So I've never been the type to go mudding or off-road, but in this rural part of the country there are a few really scenic dirt roads. This evening I decided to go exploring one of them and I learned a couple of lessons:

1. Just because it's on the map does NOT mean it's a passable road.
2. Puddles are ALWAYS deeper than they look.


We came upon this large puddle about 50 feet long in the middle of this "road". It didn't look particularly treacherous, and I ASSumed it was much like the roads in CT that are relatively stable and driveable. Not wanting to take too many chances I put the truck in 4-hi, locked the rear differential, and attacked the puddle around 15 MPH. I realized about 1/2 second in when the truck sank right in that I was in trouble. I gave it some gas and barely made it to the other side with a VERY bumpy ride. Got out, the truck didn't seem any the worse for wear, and I felt like I had no choice but to keep going and make it to a civilized road on the other side. That didn't happen.

Another 1/2 mile of very slow going with a trail barely wide enough to fit the truck through I came across this:



A bit more treacherous looking than the first. At this point I called it quits and decided to turn around and go back from whence I came. Had to back up about 1/4 mile before I had room to turn around, and shortly afterward I came across my favorite mud puddle. Same deal, 4-hi, attacked at a reasonable speed with the diff locked. This time I felt a slight impact on my left side as I waded through this huge puddle; I get out and my running board is bent. Aggravated I drive it the rest of the way home without incident.

Here are some pics of the truck, I have NEVER gotten a truck this muddy before in my life.





Note the bent running board.

I get to cleaning this thing off and realize just how much water I was in, so I figured I'd check the airbox and found this:



Fortunately none was passed to the intake, but that was CLOSE.



My truck now has added ground clearance as I've removed the running boards until I can figure a solution.

 

When I was a long truck driver I had a load of logging equipment they wanted delivered to there spot, and I took my Century class down a road that looked close.

I had a tractor leading in case I got stuck they could just hook, and go.

 

I haven't had that happen in a pickup in quite awhile. I buried a '77 PowerWagon in a hole like that, and managed to get water in the intake.
Nowadays, I sometimes get on logging trails like that in a 42 wheeler. I've had a skidder on both ends just to get to and from the landing. It's even more fun in a big truck!!LOL

 

Tom,

That's awesome. No one could ever accuse you of babying your truck! That brought back some great off road memories. Sorry to hear about the step bar though.

Todd

 

REALLY sorry to hear that Tom!! Glad to hear you didn't make things worse by ingesting water and hydro locking the motor! Maybe you need the AMP power steps like the Platinum has! they fold up out of the way AND they have much more useable area for your foot than the ones sold on the trucks.

POWERSTEP



They have bright LED's added to them now as well so you can see the step at night!

 

I've seen those before and got to try them out last weekend, one of the guys there had a set that were very impressive. But at $1,000 for a set it's a bit spendy for me at the moment.

 

crappy! i have only sucked water in once in my old explorer. it had rained so much roads were flooding(big-main roads) and i hit what i thought was a small puddle. sucked some water in but kept it running thank god. the downside to a open element "cold air intake"

really sucks about the step bars! you might be able to pick one up off craigslist cheap.

 

Glad I only have 2wd these days, if my F-150 had 4wd I would have broken something too by now. Every 4wd I've ever owned, I've taken out and ripped, bent or broken something lol.

I even took my wifes Subaru Outback "muddin" the first week we had it, but don't tell here this please

 

You could always just blame it on those commercials showing it being driven off road!

 

You're braver than I am Tom but thanks for posting. I would do that all the time with my '88 and no issues, I wouldn't dream of doing it with my '11. Guess I got it out of my system years ago.

 

I think I got it out of my system last night! I'm not really into that sort of thing, and knowing that MA dirt roads include chasms I don't think I'll be returning.

I really feel pretty stoopid about the whole thing. I got mud EVERYWHERE underneath, and a good half dozen scratches in additional to the running boards. I was on Youtube researching how to buff out scratches, there will be more to follow on that.

 

glad to see you enjoying your truck!

you must live in a cleaner environment and have cleaner hobbies than mine, i don't think your truck looks all that bad for the roads you were traveling on. for me, that would be a trip to the quickie wash and forget about it.... but, i guess you just get used to dirty vehicles when you live on gravel.

too bad about the step bar. I'da just left it on though ... a testament to the trip.

wish i coulda been there ... bet i coulda egged ya on into tryin' the big hole

i'm gonna try and post up some results i had buffing out big scratches on my exploder here when i get the time. my FIL backed into it with my SIL's van and scratched it pretty bad, the results were pretty astounding, so however bad your's is i'm sure you can make it look like new again. i'll send you a link when i get it posted up.

 

Thanks Mike, it makes me feel a bit better.

I don't know about that, this is my driveway:



It's not the dirt, but rather the damage that got to me. There were some serious obstacles under that water, and I hit them at around 15 MPH in order to not get dug in. It reminded me of the suspension durability videos or the situation where some Raptor owners bent their frame. Don't think I've ever hit the bump stops that hard before, I really thought I may have bent or tweaked something in the front end.

But today, much to my relief, the truck tracked straight as an arrow to and from work. From the way it drove you'd never guess what I put it through last night. And much to my surprise I find it easier to get in and out of without the running boards!

 

One think I can tell ya about those running boards are that removal might be a bonus. The temp out here all weekend and today has been 106+ my chrome running boards have got as hot to the touch as hot pipes on a motorcycle. I've actually burned my leg just grazing the boards slightly after the truck sat outside in direct sunlight.

 

Tom look up Junkman2000 on YouTube...you will find out ALL you need to know about how to buff out scratches, what to use, how to do it etc. He is the guuy that got ME detailing my vehicle! This was the result of a days buffing on my wife's G37s!