Yes, we often carry a spare air filter. Or drop in someplace and buy a new one. Which reminds me: I need to take care of that today. Just got back last night from Arkansas Ozarks and it was pretty dusty. LOL.

As for rules of the road: Someone will have to back up. So, you pay close attention and if you see someone coming and have the opportunity to stop, you do. On a hill, generally, the person going down is supposed to yield to the person going up (so he can keep his momentum going). If there are livestock, then vehicles pull over as far as possible and should turn off their engines (to avoid spooking them). Occasionally, roads are one-way because of the risk of two vehicles meeting and no safe way to pass. So be certain you're headed the right way!

 

As I added weight it was the rear that sagged. So I ended up with a mixed bag on the springs: 2.5" TF on the front, 2.5" OME HD on the rear. It is a stiff ride because of the OME springs, but I'm okay with it. With a little trimming here and there and 4.5" BS wheels, I have no rubbing. It did take a while to find all of the places that needed trimming, though (because the rubbing was only under certain conditions, not because there was so much of it). Don't believe those people who say to trim the pinch seams only for 37s and larger: They are wrong. Driveshafts: I wheel pretty hard sometimes, and after 125K miles or so my front driveshaft Rzeppa joint failed. I installed a Tom Woods.

BTW: You may have seen the Jeep that is very similar to mine in some of my videos/pictures--it's very dark green (really looks black) '12, and has a different roof rack (AEV), but otherwise very similar to mine. He also had to replace his rear 2.5" TF springs with OME HD to level the rig and keep it from riding on the bump stops. He runs 33" Duratracs, BTW (I run 35s). He replaced the front driveshaft because it was recommended by David at Northridge.

My suspicion from all of this: Once you install your lift and load your rig up, the rear may sag. AEV seems to have a better handle on this, however. I have a friend (the white '12 JK in the videos) who is running the 2.5" AEV lift with control arm relocation brackets. It doesn't sag, but uses a trailer rather than an overhead rack for a large portion of his gear. He has kept his stock driveshafts and has had no issues.

To be honest, if I was building another rig, I'd probably go 2.5" AEV with TF front lower control arms on 35" tires. I would go no larger on tires, and there's no overlanding performance reason to go any taller on the lift. I would definitely stay away from 37" tires because even with the 35s I find myself in places where gas becomes critical. If you're not used to some of the remote places around even the U.S., you can become complacent about gas. A couple vignettes:

1. Colorado. Planned to gas up before crossing Medano Pass. Except the only gas station for 35 miles (one way) according to our GPS closed six months ago.

2. Texas Big Bend. The only gas station for 50 miles burned down last week. On top of that, the few towns in the area are suffering major power outages because recent weather has knocked out much of the power distribution system. If you arrive at a gas station, you may spend your time waiting for power to be restored before you can continue your trip.

Gas range is important--very much so. And so is carrying extra gas.

 

Spent the last several days exploring the Buckhorn OHV Trails. Here are a few images ...















River crossing on the approach from Natural Dam ...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201676505855348&l=2876787240389754591 A very scary moment along the Buckhorn OHV Trails ...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201676538816172&l=5886642003581084939

 

Mark what lift and tires are people running crossing that river? And what speed are you going crossing that river? Are Lockers a rule of thumb for that trail?

Thanks

 

2.5" lifts. 33-35" tires. We had a couple folks running open diff's. Lockers make things easier, of course.

 

Oh, I didn't drive across river, so don't know speed. Another driver's wife drove my Jeep to drop me off to video from the other side. That will be in the full-length video.

 

Mark, I know it's been said before but you should write a book! Better yet, publish your version of the Overland Journal. I would buy that in a minute! My family takes a 2 week trip to the Rockies every year and I couldn't think of a better person to talk to about the trails and the trip. Little things like carrying 2 spares and extra fuel is just a nugget of information but could make all the difference! Most of us here probably camp close to towns and wheel well known trails and then come back to town. What you do is another level all together!

 

So I hear you on the extra fuel. How much extra does the average person carry? 10 gallons?

 

Five or ten--depends on trip. Like to use it up as soon as we know it is safe to do do to get weight off bumper.

 

Thanks, Dean. My goal is to encourage other people to get out there and explore our amazing country. I hope people see what I do and think, "I could do that". And then go do it!