Gary's "Nothing Special" Moab trip

[Gary Lewis]

You don't have skid plates on Big Bro? Both Big Blue and Dad's truck have steel skid plates that cover the transfer case and both gas tanks....

I know that skid plates were an option on the F-250HD in '85, because I ordered one new (I did get the skid plates). But I don't know how often the option was chosen.

I kind of wonder if the people in that video actually know what skid plates are too. In at least one place he's dragging his aluminum side step / running board / psuedo rock slider and the spotter says "it's just your skid plate".

But yes, there are three primary materials used for skid plates: steel, aluminum and a plastic (sorry, I don't know the specific plastic, but it's something that's used in commercial kitchen cutting boards).

Steel is most common. It's cheap, easy to work with and strong. It's also pretty good at not getting hung up on rocks.

Aluminum is next most common. It's light, which is a good thing in a rock crawler (taking stress off suspension and driveline components) and a very good thing in an overlander (which are usually loaded well over their GVWR with roof-top tents, refrigerators and other comforts of home). It's also quite strong. I don't know for sure about the grade of aluminum they use (I doubt it's as good as the military stuff Gary mentioned), but I know that aluminum canoes will catch and gouge when they drag on rocks, so I pretty strongly suspect aluminum skid plates will catch worse than steel.

I don't know that I've ever seen a commercially available plastic skid plate, but I have seen vehicles featured in magazines where the owner built a plastic skid plate. They are very light and very slippery. They are a little harder to work with (you can't bend them well and can't weld at all), so they are usually used where everything has been tucked up so high in the chassis that a flat sheet can be bolted to the bottom of the frame. It's also not that strong so it needs to be thicker (like maybe 1"?) so it hurts ground clearance (but who cares when you're running 40" tires or bigger).

I have a little bit of experience with plastic skid plates. Our next door neighbor has RZRs and he bought a full set of plastic skid plates for his and we installed them on the lift.

They are Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene and are about 1/2" thick. That makes them heavy enough that you really don't want to be laying under the RZR trying to bench press them into place, so two people under it on the lift was a bit help.

They go on with cupped washers in recesses so the bolt heads aren't a snag point. And they work quite well. He said that with the metal skid plates he sometimes came to a grinding halt, but with these he slides right on over like they are lubricated. There were scrapes on them after he took it out, but no true gouges.

This company makes some of them and their advert explains the advantages quite well.

[Nothing Special]

I have a little bit of experience with plastic skid plates. Our next door neighbor has RZRs and he bought a full set of plastic skid plates for his and we installed them on the lift.

They are Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene and are about 1/2" thick. That makes them heavy enough that you really don't want to be laying under the RZR trying to bench press them into place, so two people under it on the lift was a bit help.

They go on with cupped washers in recesses so the bolt heads aren't a snag point. And they work quite well. He said that with the metal skid plates he sometimes came to a grinding halt, but with these he slides right on over like they are lubricated. There were scrapes on them after he took it out, but no true gouges.

This company makes some of them and their advert explains the advantages quite well.

The discussion here and in your rock slider thread prompts me to open a little broader discussion here: What vehicle mods should be done before this trip?

My short answer to that is "no more than you want to do." From what I know of Big Blue from reading your posts over time, I'm confident that he will be able to do these trails as he currently sits. Yes Pluto has some advantages over Big Blue, but this isn't a trip where I expect to be pushing either vehicles limits. Look at my videos from SMORR last fall. We're not doing that on this trip!

So what might you want to do? Obviously anything that you have in mind for creature comforts and just "finishing" things. Your seats and console fit into that category. You're going to be spending a week in Big Blue. Whatever you want to do to make that week more enjoyable is probably top of the list.

As far as anything better prepare him for the trails, the most likely things to hit rocks will be (from most likely to least likely) the receiver hitch, the diffs, the rear bumper, the front bumper and the side steps.

