Big Red Used to Scare Me 🛻

Ever since I lifted Big Red, I felt less and less comfortable driving him in the wilderness and off-road. I know how lift kits stress suspension components, and how it impacts the ride quality. Indeed, the year I put the lift kit on Big Red and went down to West Virginia I overheated the brakes, and thereafter the brakes never worked particularly good on hard braking unless you really pushed them hard due to excess heat causing the pads to glaze up.

The last five years of Big Red, it seemed like every trip lead to a bit of dread and fear that something might fail. I put off trips, canceled them, made panicked trips to the mechanic sure something terrible was about to happen. Maybe it was my paranoia, but I doubt I will put a lift kit on another truck. Indeed, having a reliable SuperDuty truck takes a lot of relief off my mind. The 6.8L engine, while not exciting, is known for it’s reliability and durability, and the SuperDuty in general is over built for my needs. But with the HD frame and greater ground clearance compared to the half ton trucks, it basically has all the benefits of a lifted truck with few of the downsides. Nose-by-nose, it seems about the same height, and the ground clearance is pretty similiar with the straight axle. And truth is I don’t plan to be on too many super rough roads with a big truck.

Not having the fear of the SuperDuty breaking down has me thinking about the many great places I can go in the next few years. This summer I’m thinking about Moose River Plains for Independence Day Weekend, maybe get farther back in Green Mountains National Forest then I’ve done in years. Go to Michigan in the summer, maybe West Virigina in November. Or maybe head up to the Tug Hill Plateau, as it’s been years since I’ve been up that way. While gas ain’t cheap, time is limited and travel is fun.