4X4 trail tips?

[joes94yota]

I am new to taking my truck off road and I was wondering if anyone knew of a web site that had trail tips like if you should go fast or slow, what to do when you get stuck, and what type of chain or rope to use just general help like that


Thanks

Joe

[NCSU]

well, I don't know of any websites off the top of my head. But, I do know that when stuck, I have never had any problems with the tow ropes instead of chains. We always use those big yellow, long tow ropes. I can't remember if there is an actual brand for them or not.

[snorkleman]

Joe,

Here is my advice on being new to wheeling. Maybe later we could write something up and post it in the articles section with everyones input.

1. Tow straps. Go to walmart, tractor supply, or other and pick up a good tow strap that is rated for at least twice the weight of your vehicle. Chains can break and when they do it is very dangerous. Straps work really well. I would recommend buying one with loops on both ends and not the hooks. The hooks are nice but they can come loose if given any slack. Besides I havent encountered a time when i couldnt use my loop end straps.

2. Go slow. Many times newbies think hitting the gas hard will get you out of trouble. While gas can help in some situations, it can also get you into a lot of trouble fast. It is also easier on your truck to go slow and take your time. When you go slow it helps to keep traction. Traction is your friend. When your spinning, you have decreased traction. Let the tires work and go slow.

3. Along with that is momentum. Momentum will help you get up some ledges, hills, and mud holes. This means starting farther back from an obstacle. This comes with experience. Knowing how much momentum you need without going too fast depends on the obstacle. When in doubt watch someone else and learn from their mistakes or experience. Try hitting it with a little momentum and then decide if you need a little more if that doesnt work. Know your limits. If your truck won't clear an obstacle hitting it harder is just going to damage the truck and give other poeple something to laugh about.

4. Mud. Test the mud first if you have never crossed the hole. Get a stick or something to see if the bottom is 2' down or 6' down, or if the bottom feels soft or hard. Mud holes can be deceiving. A soft base can swallow your truck. When entering a mud hole get a little momentum. As you enter the hole if you feel yourself getting stuck, start turning the front wheel left to right. This can help gain you some traction. Go as far as you can forward if you cant get out. Once forward momentum is stopped try reverse, also moving the front tires left to right. Sometimes you can back out of a hole. of course your friends will want to see you hit it again...

5. Hills. After guessing on how much momentum you need, try to hit a hill straight on as much as possible. Keeping all wheels on the ground will increase traction. Keep on the gas and keep forward momentum unless you sense your truck getting sideways or going over backwards. If so, let off the gas and regain some control. IF you ever feel you are going over backwards, let off the brakes to allow the front end to come down and the truck to slowly roll down till you can stop again. Sometimes putting the truck in reverse and letting out the clutch can help keep things under control. I have only done this while on snow and a steep hill when sliding backwards. Might come in handy on a longer hill.

6. Keep your hands in the truck! Don't try pushing off to keep your truck from touching a rock or dirt wall. I've done it and I've seen people do it. Its dumb and you could loose an arm.

7. Have fun and leave the trails clean. What you pack in, make sure you pack out. Beer and driving don't mix even on trails. Some would disagree but I don't believe in drinking if Im going to drive. Wait for the campfire festivities to open the beer.

I know there are probably some more things and some refinement to what I typed but thats what I could come up with off the top of my head. Most importantly have fun, enjoy and respect the land, and get to know some of the other offroaders. Most people are really glad to lend a hand and help out with advice or trail repair. ;D

[DeadlyPeace]

Nice work Snorlke ;D.

I might have a few things to add, but don't have at lot of time right at the moment....Working. LOL

[Mike Kelly]

Great advise Snorkle... I have a few:

1. Winching: When using a power winch, or a come-along, throw an old jacket, towel, or other loose object over the line. This way, if the cable breaks, the object on the line will help slow the loose end so it does not whip back and hurt someone.

2. Steering: When wheeling, hold the steering wheel with your THUMBS OUT. That is, do not grab the wheel like a baseball bat. Why? If you rig hits a rut, rock, or other obstacle just the right way, your wheel could spin too fast for you to react, possibly hurting your thumbs. By keeping them on the outside of the wheel, you reduce the risk of injury from the steering wheel spokes.

3. Clean up: Snorkle hit on this one already, but it is worth repeating - when you leave a trail, take out more than you brought in. If you see trash, pick it up. It only takes a few seconds. A clean trail is an open trail. Don't give wheeling a bad name by trashing the trails.

