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[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

Hello all, I will be taking my Ranger out for the first time on something besides snow-covered dirt. For the sake of simplicity I'll say I am a beginner, anyone have any tips? I have the SuperCrew FX4, completely stock.

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[Pathung]

Hello all, I will be taking my Ranger out for the first time on something besides snow-covered dirt. For the sake of simplicity I'll say I am a beginner, anyone have any tips? I have the SuperCrew FX4, completely stock.

What kind of terrain will you be encountering? It's always best to wheel with another vehicle, preferably with a winch, or at least with recovery gear (you should have a set as well - a 30' tow strap and a pair of shackles, at the least - you may want to spring for a hi-lift as well).

 

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

What kind of terrain will you be encountering? It's always best to wheel with another vehicle, preferably with a winch, or at least with recovery gear (you should have a set as well - a 30' tow strap and a pair of shackles, at the least - you may want to spring for a hi-lift as well).

As it turns out the area I was invited to go to was a purpose built ORV park, not just a logging road with a few blown out sections. I ended up having to swallow my pride and park the Ranger, ride along with someone else. The trails consisted on undulating, tight, twisty terrain with lots of roots, rocks and puddles. Mud wasn't too bad, soil was glacial till without much clay in it. I had a chance to check out what everyone else was driving and to get tips on what I can do to come back and conquer the trails. Four main items were:

-2-3" lift. I would want to do an actual suspension lift, not a leveling kit.
-Replace the running boards with rock sliders w/ kick outs.
-Put better tires on. Larger diameter, higher volume, more aggressive tread.
-Move the spare tire to the truck bed.

That seems to be enough to get started and do a lot to help protect the truck from damage. In the mean time I think I am going to stick to exploring logging and forest service roads.

 

[PatrickM]

I had some time to get the drone up while doing a little exploring out here in the Mojave desert! Did a bit of editing! I’d say thanks Pearl Jam for letting me borrow your music

 

[earsmccoy]

I had some time to get the drone up while doing a little exploring out here in the Mojave desert! Did a bit of editing! I’d say thanks Pearl Jam for letting me borrow your music

aaaaand it's blocked. Pearl Jam says you're not welcome.

 

[PatrickM]

aaaaand it's blocked. Pearl Jam says you're not welcome.

Boooooo!!!

 

[PatrickM]

aaaaand it's blocked. Pearl Jam says you're not welcome.

Let’s try FB lol

 

[Pathung]

-2-3" lift. I would want to do an actual suspension lift, not a leveling kit.
-Replace the running boards with rock sliders w/ kick outs.
-Put better tires on. Larger diameter, higher volume, more aggressive tread.
-Move the spare tire to the truck bed.

That seems to be enough to get started and do a lot to help protect the truck from damage. In the mean time I think I am going to stick to exploring logging and forest service roads.

Congrats! An offroad park is the best place to become familiar with your rig, and learn to offroad, especially with friends who can spot the line for you or winch you out of trouble.

I agree with the first two requirements when it comes to offroading on tougher trails. In terms of tires, however, the Hankook A/Ts that come as part of the FX4 package are actually quite grabby, on both gravel and rock (just air them down to 17 psi and you're good to go). A/Ts are also much quieter on pavement, where most trucks accumulate their miles. If your mission is to go swimming in mud bogs, only M/Ts will do, of course. When I was younger, I had a set of M/Ts that I'd swap on before an offroading trip - I'm too old for that now, so merely go with a good set of aggressive A/Ts; these would include: BFG KO2s, Goodyear Duratracs, Cooper ST Maxx, and Dick Cepek Fun Country, based on my past experience and research. As to relocating the spare to the bed - I've never bashed my under-bed spare on anything (can't say the same about the rear bumper!) at either Moab or Bald Mtn. in California; I don't think that the relocation is necessary, and the move would have the following disadvantages: occupies precious bed space; center of gravity is now higher; extra weight of tire carrier; worry about the spare getting stolen.

 

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

That looks like an awesome trip in the Mojave and is exactly the type of driving I am looking to do. Basically go exploring on backroads and hopefully encounter a challenge or two, but nothing super sketchy. I read one of your earlier posts about products becoming available for the Ranger over time and I agree. Seems sparse at the moment but we will get there.

That's interesting about the spare, I could have sworn that it would get in the way but perhaps that is my lack of experience talking. Solid points though, it is staying right where it is.

 

[Andy]

Went out and played with the truck this weekend! Did a few creek crossings up to the doors and some nice offset slippery rocks. Truck was amazing in every situation. Ill have some video of the off road parts finished later but for now here is a little sneak peak of the area.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Drove in about 5 miles and there normally would be a couple feet of snow by this time of year. Just a little mud and snow.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Definitely going to start following this thread. I don't want to get into any rock crawling or crazy stuff, just tooling around on Forest Roads (maintained and not maintained), old logging roads, and a few trails here and there. My brother works for the USFS, so he's got the inside scoop on lesser known places. I wouldn't say I'm a beginner, but I'm certainly no expert.

I also am very interested in getting into Overlanding. We recently (this past spring) purchased an off-road capable teardrop camper, and I'd love to really put it to use on Overlanding trips. Really the only problem there is finding enough time off of work. haha

Looking forward to the advice and experiences from those more adept and capable!

 

[Andy]

Definitely going to start following this thread. I don't want to get into any rock crawling or crazy stuff, just tooling around on Forest Roads (maintained and not maintained), old logging roads, and a few trails here and there. My brother works for the USFS, so he's got the inside scoop on lesser known places. I wouldn't say I'm a beginner, but I'm certainly no expert.

I also am very interested in getting into Overlanding. We recently (this past spring) purchased an off-road capable teardrop camper, and I'd love to really put it to use on Overlanding trips. Really the only problem there is finding enough time off of work. haha

Looking forward to the advice and experiences from those more adept and capable!

Awesome! I couldn’t agree more. I love the flowing trails that have some technical sections but the true boulder crawling is a Jeep thing imo. Not something I enjoy.


Can’t wait to get a group trail meetup going sometime!

 

[Jms81661]

I go wheelin' every weekend since I go it. Didn't realize how much I missed it. The F250 was just too big for a lot of the trails. The Ranger is perfect. 3 1/2" lift. BFG KO's coming.

 

[Jms81661]

This was a "turnaround" moment. (Before lift)I knew if I tried, it would've just stood on its nose.
We got lost!
Had to call rescue. NOT for me! In fact it got worse further down. So the guy ahead of me, (GMC Yukon)had to be winched back up. I just needed a good spotter to turnaround, and drove it out.

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