4Wheeling advice?

[USAFAGumby]

Hey all, i'm starting to really get into trail driving and would like to hear what tips and tricks you have all learned out on the trails. Stuff that keeps you and the truck safe or how you pick a good line, what to do on rocks, climbs, descents, and anything else you can think of. 

[johnny quest]

don't drop a ton of money right off the bat on a rig you don't know how to wheel; these little trucks are very capable in stock form. i would spend money on recovery gear, recovery points, a bit of armor underneath, and maybe a decent set of tires. a first aid kit, a flashlight/headlamp, and a fire extinguisher are all good to have as well. after that, the best thing you can do is spend time behind the wheel. get as familiar as possible with your rig, and pay attention to which lines other rigs take. take notice of their wheelbase, because that makes alot of difference on certain obstacles. ive seen stock rigs outwheel heavily built rigs because of the drivers familiarity with their vehicle and because of driver skill. and when someone pulls out a camera, don't do something stupid just to make it big on youtube. your wallet will thank you.

[Incommando]

Never try to turn around if you can't make it up a hill. Back down in a controlled manner in low range.

Wheel speed is your friend in deep mud. In a related topic if you need a mud terrain only a mud terrain will do. A/T's do not work in real mud.

Google "bumping" up on an obstacle and watch some YouTube vids of it. This is an invaluable tool
.

Although balls to the wall sounds like fun in reality it generally just breaks stuff. 90% of the time slow & controlled is the way to go. Deep mud is an obvious exception.

Know how deep that mud hole is or what is on the other side of that hill before you try it.

Do not wheel alone. Not only does going with someone else make getting unstuck easier the simple fact is this sport can be dangerous or even deadly. Waiting for hours on a trail for someone to find you in your wrecked jeep can add to the lethality.

[johnr]

c

[BeenJaminJames]

Awesome advice from both of these guys!  Especially concerning safety equipment and recovery gear.  You WILL get stuck, make sure you have good solid points to hook to so someone can pull you out.  Things like axles, swaybars, and the stock bumper mounts are not good places to attach a strap.  Also, use a properly rated nylon recovery strap, not a chain.  Chains will break, or worse, rip the shackle off your truck.  When that happens, you've got a 20 pound forged steel projectile travelling through the air towards you at 50mph.  I've seen it happen.  You will also break things.  Keep a decent set of tools on the truck, as well as spare u-joints at a minimum.  Hopefully you won't have a medical emergency or fire, but do you want to take the chance of being stranded in the middle of the wilderness without a first aid kit and fire extinguisher?  Once you've gotten everything prepared and you're ready to head to the trail, you're going to need some driving skills.  Rule #1, skinny pedal gets you stuck, and speed breaks your truck.  The slower you can go, the more control you'll have, meaning you'll be less likely to get stuck and alot less likely to break something.  Slow and smooth driving makes all the difference in the world.  Rule #2, pay attention to your spotter, and don't make him have to stand there and tell you the same thing 5 times because you feel sure you can make it if you do it your way.  He can see what's going on under your truck, and you can't.  Plus it's frustrating, as he's trying to help you, and eventually he'll get tired and quit helping.  #3, when you get home, take time to wash all the mud off the underside of your truck, and out of all the nooks and crannies.  Mud will destroy everything on a truck.  It would be a really good idea to invest in a grease gun, and regularly lube up everything that has a zerk fitting.  As far as driving techniques, there's a really good video I suggest you watch, that covers all sorts of really good information.  It's an hour and a half, so grab some popcorn and click on:

 

[dscowell]

Go slow! These trucks are old and have old parts flying down a trail will tear the poor thing a part and will make you feel sick. Disconnect your sway bars and air down your tires. This isn't necessary but will make the ride a lot better. And the most important thing go with someone who knows what they are doing. Knows the trails knows how to spot and knows how to help out if something bad happens. You can learn and soon be leading the inexperienced. Really just be smart if you don't feel comfortable don't do it. Also over prepare lots of water food extra clothes all that stuff just incase you have to spend the night on the trail always better to be safe then sorry. I also like to take a book along with me that has the trails really helps out to know if you are going the right way and what is next.

[Eagle]

I agree on always going with at least one other vehicle, and preferably one that's roughly equal to yours in capability. I still remember the day in my STOCK '88 XJ at paragon when NAXJA-NAC went on what was supposed to be a light trail cruise after a day of work cutting new trails. The [unprintable} female leading us took us through a trail called "The Rock Garden." Within about 50 yards I had dented my oil pan and damned near ripped out my transfer case. She had the chutzpah to say "What's your problem? Stock Liberties went through here at the Jeep Jamboree."

 

Ain't no way any stock Liberties went through there. This [unprintable] was in a short wheelbase Wrangler with a 6-inch lift and 33-inch tires. She had no concept of what wheeling in a stock vehicle is. In retrospect, she shouldn't have been allowed to lead us, since I wasn't the only stock XJ there. Others saw me turn around and come back out, so they bailed and took an alternate route.

 

For the record, that same XJ ran Old Florida Road in North Adams, MA (as far as the beaver pond -- had to turn back there, the enviro-weenies got upset if we disturbed the beavers, even though they built their pond right across the damned trail), and on the Ice Cream trail I was the only stock vehicle in a mixed group that included some built Wranglers from a local club we met in the Auto Zone parking lot. They couldn't believe that a stock Cherokee had just run the same trail they did.

 

So don't discount the Jeep's abilities, but don't allow someone with a much more "built" vehicle to talk you into trying something too difficult. Unless he guarantees to fix whatever you break following his lead.

 

Nobody has mentioned a CB radio. You can get a Cobra Classic at any truck stop for well under $100, and there's a Cobra (or Uniden?) compact that will do fine for trail rides that costs about $50. Just use a magnetic or gutter mount antenna. You're only talking to the Jeeps in your group, you're not trying to transmit from Los Angeles to Boston.

[USAFAGumby]

Thanks for the tips everyone. As of right now I don't have any recovery equipment so that is probably next on the list. dscowell informed me of a great site called frontrange4x4 which I am now on that hosts good trail runs and has lots of information. Once again I really appreciate the advice! 

[Eagle]

Regarding recovery gear -- be sure you get a "recovery" strap, not a "tow" strap. They may look similar (except that tow straps usually have metal hooks on each end, recovery straps just have sewn loops), but they are NOT the same. Probably the most common strap found is a 2" rated for 20,000 pounds, but I've been seeing more and more people using 3" 30,000-pound straps.

 

Remember that the front of the MJ is a unibody. You can't just buy a pair of hooks and bolt them to the "frame" -- they'll tear right out. Several companies offer near clones of the factory tow hook bracket kit. I like Custom 4x4.

[USAFAGumby]

Those look pretty simple and solid. The frame has a bit of a bend in it where the front bumper is, previous owner bumped a parking pole, so I need to make sure it won't affect the bracket mounting. 

[Pete M]

proper recovery points, rocker guards and a fire extinguisher.  :thumbsup: