Well you guys are lookin off road ready. Hope you had a good time at Anza Borrego. Thank you to Agile for letting us see your work and products. Thanks for the video share today, enjoy the ride!
Agile looks like a great place, know you have used them before, in fact I live off the 52 in San Diego, this place is probably 25 minutes away! Good to know if ever someday! Love your travels! Travel safe!
This video was very interesting and filled with helpful info especially for us Transit owners. Thanks for all your work in creating the footage and hours of editing.
We consider our Agile RIP kit installed in 2018 one of our best upgrades which we learned about from your channel. After driving to Alaska this year, we can’t imagine how our travels would have been without it! They are a fantastic company.
O'man what an awesome rig this is coming out to. Before you know it, you'll be camping right next to Slim Potatohead on an off grid road, with stunning vistas. 😁 Who would've thought, a virtual cardboard cutout would end this sweet & still going. Continued blessings to you both 💗
@FromShetoMe That's so cool 😊 I also forgot to mention, that forest green color on you Debbie looks amazing on you 😁 wishing you both a wonderful week ahead 🥰 take care.
Thanks for the interesting video on your upgrades. Looks good and I am sure they will make traveling the rougher roads a better ride for you….Can wait to see the van and you guys in the future.
Thank you Debbie and John for sharing your adventures and rig with us. We know it is a lot of work and we are grateful for your skill and willingness to share your story. Also, thank you for bringing us along with the upgrades to your ew rig. We are curious where Agile mounted your ARB air compressor? Not a lot of real estate available under the hood. Thank you again. 😀
Thank you for all the details you've given us on your new van's modifications + licensing etc & of course all the other adventures! So did you name it (ha ha) yet?............Well done from WA State's Olympic Peninsula.
Last I looked (and I haven't checked as of this post) eBay had multiple knock off Hummer jacks. While probably not suited for continuous heavy duty use, I have used mine twice on other vehicles to great effect. My tip of the day: I don't go far north (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Arctic, Dempster Highway, the Dalton Haul Road, etc) with tires that are more than three years old and have never had a flat.
After seeing your first Agile Offroad video with your PleasureWay, we drove from Florida to Santee to have Agile Offroad install a RIP Kit in our Sprinter 3500 (Airstream Interstate). We stayed in the same hotel, ate at the same restaurant, and did the same local walks. A couple of additional restaurant recommendations within walking distance include Sayulitas Mexican Food and Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. Oh, and the RIP Kit has been wonderful!👍
Greetings from Salem, OR. We will eventually get back to CA by Thanksgiving. Wow! Talk about upgrades. Can’t wait to see your Anza-Borrego offroad video. Have/will you do Fish Creek Canyon? When I was in Boy Scouts in the 70s we did in a classic Cadillac convertible.
thank you for taking us along on the upgrades- even though information is specific to your van; the insights help all rv'rs, especially frame wear and weight impact
We have been following and admiring your adventures for some time now. The new van looks great and am sure you and John will appreciate all of the upgrades to improve the ride. We pick up a new Class B this weekend and are looking forward to hitting the road. Your videos have made all the difference for my wife - going from a rental now and then to purchasing a van for travel. Question for John - I want to buy a swing away hitch and am curious as to the Wilco one y’all had on the Pleasure Way if he could offer any thoughts good or bad on that model - seems the elevated mount is a good option. Thank you and safe travels.
We both liked the Wilco hitch very much as it was capable of adapting to just about every need (spare tire carrier/bike rack/towing). But depending on which chassis you are going to be on, you might want to check with Wilco as to its compatibility. We will not be needing a swing hitch on our new van so don't have any experience except for its performance on the Mercedes Sprinter. The elevated mount is a must in our opinion.
@@FromShetoMe thank you for that - Storyteller Mode on Sprinter - but I want to wait to make sure it can clear the spare and a possible box in the future. Plus the company is in my backyard so pickup and fit testing would be easier than having the rack attach or another shipped. Thanks again, Mike
Good interview with the owner👍 I discovered Anza Borrego last winter after installing a lift & ARB locker by A/O on my 2WD Transit - both great places. Why didn't you guys install the ARB locker? I when to the Omelette restaurant as well - highly recommend...
