Off-Road Ranger I
Hi Everyone!
So my wife and I are new to overlanding, though we have been off-roading for years in our Trooper, Jeeps and such. These rigs were all built for off-road travel but were also daily drivers. And that is going to be the same theme for my current projects rigs.
The first is my daily driver, and it would not be my first choice in overland rigs, BUT you use what you have right? It is a 2011 Ford Escape. The Escape has a lot going for it, and a lot of things I would really like to change. I purchased it because my Ford Ranger was simply too small for myself and family, and we were beating my wife's Tribeca to death doing all the trips in her rig. I had an hour + commute every day, and the Ranger for thirsty a lot more than I liked.
The Pros:
Good mileage
pretty roomy for a downsize
handles great
pretty good visibility
decent ground clearance from the factory
The cons:
All-wheel drive
limited aftermarket support (as in none)
really tight dash design, no place to really install additional electronics
139,824 Miles (is that a con?)
To address those issue is going to take some planning and some minor mods on our part, and keeping the entire project reasonable. So far the only mods I have made are adding the roof cargo rack, a no-name brand I picked up for under $100, and I put General Grabber AT2 tires on it, something that has turned out to be an excellent choice with all the snow we have gotten late this year in New England. The Cargo rack has been a different story. While strong enough for our needs so far, it is LOUD when going down the road at speed. Need to either make a fairing for it or buy one. I am tempted to replace the rack with a different one. Oh, and I have added a class 3 trailer hitch/tow package to it. I have a nice utility trailer that I am also going to be modding for overlanding, but that is for a different thread.
Additional mods on the list. Needs some rocker and nose protection. And I am going to start looking at interior storage systems. If I can squeeze it into the dash, I will be adding a Yaesu 2 meter radio, as well as a remote mount CB. It has a TomTom for navigation but will be adding mounts for an iPad Air, and each of our cell phones, though the space is so limited I am not sure how I am going to manage to squeeze it all in, and still have access to the radio controls (built-in Bluetooth, local radio information, etc). And lighting, at least a decent light bar, and driving/fog lights. Why they weren't installed factory, I have no clue.
So a modest modes list to start, nothing so outrageous. Lift kits are not commonly available for the Escape, and even if they were, it would not be something I would want to tackle. I want the rig to stay as close to stock as possible.
The second part of this build thread is going to start next week. This is the newest addition to our family, a 2011 Ford F150 Long Bed. This is going to be our long-term project. My wife wants to travel, so we have set a date of two years, and we are planning to go at least cross country, but possibly to Alaska as well. She, however, wants to travel in a bit more comfort and style than I had thought. Enter the F150 and likely a 24-26ft travel trailer, tow behind. The Escape (and well... the Corvette, Mustang, Tribeca) are going to be taking a break, and going into storage while we are gone traveling. The F150 will be built up enough to handle the trails, but not so much that towing a large camper will be a problem. Since I haven't actually picked up the F150 yet, I am not really starting on the mods list. We will see.
After the long-term trip is completed, the F150 will either become the tow vehicle for the Escape to go to long trail rides or will replace it completely, IF I don't mind having a pickup the size of a school bus on the trails out west.
So there's da plan, I will keep ya posted on the progress and adventures from here on out :)
Chuck and Gloria
Springfield, Vermont
So my wife and I are new to overlanding, though we have been off-roading for years in our Trooper, Jeeps and such. These rigs were all built for off-road travel but were also daily drivers. And that is going to be the same theme for my current projects rigs.
The first is my daily driver, and it would not be my first choice in overland rigs, BUT you use what you have right? It is a 2011 Ford Escape. The Escape has a lot going for it, and a lot of things I would really like to change. I purchased it because my Ford Ranger was simply too small for myself and family, and we were beating my wife's Tribeca to death doing all the trips in her rig. I had an hour + commute every day, and the Ranger for thirsty a lot more than I liked.
The Pros:
Good mileage
pretty roomy for a downsize
handles great
pretty good visibility
decent ground clearance from the factory
The cons:
All-wheel drive
limited aftermarket support (as in none)
really tight dash design, no place to really install additional electronics
139,824 Miles (is that a con?)
To address those issue is going to take some planning and some minor mods on our part, and keeping the entire project reasonable. So far the only mods I have made are adding the roof cargo rack, a no-name brand I picked up for under $100, and I put General Grabber AT2 tires on it, something that has turned out to be an excellent choice with all the snow we have gotten late this year in New England. The Cargo rack has been a different story. While strong enough for our needs so far, it is LOUD when going down the road at speed. Need to either make a fairing for it or buy one. I am tempted to replace the rack with a different one. Oh, and I have added a class 3 trailer hitch/tow package to it. I have a nice utility trailer that I am also going to be modding for overlanding, but that is for a different thread.
Additional mods on the list. Needs some rocker and nose protection. And I am going to start looking at interior storage systems. If I can squeeze it into the dash, I will be adding a Yaesu 2 meter radio, as well as a remote mount CB. It has a TomTom for navigation but will be adding mounts for an iPad Air, and each of our cell phones, though the space is so limited I am not sure how I am going to manage to squeeze it all in, and still have access to the radio controls (built-in Bluetooth, local radio information, etc). And lighting, at least a decent light bar, and driving/fog lights. Why they weren't installed factory, I have no clue.
So a modest modes list to start, nothing so outrageous. Lift kits are not commonly available for the Escape, and even if they were, it would not be something I would want to tackle. I want the rig to stay as close to stock as possible.
The second part of this build thread is going to start next week. This is the newest addition to our family, a 2011 Ford F150 Long Bed. This is going to be our long-term project. My wife wants to travel, so we have set a date of two years, and we are planning to go at least cross country, but possibly to Alaska as well. She, however, wants to travel in a bit more comfort and style than I had thought. Enter the F150 and likely a 24-26ft travel trailer, tow behind. The Escape (and well... the Corvette, Mustang, Tribeca) are going to be taking a break, and going into storage while we are gone traveling. The F150 will be built up enough to handle the trails, but not so much that towing a large camper will be a problem. Since I haven't actually picked up the F150 yet, I am not really starting on the mods list. We will see.
After the long-term trip is completed, the F150 will either become the tow vehicle for the Escape to go to long trail rides or will replace it completely, IF I don't mind having a pickup the size of a school bus on the trails out west.
So there's da plan, I will keep ya posted on the progress and adventures from here on out :)
Chuck and Gloria
Springfield, Vermont
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