Ok guys Im a ok off roader, but always want to learn more and get better. I was just wondering if anyone had some tips for off road driving. Im not going just for pure fun and thrills here. I live on a farm and usually get around just fine. Only got stuck once and that was in a swamp and I was being stupid. If someone has some tips from wheeling these beast off road please give me some tips. I can be in anything from deep mud, rocky hills and trails, all the way into sand. We have all of that stuff within 100 acres which I think is great.

Thanks for the tips you guys are awesome!

 

What kind of tires are you rockin'?

 

Got some Geolander ATs but they're pretty new so I cant make a change at this time due to crazy cost of other brands.

 

Except for mud, you've got the right tires. They get us all over Baja.

1. Don't be afraid to stop, walk and look.

2. Momentum.

 

I got the Geolandars too. Good tire, but in the future, you might want to go with something a bit more aggressive. I would personally run a Goodyear Duratrac or a Goodyear Wrangler with the Kevlar built in.

 

I'll comment on what I've gathered about wheelin' a 7000+lb Super Duty

Bottomless Mud
Watch out for bottomless mud! Our trucks are just too heavy to navigate long stretches of boggy soup. Tires with more aggressive tread will propel you farther than a A/T tread pattern, but when you're wheelin' a fairly stock truck like you or me it's best to avoid long stretches. If you do have to make your way through a lot of bad mud here's the best advice I can give you based on my experience and having a similar truck.

• Use 4x4 High
• Transmission in 1st (not Low on ZF6)

Slick, Shallow Mud
The weight of a Super Duty can be your friend, here. This kind of mud is that stuff that just sticks to your boots, tires, and clutch pedal. Usually you won't get stuck, unless your tires fall into a rut or something and you just can't get out of them because everything is so slick!

• Use 4x4 Low Range
• Transmission in 1st or 2nd

Rocks
A Super Duty is probably the wrong vehicle to take in a real "rock garden" because even a single cab truck had a monster of a wheelbase. Since you have a Super Cab (and I have a Crew Cab), our wheelbase is something like 13 FEET. That's close to the overall length of a small car just between the wheels!

• Use 4wd Low
• Transmission in "Low"

Deep, Sugar Sand
Use the footprint test. If you walk out in the sand and your shoes do not leave a discernible footprint, your chances of getting stuck are much higher. Be wary if all you see is an indention where you just walked! The longer the stretch of sand is, the higher your probability is of getting stuck.

If you must drive in deep, sugar sand, my best advice is the following:

• 4x4 High
• Use Low in the ZF6 transmission

Driving for long periods in deep sand is the only terrain I'd consider airing my tires down. If you're towing a trailer through the sand, you might find 4x4 Low necessary. Airing down the truck and trailer tires can help your rig from sinking in. But remember too much of a good thing will peel a tire off the rim of a heavy vehicle.


Trails
Trails are fun! A super Duty can be a surprisingly good trail vehicle because lots of friends and gear and pets can go along in your F250 or F350. You might just get called the "Recovery Vehicle" because a Super Duty can make it a long way down many trails to get closer to other disabled vehicles farther off the beaten path.

• 2wd or 4x4 Low
• ZF6 Transmission in Whichever Gear is Suitable

Everybody has their own preference for trail riding. The more your go, the more you'll develop your own feel for what you like. Probably the only universal is that it's good to just leave the hubs locked in whether you're in 4x4 or in 2wd. If you're riding along in 2wd and see a tough spot, it's real easy to push in the clutch and slip in into 4x4 High or slow down and grab 4x4 Low.





I hope I haven't written too much. I do like wheelin', and we have similar trucks. This is just what works best in my area. You results may vary. Keep on smiling wheelin' that Super Duty!

 

***** to the walls! if it breaks you can fix it.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys. This will all help alot!

 

1) For offroading the stock diffs suck
2) Shiney side up.

 

Wheel speed is big. When I haul for a buddy of mine in the fall I am usually trying to crawl out of a muddy field with a 60,000lb tri-ax truck. As long as I can keep the wheels moving the tires will clean themselves out enough to keep going. As soon as you slow down or if you don't grab a high enough gear then it is game over. Momentum is key!

 

All about the wheel speed....but also know the area your going into....I wouldn't do a blind run unless you have endless wallet.

 

For off roading there are 4 things you need.
1) Lockers
2) A good set of tires
3) At least a heavy duty tow strap or a chain rated for 2x what the truck weighs.
4) A place to tie the strap to.
The rest is finess and knowing when to hammer it when to not. It takes a while to get used to the size. Avoid tight spots with mud and trees. I took my old z71 excab up middle fork trail one time. I learned when navigating switch backs the best way was to push the grill guard up the rock face turn the wheels let the tires spin and slide the front end around and it made it a lot easier. That was a tight set of swith backs where he was having trouble making the turns in a tj wrangler. The sign on the entrance said "short wheel base vehicles only" "expert drivers only" the guys on 4 wheelers were impressed to see a truck that big make it to the top.

 

One thing not mention yet when "crawling" in rocks is that speed isn't always your friend. Wheel spin and speed in rocks breaks things. Some times a little go pedal is needed, but use it carefully.

Also, step bars and running boards don't work as "sliders" carry the weight on a SD. They just break off. Don't ask me how I know. LOL

SD's are wide. If the trail is narrow, you will end up with custom pin stripes on the sides from branches and weeds.

 

just know where you can and can't go... SD's are big (obviously)