OP
OP
GixxerJasen
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Wanted to throw in a quick after action report here for anyone else curious about these things.
1. In addition to the advice offered here, the Funtreks products were very valuable to me. I picked up both the book and the memory card with the tracks to go with the book. I had my garmin running the tracks and the book with me. both helped with planning, keeping us on track, and making the family comfortable with where we were going. We stuck to the green (Easy) tracks only on this trip.
2. My little Ford branded ARB kit worked well. If I did this a lot more, I'd not be using an expy and would pay for the dual ARB, but as such it served me well. I bought a pack of tire deflators and while I'd like to say they were a huge help, they didn't do me much good sitting on my workbench in Texas where I left them. Oops. Found a pointy rock and did all my deflations with that, it's still in the air compressor case. 25psi rolled over everything and definitely made a difference in the ride quality for everyone. We ran Fisher Towers at road pressure and Onion Creek at 25psi and the difference was noticeable.
3. Never really needed anything but 2WD. The Expy and the Coopers handled it all in stride. There were a few times I was concerned about things like ground clearance but my wife spotting for me and her videos confirmed that the truck was good. I popped it into 4A a couple of times just for good measure but probably wasn't necessary. A couple of icy water crossings and some sketchy sections were where I engaged it but 2WD probably would have been fine.
I took the whole family on the trail to Fisher Towers. Honestly, if you aren't going to hike the trail I'd skip this one. We found that the one and only picnic table was taken so we moved on.
We then went to Onion Creek Trail. Picnic areas were big and empty and beautiful. The trail is fun splashing through the creek at least 27 times ( we counted but there was a discrepancy in the count between a few folks in the truck) and the scenery was amazing. While not difficult at all I think this was the family favorite of the trip.
Next up a few days later was Potash Road and up the Shafer Switchbacks. This was definitely a little rougher and showed the Limited suspension really isn't cut out for off roading and not launching those sitting in the back above the rear wheels. We spent a lot of time at a very slow pace but enjoyed the views.
Who needs a picnic area when you have rocks and a view?
Some members of the family didn't so much enjoy the switchbacks but we got up without issue. Once up top, the road hugs the side of the cliff and it's tight in places with blind curves. I cussed out the Taco coming around one way too fast who had to lock up his brakes to not hit me as he slid around the corner.
My wife and I took a day and we did Gemeni Bridges and Long Canyon Road. As reported by @Chromo the Expedition looks like it won't fit as you are rolling down the narrow canyon into the rock, but it does.
Actually, there's a lot more room than it looks like.
This is a screengrab from a video my wife took. Her eyes were huge seeing it rolling on three wheels!
We definitely had a good time and also enjoyed the National Parks and I spent a day doing a bunch of hiking too. If you haven't been, I'd highly recommend you go check it out. I need to go back with my motorcycle and really explore the place.
Thanks to all who offered advice. Now I'll leave you with some dirty Ford.
1. In addition to the advice offered here, the Funtreks products were very valuable to me. I picked up both the book and the memory card with the tracks to go with the book. I had my garmin running the tracks and the book with me. both helped with planning, keeping us on track, and making the family comfortable with where we were going. We stuck to the green (Easy) tracks only on this trip.
2. My little Ford branded ARB kit worked well. If I did this a lot more, I'd not be using an expy and would pay for the dual ARB, but as such it served me well. I bought a pack of tire deflators and while I'd like to say they were a huge help, they didn't do me much good sitting on my workbench in Texas where I left them. Oops. Found a pointy rock and did all my deflations with that, it's still in the air compressor case. 25psi rolled over everything and definitely made a difference in the ride quality for everyone. We ran Fisher Towers at road pressure and Onion Creek at 25psi and the difference was noticeable.
3. Never really needed anything but 2WD. The Expy and the Coopers handled it all in stride. There were a few times I was concerned about things like ground clearance but my wife spotting for me and her videos confirmed that the truck was good. I popped it into 4A a couple of times just for good measure but probably wasn't necessary. A couple of icy water crossings and some sketchy sections were where I engaged it but 2WD probably would have been fine.
I took the whole family on the trail to Fisher Towers. Honestly, if you aren't going to hike the trail I'd skip this one. We found that the one and only picnic table was taken so we moved on.
We then went to Onion Creek Trail. Picnic areas were big and empty and beautiful. The trail is fun splashing through the creek at least 27 times ( we counted but there was a discrepancy in the count between a few folks in the truck) and the scenery was amazing. While not difficult at all I think this was the family favorite of the trip.
Next up a few days later was Potash Road and up the Shafer Switchbacks. This was definitely a little rougher and showed the Limited suspension really isn't cut out for off roading and not launching those sitting in the back above the rear wheels. We spent a lot of time at a very slow pace but enjoyed the views.
Who needs a picnic area when you have rocks and a view?
Some members of the family didn't so much enjoy the switchbacks but we got up without issue. Once up top, the road hugs the side of the cliff and it's tight in places with blind curves. I cussed out the Taco coming around one way too fast who had to lock up his brakes to not hit me as he slid around the corner.
My wife and I took a day and we did Gemeni Bridges and Long Canyon Road. As reported by @Chromo the Expedition looks like it won't fit as you are rolling down the narrow canyon into the rock, but it does.
Actually, there's a lot more room than it looks like.
This is a screengrab from a video my wife took. Her eyes were huge seeing it rolling on three wheels!
We definitely had a good time and also enjoyed the National Parks and I spent a day doing a bunch of hiking too. If you haven't been, I'd highly recommend you go check it out. I need to go back with my motorcycle and really explore the place.
Thanks to all who offered advice. Now I'll leave you with some dirty Ford.
