3rd Gen Recovery Gear Thread

I'm not saying recovery gear is not important here, but has anyone with a 3rd gen TrD off road gotten completely stuck that they needed to be pulled out? In other words, has crawl control failed for anyone yet?

 

Absolutely. The crawl control is essentially worthless in mud. At least without decent M/T's. But I would assume it would be anyway. I tested this theory last week. Had to disengage all the computer controlled goodies and resort to locking the diff and using tried and true wheel speed to get through the muck. Crawl control is great but not really meant for mud.

 

I've rocked out of mud once. I drove to where other people where and got stuck. I just moved a little forward and back and rocked until it made it out of the hole and reversed out.

I have the recovery gear for myself, but also for other people, as well.

 

Crawl control is crap in the snow. It has worked for me when I tested it it mud/clay.

 

I'm glad I bought a manual and didn't buy into the crawl control. I know it will work in certain situations and that's great, but in my opinion just another respective electronic system to fail in the future.

I don't want to be footing the bill or trying to figure out the inner workings of it to repair myself when Toyota decides it's not warranty covered or the warranty has run out.

This is another reason recovery gear is a good thing to help your fellow 4wheelers out of a hole. Unless of course they drive a Jeep

 

I see what your saying, but I'm pretty sure your non-crawl control truck has all the mechanical components found in a truck with Crawl control. Crawl control is just a separate software program running on the same computer modules that come with the truck. Toyota just enables the software and adds the control knobs for the driver to manipulate.

 

This is most likely accurate... I Still don't like knobs

 

Not sure why you don't like knobs if you drive a manual...

 

Every feature will be effective in some conditions and not so effective in others. In the end, tires matter as much as any electronic aids. But if you have a good set of tires (for the given condition) then electronics can help and make your life easier, or even be better than what you could do yourself without them. But it really all depends.

 

Where did you find those shovel/axe rail mounts? Or did you make them yourself? Looks good!

 

Do any of you guys have a favorite cheaper alternative to the Hi-Lift jack? I'm looking for a value priced off road jack to sell on overlandarmory.com

 

I got them with the quick fist mounts from Relentless Fabrication! They also have mounts for hilift Jack's.

 

Crawl Control is pretty impressive in the desert. You're trying to climb the side of a mountain thats made of mostly rock and sand you would be pretty impressed with what It can do. It can do what no driver can do, because it controls the wheels independtly. but I would imagine the mud and snow are different story.

 

Well I got mine high-centered stuck in the sand. Crawl control could not help me either.



btw.. crawl control also works for going up hills in reverse. Had a passenger chicken out on me yesterday and I had to back out of a steep decline.

 

I've been thinking recently about the relevance of the Hi-Lift on a modern truck. I have one, and I take it on dedicated off-road trips but I certainly don't lug it around all the time.

Under what conditions would you use the thing, really? And if you had a winch, would you be even less likely to use one?

Where are you going to lift on a stock 3rd gen Tacoma? The only places I can think of are the rear receiver and the wheels using the wheel-lift-adapto-thing - which doesn't work well with the OR wheels.

I've used a shovel, straps, and a come-a-long at various times to get out of a stuck or help someone, but I don't think I've ever used my hi-lift off-road (it is handy for moving large things like sheds)

When I was kid and reading about off-roading, everyone had to have a hi-lift because winches and lockers were rare and trucks all had big metal bumpers front and back. I guess if you have plate bumpers and heavy sliders you have some real options, but even then, when you see a YouTube video of someone getting out of a stuck, they are usually using a winch or a snatch strap. You just don't see hi-lifts being used that often.

I know it looks the business, but do they really get used these days? Not nocking them, just wondering if I'm overlooking something.

 

Hilift jacks are extremely dangerous, even when a seasoned operator is using one

 

Good point. The only time I've been hit in the head hard enough to "see stars" was a confluence of youthful inexperience, stupidity, and a Hi-Lift handle.

There's also the high likelihood of vehicle damage.

That being said, I just found a whole thread on people using them. I've only been through the first 3 pages, but it appears that sliders and plate bumpers are utilized in most cases. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/post-pics-or-stories-of-having-to-use-your-hi-lift-jack.391932/

 

Hi lifts are more geared towards those with armor such as off road bumpers and sliders. Like you mentioned, there's really no where to use it on a stock truck. Their usefulness comes into play in pretty specific situations. Let's say you're in some mud and you get a flat tire. A regular jack might work, but I wouldn't deem it ideal. A hi lift (with the extra large base attachment) would be more stable and you're not down on your hands and knees underneath the truck trying to jack it up. In most cases though, a bottle jack and a piece of wood to set it on will suffice.

 

would not one of those exhaust lift bags work better and be a safer alternative? put some wheel chokes out, lift the truck and voila. Just stand clear while it is lifting, my understanding is the bags can roll while inflating?

 

Anyone know what what the passenger side recover hook bolts should be torqued to?