Posted by Russ on Tuesday, November 21, 2000 at 10:00:24:
In Reply to: Swivel frames vs. lockers - are they worth it? posted by Charlie on Monday, November 20, 2000 at 23:12:12:
I wheeled with a group twice this year that included a home-made swivel frame truck. The articulation of the truck was truly awesome, but it did destroy its rear drive shaft during the last outing because it had too much articulation. It also did not have rear brakes because the hydraulic lines would be too long and would hang up on brush and rocks. The owner, Chad Taylor, built the rig so that the swivel frame could be locked for road travel. He also welded the spider gears in the rear differential to give it full time lockup. I was riding with Chad on an extreme trail in central Utah when he slid off a large rock and wedged his rig between two large rocks. The rear differential twisted so much that the rear tires were nearly perpendicular to the front tires. I thought that we were going to dismantle the truck to get it out of there. Chad put it into reverse and simply drove back out of there. This same group is planning a trip to Moab over New Years, and I hope to join them. Chad sold his original swivel frame truck and is building another, improved version now.