s got shredded in the Desert heat and Rocks. Any kind of mud the KO2’s turn into Racing Slicks.

 

[deucedevil]

What rack are you running on top of the Retrax? Front Runner? I've been leaning to a BakFlip X4 with Billie Bars so I can functionally use the truck for tall items when necessary. I also will have a Patriot Camper X1-H out back due to family of 4. I'm actually pressing Tuff Stuff to put the Alpha II in a aluminum diamond plate cover for me like they did in the Stealth for the Alpha I. It's possible they could build a few prototype if you are interested.

Few questions:
1) Have you upgraded your leaf springs for weight?
2) What kind of MPG did you get off road?
3) What mapping software/sites do you like to use?
4) Any other incab mods for gps/mapping?

 

[Bracamonte]

What rack are you running on top of the Retrax? Front Runner? I've been leaning to a BakFlip X4 with Billie Bars so I can functionally use the truck for tall items when necessary. I also will have a Patriot Camper X1-H out back due to family of 4. I'm actually pressing Tuff Stuff to put the Alpha II in a aluminum diamond plate cover for me like they did in the Stealth for the Alpha I. It's possible they could build a few prototype if you are interested.

Few questions:
1) Have you upgraded your leaf springs for weight?
2) What kind of MPG did you get off road?
3) What mapping software/sites do you like to use?
4) Any other incab mods for gps/mapping?

Running the Truss rack by Uptop Overland. It is the lightest rack out there at 36lbs! I'd say this maiden voyage was a good test for it holding up to vibration and jolting. Nothing's come loose yet. Pre-drilled slots are nice for accessories, and they have it all lined up for things like the Maxtraxx, Waterports, Rotopax...etc.

1) Definitely had to upgrade leaf springs for weight. I have Icon progressives. TMX said Deaver or Icon, all the same. Just need to have heavy-duty leaves... Also have Eibach springs up front to level it out a bit more so it doesn't look like a dragster. I think it raised the truck 2.5 inches at first. It's settled some and is about 1.75" higher than stock. I'm not big into doing a lot of engine mods and huge suspension mods but I will say updated springs is probably the one must eventually for the Raptors.

2) Got 11 mpg off-road. Sometimes 13. My hwy mpg with the bed rig is consistently around 14.8 mpg.

3) Gaia GPS mapping system. This was at the recommendation of just about everyone out there. Never used it before until now. I've used Alltrails in the past, and paper maps. The Gaia is just much more comprehensive as it is pulling all kinds of publishers and maps out there and combining it into layers that you can mix - even things like current wildfires, Native American reservations, and cell-tower service. Can record you while you travel, guide you on your routes, give real-time status on ETA, distance, mpg, etc. I used the desktop website version at home to route plan (although the iPad version runs more intuitively and smoothly) along with OnX Offroad for discovering routes.

4) I had the iPad mounted with 67-Designs carbon fiber arms, and I also ran the Garmin inReach Mini GPS. I've had this GPS for years. It goes with me everywhere. I like it because it's small and been dependable. It pairs with smart devices on an app, so sending messages, tracking, getting weather...all that can be done from a paired phone or tablet to make quick, easy, and more visually accessible. I paired the Garmin with the iPad running Gaia and would have to say it was essential. Some of the areas I was in had a lot of trails and lots of them that weren't necessarily marked well. The Gaia really helped me stay on track with my route AND find new routes while on the trail due to impassable obstacles.

 

[John M BUNMAN]

Running the Truss rack by Uptop Overland. It is the lightest rack out there at 36lbs! I'd say this maiden voyage was a good test for it holding up to vibration and jolting. Nothing's come loose yet. Pre-drilled slots are nice for accessories, and they have it all lined up for things like the Maxtraxx, Waterports, Rotopax...etc.

1) Definitely had to upgrade leaf springs for weight. I have Icon progressives. TMX said Deaver or Icon, all the same. Just need to have heavy-duty leaves... Also have Geiser springs up front to level it out a bit more so it doesn't look like a dragster. I think it raised the truck 2.5 inches at first. It's settled some and is about 1.75" higher than stock. I'm not big into doing a lot of engine mods and huge suspension mods but I will say updated springs is probably the one must eventually for the Raptors.

2) Got 11 mpg off-road. Sometimes 13. My hwy mpg with the bed rig is consistently around 14.8 mpg.

3) Gaia GPS mapping system. This was at the recommendation of just about everyone out there. Never used it before until now. I've used Alltrails in the past, and paper maps. The Gaia is just much more comprehensive as it is pulling all kinds of publishers and maps out there and combining it into layers that you can mix - even things like current wildfires, Native American reservations, and cell-tower service. Can record you while you travel, guide you on your routes, give real-time status on ETA, distance, mpg, etc. I used the desktop website version at home to route plan (although the iPad version runs more intuitively and smoothly) along with OnX Offroad for discovering routes.

4) I had the iPad mounted with 67-Designs carbon fiber arms, and I also ran the Garmin inReach Mini GPS. I've had this GPS for years. It goes with me everywhere. I like it because it's small and been dependable. It pairs with smart devices on an app, so sending messages, tracking, getting weather...all that can be done from a paired phone or tablet to make quick, easy, and more visually accessible. I paired the Garmin with the iPad running Gaia and would have to say it was essential. Some of the areas I was in had a lot of trails and lots of them that weren't necessarily marked well. The Gaia really helped me stay on track with my route AND find new routes while on the trail due to impassable obstacles.

View attachment 327345

Love the setup with the IPad. How difficult was the 67designs to install?

 

[Bracamonte]

Love the setup with the IPad. How difficult was the 67designs to install?

It's a Builtright base screwed in (that's easy) with the 67-Designs hardware screwed on. The Builtright comes with some instructions as well if you need. Hardest part is bolting a ball-joint plate to the Builtright - trying to get your hands/fingers wrapped underneath the Builtright mount from the front, keep the nuts in place, trying to get the screw bolt through. I found that I liked using wingnuts instead of hex nuts because you can get more finger on them and keep them in place while you screw the bolts in with the screwdriver.