New Mexico Owners BS Thread

I have a 2015 TRD Off Road and it is a surprise how capable it could be. It gets off road on old logging roads but nothing like what you do with yours.
Lots of confidence going alone on trails like that.

 

New to NM/Cedar Crest and looking forward to getting to know the area. Been scrolling through old posts and taking notes. I'm changing up my bike set up and have a pair of squareone_creations SideRide Bike Mounts up for sale. I used them on a 2nd gen but will fit 3rd gen with front bed rail.

 

As always looks like you had an awesome time, that radical hill definitely looks pretty intense more than I had realized. So how are the book ratings in comparison to the @deekyn for these trails haha.

Welcome! I'm sure you saw but we try to get together for a monthly shoot-the-shit meet if you happen to be in town one of those days. Otherwise we try and do some exploring from time to time but I think @deekyn has been the only one doing a lot of regular exploring lately.

 

Been considering sliders and thought having bolts shear would be better than bending the frame. what do you think?

 

Seems to me that most of the aggressive off-roader types I see in TW prefer weld ons for strength and weight. Bending the frame when you hit your slider is unlikely and even if it was an issue would happen with bolts ons too I imagine. If I didn’t have bolt ons I would have slid politely along my slider rather that hit the bolt hard and sheared it off. Weld ons are much lighter and cheaper (minus the welding labor).

Getting a welding set up will be my next mod. So after some practice will be getting some weld on sliders and selling my bolt ons.

 

I definitely was thinking about the ratings the whole time I was out there. I have been going off the jeeper 1-10 rating. 1-2 easy, 3-4 moderate (stock vehicle doable with some experience), 5-6 hard (lift, lockers and bigger tires become useful) , 7+ extreme (both lockers, big tires 35”+, buggy territory). And have kept track of all the off-roading I’ve done the last couple of years to get a feel for the scale.

The ratings are subjective for sure. And people have stuff they know and are good at etc. I have done many 2,3,4s and a couple of 6s (poison spider Mesa, Hells revenge, and Black Bear Pass -which doesn’t deserve that rating).

This trip I wanted to do a number 5s to get a better sense. And to be honest, everything felt like it was under graded. Meaning it all felt harder than they said it would be. For example Imogene Pass, Stony Pass are rated 4. But seemed pretty chill to me, like easily doable on stock and not a ton of thought has to go into your line. But in the Leadville area, 4s had proper obstacles and lines had to be chosen more carefully.

The other issue is most trails I ran this trip had a difficulty range. Like the middle swan River was 4-6 depending on obstacles chosen. Fine. I accidentally went down a few of these harder bits. Steep. Nervy. Sliders/skids touched rocks etc, my fault. Red Cone and Radical Hill both say 5-7, but didn’t have harder optional lines. I think red cone has a rock garden that can vary from year to year. Felt like a 5, bordering on 6 to me. Not likely doable in a stock tacoma. My Skids, sliders and lift were definitely utilized, my extended travel coil overs and 12” rear shocks saved me a time or two. My 33’s made it. And the one time I got hung up was rando spotter’s fault.

Radical hill on the other hand I think is about the pucker factor up top for the high rating and the description says vehicles with good articulation would have no problem with the two rock obstacles. But I’ll say, 33s, lift, rear locker, shock relocate were barely barely enough for this trail. One obstacle I had to stack rocks after a few attempts. This trail was harder in my opinion than hells revenge and poison spider. Shorter maybe. But hard. I’m not afraid of heights so the switchbacks which most people balk at didn’t bother me at all. Hug the wall and drive up the hill, plenty wide for Tacomas and Jeeps.

I guess I have a better feel for what to expect in the 5/6 range now for sure. I had a great time banging up the truck and definitely like the more aggressive off-roading.

Definitely need a winch. I will soon be getting someone to help aggressively tub the firewall to fit 35s. Then regear. Then I plan to sell this high clearance front bumper and get a WIY coastal off road extreme clearance bumper that removes the low-hanging front frame crossmember. And give a much better ground clearance/ approach angle. Then a steering slide rack, double shear gusset kit for the knuckle, and heimed outer tie rods from JD Fab. I have already gone through a stock steering rack with 33s. I know it will be worse with 35s.

Ratings are subjective. FunTreks books are way off. He thinks everything is hard. JeeptheUSA, uses a 1-5 scale that also feels a little off. Trails Off-road uses the standard Jeep 1-10 rating system that the Jeep safari etc uses. And that’s what I go off.

it’s a staring point at least. I’ll tell you though, 33s and a single locker doesn’t suit itself to the kind of off roading I like.