@@TerryManitoba No. We were speaking with one of the employees and I'm not sure he understood that our van was not a dually. Our Ford warranty expires in about 18 months so we may wait on adding the locker until then.
You now have the nicest Transit class B in California. Our 2020 Transit has the Q-lift and 30 inch tires largest I can go because of the dulies. One thing you know by now you are sitting in a greenhouse when driving. We did a tint of the driver and passenger door windows. Also did a clear UV tint on the front windshield. Big difference in heat, yes maybe illegal in CA, I have had no trouble. I did crack windshield and need to have it retinted, will do on our next trip to TX to visit the grand daughter. Different laws in TX, all the cars have a dark tint. As far as changing the tire I carry my 600 ft lb. Ryobi cordless Impact. Fits under the passenger swivel seat.
We had the clear ceramic film put on the new van just like we did in the Sprinter because, you are right, it makes a huge difference. We had to replace our windshield on the Sprinter 5 times and each time had to replace the tint. Gets a bit pricey but worth it.
Rear tire cover - sun damage will ruin the tire - something that stretches over the tire. I have not seen any videos from George on your van nor from Patrick - if its out there let me know. Thanks for sharing your journey!
We just haven't gotten around to the tire cover. I asked John if he wanted to use the one off the old van but I think he wants a shiny new one. I'm guessing the tour video will be out within the next 2 weeks.
Great video wish I had a Transit to upgrade. Will have to be happy with my Promaster. I have been searching for your walk through video of your new van. Could you give me a link would love to see its layout and features.
i recall when you had these upgrades done on your previous van. This is quite a list of 'add-ons' that few people realize for the ultimate experience these are 'part' of the price to getting out on the road. I hope you will share the cost to give us a better idea of the investment in enjoying the ride and stay in a van.
Impressive upgrades! I learned so much. Which transit do you have? Your van looks extended at nearly 22 ft long but I was surprised that it doesn’t have dually tires. I assumed all extended transits had/needed them. Is yours AWD? What’s the van’s GVWR? It sure looks great inside and out!
Very interesting video, indeed. I wonder how I survived almost 12 years of travels in my FIAT Ducato (= RAM Promaster) with the original chassis. The only change: Instead of one 95 Ah battery I had installed two 110 Ah batteries (AGM!) five years ago. I must be getting old!
Your videos are great and informative. Would you share the cost of this upgrade Q Lift plus other upgrades etc from both companies? Also you included the back windows in your custom Transit van. Do you consider the back windows and must have or nice to have? Thank you
I like a lot of light so windows are essential to me. But the van has such a good backup camera that we don’t need them for that purpose. However, our bed is so high that it partly obscures the view anyway. The Q lift is around $4500. Bumper and skid plate is around $5k. The compressor is about $1k. Swivel seats $1500 installed. RIP kit is around $3k. Owl vans products just under $8k.
Well, here is the reg I found and I don’t think we are affected: The regulation applies to trucks performing drayage operations at seaports and railyards, fleets owned by State, local, and federal government agencies, and high priority fleets. High priority fleets are those entities that own, operate, or direct at least one vehicle in California, and that have either $50 million or more in gross annual revenue, or that own, operate, or have common ownership or control of a total of 50 or more vehicles. The regulation affects medium- and heavy-duty on-road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds, off-road yard tractors, and light-duty mail and package delivery vehicles.
Great video , thank you. How do you find the RIP rear springs affect the ride and the rear end clearance? Have you had a chance to weigh the van with these new upgrades?
The RIP makes it almost as smooth off-road as on road. The leaf springs and shocks have increased the clearance as have the new tires. Probably 4.25” overall with all the upgrades. We meant to stop at a CAT scale yesterday but forgot. We’ll do that on a future trip (but it won’t be in the next video because that was last week).
