Question for frequent wheelers

[BlueHUMMERH2]

For you guys that get out more often, how much do you spend on repairs/extra maintenance each year? I've been getting out more often now, and I'm finding that things are starting to groan, chatter, and whine in ways that are disconcerting.

I guess I want to know maybe how often I'll have to expect to replace ball joints, CV joints, steering components, suspension parts, etc?

I have 65,000+ miles on the truck....

[H Duece]

I haven't owned mine very long, but have been off road a few times. So far, I've spent a FORTUNE in car washes alone! Other than that, the only thing I think I've *broken* is my knock sensor.

[johndjmix1]

I bent that tubeular guard behind the skid plate. I bent it up ever so slightly, which makes it just barley contact the exhuaust pipe making a very loud, bad sounding rattle at times that was VERY difficult to pinpoint. Harmless, but its driving me nuts!!!

--John

[CO Hummer]

Originally Posted by johndjmix1

I bent that tubeular guard behind the skid plate. I bent it up ever so slightly, which makes it just barley contact the exhuaust pipe making a very loud, bad sounding rattle at times that was VERY difficult to pinpoint. Harmless, but its driving me nuts!!!

--John

You know, you have built in cage straightener. Take the cage off, drive over it with the h2, put in back on. Also, you can use some washers on the rear to get more clearance away from the frame.

[h2co-pilot]

1.)There is only 10,000 miles on Big Nasty and we have replaced a lot, CV joint, centerlink, Pitman and idlers, t-case and tierods etc...

But a lot of it is due to the lift and bulkier tires we got installed the same week of purchase.

2.)Our old one had more miles but many electrical problems and the cooling fan blades torn apart after some running through big puddles at Paragon.

But that one was supercharged by by Lingenfelter. They changed a lot of stuff out. I think it was just too many hands in the engine leading to MacGyver like fixes on the trail.

http://www.lingenfelter.com/pack_suv_500h2.htm

So we never really had a normal one.

No real body damage but the occasional tree bite, but I have seen it on other H2's. Which can be costly. Or you could be like Adam and Paragon and not fix it because you know there will be more.


I think for a stock H2 the most wear and tear would be on the IFS and to plan accordingly with regular alignments/a look underneath (which we always do after a trip) and carry extra tie-rods. Grease what you can and keep up with recommended maintenance and invest in some off-road protection accessories.

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by CO Hummer

You know, you have built in cage straightener. Take the cage off, drive over it with the h2, put in back on. Also, you can use some washers on the rear to get more clearance away from the frame.

x2 on the cage straightener. Used with a good 4x4 and it works well. Works great for the skid plate as well if you take your time and use 2 pieces of wood.

Be careful with the washers, though. That metal is soft that the bolts screw into and strip out very easily. Not enough threads up in there and it will surely get pulled out.

I lost the center one in the back because the UCP bent way up and acted like a pry bar on the bolt and stripped it all the way out.

[GLBLWARMR]

Originally Posted by h2co-pilot

No real body damage but the occasional tree bite, but I have seen it on other H2's. Which can be costly. Or you could be like Adam and Paragon and not fix it because you know there will be more.

Well fixing the body damage would be like getting a tattoo and then going and having it removed just doesn't make sense. Cannot take away from the trucks character. You know like they always say "Chicks dig scars".

As far as the orginal question. With heavy off-road us there are going to be things that are going to need to be replaced more frequently. Alot of this comes down to how you wheel. If you are smart about things then alot of extra maintanence can be avoided but there are going to be times when things just go snap. If you do not like the tree bites there are the body protection panels out there to help with the issue.

[Adam in CO]

Whoa. 55k miles and I have spent AT LEAST 30 grand of the extended warranty company's money thus far.

[Arizona Hummerboy]

I have a 03, and I am at 60,000 miles on it. I have wheel it a lot with out any damage to it, and I have not had any maintenance problems with it form off roading it.

As for maintenance on the Hummer I just try to follow the Owner Manual for maintenance on it.

[CO Hummer]

I've had mine for just about 4 years. Almost $0.00 in maintenace thus far. I only have 35K miles, but I've got a lot of them offroad and no problems so far.

[BlueTJCO]

...in the 130,000 miles I've wheeled her, maybe $20.00 on trail repairs...

