Monster Truckin' in the High Desert 2

This is the second installment of Monster Truckin' but this time there were other people who could spot and try out their trucks. Here's who went:

• Bobby (and daughter) - 2003 Ford F-250 V10 (tan)
• Eric and Lisa (and son and daughter) - 2001 Chevy Tahoe (white) the only 2wd vehicle
• Glenn (and daughter) - 2006 Dodge Ram Power Wagon (patriot blue)
• Leif - 2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon (red)
• Peter - 2002 Ford F-250 Powerstroke (black)

I was pretty disappointed at first because the vehicle I had found and used in the first Monster Truckin' had been removed. Considering that thing had been there quite a while already, I was surprised to see it gone. Luckily, Glenn knew of a couple more in Ventenna Ranch that we could use. There were actually three that we found, but decided to flip one over that was a little easier to access. Unfortunately, it wasn't wide enough to support going over it end to end like the last car so we had to entertain ourselves with just showing off articulation. Still though, we all had a good time.

While we were dragging the Tahoe out (for the second time) Glenn got busy rigging up the winch to flip the car. I took the first stab at monster truckin and almost got hung up when the front wheels crushed through the dash. Next up was Peter in his F-250 Powerstroke. He had no problem getting her up on the car but got hung up big time. While I'd like to rib him and Bobby about Fords, I really couldn't because it wasn't the truck but rather the massive Road Armor bumper catching on the hood hinge. Even after hooking up my Power Wagon with a tow strap we couldn't get him off. Peter and Bobby didn't want pics of that! ;-). While the Road Armor bumper is pretty invincible, it was starting to bend at the lower dam and was shoving the three inch tubing into the fenderwells next to the turn signal and I had to stop towing him back to prevent further damage. Next, we jacked up the front of his truck with a Hi-Lift and I worked on winching the car out from under him with my truck. It worked somewhat but we eventually had to abandon that effort because we couldn't quite get the F-250 high enough and I couldn't get a good winching anchor point that wasn't ripping parts off the car. Eric saved the day by suggesting we Hi-Lift the backleft corner of the car to get the front down so Peter could back off it. That worked great and Peter got out with a couple small dents behind the flashers from the tubing and the bumper definitely had a nice upward tilt to it. The bent lower dam can probably be hammered back. Note to Road Armor, on the backside of the dam you should weld some more steel going back at an upward angle so that things won't catch on the lip.

Glenn was grinning ear to ear in his Power Wagon when his turn came. The articulation on the stock Power Wagons is just amazing. Bobby didn't want to partake in his V10 F-250, but there was some good discussion about how fast Eric would need to go to get his 2WD Tahoe up there! <grin> BTW, Eric did pretty good overall. He only required three tows and there was a lot of deep sand everywhere.

At the end are some next day pics of carnage on Peter's truck and minor stuff on mine.

Click on a picture for a larger, higher resolution view.

Can't go forward, no armor	Glenn's second run
Peter going for it	Glenn's second run
Glenn's second run	Peter and Bobby
Peter: Same but from inside	Gotta Hi-Lift it
Good thing AC line was a bit flexy	Gratuitous booty shot
Poor car	No tow hooks to be seen
Leif: Rub on the passenger side bumper	My second shot
Not enough articulation, no traction on back tire	Glenn's second run
My first shot	Glenn's second run
Leif: Same on the driver's side	Bobby and Peter photo op
Glenn's first run	Glenn's second run
Pulling it over	A little TLC and she'll be back on the road.
Ended up wrapping on the axle	Pulling it over
Glenn's second run	Yeah baby, Dodge gasser towing a Ford diesel! :-)
Glenn's second run	My second shot
Lisa spotting	Pulling it over
Peter going for it	My first shot
Glenn's second run	Glenn's second run
My first shot	Leif: Steering linkage armor did great
Towing out of first stuck	Glenn
LOVE that armor, got up over the dash	Glenn's second run
Pulling it over	Peter: Bottom left caught on hood hinge
Peter: Split bracket caused the upward tilt	Peter: Split bracket due to Hi-Lift
Peter: Another angle on lower dam	Second stuck
Leif: Some on the license plate bracket too	Top left hood is where Peter got hung
Glenn and Eric hooking up winch	Look at that smile!
Glenn's second run	Glenn's second run
Peter: Same	Peter going for it
New scratches on the armor	Glenn's first run
Peter: Same on other side	Glenn's first run
Pulling it over