Crappy Pics, Awesome Bumper

[my1stcummins]

Well the new year had to start off on a good foot, so last December I took advantage of a great sale at 4wheelparts.com and purchased a new ARB bumper for my Ram as well as a 12,000#Warn Winch. The bumper was back-ordered so I just had it installed last week. For the last two years I had been looking at everything on the market and was finally trying to decide between a buckstop or an ARB. The ARB made the cut with it's good looks, and sale price. I haven't had a chance to get any action out of it, or any action shots but I will be sure to share once i get back to the states at the end of the month.:smiley_drive: I thought about lockers, but the winch and bumper seemed like a more economical and useful setup.

I also added a Viair constant duty on-board air system under the box with quick connects plumbed to each bumper, it will be nice to air down tires on the trails for added grip and a smoother ride.

Update: The locking hub conversion has been a big plus on the truck's handling and performance. The steering feels lighter and the mileage did actually increase just a tick. But for me, it was knowing that the replacement parts are cheap and a do-it-yourself project as opposed to the $$$ unit bearings from the factory.

Now that my rig is done(for now) I am planning a summer expo trip. Thinking either Forest service road route through Washington(my home) to Oregon, or tripping through Colorado(never been). Any thoughts?

 

[my1stcummins]

http://www.backcountrydiscoveryroutes.com/WABDR

 

[my1stcummins]

Hmm nobody has any recommendations for any trips in Colorado?

 

[Scrib]

I'm planning on going over the Cascades in Oregon and hitting route 5 (http://www.oohva.org/OBCDR/route5.html) up towards WA this summer, to visit relatives.

 

[cwm]

A little more information on your idea for trip through Colorado might get you some suggestions. What do you mean by tripping through Colorado and do you want to do most of this trip on forest service roads?

If you intend to travel on forest service roads in Colorado you might have a problem with your truck. For many of the forest service roads your truck is to big. A lot of the forest service roads are old mining roads. They can be very narrow and often have tight switch backs. A crew cab truck is so long it can't make the tight turns.

An example. Mosquito Pass between Leadville and Alma (13,165 ft. at the summit) is a very scenic and historical road. You could probably drive the east side from Alma to the summit. But I don't know if you could make the sharp turns on the west - Leadville - side.

 

[rockwood]

Relax. Plenty of time for research. The snow won't melt for months.

 

[my1stcummins]

Well, I'm open to anything really, I've never been before and don't know what the terrain is like and what vehicles are best suited to tackle it. The length of my truck has crossed my mind as limiting my trail options. Thanks for the ideas and comments.

 

[my1stcummins]

That looks promising! Thanks for the link.

 

[rube bonet]

A little more information on your idea for trip through Colorado might get you some suggestions. What do you mean by tripping through Colorado and do you want to do most of this trip on forest service roads?

If you intend to travel on forest service roads in Colorado you might have a problem with your truck. For many of the forest service roads your truck is to big. A lot of the forest service roads are old mining roads. They can be very narrow and often have tight switch backs. A crew cab truck is so long it can't make the tight turns.

An example. Mosquito Pass between Leadville and Alma (13,165 ft. at the summit) is a very scenic and historical road. You could probably drive the east side from Alma to the summit. But I don't know if you could make the sharp turns on the west - Leadville - side.

I've taken my old dodge cummins (ex cab short bed) thru many of the trails in Colorado, and yes, your long bed CC is going to feel very long in a few places... but most of the pass roads are easily negotiable in something that long.
Just remember, backing down/ up switchbacks is sometimes easier than making the corner!

Most of the fireroads in CO are plenty wide enough, and the dangerous ones are generally pretty well marked. Definitely worth the effort though, the San Juans are incredible, the rest of CO isn't so bad either.