My '85 is not a DD, but that is a good point. When I was wheeling my Taco, I had a tonneau cover and kept everything in it all the time anyway. I think it more depends on how anal and nervous you are and what type of wheeling you are doing. It wouldn't bother me at all to go out in "non-remote wooded muddy areas" with only recovery gear, extra fluids, and a tool-bag. But if I were going for a longer amount of time or for some hard stuff, I would have more.

 

Let me clarify what I mean by "non-remote": If you can make it up the muddy hill you just came down, there is a state highway (where AAA could get you) 10-15 miles away - probably what most people here 'wheel. You need the truck to run, but not highway speeds or for super long times/distances. I'm not talking about having to drive 100+ mi to get to a parts store/service station (ie expedition travel).

I think it also depends who you are wheeling with. If you're with a bunch of super-capable rigs that can tow you out through an easy way, maybe you can get away with less. This has so far not really been an option for my trips to Wellsville, and I don't want to be that guy anyways, as it further damages your rig and probably the guy helping you out.

If you're concerned about the quantity and cost, you should try to get together with people with similar vehicles and share the load. You certianly don't need multiples of this stuff in your group. That's where here and TTORA come in...

Lastly, I hate not trying something for fear that I may break something I can't repair. This has happened the last couple times out, but sliders should be on soon (Rocket - you have PM, email...) and a lot of those concerns will be lessened.

P.S. note on the infamous BlingTaco picture that the spring is actually repaired with a u bolt clamp - not sure what the duct tape is there for (but there's a bunch of it!). I'm more curious what that big ole' chain is for in the background!

 

towels - to clean up the 4qts that are leaking from the smashed pan. check (duct tape got me home)
bar soap (in the camping supplies) but works great for small holes in a fuel tank. check
2 different events and was glad i only had to borrow 2 qts vs 4

 

Dont forget an idler arm if your are still running IFS.
It sucks to get a cockeyed wheel!

 

does beer count as water?

 

Always! At least IMHO..... Esp if it is blue moon!

 

Here are some good threads TC:

Recovery Gear #1

Recovery Gear #2

Recovery Gear #3


Lamm

 

Good list Lamm. While this was TC's thread I think it has served its purpose for the fact that TC and I are hitting farmington this weekend and were talking about preparedness last weekend in wellsville ohio. Both TC and I will carry different things, but the majority is the same and we appreciate the input.

-Molls "Hoping I don't roll this time" Houck

 

Surprised nobody has mentioned keeping a mattock in the truck. A shovel is great, but if it is undesturbed dirt (as much as it can be) breaking down a rut can bust a shovel handle. Besides, Throw in a softball, instant recreation with a mattock handle and a quick game of trail ball. Besides, makes a good self defense weapon against unfriendly types.

Can't forget the ax or some kind of swiss handsaw for cutting timbers to stick UNDER the tires in a rut. The tread lightly club will love that statement. Just use dead wood not a live tree that is still standing. If it were live or death I would think about a standing tree. Best bet would be to use rocks and boulders to fill in under the tires.

In the army, we look at load needs at 5/4 of the weight and different mire factors. Mire factor 1 up to the axle, Mire Factor 2 up to the top of the tire and Mire Factor 3 up to the top of the fender. For a 4500 lb truck, get that stuck in deep mud up to the fender and you are talking a load of 13,500 lbs. For a safety factor, you are now at about 17,000lbs. You still need to add that weight in for load and all those repair parts everyone wants to carry.

Knowing Murphy will show up, I wouldn't buy anything less than a 30,000 lb tow or recovery strap.

As to food and sustinance. No perishable foods would be best. IF you NEED to put canned in the vehicle, make sure you put in a P38 can opener or carry a knife with a can opener.

Might want to consider some fiberglass tape. This along with duct tape would make for a decent temporary hose repair till you get off the road. Also some short (1") lengths of fuel hose. You would use these to put in and pull them down to stop leaks.

http://usaomms.apg.army.mil/BDARKITS.htm

BDAR is the army's terms for battle damage assessment and repair. You do what you have, with the minimal amount to put stuff back on the road. A 1/4" screw with a hose makes a plug for a fuel tank. Use you pliers to pinch off a tube for a radiator leak. Fiberglass tape for a hose leak, of if need be, use an aluminum can and some hose clamps with duct tape to repair a burst hose.

It's about thinking of different ways to fix stuff which is minimal to pack than a bunch of EXPENSIVE repair parts.

 

Spare birf's... Well for folks not having the luxury of having chromo longs...
Hey don't forget the all fix it wonder JB Weld.

 

A lot of list with CVs.

