Jensonbt's recovery/build thread and questions

I guess I should make one of these now that I have some stuff bolted to my truck.

Most current photos:



Favorite photo:


Things I have done/parts I need to put on

• Baja rack
• Craigslist tires & wheels
• Airbags in the rear
• ARB front bumper
• sh*ty plasti-dipped fenders and badges
• Craigslist led bar 24"?
  
• 2 Craigslist led pod fog lights
  
• Rigid industry led bar 48"?
  
• 2 Craigslist led pod reverse
• Craigslist bed rack
• locking fuel pack
• Cobra 19 ultra 3
  
• Smitty built X20 10k winch
• Snorkle (m3bassman)
• Swaybar removal (fight me if it scares you)
• EBC slotted front rotors
• EBC greenstuff
• auxiliary fuse block and relay
• big fire extinguisher (I have put out a vehicle fire and the small one wasn't enough)

Recovery parts:

• Maxtrax
• X-bull? recovery boards (came with bed rack)
• 30' ARB snatch strap
• 8' tow strap
• 8' tree saver
• redirection block for winch
• Random assortment of D-rings
• soft shackles
• old log chain
• Smitty built X20 10k winch
• Some smarts and experience

 

When I first got the truck from my dad in 2017. My dad had installed an Arb front bumper, shell, and rear airbags (didn't hold air when I got the truck)




I then got wheels and tires for the truck off Craigslist


Buried it to the frame by my grandpas shop. Had to wait for my mom to tow my dumba** out, thanks mom


Then got a rigid light bar for Christmas, and then bought a Baja rack, led pods and a led bar off Craigslist for my birthday. License plate folded in from ramming into snowbanks.

 

I cleaned then bed of the truck and made a sleeping platform in preparation for my senior spring break trip. 2,500 miles solo from Idaho, through Oregon to northern California. Down the coast to LA staying in Airbnb's, and campgrounds then back to Idaho.



Saw some big trees

Watched a tree fall across the road and had to stop for about 2.5 hours. I eventually grabbed the ax out of my truck and helped the other lumber drivers clear the tree. I think they got a kick out of seeing an 18 year old in vans and a button up t-shirt swing an axe with no regard for loosing a toe. We were stopped when cal-trans showed up and cut the tree down and wouldn't let us clean the smaller brush out of the road. I elected to throw my chair up on my roof rack and watch.


It was definitely a fun trip and being from a small town in the middle of Idaho, walking through San Francisco, meeting people from around the world in a shared airbnb, driving in LA traffic, seeing the ocean, and basically living out of a suitcase and my truck. That is a trip that I will never forget.

 

I towed my little 86 vw Jetta 100 miles to an autocross and back


Latter on I backed into that trailer moving it about 2 feet you can see where I pushed the trailer, denting the metal trailer and well...



Surprise this was all that happened


My dads 2500 diesel was in the shop so it was the tacos turn to tow the 2 horses to an event and yes we made it.

 

Made my own hi lift mount for inside the bed and I took an old farm hi lift jack and mounted it inside the bed.

 

As nice as the rear shell is for camping I wanted it gone. So I stacked some pallets in then bed and then lifted them and the shell up with
the my family's tractor.


I really love the look of the truck without the shell and it gives me more freedom with what I can haul and have access to in the bed. Spring cleaning for the yard.

Truck loaded for work, I work in the entertainment industry specifically weddings during the summer and then theatre and dance in then winter.

 

I removed the front sway-bar in a fit of boredom. It actually took two days because I started super late at night and couldn't finish it in one night. I woke up the next morning realizing I couldn't drive to school with a sway-bar half removed so I rode my motorcycle to school in about 40* weather. At lunch I rode back home to finish what I had started. After scratching my head I finally realized that if I took the factory skid plate off I would have much better access. So I removed the skid plate and got the rest of the sway-bar removed in no time.

For anybody that thinks removing a sway-bar is the greatest sin on earth: I removed my sway-bar with the knowledge that it will lead to more body roll in emergency maneuvers. Now after having driven on it for over a year I know the limits of the truck and how hard I can turn at what speed comfortably. I don't feel that I am anymore a danger to society or myself having removed the sway-bar. If anyone wants to remove the sway-bar on their truck just be aware that you may not make that fast emergency swerve that you could before.

