September 12, 2021. Whereas my previous update was several months in the making, it seems that I've already got several updates regarding the Tacoma after my trip to Canada and a few days in California, so let's get right down to it. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Relentless Skid Plate Attachment Hella HIDs fail to turn on, sometimes Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply…
Leave a CommentCategory: Rig Reviews
To say I was not happy upon noticing this would be the understatement of the day.
TL;DR - My rear axle housing cracked at the passenger spring perch. I've ordered a new axle housing.
Leave a Comment
Ready to protect the paint for another bunch-o-thousand miles.
TL;DR - Just a little bit of maintenance, replacing the insulator under the hood. Easy and done.
Leave a Comment
The Accuterra maps I had with me (left) vs. some actually useful maps I should have downloaded (right). 
TL;DR - I got lazy with my offline maps this trip, since they've become so "easy" for me over the years, and it really bit me in the butt.
Leave a Comment
In this photo, note the clearly defined beams of the fogs and Hellas, with a nice transitional area between the two. Additionally, note how much yellow light reaches the mountainside some quarter-mile away.
TL;DR - I love these lights.
Leave a Comment
It's always fun to drill a square hole.
TL;DR - I finally got off my butt and fixed the skid plate by cutting a square hole so I can use a carriage bolt to secure it to the transmission crossmember, rather than the small welded ears that kept breaking off.
Leave a Comment
The Hella's (and the related HID components) were never the actual problem.
TL;DR - My Hella's are working again, and the problem wasn't the Hella's or the HID upgrade at all. It was my Bussmann relay/fuse block.
Leave a Comment
August 1, 2021. It's been a while since the last Rig Review. Since then, I've put five trips and 20K more miles on the Tacoma. It has - as always seems to be the case - been fantastic. Scouting Black Rock Desert (Apr 2021) Owyhee West (May 2021) Forty-One Miles of Mesa (May 2021) New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021) Smoke in the Sawtooths (Jul 2021) One Night at Mt. Rainier (Jul 2021) Let's do a quick rundown of things that are working well, and places that need a little TLC after the last bunch of miles. Seemingly solved…
3 Comments
A few seconds with the grinder, and I've reduced the threaded section by 1/8" or so. Problem solved!
TL;DR - The NMO mount on my Ham Antenna was just a little too deep, and the antenna would contact the roof when it was tightened down, leading to rust. I've fixed that with a bit of judicious grinding.
Leave a Comment
My first experience with the new chair was blissful.
TL;DR - I've traded in my low camp chair for a normal-height one. I'm liking it so far.
Leave a Comment
Time for more new bushings.
TL;DR - Replacing my LCA bushings didn't resolve my squeaks. Time to start thinking about UCAs and rear leaf spring bushings.
Leave a Comment
The dreaded leak. Perhaps I'll rebuild it once the new rack is installed.
TL;DR - I noticed on the NMBDR that the steering rack was leaking. I'm going to replace it with a new OEM Power Steering Rack (44250-35042)
Leave a Comment
I'm not as happy with the HIDs in the Hellas as I was when I initially installed them.
TL;DR - My Hella's are working less and less now; I'm biding my time until the end of the year, when I hear that Diode Dynamics may have something fun coming.
Leave a Comment
All the bushings I replaced.
TL;DR - All the new bushings I installed recently seem to be doing great.
Leave a Comment
I definitely recommend genuine FKS bearings at -F1 tightness; not sure about the stainless steel variant yet.
TL;DR - The stainless steel bushings seem to be doing a bit better, but I'm not ready to say that they are the right way to go. Yet.
Leave a Comment
Swapping seat bottoms isn't hard, and can eek a little more life out of existing seats at no cost.
TL;DR - After 21 years, my seats are worn out and I need to get new ones or refurbish the ones I've got.
Leave a Comment
April 14, 2021 When I started Rig Reviews several years ago, I quickly found that after addressing a few significant items, most trips seemed to go smoothly, with relatively few notable issues - good or bad - cropping up along the way. But, on my last trip to Utah, that was far from the case. In fact, though most were minor, there were so many this time that I feel it worth listing them here, just to drive the point home: Passenger rear indicator lamp has burned out Driver front marker lamp has burned out Hella HIDs fail to turn…
2 Comments
March 8, 2021. Over the course of the winter, the truck has performed well. Four (!) trips down to the desert to stay warm have put a bunch of miles on the odometer and resulted in only a few little tweaks to the set up. But any tweak is worth understanding, so let's check them out. This rig review covers: Tragedies in the Tablelands (Jan 2021) Right Back to the Owens Valley (Jan 2021) Mid-Winter Mojave (Feb 2021) An Island in the Sky at the Top of the World (Feb 2021) Whew, at ~2500 miles each, it's only the beginning…
11 Comments
TL;DR - Dropping poles into the RTT pole bag is asking for trouble. Nothing a little sewing can't fix, though.
Leave a Comment