Our Balloon Chase Rig
Our
balloon chase vehicle is perhaps the toughest, most rugged chase
vehicle we have yet to see. We have yet to find a balloon chase rig more
capable than ours! So we felt that it deserved some mention and it's
own page on our website! The chase vehicle is an extremely
important part of any balloon operation. Since
a balloon travels with
the wind, a chase vehicle is necessary to retrieve us and take us back
to our 
starting
point after the flight. If the balloon flies past the
last paved road,
many companies and their 15 passenger vans are left to
sit and watch their balloon fly off
into un-retrievable terrain! This
can mean a very expensive and lengthy retrieval for
the company
and
for
the passengers a major inconvenience! Some stock
4wd chase
trucks might
get a little farther along but our rig can keep
going and we haven't
encountered any terrain it can't get past yet. Our
Gold Canyon flight
area can sometimes have us flying into some rather
challenging terrain
and you can rest easy knowing our chase
vehicle is close behind
for a quick retrieve. In addition, your pilot and the Roping The
Wind Balloon Team get out from time to time for unique
adventure flights that have us flying deep into remote Arizona terrain
and this is the primary reason for building such a tough vehicle. For
our daily passenger flights, it is a comfort to know that if we should
stray too far into rough terrain, our chase vehicle can make it to our
landing site.
By
now you are probably wondering just what kind of a truck this is? This
vehicle is a completely restored 1981 GMC one ton crew cab 4x4 truck.
Some of the toughest
full size off road rigs and rock crawlers are using components that
came factory in these old Chevy/GMC 4x4 trucks from the 70's
and
80's and are well known for 
being
very capable trail rigs. Some of
these components are very sought after in todays off
road marketplace
for use in rock crawling and extreme off road applications.
In addition, we have gone above and beyond with heavy duty upgrades and
modifications as well as
many aftermarket options to make this an extremely capable crew cab
truck. Your pilot enjoys off roading as a hobby and has been around the
scene for many years and understands what goes into building a solid
trail
rig. The saying "They dont make em' like they used to" holds very true
when it comes to most factory 4x4 vehicles. They may be more 'plush'
nowadays, but are not nearly as capable and were never built to be
abused off road! Today, the factories build a truck to have a better
'road ride' and handling. Though we concentrated on making our chase
rig tough,
we also 'plushed' the interior up a bit for your comfort
during
the ride back from our landing! Passenger safety is a high priority not
only in the air, but on the ground too. Interior modifications include
a full interior roll cage and seat belts for all occupants, including
racing harness for driver and co-driver. Fire extinguisher, first aid
kit and tool set are also onboard.
As
you can see, we are very proud of our rig! Your pilot and his dad, a
GM master mechanic of 55 years who today restores classic muscle cars,
rebuilt this truck from the ground up during a five month rebuild
project.
This
truck was featured in the July 2009 issue of Off
Road Adventures
Magazine and won the "Best of Before and After" contest!
You
have probably read all you want to know about our chase rig by now, but
if you are really into off roading or into these old 4x4 trucks, for
your enjoyment here are the specs:
1981 
K3500 crew cab 4x4 truck (1
ton)
454 CID engine
SM465 4 speed manual
transmission with 6.55:1 low range
NP205 gear driven transfer case
Dana 60 front axle (8 lug, 1 ton
full floating axle) with 
locker
4.56 gears
14 bolt rear axle (8 lug, 1 ton
full floating axle) with Locker 4.56 gears
HD
differential covers manufactured
from 100% high-strength, proprietary nodular iron
front HD
leaf spring shackles, sway bar correction/disconnect kit (improves
articulation in tough off road situations when disconnected and
provides a better ride on road when connected), steering box/frame
brace, front Dana 60 kingpin HD upgrade/rebuild kit, and HD brake lines (4 layered: tough teflon core, kevlar braid,
stainless steel braid and outer vinyl protective layer).
6" Tuff
Country suspension
lift
35x12.50 
All Terrain
tires on 16.5" Baja 
Wheels
Dual 
100 watt off road spot
lights mounted on front bumper
Dual 
Batteries
10,000lb winch
60" Hi-Lift jack (7,000lb
capacity) w/ complete Hi-Lift Off Road Kit
Buckstop
heavy duty front winch
bumper made of 1/4" steel
Custom fabricated rear
heavy duty bumper made with 3/16" boxed steel (fabricated by our good
friend at Rock Solid Fabrication in Queen Creek, AZ.). Bumper also
plumbed for use as an air tank
Onboard 
air compressor mounted
behind rear bumper
Custom fabricated full interior roll cage (Rock
Solid Fabrication)
4 Wheel Parts is the source for many parts and accessories for our rig!
Off Road Design is the source for many heavy duty off road
upgrades for our rig! They cater mostly to Chevy/GMC 4wd solid
axle
trucks of the 70's and 80's.
Playin', wheelin' and testing on Rock Solid Fabrications backyard rock garden
