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diesel's off road?
themailman1
Member Posts: 95
I was wondering if anyone off roads with their diesel, preferably the f250 sd? I do lots of driving and I am considering a reg cab 4x4 diesel auto tranny f250 sd but I do occasionally off road and use the trukc to get to fishing/hunting spots that require 4wd. I know the front and rear axles can handle it but how is the engine. I have read that more and more people are switching to diesels for off road but I would like to hear some of your opinions.
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Mine is a 350 CC LWB SRW 4x4. It wouldn't try to use it for heavy duty rock-hopping like you'd find on some of the Jeep Jamboree events, or try to take it into Duzy Meadows in the High Sierras, but it was never made for that...it's just too damn big... If I want to do that sort of thing, I drag my CJ-5 up the mountain with the truck, then do the rock-hop thing.
The point is, your diesel pickup will go just about anywhere you want it to go. As for the 18" shelf that Lariat referred to, I just put mine in 4-Lo and crawl. Haven't had any problems yet, other than trying to find a place to turn it around... And it carries a ton of fuel, so I don't have to worry about that at all.
Also, buying an automatic on heavy-duty truck is fine as long as you go into figuring it will need repairs. I know quite a few people that have replaced trannies under 50K in both Fords and Dodges. I'm at 75K on mine which has exceeded my expectations, but I went into figuring on early repairs. Dodge had a new automatic coming out in the fall, assume Ford will as well on the next design. Allison seems to be pretty good if you like the GM, but still to early to say for sure.
I didn't have any problems with the font end weight. I found that it helped keep the front end planted where I wanted it to stay. The back end was a different matter. It's light, compared to the front, and it has a tendency to slide down into ruts pretty easily. It can get a bit un-nerving if you have to crab down a slimy hill for a half mile with your front end up on top and your [non-permissible content removed] end perpetually slipping sideways toward the edge.
The ride is fine, as long as you remember that it's a heavy duty truck, and not some wimpy SUV. My Utah hunt trips are about 12 hours, one way, and I routinely make them with just a pit stop for food/fuel.
There are bound to be better rigs for off-roading, but I don't think I would change anything on mine - unless I could find some way to get the chains to put themselves on and off when I need them.
http://www.onspot.com/
It's in the soil! Utah mud is the worst imaginable, more slippery than ANYTHING I've been on. As Topper says, it clogs up in seconds. Get out, and walk around to clear your fenders, it sticks to your boots like you're wearing brick (2) layers. Lift your knees into your chest to walk around. Horrible stuff. When dry, the soil is so fine and light.
No doubt. You need to try the Oregon red clay. Nasty, nasty stuff, particularly when it's been the usual, wet.
thanks
jerry
They DO look interesting, but I wondered how they would work in demanding conditions, so I called the manufacturer and talked to "Colin" who explained how they work. In fact, they would probably work great for hard-pack snow or ice, and even on relatively smooth dirt/mud roads but wouldn't work for beans if you're in deep mud, or frozen ruts (or soft deep ones for that matter) or if there is much in the way of debris or large rocks on the road that might whack your chain spinner, or if you're just crawling along, or if you're already stuck. (Whew...lots of or's in there...time to breathe now...)
He also explained that they only mount on the rear and that they cost $1800 per pair, plus shipping and installation. Thanks anyway, but no, thank you...!
Jerry, I don't have much of a problem with turbo lag offroad. I'm virtually always in a lower gear if I'm in a rough spot on a fire road or jeep trail and I typically am operating at no more than 1500-2000 rpm on the motor unless it's a steep uphill. Plus, I have an automatic, so it's pretty easy to do the left-foot-brake/right-foot-gas thing when I have to. And there's always 4-Lo on the T-case if it comes to that. On downhills, I use a lot of low gear and/or 4-Lo engine braking, especially when I'm chained up for that Utah mud.
For everything else, I just drive normally.
As long as the terrain isn't too tight my 350 PSD Auto is actually easier to handle off road than my CJ-5 4-spd manual. It's just not quite as much fun to bang around in. This thing is something like 23' long, I think. Like I said earlier, it'll never be a rock-hopper but it serves my purposes well on those hunting/fishing expeditions in the mountains...