We have been watching your build at George’s and now Agile Offroad. We are a few years ahead of you with our build on the 19’6” Transit AWD and Agile didn’t do a lift in 2020 so we went with 2” lift from Vancompass that has worked well for us for several trips to Anzo-Borreggo and Alaska plus Dempster Hwy last year. Our van became my covid project and has all the things that you’d expect. We came from a Sprinter Pleasureway Plateau TS and wanted features that were only available on European Vans but not in North America previously. We can honestly say that our build has worked out terrific and the only change we will be doing is getting rid of our Lagune table base for something more stable (thinking European table slide by window with fixed leg); the challenge is we like the table swivelled over our extra passenger seat for prep and then 90’ for eating face to face up to 3 people. We have an east/west queen bed with foot slide out drivers side for my 6’4” frame above our indoor e-bike storage. Cheers from Vancouver BC.
Is that your fresh water tank under the rear? Seems like that location made your rear departure angle much worse than the stock van with that big overhang already seriously compromising the off road capability.
@@FromShetoMethat sounds like a cool idea.I hope you didn’t think I was picking on you😂. Pretty tough to think of everything when you are designing from scratch.
Jacking up the rear differential in order to lift up the vehicle - such a bad idea. Just jack up the rear hitch if you need to lift the van as a whole.
@@FromShetoMeThey “jumped off the deep end” and are pulling a 38-ft 5th-wheel trailer. This couple couldn’t be older than 30 and are true “newbies”, but you have to feel excited for their unbridled energy and enthusiasm. They seem like a younger version of you guys !
@@billwilliams5889 LOL, I wouldn't have had the courage to leave everything and strike out in this style. But I have to hand it to these young people who recognize at an early age that acquiring memories is more important than acquiring stuff.
If you have traction control then likely you don't need a rear axle locker. Our jeep liberty (part time 4wd, no center differential) is just fine off road and has no lockers.
A locker means the wheels will spin at the same speed. Traction control will deliver varying speed to the wheels. In sand and mud it is particularly beneficial.
@@FromShetoMe My comment was based on real world use, not on theory. It was an unexpected bonus in performance when moving from a 1997 Jeep Cherokee to a 2008/11 Liberty. Now to be fair, I avoid mud as much as possible, sand is fine (its not messy like mud).
May I suggest that you try doing a tire removal and remount at home, before leaving for the backcountry? This will reassure you that your jacking equipment will get the job done. We just got back from camping in the desert, just south of Death Valley, near Tecopa. There was no cell phone service available, to make a call for an assisted tire change. Having practice-changed my tires in my driveway, gave me peace of mind.
DEFINITELY practice a tire change!!! Can you lift the spare off the carrier???? (Might need a simple 4x compound pully, attached to ladder. Not permanent, just setup/attachment ready with the other tools) Can you remove the lug nuts? Long breaker bar!!! And/or impact electric/air wrench? (You have a compressor, ask Agile what/if it can operate the wrench.) Good size platform (12"×12"×.75" plywood) to put under jack base in sand/dirt/hot pavement? Tip: Clean well, and spray paint jack points white/yellow/green, easy to identify for you, or a service tech. Do you carry a tire plug kit? That new bumper have a winch?
Yes, we carry a plug kit, have a suitable platform, breaker bar, proper size socket for lug nuts, can lift tire, are properly educated on tire changing. The only thing we don't have is a wench, although we talked about it last week when we were in the desert so we may do that down the road. And if we had to, we could use the satellite feature on my phone to get help, or hop on our bikes. 😅
Harbor Freight sells a good, inexpensive, compact folding wheel lug wrench. When you practice a tire change make sure to use this compact wrench to tighten the lug nuts. That way, you can be absolutely sure they will be removable in the field. Use your foot on one arm of the wrench, while pulling on the opposite arm. This will save your back and shoulders@@FromShetoMe
So lovely to see the amazing team at Agile Off Road. Your van is looking great. Congratulations.
