Razor Back Ramble - We're back in a 2G Sequoia!

So for a little while we didn't have a Sequoia in our fleet but we have fixed that.  We got this truck from its previous owner who had to upgrade to a 3/4 ton truck to tow their gooseneck camper.  We got lucky because it already came with our bumper  and sliders!  It's a 2011 Platinum with around 250k miles.  So in order to break her in, we decided to take her on a trip to Arkansas for the Razor Back Ramble.

Preparation

So while we already have bumper and sliders, we still need to install a lift kit and under-armor.  For the armor, we are obviously going to go with the Tandem Off-road full skid plate package which covers engine, transmission, gas tank, and differential.

For the lift kit, we went with our Charlie 2 Bundle, which included Bilstein 6112's in the front, 5100's in the rear with our Platinum Lift System for the rear.  We also installed SPC upper control arms to get the alignment specs back to factory.

Sequoia Spec Sheet

Contextually you can guess what we've done to the truck but we're going to list out the build spec for this trip:

• Tandem Off-road Sierra Tango Front Bumper
• Tandem Off-road Sliders
• Tandem Off-road Skid plates
• Tandem Off-road Platinum Rear Lift System
• AL Off-road Roof Rack
• Bilstein 6112 clip 2 Front Springs and Shocks
• Bilstein 5100 rear shocks
• 20in BBS Toyota Wheels
• Toyo Open Country A/T 35x12.5r20 tires

Hot Springs OHV

So we got super lucky with the weather.  We got to our camp at 2am on Friday night and we quickly set up our tents and went to sleep so we could go wheeling in the morning.  The night was nice and cool around 65 degrees.  The next day we got to the park and immediately started exploring.  The trail ratings were from 1 for super easy to 5 for the crazy rock bouncers that climb the near vertical.  We found the sweet spot to be around 3.  That made the trails challenging and fun without being overwhelming.  

One of the goals for this trip was to get a baseline of performance for this Sequoia.  It was going to be interesting to see how the truck would perform.  Notably missing from the truck at the moment is the 5.29 re-gear and Auburn Rear Locker?  Could the Sequoia complete all it's tasks without it?  

On the trails rated 3 and below, this set up worked well.  We did realize that for all the weight that this truck has, the 2nd clips from the bottom on the 6112's is a little low.  I think we're going to go up one click for a little more clearance, but overall, the truck had no problem traversing the 3's and below.  

Feeling confident with how we were able to go through 3's, we decided to give a 4 a shot.  Boy were we in for an adventure.  Almost immediately we had three or four buggies pass us and we knew we were going to be challenged.

Despite this we decided to press on.  Almost immediately our progress slowed down significantly due to the size of the rocks.  They were about the size of an igloo cooler and very hard to see.  Also, they were absolutely everywhere.  Sometimes we would drive over one accidently and just hear it roll underneath the skid plates as we pushed onward.

Without the locker it was up to the A-TRAC to help the Sequoia get traction and it worked decently well.  The problem was because of the difficulty of the trail we were having to use it CONSTANTLY.  The engine was trying to spin up the tires and the A-TRAC was using the brakes to keep the tires without traction from spinning too much.  The back-to-back obstacles eventually took a toll on the truck and we saw transmission temps start to climb. It got to the point where we had to let the truck cool down in order to keep going.   The Auburn Locker will be necessary in order to do trails like this in the future.

Another lesson that we learned was kind of obvious but it was nice to get confirmation.  In my previous Sequoia we had 17in wheels with 37in tires and that set up worked really well off-road.  This truck came with Factory BBS split spokes that were 20's and I was quite smitten with them. We also wanted to try 35's.  Well at 20 PSI we ended up getting a pinch flat.  While we like the way the set up looks we will probably move to a smaller wheel and a bigger tire in the future, along with 5.29's.

Conclusions and Lessons Learned

Overall we were super happy with the way the Sequoia performed but there is definitely room for improvement.  The Charlie 2 kit worked really great.  For heavier applications such as this one we are going to suggest using clip position number 3 but even with it sitting a little low it did well.  It is definitely a stiffer ride so keep that in mind when purchasing.  

The sliders and skids did their job well and gave us the confidence to try these crazy trails.  We definitely put them to the test and they did not come away unscathed.  Both the sliders and the skids came out of the ordeal with some damage but they did their job well and protected all the vulnerable parts in the underbelly of the Sequoia.  

All in all, the weather was great, the camping was great, and we got a lot of valuable information.  Next up, locker, regear, and maybe bigger tires?  Stay tuned!