Montana Tacomas

Hello all, just joined. Been a member of toyota-4runner.org for a while and thought I would join over here too. I'm in the Deer Lodge area and just looking for like minded people and other T4R people to meet and hang out and maybe do some exploring and trail runs with.

Little about my rig:

'00 Limited 4Runner with toytec superflex lift springs on all four corners. Tundra 5 position adjustable 5100 bilsteins up front and extended travel 5100's in the rear. Factory e-locker, warn M8000 on a winch cradle plate and connections for front and rear operation, with a yellow top in the rear to help with the load. AIRRaid filter setup. ODBII bluetooth module that I use Torque to monitor various parameters and check/clear codes with. CB and dual band amateur radio for when there is no cell service. Custom one off, backyard built bumper - not by me, bought it that way. It's ok for now but will be getting replaced when I have everything else sorted out. My daughter takes precendence over all. Really just catching up on some maintainence of everything. It has 247k on it and still runs strong. There is a bunch more that is mostly just new parts and wear items that have been replaced to keep it in good shape. I'm running with no rear sway bar right now because it rides much better on the crappy 5 mile one way dirt road I live on and it allows the rear superflex springs and bilsteins to work the way they are supposed to. Might look into making up some extended sway bar links, but not too concerned with it right now. I'm sure there is more that I'm leaving out. I'd have to go through my records and reciepts.

Little about me:

I'm 38, soon to be 39 in november. Was born in Glasgow and my dad moved us to the Lynnwood area of WA in '88. Grew up there, spent some time in the Corps and started my little family there. Dreamed of coming back to MT and raising my daughter here instead of a big city where caffienated maniacs rule the road. Cashed out all of my retirement and bought some property and moved here to the Deer Lodge area in 2012. I am a software engineer for the state for the paycheck but am an ASE certified mechanic. I used to work for 4wheel parts in Lynnwood before they became the KMart of offroad and have been doing side work out of my shop to help support my family. My wife doesn't work and doesn't need to. She helps with all the work at home and raising and homeschooling my daughter.

Sorry to make this into a novel. Just wanted to help you to kind of get an idea of who I am and all that. I hope to meet some of you and hope to see you out on the trails soon. We're just starting to get back out to exploring now that my daughter is older and we're down to just one dog instead of 3. I have a 3 year old, purebread 130 lb german rottweiler that I went to germany for and he loves to ride in the 4runner too.

Edit: while I'm at it, does anyone have a stock skid plate? I dont have one and want to get one on before winter. We get quite a bit of snow up where we are.

 

Thanks! I'm looking forward to finding all the cool fishing holes that no one knows about.

 

Hello sourkraut. I am who MTGirl is speaking of. My name is Richard. Among other things I am the President of Frontier 4x4 Club out of Helena. We wheel a good bit in your area during the summer. You have high mountain lakes full of fish all around you there in Deerlodge. And some really nice 4x4 trails.

If you would like some info, to join us on a run or some other question...feel free to ask. You may also wish to look up "Frontier4wheelers" on Facebook.

 

I only have 3?? LOL

 

eh..okay.

We have...6...so i guess thats not all bad.

 

we shall talk soon

Looks like a damn nice rig to me.. Good color too lol

Welcome new guy!! Was gonna say look p the frontier guys on FB. But Rich beat me to it. Great group of guys.



Also who was our other guy here in Butte? Red tacoma I think? I pretty sure i saw him/you the other day on harrison.

 

Wish I could join you guys this weekend. I only did some light testing of the 4runner while in Wyoming.

 

Thanks for the welcome.

Hi Richard, yeah I would like to talk to you about some trail runs and find out more about the local spots and all that. I want to get a few trips in before winter sets in, at least to some cool fishing spots so my daughter can get to use her new scooby doo pole. We're in the area between Garrison and Avon, about 5800 feet, so we get a bit of snow. 10 miles of that every day gets kind of old, so I dont do much in the winter time other than playing with a little tracker barrel race car a buddy and I built a while back on my property. I've got a good chunk and we have finally started getting the track cut in decently where it turns to a nice sticky mud in the winter. A couple of the banking turns are well over 5 feet below the surface. It's quite fun, and even more fun to watch someone else drive it. We've been thinking of building a couple more and race and rent them out. Kind of like gocarts, but only for big kids and 4 wheel drive. Front and rear lockers, 5 point harness and goggles required.