That's all I have. Once this tread gets to be a good size, I'll post it in the articles section.

Thanks,

[4xfred]

;D The advice so far is excellent! Nice job Snorkle & Mike. I'll have more when I have time. But , for now I'd like to add this: RESPECT!! Whether it's the ground you're on, your rig, buddy's rig, wives, children, pets...It's all about RESPECT on the trail. We're all out there for one goal:to HAVE FUN!! To me, brand names...don't matter on the trail. It's all about the wheelin'!!!! Later...

[DeadlyPeace]

Alright here are a few more.


WHEN DRIVING ON FOREST OR PRIVATE LAND:

1. Stay on the trail. Don't drive off through "untracked" wildereness trying to be the first one to ever drive your rig "where no man has gone before." Don't make your own short cuts on the trail.

2. If you go through a gate, leave it as you found it. Nothing makes a landowner more upset than when a gate's postion is changed, cutting off livestock from food or water, or allowing them to escape.

3. If you are about to enter or need to enter private land, be sure to get permission first.

4. Keep the noise and dust down. Both are a form of pollution and you should respect others who are on the trail with you.

5. Yeild the right of way to bikers, hikers, and people on horse-back. Be especially careful when around animals. Pull to the side of the trail; turn off your engine and be quiet; not making any sudden movements until they pass.

6. Yeild the right of way to drivers on the up hill grade or those who are overtaking you.

7. Take a track down the middle of the trail if you can. Avoid widening the trail.

8. Cross streams only at fording points.


GENERAL RULE:

There are five basic principles in the words TREAD lightly! Travel only where permited. Respect the rights of others. Educate yourself. Avoid streams, meadows, and wildlife, etc. Drive and travel responsible.

Tread lightly also means leaving no trace of your visit.
* Pack it in...pack it out! Leave only your tracks.
* Leave what you find - Picture and trash are the only things you should take.


SAFETY

1. Buckle up! In some places this isn't a sugguestion...it is mandatory that everyone be properly secured in the rig.

2. Travel with a group and preferably with someone who has been on the trail before.

3. Have a citizen's band radio. Establish the "tactical net" you will be using as a group. Having a cellular phone can also be helpful, but the coverage may be very limited.

4. Don't drink and drive. The correlation between consumption and damage or injury is significant. Besides, it's against the law.

5. Build plenty of time into your schedule so that you don't have to drive after dark.

6. Keep a reasonable distance between rigs. Give those around you plenty of room to maneuver.

7. Do not speed or use the trail as a race track.

8. Minimize the use of fire. A wildfire can change an area for hundreds of years. Use fire wisely and safely.


IMPORTANT ITEMS:

1. A 4x4 rig that is equipped to handle the challenges of the trail.
2. Sleeping bag
3. Tent or trap
4. Personal items
5. Presriptions
6. Flashlight
7. Towel
8. Toilet paper
9. Aspirin, etc.
10. Camera and film
11. Extra clothes
12. Jacket
13. Rain gear
14. Extra rig keys
15. First aid kit
16. Shovel
17. Tools
18. Fire extinguisher
19. Heavy duty jack
20. Tow strap
21. Duct and electrical tape
22. Snatch block
23. Extra parts

[86taco]

1. When you get stuck try letting your tire pressure down. this will give your tires more surface area for better traction. But dont let them down to much. And dont drive fast with them deflated you could break a bead. When you return to the pavement air them back up so your tires dont wear abnormally.

2. Never use chains. if its the only thing you've got at the moment dont hit the end of it hard when pulling out a stuck rig.

3. Keep a small tool set on hand. I baught a cheap kit from wall mart fot 16.00$ on clearence. It has all the essencials. I think its like a 42 pc. or 60pc set. I always leave it in my truck just incase.

4. know your limits when wheelin alone.. Only test your limits when wheelin with another rig.

5. And lastly keep your windows up when mud boggin'. Its sucks getting sprayed in the face or having to clean the inside of your windshield,dash etc. And have fun!!

[snorkleman]

Oh yeah I forgot about tire pressure. I usually run about 10lbs. Some tires require different pressure to get the tire to bulge. Along with increased traction it will help it ride more smoothly over bumps.

You can air down by holding the bleed pin down but it can take a while. I use a small needle nose plier to unscrew the valve and take it out. There are also air valves that let out air automatically. They take the guesswork out and keep you from messing up taking out a air valve.

