6/8/17 Yankee Hill area

[FINOCJ]

Louis and I headed up Yankee Hill area today - had a absolutely superb day. It was beyond nice to be in the area without the typical weekend crowds and with perfect weather.

We met at the new parking/staging area just NW of the cemeteries toward Columbine CG. We headed out around 10 am and went up via the Columbine CG access (739.1), then followed the main Yankee Hill 175.1 up to the top taking the most direct route and the slightly more challenging climbs. After running into a sweet 1979 CJ7 and chatting about old 4x4s, we headed over the top and then went CCW around the short loop that takes you to the actual top of Yankee Hill (we went up 175.4 and then down 175.3H - these numbers are all from the MVUM). The decent down 175.3H was pretty darn steep...we could see it initially from the bottom so choose to go up the other route. We then continued south across 175.1 and down into Washoe gulch via 271.1D which is definitely worth the side trip - its a bit tight width wise in a couple spots and would have been pretty sporty going up (not long into the descent there is remnants of an old cabin). At the intersection with Cumberland Gulch 271.1 we turned left (north) and headed back up towards the main 175.1 passing some old mining piles etc. Before getting all the way back up to the main 175.1, we turned right (east) on 271.1F which is the very bottom of the Sheridan Hill trail (according to Trails Offroad - although its below/south of the main 175.1). We followed this loop around south and back north up to the main 175.1, but had to bash through a couple small snow drifts including a winch through the first one.

At that point it was time to call it a day and return via 175.1 and to the campground and new parking/staging area around 4:30pm...especially as the snow helped determine that the old CJ5 has been running only on rear wheel drive. In hindsight, it explains why I couldn't make much progress into the snow on the last Yankee Hill trip a month or so ago...and after having some difficulty climbing up and out of Slaughterhouse last weekend, I mentioned to Chris that it was like I only had 2 wheel drive. Of course, I kind of meant it as a way of suggesting the short wheelbase old jeep has some difficulty and that it wasn't driver error. Well, in some ways I am pretty happy to have made it all that way in only open diff 4x2! The front driveshaft is turning...so here is to hoping that I simply screwed up the reinstall of the front locking hubs after the brake upgrade. I might have flipped the internal locking gear with springs around? Otherwise, maybe its just a broken locking hub? Any of those options are way better than a broken axle shaft or R&P. On the good side, the smaller carb jets helped the engine run significantly better. But still have an even smaller set on order for the really high elevation trips to 12-13000'.

Pics to come...

[JGRubicon]

Here's hoping that it's an easy fix. Glad you found the cause of the traction issues you were having, I knew you were lighter, but I didn't thing the weight would make that big of a difference.

[96EXXLTinCO]

I installed a spring in the wrong place once and the hub on one side wouldn't unlock, hopefully it's just something like that, but I think if you had blown axle you'd know it. Granted it was IFS, but I witnessed a blown axle on mini moab a couple days ago on a Mitsubishi Montero. Iknew it all the way across the area even, LOL.

[FINOCJ]

Here are my limited pics using my broken phone camera. It has a crack in the lens cover so it kind of washes out most pics...And most of them all look the same and are of the BJ40 looking out the back of my jeep with the spare tire blocking part of the view.

Louis coming down from the top of the actual Yankee Hill on the steep section of 175.3H


Louis on the way down Washoe gulch:




On the 271.1F loop:


Winching through the first snow drift at the end of 271.1F a few hundred yards from the intersection with 175.1 - sorry can't get the photo to flip the right way.

[Chris]

Here you go...

[Jim]

Those pix look GREAT to me (since I wasn't there...)

[78bj40]

Great day to be out there. Nice to see the old CJ back on the trail, I'm impressed how well it did considering that it was in 2WD. Hopefully nothing major and an other smaller jets change in the carb. And you should be set!

[Java]

Awesome!! That area is really great without crowds, and it's really cool to see two beautiful old rigs out killing it!

[78bj40]

Finally I had a bit time to post some photos from Thursdays trip

[FINOCJ]

Thanks Louis - good news is I just fixed my locking hub issue. Was my fault when I reinstalled them so nothing broken.

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/...562#post314562