I have a new set of Extra Load tires on the truck. D&E rated tires were difficult to find in a 255/70 size. When I do the next oil change before the trip I will have synthetic oil put in both the differential and the engine so I only have to do one oil change during the trip. Normally I change it every 3000 miles. Spare light bulbs, serpentine belt, fuel/air filters, hose and radiator patch, and tire fix inflator in a can (as a last resort) is on the list. A gravel screen is a good idea especially to double as a bug screen. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming.

 

This is a great idea. We have this on our racecar. Not to protect its headlights (they're taped over) but to protect its radiator and oil cooler. If you look at the grille and openings in the bumper, they can allow a sizeable rock in and if it hits the radiator, A/C condensor, trans cooler or P/S cooler, it can mean trouble.

 

As far as spare parts, I'd throw in a rear axle (just in case) ready to install along with oil, antifreeze, plugs, etc...

Might be worth hauling a small trailer for tools, spare tires, and parts... maybe even luggage. Take some weight off the truck and give you more room to spread out in the truck. If the trailer uses the same tire and bolt pattern as the truck, you then have 4 spares if push comes to shove.

 

uh...anything else there fella or are you done?

 

Man some of you guys are making it sound like a single truck voyage across Antarctica or something. Dont get me wrong, Alaska is big, but during that time of year, most of your problem is going to be traffic. The Dalton is remote, but there will be alot of traffic going both ways, and people are generally friendly and helpful. Fairbanks is a decently large city with Ford dealerships, auto parts stores and everything. Most of the small towns along the way are geared towards people doing the "trip of a lifetime" including mechanical problems. If they dont have what you need, they can get it in a few days.

Maybe you should just buy a new truck, and tow it on a trailer as a spare (j/k)

The screen idea sounds like a good one, but I dont see anyone here ever using them. I personally have never had a headlight get taken out, or know anyone who has. I will say that when I wash my truck you can see that the grill paint takes a beating from stones.

 

Other than the spare tires and the jumpstart station/compressor, the other parts you are packing don't take up much room. Of course you have to use common sense.

Raoul - where's Granny? She's supposed to be sitting on TOP!

 

Glad you asked because there is a valuable lesson to be learned from it.
Don't load Granny first.

 

Raoul, GLC,

You guys are killing me!

Part of the reason I went with a lightweight camper body is that I did not want to be towing a trailer on a 10,000+ mile round trip. Jeez, an extra set of axles, tires, electric brakes, hitches, just want to keep it simple. My son is a relatively new driver and pulling a load like that in mountains would scare me when he would be at the wheel.

I few years back Car and Driver magazine did a story about a trip across Siberia in a Ford diesel pickup with a pop up camper body towing utility trailer with extra fuel and spare parts. He didn't take along an extra rear axle though. Wonder if I could find it because that was a trip of a lifetime! They used to camp well outside of towns to avoid attracting drunks. When they came into town they would get swarmed by kids trying to peel off the FORD emblems off the truck. At least I don't have to worry about that in Alaska.

BTW, granny is dead and she left me her shotgun.

 

 

A diesel truck would be 3/4 ton or more likely 1 ton - FULL FLOATING AXLE. They can still drive in 4-wheel drive with a broken axle, you can't. You are planning a long trip on second class roads in an overloaded truck. Just like a trailer, it would be a margin of safety. And your son would probably be better served learning to tow a trailer than drive an overloaded truck.

Obviously, years of experience on gravel and unimproved roads has taught me many lessons... that are discounted by many people, especially Raoul - his comment and picture of an overloaded truck are absolutely worthless to this thread. But he must be a funny guy and obviously has a lot of help to offer you for your trip.

Unless you drive a lot of gravel roads (like you will encounter on this trip) you probably wouldn't know anyone that has lost a headlight from a stone. Or a radiator for that matter. I knwo more than a few of each. Nor would you understand how these roads can washboard and how a washboard road tears vehicles apart over time.

So, have a great trip. I truly hope your high mileage overloaded truck can survive. A few simple spare parts and not overloading your truck would make this a much more enjoyable ride. Or you can spend a day waiting for a tow, 2 more for the part to be flown in, and another for the repair to be made. And repeat.

I would suggest looking at old Turtle Expedition articles. While they travel much rougher roads, but there is a lot to be learned from being prepared.

Yeah, I was a Boy Scout - Be Prepared. Makes life a lot more fun. Especially in the wilderness, where not being prepared has killed more than a few people. In 35 years of adventure, I have never left a man or a truck behind.

Not trying to discount your preparedness, just trying to add some valuable input. Take it for what it's worth. Or take Raoul's advice, he is obviously a brilliant intellectual that will help you on what may be the trip of a lifetime - but also has the potential to be the disaster of a lifetime.

 

Did you notice the little "AK" in the upper right hand side of the screen in my posts? That meas "ALASKA", not Arkansas. I've lived up here for over 10 years, and traveled the full distance of EVERY named, numbered thouroghfare road in Alaska (connected roads, not including residential roads). I have driven between Alaska, and the Lower 48 7 times with this truck. My truck has 167,000 miles on it, mostly on these gravel roads that you have so much experience with, and I do not. Your experiences may sound like a lot to puff yourself up about on an internet forum, but driving up here, on Alaskan crappy roads is not an experience for me, it's daily life.

