Monster trucks!

[KeiCar]

My curiosity was piqued when I saw this picture in the "getting stuck" thread:



I think the one smaller truck is a TCL member. I am actually interested in the larger vehicle.

What kind of suspension do they use? Is there really a market for huge springs to make a F150 tower off the ground, or are they really meant for larger (like construction vehicles) that are fitted to smaller trucks? Also the tires, what uses do they have aside from "recreational"?

Finally, what is done to the drivetrain, aside from just increasing output / forced induction...ect. What is done specifically to the driveshaft, final drive, differential, half shafts...ect? Those tires and wheels have to weigh a good 4x the amount of the stock ones, that must put a LOT of stress on those components.

If $$$ was no object, could you daily one of those trucks, if your crazy enough?

[dentinger]

i cant really answer of your questions, but if this is daily driven



i dont see why that Ram pictured isnt (minus the fact those tire definetly arent road legal)

[GTE77]

Thats OP is not even considered a monster truck. Its just a Dodge with huge lift really.

Nothing new, and yes, there a HUGE aftermarket for truck lifts & suspension.

Look here
www.socalcustoms.com

and here
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/index.html

yes, thousands of road legals trucks running around the us like that..

google " lifted truck " for a billion results.

[clutchrider]

Came for this


or this.


Correct term for the OP's inquiry for trucks driven on normal roads would be bro-dozers. Although again that does not apply to the first pic as those are true mudders.

[MCTB]

While its not a "monster truck" like Grave Digger, its still a monster sized truck. For lift, he is running coilovers, probably 16", with tall springs and agricultural tires. For axles, hes running duece and a half axles (Rockwells) which have the advantage of being able to handle that size tire because the ring and pinion and shafts are gigantic. Also, the fact that it is a top load axle helps alleviate drive line angles. Hes also running a full hydro steering set up. If youre into mudding, its a crazy set up but probably pretty unstoppable. Would I do it? Absolutely not.

[KeiCar]

Came for this



Correct term for the OP's inquiry for trucks driven on normal roads would be bro-dozers. Although again that does not apply to the first pic as those are true mudders.

I take it that guy is the originator? I remember Bigfoot, I had a truck when I was a child:thumb up:

And I was talking about the truck in the photo, while not a "true" Monster truck, its still pretty crazy at least with those tires. There is no way that is highway driven, at least with those tires. The truck is also still mostly OEM, at least the frame, thats not a one-off part like, say Gravedigger here.

[clutchrider]

I take it that guy is the originator? I remember Bigfoot, I had a truck when I was a child:thumb up:

And I was talking about the truck in the photo, while not a "true" Monster truck, its still pretty crazy at least with those tires. There is no way that is highway driven, at least with those tires. The truck is also still mostly OEM, at least the frame, thats not a one-off part like, say Gravedigger here.

Correct, Bob Chandler is the original Bigfoot guy. I remember seeing the original back when I was a kid. The Ram in your photo is definitely monstrous in comparison to others, reminds me of my Micro Machines where I would unscrew the monster truck wheels and put them on the coupes, sedans, etc.

Also, slightly out of context but you could drive it on the roads with those tires. Of course field hopping is a little different than regular driving.

[camio]

To answer OP's question about where those tires come from, "smaller" giant trucks can use mud tires meant for trucks. These are easy to find up to about 50" diameter. Most of the time these tires are street legal, but wear very quickly on the road. Beyond that, most real monster trucks use tractor tires, which come in huge sizes with very aggressive tread patterns (to keep tractors from getting stuck in the fields). I don't think tractor tires are street legal, and they probably aren't safe beyond a fairly low speed.