Another trick I sometimes use when going over obstacles when I want to go slow. I don't have crawler gears and sometimes can't go slow enough without burning the clutch and stalling a lot. So I pull the parking brake a bit to put some tension on the driveline. This helps slow the vehicle a bit and give you better ability to work the gas.

Also if you have the clutch start cancel buttun it can be handy. When your going over big obstacles you dont want to roll back if you stall. So leave the truck in gear and hit the "clutch start cancel" button. Turn the key and allow the starter gear to move the truck a bit while the engine starts again. Then your off again moving over the obstacle without having to engage the clutch.

[86taco]

It may sound stupid but I could never figure out what that button was for. Thanks for the info. I have never really messed with it. Another tip try to always carry a spare tire and tire plug kit when out on the trails.

[L8sho2003]

Always carry wd-40 for dispersing water from distributor, etc.
2 dollars spent can mean the difference between walking and driving.

Never use any type of recovery strap with hard parts such as hooks which can become projectiles. Chains are a huge no-no!

If you stall out with your tailpipe under water, don't crank it. Get a tug out of the water and pull the sparkplugs before turning the engine over. Unlike air, water doesn't compress very well and a cylinder full will result in a destroyed engine if you try to crank back up. With the plugs out, turn the engine over a few times and the water will be ejected without bending rods and pistons.....

[DeadlyPeace]

Just mentioned a Hi-lift Jack in anonther post and it reminded me about added it here.

A Hi-lift jack is a very good tool and not just for lifting your rig when needed. I've seen them attached to the front or back of a rig and used like a com-a-long. Also when I still had the old stock steering setup I bent the U-arm down about 1 /12"-2". I used the Hi-lift to rebend it so I could get home.

Steel wire is also a good thing to have. You never know when use need to tie something up. Back to the old steering setup.....I used it to tie the drag link to the U-arm. I wish I had pics of it. It looked pretty ify, but it worked.

[iluvdrt]

i suggest you go and but the toyota truck and l/c owners bible. it is a real nice book and will cover pretty much everything you need to know and even taught me some tricks. it can be found at any book store and i think it cost like $20. while all this advise given on this board is good advice, you should still read the book. it has other stuff in it as well like maintenance tips, performance upgrades, history of the yote, and so much more.

[86taco]

I'v seen that one in jc whitney before. Never read it though.

[Hoodlum]

TOOLS! TOOLS! AND MORE TOOLS I try to have just about evry tool needed to work on my taco and on more than one occasion I've needed them. I also am a firm believer in the portable winch for $50.00 to $150.00 worth every penny.[when buying your winch make sure it has a min. of 6000lb. LIFT CAPABLITY this should have close to 10,000lb. pulling weight. winches usually have twice the pulling capability than lifting.]

[bob95toy]

hey these are all great tips for begginer offroading, just for anyone interested though I subscribe to off road adventures magazine, and the january issue has about a 2 page article on tip and such for first time or beginner offroaders. If you have the oportunity you guys should check it out.

[southalabama87]

I went wheeling for the first time yesterday and thought of something that could come in very handy. Take a small hachet or machetti along. I got a root stuck in my skid plate going over an obstcle and ended up getting off centered. If I could have cut the root I probably would have been able to get over it.
Another thing nobody has mentioned is to use your imagination when fixing something. If you need a lead tester and don't have one, take out one of you taillights and some speaker wire and rig up one of your own. Me and a buddy of mine had to do this yesterday to test a starter. The best thing is just to have fun and enjoy the experience.

[L8sho2003]

good tip on the machete and the test light. I once got a tree jammed between my tire and firewall/fender on my "heep" wrangler. I tried jacking, winching, and driving off of it and I couldn't budge it without destroying the fender and body tub. I remembered this huge freakin survival knife I had in the back that we were joking around with a few weeks earlier. I had to hack this tree for a good 30 minutes to get through it, and my hands were raw for a week. I did get loose though and even made it to work on time. This brings up another good wheelin tip: don't go hardcore before you are due at work!

[liftedtacoma99]

the best thing is not to bite off more than you can chew. my buddy made that mistake and it cost him a tranny, and three days in a mud hole.

[BurntOrngeLonghorn]

A good tip that I can contribute is make sure that you have a full size spare.....the same size as the others....It doesn't take a physics major to figure out two wheels with different radius will cover different differences. I wouldn't suggest trying it gears aren't made that way. I know people will laugh and say what idiot wouldn't have a full size spare but trust me......and if you needed 4 wheel drive to get out there......two wheel drive isn't going to get you back.