mandog's Hard Shell Camper & Stories from the Road

BULLDOG CANYON UPDATE


Since February I've been dealing with a certain narrative dilemma. A very bizarre occurrence had happened while out wheeling in the Superstition Mountains, namely the famous Bulldog Canyon.

It was a terrific runup to the 4-wheeling conducted in Sedona, but during the night, while on an unexpected and impromptu camping stay, I was surrounded by a pack of animals that had me pinned down into a very inescapable spot. The moment came as a complete shock and it was hard to separate fact from fiction, if not thinking I made up the entire event. Finally, I was able to sort through all the recollected details and put to writing this once in a lifetime experience.



I really suggest you all take a look at this story, as its unlike anything I've ever heard before.
Click to Read: THE MANDOG COYOTE STORY

 

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/pts/d/phoenix-prinsu-top-rack-tacoma-short-bed/7286043372.html

Too short for me, but maybe you'll like it. Haggle him down to 450?

 

Thanks for that!! I'm super tempted as it would go with the prinsu on the front, but I think I want a basket style, despite it being taller just to throw stuff up there like firewood, shower tanks, etc. The issue with the prinsu, is I feel like I'm constantly having to balance things in between or on those crossbars. They're also just too wide to hook into with a bungee for quick tie-downs. I know they make the prinsu panels, but they ain't cheap and it still requires installing anchor points, etc.

 

@Snaeper Thanks for encouraging me to look around the local classifieds. I found a couple I like, but again I think it comes back to spending $80-$100 on a $100-200 product that will inevitably rust and leave me unsatisfied.

Looks like 4WheelParts has a box-style cargo rack that is just what I'm looking for. With the adjustable mounting brackets, I think I can make this work, and its backed by a reputable name (Smittybilt).

 

I was thinking of doing a basket for a hot minute myself, but it'd be mounted to cross bars and the more I see that on SUV's the more I don't like it.

 

By the way, I love that wolf sticker on the rear doors.

 

RAILROADED

Spoiler

Blew the rear and needed to get front good tire to back with one bottle jack and didn’t quite get the truck quite level to make matters worse.

That puzzle has been solved other than can I make it 1800 miles on a spare.

 

You heading back east?

 

@Snaeper Yessir! it’s been a thrill, thank you AZ guys.

 

Not railroaded anymore!!



Before/After



2yr ago Mooresville before & after

 

What load rating did you get?

I think those will be my next tires myself. C-loads are a damn good all-arounder.

 

@Snaeper E-load. After I caught that gash with only 20k on the falkens, made me consider the weight trade off.

Although right now I’m suffering from fuel consumption losses (<15). Reset some leaned values and hoping that plus the KDMAX tune can bring it back.

 

Were those falkens the 116 non-lt tire? was looking to make the jump from stock wranglers to those for a balance of better than stock, but not E-rated.

I dont think Id ever do the kind of traveling you have done here, but curious on if you’re willing to go further into detail on what made you switch to the wrangler e-rateds! The first time I took my truck out off-road I got a nice hole in my rear stock!

did you get yourself a matching spare this time around?

 

Correct, the wildpeaks I had on were the 44lb, 116 SL version. The jump from a SL to a LT (C-load) is marginal, and its hard to say where the improvements are. Likely the few extra lbs comes from a deeper tread and bit of extra rubber in the sidewall.

Why I think I got the tear was I was approaching GVM on a SL rated tire and spending a lot of time/miles aired down on light to heavy offroad trails.

If you're not expecting a substantial amount of load put onto the tires, then a LT or C-Load is likely a great upgrade and probably should see the full 40-60k miles.

The decision to go up in both tire size and load came through a series of events. First, I obviously wanted to lift my vehicle, to which I could then add a larger tire and gain the desired ground clearance. I'm at about 10 inches from the ground to the rear pumpkin now. I'll continue to be adding weight with the new roof rack and upcoming body armor and so after the gash, I didn't want to have this issue again. E-load seemed like the most obvious answer .

I had set my sights on the Cooper ST Maxx's but there was a mass shortage and I obviously could not wait and had already gone 1800 miles on the wrangler spare. So, Duratrac was my next best option! The only test I've had with these is a flat highway run from NC to FL and my mileage got hammered.

I've not yet determined what was the primary reason for this drop, but from adding the KDMAX performance tune and swapping to a 33" E-load tire, I've lost over 3 mpg and yes, I absolutely got a matching spare!!

Sorry to hear about your stock getting a hole. They're good tires, but I feel to get the most offroad performance and feel confident in doing so, an aggressive AT is the way to go. Consider your weight down the road and let that steer you towards an appropriate load rating.

Cheers from another watery corner of the globe!

 

Cheers bud! I appreciate the thoughtful response, really.

Subbed! And will be following along

 

@mandog You alive man, everything good with you?

 

Howdy! Yah, I'm alive. Thanks for asking. Back in NC and gearing up for winter travel. Figure I'll be back your way sometime around December

 

Time flies, doesn't even feel like it's been that long.

 

Don't it ever! The days come slow and the years go fast. Currently working on a new update..

 

New page bump + IMG test space holder

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