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing such insightful information! It was a pleasure having you with us!
Well you guys are lookin off road ready. Hope you had a good time at Anza Borrego. Thank you to Agile for letting us see your work and products. Thanks for the video share today, enjoy the ride!
Agile looks like a great place, know you have used them before, in fact I live off the 52 in San Diego, this place is probably 25 minutes away! Good to know if ever someday! Love your travels! Travel safe!
This video was very interesting and filled with helpful info especially for us Transit owners. Thanks for all your work in creating the footage and hours of editing.
We consider our Agile RIP kit installed in 2018 one of our best upgrades which we learned about from your channel. After driving to Alaska this year, we can’t imagine how our travels would have been without it! They are a fantastic company.
I agree!
Debbie btw, your hair and you look great. 😊 excited for you both with new wheels.
Love your hair Debbie! That style looks great on you.
Looks beautiful! Can’t wait to see more 🙂
O'man what an awesome rig this is coming out to. Before you know it, you'll be camping right next to Slim Potatohead on an off grid road, with stunning vistas. 😁 Who would've thought, a virtual cardboard cutout would end this sweet & still going. Continued blessings to you both 💗
It would be great to find ourselves camped next to Sam. We ran into him 6 years ago on a trail in Glacier National Park!
@FromShetoMe That's so cool 😊 I also forgot to mention, that forest green color on you Debbie looks amazing on you 😁 wishing you both a wonderful week ahead 🥰 take care.
@@yvonne6530 Thanks. I've been getting into green lately.
Thanks for the interesting video on your upgrades. Looks good and I am sure they will make traveling the rougher roads a better ride for you….Can wait to see the van and you guys in the future.
Thank you Debbie and John for sharing your adventures and rig with us. We know it is a lot of work and we are grateful for your skill and willingness to share your story. Also, thank you for bringing us along with the upgrades to your ew rig. We are curious where Agile mounted your ARB air compressor? Not a lot of real estate available under the hood. Thank you again. 😀
Thanks. It is under the passenger seat.
Wow!!! What an amazing difference this will make! Oh, the places y'all can go now! ❤🙏 Can't wait to see more! Jane in SC😊
I'm sure it will be bitter sweet to visit AB without your brother, but I'm praying you enjoy your time and the memories! ❤
Indeed, everywhere we go I see the places we've been together and that he loved so much. 😢
Holy Lift Batman! What a job to get all that done. WOW. We can’t play with you anymore, we are stuck on regular roads. Have a blast!!
Ha. We play with anyone!
@ excellent
You produced really great video. I enjoyed very much. Thanks
Thank you for all the details you've given us on your new van's modifications + licensing etc & of course all the other adventures!
So did you name it (ha ha) yet?............Well done from WA State's Olympic Peninsula.
LOL. Not so far.
Last I looked (and I haven't checked as of this post) eBay had multiple knock off Hummer jacks. While probably not suited for continuous heavy duty use, I have used mine twice on other vehicles to great effect. My tip of the day: I don't go far north (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Arctic, Dempster Highway, the Dalton Haul Road, etc) with tires that are more than three years old and have never had a flat.
Congrats on all the upgrades, look forward to your future adventures!
After seeing your first Agile Offroad video with your PleasureWay, we drove from Florida to Santee to have Agile Offroad install a RIP Kit in our Sprinter 3500 (Airstream Interstate). We stayed in the same hotel, ate at the same restaurant, and did the same local walks. A couple of additional restaurant recommendations within walking distance include Sayulitas Mexican Food and Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. Oh, and the RIP Kit has been wonderful!👍
Yes, we would also recommend Felippi’s, but the portions are way too big. Will try Sayulitas next time.
@@FromShetoMetheir burritos are massive, maybe split one! 😂
Greetings from Salem, OR. We will eventually get back to CA by Thanksgiving. Wow! Talk about upgrades. Can’t wait to see your Anza-Borrego offroad video. Have/will you do Fish Creek Canyon? When I was in Boy Scouts in the 70s we did in a classic Cadillac convertible.