You will hit the hitch. Probably many times. There's not much you can do about that, but there's also not much reason to do anything. You're VERY unlikely to do any damage to anything by dragging the hitch other than putting some burrs on the low points. If you were to remove the hitch you obviously wouldn't hit it anymore, but that would move the rear bumper to the top of the list (more on that later). Or simply trying to mount it higher would reduce the number of times it will get hit (it'd still get hit quite a lot), but again, at more risk to the rear bumper.

Diffs hit rocks when you're rock crawling. Speeds will be low, so there's VERY little risk of damaging a housing. The biggest risk is in damaging the cover. The OX cover is one of the toughest there is, so you're as good as you're going to get there. Having a strong cover on the rear diff is less important because you're a lot less likely to back hard into a rock. My CJ5 had stock covers on both axles and I never had problems, so I think you'll be fine there. But the one thing that might be worth looking at is whether the covers (especially the rear) stick below the housing. If it does it might get caught on a rock and peeled back, creating a leak. The Trail Recon guy had that happen in a Sprinter van / camper he has and it wiped out his rear axle before he noticed it. So checking to make sure the cover is protected by the housing wouldn't be a bad idea. And a flap disk would be a pretty easy fix if needed.

Rear bumper is next on the list. I know you have a plan for a new bumper that would be better at taking hits than a stock bumper, as well as providing a better departure angle, especially by integrating the hitch into the bumper. That's probably a good idea for a trip like this, but I don't think it's necessary. As we discussed above, I think the receiver will keep your bumper off the rocks for the most part (and knowing the bumper is a weak point we can work to that as well). You will very likely drag the new bumper as well, and at least scuff it up. But it will likely be harder to bend than a stock bumper. So if you want to do this in the next few months it might be nice to have it before the trip. But don't drive yourself crazy trying to force this in before the trip. Again, only if you want to.

Front bumper. I know the approach angle on my stock '85 F-250HD was good enough that I would not have been concerned about its front bumper on these trails. You have the winch bumper that cuts your approach angle, but you also have the solid axle swap and reverse shackle kit lifting Big Blue higher than stock. And 33" tires rather than the stock ~31.5". So I don't think this will be a problem. You MIGHT bump a rock ledge with the bumper before the tires start climbing, but if the ledge is big enough for that you'll be going slow. So I can't rule out a little scraping, but that would be about it.

Rockers. I wouldn't have been concerned about that in my '85 F-250 on these trails. Again Big Blue sits higher, but your steps will give up some (most? all?) of that advantage. Still I don't think it'll be an issue. If you want to do anything to strength that area, great. But certainly don't do anything that will make you and Janey enjoy the truck less (like taking the steps off, or replacing them with something that doesn't work as well as a step). And don't try to do too much in too little time and drive yourself crazy either.

[Gary Lewis]

The discussion here and in your rock slider thread prompts me to open a little broader discussion here: What vehicle mods should be done before this trip?

My short answer to that is "no more than you want to do." From what I know of Big Blue from reading your posts over time, I'm confident that he will be able to do these trails as he currently sits. Yes Pluto has some advantages over Big Blue, but this isn't a trip where I expect to be pushing either vehicles limits. Look at my videos from SMORR last fall. We're not doing that on this trip!

So what might you want to do? Obviously anything that you have in mind for creature comforts and just "finishing" things. Your seats and console fit into that category. You're going to be spending a week in Big Blue. Whatever you want to do to make that week more enjoyable is probably top of the list.

As far as anything better prepare him for the trails, the most likely things to hit rocks will be (from most likely to least likely) the receiver hitch, the diffs, the rear bumper, the front bumper and the side steps.

You will hit the hitch. Probably many times. There's not much you can do about that, but there's also not much reason to do anything. You're VERY unlikely to do any damage to anything by dragging the hitch other than putting some burrs on the low points. If you were to remove the hitch you obviously wouldn't hit it anymore, but that would move the rear bumper to the top of the list (more on that later). Or simply trying to mount it higher would reduce the number of times it will get hit (it'd still get hit quite a lot), but again, at more risk to the rear bumper.

