OCG adventure

[scout man]

Best I can tell everyone made it home. Yes, it is 1:00 am and I just now got home from Chinamans... it was an interesting day. Thats all you get from me for now, but I am sure this thread will soon be filled with plenty of interesting stories. Everyone did for sure make it off the trail though, so we are safe. And now it is time for bed...

[WINKY]

hmmmm some drama or suspense and danger i presume, cant wait to read the stories.

[Funrover]

....... Want to hear more!

[JeffX]

Wow. Sounds like there was some carnage.


TTIWWOP

[Smash]

I'm ready!!! Lets hear it.

[Rob]

Must hear stories.

[FJBRADY]

Cmon let's here it.......Nay, Randy anyone?

[Haku]

Hehe.......suffice to say that Randy's new rig had a few kinks to work out.........in the leaf springs. A little after the whale's back obstacle, all three of the leafs on the drivers side front broke in half. We did take pictures, but we all had a late night, so it might take a few to get there. All in all it was a good day and everyone had fun, there was just a lot of figuring out of what to do to get Randy off the hill. Writeups will ensue by midday.

JH

[Smash]

Hehe.......suffice to say that Randy's new rig had a few kinks to work out.........in the leaf springs. A little after the whale's back obstacle, all three of the leafs on the drivers side front broke in half. We did take pictures, but we all had a late night, so it might take a few to get there. All in all it was a good day and everyone had fun, there was just a lot of figuring out of what to do to get Randy off the hill. Writeups will ensue by midday.

JH


:eek:

[JKimmel]

Hehe.......suffice to say that Randy's new rig had a few kinks to work out.........in the leaf springs. A little after the whale's back obstacle, all three of the leafs on the drivers side front broke in half. We did take pictures, but we all had a late night, so it might take a few to get there. All in all it was a good day and everyone had fun, there was just a lot of figuring out of what to do to get Randy off the hill. Writeups will ensue by midday.

JH

that sucks dude...when they left us heading up the rest of the way it seemed like it was holding just fine...maybe he should've turned around? I don't know that it would matter which direction. Now I guess Randy has good reason to swap springs like he was talking about (before the trail...jinx?)

It was fun meeting you guys yesterday! :)

[FJBRADY]

Hehe.......suffice to say that Randy's new rig had a few kinks to work out.........in the leaf springs. A little after the whale's back obstacle, all three of the leafs on the drivers side front broke in half. We did take pictures, but we all had a late night, so it might take a few to get there. All in all it was a good day and everyone had fun, there was just a lot of figuring out of what to do to get Randy off the hill. Writeups will ensue by midday.

JH


Thanks for the update.........wow snapped the leafs, that's a lot of force!

What did he buy?

[JKimmel]

I wish I knew Nick had a spare, I would've run them back up.

[Funrover]

Holy cow!!! :eek:

[Medic-5150]

Glad to hear everything worked out!! Nothing like being prepared!

[Haku]

It was weird, they snapped in a minor spot. Consensus was the u-bolts must have been loose for some time and allowed a lot of force at the spring plate to bend the springs back and forth. There was nothing Randy was doing up to that point or at that time that should have caused any issues with his suspension.

I think Randy has an Alcan suspension waiting to go on. :D

It snapped where the location bolt went through the leaf pack, which is where I would expect it to if it was going to. Definitely wasn't a catastrophic failure, seemed like it happened over a long period and had its final end yesterday.

The final fix did great, and Randy had no problems coming down. We stopped to check it out every once in a while, and nothing moved. There was a ton of clamping force on it, so I'm not surprised.

Essentially what we did, is take took all the broken leaf springs out, except for the one with the eyelets, put a big overload leaf under the pack, and two intact normal leafs over it, and sandwiched the broken one between them. Warlord had a couple of the bolt on clamps that we used towards the ends of the leafs, and we tighted the crap out of the ubolts too. Worked great, it just took a while to figure out. I'm really glad that Nick had those leaf packs in the truck, as we were about to start welding a tube on that would essentially act as a huge bump stop. I think Randy would have gotten really tippy (due to lack of articulation) with that setup, and we still had some of the big hills to get down where you have to turn as you drop. Definitely made for a longer then expected day, but in the end it wasn't too bad.

I took a bunch of pictures and such, as did others, so I'm sure those will be posted soon. There were other adventures and such as well, though more in the wheeling and non breaking nature.

JH

[Air Randy]

What did he buy?

We wanted a 2nd rig that was easier to drive to the local runs with a longer wheel base versus the Blue Mule so I had my eyes out for a 4Runner or Mini truck. We found a 1985 X-Cab mini truck last weekend for a good price. It has a 22RE, 5 spd with Marlin Crawler dual T-Cases (2.28/4.71), 5.29's, longfield 30 spline axles & birfs, a Detroit Locker in the rear and an ARB in the front. I put 37's and beadlocks on it. It also has an All-Pro roll bar/tube bed in back and bumper/stinger in front with a Ramsey 9500 winch with synthetic line on it.

I rattle can painted it bright green on Saturday (it was multi-color) with orange beadlock rims. The wife chose the color and she wants to call it the "Gecko" (Thats OK, read-on and you'll understand why).

So, it looked good, had new rubber and ran great. Since the Mule is getting FJ60 axles we decided we would take it on a shake down cruise to OCG. Of course, all of my tools, on board air, straps, etc are still in the Mule but I figured "Hey, what can happen":erm:

So the rig is doing really well all day. We did most of the harder lines without spinning a wheel. It's amazing (to me anyway) how much of a difference the longer wheelbase (117") makes climbing and such. Were puddling along and I go over a small rock when I hear a "clang". It sounded to me like we blew a tire and maybe the beadlock rim came off. I get out and look and there are 2 of the 3 leaves from the back half of the spring pack laying on the ground!:eek: Nay gives a pretty good description of the recovery effort so I won't repeat all of that.

