B2 off road equipment storage ideas?

[jkufen]

I have been off roading my B2 for the past few months and every time I go out I realize something else I am missing. Last night during our midnight mudding session me and my buddy ended up getting stuck and we were not prepared for that. We had the usual tow straps rubber boots and flash lights just in case one of us got stuck but we were screwed when we both got stuck. Ended up sleeping in the trucks until this morning when someone was awake to come get us. Any ways I have been thinking of some ways to carry all of my equipment that I would need to have without having it just crammed in the truck. I am getting the roof basket for the shovel, hi lift, hatchet, spare tire, and spare fuel container. In the rear compartment I was thinking about build a storage compartment to hold my tow straps, rubber boots, tools, water, cooler and other things like batteries and flash lights etc. I was looking at building a box about 10 inches high and on the rear part of the box where the lift gate is I was going to put shelves that would slide out. Probably only 2-3 inches each to put wrenches and etc in. then on the top I would put compartments like boat compartments for my straps, d links, lights, sleeping bags, tents, etc. Just curious if anyone else has done this or knows of someone that has done this and possibly had pics of it. I would carpet the box to make it match a little better. Any tips or advice is appreciated.

 

[bobbywalter]

get a buddy with a bigger truck and use their shit

 

[bobbywalter]

fawk that shit


first



WINCH

 

[bobbywalter]

go right to the trs store....smittybilts are 300 bux....spend another 100 to make it multi mount and your in great shape.


next tax season buy another one and hard mount it up front.

 

[4x4junkie]

Might be able to get some ideas here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9034-Post-up-your-drawer-storage-system

Lots of setups from simple ones like you're proposing, to all-out self-contained camping setups too.

 

[bobbywalter]

man....



weight is a killer.

if you have big axles and tires and shit and already over weight thats one thing


but the base stuff is easy to store. that link shawn give is awesome for sure, but there are alot of guys here that will respond soon enough...be patient. the b2 sites and explorer sites have cool stuff as well.

 

[superds]

I use something like this:

Bolt/strap it down and it'll carry a bunch of stuff. Cheap too, you can pick them up on sale for about $20. I can't recall if you can fit two in the back of a BII with the seats up but here's the manufacturer's website with dimensions listed: http://www.planomolding.com/product.php?BCCID=153&PID=1240

 

[wildbill23c]

Something I would suggest is not even a winch necessarily, but if you have a come a long or a hi-lift jack both make great manual winches. Carry some heavy duty chain with you for recovery. If you are on tight budget a com a long or hi-lift jack will get you out of some nasty situations when you don't have access to a winch.

For storage whatever you build or use, make sure its securely fastened to the vehicle with a lid or whatever that is secured as well, the last thing you want in an offroad situation is to be hit with your equipment that used to be in the back of your rig that nicely found its way to your head LOL.

Make sure you always carry some cold weather gear, sleeping bags, blankets etc. in case you break down or get stuck, bring food and water with you as well. You never know when your 3 hour mudding plan may turn into a day or several days so always be prepared with whatever you can bring with you. Being on a bronco 2 platform you are limited to what you can carry due to weight limitations and space limitations, but pack what you can. Something that might be a good idea as well is bring a buddy that don't go offroading to stage somewhere close by in case you get in trouble that way they can drive out for emergency help if needed, and make sure they have a larger vehicle than you have because if you get stuck more than likely you will need a pretty good size vehicle to get your vehicle out. Also, someone with a larger vehicle can carry extra gear and parts for you as well. Never, ever wheel alone, and as you found out sometimes you need a 3rd vehicle, always bring an extra vehicle and extra people with you for help if needed.

 

[jkufen]

Thanks Willbill for the info. Yeah a winch would be a nice commodity but we were wheeling in a cut down that the local loggers finished clearing out so there werent any tress or stumps or anything anchored that could get us out. The only reason we got stuck was my buddy broke the front hub on his truck and when i tried to go around him i ended up sinking my truck also. It wouldnt have been so bad but my hubs werent completely locked in and I didnt realize it till I was sunk to the axles . It was a bad situation but we some how managed to bring some beer and ended up not being too bad There is just so much stuff that I need to have with me for those just in case situations. I will definitely stock up on camping gear next time just in case. Our mudding trips usually dont start till 11pm because we all work till 10pm. So usually when things go bad for us we are stuck till morning. Ill just have to remember for every mudding trip bring some beer never know when I might need it

 

[jkufen]

For storage whatever you build or use, make sure its securely fastened to the vehicle with a lid or whatever that is secured as well, the last thing you want in an offroad situation is to be hit with your equipment that used to be in the back of your rig that nicely found its way to your head LOL.

I was looking to install locking mechanisms like you find on boats where you can lock the compartments but itll fold down flush with the top just in case you need to put things on top.

 

[4.0B2]

what about lockers in the axles? better tires?
winch is still nice... you can hook your stuck truck to the other stuck truck and winch, one of them will probably move.... lol

 

[jkufen]

I am wanting to get lockers. I am still running the d28 and right now only sporting the 29" bighorns. I am going to invest in some mechanical lockers and some 31"s. Not wanting to get too big so i dont spend as much time replacing broken axles as i am wheeling. We might could have hooked to each other. We were practically side by side by there might have been enough to get one of us loose.

 

[wildbill23c]

I run into the no anchor problem a lot where I live, very few trees in the desert so unless you have an extra friend along with you that has a larger truck winches aren't of any use. Every situation is different and sometimes if you can manage to hook onto another truck that is stuck and pull them or yourself closer you can sometimes get one of the vehicles unstuck enough that they or you can get out on your own power and get better ground to recover the other vehicle. Sometimes it can take hours to free a mired vehicle but you do what you have to when you don't have anything else available.

Definitely at least keep some blankets and/or sleeping bags with you when you are out like that, you never know what can happen.

 

[jkufen]

Yeah I wanta get a roof basket and have a compartment in the back of my B2 to hold all my equipment for those extreme situations. I want to make sure I have tools to fix some of the break downs we may have. I definitely need tow straps and some d links. I am going to invest in a hi lift. There is just a lot I want to have on hand lol I know no matter what i take there will always be that one thing youre missing. If the weight on the suspension is a issue then I could add an extra leaf on the rear to stiffen it up some. I will most likely add a small body lift just enough to clear 31"s. I will like to eventually get a winch because much of my offroading is in wooded areas it was just this time we ended up in a cut down

 

[jkufen]

Also another unrelated question. I am going to add several fog lights to my truck for extra lighting at night. I have two small lights added to the front now but I am wanting to add 8-10 lights to my roof basket and anther 2 to the front bumper. I am going to install another battery to run the lights and some capacitors so that it doesnt overload my stock charging system. My dad is an automotive electrician and says with the right equipment we can use my standard charging system. Anyways my question is more for the switches. Where has everyone added their panels? I am wanting it out of the way and not in the floor. I was thinking about pulling the ash tray out and the brackets for it and put the switch panel in that slot.