Posted: 8/15/2014 2:00:33 PM EDT
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Next weekend I will be going up to Gilbert MN to go Off roading. I have an 05 TJ wrangler and some decent AT tires. What should I bring for a successful off road experience?
Linky to Parky |
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1. a friend who has been, preferably in another Jeep. (most important) 2. recovery gear, straps winches, and a jack. lunch snacks and water. lots of water. 3. don't go past your knowledge / comfort and have fun!!! (I am a 97 TJ owner and avid wheeler.) Also TP! When you get stuck, stop and think about it before you rush to extract. Make sure you think about what could go wrong before you start pulling. I have seen many straps break and the force on them is deadly. Water sucks and I avoid it when possible (along with mud been there done that and bought the alternators)! I sold my last jeep last year (my 5th) and I miss it like crazy but luckily I am still part of the offroading club. |
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1. a friend who has been, preferably in another Jeep. (most important) 2. recovery gear, straps winches, and a jack. lunch snacks and water. lots of water. 3. don't go past your knowledge / comfort and have fun!!! (I am a 97 TJ owner and avid wheeler.) Leave the beer at the camp. 2way radio, cause looking over your shoulder all day sucks. Flashlights and tools, Working by headlights blows too |
I have the straps and a hi lift jack, but my better half killed my winch plans (she made me buy a gun instead  )
Beer is a must, but I agree that it will stay in camp while out wheeling. I have a pretty decent socket set, cresent hammer, vocabulary of swear words and WD40. It will be solo but I will see if there will be others that will let me tag along on the trails. Thanks for the tips all. |
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Nope, I work in the nuclear industry. Be afraid. I picked that up back in the day. It just stuck. Quoted:
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A crescent hammer? You work in the oilfield don't you? Nope, I work in the nuclear industry. Be afraid. I picked that up back in the day. It just stuck. I have a 24 in crescent that when someone can't find a hammer they always want to grab and use as one. Pisses me off. |
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I have a 24 in crescent that when someone can't find a hammer they always want to grab and use as one. Pisses me off. Quoted:
Quoted:
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A crescent hammer? You work in the oilfield don't you? Nope, I work in the nuclear industry. Be afraid. I picked that up back in the day. It just stuck. I have a 24 in crescent that when someone can't find a hammer they always want to grab and use as one. Pisses me off. Getting pissed off is what generally turns it into a hammer. 
I have both a hammer and a mallet for beating porpoises the crescent is just handy for frustrations. (misspelling is done for comedic effect, grammer nazi's stand down!) |
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Secure everything so that it can't become a missile if you roll over or suddenly stop. If you're not comfortable with something don't do it- it's one thing to push the limits when you have a spotter and other vehicles, it's another when you're alone. Walk water/mud before driving into them.
Carry extra water and shelter and let someone know when to expect you back. |
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Having wheeled in Gilbert before....if its rained recently its a mudfest (at least it was when I was there). With AT tires, you *will* get stuck.
Make sure you have good tow points front & rear, a good strap (not a tow strap, an actual recovery strap), and even a cable winch / come-a-long beats nothing at all. You may want to look in to getting a set of tire chains too, it'll turn AT's in to halfway decent performers.. Oh - and the mud up there stains everything red. Be warned... |
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Quoted:
I have a 24 in crescent that when someone can't find a hammer they always want to grab and use as one. Pisses me off. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
A crescent hammer? You work in the oilfield don't you? Nope, I work in the nuclear industry. Be afraid. I picked that up back in the day. It just stuck. I have a 24 in crescent that when someone can't find a hammer they always want to grab and use as one. Pisses me off. I always heard them referred to as a farmer's wrench or wrench set. I like the crescent hammer better. 
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Quoted: Having wheeled in Gilbert before....if its rained recently its a mudfest (at least it was when I was there). With AT tires, you *will* get stuck. Make sure you have good tow points front & rear, a good strap (not a tow strap, an actual recovery strap), and even a cable winch / come-a-long beats nothing at all. You may want to look in to getting a set of tire chains too, it'll turn AT's in to halfway decent performers.. Oh - and the mud up there stains everything red. Be warned... |
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A cooler.