But, there I am standing by this severely broke vehicle with basically a 1/2" wrench in my left hand and my **** in my right and nothing else.:o I was as unprepared as you could possibly be. My apologies to everyone because I normally go much better prepared.

However, I don't think I could hold a candle to Josh. He opens the tool box on his truck and this seemingly endless supply of tools begins to appear: 24V wire feed welder, floor jack, hi-Lift jack, air compressor, hand tools, etc. It was amazing. Everyone else pitched in with tools, flashlights, lots of advice and a good attitude considering the circumstances.

We got it patched together and off of the hill by 9:30 about 7 hours later than we should have. At first I was really ticked off at the truck breaking, inconveniencing and delaying everyone, and it was quite cold and very dark. Then I realized that in spite of the uncomfortable conditions, I got to spend a lot of time getting to know a lot of super people that I otherwise would have said "Thanks & Bye" to at the end of the run. Many, many thanks to everyone for all they did, making sure everyone got off of the trail and for being great friends!

Nick, having the spare springs earns you a lot of brownie points but you are still on the **** list for losing my Mag-Lite:D

Last item: While Dee was watching Josh use his Reddi-Welder she asked me if we have one, which I said "No". She said "well go buy one so we have it next time when we need it". You gotta love the woman! :princess::princess:

And for the record, since I knew he was chomping to post up the story of my bad luck: Scoutman lost his muffler AND he had to get a jump start later on the trail, so you ain't as pure as the driven snow either buddy!

[Patrolman]

I have never personally seen ALL the leafs break like that. I have had several Nissan Patrols with main leafs that were split at the center pin. They are a military wrap, so no big deal. I did have one that had the main leaf and 2 others crack, but the military wrap spring still hung together. Those were all just a matter of being almost 40 years old. Glad that everyone made it home... And what are the chances of having all the tools/equip in the group! Wow!




Last item: While Dee was watching Josh use his Reddi-Welder she asked me if we have one, which I said "No". She said "well go buy one so we have it next time when we need it". You gotta love the woman! :princess::princess:



That is one of the best tools I own! I always carry it with me on a trail more than 1 hour from home. I think that I got mine used for $225 about 5 years ago. Keep your eyes peeled. They come up for sale every so often!

[scout man]

And for the record, since I knew he was chomping to post up the story of my bad luck: Scoutman lost his muffler AND he had to get a jump start later on the trail, so you ain't as pure as the driven snow either buddy!

also got pulled over on the way home for not having any tail lights. :rant: Josh was following for exactly that reason, but the cop didnt seem to notice. I can't complain though, since I got off with a written warning, and he seemed to not care that 1. my muffler was off and i was loud as hell 2. I couldnt see out my rear window and dont have a passenger side mirror at all 3. my most recent insurance card was 5 months out of date (oops!)

Besides, I'll just blame the battery issue on having to run my grinder for hours on your rig! Although that wasnt the problem at all, since it was dead again when I got home.



Scoutman happens to be the guy with the 120V and a garage full of stuff in the back,

what can I say... I end up in that position more often then most!! I always carry my grinder these days, and this certainly isnt the first time it has been used.

[FJBRADY]

But, there I am standing by this severely broke vehicle with basically a 1/2" wrench in my left hand and my **** in my right and nothing else.:o I was as unprepared as you could possibly be. My apologies to everyone because I normally go much better prepared.



Isn't that the truth. I load the 40 like the world will come to an end and each trip I realize there is something else I need.

I am glad everyone made it out of there and yes Dee is a keeper :cool::princess::thunb:

[Mporter]

Dang....well at least you guys all got down safe.

Still waitin on them pics though :lol:

[Warrlord]

I enjoyed the run. Sometimes a problem occurs. In this case, everyone contributed to the repair effort in some way. That's one of the great things about the people here :thunb:

Being a wrench myself, I wanted to get in there & get my hands dirty but then I would've had to push someone out of the way. They were doing great so that would've been a hinderance rather than a helping hand. I'm glad I was able to at least contribute the clamps for the leafs to help hold them together. What might've seemed like a dismal repair effort at first, turned out great because of the people here :)

That was the longest day I've ever spent at OCG but like Randy said, we got to know the folks better. So, see? It turned out great! :thunb:

On a side note.............. Nay? If you ever want to give me your dog, I'll take her in a heartbeat :D

[Haku]

On a side note.............. Nay? If you ever want to give me your dog, I'll take her in a heartbeat :D

For some reason, I think there might be a long list for that one. Definitely a sweetheart, as all Bernese Mountain Dogs are.

JH

[Funrover]

Where are the pics??? Sounds like a hard, long, fun day!

[Andrew]

For those of you who don't have a ready-welder:


You can have a makeshift welder by taking two batteries and wiring them up in series, and use some welding rods.

I must have missed how exactly the repair went but I'm guessing those spare springs? I'm not sure how well welding broken springs together would work.

[scout man]

i would post pictures, but all of the pics I took were with Josh's camera... so I happen to know he has some :D.

[Funrover]

i would post pictures, but all of the pics I took were with Josh's camera... so I happen to know he has some :D.

You're being called out...COME ON MAN!

[Haku]

For those of you who don't have a ready-welder:


You can have a makeshift welder by taking two batteries and wiring them up in series, and use some welding rods.

I must have missed how exactly the repair went but I'm guessing those spare springs? I'm not sure how well welding broken springs together would work.

yeah, definitely wouldn't have worked to try to weld the leafs back together. We tried welding the ubolt plate to the broken leafs first, so they would slip out. I didn't know Steve had his grinder there, so the area I welded had a lot of paint and road grime on it when I welded. Definitely didn't adhere as well as I would have liked. The rear weld broke reasonably quickly, but held for a while.

