How often do you guys break things when you're off roading?

I am going to start wheeling a stock 89 F150, eventually put a lift and tires on it, and start fixing things when they do break, rather than upfront. This will be light to moderate offroading (I'm new at this). How often would you say I am*probably* going to break something?

depends on what you define as "moderate offroading"

how big of a trie are you going to run


if you stay stock likelyhood of breaking something major easily is slim to none unless it's been poorly maintained.

Thats really a relative question, if you take it easy and don't try ask the vehicle to anything it wasn't designed to, trail ride ect., and your rig is properly maintained you shouldn't have a problem. But, some one with a "bullet proof" rig can tear something up in five minutes if he wants to....

Light to moderate wheeling, if we are talking bumpy roads and small obstacles, you'll be fine.

it depends, one of my buddies broke his front drive shaft and a rear dana 70 axle shaft last weekend trying a 6 foot ledge, but another guy i was wheeling with took out an axle shaft while heading out to the trail on the gravel road, as said above if you maintain it well then you should have no problem, also when you fix/upgrade things spend the money for the good stuff not the joe blow brand, you pay for what you get

i snap axle shafts every weekend on my 88 bronco II but im running a weak dana28 with 31" LTB's that weight 40 pound each. but then again i use the skinny pedal more then i should

Not too often. I take care of my things and don't do stupid things. It's really not that hard. U-joints are my enemy. Oh and transmissions.

ive always been pretty lucky. out of like the 500 times ive been offroading i broke one 10 bolt front axle shaft, a np203 transfercase and had a fuel pump go out on me. other then typical body damage related stuff ive been pretty good.

ive never had alot of horse power and usually take it easy so my junk tends to last. i usually get rid of trucks due to rust issues

I've been lucky but I try to plan out my lines on a trail and try to crawl over stuff and lay off of the skinny pedal. Also it helps to have someone go first to see what might be the best line on the trail. If there's a weak link, I'll replace the parts with something beefier, if I think it'll break on the trail, that way I'm not stuck

Never.

Built it right and do it right the first time.

I have a 71K5. I broke some stuff right away after getting it and then it tapered off. Then I went from 33 to 36" tires and I started breaking something just about every trip. I upgraded to a 14FF rear and then a D60 front and now haven't broken much of anything in the last couple years.

If you don't have a tow rig and people to help get you to that tow rig then you really should do other upgrades before the lift and tires.

all the damn time....best bet is to not try things youre not sure about if its your daily driver or your only way home......
this is a very expensive hobby

My percentage of breakage to wheeling is about 25%, but I wheel pretty hard. As mentioned, it all depends on how hard you wheel and what you expect out of your rig. Knowing the limits of your parts and driving skills will keep you on the trail longer with less time in the garage.

It all depends on how much Alcohol you consume while wheeling....there is a direct correlation. In times of large consumption you can only hope you break before you roll.
:shocked:
Sad but true
Just keeping it real

so i've got 95 bronco. pretty similar.

list of things that are broken now:
steering, you know it. now admit it.
all the bushings in the front end( well not broken but worn out)
the factory blocks in the back.
alignment (i really add this because it will always be broken.don't believe me... back into a parking space.)

list of things that will break:
hubs, u joints in the front end, your transfer case if you don't protect it, the gas tank

First things first chain your motor in place. Stock ford motor mounts are known for being mediocre at best, and I have a radiator to prove it. Rubber debonded, motor rotated up and forward and took a 14" circle of inner radiator pass with it.

Even after chaining the motor in place and installing new mounts, occaisonally i'd come back from wheeling and the motor would be sitting low on the passnegers side since the mount would go and the motor would just slide down into the crossmember.

This was in an 85 F-150 with a 300-6, NP435, NP205, 4.11's, and 35's.

Also chain the tailhousing in place, when a motor mount debonds they like to twist the transmount into funny shapes as well which can wreak havoc on U-joints and driveline angles.

Ford motor mounts= the suck.


Besides mounts and u-joints, I think i actually managed to not break anything off road other than every piece of glass besides my windshield :dustin:

But this was due to an excellent maintenance routine. frontend got inspected and greased after every outing, first sign of a twisting cap and the joint would get repalced, i'd yank axle shaft occaisonally to see how much the spool had twisted them, after every trip involving water the hubs and bearings came apart for a repack. Stuff got replaced before becoming a liability.

It costs a little more, but when it's your DD and wheeler you gotta keep on top.

Justin

everyday,i have a bad temper........

it depends, one of my buddies broke his front drive shaft and a rear dana 70 axle shaft last weekend trying a 6 foot ledge, but another guy i was wheeling with took out an axle shaft while heading out to the trail on the gravel road, as said above if you maintain it well then you should have no problem, also when you fix/upgrade things spend the money for the good stuff not the joe blow brand, you pay for what you get

:grinpimp:

if i have the part as a spair.... wont break it...

One part i dont bring will break twice....

everyday,i have a bad temper........

Couldn't have said it better. Anger=Throttle=Carnage

i break stuff in my sleep.:mr-t:

It all depends on how much Alcohol you consume while wheeling....there is a direct correlation. In times of large consumption you can only hope you break before you roll.
:shocked:
Sad but true
Just keeping it real

This is very true. I haven't drank in a year and haven't broke anything while wheeling in year. When I drank, I broke something every trip. I wheel at least once a week.

everyday,i have a bad temper........

X2 :shaking:

I usually give it 3 nice soft attempts...then ITS AWN.