First trail ride tomorrow...advice!

[noloc45]

Hey guys/gals!

You all have been extremely helpful since last year when I joined and helped me buy my Rubicon.

Tomorrow I hit my first trail at the Ocala National Forest.

I just want some first time pointers!!

My Setup....

1. Avenza offroad map
2. 12k Winch
3. Gloves
4. Shovel
5. Traction Boards
6. Emergency Med Kit
7. Recovery Strap + Tree Saver + Snatch Block
8. Cooler with water and sandwiches
9. Seal Pup knife
10. Tire Inflator

....I think thats all

Any recommendations?

I keep hearing about airing down the tires and such...Im not 100% educated on that. I have the stock 33s on 17x9 rims. How long can I air down?

Should I be on 4H at all times? What if there are turns? Can I turn while in 4H/4L if its dirty/rock roads?

Any help and suggestions...!! Oh and Ill be riding with a friend who will be in his 4x4 Tacoma

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[81ster]

11. Toilet paper

Seriously be careful airing down to much on the 33.. maybe 22 max if needed at all..

 

[ToolMan514]

Did you pre-tension your winch line? Airing down will depend on the terrain, but will also smooth out your ride. Don't go below 20 psi unless you're stuck. Use 4H at your discretion. If this is your first time really wheeling your Rubicon, you should play around with different settings to know how they work and be comfortable using them.

If you have a partner in your vehicle, talk to them about what you're doing and why. Sometimes it helps to have someone remind you "hey, you're lockers aren't on" or "your sway bar reconnected after that last leg, do you want it off again?" It's hard to keep track of everything and enjoy the ride at the same time!

Stick together off road. Don't get out of view range of the other vehicles, especially if you're the leader.

And remember to show that Taco what your Rubicon can really do!

 

[noloc45]

Did you pre-tension your winch line? Airing down will depend on the terrain, but will also smooth out your ride. Don't go below 20 psi unless you're stuck. Use 4H at your discretion. If this is your first time really wheeling your Rubicon, you should play around with different settings to know how they work and be comfortable using them.

If you have a partner in your vehicle, talk to them about what you're doing and why. Sometimes it helps to have someone remind you "hey, you're lockers aren't on" or "your sway bar reconnected after that last leg, do you want it off again?" It's hard to keep track of everything and enjoy the ride at the same time!

Stick together off road. Don't get out of view range of the other vehicles, especially if you're the leader.

And remember to show that Taco what your Rubicon can really do!

I hope he gets stuck so I can pull him out lol

He has all the neat 4x4 features on his Tacoma though, so I dont think he will have any issues.

I did pretension the winch linch. Wrapped the line around a tree and back Rubi up and began spooling while in "N"...

Ive put into 4H a few times, never in 4L. I dont know what to expect in Ocala, just looking for a few pointers.

 

[noloc45]

Aww man, that Avenza map is not what I thought it was. Anyone know of a good offline GPS map?

 

[Jabarsetti]

I hope he gets stuck so I can pull him out lol

He has all the neat 4x4 features on his Tacoma though, so I dont think he will have any issues.

I did pretension the winch linch. Wrapped the line around a tree and back Rubi up and began spooling while in "N"...

Ive put into 4H a few times, never in 4L. I dont know what to expect in Ocala, just looking for a few pointers.

I'm not an expert on the trails by any means, but my advice would be find a parking lot and practice putting it into 4L the first few times its a pretty hard pull until you figure it out. I grew up with 4 on the floor and my last few trucks before the Jeep were all electronic 4x4's so it took a few times to get the movement down. I've never have been in a situation where I've needed 4L but I've played around with it on some lite trails and Forest service roads.

 

[XJ-99]

Perhaps try Gaia maps?

https://www.gaiagps.com/

 

[JimLee]

Aww man, that Avenza map is not what I thought it was. Anyone know of a good offline GPS map?

Gaia. Requires subscription to download maps though, worth it IMO.

 

[ToolMan514]

Do you have the 8.4" UConnect? It won't show off-road trails, but it can save your route and show breadcrumbs.