I did explain it in a previous post, but we essentially took all the but the main leaf of the set that broke out, and replaced them with the spare springs that Nick had in his rig. Warrlord had some clampy bolt type things (not sure what they were used for, but they looked like small square shaped ubolts with a plate). We took a big overload spring and put it under the broken main leaf, and then took two leafs from the spare pack and put them above the main leaf and clamped it down with the clamps, and the axle ubolts. This did the trick, and they hardly moved on the way down. Took a while but it ended up working great. Luckily Randy had a tow rig to get it home once we were off the trail



You're being called out...COME ON MAN!

hehee......I'll get to it when i damn well please....:lol:.

JH

[Air Randy]

For those of you who don't have a ready-welder:


You can have a makeshift welder by taking two batteries and wiring them up in series, and use some welding rods.

I must have missed how exactly the repair went but I'm guessing those spare springs? I'm not sure how well welding broken springs together would work.

We re-assembled the stock spring pack, keeping in mind they broke straight across right where the centering pin is. So Josh tried to weld the U bolt plate to the top spring leaf to try and keep them from pulling apart. That part worked OK until the U bolt plate started to bend upwards in the middle. It eventually let the rear weld break and the fender settled down onto the top of the tire.

We basically took the 2 new repair leaves and put one on top of the old spring pack and one underneath. Then we bolted 2 clamps to the end of this "new" spring pack and tightened the u bolt plate really tight. Same as you would splint a broken bone. It worked well enough to get me down through some pretty nasty rock gardens and descents and on the trailer.

[Andrew]

Okay I just missed that part of the fix in all that text!

[Chris]

I know it's been said already but....

TTIWWOP

[FJBRADY]

Still no pictures :bang: :confused:

[Haku]

Geez guys.....I'll have your fix in a bit. Just went and got my camera, have a bit of doctoring (of the photographic kind) to do and then I'll have some pics for ya. I know I'm not the only one with a camera though, so hopefully some others will post up too.

JH

[Haku]

Ok, so after waking up late due to sleeping through my alarm, and getting woken up by Scoutmans phone call, I actually made pretty good time. The drive was nice, and everyone showed up pretty much on time (minus a certain trip leader). Got the trailered rigs down, aired the tires down, and got ready. The first part of the trail went uneventfully, though Steve got a bit tippy on the first couple ledges. Everyone made it up fine though. The v-notch, which gets wider and wider, hardly took any time at all this time, and everyone got through it just fine. Here are some pics though (apologies about the hairs showing in some of the pics, I cleaned my camera recently, and seem to have made things worse)....

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1ppI-I8o7HDQPLTMxoOiqT_JJ0VXSPXMJ2T8LiyYcbhRaewXJJ63AMF w9y1fWx3B1odppT7TaS4h0vd7XMRyVBkg/1.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pF2P-BpMbk_MEpGp8o2nU4IbeviZBUUW7Hcv0UQJA5THqGOfvTFgdLm LToG9kH1s5IzkuZWY1lqBk2HhfiaOmpQ/2.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pF2P-BpMbk_N2oIebYdK-a-lJT-l7EPnVgPBbGFySWhJQgbmTZycvqL1n9ZbfxBiM2189szueLaVD JkcpufQ7mw/3.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p8iDTxw4npUvPfB79pJu0G3uP0X_EDHFpDK5InC1mfobsbew WZzwOxEUC2lk44YORYdJQQRrFjM914IRNRO63zA/4.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pTIgrzI-a9V41dFoJ-4kZQobso6OWbFrDltmH-XqsOuisdGcsLtlLlNifwEL6SggZz4pPs9eHhBFB51njb4_Oig/5.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pjtv2JUp1DGPTEbCHOYqbWvz1MlH_0yPKvtzwyzH5oXvzsK_ gGS5-k_udc3TbWcmzeE22H1_VKSjrln0ePY7j8w/6.jpg

More to come....

JH

Couple more from the v-notch....

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pjtv2JUp1DGOc6B9ry4tufcDu67mrBirHBts-ledeP-EwtkjTogPmh9ou8Q89_ZS5Cs6-Uzcvp_M0n2Ppo1aP_g/7.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pSEdq8lp3jiJPmKR1vNhWhKXVsgYBNeA1JhAKmp5aAc3zRoJ HH3Aum3y-965bN4IlMBahax5Mrx89uWX-pMUUIw/8.jpg

The cruise up to the place where the trail splits for the loop was pretty uneventful, though the hill where I flopped my rig last time was worse on the "sneak" side, and everyone went down the supposed hard part. Definitely some lifted tires and the like, but no real drama. Definitely gets your heart going though. Still my least favorite spot on the trail. Pretty much everyone gave the Rock Garden a go, and at least accomplished the middle difficulty line. Here are some pics....

Whoo hoo, I flexin a rig out is fun
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p8Ks_CB0XyF0UYRYV72Z_YKORlaMuJB-lo1-r47ZGVUDn9_vmh87KoPz2L6-h2XN7ecq0OGU3q4Emtp2S-gHbTQ/9.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pnMex4gIxBFVcyr0WBSTuyL2Y-Rz1OGNk41UEU6qWOn95XgDhiMD5g-k_Gh302LWpMir-iaXbFVJfMyPZM6QNvQ/10.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pQQOajghMNj_3iRUSIkugOwWf248_mKCXL6Zr8Pd20OAt1AE mrpgzNi3sJOQ_tMS5XbkilRKpZ0HNsgHOyboZDw/12.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pQQOajghMNj_OP7bniVY50PJb36EcTjp-fLcmLgoTDdzhAC69ianPO_e7ER7iw7EvH6U1YwxPS4JMCdSSK_ 8Qow/13.jpg

Ton more pics to come...

