Byron's new toy...

[oldno7]

I had heard they recently shut the ferry down, when were you there?

[Byron]

I had heard they recently shut the ferry down, when were you there?

That was April 28th. The wind was blowing so hard the thing was going sideways and the captain told me mine was likely the last run of the day...and it was about 10am. I was camping and hiking in the Abajo's and used it as a shortcut between Hall's and Bullfrog to Escalante. I was back at Bullfrog with some friends around May 23 (during the heavy wind episode) and noticed it wasn't running.

The lake level is the lowest I've ever seen, BTW.

[Byron]

Also...I mentioned back when I took possession of my camper that the suspension on this truck would have to be upgraded, and upgraded it will be. Even though it's a big, one ton F-350 with the "camper package" it is OK on the highway but totally inadequate off road. The payload capacity of this truck is 4,400# and the total weight on the camper, full gas and water tanks, food, bikes, gear, accoutrements, etc...is 3,800#. So it would seem that the stock suspension would be fine? Not so fast...

This rig gets a lot of attention. I couldn't go in and out of the City Market in Moab with being corned with a 30 minute conversation with someone in the parking lot about it. I talked to a whole bunch of guys with truck camper setups...mostly we talked suspension. Most guys throw on airbags, but for a few hundred dollars more you can have custom leaf springs built. So I stopped at Alcan Springs in Grand Junction on my way home and they'll have them ready by the middle of August. I'll also be putting on upgraded shocks, as the stock ones are shit. The wheels will be replaced with Method beadlocks and I'll move up to 35" D rated tires.

I would have done the suspension upgrades before the camper was installed but I was hoping (against hope) the the stock stuff would be fine. Oh well...what's another 6 grand, eh?

[Byron]

So I just returned from a two week road trip with the camper and it was quite nice...lots of hiking. I spent a week in the Flattops Wilderness at Trapper's Lake and then a week at the Snowy Range in southern Wyoming. The Snowy Range was quite fantastic...absolutely beautiful, majestic place. Kind of like a chunk of Yosemite NP, but this area had alpine mountain lakes, fantastic fishing and a marvelous network of trails all right from the campgrounds. Big loop hikes. I'll tell you what, if you want to find out what shape you're in, go to this place for a week and do 5-12 mile hikes all above 10,500 ft. elevation. That'll let you know what the deal is. In fact, I almost left after two days because I thought it might be too much work and not enough fun...but the place was so awesome I stayed and my body got used to the elevation and it was all good. Check this place out if you're ever in the area as it's worth the trip...even if it's just to drive through.

[oldno7]

Looks like Sugarloaf area.
Only drove through, didn't have time to stop.
Tell me about the fantastic fishing.

[Byron]

Looks like Sugarloaf area.
Only drove through, didn't have time to stop.
Tell me about the fantastic fishing.

Yep...Sugarloaf is where I camped. The best fishing requires hiking...most of the fishermen are only willing to go about 2-3 miles but when you hit the lakes beyond that you're catching them damn near every other cast. Mostly Browns and a few Brookies here and there. The Gap Lakes or anything beyond that and you're good to go. The lakes closer to the picnic areas/campsites are good too, but those fish are a bit more wise...you've got to hit those in the evening.

It's a surprisingly beautiful area. What was really nice was seeing absolutely no trash anywhere...none. The whole place is a "pack it in, pack it out" area and there are no trash bins at the picnic grounds or any of the parking lots...the only dumpsters are at the campsites. Yet riding my bike around in the evenings showed that people "get it". That was also a nice surprise because it seems like folks have gotten a bit trashier since the 90s.

[qedcook]

Snowy is one of those places that is still a secret from most of the public. I hope it stays that way for a bit. I'm hoping to get up there this year actually.

[Byron]

Snowy is one of those places that is still a secret from most of the public. I hope it stays that way for a bit. I'm hoping to get up there this year actually.

Yeah...most folks are concentrating on areas to the south or north...RMNP or Steamboat, Teton, Wind and Yellowstone. Mostly locals with one night campers/road trippers making the drive. Bring all the water you'll need, as the hand pumps at the campgrounds are nearly useless for campers. They're more like glorified drinking fountains...when they're working.

Great place...accessible wilderness with a Lords of the Ring feel to it.

[Byron]

Here's a pic of the rig on my most recent road trip...

