Getting truck ready for BC - vehicle mods

[Sambor]

If everything works out, I should be living in BC this summer. In the meanwhile, I am getting things ready. I put land search on hold for a bit, due to excess work, but I am still working on my truck. Last year I bought used F150:

• XTR trim
• 4x4 with e-locking differential
• crew cab
• 5.5ft bed.

I am slowly upgrading things on my truck and before i move, i want to make sure, that all the mods i need are in place. Here I have access to a large garage and special tools (like welder, etc.), that i don't have in my small home garage. Also, I don't know if i will have garage right away and i am sure that first year or two, there will be more important things to focus on.

I would like to ask you for your feedback and comments. The question is:
what mods should i have on my truck? It will be a daily commuter and a hunting truck. I am not a road hunter and always like to get as remote as possible and then walk for a bit.

So far I have added:

• LED light bar (hidden behind the grill). Wired to highbeams and if the switch is on, they come on together with highbeams. If switch is off, highbeams come on only.
• 2 LED lights mounted in the back and wired to reverse lights. Come on when I put in reverse. I found the OEM light to offer so little light, i could hardly see.
• Upgraded tires to duratracs - decided to stay with stock size, so when i put chains on, i won't damage fenders. I had good luck with duratracs and the price is right when they come on sale in CT. I decided to keep stock size, to keep mileage the same. I drive quite a bit and currently i get 12-14l/100km on the highway.
• front receiver hitch (will be installed next week)
• lots of recovery gear (I will start a separate thread)
• hard tonneau cover, can be locked when tailgate is locked
• moved outside by 6cm running boards. They were so close to the cab, i could barely put 3rd of a foot on the running board. Now I can put my whole foot on.
• tinted windows (back row and rear window) - 5% limo tint
• heavy duty seat covers
• dash cam

Mods on the waiting list:

• skid plates (truck came without)
• extra cooler for transmission (i noticed that when I was goofing in deep snow, transmission fluid temp went from93C to 100C)
• HAM Radio

Potential mods - haven't decided whether to go with them or not:

• 9000lbs winch mounted on a craddle so i can put it in the front or back.
• home Made backrack (with side and back white lights, maybe with two amber lights for emergency). I don't really need it, but the key use would be to winch on an elk or a moose.
• replace mirrors with towing mirrors
• put LEDs in headlights
• second battery or a small battery pack to start

I probably won't go with these mods:

• lift (looks good, but increased fuel consumption and I don't think I will be going extreme off roading. I have a quad and boots)
• leveling kit (as above)
• no custom front bumper (increased weight, more fuel consumption, i like increased safety during collision).

As the suggestions are coming from you guys, i will update the list in this post. I think other people could find it handy as well. Also, let's not talk about me getting rid of Ford and getting Dodge or any similar topics. I just want to keep it simple and on the subject.

[lip_ripper00]

heater in tailgate.....lol

[Sambor]

heater in tailgate.....lol

Do you mean like one of those small propane heaters (Mr. Buddy or something like that)? I have this in my recovery gear box, that I will write in another post.

[Moe.JKU]

good tires, winch(recovery gear), cb/ham, and a locker. not much more needed, and all of these aren't needed either.

[MichelD]

It all sounds great, but just so you know, I have brought deer and bears home in the truck on a 1972 Toyota Corona sedan and a deer on the roof rack of a 1982 Datsun 210 station wagon. I've been driving 4x4 Japanese trucks since 1992 now (first was an '85 Nissan) and the only mod I did to any was add a bush guard on a 2nd hand '95 Nissan I got so I could push little trees when turning around down really narrow overgrown logging roads.

With a crew cab Ford F150 you'll have a hard time doing that without an actual wide turnout.

I currently drive a 2015 Toyotoa Tacoma 4x4 . No mods, just newish BFG KO2 tires. Oh -- And a canopy to sleep in. Never felt handicapped in any of my trucks, though I have to admit on one occasion that when the road had literally slid off the mountain and didn't exist any more I admit I backed up and found a place to turn around.

[Downwindtracker2]

When you are putting an oil cooler for the tranny, a great addition is a 10 micron hydraulic filter. There are kits kicking around. If they came from the factory so equipped, 75% of tranny problems wouldn't happen.

[allan]

Headlight defrosters designed for led bulbs

[Sambor]

Thanks guys for the feedback.
Michel, I am with you on the versatility of a smaller truck. I was driving ford ranger up to last year and that was a beast. I could go everywhere. The only drawback was limited room inside the cab and in the bed. I could have only two people in the cab and with gear for a week of hunting and sleeping in a tent, it was quite tight. With a quad in the bed, there was not much room for more and also i could feel that quad during stronger wind gusts.

I had to go with half ton, as i need room inside the cab. The size also worries me a bit, but then i think i can compensate with the quad. I wish i could keep that ranger, but i can't afford to have two vehicles. Maybe in the future, i will look into getting a small Japanese, like you did, just for hunting.

About winch, I am going back and forth on this one. I have a farm jack and a "winch kit", which allows to use farm jack as a winch:

it is slow, but it get things done. I have 2x50ft logging chains (3/8in) and bunch of ropes and straps. I am hoping that it will be enough, but i still have second thoughts about the winch. It is much easier and more convenient. I am still looking for a good sale

About transmission cooler. Thanks for the tip about the filter. I plan to get the cooler installed this spring, i will mention to have such filter installed.

[Ferenc]

www.lug-all.com One of the best out there.. : )

[bigredchev]

Cops on hwy 1 love tickets for uncovered light bars.