So yea... again...

Took the truck out to Glamis for New Years, was out there the 27th - 1st. The truck was running great, for the most part. But I guess I still have a few kinks to work out. So what happened you ask?

1 - Blown Front Shocks (same one as before, same way)
1 - Sheered AVM Hub
1 - Lost AVM Hub
1 - Broken Hella 4000
1 - Smashed Skid Plate

Lets see, the front shock, I was moving down Sand Highway (for those that have been there), I mean moving, as fast as the truck would physically go. Hit a set of whoops near Comp that kicked the rear up, tapped the skid plate, pinned the throttle, pulled the front up and rear down, plowed the rest of the set, then smelt shock oil. When we stopped to check it the shock/oil was smoking.

The shock was the most impressive, and the last straw before loading it on the trailer.



The first AVM, the one that sheered, I got stuck in the dunes when I crept up one thinking I had 4wd, got out to hook the strap up and saw the hub sheered.





Replaced that hub, came back from a drive to find the new one missing, just gone. So my friend Nick came up with a plan for keeping them on, it worked.



The lower skid plate. We were heading down to the Mexico border, just for the heck of it, moving along about 50mph, came over a rise, dipped into a little valley that compressed the front end, and slammed the truck into the ground, hard. That's 1/4" aluminum that it mangled and two tabs that ripped off.





Lastly, the light, it was a nerf gone wrong. I nerfed my friend Nicks Jeep and instead of hitting the metal to metal, I hit my light on his rear bumper. Oops... lol

 

Dang.. lol sounds like quite a trip!

 

wow that is crazy. those avm hubs must be junk! Why dont you go live axle?

I wanna ride shotgun in your truck! LOL

 

I'm not sure if they are junk or if I'm just having a good run of bad luck. The first set I had lasted for years, it's just in the last few months that I've lost three of them.

I don't want to go live axle because I want to keep the option of unlocking the hubs. If I break an axle with this set up I can either unlock the hub, remove the hub, or remove the axle completely and still be able to drive the truck like nothing ever happened. With a live axle you need the outer CV joint bolted in place to hold everything together, you can't just pull the shaft out if it's broken. By that same token if you break a live axle since it has to stay in place depending on where it's broken you'll have metal 'club' spinning around bashing the suspension, shocks, bumps, ect. Sticking with the hubs I was able to drive the truck for a year with a broken axle shaft.

So yea, that's why I want to keep with the locking hubs vs live axle.

Next time you're in CA I've got a ride waiting for you. You can fly SouthWest into LAX for like 40 bucks... FWIW

 

Jason your truck still looks good! Whats next for it?

 

New front bumper... stay tuned.

 

thanks for the ride jason, truck feels amazing compared to the last time I rode in it. I love the zip tie fix, you should run that all the time.

 

sounds cheap! too bad once i am out there i would want my truck to ride too! LOL

 

I thought you were selling the truck?

 

Damn, atleast you didn't have any CV issues.

 

Whatever gave you that idea?

 

That thread you posted a while ago saying you were going to sell it for a Rhino.

 

Oooohhhhh.... that.

It was a Polaris RZR, and I wasn't serious... lol

 

Oh.

 

Yea, if I want to take a RZR out I can just borrow it from work, I've got too much time, money, blood, sweet, and tears in this truck to sell it now...

 

I just love your truck. Suck about all the damage.

 

haha looks like you had fun with it for sure....

glad to see I am not the only one having problems with the AVMs falling off....one of mine slid off while I was making a turn in a parking deck....and it wasn't like after four wheeling so yeah...haha my fix is a little more elegant though

 

jason...i was just talking to my fab shop buddy...he's building two prerunner type 98+ rangers......ones a 4x4 and he's running lengthend cv's and bad *** lca's...your truck reminds me of his project. infact he's trying to get me to do it too.

sorry...i dont do random comments like these...so feel special now. lol.

 

What's your fix? I'd love to know something more permanent that zip ties (they were the best option for fixing them in the dirt, since I had run out of spares I couldn't lose any more... lol)

 

looks like the skid paid for itself this trip for sure.

i like the zip ties trick. i always keep ducttape and zip ties with me haha.

 

That'll make for a bad day, but then again; A bad day off road is better than a good day at the office.

You might be a redneck if:

 

Road trip...we really should start planning this for 2010

 

well I am sorry I keep failing to get pics....I don't have a camera..soon though

but basically, you need to get all the way around the connecting tabs (that "pop" *haha right* into the spindle) and uniformly hold them inward (towards the center). Go to the plumbing section of Home Depot or whatever, and they have these neoprene/rubber (don't remember) flex connectors for between PVC pieces... the ones for 2" PVC will slide (tightly) over the hub and hold the tabs in and will help fill up that space to make it look better. You have to trim the piece to your desired length, but it works really great and clean IMO ...

 

or what about 2" shrink wrap? slide it on there and then heat shrink em on ? Heck that stuff you could get twice the size and still shrink it on.

 

I have had about the same luck with my AVM's.

Lost one just driving home from work on the e-way. Sheered one just like you did....twice. And just plain broke 2 more when my wheel bearings failed{at different times}