Ok, after seeing the px of Hollister Hills, and the resurgence of the 49ers (and the still lingering, but fading quickly, glow from a world series win), I am officially missing norcal. I just pulled out my old Lazy Buggers badge (mendo recce..aka norcal rover club)....
What are the front recovery options for an LR4? Any easy mods? I was happy to see pictures of a D shackle on the stock bumber...glad to see I don't need to use that optional tow hitch receiver (is it as bad as it looks?)
Nice options David. How much noise does the rack make?
Hey bromhead,
I am originally from Boston, MA and moved to the SF Bay area about 5.5 years ago. I have traveled extensively in CA and I definitely prefer NorCal over SoCal. Definitely!
The stock recovery option is a ring in the middle - pretty good sized. I have the front skid plate, but it has a hole for access to the recovery ring. If you wanted additional recovery points, you would need to do some more elaborate modifcations. I am not sure if there is currently anything on the market?
I do not have the optional tow hitch receiver, as at this point, I do not tow anything. If you take the back cover off (very easy), you have access to the rear recovery point and that is where I stick a D shackle when I go off-roading. The recovery ring is quite big, similar to the front.
I have the Voyager half-rack and it's pretty darn quiet. I do notice a little bit of noise when it's really windy and I am going about 75-80mph on the highway, but nothing major. I did go with the optional wind faring that Voyager offers and it does a great job. My only complaint is that they bolt that sucker in to withstand hurricane force winds, so the bolts look a bit overkill from the back. When I get some time I am going to saw off the ends and put some black caps, though it's not a big deal.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
-David
