The Mission: Overland Road Test Stock F-150
My duties- Spotter and Document
Andy’s Duties- Drive and make me laugh
The test site was El Dorado National Forest. We were to head out early morning on Saturday but our refrigerator had other plans for us. My handy dandy husband dove in head long to fix the refrigerator before we headed out.
We hit the road about 11:30 am and stopped in town to get lunch supplies and ice before heading east farther into the mountains. We are fortunate enough to live in the foothills of Northern California and we don’t have to travel far for an adventure in the forest.
We took highway 50 east to Silver Fork Rd and headed south to Pack Saddle Pass. Heading deeper into El Dorado National Forest.
The scent of pine trees and little critters running across our path was exactly what I was looking for to put my Full Size Overland Rig to test. We bombed around on dirt roads in search for a spot with a view for lunch before picking up Cody Meadows Road where the real test will begin.
We found a secluded camp site on a mountain ridge with large pine trees, a giant granite out cropping and a view on three sides. In the solitude we enjoyed a Keto friendly meal and each other’s company. We talked and laughed about how the campsite from this day forward was claimed as my husbands campsite. We talked about the up coming mods on the Overland Rig, we even got mushy and expressed how lucky we are to be with each other.
After lunch we continued on to Cody Meadows Road with slightly more technical challenges for the rig. The road is not much more then a trail. Still nothing too aggressive with some technical areas with rocks ranging from eight inches to about twenty inches. The washed out ruts was my favorite, it allowed me to me to visualize first hand the clearance of not only the under carriage but also the air dampener used for fuel economy. Only on one occasion the air dampener scraped but I spotted it before damage occurred and directed Andy to change his approach.
The trail also offered a nice 7% to 9% grade which gave a good example of traction the stock tires has to offer. Next test of the trail was for the rig size. On the ridge the trail winds through the pine trees. It was tight pretty much this entire stretch and there were a couple times when clearing a tree at the front corner of the rig, the back corner of the rig was a mere inch or two from another tree.
After clearing the pine trees the terrain took on a high desert look where we came upon an abandoned vehicle with a date on it, of the same date. We thought we would come across the owner and offer him/her a ride off the mountain but no such luck.
Still slightly in the middle of no place we came across a clearing with about ten or fifteen cars parked. We were like, what the ???. One of the owners was standing next to his vehicle when we rolled up, we asked what special event was going on. With great pride on his face he said it was a Boy Scouts Ceremony at Cody Lake.
Then about a half mile down further down the road, our fun dissipated a bit with paved roads.
Final Conclusion:
The 2017 F-150 FX4 Off Road is a great platform for an Overland Build. The mods don’t need to be over the top drastic. I will be starting with a simple two inch leveling kit, (already on order and on the way) and rock slides. The rock slides will take slightly more research but I am convinced I will soon be able to find a functional set. Then deciding on a Rack System or Canopy to mount a roof top tent. And of course rubber, eventually better tires.
Stay tuned for the Overland Build Updates and until next time,
Enjoy the Ride
Bell
Present and Future Mod Products:
Two inch leveling kit-Â Â https://amzn.to/2MamZoMÂ Â Â 
Rock Slides-Â https://amzn.to/2vot6yFÂ Â 
Roof Tent-  https://amzn.to/2LWvjvw  