[Boar-Ral]

We go wheeling several times per year and have found that if you are careful, you can avoid mechanical damage. The first thing is to drive slow, where possible, and to be careful with the stock tie rod ends. There are a couple times where the wheels have been stuck, and just tugging a bit on the steering wheel, you can hear a very metallic groaning and clunking sound, and I lay off immediately. So far, we have had no mechanical problems with the vehicle, at around 85,000 km. Now cosmetic damage, that is a differrent story, and I am looking at about $5,000 in repairs, if I decide to go ahead with them.

[BlueTJCO]

Originally Posted by Boar-Ral

We go wheeling several times per year and have found that if you are careful, you can avoid mechanical damage. The first thing is to drive slow, where possible, and to be careful with the stock tie rod ends. There are a couple times where the wheels have been stuck, and just tugging a bit on the steering wheel, you can hear a very metallic groaning and clunking sound, and I lay off immediately. So far, we have had no mechanical problems with the vehicle, at around 85,000 km. Now cosmetic damage, that is a differrent story, and I am looking at about $5,000 in repairs, if I decide to go ahead with them.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by PhilD

If you like to push the vehicle to its limits, stuff will break, you pay to play. Even if you just soft-road, stuff will break sometimes. But there is a subtle difference between abusing your vehicle and driving it hard, if you abuse it, you will break stuff regardless of how hard or easy the trail is.

That is sort of what I meant. There is a difference between getting some air while driving through off-camber washouts, and seeing how fast you can drive over some hills and moguls to see how far you can fly.

[BlueTJCO]

Originally Posted by PhilD

Sure you can avoid damage if you are careful, but where's the fun in that?

If you like to push the vehicle to its limits, stuff will break, you pay to play. Even if you just soft-road, stuff will break sometimes. But there is a subtle difference between abusing your vehicle and driving it hard, if you abuse it, you will break stuff regardless of how hard or easy the trail is.

As H2CP says, the IFS is definitely the weakest part of the H2 and is what requires the most maintenance. I'm on my 7th idler arm, 4th Pitman arm, 2nd steering box, and have gone through numerous tie rods, ball joints, sway bar bushings, half shafts, etc. Although a lot of that is due to the lift and the additional stresses it puts on the steering/driveline. That said, you can lift a H2 and never have any issues if you soft-road.

Body damage comes with the territory when wheelin' hard and will happen sooner or later if you push the vehicle. Good spotting will really help keep it to a minimum, but sometimes it just happens and there is nothing you can do about it.

If you are not willing to break stuff then stick to easy/moderate trails and drive sensibly; think twice, drive once, and you'll substantially reduce the reapirs needed.

After every off-road trip I get the impact wrench out and make sure all the bolts are tight and check for damage. It is amzing how many nuts and bolts will come loose after just one wheelin' trip.

Hey Phil, I wheel plenty of "moderate/hard" trails, prob about 20 to 30 a summer and see plenty of breakage...

I myself, have not broke a damn thing wheeling and I push my vehicle plenty out here, trust me...

Dont assume because someone wheels slow and carefully that they are not pushing the limits of their rig. It has more to do with knowing what needs upgraded in your setup, what is strong, and what the weak points are. From there you know when and where you can "push" it and when you cant....

No dont get me wrong, I have replaced my steering box, radiator, shocks, and other simple parts, but I have never had to "replace" anything due to it failing me or breaking on the trail. I know one day I will, but if your careful and know what your doing you can push your vehicle plenty and not break stuff...

"Sorry, just proud of my little heep".........

Agreed on tightening up after wheeling though. Now that I have a nice garage, I will check all my suspension and front end nuts and bolts after each wheeling trip. Keeping "chit" tight is a very important proventitive step in making sure you dont break something on the trail...

I know I'll break something soon enough, just waiting...............but I've been careful so far and lucky in other situations I suppose. I can think of a few times on a few trails I thougt I'd be towing my ass home and ended up being just fine.....my day will come.......

[DennisAJC]

Originally Posted by CO Hummer

I've had mine for just about 4 years. Almost $0.00 in maintenace thus far. I only have 35K miles, but I've got a lot of them offroad and no problems so far.

X2

[johndjmix1]

Adam, thats exactly what I plan on doing.

--John