Let me introduce myself...

[Gnarvan]

Originally Posted by redrock

I need to decide quickly-ish whether to put lockers front and rear, and if so (presumably), whether to go ARB or Eaton e-lockers.

Evan

Have you considered a Detroit Trutrac instead of a locker. IMO the Truetrac is in between a limited slip diff and a locker when it comes to hard core wheeling.

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServ ... PCT_338418

As far as synthetic winch ropes go I would suggest looking into the Superwinch products. Their design is a little more synthetic rope friendly than the Warn design. The difference is in the location of the drum brake. It's the drum brake that creates the heat that can melt a synthetic rope. A great resource for winch information is Viking Offroad. Call and talk to Thor. He spent a lot of time educating me on the differences of winch design. The Talon 12.5SR fits nicely in an Aluminess bumper.

http://www.vikingoffroad.com

EDIT....add this link to winch information. Same guy just a different easier to use website

http://www.winchline.com/

Congrats on picking up a sweet looking rig. Keep us posted with you're upgrade choices.

[macmcintire]

Originally Posted by redrock

One of my neighbors has a Sportsmobile as well, so that makes at least 3.

Is your neighbor on the Forum? If so, what is his/her Forum name?

[c7train]

That is great news! These vans are sooo fun and a cool hobby to have. As for the winch, the van I purchased came with one also. I have not used it to pull the van; however, I did use it to pull out some sizable bushes in my front yard the other day it was not only fun, but a HUGE time saver as well. It was nice to get familiar with the process too. I'd say go for it, the one or two times you use it, you will be glad you had it, if the cost is not too much and other things aren't pressing on the ultimate van quest.
Congrats again.
C.

[Tapatio]

Redrock,

These videos will give you an idea of how different configurations work in a real live situation. I wouldn't call this climb radical althouth it is pretty steep and slippery (Coyote Canyon waterfall near Death Valley). This terrain is simliar to the type of trails you might encounter in and around Las Vegas.

The first van (mine) has a SMB 4X4 conversion with ARB front and rear lockers. The front right hub was broken so the front differential was not engaging properly. I essentially had locked rear wheel drive only. You'll notice how difficult it is to "push" these heavy vans up steep obstacles. Much easier to "pull" up obstacles when the front wheels have traction. The 2nd van (Christopher Thwaites) has a Quadvan 4X4 conversion with a front ARB locker and limited slip rear. Notice how he was able to crawl up the waterfall slow and easily.

[youtube:jts9javt]

My final comment is these vans are very heavy and you can never have enough traction...

[BIGVANS]

More winch info here .....

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8697

There is some discussion about the receiver hitch style winch plates you asked about too.

[BajaSportsmobile]

Originally Posted by Tapatio

The first van (mine) has a SMB 4X4 conversion with ARB front and rear lockers. The front right hub was broken so the front differential was not engaging properly. I essentially had locked rear wheel drive only.

The 2nd van (Christopher Thwaites) has a Quadvan 4X4 conversion with a front ARB locker and limited slip rear. Notice how he was able to crawl up the waterfall slow and easily.

Woodbee has a SMB 4X4 conversion with no lockers. I'm not sure if his van has a limited slip rear. Climb starts at 4:10 into the video.

My final comment is these vans are very heavy and you can never have enough traction...

The difference was the momentum Woodbee was carrying - drove right up it. Momentum is better than traction any day.

[Tapatio]

Originally Posted by BajaSportsmobile

The difference was the momentum Woodbee was carrying - drove right up it. Momentum is better than traction any day. [/size]

Don't forget Newton's 2nd law of motion, Force = mass times acceleration

Momentum or speed puts more stress on your suspension and driveline. The trick is to only go as fast as you absolutely need to. There are other situations where momentum is not an option (fast forward to 7:50 in the video below).

But yes Woodbee has bigger balls than I do.

[youtube:1jl18dao]

[BIGVANS]

A lot of the time to much momentum = flat tires and/or bent driveshafts from rocks.

[macmcintire]

Originally Posted by BIGVANS

A lot of the time to much momentum = flat tires and/or bent driveshafts from rocks.

Okay, I'll try to slow down on those dirt roads. That's hard to do for a Type-A person like me. I've got to learn that the joy is in the journey, not the desitination.

[BajaSportsmobile]

Originally Posted by Tapatio

Don't forget Newton's 2nd law of motion, Force = mass times acceleration

Momentum or speed puts more stress on your suspension and driveline. The trick is to only go as fast as you absolutely need to. There are other situations where momentum is not an option (fast forward to 7:50 in the video below).

But yes Woodbee has bigger balls than I do.

And, less stress on his vehicle.

Not to belabor the point, but Woodbee's momentum put less stress on suspension and driveline than the other two did bouncing around trying to gain traction, backing up and doing it again and again.

The proper amount of momentum will get you through or over an obstacle with less skinny peddle and less load on everything.

Picking the right line, proper wheel placement, proper gear selection (no 4 Lo is not always the way to go, even in steep rocky "waterfalls"), proper entry speed and maintaining proper momentum are some of the things that gets some through with ease when other struggle.