One Ton Rigs.

[Apoclapedia]

Friends keep asking me why i would try and take a 1 ton on back roads and trails. Why i would build a rig thats that big?

For me it’s simple. Range. And payload equals range.

Just my winch, recovery gear, tools and parts is 600lbs. 20 gallons of fuel and water is 300lbs. Two spares 150lbs, steel bumpers, rollbar and trail armour. 250lbs. Thats 1300lbs before i even put rec gear in it, food, dog food, passengers, medkit, hunting rifle and ammo, kitchen, tent, bedding. And all the other stuff we drag round.

My ‘94 F350 has a shorter wheelbase than a Gladiator and twice the payload of the base model.
Well what about fuel mileage? The fords 5.8 is only uses 3gpm more than a Gladiator. And parts are significantly less expensive than they are for a jeep.
The trade off being i pay slightly more for fuel. But have less maintenance costs because parts are cheaper and im not overloading my rig and asking more of it than what it was designed to do.

There’s also the added advantage of having two big bench seats to sleep on and a box that has an interior that 8’5” long.

So, the real question becomes, are you asking to much of your half ton rig?

 

[9Mike2]

Working for the local (here in So. Cal) , I drove a GMC 1 ton with servicebody and I went everywhere. And Yes, I scrapped on all sorts of things. I even ripped the rear view mirror off the driver side trying to avoid sliding off a cliff on one of the truck trails coming down from the Silverado Peak repeaters. You can go most places but it helps if you can get spotters....

 

[smritte]

In reality, your 1 ton has stronger axles and bigger brakes. When we increase tire size we need to increase brakes. If we really increase tire size we should run stronger axles. 3/4 and 1 ton full floating axles are great for what we do. They hold up better on wash board roads than semi floating. One of the first mod's after you bent it is steering, not an issue with most heavy 3/4 and 1 ton.
The only disadvantage is spring rate. If your going to lift the vehicle, that gets fixed right there.
3/4, 1 ton axles and steering is what most serious off-road people want/need. All one needs to see is what happens to the lighter diff housings after being driven on dirt roads with big tires for a long time.

 

[9Mike2]

So true! My Jeep has extra plates on everything and axle stress bars on both axles, my 1 ton was naked.....

 

[MidOH]

As you've already noticed, they really aren't much bigger.

Really just heavier. Weight in slop, is the enemy. On firm ground fullsizes have a ton of advantages. Real campers. Real trailers. Can go 80mph all day long with any kind of overlanding setup.

And the Gladiator ain't getting any better mileage once you put 37's on. Lol. Those Honda Civic sized 13" tires on the stock Glads are no better than the skinny base trucks tires. Which net my one ton 17mpg.

 

[BensonSTW]

I really want to like the Tacoma and the rubicon for hunting fishing and camping. They are incredibly capable right off the lot. But no matter how capable they are, they won’t handle what my Cummins will do. Several hundred pound of gear plus food and water. A steel camper shell. Payload for a Tacoma is 4 guys and a cooler of beer. And I’ll go anywhere my Toyota and jeep buddies go. Unless they are intending to get rock rash. Even then I could go but I like my truck being dent free. And a 600 mile range per tank of fuel is something they neither rubicon or Tacoma will ever get. For me 3/4 ton or one ton diesel is the only way to go. Jeeps and toyotas sure do ride nice though.

 

[Apoclapedia]

You guys make some really great points. Feeling even better about making the switch to a one ton. For what i like to do, it seems ive made a good choice.

 

[Kent R]

You guys make some really great points. Feeling even better about making the switch to a one ton. For what i like to do, it seems ive made a good choice.

Just incase you havent been on this page yet;

Full Sized Rigs

Not small, not mid, big full sized rigs

www.overlandbound.com

 

[ragnar71]

Not running a 1 ton but a 3/4 ton chevy avalanche, my only concern running the heavier rigs is spring rate. Once you setup your rig with all your gear then select springs and shocks that will provide a good off-road ride at the needed capacity. The benefit of a 1 ton is you get a stout frame and all the bits and pieces to hold up to a fair amount of punishment.