We’ll have to save that for another trip but funny that you mentioned Fish Creek because this morning I watched a geology video on Fish Creek Wash.
thank you for taking us along on the upgrades- even though information is specific to your van; the insights help all rv'rs, especially frame wear and weight impact
LOVE IT ! We need a van tour 👍✌🍻
I'm sure it is coming. Patrick said it would be November.
Nice upgrades… heck of a process.. looking forward to following your journeys
Thanks 👍
We have been following and admiring your adventures for some time now. The new van looks great and am sure you and John will appreciate all of the upgrades to improve the ride. We pick up a new Class B this weekend and are looking forward to hitting the road. Your videos have made all the difference for my wife - going from a rental now and then to purchasing a van for travel. Question for John - I want to buy a swing away hitch and am curious as to the Wilco one y’all had on the Pleasure Way if he could offer any thoughts good or bad on that model - seems the elevated mount is a good option. Thank you and safe travels.
We both liked the Wilco hitch very much as it was capable of adapting to just about every need (spare tire carrier/bike rack/towing). But depending on which chassis you are going to be on, you might want to check with Wilco as to its compatibility. We will not be needing a swing hitch on our new van so don't have any experience except for its performance on the Mercedes Sprinter. The elevated mount is a must in our opinion.
@@FromShetoMe thank you for that - Storyteller Mode on Sprinter - but I want to wait to make sure it can clear the spare and a possible box in the future. Plus the company is in my backyard so pickup and fit testing would be easier than having the rack attach or another shipped. Thanks again, Mike
Yay, Baja 500 is next on your bucket list :)
LOL. We've been watching Matt's Offroad get ready for it though.
Good interview with the owner👍
I discovered Anza Borrego last winter after installing a lift & ARB locker by A/O on my 2WD Transit - both great places.
Why didn't you guys install the ARB locker?
I when to the Omelette restaurant as well - highly recommend...
There was some confusion regarding whether it could be done on our rig.
@@FromShetoMe Didn't you ask the Top Dog at A/O about the ARB for your van.
He is - after all the trained Pro in the room???
@@TerryManitoba No. We were speaking with one of the employees and I'm not sure he understood that our van was not a dually. Our Ford warranty expires in about 18 months so we may wait on adding the locker until then.
@@FromShetoMe I guess it would have been axing to much for said employee to simply look at the van since it was in the shop??? -:)
@@TerryManitoba No. This was all on the phone months before we were in the shop, while figuring out all the components we wanted to add.
Thank you. Beautiful chariot.
You now have the nicest Transit class B in California. Our 2020 Transit has the Q-lift and 30 inch tires largest I can go because of the dulies. One thing you know by now you are sitting in a greenhouse when driving. We did a tint of the driver and passenger door windows. Also did a clear UV tint on the front windshield. Big difference in heat, yes maybe illegal in CA, I have had no trouble. I did crack windshield and need to have it retinted, will do on our next trip to TX to visit the grand daughter. Different laws in TX, all the cars have a dark tint.
As far as changing the tire I carry my 600 ft lb. Ryobi cordless Impact. Fits under the passenger swivel seat.
We had the clear ceramic film put on the new van just like we did in the Sprinter because, you are right, it makes a huge difference. We had to replace our windshield on the Sprinter 5 times and each time had to replace the tint. Gets a bit pricey but worth it.
Rear tire cover - sun damage will ruin the tire - something that stretches over the tire. I have not seen any videos from George on your van nor from Patrick - if its out there let me know. Thanks for sharing your journey!
We just haven't gotten around to the tire cover. I asked John if he wanted to use the one off the old van but I think he wants a shiny new one. I'm guessing the tour video will be out within the next 2 weeks.
Awesome upgrades! Enjoy the journeys ❤️
Love your new Van, curious if we will get the grand total of your Van with all the upgrades when done?( thinking well over 200000??)
