It's been a hard day - Damages so far

[Haiminger]

After doing some very hard rock crawling yesterday (in Jerusalem) I got under my truck this morning and then drove it to the nearest garage. Here is a list of damages I got:

1. Broken fuel cap
2. One of the drive shaft seals got loose and grease was spilled all over (had to argue with the mechanic to remove the underbody protection, in order to
see this)
3. There is a knonk from the gear box that was not there before. The H3 will have to stary for 2-3 days in the garage in order for the gear to be
checked.

All (except for the fuel cap) is under warranty, but this really feels bad.

I really felt I have to struggle hard with the H3 this time. As I said in my previous thread, the front suspension seems to behave poorly. It's like the front does not raise the wheels at all when it meets an obstacle, it just tries to attack the rock head-on.

Even 2 Toyotas I ride with moved across everything more easy then me (and these Toyotas usually break at least one differential during this kind of off-roading.

I've got the 31" wheels and front factory shocks. The front TB are cranked 4 1/2 turns each. The rear shocks are Rancho and the rear was lifted about 2 inches.

Any ideas on how to improve my ride (besides the obvious ? improving my driving skills)?

I want to believe that the readylift kit is the answer, but I see to many pros and cons threads in this forum regarding this solution.

[trailerpup]

Front sway bar. Wait, you say that you have 2 inches of lift in the rear and turned the t-bars 4.5 turns to level the truck. When you look under the front, how much down travel is left after the front-level? There is only, like 5 inches of travel on the front of the H3 anyway. Let us know how it turns out!

[wpage]

How did you break your fuel cap fool!

[Haiminger]

Fuel Cap broken -very simply done:

A rock got stuck between my rear (driver side) wheel and the rear bumper. The wheel actualy grabed the rock to the top side of the gap between the wheel and body. These cause the fuel line that is attached to the cap to bend backwards. This caused the fuel cap to popout while the base of the cap got broken.

This alone is 100$ damage

[fourfourto]

Originally Posted by Haiminger

Fuel Cap broken -very simply done:

A rock got stuck between my rear (driver side) wheel and the rear bumper. The wheel actualy grabed the rock to the top side of the gap between the wheel and body. These cause the fuel line that is attached to the cap to bend backwards. This caused the fuel cap to popout while the base of the cap got broken.

This alone is 100$ damage

You have to list some pics

[Haiminger]

Me and my friend where busy trying to push out this rock and no one was able to take a picture also.

This all happned on a very steep hill, and If the truck would have moved a few inches the fuel line would have been totaly damaged.

I'll take a picture of my H3 (when I get it back from the garage) and try to show you exactly where the fuel line goes, and where the rock got stuck.

[RuggedH2]

Originally Posted by Haiminger

After doing some very hard rock crawling yesterday (in Jerusalem) I got under my truck this morning and then drove it to the nearest garage. Here is a list of damages I got:

1. Broken fuel cap
2. One of the drive shaft seals got loose and grease was spilled all over (had to argue with the mechanic to remove the underbody protection, in order to
see this)
3. There is a knonk from the gear box that was not there before. The H3 will have to stary for 2-3 days in the garage in order for the gear to be
checked.

All (except for the fuel cap) is under warranty, but this really feels bad.

I really felt I have to struggle hard with the H3 this time. As I said in my previous thread, the front suspension seems to behave poorly. It's like the front does not raise the wheels at all when it meets an obstacle, it just tries to attack the rock head-on.

Even 2 Toyotas I ride with moved across everything more easy then me (and these Toyotas usually break at least one differential during this kind of off-roading.

I've got the 31" wheels and front factory shocks. The front TB are cranked 4 1/2 turns each. The rear shocks are Rancho and the rear was lifted about 2 inches.

Any ideas on how to improve my ride (besides the obvious ? improving my driving skills)?

I want to believe that the readylift kit is the answer, but I see to many pros and cons threads in this forum regarding this solution.

The "knock" is probably coming from the torn up front prop shaft boot. If it's leaking grease that's your problem (not properly lubricated and crap gets in).

The H3 weighs more than those Yota's. BTM (Search it, if you are unfamiliar with it) works good to climb taller rocks and ledges. Practice the technique, and you'll be surprised at the difference. The H3 will climb well, but it should be done slowly, limit wheel spin and hop.

If you have 31" tires you probably don't have the 4:1 T-case, but you could probably still get 33's moving on that rig. Not a bad idea if you are wheeling it the way you describe.

Try not to hit rocks that pop off your fuel cap.

[Haiminger]

To H303
I actually do have the 4:1 T-case and a rear diff lock (came like that from the factory).

What seems to happen is that when I try to drive it very slow (1500-2000rpm only) on such roads the front suspension is to hard (It seems not to compress enough).

This is causing me to NOT use the rear diff locker. Because If I do try to use it, the truck just gets thrown sideways.

I've attached a link to an off-roading I did in the Negev desert. At this video I also had to NOT use the rear diff lock. When I tried to climb with it set to LOCK, I got stuck on the begining of this hill you see in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nz-_OO6qTA

[RuggedH2]

Originally Posted by Haiminger

To H303
I actually do have the 4:1 T-case and a rear diff lock (came like that from the factory).

What seems to happen is that when I try to drive it very slow (1500-2000rpm only) on such roads the front suspension is to hard (It seems not to compress enough).

This is causing me to NOT use the rear diff locker. Because If I do try to use it, the truck just gets thrown sideways.

I've attached a link to an off-roading I did in the Negev desert. At this video I also had to NOT use the rear diff lock. When I tried to climb with it set to LOCK, I got stuck on the begining of this hill you see in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nz-_OO6qTA

Dude, slap some M/T 35's on that thing!

[Haiminger]

To H303:

Will 35" wheels make the front suspension act more "nice"?

I know bigger wheels are a good thing, but will it make the ride more easy?

[RuggedH2]

Traction, I lower the tire pressure in my Toyos anywhere from 15 down to 10, it increases the grip surface of the tires.

Seriously, I see the loose soil, but when you come up on those larger rocks, slow up, limit wheel spin, and apply BTM like crazy. It will walk right up them.

[Haiminger]

03H3,
What is BTM? I'm not familiar with this word.

[RuggedH2]

Go to the search on the bar above, when the box comes up, type in BTM, it will bring up many threads about the subject.

Basically you put your foot on the brake, bring up the RPM's and very gradually ease off the brake, allowing the grip from the front tires to slowly grab a hold of the rock. You might not be able to eliminate wheel spin, but try to limit it, to get traction on the rock surface.

[Haiminger]

O.K,

Thanks. I'll try it next time

[RuggedH2]

Loose soil can complicate the matter, but rock crawling should be slow.

BTM is used to apply traction to lift the vehicle over the obstacle, sometimes in loose soil some slip is required, but when you get to the larger rocks, don't hit them going fast.

a. It's self defeating
b. It's gonna break sh!t

The locker should be used while going slowly and in combination with BTM.

BTM is a balance between brake and throttle, you want to get your RPM's up to have torque available for climbing and the brake is used to balance that torque with the traction from the tires. When the technique is used properly it works very well on the Hummers. With a little practice, you can get good at it. Your H3 can go anywhere an IFS Toyota can go.

The driver and his skill level is a large part of the off road equation.

Good Luck, good to see you guys wheeling Hummers over there!

[jmsspratlin]

Originally Posted by 03H3

Loose soil can complicate the matter, but rock crawling should be slow.

BTM is used to apply traction to lift the vehicle over the obstacle, sometimes in loose soil some slip is required, but when you get to the larger rocks, don't hit them going fast.

a. It's self defeating
b. It's gonna break sh!t

The locker should be used while going slowly and in combination with BTM.

BTM is a balance between brake and throttle, you want to get your RPM's up to have torque available for climbing and the brake is used to balance that torque with the traction from the tires. When the technique is used properly it works very well on the Hummers. With a little practice, you can get good at it. Your H3 can go anywhere an IFS Toyota can go.

The driver and his skill level is a large part of the off road equation.

Good Luck, good to see you guys wheeling Hummers over there!

Why do you continue to rant on and try to make others believe that you know what you're talking about. Did your daddy type that for you? Instead of the forum, you need to hit the gym.