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Jeep 101
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Off-Road Fun: Being Safe and Smart by Ann JobDon't start your off-road experience by charging into the wilderness like a Baja 1000 racer. Experts advise a lot of preparation, an understanding of your vehicle's capabilities and skilled driving techniques.Off-roading doesn't look that hard, does it? Why, all you do is jump into a four-wheel-drive vehicle, steer it into the wilderness, step on the gas and never look back. . . . The real story about off-roading—good, capable, safe off-roading—is far different. Capable off-roading takes skill, knowledge and smarts— about the terrain, about the vehicle, and about you as a driver.Try It, You'll Like It . . . Bob Burns, who has been Land Rover North America's chief off-road instructor for more than ten years, recommends that people interested in going off-road visit a four-wheel-drive club in their area and join the group on some outings before attempting to venture out on their own.Not only will a novice get to observe off-roading with experienced drivers, he or she also will begin to learn how to drive off-road, get advice about vehicles and vehicle capabilities, and hear about good off-road venues in the area, etc.For a more formal experience, consumers can attend Land Rover off- road training classes available year-round at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., and at the Equinox in Manchester, Vt., as well as at some general driving schools.Pack for Emergencies Drivers in a Baja race might be willing to beat up their race vehicles. But most truck and sport-utility owners aren't interested in destroying their personal vehicle during an off-road adventure. Many also are increasingly sensitive to environmental issues, too."Preservation of the vehicle is a key focus," Burns said. "Besides, if something breaks [on your vehicle] out there [while you're off- road], it's going to be a long walk out."Thus, just in case, off-road experts also advise packing basic tools and supplies such as cell phone, gloves, water, a shovel, a flashlight, a tire gauge, food, warm clothes, a sleeping bag and a first aid kit. Make sure your vehicle's jack is on board and you know how to use it.Remember to have lots of fuel, too, since vehicles can burn more fuel, mile for mile, in off-road exercises than they do on smooth highway.And always wear your seat belt.Burns recommends telling people where you are going and when you expect to return, so if you do not return someone will be able to tell authorities where to look for you.Know Your VehicleFour-wheel-drive systems are not all alike. Vehicle gearing differs, too. So do vehicle ground clearances and approach and departure angles.All these variables—as well as the dimensions of your truck or SUV— affect how a vehicle works off-road.Read your owner's manual to learn how your mechanicals work. Test them out in less-rigorous terrain first. For example, get a sense of how low gear operates and what it feels like before you need to rely on it off-road.Work to visualize the dimensions of your vehicle, so you will know whether it's too tall to fit under a tree branch or too wide for a narrow pass.Inspect the vehicle's undercarriage so you know the location of sensitive mechanicals; that knowledge will help you protect them from rock and ground damage.Don't Go It AloneBurns and another lifelong off-roader, Tom Collins, urge off-roaders to travel with others, at least in pairs.In The Authoritative Guide to Compact Sport-Utility Vehicles, published by Land Rover in 1997, they explain that if one vehicle becomes disabled, "the other can assist."You also want a partner who can help "spot" you—someone who gets out of the vehicle at times and provides hand signals to guide you in tight quarters and treacherous situations where it can be difficult for you to see your line.Pick Your Own LineOn off-road trails, it's often tempting to just drive your vehicle on the same tire tracks and ruts as the vehicle that went before you.But you should pick your own line, your own path, which will let you and your vehicle pass with minimal difficulty.Why? "Just because tire tracks went down into that pool of water doesn't mean the vehicle came out. It could still be down in there," Burns says with a laugh.But he's not joking about visualizing and selecting exactly where your