The following is a review of basic four wheeling fundaments;
even experienced four-wheelers can use a review of the basics.
USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM: Two 4x4’s are better than one, especially
if you are headed into remote areas. A buddy can get you out of an otherwise hazardous
situation and save you from a potentially long walk back to civilization.
BE PREPARED: It is better to have something and not need it, than
to need it and not have it. A shovel, some basic tools, a CB radio or cell phone,
a flashlight, a good spare tire, a first aid kit, a tug ’em strap, D-rings, and
a good tow point/hook are all valuable supplies to bring on your off road outing.
REMEMBER THE RULES: A day of four wheeling is full of bumps, bangs,
and jolts, so remember the “thumbs up” rule of steering, keep your thumbs up and
out of the steering wheel spokes when off roading. The impact of the tires hitting
rocks or dips can cause the wheel to jerk or spin. If your thumbs are between the
spokes of the steering wheel, you could sustain serious injuries. Also, keep cargo
secured. In addition, fasten your seat belt.
AIR DOWN: When you hit the trailhead, stop, and let some air out
of our ties. That 30 to 40 pounds of air in them is great for blacktop roads, but
it is not beneficial in the dirt and rocks. It is best to drop the pressure in your
tires to 20 to 25 pounds each, which enables a much softer ride- even in a Land
Rover. It allows the tires to flex over the rocks, bumps, ditches, and assorted
Mother Nature-placed obstacles on the trail. The wider the footprint of the tire,
the better traction you will have for most trail conditions (excluding snow and
mud). Conceptually, if you have got four tires and 35 pounds each, and you let them
down to 25 pounds each, you have in effect created one more tire’s worth of tread
coverage. Let’s see, five tires pushing and pulling, rather than four. Hmmm, sounds
better to me.
ENGAGE DIFF-LOCK: Again, we are reminded of the Boy Scout motto:
Be prepared. Locking the differential in high range reduces the stress of off roading
on your vehicle’s running gear. Torque and stress is more evenly shared by all components,
and the additional traction may keep you from getting stuck. You would not wait
until you are stuck to engage the diff-lock because it could be too late to help
by then. It also makes it easier to shift from high range to low range when you
really need it. Patience and finesse are usually more effective than speed. This
means you are less likely to cause damage to your precious 4x4 or to the trail.
When you are on really rugged terrain, try starting in second gear in low range.
This allows more torque to be applied to the tires for added traction while enabling
the transmission to up shift from first to second gear for the controlled speed
that seems to work in most situations. Our goal while off roading is to maintain
forward motion and traction. Spinning tires cause loss of traction and control,
and can damage the trail and possibly your drive train or rig.
DRIVE TWO-FOOTED: One neat feature of an automatic transmission
is that it allows the driver to use both feet at the same time (something we were
taught not to do in driving school). When in the rocks, ditches, and other diverse
terrain, taking your right foot from the gas to the break to control your speed
causes a time lag, jerking and overcompensating. By keeping light pressure on the
gas with your right foot and light pressure on the break with your left foot, you
maintain better control. This allows the diff-lock to engage more consistently providing
that all-important traction.
DRIVE STRAIGHT DOWN HILL: If you do not make it over the hill and
are stuck on the approach, take a deep breath and look around. It is easier to back
down than you think. Just be sure to engage brain before disengaging your rig because
this is where many drivers get into trouble. Put your vehicle in reverse, keep the
tires straight, and ease off the break feather lightly if you need to, but do not
lock up your breaks, and you will be fine.
Turning your front ties left or right causes the rear end to turn faster than in
a forward motion and the front tires to come around quickly, which could force you
into a sideways position on the hill. This is not a good situation. Never try to
take a hill on an angle and never turn around on a hill.
Driving straight down a hill in first gear, low range allows engine-compression
breaking for control breaking with your foot tends to make the vehicle slide. If
this happens, correct as you would on ice or snow by turning into the slide and
releasing the break.
RUTS AND WASHOUTS: It is important to keep your rig as level as
possible. This means straddling ruts that are narrower than your vehicle’s tire
track. If the rut is wider than your track, just stay in it, keep level, and allow
the sidewalls of the tires to bit in for traction. There are times you will have
to traverse that rut or washout. Take it at an angle, allowing one tire at a time
to enter the rut. The suspension will flex, allowing you to keep as many tires in
contact with the ground as possible, which maintain that all-important traction.
