Bajaroad
Adventurer
Guys, I thought I would share with you a bit on my trip on the White Rim Trial (Canyonlands NP).
The FG140 supported the food(beer) and equipment(bottle opener) of 12 firends/family for 5 days (4 camps) of mountain biking the White Rim Trial. This is the 5th time I've done this trip over the last ten years - the previous trips were supported with my Dodge3500 4x4 diesel.
I nearly worked around the clock over the last several weeks to get the Fuso subframe/flatbed ready for the trip. The temporary deck was made of plywood, to which I bolted 2x4's to position/anchor ice-chests, storage boxes, and other equipment. This makes the daily packing of the truck much faster and keeps gear very secure. I couldn't complete everything I hoped to before the trip, but I did manage to mount a custom 55 gallon water tank b/w the truck frame rails. I had hoped to hook up the water pump but ran out of time and used gravity instead. The tank held up nicely and reduced the amount of water jugs I had to carry. The tank was designed to mount as low as possible to keep CG as low as possible. It will later supply water to the camper.
The Fuso performed very well. Even the 20 hour drive out (we took the scenic route) was a pleasure now that there was finally enough weight to soften the ride. The large tires helped the ride and improved the gearing too.
I couldn't be more pleased with it's offroad performance. My Dodge has great low end grunt too, but the Fuso is much much easier to drive through critical sections - better visability and tighter turning radius. I shared driving on the trial with a couple friends (I want to ride too) - both said the Fuso was easier to drive than the Dodge. The ride is still too stiff for my my taste, so some suspension work might be in the future.
The Fuso drew a lot of positive attention from guys on the trail, and even a cute female ranger came into camp seeking the story behind this unusual rig.
here is an unimpressive video . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVtXPIQBRso
The FG140 supported the food(beer) and equipment(bottle opener) of 12 firends/family for 5 days (4 camps) of mountain biking the White Rim Trial. This is the 5th time I've done this trip over the last ten years - the previous trips were supported with my Dodge3500 4x4 diesel.
I nearly worked around the clock over the last several weeks to get the Fuso subframe/flatbed ready for the trip. The temporary deck was made of plywood, to which I bolted 2x4's to position/anchor ice-chests, storage boxes, and other equipment. This makes the daily packing of the truck much faster and keeps gear very secure. I couldn't complete everything I hoped to before the trip, but I did manage to mount a custom 55 gallon water tank b/w the truck frame rails. I had hoped to hook up the water pump but ran out of time and used gravity instead. The tank held up nicely and reduced the amount of water jugs I had to carry. The tank was designed to mount as low as possible to keep CG as low as possible. It will later supply water to the camper.
The Fuso performed very well. Even the 20 hour drive out (we took the scenic route) was a pleasure now that there was finally enough weight to soften the ride. The large tires helped the ride and improved the gearing too.
I couldn't be more pleased with it's offroad performance. My Dodge has great low end grunt too, but the Fuso is much much easier to drive through critical sections - better visability and tighter turning radius. I shared driving on the trial with a couple friends (I want to ride too) - both said the Fuso was easier to drive than the Dodge. The ride is still too stiff for my my taste, so some suspension work might be in the future.
The Fuso drew a lot of positive attention from guys on the trail, and even a cute female ranger came into camp seeking the story behind this unusual rig.
here is an unimpressive video . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVtXPIQBRso
