My Ranger Build

[Colo_Ranger]

Intro:
This is going to be slow. This thread is mostly for my benefit, but I welcome people to follow along.

I bought a 2021 Ford Ranger XLT FX4 in April. The deals being offered were too good to wait and, I am glad I didn't, because inventory has dropped and prices have jumped.

Here she is the day I bought her.

The wife and I took her out on what turned out to be a dirt road.

A few weeks later, a local Instagrammer put out a run to Mini Moab. I was able to flex her out a little bit. I took all the bypasses to the obstacles, but she handled great and instilled confidence in me.

Objective:
This truck will be built around taking the wife and I camping, exploring ghost towns and areas of Colorado, and get to locations to photography.

Phase 1 Plan:

1. ARB Skid Plates - Ordered
2. Shrockworks Rock Sliders
3. Communications
   1. Right now, I am leaning towards the Midland MXT275 Bundle.
4. Rear Diff Skid

Phase 2 Plan:

1. Old Man Emu Lift - this is my first choice, as it stands. I like that it's a full kit and is comprehensive. OME was highly regarded when I had my old 4runner. I also haven't decided between the two kits.
2. 285/70r17 Tires. I don't have a tire preference at this time.
3. Winch mount of some kind. Leaning towards the Shrockworks Ultralight Winch Mount or the 589Fab Hidden Winch Mount.
4. Winch. No ideas here yet.
5. Rear bumper. I am leaning towards the ARB Summit Rear Bumper because it is simplistic, clean, works with all my sensors, and offers good protection.

Phase 3 Plan:
Okay, this is where things really go off the rails. This phase will be all about making camping easier.

1. Topper or RTT/rack - I debate this all the time. I like RTTs for a number of reasons (though I have never used one). Getting off the ground, being able to pack all the bedding inside, easy setup. That being said, I like the topper for a number of reasons. More secured storage, ...ok, so it's really only the one reason. I feel like the secured storage is important because we live in fire ban country here and we are going to be taking a propane fire pit that we can use during bans and, honestly, anytime I don't want to worry about it. We can also use it for cooking.
2. Decked Drawer System
3. ???

I will update this thread as mods come in. I am hoping next week for the ARB skids.

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[Colo_Ranger]

I installed the Midland MXT275 today. It wasn't hard, but took a lot of time. For anyone who is looking to run wires, I recommend poking a hole through the drain plug in the driver or passenger footwell. I tried the firewall, but I never could get it.

This is the passenger foot well, and where I ran the cable in.

I ran it along the heat shielding (technically above it) towards the front. I did have to remove the bolt for the forward section of heat shielding to route the wires up the engine bay. This was my tool for fishing wires today.

The small socket adds some weight and allows you to 'drop' the paracord better. The wires were then knotted in the paracord and taped to ensure they did not fall off. This method is nice because you can also use the pliable paracord to reroute the cable.

From there, I routed the power and ground to the battery, along the top of the firewall.

I split the antenna off to the passenger's side.

and used the hood mount. I really like this mount. It's simple and sleek.

Power at the batter was easy. Red to an inline fuse and then to the positive terminal, then the black to ground (I used the negative terminal. I can move it to a chassis ground later, if needed.).

For now, the actual radio is under the passenger's seat. I have a handset cable extension, which I ran up the center console to give me more play in the radio handset. I am deciding on a final location but, for now, this is really clean install as you can't see anything you don't want to see.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I guess I need to clean my engine bay...

 

[D Fresh]

I guess I need to clean my engine bay...

Meh...

I'm pretty anal about vehicle cleanliness. Doesn't look so bad.


What/where is this "Mini-Moab" you speak of. My google-foo is coming up short on that one.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Meh...

I'm pretty anal about vehicle cleanliness. Doesn't look so bad.


What/where is this "Mini-Moab" you speak of. My google-foo is coming up short on that one.

Everyone calls it "Mini Moab" even though there is no trail with that name. As far as I can tell, it's Illinois Gulch in the Rainbow Falls OHV (in Sedalia CO).

 

[D Fresh]

Everyone calls it "Mini Moab" even though there is no trail with that name. As far as I can tell, it's Illinois Gulch in the Rainbow Falls OHV (in Sedalia CO).

Must be a common moniker. A Google search came up with about 37,642 hits for "Mini Moab."

Hadn't heard of it before, although most of my front range trips have been up north.

I have heard good things about the Rainbow Falls OHV park in general though. And, I've been meaning to head down that way. Judging by the CoTrex map there's quite a few trails down there.

Was it fairly crowded? Lots of dirtbike/quad/SxS traffic?

 

[Colo_Ranger]

It wasn’t very crowded except for the group of 50 rigs I was in. A few here and there but nothing to note.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Today was productive! A member of the Overland Bound forum came over and lent a second set of hands for the ARB skid plate installation and the Rough Country differential skid plate.

Took about 3 hours from start to finish. Here are my observations:

1. The ARB kit is stout. It will definitely protect my truck underbelly.
2. ARB's instructions are absolute trash. They show you where to put bolts, but not which bolts, where to put spacers, or which spacer to use. Took longer than it should. I will try to put together an actual which bolt goes where pictoral, but I have to get under the truck and that's easier said than done.
3. Buy lift ramps if you don't have an actually lift. It gave me ~6" more under the truck to work.
4. Rough Country's skid is ridiculous. I bet I could put this through a nuclear blast and it wouldn't get a ding.
5. Their instructions are, without a doubt, better. They were easy to read and everything was described perfectly.
6. The bracket that mounts around the pinion definitely needs to have spacers. I will get some. but I don't know why they designed the bracket to be used without it.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Well, I can tell you that the ARB skid plates will take a beating. I ran Yankee Hill and bumped the skid plates several times. A lift will definitely be on the list shortly. The raked look looks cool (I like it, anyway) but I kept hitting the front but nothing after that. Level and tires are on the list.

 

[daniel3507]

Could that hood mount be used on the side of the hood too? Did you find a place to mount the handset?

 

[Colo_Ranger]

the way that our hood is, the antenna would stick straight out the side if used on the hood. It has to be mounted in a way that the antenna points up. As for the handset, I have a Built Right dash tray to mount, then I'll find a way to hook the handset up.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

right now, it just sits on my passenger's seat.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I made the ultimately adult decision to remove the 285/70r17 I had installed yesterday and install the 265/70r17.

The 285 fit, but rubbed a bit on the crash bars in reverse. They also rubbed on the sway bar at full lock. The amount of work needed to get them not to rub is not something I am ready for. Also, and not for nothing, I watched my fuel mileage drop from 26 (reading on the gauge) to 14. The 285s (load range E) weigh in at 58 lbs. The 265s (load range C) weigh in at 46. The stock Hankooks weigh in at 36. I'm averaging 22 mpg with the 265s, but that includes a decent amount of miles with the 285s on prior to swapping them out. Next tank will be the real tell.

I gained 1" of clearance with these tires and have much better tread and traction. Truck looks meaner too.

The below picture is the 285s.

 

[Xwaz]

Did you end up with wheel spacers on the factory wheels when you test fit the 285s?

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Nope. No spacers. No rubbing on the knuckle either.

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