Other than the normal stuff to get you unstuck, there's no real predicting what you may break. At one event, we had a guy sink his truck in a pond, which hydrolocked it. Man we had to raid about five different trucks in our group just to come up with enough tools and oil to undrown that engine. Its hard to predict, you will need a spare tie rod. The best spare you need is a buddy who can tow you or take you out to where you can get something to tow you. All the group outings we do, we designate one or two vehicles recovery vehicles, usually a diesel with wench and tow straps. The trick to offroading is don't break your vehicle. Pay real attention even if you have to buy the park map to not take it on trails not rated for your jeep. Limit your off side fun stuff to what you either see others do or slowly progress from easy to harder. When I bought my first 4x4, I bought a Jeep Wrangler. I was so impressed I took it out day 1 in the snow. At one point, I ended up on the tip of a point, a sheer drop on three sides, and no room to turn around. It was then I remembered, I hadn't made a single payment on that Jeep yet. That's a God awful feeling. Anyway we have a saying, we take these things out there to see how we can get them stuck or break them. Plan accordingly. To just explore the woods, all you need is a cooler and some commonsense. Other than a tow strap, shovel, and axe, if I had to name the one thing newbes should take it would be radiator stop leak. You go down that trail too fast and hit that big ole fallen tree or rock, that babies going to bottom out and enough shock that radiator will pop. Stop leak will get you home. Tj |
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1) water
2) a friend! I got stuck on a remote off road trail in Rainier National Park once alone with only about a gallon of water with it being 90 degrees. What started out as a quick trip down some fire roads ended up as a 4 hour ride down a washed out road that was only about 1-2 feet wider than my tires and on the edge of a mountain to my left and a rock and dirt wall to my right. By the time i got to the bottom and off the mountain i was extremely dehydrated from the what seemed like 100 times i had to get out and clear the trail so i could get past. |
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I didn't follow this order of accessories or essentials depending on how you look at it but if I were to do it again: Winch before lockers. Lockers get you in, winch gets you out. With that said you can throw an aussie or lockrite in a dana 30 in no time at all... Lunchbox works best in the front because it will only lock when power is applied from the driveshaft so while in 2wd your front will stay unlocked, when in 4x4, your front axle locks up like a Detroit.
Good quality recovery gear goes along ways! Also remember to hook up and screw down. If your using straps, chains or cables that have hooks, hook them up, (with the hook facing up) that way if it slips of or breaks the force push's it down to the ground. When using shackles use them so you thread the pin down, that way you don't drop it in the mud. I could ramble on for pages but that's enough for now. I used to sit on the board of directors for our local Jeep off roading club. Owned several lifted and locked TJ, XJ, & ZJs. 
& now that I am a home owner I drive something a little more economical. Not as cool but gets great MPG and has 4x4. 30 miles one way to work adds up pretty quick: 
If I want to live in the "woods" then the drive is required. |
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Quoted:
I didn't follow this order of accessories or essentials depending on how you look at it but if I were to do it again: Winch before lockers. Lockers get you in, winch gets you out. With that said you can throw an aussie or lockrite in a dana 30 in no time at all... Lunchbox works best in the front because it will only lock when power is applied from the driveshaft so while in 2wd your front will stay unlocked, when in 4x4, your front axle locks up like a Detroit. Good quality recovery gear goes along ways! Also remember to hook up and screw down. If your using straps, chains or cables that have hooks, hook them up, (with the hook facing up) that way if it slips of or breaks the force push's it down to the ground. When using shackles use them so you thread the pin down, that way you don't drop it in the mud. I could ramble on for pages but that's enough for now. I used to sit on the board of directors for our local Jeep off roading club. Owned several lifted and locked TJ, XJ, & ZJs. http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0215.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1992XJ1.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1999TJcage.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1994XJ2.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT2068.jpg & now that I am a home owner I drive something a little more economical. Not as cool but gets great MPG and has 4x4. 30 miles one way to work adds up pretty quick: http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0225.jpg If I want to live in the "woods" then the drive is required. although we traded our patriot in it did great in snow. |
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Quoted:
I didn't follow this order of accessories or essentials depending on how you look at it but if I were to do it again: Winch before lockers. Lockers get you in, winch gets you out. With that said you can throw an aussie or lockrite in a dana 30 in no time at all... Lunchbox works best in the front because it will only lock when power is applied from the driveshaft so while in 2wd your front will stay unlocked, when in 4x4, your front axle locks up like a Detroit. Good quality recovery gear goes along ways! Also remember to hook up and screw down. If your using straps, chains or cables that have hooks, hook them up, (with the hook facing up) that way if it slips of or breaks the force push's it down to the ground. When using shackles use them so you thread the pin down, that way you don't drop it in the mud. I could ramble on for pages but that's enough for now. I used to sit on the board of directors for our local Jeep off roading club. Owned several lifted and locked TJ, XJ, & ZJs. http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0215.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1992XJ1.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1999TJcage.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1994XJ2.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT2068.jpg & now that I am a home owner I drive something a little more economical. Not as cool but gets great MPG and has 4x4. 30 miles one way to work adds up pretty quick: http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0225.jpg If I want to live in the "woods" then the drive is required. I used to be pretty active on the ADK Jeeps forum, my friend when he lived up there was a member and I met them for a few small gatherings. I wish I still had time to screw around with them but between working for myself and when we had a baby that entire chunk of time disappeared. I told my wife when I was 40 I wanted to build another buggy though, maybe I will have the time and money by then. |
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I used to be pretty active on the ADK Jeeps forum, my friend when he lived up there was a member and I met them for a few small gatherings. I wish I still had time to screw around with them but between working for myself and when we had a baby that entire chunk of time disappeared. I told my wife when I was 40 I wanted to build another buggy though, maybe I will have the time and money by then. Quoted:
Quoted:
I didn't follow this order of accessories or essentials depending on how you look at it but if I were to do it again: Winch before lockers. Lockers get you in, winch gets you out. With that said you can throw an aussie or lockrite in a dana 30 in no time at all... Lunchbox works best in the front because it will only lock when power is applied from the driveshaft so while in 2wd your front will stay unlocked, when in 4x4, your front axle locks up like a Detroit. Good quality recovery gear goes along ways! Also remember to hook up and screw down. If your using straps, chains or cables that have hooks, hook them up, (with the hook facing up) that way if it slips of or breaks the force push's it down to the ground. When using shackles use them so you thread the pin down, that way you don't drop it in the mud. I could ramble on for pages but that's enough for now. I used to sit on the board of directors for our local Jeep off roading club. Owned several lifted and locked TJ, XJ, & ZJs. http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0215.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1992XJ1.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1999TJcage.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/1994XJ2.jpg http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT2068.jpg & now that I am a home owner I drive something a little more economical. Not as cool but gets great MPG and has 4x4. 30 miles one way to work adds up pretty quick: http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n52/thederrick106/Cars/PICT0225.jpg If I want to live in the "woods" then the drive is required. I used to be pretty active on the ADK Jeeps forum, my friend when he lived up there was a member and I met them for a few small gatherings. I wish I still had time to screw around with them but between working for myself and when we had a baby that entire chunk of time disappeared. I told my wife when I was 40 I wanted to build another buggy though, maybe I will have the time and money by then. I spent several years active with that club, the forum is pretty much dead now. Shortly after I got out of wheeling like it was a job the "regime" of the club changed, they redid the forum and website and I pretty much drifted away. I ride ATV a lot and they are pretty versatile around my modern homestead with firewood and work so they serve more of a general purpose and recreation roll vs a dedicated wheeling Jeep. Plus they don't break as easy! Sent you a PM.
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I spent several years active with that club, the forum is pretty much dead now. Shortly after I got out of wheeling like it was a job the "regime" of the club changed, they redid the forum and website and I pretty much drifted away. I ride ATV a lot and they are pretty versatile around my modern homestead with firewood and work so they serve more of a general purpose and recreation roll vs a dedicated wheeling Jeep. Plus they don't break as easy! Sent you a PM.
I just remember a huge multi month argument on that forum regarding snowmobile right of way and offroading in the winter. The guys that rode sleds argued that the seasonal roads were not open to Jeeps in the winter and would get pissed off when people offroaded on groomed seasonal road trails. The rebuttal was that even if they weren't maintained they were still town owned roads and snowmobiles must always yield to motor vehicle traffic on a town road. I was on the team for the latter, as there is no specific wording regarding sleds having exclusive rights to any town roads, even if they do groom them. People were really getting pissed off in both camps though. |
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1. a friend who has been, preferably in another Jeep. (most important) /this Our club has a long list of requirements before we let someone on the trail with us but the best thing is to go out with another 4x4 of a similar ability (the truck not the driver). This way you can learn what the vehicle can do and what you should be able to do.
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