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The Do & Don't of Offroading.....
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<blockquote data-quote="Rock_Crusher" data-source="post: 775258" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p>WHEEL CHEATâ€"Read Harry Lewellyn's discussion of wheel cheat and his suggestions on how to avoid its often dangerous and damaging effects.</p><p></p><p>FRAGILE UNDERSIDEâ€""Since the underside of your truck has many fragile and vital components (differentials, driveshafts, transmission, transfer case, oil pan, exhaust, gas tank), it's best to drive over an obstacle by placing one tire on it, then gently driving over it, rather than trying to take it down the center. â€" Jim Walczak</p><p></p><p>EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES BELOWâ€"Scoot under your vehicle and get to know what things look like bottom-side. Fix in your mind the low points that could get hung up or beat up, and the fragile areas like fuel tanks and cabling and hose runs. Tie up any sagging hoses or wiring. Maybe running boards or front air dams need to be removed to avoid being damaged and provide more clearance. Once you know what the layout is underneath your rig, you can chose the most intelligent routes over the rough spots.</p><p></p><p>4X4 BEFOREâ€""Remember to put your vehicle in 4-wheel drive before you need it, and shift to low range early to reduce the strain on your vehicle. Whenever you are unsure of the surface, select low range." â€"Jim Walczak</p><p></p><p>OUT OF RUTSâ€""Stay on the top of, not in, the ruts (except in sand, of course; when driving in sand I try to keep the wheels where the sand is best packed from the previous vehicles)." â€"Len Wilcox</p><p></p><p>DOWN HILLâ€""Another good rule: remember that any hill you go down you may also have to come back up. If you don't think you can come back up it, don't go down unless there is another clear and obvious trail out." â€"Len Wilcox</p><p></p><p>WACK-A-THUMBâ€"A good way to get your thumbs bruised or broken is to wrap them around the inside of the steering wheel when working a rough roadâ€"courtesy of a sudden, violent change in wheel direction from a rut or rock. Especially a problem with the older rigs without power-assisted steering.</p><p></p><p>EAT LESS DUSTâ€""My advice is to use your air conditioning 100 percent of the time. It really helps keep the inside of the vehicle clean. The trick lies in selecting the option that recirculates internal air. This is sometimes called RECIRC, MAX or there may be a graphic that shows an arrow inside the vehicle. The recirculate position does what it implies. It recirculates existing, clean, internal air and only brings in about 5 to 15% new, external, dirty air. Air conditioning is designed to deliver air at any temperature. Try MAX with the windows up, at any temperature. It works wonders with regard to staying clean." â€"Harry Lewellyn</p><p></p><p>IRREGULAR CURVESâ€""Dirt roads usually follow Mother Nature's lay of the land. This leads to irregular curves. Irregular curves mean the radius varies: They may get tighter and tighter, or straighten out faster than expected. That may be the reason we unexpectedly slide out because it ain't exactly what our paved mindset was expectin'." â€"Harry Lewellyn (Lewellyn is the author of Shifting Into 4WD Handbook)</p><p></p><p>SNOW AND ICEâ€""When driving off-highway in the snow and ice, use common sense. Deep powder can and does hide stumps, rocks, logs and icy patches. Early season snow usually is easier to push through than late season stuff. That is because the late season snow has built from additional snowstorms. It has a hard layer in between the soft snow and presents problems due to this hard layer." â€"Bill Burke</p><p></p><p>SNOW BASHINGâ€""Be aware of snow packing under the rig. It can literally freeze your engine solid, even if it is running. Snow bashing is hard on the rig. Slow speeds, snow clogged radiator and packed snow around the engine will ruin a tough truck in a minute. Make sure the engine area is cleared out often and pay attention to the transmission/transfer case oil temperatures as well as the diff oil temp. Watch for chunks of ice and hard snow getting caught under the rig and severing brake lines. In creek crossings, watch for ice flow and frozen brakes. Keep the engine running as much as possible when snow 4-wheeling. I have seen a distributor crack due to moisture build-up and freezing when the engine was turned off. Wet fan belts and wet brakes can freeze and will cause damage." â€"Bill Burke</p><p></p><p>PLOWING A PATHâ€""I sometimes drive forward slowly and set a path [in the snow], then back up. Drive forward some more, then back. Kind of like two steps forward one back type of thing. If you have chains, you may just want to let them churn slowly with slow, steady progress forward. If you're going to run chains, keep the tires inflated to normal highway pressure. DO NOT air down with chains." â€"Bill Burke</p><p></p><p>CONVOYSâ€""When in a convoy, keep the vehicle ahead of you in sight at all times. If you're the lead vehicle, only drive as fast as the vehicle behind you. If you encounter a problem, flash your lights at the vehicle ahead of you. Each vehicle should relay this signal to the vehicle in front until the lead vehicle pulls over and stops. CB radios are extremely handy for this." â€"Greg Zduniak</p><p></p><p>EASY DOES ITâ€"The traction you get when rolling on gravel or unimproved dirt roads is a lot poorer than that you have on paving. Allow for it. Take the corners slower, accelerate with a lighter foot, begin slowing for turns and stops and washouts and rough spots and cattle in the road much sooner than normalâ€"less traction means longer stopping distances. Be aware that even on stretches of graveled road that seems to be smooth and well-maintained that you can meet trouble fastâ€"a fallen tree laying around a blind corner or just over a hump in the road, or a stretch of washboard wrinkles pounded into the surface of a wide bend that will kite your clattering backend right off the road.</p><p></p><p>WHEEL SPINâ€""Avoid lengthy wheelspin; digging into the track only gets you more stuck and ruins the environment. On the other hand, once in a while, you will have to let the tires "dig" a little to help forward momentum. If you feel the vehicle starting to lose traction or forward motion, try backing off the throttle then giving a short "blip" on the throttle. Try this a few times in quick succession. If this fails, back up and get another look at the obstacle and try a different approach. â€"Bill Burke</p><p></p><p>SPINNING TIRESâ€"Spinouts are never good. If you're spinning your tires on a hard surface, you're got no traction, hence, no control. If you're in the soft stuffâ€"mud, sand, soft soilâ€"and spinning hard, you're digging yourself into trouble. Lose that precious forward momentum and the only place you'll be going is deeper. If you have not choice but to drive in soft, sloppy stuff, gear down and gas it just fast enough to keep moving. A full-on blitzkrieg, spraying a rooster-tail of slop behind you, might get your yee-haw going, but know you're playing a dangerous game, trading the possibility of getting stuck for the possible finality of a crash and roll. â€"Jack (thetipzone.com)</p><p></p><p>STREAM CROSSINGâ€""Cross streams only at fording areas. If you must cross a stream, do so at existing points and check the depth before you do. If it's higher than your engine's air intake, don't cross since the engine will likely stall. Cross streams at a 90-degree angle to minimize streambed damage. Create a steady 'bow wake' that forms an air pocket around the engine bay and away from the tires if water is bumper height." â€"Nick Hromiak</p><p></p><p>TROUBLE SHOOTING</p><p></p><p>EMERGENCY TIRE REPAIRâ€""One of the most valuable emergency kits [to have along] is a puncture repair kitâ€"especially when you plan on leaving pavement. Even the strongest tires fail sometimesâ€"remember, I recommend getting LT rated tires when you plan to drive beyond pavement more than twice a year. The kit [should consist] of extremely sticky self sealing strips, vulcanizer, one tool to enlarge very small holes (cactus punctures) and a second tool that is used to stuff the plugging strip into the hole. I personally do not like 'spare tires in a can'. They will only seal punctures in the tread area and leave sidewalls untreated. Unlike the self sealing strips (which create a semi permanent fix), the stuff in the can needs to be removed as soon as possible (it creates severe tire imbalances). By the way, tire shops hate that gunk in the tire. â€"Harald Pietschmann (4X4ABC.com)</p><p></p><p>MILEAGE CHECKSâ€"Note the odometer readings when you 1) leave the nearest town to the off-road departure point, AND 2) when you leave the paved surface. If you need to call in help, you'll know where you are (provided you haven't been driving around lost for hours). â€"Michael Waite</p><p></p><p>JACK ITâ€""Find an appropriate rock and place it just in front or back of the flat tire. As small as double-fist-size will do. Now, drive up on it. It won’t hurt the flat! You’re only going to move a foot or two! Actually, I pretty much make this a standard practice for all flats. It’s now easier to place the jack under the 4X and requires less jacking to get the flat completely off the ground!" â€"Harry Lewellyn (Lewellyn is the author of Shifting Into 4WD Handbook)</p><p></p><p>DIG SMARTâ€""Be advised that if stuck in the middle of July, you can lose a lot of water if you have to dig a vehicle out in 110-degree heat. It's okay as long as you have plenty of water. If you don't, you had better wait until sundown." â€"Dave Ganci (author of Desert Hikingand Arizona Day Hikes: A Guide to the Best Trails from Tucson to the Grand Canyon)</p><p></p><p>RECOVERY STRAPâ€""NEVER wrap a strap or other recovery tool around the stock bumper, steering components, springs, spring hangers, or axles. Only use a frame-mounted tow hook, or use a short sling and tuck it up around the frame, avoiding wires and hoses. Then connect it to the recovery strap with an adequate "D" shackle. The other vehicle can then yank you out. The strap absorbs the impact, allowing the yank motion."