Episode 15 – Mastering terrain off-road
Chat
Nate
- Work, and Physical therapy for this dang shoulder. Really putting a damper on my shop activities.
- Really want to get started on these dana 60 housings.
- Tammy
- Work has been busy, moving and whatnot
- Tammy see’s robots everywhere.
Main Topic
- Terrain
- Mud
- Momentum is key
- Try to understand what’s in there before you enter a deep puddle or mud pit
- Rocks
- Slow and controlled is the key
- What about these high-HP tire spinning influencers?
- Dirt Roads
- Not much to say here, except dont over-do it because you think you’re indestructible on such a “simple” trail.
- I know a woman who somehow hydrolocked her 3.8l in a puddle on an access road at AOAA.
- Not much to say here, except dont over-do it because you think you’re indestructible on such a “simple” trail.
- Snow/Ice
- A delicate balance of traction and momentum
- Drive smoothly, Throttle control, don’t dig a hole.
- Don’t slam brakes, pump them
- Turn into your slide
- Deep snow
- Similar to mud, momentum, and some forethought about what;s under the snow, and where gravity is going to take you.
- This takes experience. You need to know how to read the snow as there are different types of snow. Wet snow, hard snow, soft powdery snow, slushy snow,
- “Slick rock”
- The red rock in the Moab area is easy. You just follow the tracks. It’s sticky. Good traction.
- Water
- Roll through the water slowly because there could be hidden rocks and holes in your path.
- Watch the vehicle in front of you as they will help you see what could be in your way.
- Know your Jeep’s capability. Jeep has some videos of their vehicles water-fording.
- How deep should you go… well each vehicle is different. I tend to air on the side of caution. I don’t like go higher than my bumper. Water can damage the engine, transmission, electronics and differentials.
- Like with any type of off-roading never go alone. You might need someone to pull you out of the water.
- Once out of the water be careful of your brakes. Use them lightly until they dry out.
- Frozen Lake
- Know the thickness of the ice If you have a medium sized truck you need to wait for the ice to be at least 12 to 15 inches thick before you take your vehicle out on the ice. You need to check the ice every so many feet to make sure the whole lake is frozen.
- Drive with your windows rolled down in case you go through the ice. You will need a quick escape. I have one of those tools that can break a window, but by the time I reach for it in my glove box it could be too late.
- Don’t fasten your seatbelt again this is for a quick escape.
- Stay well-spaced apart from other vehicles and fish houses when you are driving and parking on the frozen lake. You don’t want all the weight pilling up in one spot.
- Don’t drive fast. Fast driving sets up a pressure wave on the ice that can cause the ice to fracture. My niece shared this with me and said a good example of this is on the show Ice Road on Netflix.
- Mud
Show news and announcements
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Trying out something new this episode…
I got a message on Instagram after last week’s episode.
- Said they’d listened to 17 minutes of the episode, heard me say you can’t lift a cadillac, and turned it off, said that’s the only 17 minutes we get.
- I’m not sure what to say…
News
Next Show
Topic: How to be a good trail guide
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