JH

[Patrolman]

Looks like it was a gorgeous day with good trail conditions!

[Haku]

Some more rock garden pictures...

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pHSgriutz5_UX8Mxj_CV0FU7oxO5dWzDjrflDmJcGhvIQlGk VW76XCPAI1JLWKFixGXbdSOB-hEZ-5LnqnG5dsw/14.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pKP2aJo0L4yrGMqOrHT30PjAr1yWyFhr5NTiKBUuTtI7_H2D nGGIMgUDEljkKF6zXuR9JBi1ZZi8YABGWGRaCZw/15.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pllEi43EPLzEGn41L2EnCvCuajNtgiIdnh82sfn-KNBRgo_hik197ULPGZpb9_e1TqrOBLyl-vJLbfDgFXTatIw/16.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pSn5m08DLt9JrvmcdvoaAIgxqJGaVuwn_ELE1Sds57tDQjIk PVQVhspqczJwXnerhnLE7LSCBkpB-wPzKlfSkaQ/17.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pEgPLOqFI6LWar7QPbcDSZOsNwPrm8mpmAVthJB1EUQ6Ivzf z9dx254-2JTSBEq-Urf-rMzyIsF30Y3BB0REgXA/18.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pkz-ro8AYo--jdbJP_QssRcAOCuwQTrdRKkUh0zQcgcc6di5XIMqLzTA2CvuiY 9mkib9bwWSYfkkq4A7LEQokfQ/19.jpg

More to come (and yes, I think the forum is now combining consecutive posts, but I can't make it one big long one since pics are limited to 6 per post).

JH

Even more Rock Garden picks...

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pS0HtHx06x4HZ2msQmvfPj8t9U5_MNZXHmfooo0_rcLqstTv n59n8zI_W8nbzpLriC8eAkkycOpNbD4TfW8EA0g/20.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJh7R84d1KnA1PdzsmioXkGtvGNJSTaoaGgaJoRBggOntvJo hDUFDrfs4XHkqFsZyq9Oujff2gCNoHx5cw4pTMA/21.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pIILQvk-cBq8XMm4oz8SHm20IaYNNT1T2MqF3g6LvKprUNree72lnDOonj 1XfKOpMiNstZ3u7-mXF3TtD9hfCEQ/22.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pIILQvk-cBq-kJsGFe-HPW5pYcKK8yT5e6GZQ4vAing9ZChjCjmsJakvO6wWpo0hwBkG_ 7Za73SaIyu1yRgvaew/23.jpg

This one was blury but a cool pose, so I went all artsy on it....
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p6B2XV5tnSGQLSKEpY87bomnoh1mbL_8ikxrZHpB1tIgW6kg aWv86xw-SM2sU2gON0pD0bgXRW9BEYzmOoNJurQ/24.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pBqLiMafm-F-Z4uveYZ8tB7O_HKQ7_MKhvU8ZEm0qJgqKyLSXqzTkyEYu4J3wb _eKzQEPjzrzTZComs47g-iNBg/25.jpg

More to come...

JH

One more of the Rock Garden...
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pLdab2kXGaJowCHcz435BiTGAHgNJHGeXy1LHYWf1FT4KF3i 8AzuIHf_IChozk9Sn6ZgInXnqRuz-xgOq5OGq6Q/26.jpg


From there, its a short drive up a sandy wash to the Whale's Back obstacle. I still managed to get stuck on a rock just below it. I think if I had the 39" tires that I am planning on getting, or had a "flat belly" job done to my rig (in the plans), then I wouldn't have had a problem. As it was, I had to get pulled off it....

The shadowed part right between our trucks is where the Whale's Back obstacle is
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1puLjfLJSZGqTlOZkoivA2Pm-goiKar_BzwEfM7kHK5X_x9Ev6S2YQnkHNFdqxlnEYQt-EMaVUdrt0ehHQNKT2Iw/27.jpg

The Whale's Back has three lines, easy, medium, and very hard. I have made all three lines, the first two rather easily, and the last only once and I got really tippy. Its about a 6-10 foot ledge at that point, with a drop off to the left side that you can fall in if you start sliding. I tried for at least 20 minutes to get up it (after seeing JKimmel literally walk up it in his rig). Every time my rear tire started to climb, the nose of my rig would start falling towards what I kept thinking of as "the abyss" to the left. Its a spot that would absolutely suck to get someones rig out of, since there are rock walls on both sides, and its to narrow to roll them back up. You'd literally have to pull the rig out on its side before you can roll it back onto its wheels. Suffice to say, after about 10 tries, the last one getting close but very tippy, I gave up and went up the middle line. I was too busy looking at the sky and trying to keep the butterflies at bay, so no pics from me, but hopefully some other people got some. I did get a few of Kim coming up in her XJ. She got shut down too, trying the center line. The trip that we did in August, we both got up the hard line with a bit of drama but nothing too scary. Kinda weird. Musta gotten even more dug out or something.

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1puLjfLJSZGqQ8iN0BjTgJNPW8cWwruw1LvLB_pK2rMsCZJaT 4AsW38LI_loJGB-fvJmOxIOwA3kqvjSFZDIVtcQ/28.jpg

More to come...

JH

[Smash]

Sweet shots!!!!

[Funrover]

WOO HOOOOOOO PICS!!!

[ShutUpHippie]

Awesome shots Josh! Looks like a great time. Is the Scout locked?

[Chris]

Thanks Josh, looks like fun despite the problems posted earlier. Nice looking truck Randy!

[Rob]

Good stuff. Still need more pics.

So who all was on the run?