I dont get to Butte much. My 4runner is like the sand color, I forget what it's called. I have 3 antennas on it for all my radio gear. My call sign is KG7TKA if anyone cares.

 

No CB yet for me. But when you get another of those carts built i'd rent one. Sound liek they would be a blast at pipestone or even behind tech. Or on your homemade track

 

They are quite fun, especially if you can or get close to turtle-ing. First time is kind of rough, but after that you'll be trying to put it on it's lid. They are so light that you can get out, grab the roll cage and push it back over and start it up and go again like nothing happened. Good times. Fast too. It's a 5 speed, but you'll hardly ever get out of 1st. There is a straight-away that we are able to just barely get into 3, for like 2 seconds, but at that point the speedo is pointing somewhere around 55 or so. Scary fast on flat, dirt roads.

 

Thought I would set up my signature. There is lots more I have planned as funds will allow. Next up on the list is a Premier Power welder after I get some maintenance things taken care of. I made one a few years back, and it worked but it's not something I would really want to rely on in the backcountry if something happened. Ok for around the property, but that's it.

 

I am assuming you are one of the new likes on the Frontier page. (if so, please confirm) If you are on there, I am the guy with the red JK. We should get a few more non-snow runs in yet this year. We play year round. Snow is not a reason to stay inside...its a reason to go wheeling. If we get another Caruthers Lake (Dempsey Creek) run in this year I will try to let you know. You do have to be tolerant of Jeeps though.

 

I visited the page, but haven't done anything but look at some of the pictures. Looks like some of the runs would be pretty fun to do. I would really like to check out whatever lake that was I saw in some of the pictures.

I still play in the snow, dont get me wrong, I love it and it's one of the main reasons we live up at the elevation we do, and bought property up there. The back half of my property is as high as Mac Pass, so it makes it fun to play in for sure. I have a pretty good setup at the place so I can play around and test my gear and new stuff all of the time. I've been wheeling for years and have been in my share of interesting situations so I'm not one of those who goes out and rents a jeep rubicon and climbs some gravel and calls it an adventure and now I'm a wheeler. I've done and have experience in doing some pretty hardcore stuff.

Coming off the mountain so to speak is quite the adventure in itself. I guess if I was out having fun instead of cursing the 3 feet of snow and ice on my road because I just slid into the side post of a cattle guard, took off a side mirror and added some character and custom paint to my truck it wouldn't be bad.

Every year we go out christmas tree hunting in the mountains and make a day out of it. Last year was the first year we did since moving back here. We went up into the Gold Creek area and that was fun. We'll probably go to the same area this year and map out some more of the roads back there.

Definitely let me know if you guys get something together. I found a book that is about some trails here in montana, I think written by a guy in missoula or something like that. I'm going to buy that book so I have a starting point to get out and explore.

 

UHHHHhhhh......just wishful thinking. (cough!!) lol

 

I am not sure which lake you were looking at as we visit many. There is a good chance though that you were looking at Bohn, Elliot or Caruthers...or all three in the same album. They are all on the same trail just out of Deerlodge. It is up Dempsey Creek.

We were also recently at both Cow Bone and Dark Horse Lakes. Those are over on the Idaho border out of Jackson Montana. Comment on the pic and I will see it.

Next weekend we intend to be in the Judith Basin to do the Middle Fork Trail. We cross the Judith River 26 or 28 times each way. It is a BEAUTIFUL area but it looks like the weather will be interesting.

BTW: Our club meeting is 7pm tomorrow (9/2/15) here in Helena.

Caruthers Lake trail (also to Bohn and Elliot) is in Willie's book. The other lakes I mention will be in the next one. We took Willie up there for his next book last year with a Dillon 4x4 club we belong to. You may also want to check on Fisher Lake in his book as well. It is not that far from Deerlodge. Yes Willie is in Missoula...he and his wife do a good trail guidebook.