taco TRD Off Road mods

I have about 9600 on it. It has a 5 speed auto. It seldom sees 2000 RPM.
So, what I need is low end torque to punch through snow drifts and such.
I plan to replace all of the oil with Mobil 1.
I have ordered the Big Sky over head gun racks through the SD.
If anyone makes a inter cooled and after cooled turbo charger for the 4.0, 1GR-FE I`ll buy it.
On cold air intakes, there is conflicting data. All think them a good thing. I am happy with the K&N and Trapp exhaust on my BMW Motor.
But URD presents a good argument.
Some say to remove the back cats. Some say I need the back pressure for the low end torque. I can just drop gears for high end.
Any advice will be welcomed, if not followed.
It was a lot simpler in H.S. auto shop.

 

Where do you reside ? I have more snow than Santa right now and I am getting along just fine. I do have a manual 6 speed, but I wouldn't think that's a big difference? It certainly isn't my driving skill, I'm lucky getting home every night !

 

4H just stops. It doesn`t stall. 4L will get me out.
But, it is not the 3 /4 Power Wagon with a V 8. Which I keep for hard work.
On the other hand the taco rides and handles nicely.
A buckbord rides better than the Dodge. When I was young, I did not mind.
They made the same truck for years. Mine has an IH combine transfer case. I spun the front bearing. It fit, why not? And Spicer shafts. The stock shafts twisted like pretezels.
I was grossing about 12.000 full of sand.
I sure have my $3,000 + fixing out of that truck.

 

Huh ? my head hurts.

 

I don't get stopped in snow until I bury the frame.... (done it twice now)

What I typically do is pile on the speed before hitting a drift. My factory skid plate is reinforced so I let that break up whatever is frozen. Hell, I go through the plowed/shoveled piles in my yard and driveway just to break them up so I shovel easier or for fun!

Sometimes I do 4Hi, but recently I've just been locking the rear in 2wd and hitting the gas.

If I bog down, I give it more gas to spin the tires so they clear out and dig down to more solid ground. Or just to tear it up so I just have smaller pieces to move later! (My FIL's plow truck has been down all winter and I'm sick of shoveling!)

 

I have not tried locking the rear. I do not even know why it is there. 4W seems the choice. There is lots of snow to play with.
I have not noticed a problem with the TRD Off Road skid plate. And I have hit it pretty hard.

 

Well, others understand me. Take 15 mgs. of Morphine Sulfate.

Or 60 mgs. of Codein Sulfate.

That will fix a TBI headach.

 

Well, unless you've done the locker mod it only works in 4LO so it's pretty useless unless you're stuck. And usually it only helps even then if one wheel is off the ground or you're in mud so one tire spins. There's been a few times where 4LO wasn't enough without the locker, but I was only in 4LO FOR the locker before I did the mod.

I use 4LO more for low range sloooooooow crawling going down steep trails, or to creep up hills without juggling clutch, brake and gas. Just put it in 4LO and let idle speed move the truck using brake and clutch to control speed. The rest of the time I try to stay in 2wd/locked, or even 4HI and use more speed to clean out the tires.

With locker mod I'll try that before either 4wd option just to see if it's because 1 wheel is spinning. So now I do the locker just so both tires are back to 2wd so if I got stuck I wouldn't be in 4wd and require a winch. After a while I just left it in 2wd, locked the rear, and was able to get around very well! Even in the mud! It also let me just hit the gas and power slide around on narrow trails to turn around.

 

Oh, I hit my skid plate pretty hard and flattened the driver side corner. After I beat it back into shape I welded some angle iron on to both of them, and some thick wire (from the basket part of a shopping cart) around the 90* edges of the second skid plate. I can now use my bottle jack to lift the truck from the second skid plate without it flexing.

 

As I understand the operators manual; 5 MPH is the limit to lock it , but then you can go as fast as you wish.

 

That can't be right... I've locked mine while going at least 35mph....

 

Well, I can look it up; assuming that I am willing to breech the snow. But I am pretty sure that that is what I read.

 

That might be a limit on Prerunners, or pre-locker-mod. Post-locker-mod I can engage it anytime I want. I tried it going down the road around 45mph when I first did the mod to test it. And I used it around 35mph a few weeks ago in the snow.

 

I`ve never used it other too test. And that was while stopped. 4W is so easy to use, I did not think of it `till you brought it up to punch through snow drifts. Which I have aplenty.
So I re read the manual on it.
I have the 5 speed auto with a 1GR-FE 4.OL. It may be different.
Thanks for your input.

 

np. The thing I like about it is it usually kicks in faster than 4wd and gives that little bit of extra traction. Yet, I still have 4wd if I bog down. Bog down in snow in 4wd and you better have a shovel! lol I made the mistake a couple times of putting it in 4wd and hitting the gas only to bury it to the frame. Already IN 4wd so that option is out, and 4LO is only really usually in situations you need torque (like a steep hill, rock climb, etc). It's almost useless if you simply don't have enough traction.

First time was trying to cut through a parking lot. Looked all nice and smooth, not too bad. WRONG! Turned out to be wind swept snow 18" deep seamlessly blending with the piles from the plows. I got in 1 truck's length and stopped dead! Dug around all the wheels for half an hour, tried all the 4wd/locker combinations, and finally just put it in 4hi for the speed and rocked it back n forth. Finally got it moving back a little and just floored it. Tires spun, dug down, and finally pulled the truck out and to the side.

Second time a snowy dirt road magically changed to dirty snow before I realized it and sank to the frame. Same deal, no combo of 4wd/locker would get it out, and I had snow packed around the frame rails. After 20 minutes I said F-it and pulled out my hi-lift. I only needed to move the rear tires about 6 ft to get back on the road. So I jacked up the trailer hitch and tipped the jack over once the tire were above the ruts. Tires landed on deep snow, jack base dug into the road, and I continued jacking so it pushed the rear end over. I did that 3-5 times, tossed the jack in the bed, and just backed out. Thinking maybe I should get a set of chains for the rear "just in case".

 

I have a set that was cut down from an 18 weeler. I don`t even know if they will fit the 18" taco wheels.
The Power Wagon is 16",but fatter.
I hope that I don`t find out soon. I left a couple of excess links.
Carabiners should work; if I need a link.

 

They make repair links too. I found a few online.

 

Climbing and rappelling gear has been upgraded a bunch since my Army days.
But that top one sure looks a lot like a snap link. And the bottom one looks exactly like my screw caribiners.
With snap links you want to be sure the gate is down and twoard you.
The advantage is you can get free fast no matter rope length.
The disadvantage is that they rely on tension to keep the gate shut.
In non combat this is no advantage and most go with the more secure type.
Plus you always have a knife.
I have lots of screw biners.
Thanks for the tip.

 

oh.. I didn't know the top ones snapped together... I thought they went together, then you bashed those pegs with a hammer to mushroom them out like a rivet...

 

I do not know about that.
I am sure that the biners are over built and most likely cheaper.
At least if one considers dual use.
Field expediancy; use the means at hand.
I have a string of them hanging. Technical rock climbing requires quite a few.
Pitons alone will fray your rope. This matters if you paid for it.
I don`t do this anymore. Too old and beat up from past adventures.