[scout man]

Awesome shots Josh! Looks like a great time. Is the Scout locked?

nope. Some day.

[ShutUpHippie]

So what's your setup then? I was curious is my Blazer could hack it up there.

[JeffX]

Great pics; awesome rigs. Where's the rest?


So what's your setup then? I was curious is my Blazer could hack it up there.

You can hack it. Most of the big stuff is optional. I did it IFS on 32s, but it's a bit worse since then.

[scout man]

right now its all stock gearing with 35's. 345 V8 to an auto tranny to a 2:1 T case to 3.54's, so I am lacking in the gearing area right now, and unlocked. Fortunately I have a ton of flex which somewhat limits the amount of time my wheels spend in the air. I do very desperately need lockers and gears though. Some sliders need to come soon too. I definitely took some body shots last night coming down. Not that you can tell by looking at it :D

[Haku]

From here up to the Double Stair obstacle, its pretty moderate, but is the start of where "the fun" was. Jkimmel and Ewheeler were up front, with me right behind them. I could see Warlord right behind me, but behind him Randy was having some trouble. We've discussed it already, but essentially, the entire leaf pack (all three leafs) broke down the center where the positioning pin is located. Looks like it was probably a combination of faulty manufacturing, possible improper installation, and bad luck, which eventually fatigued the springs to breaking point.

Four of us made it up to the Double Stair obstacle no problem. We weren't sure what was happening, as we were out of CB range and the trail winds through the woods a lot here, so its hard to tell if someone is just behind you, or way behind you. Luckily there was enough Cell range where Steve was able to call me to let me know what was up. They didn't have a High Lift down there, so Jeremy and Evan cruised down to provide one of theirs, and provide assistance. They were planning on running the trail backwards from the Double Stair obstacle anyways, so it worked out.

With a cobbled together set of springs, a come-along, and a hammer, they all managed to get what was left of the springs put back under the ubolt and get up to the rest of the group (me and Warlord, and Dave Nay's wife, son and dog of, who had hiked up on their own...sorry, totally space their names again) and we did what we hoped to be a slightly more thorough fixup job. I got my Ready Welder out, while Randy pounded the springs back into as far as he could. We used the welder to essentially weld the leafs to the ubolt plate. It was a bit hard to do, since there was limited space, and everything had a both paint and a good coating of road grime all over it. Steve had a grinder, but failed to mention it, so the welds didn't adhere as well as I had hoped. I did what I thought was a decent job, but not good enough. 20-20, it might have been good to weld it to the spring perch too, but Randy didn't want to do that since they were already attached to the axle and didn't want to mess them up.

We made it up through the Chutes obstacle (which is almost not worthy of calling it a dedicated obstacle any more, most of the rest of the trail is no harder then it is now) and down the steep twisty section before the welds failed and the leafs started to come out. We loosened the ubolt plates again, and pounded the leaf springs back in as far as we could. Randy made it another half mile before they fell out completely again, at which time it was clear a better fix was needed.

At this point many ideas came up, including trying welding again, installing a very long bump stop so that the wheel could still move an full stuff, and I'm sure many others. At this point, Nick recalled that he had a bunch of leaf springs in his tow rig, for what I have no idea. It was fairly obvious that that was going to be the best solution, so Nay took him (plus his whole family) down to get the stuff. I always misjudge how long it takes to get down this section of the trail, and it certainly felt like a long time for the people up at the top waiting for parts. In reality, it was probably an hour or a bit more.

When they got back, it was about 6:30 or so I believe, so it was fully dark, and getting a bit cold. With all the cobbled together parts, we managed to make a leaf pack that sandwhiched the main spring with a big overload spring underneath, and two of the secondary leafs above. Warlord had some clamp type things, that proved very useful. All tightened down, it held very well, and was a good solution to the problem. It actually gained him some spring height, which was kind of amusing. Randy made it down no problem after this. It even seemed to flex allright (I was right behind him coming down) though I did see a rear tire lift once or twice. Not bad though, and overall I think it was about as good a fix as you could do, minus having a complete extra leaf spring pack available. Here are some pics of the us fixing stuff. We used the grinder to cut off what was left of the welds so that the spring sandwich could be as tight as possible....

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p582ksxjTQL9-o3jFWuAzhaXvtdt3ab468w6THaDhYzibIGIj2mo-lI0j8r83coibEbSa3F8YrAaTI0Ek_7qmVg/29.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pEjHMIC0l-jPrz44ecTM25OmW-hGBPxJtlYA9crHaApSaUG4dUsI2sMyrhI1tOpPY53iaINY36fw vpm7LKtKEHQ/30.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1prbtiJMONQiSlwwJdKA0pyfjDSBrz7dzb0GULv9_hv-w63jfJwrw_OY8dx-kvbfr1744aaYeLe9jwcZnoSdtoYw/31.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pZDGT3ed-a1d2C_KEcUyeDGnJpe3J3FtKUEELxWsSTv7bHLceknLwvx2d3P DXY6WisZdIHRNmeBnIqM4b0kWeSw/32.jpg

Hopefully Randy will post some pics of the fix up job before he takes it apart. I know I got home at about 12:30 or so, so it was certainly a long day, but overall fun. As much as it sucks to have to do these kind of trail fixes, its also a part of wheeling I have come to expect, and don't mind it so much. Its a great story, brings people together, and its actually pretty gratifying to fix something like this and get someone out o a pickle. Good times. I've been there a few times myself, with a cranky carb, and shock towers tearing out off the frame, just to name a few. I've also help several people get off the mountain, Scoutman and Fred being the two most memorable ones.

JH


Great pics; awesome rigs. Where's the rest?



You can hack it. Most of the big stuff is optional. I did it IFS on 32s, but it's a bit worse since then.

Geez.......ya'll is a bunch of picture crackheads. I just posted up 30 friggin pics. That said.....I want to see pics of me on the Whale's back obstacle.

JH

[Mporter]

Nice pics....looked great (except breakage stuff)

[Air Randy]

My daughters XJ does it fine with 33's and a rear locker. The scout was totally unlocked and made but he had to work a little harder.

[JeffX]

....Geez.......ya'll is a bunch of picture crackheads. I just posted up 30 friggin pics. That said.....I want to see pics of me on the Whale's back obstacle.

JH

Those are the ones I want to see!

FWIW, the chutes is the same as ever. The only thing missing is that rock that forces you onto the tough line.

old pic (http://img.geocaching.com/cache/9966dc92-6015-4e77-a5d8-1fff083f42a2.jpg)

new (crappy) pic (http://www.whitescarver.com/albums/ChinamansGulch/IMG_0964.sized.jpg) - - but shows how rock was moved.

closer (http://www.traildamage.com/trails/chinaman_gulch/050528/cheryl_in_the_chutes_part_1.jpg)

If you look closely, you can see the tough line is still there, but optional. However, I still take it just for good measure! :)

.

[ShutUpHippie]

right now its all stock gearing with 35's. 345 V8 to an auto tranny to a 2:1 T case to 3.54's, so I am lacking in the gearing area right now, and unlocked. Fortunately I have a ton of flex which somewhat limits the amount of time my wheels spend in the air. I do very desperately need lockers and gears though. Some sliders need to come soon too. I definitely took some body shots last night coming down. Not that you can tell by looking at it :D

Driver actuated locker in the rear and sliders are on the list for me as well. Gears, maybe, but likely. Did you do all of the obstacles?

[Haku]

The rock is completely gone now Jeff. Yes, you can take the hard line, but if someone else didn't do it first, then its not he obvious line anymore. Its no longer a "get out and spot me" kind of obstacle like it used to be.

JH

[Haku]

I agree. Even with four kids and a friend along, spirits remained high across the board. Michelle (:princess:) got 3 fourth grade boys to join in a singalong of Disney Princess songs somewhere around 8:00 pm, which I am guessing won't get mentioned in the stories around school :lol:

The final fix was pretty cool. That was a difficult breakage, and ultimately the group was prepared and thought out the next fix every step of the way and made it happen.

Good stuff and a memorable day. I have no pics, we were trying out the new vid. That's gonna take some time :D

Hehee.....too bad you didn't get that on video, thats enough blackmail material to keep them in line for a long time. Michelle gets a gold star for sure. I know how video is, so I'll wait eagerly but patiently for you to figure it out.

JH

[JeffX]

Driver actuated locker in the rear and sliders are on the list for me as well. Gears, maybe, but likely. Did you do all of the obstacles?


Most can be done with 33s. The toughest linest require 35s or bigger. A stocker (on 31s) can make it through, but without the optional big stuff.

I've seen rigs on 37s and 38s fail certain lines. That's the great thing about this trail It has challenges for all levels.

[ShutUpHippie]

I have 35s, stock gearing and no lockers. I would love to try this trail some day.

[gm4x4lover]

You would be fine, their are bypasses for everything. I would have no issues doing the whole trail with the burb and doing a few of the harder lines. Add a rear locker and you will have no issues.

[Haku]

Agreed, your rig is fully capable of this trail. ColoMil got up fine in his M1009 (military K5) with no locker. The obstacles are great, but I actually enjoy the stuff in between almost as much. Lots of boogy wheeling and fun "mini-obstacles" to go over and have fun with. Heck, now that the Chutes obstacle is so tame, I almost think it would be a good trip for the Anniversary trip (hehee.......though we might want to camp out for it, as it would take FOREVER to get 30-40 rigs through).

JH

[Warrlord]

I have 35s, stock gearing and no lockers. I would love to try this trail some day.

Let's Go :thunb:

Let's all bring extra leaf springs too :D

[JeffX]

Let's Go :thunb:

Let's all bring extra leaf springs too :D

No kidding..

I need to throw my spares in the back!

I need a ready welder, too. Is there a cheap source?

Where's the Whale Rock (http://www.traildamage.com/trails/chinaman_gulch/051029/don_on_whales_tail.wmv) pics?!.....

[gm4x4lover]

All in all it was alot of fun. If wheeling was always so cut and dry it wouldnt be nearly as fun. It was great to spend some time with y'all on a one on one deal. It was also nice to have the inverter and grinder, wouldnt have had the same results with out it. Dave you have a really nice family and some great manured kids, and also put kim on the list for the pup(She really liked her:thunb:). She is a real sweetheart. Randy the new rig did rather well minus the spring failure, I think it is going to be a rather potent crawler once you get the 42's on it and the exo cage. It was a good learning experience, i was beat all day long had to be at work at 6:00 am and am rather sore from wrenching. But again I had a blast and with all the good people around it wasnt a nuisance but an experience.

[Mporter]

Let's Go :thunb:

Let's all bring extra leaf springs too :D

Roger that....ill pull em out of storage (i.e. from my front yard, where they have been since the lift went on)

[Haku]

Scoutman will probably have some next time, along with a big screen TV for movie night for the kids. :lol:

Projector and a role up screen would work better, and be pretty badass. Nothing like watching HD movies out in the woods.

I'm not sure that one incident with some leafs warrants bringing a spare set of leaf springs with you on a day trip. A week out to Moab with a tow rig, maybe, but not in a rig you drive to the trail. Hehee, there is a limit to what you can realistically bring with you, and the list would be huge if you could fit it all. Another reason I want a tow rig (if only I could afford it). If you could put a spare of most of the stuff that brakes and still not have to carry it with you all the time, it would be great.

