Wheeling up steep hill and heard weird rubbing/grinding noise

Hey guys, I was out wheeling last weekend and two times going up steep hills/obstacles in 4lo, heard a weird noise that sounded like a loud rubbing or grinding (but not like gears grinding). I was in 1st or 2nd gear in 4lo. My truck is an 04 MT. Any ideas?

Thanks!!

 

Sound anything like what I experienced in this first video I posted? https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/odd-rubbing-noise-help-please.674152/

 

It could be a 100 different things.

Give us the low down on your truck though. Mileage, modifications, suspension setup, tires, etc...

Could you tell where the noise was coming from? Were the front wheels turned tightly? Was your suspension flexing?

My first thought is tires. If you were flexing your suspension at the time, that's the most likely bet.

An easy way to see if/where your tires are rubbing is to just line the fenderwells with tape, then drive that same section you were getting the noise. Then inspect the tape.

If there are scratches/rub marks in the tape; there's your problem...

 

Thanks guys. It does NOT sound like the noise in that first video you posted @SkunkMan17.

As for set up, truck has 180k on it, 2004 4WD as I mentioned (V6 engine). I have about a 3" lift with Icons in the front, bilsteins in the back. I don't think the wheels were turned much, if at all, which is why I wasn't thinking tires at first. Tires are Cooper ST Maxx 33s. The suspension was flexing but I was headed more or less in a straight line (once over a rock with one front tire hitting the rock and the other on loose dirt), and then the second time just up a super steep incline where both front wheels were more or less on the same level. Can't say exactly how steep the incline was - things almost always feel steeper than they are - but I would guess it could have been 20 degrees or more.

Thanks again