The 2nd link has "CV if you are ADD (w/o manual hubs)" in the list.

How do CVs fail on the trail? Is it related to the ADD system? Or just an common issue with IFS?

Would full-time 4WD still need to carry CVs?

 

The most common way for CV's to fail is to rip the boot and let all the grease out. This would not stop you.

CV's can break either at the joint or in the splined part of the axle itself. Then you are done. Depending on what year, you may be able to just pull it and drive out in 2WD, but more likely, you're going to need to put another one in to keep the wheel on properly and not do more damage.

If you have manual hubs, you can unlock and not spin the CV, so you could limp out with the broken part to where you could get help. (This is why I'm considering manual hubs, although after seeing Dan break one this weekend, I'm not so sure...)

 

New Pig stuff is awesome for cleaning up fuel, oil etc. but it ain't cheap! Edit: If you have no idea what we're talking about check out this site www.newpig.com

Happened to me on the freeway on the way to the trail one time. A semi in front of me lost a mud flap and when I ran it over, the metal support bracket tore through the gas tank skid plate and put a nice 2-inch long gash in the tank. I carry a new spare repair kit because every five years or so, the patch starts to leak and I have to fix it again.

How about a spare driveshaft? Yea, probably overkill, but I bent mine in Paragon last year and it took me 10 hours to get home keeping it under 45mph. I debated on removing the rear shaft and only using the front one but got mixed reviews on driving like that. Sucked big time but going that slow I got great gas mileage!

 

Wow Idon't have room for all that stuff in my truck. I carry enough tools to repair anything on the truck that could get me stranded, Hi-Lift, tow strap, 1qt of oil, maybe water, and three 10k chains never had to use any of it so far (knock on wood). But I might carry all the stuff listed in the first post if I was planning a long trip and had room.

 

Well I didn't roll this time but I felt like I was going to a few times.... But all the repacking ansd sorting of my stuff made a big difference on this trip. I was easily able to find my snap ring pliars for Bling Taco to use on his hub, like 5 peeps needed zip ties so I now carry that easy access, and the heavy duty plastic I carry for when windows break was essential because my rear window would not come back up and we had a 9 hour drive home through the colorado mountains. I still have not found a heavy duty tape that is bomb proof for making that plastic stick to the body metal but it did ok. (Gorrila tape).

The last peices of essential equipment I was glad to have this weekend... My pocket knife (Used it all the time) and My Q beam flashlight, for route finding when we got lost and it was dark. We really coulda been in a jam without it...

 

I carry a few essential things like tools, spare axle, idler arm, duct tape, tow strap, fire extinguisher, compressor, stock cooling fan (run taurus fan), and some fluids.

I also just got a tire repair kit that has plugs, valve stems, patches, and valve removal tool. Here in the So Cal desert your tires take a beating.

 

In my offroad dirtbike days the simplest extras rules were:

If it moves and it's not supposed to, . . . . . duct tape.

If it's supposed to move and it doesn't, . . . . WD-40.

JB Weld, bailing wire, zip ties, tire repair kit/tools were also widely recognized as good stuff to have along. Old habits die hard and I like to carry this stuff in my truck too. The high temp two part epoxy playdough stuff is good too.

Oh yeah, don't forget a good first aid kit. I even carried that on the bike (with the foam splint in the spare tube bag on my front fender).

[Edit] Hey Mark P . . . . . leave it to us to mention tire repair!

 

Whew that is a list.

I go on Baja trips for a few weeks at a time and I dont bring even close to that.

I bring:

- shovel
- hi lift jack
- oil
- tool case
- tow rope
- tank of compressed air
- tire repair kit

I personally think that your list is way too huge especially if your wheeling in the states where cell phones work or help is within 50 miles...

 

I carry the standard recovery gear. (Shovel, Straps, tools,spare parts, etc..) as well as my Hiking gear. So Flashlights, ropes, biners, glow sticks (VERY VERY useful)

 

I carry most of that junk...couple axles, my oil pan won't be able to be punctured in a month or so, but i'll still carry the oil, other things can blow out, and oil is small...i carry concentrated radiator fluid, plus, when out a ways away, plenty of water...

I carry that becasue even when out not too far, it sucks to be the one begging for a ride or help cuz the junk is broke...it happens, but i try to limit it, plus, if someone else i'm with breaks, i might have the stuff to get them out without too much effort..

I also now have air tools, OBA, and some other nifty things...I carry both bottle and hilift and use the high lift as little as possible.

I suppose having a toy technician would be the ultimate in trail gear, that is a pretty big bonus...you probably won't find that on any magazine list though..