Diffs hit rocks when you're rock crawling. Speeds will be low, so there's VERY little risk of damaging a housing. The biggest risk is in damaging the cover. The OX cover is one of the toughest there is, so you're as good as you're going to get there. Having a strong cover on the rear diff is less important because you're a lot less likely to back hard into a rock. My CJ5 had stock covers on both axles and I never had problems, so I think you'll be fine there. But the one thing that might be worth looking at is whether the covers (especially the rear) stick below the housing. If it does it might get caught on a rock and peeled back, creating a leak. The Trail Recon guy had that happen in a Sprinter van / camper he has and it wiped out his rear axle before he noticed it. So checking to make sure the cover is protected by the housing wouldn't be a bad idea. And a flap disk would be a pretty easy fix if needed.

Rear bumper is next on the list. I know you have a plan for a new bumper that would be better at taking hits than a stock bumper, as well as providing a better departure angle, especially by integrating the hitch into the bumper. That's probably a good idea for a trip like this, but I don't think it's necessary. As we discussed above, I think the receiver will keep your bumper off the rocks for the most part (and knowing the bumper is a weak point we can work to that as well). You will very likely drag the new bumper as well, and at least scuff it up. But it will likely be harder to bend than a stock bumper. So if you want to do this in the next few months it might be nice to have it before the trip. But don't drive yourself crazy trying to force this in before the trip. Again, only if you want to.

Front bumper. I know the approach angle on my stock '85 F-250HD was good enough that I would not have been concerned about its front bumper on these trails. You have the winch bumper that cuts your approach angle, but you also have the solid axle swap and reverse shackle kit lifting Big Blue higher than stock. And 33" tires rather than the stock ~31.5". So I don't think this will be a problem. You MIGHT bump a rock ledge with the bumper before the tires start climbing, but if the ledge is big enough for that you'll be going slow. So I can't rule out a little scraping, but that would be about it.

Rockers. I wouldn't have been concerned about that in my '85 F-250 on these trails. Again Big Blue sits higher, but your steps will give up some (most? all?) of that advantage. Still I don't think it'll be an issue. If you want to do anything to strength that area, great. But certainly don't do anything that will make you and Janey enjoy the truck less (like taking the steps off, or replacing them with something that doesn't work as well as a step). And don't try to do too much in too little time and drive yourself crazy either.

Bob - Big Blue's rear diff is no stranger to rocks, as you can see below. And the aluminum cover isn't sticking out below the diff itself, but I don't want to back into a rock.

But I didn't check the front diff, so plan to do so tomorrow.

I'm going to have the "comfort" things done soon, so could look at some other things. And I think the rear bumper would be my choice of things to do that would help. That would raise the clearance in the rear dramatically since, as you said, the receiver is part of the bumper. Yes, we'd probably scrape the bottom of the bumper on rocks, but I doubt we do more than cosmetic damage.

But I'm not thinking that I'm going to get to make the bumper, at least not before the trip. We have a lot going on right now with doctors appointments. And the grandtwins are coming around Easter. Plus we want to take Big Blue on a trip to western OK, which will be a good test of the seats. And there's getting everything ready, including routes programmed into the Garmin.

So I'm doubting I'll undertake anything very extensive.

[BigBrother-84]

You don't have skid plates on Big Bro? Both Big Blue and Dad's truck have steel skid plates that cover the transfer case and both gas tanks.

Nope, Big Bro doesn’t.

Thanks guys for all these information, very instructive!

 

[Gary Lewis]

You don't have skid plates on Big Bro? Both Big Blue and Dad's truck have steel skid plates that cover the transfer case and both gas tanks.

Nope, Big Bro doesn’t.

Thanks guys for all these information, very instructive!

I'll take some pics of the skid plates on Big Blue tomorrow, Jeff. It is a lot of weight that you don't need unless you are doing things like I may be doing.