JH

[gm4x4lover]

Thats what i figure on most hard trails. If I am doing a trail like that and it brings you out close to the trail head i dont even see the need to carry a spare on the 4x4 rig. Just keep it in the tow rig.

[scout man]

Driver actuated locker in the rear and sliders are on the list for me as well. Gears, maybe, but likely. Did you do all of the obstacles?

I at least attempted everything for the first half of the trip. On the rock garden I made it through without too much trouble... then I wanted to try again on the hardest line. Well, i simply couldnt do it without lockers. I actually ended up drooping my front suspension so much that my front drive shaft over extended the slip yoke. Not a big deal, and a 10 minute fix, but stopped that attempt. After that I started taking it a little easier, as my "new" tires were rubbing way more than I would have liked and I wanted to get out with some rubber left. I took the medium line on whales tail, but once again needed lockers so i took the easy line through. Other than that I didnt try any of the optional stuff because of the rubbing issue, but the trail itself can still be rather intense even if you dont do the optional stuff. If it wasnt for the rubbing I would have tried everything, just because I dont like to not try stuff. Also, if it wasnt for the broken leaf springs on Randy's rig I may have been more daring, but the last thing we needed was two broken rigs on the trail that night. It is certainly and interesting trail for all rigs. I would not recommend it for relatively stock rigs or innexperienced drivers though. What these guys with locked rigs and crawler gears tend to not realize is this can be a very challenging trail for unlocked rigs that are under geared. If you can crawl through it, it is challenging, but not anything to think twice about unless you want it to be. However, when you have to get on your throttle to get over stuff it becomes a much rougher trail. Just as a heads up. Would I do it again unlocked? yes. Would I much rather be locked the next time I am on it (or at least geared lower)? yes.

[Air Randy]

Heres the link to Ewheelers pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/evantwheeler/ChinamanGulch112209#

[Haku]

Cool.......thanks Randy.

Look at that grin....all I know is that dude was having a good time...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_O7kwWrOWbkk/SwtLNOU_9nI/AAAAAAAACrg/bjey45Tt5wc/s800/IMG_4171.JPG

JH.... :D

p.s. I thought I was waaaay more vertical then that on the Whale's Back obstacle....

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_O7kwWrOWbkk/SwtLVayxKhI/AAAAAAAACr0/hqQ3LEVxTpU/s800/IMG_4176.JPG

[JeffX]

p.s. I thought I was waaaay more vertical then that on the Whale's Back obstacle....



Wow, the LWB (120"?) makes that look easy. We all know it's much steeper in person. I'm with Nay; pictures never do that one justice.

[Roostercruiser]

[QUOTE=scout man;73225]also got pulled over on the way home for not having any tail lights. :rant:


must be a scout thing my is the same way. i also have no turnsignals or brake lights. but i do have taillights.

that was one hard day

[scout man]

[QUOTE=scout man;73225]also got pulled over on the way home for not having any tail lights. :rant:


must be a scout thing my is the same way. i also have no turnsignals or brake lights. but i do have taillights.

that was one hard day

brake lights I have. Sometimes turn signals, although they dont work more often than they do these days. My running lights dont work, including the license plate light. But thats a new thing, they worked up until recently. I also got pulled over a little bit ago for having one brake light burned out... but i never replaced it and now they both work. So either the cop was making stuff up or it decided to fix itself.

[Haku]

Wow, the LWB (120"?) makes that look easy. We all know it's much steeper in person. I'm with Nay; pictures never do that one justice.

117", but who's counting. Evidently, there were times when the front passengers side wheel was 4 feet in the air, and a couple times where both front wheels were in the air. All I know is, it felt really unnatural and icky. Kept looking over at "the abyss", which was probably the wrong move.

I think there were a couple reasons why Jeremy made it up no prob and I had issues. First is tire size, his tires are 7 inches taller then mine (35" and 42") which helps a ton. He also has a linked suspension, presumably with some anti squat designed into it, to aid with climbing and stability. Anti Squat essentially pushes the back end of the rig up as it climbs, making it less likely to nose over and wander around. Wheel base and a lower CG probably helped. He is much wider, and a bit shorter then I am, and it seemed to help with the stability department. He also has more flex then I do, so less lifting of tires. Lastly, he has hydro assist steering, which helps a ton in the places where rocks want to push your tires a different way then you want to go. Not making excuses, its just fun to figure out why one rig can do it no prob, and others struggle. Also makes it clear on why people keep going bigger and bigger with their rigs.

One other big one is.....the nut behind the wheel. JKimmel looks to be a great, experienced driver, and I'm still learning the ropes, and tend to freak out when I get nervous. Certainly better then I was a year ago, but its still a work in progress. Either way, it was fun to try that, and other obstacles that provide a challenge and let me know what I need to work on with my truck. Good times for sure.

JH

[JeffX]

...there were a couple reasons why Jeremy made it up no prob and I had issues. First is tire size, his tires are 7 inches taller then mine (35" and 42") ......Wheel base and a lower CG probably helped. He is much wider......He also has more flex then I do, so less lifting of tires.....

That obstacle doesn't require big tires , a lot of width, or a lot of flex. That spot requires a lot of grip and a great line. Since it wants to 'suck' your tire into the notch, a line close (or on!) to the left rock is essential.

I suspect the LWB made you more prone to a bad line and your rear DS tire ended up in the notch. That is extremely tippy and a little scary.

All I can say is props to you for doing it. I can't wait to meet you folks on the trail. I wish I had Nay's tires!...

[Haku]

Never said it was required, said it was why he walked it and I struggled. I honestly think that the main reason it worked better for him is that he has that 4 linked rear end and air shocks, which help a lot with vertical stability. Yes, the line matters a lot, and its hard to get it right, but flex certainly helps a bunch to keep you stable. I do think having some stickier tires then the BFG MT KM's I have now would have helped too. One of the reasons I am looking forward to the Pitbull Rocker Radial coming out. Hear nothing but good things about the Bias Ply version, so hopefully the Radial will be as good.

