Today I took my new-to-me 1988 Toyota 4runner DLX up to Dumont, Colorado to meet up with Dan from the Rising Sun 4×4 Club to do a little 4x4ing and compare between my integrated front suspension and his solid front axle. This was my first time driving my 4runner on anything more than a gravel road or pavement. Huge thanks to Dan for taking me out and showing me the ropes.
We headed up the north side of the canyon to check out the 4×4 trails.
Dan took the lead in his 1985 4runner.
I gingerly followed behind. If it weren’t for Dan leading, I would not have thought that my 4runner could go over some of the terrain we did today. Especially since both of our 4runners are basically stock.
It looks much more mild in the photos than it felt when we were driving over everything.
We took a wrong turn onto a tight trail. This was probably a quad trail rather than a 4×4 jeep trail. Whoops! Good thing our 4runners are small vehicles and can squeeze through tight spaces.
It got a wee bit tight.
Back on the main road heading up the hill.
Looking out at all of the tailing piles across the hills. There was some snow/rain/mist falling a bit further to the west.
We walked down to an abandoned mine site. This area is full of old collapsed mine shafts and adits. Lots of equipment is scattered all over the place
The old compressor building was still partially standing.
Neat old compressor engine.
The old compressor tank.
This must have been the Big Horn Mine.
There’s an aspen tree growing through the roof of the compressor building.
Back on the trail. We went through a creek. My first water crossing in my 4runner! So exciting! (Even if it was only a couple inches deep)
And then Dan got stuck. Crossing over an area where a deeply rutted trail intersects two other trails, Dan took a fun line that ended up with his wheels spinning. He could have chosen a much easier line (that I later took uneventfully) but this path was way more fun.
A couple families in Cherokees came over to watch Dan and me try to shove rocks under Dan’s tires.
We ended up using the hi-lift jack that I had brought along to pick up the various corners of Dan’s 4runner to stuff rocks underneath. I’ve had that Hi-lift jack since the mid 2000s when someone in the mechanical engineering program at Oregon State University left it behind after a class project. The jack amazingly functioned fairly well.
Dan gets to get his wife a new bumper for her 4runner (he was borrowing her 4runner). I’m pretty sure this is a good thing 🙂 It’s a good excuse to make a nice sturdy tube bumper!
It took a little bit of effort but Dan got out of the hole.
Our two 4runners on the other side all safe and sound! We spent a little time practicing hi-lift jacking techniques since I had never done it before. During this time, the jack stopped functioning properly (it locked in place and wouldn’t move). I need to disassemble the jack, clean it out, and make sure that everything is as it should be before the next time I go 4x4ing.
Heading down the trail back toward Dumont.
On this section I couldn’t figure out why I was being bounced around so much compared to Dan. I figured it must be because he has a solid front axle while I have IFS. Nope. Turns out that I had the truck in 2nd gear by mistake. It’s MUCH easier to go down something like this in 1st gear and 4×4 low than 2nd gear 4×4 low. Whoops!
Sun’s out, top’s down!
This is such a gorgeous area.
After we got down off the hill, we went down to Idaho Springs for lunch and to review what I learned about solid front axles versus integrated front suspension. I’m pretty sold on getting a solid front axle someday. For now though the IFS will be just fine to get me through a fun summer of wheeling. I already have sliders, tube doors, and a tube front bumper with winch mounting point on order. Next will be a winch and dual batteries for the truck.
Thanks a bunch for all the pointers today, Dan! I’m really looking forward to the next time out on the trail.