As with any project truck that hits the trail it is important to take adequate tools and supplies. Our tool kit came from Summit Racing Equipment in the form of the Craftsman Track or Trail handtool combo set. The kit includes metric and standard wrenches and sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, and a torque wrench. We stuffed it all in a set of MasterCraft tool bags and wrench rolls.

Flexible socket holders from Off Road Trail Tools are some of the coolest tool storage items we’ve come across recently. Offered in different colors and 1⁄4-, 3⁄8-, and 1⁄2-inch sizes they are a made of urethane, resistant to fluids, and great for rolling up and stuffing in toolbags.

Mounted along the inner bed rail is the famous Hi-Lift Jack. If you have never used one, you have no idea how helpful they can be for lifting a broken 4x4 that needs tire or suspension work. They can also be used for extracting a stuck vehicle in a pinch when used as a hand winch.

Storage is important on a trail rig that must be self-sufficient, and we have three great containers in the F-150. The new ARB Fridge Freezer is perfect for two people to haul food and drink when camping. It runs off of 12 volts and is a luxury item we would hate to be without. Beside it is a Poly Performance Baja Basket. These lightweight tubular racks are great for stuff that doesn’t need to be stored inside or that needs to be easily accessible, such as camp chairs or our Bubba Rope recovery strap. Under the Baja Basket is our two-drawer Tuffy Security bed box. This lockable unit is perfect for heavy gear we don’t want to lose, such as tools and spare parts.

Behind the fridge we brought a 5-gallon water can and gas can from Off Road Trail Tools. Both are important for a weeklong wheeling trip. We never got into the fuel during the trip, what with the fuel sipping of the EcoBoost, but the water was a godsend after a dusty trail day. Beside them is a Warn VTC air compressor, by far the best air compressor we have ever had on an Ultimate Adventure. Yes, it is big and heavier than most, but flip the switch and you have gobs of air (100 psi and 20 cfm) to fill tires or run tools.

In years past we’ve carried a Hobart Trek 180 rechargeable MIG welder on the UA, and we were glad to have it with us again this year. It got used just about every day, and luckily not always on the F-150. It will weld 3-6 feet of weld on one charge, and that is an amazing amount when you need it.

To recharge the Hobart or plug in camera battery chargers, video equipment, grinders, or any other 110 items, we added an inverter from Harbor Freight. The 2,000-watt unit would probably have been better suited in the cab, but we protected it with a thick plastic sheet, and found it convenient for plugging in the welder to recharge while running down the road or trail.

The spare 40-inch Nitto Mud Grappler was strapped down with a Poison Spyder Customs three-way tire tie-down. Luckily the Nittos laughed at trail abuse and the spare never left the bed of the Ford.

During our buildup of the truck at Randy Ellis Design (RED), we encountered a local outfit, Copper State Bolt & Nut. They sell everything you need, such as tools and fasteners, so when they told us about their bolt kit that includes various size bolts, in Grade 5 or 8, as well as electrical and plumbing parts in a handy storage box, we rounded one up for the F-150. People were coming to see us all week looking for special fasteners to fix their rigs. Stay tuned; we’ll be giving one away in an upcoming issue.

One requirement of the Ultimate Adventure is a fire extinguisher. We mounted one from Sun Devil Fire and Security within reach of driver and passenger.

The independent front suspension was the groundbreaking upgrade of this truck. Would it work? Or would we be wrenching all week? Here are the facts. We did have to work on the IFS, but only on the final day when first a CV boot slipped off the inner CV and then when the outer CV came apart.

On one particular climb the rear Dynatrac Pro-80 axle got wedged hard between two boulders. Throttle was applied and something had to give; the rear springs wrapped up and the driveshaft and pinion yoke bound until the U-joint straps came apart. The rear Deavers are excellent springs, but big leverage of 40-inch rubber and low gearing surpass their intended use, so a Randy Ellis–built traction bar has been added for future rock work.

The 140-plus inches of wheelbase and tight trails left their fair share of carnage on the body of the long-legged Ford. Turning wasn’t tight, so a taillight, rear window, and both driver-side doors took a beating. After the trip we returned to Randy Ellis Design to beat them straight enough to raise the windows (and replace the rear glass).

This is the spare outer RCV CV joint we carried with us. Notice how the stub shaft splines into the CV and is held with a snap ring. For some reason this came apart on the last day of our trip. Disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling the shaft took about an hour. We were bummed.

The CV boot failure was remedied after the trip when we installed a new one at RED. So, did the IFS fail? Well, it worked as good off-road as a solid axle. It flexed, it crawled, and it ran down the road. The parts did come apart, so that is a negative, but they all could have been repaired on the trail. Basically we’ll give it a solid B . We had hoped for zero issues; we got two. As minor and preventable as they were, they were still inconvenient.

This was the first Ultimate Adventure truck we’ve built with full hydraulic steering, and though it worked, we weren’t 100 percent satisfied. What we expected was something odd on the road but unstoppable off-road. What we got was odd both on- and off-road. The steering worked great until the tires were bound up, then it was back to Armstrong Steering. We discussed the problem with PSC and they thought our reservoir is a bit too far away from our pump, so it may be cavitating when it needs constant fluid. We replaced the pump after the trip, hoping that was the issue. It is better but still not perfect. We’ll keep fine-tuning it.

Here is an odd one; after the trip was over we drove the truck a few hours to our trailer drop before hauling it back to California. About ten miles from the trailer it lost power and a check transmission light came on. We soon realized the transmission was only in 5th gear. The EcoBoost had plenty of grunt to start in 5th, but the transmission would never down shift or upshift into 6th. We drove it that way for the remaining miles to the trailer and hauled it to a Ford dealership where the transmission was replaced under warranty after chunks of metal were found inside. Was it a fluke, or just not up to our trail abuse? We’re running 5.38 gears to offset the 40-inch tires, so we’d hope the drivetrain is happy, but we’ll keep wheeling it to see if the replacement survives.