JH

[Patrolman]

What is scary is that 37's are the 33's of 5 years ago. I consider them the ideal balance of road vs. offroad on my rig so I won't go any bigger, but it keeps me in the leagues where a rig as big as mine belong.

I had my CJ6 in 1999 with super soft leafs, reverse shackle, and spring over riding on 35's. That was HUGE back then. Now 35's are just childs play and the wheel travel I had then was nothing compared to now. Amazing, huh?!?

[JeffX]

.....I do think having some stickier tires then the BFG MT KM's I have now would have helped too.....

I agree.


I suspect Josh is comparing himself to a buggy on 42's :lol:

The left line requires a lot of things - interestingly, rigs with moderate lifts and low gears, lockers, and good tires often have little trouble because the suspension geometry is still good (anti-squat, etc.) and you don't get a lot of unloading or other bad dynamics that will kill a line like that......

All I can say is much respect for all who survived a tough day on the trail.

[JKimmel]

its all a give and take with what you want :) and like anything else its about seat time:thunb:
been on the trail with plenty of very well built rigs that just can't seem to find their way, and vice versa

there are lots and lots of little things you can do to improve your rig, but the first thing is the driver :) just have fun :)

[SCRubicon]

I think there are only 3 things one needs to take the left line on Whale's Tail. And, only one of those things has to do with your rig.

#1 trust in your equipment, #2 faith in your capability behind the wheel and #3 the stones to actually do it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiG2sTUSY-k

[Haku]

No argument from me on that one. Definitely takes some trust in both spotters and your rig to do the harder stuff. I have gotten up it before, and tried for 20 minutes this time, but it kept shutting me down this time. I'm sure I could have gotten up it eventually, but was getting sketched out and not having fun by the end, so I backed off and tried the middle line. No shame in that certainly. I can think of some things that would have helped me be more confident in my rig, but in the end I've seen and heard of smaller rigs then mine getting up, and bigger ones then mine having trouble.

JH

[KnuckleHead]

WOW sucks having a break down like that but am glad that you guys were able to get it fixed and get him off the trail....

Sweet pics... looks like everyone had a great time

[JeffX]

I think there are only 3 things one needs to take the left line on Whale's Tail. And, only one of those things has to do with your rig.

#1 trust in your equipment, #2 faith in your capability behind the wheel and #3 the stones to actually do it.



Nice job.

However, with regard to your list, I would add:

Breakover angle, lockers and the right line.

Failure to keep the tires ion the right line WILL roll you on this one. Faith won't prevent that.

[Funrover]

Nice climb Steve!

[Air Randy]

I think having the 4-1 TC along with an automatic tranny made it a lot easier too. Josh has the equivalent TC gears but with a manual, every time he would pause at the top (just like the Jeep did) he would either roll back or stall. Trying to get started again from that position when you're already feeling tippy is not easy. Lower gears and/or a manual throttle would help a lot in that situation.

[Haku]

hehee......there were probably a few times I tried it where if I had powered through a bit more it would have went, but it felt like every time that I tried it, it either got really tippy, or the nose of my rig would wander towards the abyss. Anyways, soon I'll have a roll cage, and will be more willing to try some of these harder lines with a bit more "commitment". I know the last time I tried it, it felt like it was gonna go and my rear tires were climbing and then it suddenly let go and slid. Eh, I'll get again eventually, and maybe I'll have a few things to make me feel more comfortable.

JH

[Air Randy]

When J walked up it he did the "Moab bump". As soon as his front end started to climb and he new he was on the right line he gassed it before the rear tires contacted the wall face. So he had a little momentum going to help get his front end over the lip and hook up.

In addition to the bender do you have a tube notcher too? When I built my roll cage I bought the $40 unit from HF. It worked OK but you risked your life every time you used it. I recommend you go with something better than the HF unit.

[Haku]

hehee.......I do have one..........but its the HF one. Whats so bad about it? If its really that bad, I might take it back and get something else instead. Haven't used it yet, so don't know for sure. It didn't look much worse then any of the other ones for around the same price, but you can never tell with HF stuff. Looks similar to the "joint jigger" one. Sometimes it works great, others it sucks. The JD2 ones are over 200 bucks, so the price jump is rather distinct.

JH

[Air Randy]

If you have a drill press with a 17" stroke, big enough that you can bolt the notcher to the drill press table and chuck the arbor up into it, it will work OK.

Assuming you don't have DP that big your option is to bolt it to a work bench and chuck a 1/2" drill onto the arbor. Then you have to get up high enough that you can stand over it to get good down pressure and make sure you are strong enough that when the bit binds (and it will) the 1/2" drill doesn't break your wwrist or wind you up around it. I'm not kidding when I say you're taking a risk every time you use it this way. I would break out in a cold sweat every time I knew I was going to have to notch a pipe. As soon as I got my cage done I gave it away to someone and made them sign a release of liability form...........

[Haku]

oh ok, gotcha. Seems like that would be true with any hand drill driven notcher though too. I do want to get drill press, so I'll have to keep that in mind. It says it only needs a 12" clearance, but I'll try to get something a bit taller maybe. I've heard that the cheaper ones deflect a bit, but shouldn't be too bad. Its gonna be a bit before I can afford it one, but its something I'd like to get. Actually thinking about getting one of the 3 in 1 Drill/Mill/Lathe units. Would be useful for a bunch of stuff, but I don't need something that has killer tolerances or takes up a lot of space. We'll see.

JH

[Fordguy77]

cool vids, i hope to make it up there one day