On a side note, the 2500 avalanche frame is not a stout piece of gear. If it was 1 ton grade i would be happier with the setup.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Payload for a Tacoma is 4 guys and a cooler of beer.

And that depends on the guys.

You might have to cut back on the beer.......

 

[Apoclapedia]

@Murphy Slaw hahaha, nope. Clearly theres to many passengers. Lolz

 

[smritte]

You might have to cut back on the beer.......

@Murphy Slaw hahaha, nope. Clearly theres to many passengers. Lolz

Need to think outside the box here.
Small, long travel, refrigerated trailer. If the suspension is built correctly, the beer will not be shaken. You can also tie on several hundred pounds of snacks for the weekend to go with the beer.

 

[BensonSTW]

Need to think outside the box here.
Small, long travel, refrigerated trailer. If the suspension is built correctly, the beer will not be shaken. You can also tie on several hundred pounds of snacks for the weekend to go with the beer.

Yeah but who wants to stop and get out every time you need a refill. You’re asking your passengers to do a lot of exercising that is just flat out unnecessary. On the other hand I can take 4 buddies plus my 150 quart cooler with many cases of beer and ice, which are sliding beer window accessible, and just be starting to hit the sweet spot of suspension preload for a smooth ride. And after that many beers, who cares how rough the ride is.

 

[Mustang03]

I got the hard-core rock crawling out of my system a long time ago. Enjoyed it immensely at the time (and truth be told, it can be a lot of fun) but my interests have changed. Now, my Ram 3500 takes us wherever we want to go without any problems at all and we camp in comfort at the destination, far from pavement. My 2 cents is do what works for *you*.

 

[rgallant]

Drove a 1 ton a lot places actually off road as reservist as the SSM's driver. We went pretty much anywhere we wanted in that old Chev. Lost the mirrors a couple of times and there were a few butt clenching moments on narrow tracks but we would load her up with fuel, food, ammo and other necessities and do forward resupplies where the recce troops were. The troops were in jeeps in those days so we went where they fit - Canada eh.

 

[Billiebob]

Friends keep asking me why i would try and take a 1 ton on back roads and trails. Why i would build a rig thats that big?

For me it’s simple. Range. And payload equals range.

Just my winch, recovery gear, tools and parts is 600lbs. 20 gallons of fuel and water is 300lbs. Two spares 150lbs, steel bumpers, rollbar and trail armour. 250lbs. Thats 1300lbs before i even put rec gear in it, food, dog food, passengers, medkit, hunting rifle and ammo, kitchen, tent, bedding. And all the other stuff we drag round.

My ‘94 F350 has a shorter wheelbase than a Gladiator and twice the payload of the base model.
Well what about fuel mileage? The fords 5.8 is only uses 3gpm more than a Gladiator. And parts are significantly less expensive than they are for a jeep.
The trade off being i pay slightly more for fuel. But have less maintenance costs because parts are cheaper and im not overloading my rig and asking more of it than what it was designed to do.

There’s also the added advantage of having two big bench seats to sleep on and a box that has an interior that 8’5” long.

So, the real question becomes, are you asking to much of your half ton rig?

The guys driving new $70K rigs who are critical of your choices are just trying to justify their own choices.
You could give your truck away and lose less than they lose on the first years depreciation.
With that in mind, your gas is pretty much free.

 

[solidus365]

I drive a '18 Ram 2500 (6.4l Hemi) for work in the natural gas industry and aside from the back roads I drive a lot of lease roads, which can be kinda sketchy in the winter. That truck is insanely capable. It'll plow through up to a foot and a half of snow like it's nothing, on stock tires and suspension. The only downside to the bigger trucks is they don't like the tight spaces as much and depending on the engine, they can be on the slow side.

 

[Apoclapedia]

Took the 350 in to town today and it was snowing on Mission Mountain at the pass.