 

One faithful evening I was doing something, when I got a message from a local friend that him (4runner) and his friend (lifted f-250) had gotten stuck in a muddy field. So as the tow truck of my friend group I drove out to try, note the word try, and recover them. When I arrived the ford had been sunk to its frame.

And the 4runner helplessly 20' away also dug in. Now for anyone that is familiar with Southern Idaho clay mud you know it is slicker then greased butter and it will cake onto your tires helping them spin endlessly in the wet clay. So I set about snatching the 4runner out and with no problem he came out and free. As I reverse to pull the ford out I have a moment of brilliance, or so I hoped because my 30' snatch strap would only put me 5 feet from the edge of the mud I could just add my 2 8' log chains together and reach the more grippy grass. Yeah anyone who knows recovery can see how this is going to end up. So we hook up the chains and strap and off I go. Once nothing, twice nothing, third times then charm... freedom? My truck lurches forward only to see the ford still stuck. I jump out expecting to see a chain has destroyed the grill of the ford. No nothing I release my breath and turn around to back my truck up and try again. I get 5 feet from the back of my truck and stop. Hanging from the tailgate is a twisted chain link.

Yep I had just shot a log chain link into the tailgate of my truck, was I dumb, yes. But you have to do dumb things to learn right? Not only was there a hole now in then tailgate but it was bent and the bumper was to start its time falling apart.

lessons learned:
Never use a log chain to extend a snatch strap to an immovable ford.
Know when to say you can't get someone unstuck.
Only use rated recovery equipment.

 

Found a cabin with my dog last fall.

 

Towed a dodge that had gotten stuck, me and a couple of my friends were riding dirt bikes in one of the local Canyons and found a guy hiking on the side of the road. I stopped and he said he had gotten is truck stuck when looking for mushrooms. So we have him a ride out to my truck and we drove back up the road and out to his truck. His truck was a 2nd gen cummins so there aren't any front tow hooks but one of my friends used to own a 2nd gen and said that the front sway bar is strong enough to tow from. So we hooked up my tow strap from my hitch to his sway bar and tugged him out from the creek he had backed down into.


Of course I had to get a shot of my truck over the creek.

 

And for Christmas I was gifted a set of maxtrax, but because of the holidays I didn't actually receive them until mid January. At the beginning of February I bought a bed rack from Craigslist. The bed rack came with a of brand rotopack, a shovel (I ditched it fast it is too short and small to be of use), and what I believe to be some x-bull recovery tracks. I installed the maxtrax on my roof rack with a bolt and wing nut, and the bed rack on the bed of the truck.


I did have to move the hi lift jack because the original mount interfered with the bed rack so I made another mount on the passenger side of the truck by welding the original mounting bolt to the racks Frame and secured the hi lift again by wing nuts.

 

I was able to mount my winch and snorkel with the professional help from @m3bassman and a few others. I took it out wheeling with some friends that night so the only photo I have is with the truck muddy but oh well.

 

Wait. You pulled a truck by his sway bar? That doesn’t sound like a good method.

 

That senior trip sounds like a fun excursion. I love road trips.

 

My friend owned a similar truck and said it was a place to tow the truck. Would it have been my first choice no but he said it was the best place to tow from.

 

We actually wrapped around the sway bar mount but same difference, the owner was really just happy to have someone tow him out and gave us the ok to use it.

 

It was definitely a trip and I learned a good bit about myself during the trip and would recommend it to anyone in Highschool who is mature enough.

 

Looks like you're learning lots. Good for you to get outside and enjoy it. Keep posting.

 

Swapped my Craigslist tires out for the TOYO open country’s that were originally on it today and finally finished the diff breather extension. I just let it go behind the drivers side taillight.

 

Finally switched out to a more factory looking light bar button. The old one I just routed to the gap between the steering column and the dash.



I've also been hanging out with my redneck friends too much and we removed the muffler from the truck...