vehicle tires should tread when you're off-road. Each vehicle, combined with its driver, has different capabilities and different comfort zones that affect how well both will perform.A Hummer, for example, is wider than a Toyota 4Runner and may need to find a different way to negotiate a tight curve next to a tree. A Ford F-150 4X4 may have enough ground clearance to pass over a large rock on a trail, but a Chevrolet TrailBlazer may find it better to put one tire on the rock and go over it that way. Remember that you want your wheels to be straight as you descend a hill. Otherwise, there's a danger the vehicle could roll over. Slower Is Best Veteran off-roader Daphne Greene, who operates an off-road instruction school called Twende out of Ross, Calif., shares with her students some sage advice: When off-road, "drive as slow as possible, as fast as necessary."The point is it can be very easy at high speed to get into trouble off-road—maybe by plunging over a hilltop without seeing what's on the other side, maybe by rolling willy-nilly into unstable soil or mud, maybe by flooding the engine by splashing headlong into a pit of water that is just too deep.By driving slowly, a driver has a chance to observe the conditions coming up and consider whether the area is safe and what driving techniques and vehicle gearing is needed.Besides, as Burns says, if you go too slow and don't make it up the hill the first time, you can back down and still try again. But if you race up and over a hill smack into a rock on other side, you may have damaged your vehicle and ended your off-road adventure for the day. Or worse.Off-road expert Tom Sheppard puts it another way in his 1999 book Off- Roader Driving: "Good off-road driving is achieved with the minimum of drama. Huge water splashes, spinning wheels and flying clods of earth are rarely necessary."Use Engine BrakingBurns contends that many mishaps—off-road and on—occur as drivers are too quick to stab the brake pedal.Brakes can destabilize a vehicle, send it skidding as wheels lock up on downhill slopes, for example.Smart off-roaders learn to use engine braking as a way to control those downhill speeds and minimizing the need for brakes.And with more electronics in today's vehicles, some new models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, can be had with Hill Descent Control (HDC)—electronic braking programmed specifically for off-road conditions.But remember: Never go down a hill with the clutch pedal pressed or the vehicle in neutral. You have no engine braking at all under these circumstances. In addition, if you do start to skid when going down a very steep hill, don't use the brake. Instead, apply a little gas and steer in the direction that the rear wheels are skidding.Proper Hand PositionsDon't rest your hand on your gearshift lever when you're off-road. An abrupt bump could jar your hand and inadvertently force the lever into another gear.Also, don't curl your thumbs around the steering wheel. If the vehicle hits something hard and the steering wheel moves sharply to one direction, your thumbs could be injured.And remember that most steering inputs off-road are slight. You shouldn't need to be working the steering wheel aggressively. Rather, try to steer—as well as brake and use the throttle—gently and smoothly.No Time Clock in the OutbackDon't go off-road if you're pinched for time. Off-roading should be at a more easygoing pace.Sometimes, for example, you will want to get out of your vehicle to examine and touch the soil ahead, grab a stick and measure just how deep that upcoming bog is, etc.You don't want any pressing deadlines forcing you to make rash decisions out in the wilderness. The same thing goes if you begin to feel fatigued. Fatigue can lead to poor decision-making.It's best to stop and rest, get refreshed, before carrying on.Developing TechniquePractice is a wonderful teacher for off-road driving. The more exposure you have and the more experience, the better you will become.And as your memory bank of experiences fills, you will be able to recall different techniques that worked well in different situations and begin to select them.Lastly, when you're out there, remember there is always the option of not going down a specific path or route if you are not comfortable."There's nothing wrong with saying, 'That's not the way to go today, maybe I'll do it another day,'" Burns said.