You know, things like driving 150 miles round trip because you feel like having Taco-Bell.

 

Akheloce - sorry you took offense, none of my rant was aimed at you nor intended to offend you. You have the unique experience of being there and knowing your way around. Not only did I notice your AK - and yes, unlike many people, I know what AK is - but I took notice of what you were saying. I don't need to puff myself up on the internet, unlike most of the people you meet in these places, I have real world experience, just like you. Maybe you've never seen a light get taken out, I have - repeatedly. However, the gent asking for advice, doesn't have the same kind of experiences we do. He is going to be traveling into your domain with an overloaded vehicle... he's already admitted that just the camper puts him overweight. So the advice I was offering was from my personal experiences - and I never travel overweight and still sometimes break parts - and I am rarely 150 miles from a Taco Bell. As you said, parts are usually available within a few days... a couple breakdowns could easily add weeks to the trip.

So, as I said before, I hope he has a successful trip... I've never had an issue caused by being overprepared. I rescued more than a few people that were underprepared and many of them were lucky to survive - even though they were within miles of civilization. And while I have never travelled the path to Alaska, I don't need to cross Antarctica to know I would travel well prepared.

Being prepared can mean the difference to a fun and exciting trip or a complete disaster. While travelling overweight and underprepared could make it quite an adventure, I don't think it makes sense... with the cost of such a trip, a couple hundred spent on spare parts could be a Godsend.

PS: For Raoul's sake, a trailer is the best way to REMOVE weight from a truck - if your extra weight is all in a trailer, you can carry enough spare parts and minimize the chance of breaking the truck. AND you can drop the trailer if necessary... get the idea fella? Got any more smart remarks and stupid pictures to post? It's wanna be smart ***** that are really dumb ***** that make people with good information not both to help out.

 

Bryndon. sorry you were offended by my post.
I should have put my comment in quotes. It was meant to be associated with the look of exasperation from the man in the picture.
The author of the thread was asking about his impending camper purchase and his truck payload.
I just thought it was funny that you would suggest a spare axle, towed or otherwise.

So the man in the picture is asking if he's overloaded and you suggest more items and the expression in the picture becomes humorous.

I would suggest the author looking into a 'add-a-leaf' possibility.
Once again, I apologize for offending you.
However, I can't support the spare axle suggestion.

This should clearly be an upbeat and enjoyable thread and I don't want to be a part of making it otherwise.
I will delete my post containing the picture upon your request.

 

Raoul, thanks for the apology - takes a big man. I return the apology to you, I must have eaten nails for breakfast. Seen in the explained light, it is funny!

When I say axle, I definitely don't mean housing and all - just an axle shaft. You can change one in less time than it will take to get a wrecker there. Especially when overloaded, axle breakage is a real concern - and on gravel roads? For the few pounds, it would bring me huge peace of mind.

I think this trip is a huge undertaking and could be a ton of fun. Breakdowns don't necessarily spoil a trip, but personally I like to fix the and be on my way. Last summer I took the family on a road trip in an E350 with 120,000 miles. Had overheating issues, followed by oil loss issues, followed by a blown head gasket. 2,400 mile trip and only lost a day due to breakdowns. Had the tools, the parts, and the talent to fix it all on the road. Luckily the head gasket went within 100 miles of home, because I managed to nurse her in. Water pump, radiator hoses, form-a-gasket, tools, etc. are part of my normal travel kit.

Usually for any extended trip, that come's in between 200 and 300 pounds. For something 7,000 to 10,000 miles through a wilderness, I would easily double that - even without off-road spares. My tire luck on gravel roads being what it is, 2 spares, preferably a trailer (two more spares if needed), and tire plug and patch kit would be on board.

So, based on my system, he should be pulling a lightly loaded 3,500# trailer shod just like the truck. Heavier trailer than the load for durability reasons. I would load the trailer with everything not absolutely necessary to be in the truck - by the time you get tools, spares, luggage, you might be around 1000#. Again, the truck is already overloaded with the camper. Add 1000# more? Or 100# tongue weight?

 

Quote from remake of "Planet of the Apes" - "Can't we all just get along?"

Just want to let you know that I am a little wiser than I may appear. Once I get this camper mounted and if it appears that it won't work out, I won't go this route. I specifically looked for a lightweight unit that should work for this truck. I also plan on getting the unit weighed to see where I am. I did not want the expense of a another truck when this one has served me so well. I would not jeopardize the safety of myself and my son. I thank you all for your input and advice and will use it all once I see where I am.

My research has also told me that the Dalton Highway is about 70% paved by now including that worst washboard stretch on the coastal plain before Deadhorse which is the end of the line. If things get bad I'll turn around. There's a lot of other things to see and will hit a lot of other cool spots on the trip back like the Redwood Forrest, Grand Canyon, etc. Towing a trailer is literally a drag and I will only do it as a last resort. I was inspired by a website of a women who made this trip alone in 2000 in a 1999 Kia sub-compact car. I have the website bookmarked if anyone is interested.

In over 35 years I driven almost everything from a moped to 7800 ton destroyer. (Ex-Tin Can Sailor). Thanks again for all the advice and keep it coming.