[BigBrother-84]

I'll take some pics of the skid plates on Big Blue tomorrow, Jeff. It is a lot of weight that you don't need unless you are doing things like I may be doing.

Got it, but I am just curious.

[Gary Lewis]

I'll take some pics of the skid plates on Big Blue tomorrow, Jeff. It is a lot of weight that you don't need unless you are doing things like I may be doing.

Got it, but I am just curious.

Jeff - Here are the skid plates for the Bullnose trucks. The pic on the left shows the two up front, with one for the transfer case and the one for the front gas tank. And on the right is the one for the rear gas tank.

[BigBrother-84]

Jeff - Here are the skid plates for the Bullnose trucks. The pic on the left shows the two up front, with one for the transfer case and the one for the front gas tank. And on the right is the one for the rear gas tank.

Thanks!

Instructive!

[Nothing Special]

Thanks!

Instructive!

Gary, I thought of a couple more potential things for you to do to Big Blue before the trip.

From some pictures you've already posted in this thread I think the first one might not be needed. But if you have the spare tire under the bed I'd pretty strongly suggest removing it and the carrier pieces. Tires don't slide on slickrock very well, which is great when you need traction, but significantly less great if you are dragging the spare tire! The one 'wheeling trip I took with a pickup I just tossed the tire loose in the bed. We won't be getting so crazy that you can't get away with that. But if you want to tie it down somehow that wouldn't be bad insurance.

And you might have already done the other one too. We've talked a few times about a hand throttle. I kind of think the last time we did you had said you were going to get one, but I don't know if I'm remembering that right (or if you've done it). A hand throttle isn't a necessity, but after 'wheeling with one I'll never 'wheel without one, at least with a manual trans. It's really nice to be able to work the throttle while you are holding the brake and letting out the clutch when starting on a STEEP hill. And it's also helpfull to be able to set the idle a little higher for crawling up a rough trail, so you don't have to try to hold your foot steady as you bounce along. With the torque of a 460 it might not be as bad without a hand throttle as it is with a 302. Still, if you don't have one yet I'd suggest adding it. But again, your choice.

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, I thought of a couple more potential things for you to do to Big Blue before the trip.

From some pictures you've already posted in this thread I think the first one might not be needed. But if you have the spare tire under the bed I'd pretty strongly suggest removing it and the carrier pieces. Tires don't slide on slickrock very well, which is great when you need traction, but significantly less great if you are dragging the spare tire! The one 'wheeling trip I took with a pickup I just tossed the tire loose in the bed. We won't be getting so crazy that you can't get away with that. But if you want to tie it down somehow that wouldn't be bad insurance.

And you might have already done the other one too. We've talked a few times about a hand throttle. I kind of think the last time we did you had said you were going to get one, but I don't know if I'm remembering that right (or if you've done it). A hand throttle isn't a necessity, but after 'wheeling with one I'll never 'wheel without one, at least with a manual trans. It's really nice to be able to work the throttle while you are holding the brake and letting out the clutch when starting on a STEEP hill. And it's also helpfull to be able to set the idle a little higher for crawling up a rough trail, so you don't have to try to hold your foot steady as you bounce along. With the torque of a 460 it might not be as bad without a hand throttle as it is with a 302. Still, if you don't have one yet I'd suggest adding it. But again, your choice.

Bob - Big Blue's spare is well and truly strapped down in the bed, as shown way below.

But I don't have a hand throttle, so that's a good idea. The 460 does have good torque, but it would be handy to throttle up a bit w/o using your feet. I'd hoped to be able to do that with the PTO function of the ECU, but it didn't work, so I'll look into a manual one. Thanks!

By the way, Janey's been looking for movies that were filmed out there, so we just watched MI-2, which she'd read has Dead Horse Point in it. If you don't remember it starts out with Ethan Hunt rock climbing and waaaaaaaay down below is a road, and farther down is a river. I told her "I'll bet that's our road and that's the Colorado!" Take a gander at where it is, and I know you know where the Thelma & Louise Point is.