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The Science of Fording by Ron Tyrie, II Jeeps since the beginning of production have been built as capable off-road vehicles. When the US military first put out the call to automotive manufacturers for a vehicle to replace the horse, they gave many guidelines that had to be incorporated into the design. The vehicle had to do many things and it had to have certain equipment. The vehicle had to be four wheel drive, it had to weigh less than a certain amount, it had to have so much horsepower, and it had to be able to traverse streams nearly equivalent to what a pack mule could do. American Bantam answered the call with Willy’s bringing its example to bear shortly thereafter. War production military Jeeps had an interesting device designed to aid the vehicle to cross deep streams without fear of damage to drive train components. Whenever a GI was presented with a deep body of water that had to be negotiated, he had a lever on his Jeep’s dash that simply read pull for fording. What this lever did was introduce a slight positive pressure on the front-end, transmission, transfer case, and rear-end that would not allow water in. In extreme applications such as amphibious assaults where the Jeep may find itself totally submerged in water, mechanics would coat the entire engine with grease mixed with asbestos fibers shielding the ignition system and other electrical components from failure. To make a long story short, as long as the engine could get air, Eugene’s namesake could practically swim.When Willy’s decided to introduce the M38 into civilian production with the designation CJ, the fording option was nixed. The reason for its removal was due to the possibility that the lever would not be returned to its original position once it was no longer needed. The engineers rightfully feared that if this valve were kept open, positive pressure would eject lubricants past the seals resulting in worse damage than what would have occurred if a little water got into the system. As a compromise designers kept the Jeep in a configuration where it could accommodate conquering a “reasonable” amount of the wet stuff. However, reasonable to them was water level not exceeding the centerline of the hub.Maintenance and Prepping for "Unreasonable Fun" According to the May 1995 issue of Fourwheeler magazine, engineers state that the Jeep Wrangler (YJ) in stock configuration is rated to ford 19 inches of water at a top speed of 5 mph. While 19 inches isn’t all that bad for a stock Jeep especially if you consider that with the addition of a 4” lift + 33” tires, the Jeep can now ford up to 26”. Regardless of that, how did the engineers come up with this figure in the first place? Basically, they calculate the lowest possible point of water entry that has the potential for mechanical damage. One could fill a book with all pertinent information regarding waterproofing. Due to time and space restraints, I’ll do my best to inform on some basic points that could possibly inspire some brainstorming. Purely as an example, let’s say I have a newly lifted 1993 Jeep Wrangler equipped with a manual transmission and a four cylinder. Ok, the next thing that I personally want to do is equip it for what I consider to be reasonable water fording capabilities. Starting at the front and working my way back, I notice that my good ole Dana 30 front-end has its vent tube extending nearly to the top of my radiator. I don’t plan on water to rise above my headlights, so for the time being, I’d say that it’s good to go. The next thing that draws my attention as I’m working my way to the rear is the engine’s air intake. Extending from the intake’s air filter box is a trumpet shaped device. The minimum that I would do here is remove the trumpet, and install a K&N air-filter. The reason I personally like the K&N is that it will continue to hold its form and filtering capabilities even after it is drenched with water. A standard paper filter just can’t compete with that. However, in the case of the “example Jeep” I’m going to go ahead and install Turbo City’s air-filter relocation kit and have the air taken in above my engine’s valve cover. Ok, now on to the transmission, hmm, on to the transmission. Wait a minute! Where is my transmission’s vent tube? Searching by hand I find the transmission’s vent is right in front of my shifter. There is no tube connected to it, only a tiny cap that fits loosely. There is a vent tube that runs along the side of my transmission, but that is for my transfer case. I think that all I’ll need here is to pry the small cap off, get a small section of 5/16” fuel line and a three-way tee in order to just attach the transmission vent to the transfer-case vent which finds itself high and dry on the top of the firewall. Taking my section of new vent line, I place it over the vent, not forgetting to use a small hose clamp of zip tie to hold it tight. Next I’ll cut the transfer case’s vent at a point where the new section of line will reach it and connect all three ends to the tee. The only thing left now on my drive train is the rear end, and similar to the front it already has a vent line, which extends high into the Jeep’s fender.Interior modifications and other things to consider: The thing to keep in mind when you are planning to delve into water is to expect for a little H2O to enter the vehicle. Water can get in from many different places from the doors all the way to the