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rock_Crusher, post: 775258, member: 16069"] WHEEL CHEAT—Read Harry Lewellyn's discussion of wheel cheat and his suggestions on how to avoid its often dangerous and damaging effects. FRAGILE UNDERSIDE—"Since the underside of your truck has many fragile and vital components (differentials, driveshafts, transmission, transfer case, oil pan, exhaust, gas tank), it's best to drive over an obstacle by placing one tire on it, then gently driving over it, rather than trying to take it down the center. — Jim Walczak EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES BELOW—Scoot under your vehicle and get to know what things look like bottom-side. Fix in your mind the low points that could get hung up or beat up, and the fragile areas like fuel tanks and cabling and hose runs. Tie up any sagging hoses or wiring. Maybe running boards or front air dams need to be removed to avoid being damaged and provide more clearance. Once you know what the layout is underneath your rig, you can chose the most intelligent routes over the rough spots. 4X4 BEFORE—"Remember to put your vehicle in 4-wheel drive before you need it, and shift to low range early to reduce the strain on your vehicle. Whenever you are unsure of the surface, select low range." —Jim Walczak OUT OF RUTS—"Stay on the top of, not in, the ruts (except in sand, of course; when driving in sand I try to keep the wheels where the sand is best packed from the previous vehicles)." —Len Wilcox DOWN HILL—"Another good rule: remember that any hill you go down you may also have to come back up. If you don't think you can come back up it, don't go down unless there is another clear and obvious trail out." —Len Wilcox WACK-A-THUMB—A good way to get your thumbs bruised or broken is to wrap them around the inside of the steering wheel when working a rough road—courtesy of a sudden, violent change in wheel direction from a rut or rock. Especially a problem with the older rigs without power-assisted steering. EAT LESS DUST—"My advice is to use your air conditioning 100 percent of the time. It really helps keep the inside of the vehicle clean. The trick lies in selecting the option that recirculates internal air. This is sometimes called RECIRC, MAX or there may be a graphic that shows an arrow inside the vehicle. The recirculate position does what it implies. It recirculates existing, clean, internal air and only brings in about 5 to 15% new, external, dirty air. Air conditioning is designed to deliver air at any temperature. Try MAX with the windows up, at any temperature. It works wonders with regard to staying clean." —Harry Lewellyn IRREGULAR CURVES—"Dirt roads usually follow Mother Nature's lay of the land. This leads to irregular curves. Irregular curves mean the radius varies: They may get tighter and tighter, or straighten out faster than expected. That may be the reason we unexpectedly slide out because it ain't exactly what our paved mindset was expectin'." —Harry Lewellyn (Lewellyn is the author of Shifting Into 4WD Handbook) SNOW AND ICE—"When driving off-highway in the snow and ice, use common sense. Deep powder can and does hide stumps, rocks, logs and icy patches. Early season snow usually is easier to push through than late season stuff. That is because the late season snow has built from additional snowstorms. It has a hard layer in between the soft snow and presents problems due to this hard layer." —Bill Burke SNOW BASHING—"Be aware of snow packing under the rig. It can literally freeze your engine solid, even if it is running. Snow bashing is hard on the rig. Slow speeds, snow clogged radiator and packed snow around the engine will ruin a tough truck in a minute. Make sure the engine area is cleared out often and pay attention to the transmission/transfer case oil temperatures as well as the diff oil temp. Watch for chunks of ice and hard snow getting caught under the rig and severing brake lines. In creek crossings, watch for ice flow and frozen brakes. Keep the engine running as much as possible when snow 4-wheeling. I have seen a distributor crack due to moisture build-up and freezing when the engine was turned off. Wet fan belts and wet brakes can freeze and will cause damage." —Bill Burke PLOWING A PATH—"I sometimes drive forward slowly and set a path [in the snow], then back up. Drive forward some more, then back. Kind of like two steps forward one back type of thing. If you have chains, you may just want to let them churn slowly with slow, steady progress forward. If you're going to run chains, keep the tires inflated to normal highway pressure. DO NOT air down with chains." —Bill Burke CONVOYS—"When in a convoy, keep the vehicle ahead of you in sight at all times. If you're the lead vehicle, only drive as fast as the