Goldie.... Burried alive! She rebels!

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

Well since ole Big Red has become a lawn ornament, Goldie has becoma a workin girl...... Hauling firewood that is.
Today was my short work day and I figgerd to snag 3 pickup loads of wood before the weather starts turning sour.
Got to my favorite woods and cut up enough needed for the 3 loads.
Got loaded up in the midst of a rainstorm... Frackin Michigan weather, it WAS decent whe I started.
Started back up out of the woods and whoops, the ground be clay under that there gravel.
Ugh! Stuck.
Unloaded some of the weight and tried again.
Ugh! still stuck!
Unloaded some more, made it almost to the top of the hill.
UGH! burried.
Called the farm manager where I was a cutting and he got the farm owner to come down with a tractor.
He shows up with a 2 wheel drive Landini.
UH Dino that thing aint gonna cut the mustard.
We try he says....
Ugh!
Goldie burried to the step bars and the tractor stuck!
UGH!
We get the tractor out and he goes for sumptin bigger....
By now it's raining cats AND dogs Dino return with the big JD and drags the ole gal out like she wasn't back there.

Got her back on solid tera firma and scooped the mud out of the wheel covers on the duallies and head for home to finish unloading what was left in the bed.........Not much!

UGH! lights go dim.
12.1volts @ 2000 rpm.
All of a sudden, 15.6 volts and holding steady.
She maintains the high voltage till I get home and at an idle it returns to 12.4v
Run the r's up a bit and back up to 15.6.
New voltage regulator 30 days old.
Time for another me thinks.

Further investigating found a feshly twisted bumper... compliments of the burial.
Down pipe rubbing on firewall again....Dang urethane bushings....Can't seem to keep em cab bolts tight, even with nylon stop nuts.

Drove her over to get the kiddies and still high volt spike running all the electrical gadgets.
Till the return trip...... Normal operating volts.

So the moral of the story one might ask?


DON"T use yer daily driver for wood haulin......Specially after an extreme total makeover.
She don't like it!

 

[Agnem]

Build a Gold Tail.

 

[Russ]

Ron Better get some bigger mudders for her if you gonna do that. I know if my IDI leaves the pavement it's done. Granted its 2wd but they carry too much weight on the skinny front tires.

 

[69oiler]

even the dang 4x4s are nose heavy. been stuck more times than i'll admit. the difference in flotation between my 6.9 and my former '77 351 equipped 250 on mud was night and day. and the '77 was on skinnier tires.

 

[82fordtruck]

That's why I got a 4x4 SRW gasser for my firewood truck. It's the only thing that cuts it....


Want energy suspension bushings? Send me your address and offer to pay shipping. I have all but the big cab mounts and front end parts.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

Build a Gold Tail.

Working on it slow but sure as I think Big Red is gonna be the donor frame.
Need some of yer input on the moose tail for some idears this winter.

Better get some bigger mudders for her if you gonna do that. I know if my IDI leaves the pavement it's done.

Yep looking that option over but 6 tires, spacers and longer studs is a major expense right now and I can't justify that one right now.

Rob I concur,
The 85 gasser with the 460 and worn out treads has done better on similar terrain, but with the t-case being out makes it kinda hard to get in them back woods areas.

Want energy suspension bushings? Send me your address and offer to pay shipping. I have all but the big cab mounts and front end parts.

Mike, I have em on Goldie, but I can't keep em snug, these C/C's just have an awful lot of frame flex at their length and it seems like something has to give.

 

[82fordtruck]

Yep - I can make mine so that I can't close any doors.....

 

[olivera149]

Hey Ron up here during snow season i always carry 12 sand bags and 2-8ft sections of custom traction boards along with tire chains. My boards are 2-- 1/2" OSB 3ft wide, 8ft lengths joined together, with alternating 3/4" and 1/2" x 1" strips of lumber, 6" apart. Saved me and fellow locals countless number of times on and off road as clay is to ice from prior experiences. You can burn through it, but you cant get through it with 4x2 . If you have too, build a bridge with firewood, do it, worst you loose a couple sections of wood. Also during backwood excursions at my cabin i would cut 12ft sections so i was tail heavy on purpose to gain traction with a modified factory LS. Worst came to worst i pull off 4 sections and dedicate them to the mud and drive some 3/4" galvanized pipe behind each section to keep from flinging back.

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and improvise; will get you through what a lot of people will tell you you cant.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

If you have too, build a bridge with firewood, do it, worst you loose a couple sections of wood.

Thought about it but she didn't budge and without L/S I was pretty much screwed.
Going back to the 8N with chains and a trailer.
More trips, slower process now that the ground is crap.

 

[adrianspeeder]

What tires you runnin?

Adrianspeeder

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

What tires you runnin?

Adrianspeeder

Firestone Steeltex A/T for the rears and the A/S on the fronts.
They came off the Beef.
6 tires cost a fortune round these parts.

 

[adrianspeeder]

Yeah, got those on the diesel, '97 and gonna go on the '92. Great tires, but I ddin't have much luck in clay though...