No, but I did show the cost of the upgrades in a previous comment.
👍🏻
Great video and very informative especially re: Agile
Thank you!
Great video wish I had a Transit to upgrade. Will have to be happy with my Promaster. I have been searching for your walk through video of your new van. Could you give me a link would love to see its layout and features.
It is coming via Patrick at New Jersey Outdoor Adventures. He said it would be out in November so it should be soon.
i recall when you had these upgrades done on your previous van. This is quite a list of 'add-ons' that few people realize for the ultimate experience these are 'part' of the price to getting out on the road. I hope you will share the cost to give us a better idea of the investment in enjoying the ride and stay in a van.
Indeed, these are things most people don’t realize they need. Just posted costs in a previous comment.
Impressive upgrades! I learned so much. Which transit do you have? Your van looks extended at nearly 22 ft long but I was surprised that it doesn’t have dually tires. I assumed all extended transits had/needed them. Is yours AWD? What’s the van’s GVWR? It sure looks great inside and out!
GVW is 9500. A dually is 11,500. Technically speaking anything over 10,000 is supposed to stop at truck weigh stations. Yes it is 22’ long and is AWD.
Very interesting video, indeed. I wonder how I survived almost 12 years of travels in my FIAT Ducato (= RAM Promaster) with the original chassis. The only change: Instead of one 95 Ah battery I had installed two 110 Ah batteries (AGM!) five years ago. I must be getting old!
We watch other channels that have that rig and they seem incredibly capable.
Your videos are great and informative. Would you share the cost of this upgrade Q Lift plus other upgrades etc from both companies? Also you included the back windows in your custom Transit van. Do you consider the back windows and must have or nice to have? Thank you
I like a lot of light so windows are essential to me. But the van has such a good backup camera that we don’t need them for that purpose. However, our bed is so high that it partly obscures the view anyway. The Q lift is around $4500. Bumper and skid plate is around $5k. The compressor is about $1k. Swivel seats $1500 installed. RIP kit is around $3k. Owl vans products just under $8k.
New CARB regulation will affect your new vehicle in CA. Gross vehicle weight is over 8500 lbs. AQMD has new rules implemented starting 2025.
Well, here is the reg I found and I don’t think we are affected:
The regulation applies to trucks performing drayage operations at seaports and railyards, fleets owned by State, local, and federal government agencies, and high priority fleets. High priority fleets are those entities that own, operate, or direct at least one vehicle in California, and that have either $50 million or more in gross annual revenue, or that own, operate, or have common ownership or control of a total of 50 or more vehicles. The regulation affects medium- and heavy-duty on-road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds, off-road yard tractors, and light-duty mail and package delivery vehicles.
Did you go with the Alpine swivel seats?
Yes. They are a bit “sticky” but are supposed to loosen up with use.
When will your van tour come out?
I don’t know. Patrick said November so hoping it will be soon.
Great video , thank you. How do you find the RIP rear springs affect the ride and the rear end clearance? Have you had a chance to weigh the van with these new upgrades?
The RIP makes it almost as smooth off-road as on road. The leaf springs and shocks have increased the clearance as have the new tires. Probably 4.25” overall with all the upgrades. We meant to stop at a CAT scale yesterday but forgot. We’ll do that on a future trip (but it won’t be in the next video because that was last week).
@@FromShetoMe What size tire were you able to use?
@@bikeama 245/70R/17 It does require some trimming.
We have been watching your build at George’s and now Agile Offroad. We are a few years ahead of you with our build on the 19’6” Transit AWD and Agile didn’t do a lift in 2020 so we went with 2” lift from Vancompass that has worked well for us for several trips to Anzo-Borreggo and Alaska plus Dempster Hwy last year. Our van became my covid project and has all the things that you’d expect. We came from a Sprinter Pleasureway Plateau TS and wanted features that were only available on European Vans but not in North America previously. We can honestly say that our build has worked out terrific and the only change we will be doing is getting rid of our Lagune table base for something more stable (thinking European table slide by window with fixed leg); the challenge is we like the table swivelled over our extra passenger seat for prep and then 90’ for eating face to face up to 3 people. We have an east/west queen bed with foot slide out drivers side for my 6’4” frame above our indoor e-bike storage. Cheers from Vancouver BC.
