Really great way to link the Beeline Hwy to Bartlett Lake. Six rigs total. Four 3rd Gen 4Runners, one 2nd Gen 4Runner and one spanking new FJ. Carnage: two broken CV's and lot's of underbody paint removed.

Group shot:


AZ4ME entering the rockgarden (where first CV let loose):



The Wongo 3rd Gen giving it a go:



Moments before second CV disposal:



FJ grinding away:


AZ4ME getting the 3wd strap:


View of Bartlett dam at the end:


Sschaefer3 and FJ carving the dunes:


Lot of fun. Not much traffic but a few horses and a couple of ATV's.

 

nice pics, i like the bumper on the fj, that is by far my favorite one so far. sweet pics,on which trucks did the cv joints give away on??

 

The CV's gave on the two silver 3rd Gens. Maybe silver is a bad color for those rigs.

It will be hard to say what went wrong until they are opened up, but they may have just been overflexed which allowed the joints to pull apart.

Both vehicles made it home without assistance though. AZ4ME was able to run the rest of the trail in 3WD without assistance.

 

removed my axle sat. night. monday i'm putting in the new one. had a nice piece of metal sticking out of the boot. had a good time though.

 

the silver 3rd gen with the t15 bumper, those 35s? and im assuming you are saying he did it in 3wd he had manual front hubs?

 

Yes, manual hubs and basically 35's.

 

Ya, broke my CV cherry by busting my first CV. Changed it out Sunday morning but I didn't have a chance to take it apart to see the damage. I think Lower Terminator started the termination as I thought I heard it clicking on that trail. As Steve said, I have manual hubs and a front locker which allowed me to finish the trail in 3WD after the FJ helped me through the rest of the big rock section. Fun trail.

 

I passed you guys on the 87 on Sat. I was coming back from four peaks. cool pics

 

Brian, truck looks great.

Fun time gents. That is one I have not yet done.

Looking forward to Christmas 2007 to get a done truck down there to play.

 

Great pics, the dunes look fun, never ran them before.

How did the new FJ do in the rocks?
Did he use the rear locker or the A Trac system mainly in the rocks?

 

Looks like it's time for a SAS?

Great pics thanks for sharing.

 

Not sure what systems the FJ engaged on the rocks. It had clearance issues however... and had to winch. It was even running 33's! Did great on the rest of the technical sections and hammered the dunes to everyone's entertainment.

The rock garden was akward and difficult to navigate without some grinding for most vehicles. I like those FJ's alot... escpecially their tugging power. AZ trails do like to test a vehicles clearance though.

 

Awesome pics. Do you have a trail report or directions? That's a run I'd love to take with some friends of mine and leave the wife and kid behind. Doing my CV's this weekend so I'll have some spares, just in case.

 

Take the 87 past 4peaks turnoff and over the first big hill. At the bottom just after the bridge is a left hand turn. Trail begins back in there. Mesquite wash is the general area.

Infact a couple different trails start in that area. Its a good place to explore.

 

I received an e-mail from someone asking why these people running "MY" lift kit were breaking axles.

Neither of these guys were running a Sonoran Steel Lift kit. One of the people that broke a front axle was running the Old Man Emu front shocks and the other Sway-A-Way Coil Overs.

Both of these people have since implimented solutions that I did design. The person with the Old Man Emu front shocks has installed limiting straps to reduce the droop to the same amount as the factory Tokico front shocks. The other has removed his Sway-A-Ways and install the front end we sell with the lift kits, with only one top out spacer.

What was not stated in this post is that there was a truck on the run with my lift kit on it . The Sonoran Steel System 1.1 lift kit. The Red/Silver 1996 4Runner. He did outstanding, walked right thought the place were the others broke front axles. His setup did outstanding on this trail and made it easy for him to tackle the obstacles.

One should not assume that everyone in Arizona or on a run with me, has my products or lift kit installed. I go on runs with people I like, not only people who buy things from me.


This is the truck with the Sonoran Steel System 1.1 lift.

 

nice pics! what were the situations in which the CV's snapped? were both runners front locked w/ manual hubs? or were they open or ADD? were they spinning then made contact with the ground?

 

Too much drop and the axles bound and broke. No one was spinning. It is what I have been saying all along. Front shock length is vital to a good working suspension.