Hey all. I am prolly going to be off roading for the first time this weekend with my '03 F-150 FX4 (Everything stock except for Flomaster and K&N). Just wondering if there is anything that I should try to avoid without any off road modifications??

Thanks

 

Yeah, try not to hit any trees with the body, and as long as you don't high-center (sit the frame down on the ground so none of the tires get any traction), you will be fine. In my F-150, I idle through everything in 4 low, and when I get any slipping, I just floor it and it usually gets me through. Sometimes you have to stop and back up and try a different line, but you have a 4-wheeling machine! Just watch out for high-centering and deep water. If the water that you cross is too deep, it can get down in the breather tube on your front axle and get into your gear oil, and that's bad. Plus, gear oil stinks and gear oil with water stinks REALLY bad, plus, it's bad for the gears. So, avoid high-centering and avoid really deep water. Other than that, you have the hook up!

P.S. We're going to need some pictures of your truck 4 wheeling.

 

Sticky, deep mud..... If you still have the stock Badyears. The stock tires are your weakest link. If you stick to trails and other places where the mud is not very deep you should do fine. Around here there is this nasty mud we call Gumbo, it is made of red clay and sand, it has the consistancy of quicksand and will eat your truck just as quickly. Plus it dries almost as hard as concrete, it makes cleaning the truck anything but fun. The two times that I have encountered this stuff in any quanity I have ended up stuck. Which brings me to my next point, bring a friend with a 4x4 and a good tow strap. Have a good time and take some pics. Check my gallery in a few days and I will add the pics from the last time I burried the truck.

Joe

 

Oh my, I can't believe that I forgot about those stock tires! Yeah, if it gets slick, you might not go any farther.

 

Just wondering, how deep is too deep? I have a 03' fx4 and have had water up too my rocker panels a few times.

 

How deep depends on what you are in. I don't like to have water much over the center of the rims. To go deeper I would extend the breather tubes on the axles, tranny & x-fer case. I added some new mudding pics to my gallery that show what too deep looks like.


Joe

 

Right on! I wasn't sure how much it could take from the showroom. I mean the sales guy told me it was all ready to rock, but you know how car salesman can be. Tell you anything to get the sale.

Thanks a lot guys, and I will post pics next week after the trip to this same thread, so stay tuned!

 

well niether of these got into my vents, diff's, trany, or t-case. I have been deeper, but they did. Go out and have fun, dont do anything that could kill you or anyone else, and make sure you get stuck atleast once. it is the best part.... Oh if you have somebody with you or a winch. .

Wookie, were those pictures of off-roading on a trail, or you going "off the road" hehehehe (j/k)

 

Those were of the "off the road" varity. I was out screwing around in our only snow this year and slid over the curb. I just happend to hit the spot that was freshly dug up from putting in a storm drain. I did get lucky my friend was able to pull me out.

Joe