In 4L, you will never get past about 20 mph, so keep that in mind. It's good for obstacles, but not for travelling. Like others have said, practice where you can control it. 4L makes distinct clunking noises, and so do the lockers. It's important for you to know what those noises sound like in normal circumstances, before you go off road and wonder what they all are! The Rubicon e-lockers disengage when you shut the Jeep off, so that's extra noises to get used to. Don't try to turn the Jeep in 4L if you're not on dirt or gravel, you can cause a lot of damage.

Oh, and you should add something to clean up minor spills to your kit. At very least a roll of paper towels and a garbage bag.

 

[Roky]

Hey guys/gals!

You all have been extremely helpful since last year when I joined and helped me buy my Rubicon.

Tomorrow I hit my first trail at the Ocala National Forest.

I just want some first time pointers!!

My Setup....

1. Avenza offroad map
2. 12k Winch
3. Gloves
4. Shovel
5. Traction Boards
6. Emergency Med Kit
7. Recovery Strap + Tree Saver + Snatch Block
8. Cooler with water and sandwiches
9. Seal Pup knife
10. Tire Inflator

....I think thats all

Any recommendations?

I keep hearing about airing down the tires and such...Im not 100% educated on that. I have the stock 33s on 17x9 rims. How long can I air down?

Should I be on 4H at all times? What if there are turns? Can I turn while in 4H/4L if its dirty/rock roads?

Any help and suggestions...!! Oh and Ill be riding with a friend who will be in his 4x4 Tacoma

Hey bud,
Sounds like you are getting some great advice here already. If you’re gonna be in a state park or national forest the trails should be numbered or named and will show up on your unconnect under view maps. Don’t worry to much about airing down, not that important on trails here in Florida, I’d set your air pressure at 30 psi and you’ll be fine. Stay in 2 wd until you need 4 wd, because it’s just a pull of the lever away and you can shift any time up to 50 mph. You’ll be surprised how far you can go in 2wd in a Jeep. You’ll be fine, listen to the guys you’re going with, I’m assuming at least one of them has experience. And let me know how it is out there, I’m only 45 minutes from where you’re going but I haven’t run that trail yet. Main thing is be careful and have fun...

 

[Ravager]

In case of rollover, keep all hands and arms inside jeep.

 

[WXman]

Best advice I can give a rookie is to stay in your comfort zone. Don't do anything that scares you. Remember, it's your Jeep and your wellbeing on the line. Don't let peer pressure or a bad spotter cause you to make a mistake. Just take it easy, enjoy yourself, soak up the trails, and with time you'll quickly become a seasoned pro.

 

[noloc45]

Do you have the 8.4" UConnect? It won't show off-road trails, but it can save your route and show breadcrumbs.

In 4L, you will never get past about 20 mph, so keep that in mind. It's good for obstacles, but not for travelling. Like others have said, practice where you can control it. 4L makes distinct clunking noises, and so do the lockers. It's important for you to know what those noises sound like in normal circumstances, before you go off road and wonder what they all are! The Rubicon e-lockers disengage when you shut the Jeep off, so that's extra noises to get used to. Don't try to turn the Jeep in 4L if you're not on dirt or gravel, you can cause a lot of damage.

Oh, and you should add something to clean up minor spills to your kit. At very least a roll of paper towels and a garbage bag.

I dont have 8.4...7in only...errr

 

[Roky]

I dont have 8.4...7in only...errr

If you have smart phone ,ipad, computer or equivalent you can bring up where your going in google earth, punch in where your going and print out a map of the area, that’s what we usually do before we go out, even though I have unconnect maps, it’s always good to have hard copy.

 

[D60]

I ran 14-16 (shooting for 15) on the stock 33's in Moab and was very pleased.

Shoved the tires up against some situations and didn't lose a bead.

Don't bother w fancy expensive tools. Grab a valve core tool and then just carry some spare cores (cheap) in case you should drop one. Have a decent gauge and just keep checking it w the core out.

I've done this for years and almost always finish all 4 before the guys w expensive deflators.

Not that this shot has all that much to do w tire pressure but this is "The Intimidator" after Easter Egg Hill on Flat Iron Mesa...just to prove I was out 'wheeling *something* Nothing ever looks like much in pics anyhow. But seriously 15 was great. If it was a 15" wheel like the days of old I woulda gone more 11-12 on a lightweight rig like this

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