shifter boots. Simple planning can prepare your vehicle to be filled with water and still not interfere with the normal functions of your Jeep. The first thing to do if you find that your Jeep always gets water inside during a trail ride is to remove all the carpeting. The reason for this is that combined with a soft top and the Florida heat, mildew can easily develop making your Jeep smell rather foul. Not to mention mud is extremely difficult to vacuum out. Once the carpet is removed, the “body plugs” become exposed. These plugs cover up holes in the body whose sole purpose is to eject standing water. Removing these plugs is sort of a double-edged sword. By removing them, water is expelled efficiently. However, while driving in rainy conditions one quickly finds that water can enter through these holes in a fashion reminiscent of the “Old Faithful” geyser. Shifter boots are another location where water can find its way into your trusty steed. The best way to ensure that this does not occur is to make sure that the shifter boots are free of tears and in as good of a condition as new. Another benefit of a good shifter boot is that it will prevent any more heat from entering the vehicle. Damage to electronic equipment in Jeeps can become costly. So, plan ahead and keep your CB up and off of the floorboard. Also, if you have an aftermarket ECM, make sure to keep it clear of any water intrusion. While handheld GPSs are convenient, they can also find themselves in certain locations where they can become exposed to the elements, so make sure that they are stowed in a location that will keep them out of harm’s way. Lastly, here in Florida, water is usually combined with a bottom consisting of mud. So make sure to keep your momentum going and lock those hubs in before you go in. Nothing is worse than falling into a giant puddle while trying to turn that lock-in on the hubs.
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All Things Considered by Ron Tyrie, II The items one would bring for a trip to a place like Tellico varies upon the level of trail that one wishes to partake in. The time of year the trip will take place also has an effect on the packed items. However, given the trip coming up, we will concentrate on a June outing.A good place to look for what to bring would be your “Safety List”. This list is included in your membership packet and is chock full of useful items that have the potential to come in handy. The way in which these items are stored does become critical, given the constant camber changes of trail, and the remote possibility of a rollover. The best way to view the items that are in your Jeep is to think of anything that is not tied down as a potential projectile. There are countless hours of video in circulation of vehicles both rolling over completely and tipping further than they ever have before resulting in the ejection of items that have found their way to the Jeep’s floor. While being pelted with your own litter is a minor embarrassment, spare parts such as driveline components can be downright dangerous to the vehicles occupants. Provisions for item security is a subjective issue. The method for storage space depends greatly upon the number of passengers the Jeep will be having. If the vehicle is going to have back seat passengers, fender mounted storage boxes and a behind the back seat box becomes a necessity. The purchase of these items can initially be costly, in the long run; it is impossible to put a price limit of safety. The thing to keep in mind is that once you have entered the ORV area, places to get more supplies such as fuel and food are rather far away. While it is not really necessary to bring 30 gallons of fuel on the ride, it is a very good idea to top off your fuel tank before hitting the trail. Many people will not use more than a quarter tank of fuel throughout the day, but it is always a good idea to have enough fuel to be prepared. Given the potential of breakage in Tellico and the unpredictability of the mountain weather, it is best to plan for a worst-case scenario. A cooler filled with food and beverage that can last for well past dinnertime is almost a must. Nothing would be worse than being hungry and thirsty standing next to a broke down Jeep late into the night. The weather up north can be both beautiful and nasty all at once. Even though daytime temperatures will be around 70-80 degrees during the day, if the group has a late return from several hours of climbing (alt) 2, and school bus all in one day, the drive home in the dark with the top down will be downright chilly. A long sleeve shirt or nylon windbreaker will not take up much space, and will keep you warm enough to be comfortable for the trip back to the hotel.The last issue I will mention that is not on our Safety List is spare parts. It would be impossible to make a list for every Jeep that will be there. Weak links on a vehicle varies greatly depending on the amount of power the engine provides, and the modifications the vehicle has. Universal joints are a good idea, but for the sake of time on the trail, it is best to bring full assemblies of drive shafts and front axles. The other items to bring are fully subjective to the individual.The last items to bring would be cameras, spare film, and spare batteries. Also, do not forget to bring an appreciation of the area and the fact that places like this are still open for travel.
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