 

I did a couple of quick local off-roading adventures couple days ago.

Did all the marked Cedro trails for the first time, including every offshoot obstacle I could find. Cedro was actually a little more fun than I thought it would be.


Funny, but you go up some rough obstacle, rock as big as your tire and the picture looks like you could drive a damn Prius up it. This was the little offshoot just by the Cedro radio towers.


Also cruised down to Socorro to run the Quebradas Backcountry Byway from S to N, then ran a few trails in Gordy’s Hills.


Arroyo de la Parida pretty chill, rocky but fine, looked at the waterfall obstacle rated 6/10, but didnt do it. Could be done in my truck with really good spotting. Chickened out alone.


ATV Pass - that was a fun trail with a ton of whoops and micro arroyos that probably aren’t friendly to stock bumpers, and found one optional 24+” step down, little slider tap and a ton of flexin


Arroyo de Coyote - turns out this trail is permanently closed. But the brilliant BLM folks didn’t mark the top of the trail closed. So I drove all the way down it to find a barbed wire fence at the bottom .

 

Any of you boys wanna go to ROCKtober Therapy in Moab Weekend of Oct 22-24 for some actual off-roading?

 

Cedro is a cool little route especially since it's so close to town, maybe not so much for you but close enough! A few of us ran through Socorro a while back that's when I got a good little ding on my rocker thanks to @Darth ToyTaco !

Well damn I totally would have been interested but I'll be in Settle that weekend.

 

New Tacoma owner, and have lived in ABQ last 12 years. Just drove the route from Placitas up to the crest yesterday. Weather was just about perfect.

 

Greetings Earthlings! I've been creepin' around here for a while now and figured I would throw in. Just another Yota nerd desert dweller from the Four Corners area. Currently tweaking my first Taco into my vision if what it should be. I started my addiction with Landcruisers, 3 different FJ-40s, an FJ-55, then a 4Runner. Wish I still had every one if em but the Taco has proven itself to be ALL Toyota no doubts!

 

Welcome to TW! Nice truck and nice pic! Was that taken out at Choke Cherry?

 

Yes sir!

 

Welcome! I wish I had kept all my other Toyotas too but maybe someday I'll have enough room to store them all haha.

Awesome, I'm going to be up there next week for a conference we are doing a jeep tour on Friday of Choke Cherry. That reminds me I do need to ask if I can take my own vehicle.

 

It has a lot to offer, beginner to beyond extreme. That was my stomping ground with most all of my toys. Lots of different terrain packed into a relatively small area. Lots of fun and Im sure you will return once you get a taste!
This is Brown Springs. Of course the pic does not do it justice.

 

MONTHLY MEET

Posting up about the meet next week to give people a heads up. We’re planning on hangin out at @tacoiii’s place. So bring some beer and something to grill if you want some food.

Otherwise, as usual, drop by for a little or a long while, shoot the shit & drink some beer.

Date: Thursday, October 7th
Time: 5:00/5:30
Where: @TacoIII house, message for address.

 

New guy here! Hows it going, sir?!

 

Hey Alex @Taco505, so I just noticed a few cracks in the rear of the truck that you may want to look out for since you already have some bed separation from your heavy ass camper…

As you know I have a leer camper shell with front runner roof racks. On my off road adventures I often carried a batwing awning, kayaks and my pelican case full of recovery gear or when camping have carried the the awning, full size spare tire, pelican case with recovery gear, firewood, maxtrax, shovel etc on long dirt road adventures (300 miles of dirt in a weekend) up to trails rated difficult in Moab and Colorado. I will say an estimate of the weigh on my roof including the roof racks and the gear is 250-300 lbs along with the camper shell which is 200+ lbs.

Top of Red Cone


Warm Springs Bay outside of Page, AZ

I put the TC bed stiffeners before all those adventures. The bed is still showing a little separation, maybe 1/3” difference between the bottom of the tail gate and the top.

All these adventures with heavy shit on the roof, I have noticed a few issues beyond bed separation.

Just below the plastic bed cap at back of the bed, the rivet holding the sheet metal above the tail light has broken off and the sheet metal is now pressing down on the tail light housing and actually cracking one of them.


I also noticed that that there is a crack in the sheet metal next to TC bed stiffener


As well as a crack in the sheet metal along the bottom of the back of the bed.

 

Before I got the stiffners and added that ridiculous rack @TacoIII and I built I already had the first two cracks you have pointed out I’ll have to keep an eye out for that last one.

 

Would like to see pictures of the T100. Always wondered why they didn't last in production, Still see them in Albuquerque.