vehicle behind you. If you encounter a problem, flash your lights at the vehicle ahead of you. Each vehicle should relay this signal to the vehicle in front until the lead vehicle pulls over and stops. CB radios are extremely handy for this." —Greg Zduniak EASY DOES IT—The traction you get when rolling on gravel or unimproved dirt roads is a lot poorer than that you have on paving. Allow for it. Take the corners slower, accelerate with a lighter foot, begin slowing for turns and stops and washouts and rough spots and cattle in the road much sooner than normal—less traction means longer stopping distances. Be aware that even on stretches of graveled road that seems to be smooth and well-maintained that you can meet trouble fast—a fallen tree laying around a blind corner or just over a hump in the road, or a stretch of washboard wrinkles pounded into the surface of a wide bend that will kite your clattering backend right off the road. WHEEL SPIN—"Avoid lengthy wheelspin; digging into the track only gets you more stuck and ruins the environment. On the other hand, once in a while, you will have to let the tires "dig" a little to help forward momentum. If you feel the vehicle starting to lose traction or forward motion, try backing off the throttle then giving a short "blip" on the throttle. Try this a few times in quick succession. If this fails, back up and get another look at the obstacle and try a different approach. —Bill Burke SPINNING TIRES—Spinouts are never good. If you're spinning your tires on a hard surface, you're got no traction, hence, no control. If you're in the soft stuff—mud, sand, soft soil—and spinning hard, you're digging yourself into trouble. Lose that precious forward momentum and the only place you'll be going is deeper. If you have not choice but to drive in soft, sloppy stuff, gear down and gas it just fast enough to keep moving. A full-on blitzkrieg, spraying a rooster-tail of slop behind you, might get your yee-haw going, but know you're playing a dangerous game, trading the possibility of getting stuck for the possible finality of a crash and roll. —Jack (thetipzone.com) STREAM CROSSING—"Cross streams only at fording areas. If you must cross a stream, do so at existing points and check the depth before you do. If it's higher than your engine's air intake, don't cross since the engine will likely stall. Cross streams at a 90-degree angle to minimize streambed damage. Create a steady 'bow wake' that forms an air pocket around the engine bay and away from the tires if water is bumper height." —Nick Hromiak TROUBLE SHOOTING EMERGENCY TIRE REPAIR—"One of the most valuable emergency kits [to have along] is a puncture repair kit—especially when you plan on leaving pavement. Even the strongest tires fail sometimes—remember, I recommend getting LT rated tires when you plan to drive beyond pavement more than twice a year. The kit [should consist] of extremely sticky self sealing strips, vulcanizer, one tool to enlarge very small holes (cactus punctures) and a second tool that is used to stuff the plugging strip into the hole. I personally do not like 'spare tires in a can'. They will only seal punctures in the tread area and leave sidewalls untreated. Unlike the self sealing strips (which create a semi permanent fix), the stuff in the can needs to be removed as soon as possible (it creates severe tire imbalances). By the way, tire shops hate that gunk in the tire. —Harald Pietschmann (4X4ABC.com) MILEAGE CHECKS—Note the odometer readings when you 1) leave the nearest town to the off-road departure point, AND 2) when you leave the paved surface. If you need to call in help, you'll know where you are (provided you haven't been driving around lost for hours). —Michael Waite JACK IT—"Find an appropriate rock and place it just in front or back of the flat tire. As small as double-fist-size will do. Now, drive up on it. It won’t hurt the flat! You’re only going to move a foot or two! Actually, I pretty much make this a standard practice for all flats. It’s now easier to place the jack under the 4X and requires less jacking to get the flat completely off the ground!" —Harry Lewellyn (Lewellyn is the author of Shifting Into 4WD Handbook) DIG SMART—"Be advised that if stuck in the middle of July, you can lose a lot of water if you have to dig a vehicle out in 110-degree heat. It's okay as long as you have plenty of water. If you don't, you had better wait until sundown." —Dave Ganci (author of Desert Hikingand Arizona Day Hikes: A Guide to the Best Trails from Tucson to the Grand Canyon) RECOVERY STRAP—"NEVER wrap a strap or other recovery tool around the stock bumper, steering components, springs, spring hangers, or axles. Only use a frame-mounted tow hook, or use a short sling and tuck it up around the frame, avoiding wires and hoses. Then connect it to the recovery strap with an adequate "D" shackle. The other vehicle can then yank you out. The strap absorbs the impact, allowing the yank motion." [/QUOTE]
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