OVERHANG: This determines your approach and retreat angles. The
rear end of your rig usually has more overhang than the front end. It is the area
from the bottom edge of the front bumper/air dam to the point of contact of the
front tire and the area from the rear tire contact point to the tow hitch receiver
on most Rovers. At sometime you will touch the leading edge when you approach a
rock face or enter a rut - just go slow. You will more than likely hit the rear
end low point when coming out of a wash. It usually sounds worse than it is.
ROCK HOPPIN’: This is the fun stuff. This is where driving technique
and finesse come into play. Rock crawling over, under, and around boulders is challenging,
exciting, and satisfying (in fact, it is a blast). This is the slow stuff-an engine-idling
crawl, diff lock, low range, and first-gear thrill. You are looking for the spot
to place your tires, considering the low hanging undercarriage parts, and anticipating
the high points of the boulders and low points of the ruts (thrill time). This is
that “thumbs up” time for sure.
Automatic tranny advantage time. This is a good place for that “two-foot driving
technique. A little pressure on the break and a “very little” gas, will allow for
a smooth and easy up and over or down and through the boulders.
The manual tranny owners must stay off the clutch once they are moving. Even if
the engine stalls, just restart in first gear. The gearing is low enough to allow
this, and you will be moving along again. Try it, you will like it. Mikey does.
YA CAN’T BEAT A SPOTTER: When the trail is really rough and challenging,
or you just do not know what’s happening, have someone serve as a spotter. He or
she can guide you to the best place to put your tires. Trust your spotter and have
just one spotter giving directions. (it’s a well known fact of trail etiquette that
if the spotter gives wrong guidance, and you get hung up, he or she has to get a
big stick and beat himself/herself severely about the head and shoulders for three
and a half minutes).
WATER HAZARDS: Get out and check the depth, so you know what you
are about to go through. Water crossings should be done slowly. A little bit of
bumper wake is okay. If you go in too fast or it is too deep, you could suck water
into the air intake and cause hydrolyzing of the engine. Water in the piston cylinders
is a bad thing. After you have made it through the water hazard, dry your breaks
by keeping light pressure on the pedal until the breakfast feel normal again.
MUDDIN’: This stuff hides a world of unknown under it. There can
be a bottomless pit that will suck your rig in right up to the frame or there might
be a nice sold base just a few inches down. It can be thin and watery or thick and
gooey, like glue. It is always best to have two or more vehicles along, because
it can take more than one vehicle to pull a stuck rig out. Have the tug’em strap
or winch out and ready to go, as you will probably need it. You might want to use
a little more speed in the mud to keep your momentum up; you do not want to stop
here.
Mud tires by design have larger lugs to jettison the accumulated mud and provide
better traction. Airing down your tires may cause a disadvantage in this instance.
The reasoning here is that the tire digs in and own for traction rather than simply
floating on top.
SNOW DAY: Caution ahead due to the slip-and-slide factor. Again,
you just do not know what is under that stuff. You are rolling along just fine,
and all of a sudden, you are in a snow-filled hole or slip sliding on ice. Again,
it is best to have more than one rig along. Having a shovel and recovery gear along
can sure come in handy too. It is real easy to become “high centered” n the packed
snow.
SAND AND GRAVEL: Airing down the tires is almost a necessity here.
Your goal is to float on top of the sand dune or gravel wash. Otherwise, the tires
dig in and you can quickly become stuck right up to your axels (s to speak). It
is best to build up a bit of speed to maintain your momentum. Stop and start slowly,
and when you do stop, try to be pointed down hill for the restart. There is a high
risk of getting stuck here also, so be prepared.
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Do not be macho. Remember, it is your
rig, your hands on the steering wheel, and only you can depress the gas pedal. Know
what is over the hill, around the corner, or in the wash. Even if the other rigs
in front of you went up and over without checking first, get out and look for yourself
before you go over. Listen to your intuition; if you are not comfortable with the
situation, do not do it. Go around, find another route, or turn around and go back.
This program is simply an introduction to having fun in the boonies. We cannot cover
everything here, so you just have to get out and play. You will discover what works
best for you. The main thing is to be prepared for that unexpected stuck, then it
is not a traumatic situation because you know you have the means to get moving again.
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