[Byron]

So I was flying my drone around the Horsethief campground northwest of Moab and the host was making her rounds collecting post tags. She'd never seen a drone in action before so I brought it in for a picture. Drones are fun.

[Byron]

I call it the "Cylon"...because from the front it looks like the robots from Battlestar Galactica. I've recently done some upgrades to the suspension...new rear leaf springs and shocks all the way around...really made a HUGE difference in the handling! It drives like a truck now instead of a lumbering whale. The drivetrain is fantastic...it'll go 80MPH up anything you want it to...but the stock suspension was miserable. I firmly believe that these heavy duty trucks are more suited for towing than hauling in stock form.

[outdoorchore]

Nice! What a hookup

[kiwi_outdoors]

with bigger tires is your turning radius decreased?

[Byron]

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with bigger tires is your turning radius decreased?

Not really...I think you'd have to upsize quite considerably to make a real difference in that regard. The geometry of the truck "is what it is", so going from 33" to 35s would hardly be noticeable. But I would reckon if you get monster tires on there...like 40" or something like that...???

I just swapped out the stock shocks for these Bilstiens made for these big trucks...very noticeable difference. In the world of these heavy duty trucks...you may have noticed the fancy shocks that are available...FOX and ICON in particular. They're finely tuned and the performance they give is undeniable...but they'e hideously expensive...especially the ICONs. Also, they don't last very long...they need to be rebuilt between 20-50K miles. That's a hassle, IMO.

I was considering the FOX...but unfortunately, they no longer produce a shock for trucks at stock height and I have no interest in lifting my truck...it sits high enough as it is. Besides...I'm not going to go extreme off road with it, no with that camper on the back. My goal for this rig was to get it able to go anywhere my trusty F-150 could take me...and that truck took me anywhere I wanted to go. So these new shocks certainly help in that regard. These Bilsteins are good shocks...I have them on my other truck as well and they really shine on rougher roads. The stock shocks are only good for highway, really.

I'll keep these tires on for a while...may as well get my money out of them. But when they wear down a bit I'll upsize to 35s. They're 33.5 now and are actually good tires...but the next set will be slightly larger with a bit more aggressive tread. Right now I'm looking at the Falken Wildpeak 285/75/18...the tires on there now are 275/70/18...so the new ones will be a bit more than an inch taller but only slightly wider. If I were to put 37s on, there would be too much brain damage with the front end...trimming, extended brake lines, front end alignments and tuning, etc...I have no interest in that. Those big tires would look nice on the truck, though.

[Byron]

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Oh heck...I forgot to mention the new leaf springs! So I order the truck from Ford with the factory "camper package" which includes an overload spring on the rear spring pack and a sway bar. I was hoping it would be adequate for the camper, but alas it wasn't.

The truck drove decent on the highway, but off road it was totally unfunctional. Options included air bags, sumo springs, Timbrens, Stableloads...all of them a bolt on rubber accessory to lift the truck, restore shock stroke from the sag incurred by the weight of the camper and take a bit of pressure off the springs. I didn't want any of that...the most expensive way to go and the best solution IMO is to just get a new, custom made spring pack. They're built specifically for the weight of the camper and they're just plain dumb...they do what they do without any maintenance or having to keep an eye on them. You can add the rubber things for $500-$800 and a custom spring pack cost me $1700 including the install...so considering I spent 130K on the whole rig, another couple grand to do the rear suspension right was a no brainer.

I was on a month long road trip in September when Alcan Springs in Grand Junction call to tell me the springs were ready. I'd ordered them at the beginning of June. They did a great job...built them perfectly. It completely transformed the truck...it now rides like a truck rather than a bloated whale. Best money I've spent so far. So the suspension is dialed in...I'll just upgrade the tires when the time comes and that's it...the rig is good to go.

[oldno7]

Very nice rig.

I'll be looking for a truck next year, it will be set up to tow and a little off-roady.

Already have 2 trucks but they seem lonely

[Byron]

Took advantage of the warm weather around the holiday and spent it biking in Moab along with a LOT of hiking in the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. Funny thing about the Needles...I had visited the place back in the 90s and didn't find it very impressive. I did a couple hike then, but it seemed like a "one and done" kind of place. But two years ago a couple friends invited me to backpack there and I "rediscovered" the place...it's actually a hikers paradise. Big, 10-14 mile loops and it's quite pleasant. Here's a few pictures...

[kaniukr]

Exciting! And no more stripping off to jump in freezing lakes after a hike.