Sounds like you have it dialed in. I don't think I am brave enough to do the Dempster, though.
Is that your fresh water tank under the rear? Seems like that location made your rear departure angle much worse than the stock van with that big overhang already seriously compromising the off road capability.
No. Gray tank and way too big for our needs. We may replace if we can find one that is shallower and fits in the spare tire well.
@@FromShetoMethat sounds like a cool idea.I hope you didn’t think I was picking on you😂. Pretty tough to think of everything when you are designing from scratch.
Not at all. George picked it without consultation. I think his mindset is bigger is better. Our priorities are different.
Jacking up the rear differential in order to lift up the vehicle - such a bad idea. Just jack up the rear hitch if you need to lift the van as a whole.
I’ll have to do some research before I try that.
Still waiting for a full van look
If I knew when Patrick would be releasing the tour I would share it but for now we all have to wait.
Have you guys checked up RV newbies “Hey Steph and Brian” ? They are the cutest couple but their naiveté makes me nervous.
I haven't but I will now. Thanks!
@@FromShetoMeThey “jumped off the deep end” and are pulling a 38-ft 5th-wheel trailer. This couple couldn’t be older than 30 and are true “newbies”, but you have to feel excited for their unbridled energy and enthusiasm. They seem like a younger version of you guys !
@@billwilliams5889 LOL, I wouldn't have had the courage to leave everything and strike out in this style. But I have to hand it to these young people who recognize at an early age that acquiring memories is more important than acquiring stuff.
If you have traction control then likely you don't need a rear axle locker. Our jeep liberty (part time 4wd, no center differential) is just fine off road and has no lockers.
A locker means the wheels will spin at the same speed. Traction control will deliver varying speed to the wheels. In sand and mud it is particularly beneficial.
@@FromShetoMe My comment was based on real world use, not on theory. It was an unexpected bonus in performance when moving from a 1997 Jeep Cherokee to a 2008/11 Liberty. Now to be fair, I avoid mud as much as possible, sand is fine (its not messy like mud).
May I suggest that you try doing a tire removal and remount at home, before leaving for the backcountry? This will reassure you that your jacking equipment will get the job done.
We just got back from camping in the desert, just south of Death Valley, near Tecopa. There was no cell phone service available, to make a call for an assisted tire change.
Having practice-changed my tires in my driveway, gave me peace of mind.
Good advice. Will have to find a place to do that as our driveway is on an angle.
DEFINITELY practice a tire change!!!
Can you lift the spare off the carrier????
(Might need a simple 4x compound pully, attached to ladder. Not permanent, just setup/attachment ready with the other tools)
Can you remove the lug nuts? Long breaker bar!!!
And/or impact electric/air wrench? (You have a compressor, ask Agile what/if it can operate the wrench.)
Good size platform (12"×12"×.75" plywood) to put under jack base in sand/dirt/hot pavement?
Tip: Clean well, and spray paint jack points white/yellow/green, easy to identify for you, or a service tech.
Do you carry a tire plug kit?
That new bumper have a winch?
Yes, we carry a plug kit, have a suitable platform, breaker bar, proper size socket for lug nuts, can lift tire, are properly educated on tire changing. The only thing we don't have is a wench, although we talked about it last week when we were in the desert so we may do that down the road. And if we had to, we could use the satellite feature on my phone to get help, or hop on our bikes. 😅
Harbor Freight sells a good, inexpensive, compact folding wheel lug wrench. When you practice a tire change make sure to use this compact wrench to tighten the lug nuts. That way, you can be absolutely sure they will be removable in the field. Use your foot on one arm of the wrench, while pulling on the opposite arm. This will save your back and shoulders@@FromShetoMe