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Our trip out West with open diffs

fat_head

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Well it's official... we are moving out to Utah.
My wife's health was exponentially better in the dry arid climate so we are heading back in January to see what winter is like and this time we are making a bed in the back of the Jeep and driving straight through. We are selling our flower shop and my company is cool with me working from home. If you know of anyone in the Raleigh NC area looking to buy a small flower shop let me know :)
This time next year, Lord willing, we will be out there!!!
Utah is a great place to visit. It sucks to live there if you aren't Mormon.
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mgroeger

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Utah is a great place to visit. It sucks to live there if you aren't Mormon.
LOL!
Well they're nice at least... I think. Shhhh... don't tell anyone but we are those weirdo Christians so I'm ready for battle, lol.
 

D60

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Actually if you just keep your cool the Mormons will leave you alone.

It really only sucks if you like good alcohol, what with their State run liquor stores. I don't really drink anymore, so don't much care. Plenty of people bring in good craft beers from CO although I heard it is technically illegal (perhaps urban legend)
 

fat_head

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Actually if you just keep your cool the Mormons will leave you alone.

It really only sucks if you like good alcohol, what with their State run liquor stores. I don't really drink anymore, so don't much care. Plenty of people bring in good craft beers from CO although I heard it is technically illegal (perhaps urban legend)
They don’t leave you alone though. They dominate state and local politics. Public events are often held at local Wards. They permeate public schools. There is literally no escaping them.

And that’s fine with me. Their state their rules which is why I left Utah.
 

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mgroeger

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They don’t leave you alone though. They dominate state and local politics. Public events are often held at local Wards. They permeate public schools. There is literally no escaping them.

And that’s fine with me. Their state their rules which is why I left Utah.
Let's not turn my thread into a political discussion please :)
 

Stingrey

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Thank you for sharing your experiences on the trip with all of us.
Those are some fantastic photos and videos.

This thread reassures me that my JLUS is all the Jeep I should ever need. Like you, I have also been thinking about adding a rear locker, mainly for the slippery weather we get. Have you done any research on them and if so what are your conclusions...i.e. what type might you choose?
Feel free to PM if you prefer.
 
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mgroeger

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Thank you for sharing your experiences on the trip with all of us.
Those are some fantastic photos and videos.

This thread reassures me that my JLUS is all the Jeep I should ever need. Like you, I have also been thinking about adding a rear locker, mainly for the slippery weather we get. Have you done any research on them and if so what are your conclusions...i.e. what type might you choose?
Feel free to PM if you prefer.
Thanks!! Personally I would only use a rear locker or even front locker off road. I had a Detroit Locker in the rear of my '04 LJ and HATED it. They are an auto locker which means they lock whenever torque is applied and then free spool on turns. I tell you this because I know what it feels like to drive a locker on the street and it sucks especially in wet conditions when turning. So if you aren't getting the locker for the sole purpose of off roading then instead get yourself a LSD (limited slip differential) and you will be much happier on road and they perform very well off road.

When the time comes for a locker we will either do an Eaton electric locker or an ARB air locker. The electric locker does not require a compressor and is therefore a little cheaper where as the ARB locker does require a compressor so there is that added expense but then you have an onboard compressor for airing up tires, etc...

I have an Eaton E locker in my '04 LJ up front and I really like it, my rear diff is now open sans Detroit Locker... want to buy a Detroit? hehehe.

If you are going with a locker you really should upgrade your rear shafts as well to Chromoly ones. The strain that a locker puts on the shaft will increase especially if you are running 35s. It really comes down to how hard you will off road and then build based on that. The reality is we should have bought a Rubi because it would have had everything we needed BUT we had no idea at the time we'd wheel this hard.
The JLs have a great powerful transfer case and the BLD really works pretty well and getting traction to the gripping wheels. Nothing beats lockers but the JL definitely is capable with open diffs.
 

RangerRobAZ

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Thanks for sharing your trip. I’m new to off roading so seeing what your Jeep could do on trails that I find horrifying was really great to see.
 

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We only had a day in Sedona, I wish we could have done more. Schnebly hill SUCKS, the views are amazing but the road SUCKS. Even aired down and disco'd it was a VERY annoying ride. Something like 12 miles of never ending bouncing with no technical obstacles at all. Were it not a badge trail I don't know that we would have done it.
Wow, I had the opposite experience. Broken arrow is over crowded and not that interesting (aside from the staircase which is way more terrifying than pics/vids reflect). Climbing Schnebly hill and looking down on the vistas of Sedona is one of my favorite memories of wheeling that area. Different strokes I guess. Looks like an epic trip. Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 
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mgroeger

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Thanks for sharing your trip. I’m new to off roading so seeing what your Jeep could do on trails that I find horrifying was really great to see.
Take a day and shoot up to Sedona and run Broken arrow. You don't need to run the difficult part and it will give you a great learning experience :)
 
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mgroeger

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Wow, I had the opposite experience. Broken arrow is over crowded and not that interesting (aside from the staircase which is way more terrifying than pics/vids reflect). Climbing Schnebly hill and looking down on the vistas of Sedona is one of my favorite memories of wheeling that area. Different strokes I guess. Looks like an epic trip. Congrats and thanks for sharing!
I must admit it was very bizarre, we expected to have crowds on all the trails from Broken Arrow to Hell's Revenge and they were literally empty. Broken Arrow had those stupid pink Jeeps all over it but there were no jam ups at all.
Agree... pics and vids never capture the true challenge of an object. That staircase was a heck of a lot of fun!
 

mtnbikeracer76

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Love the pictures. Want to do a trip like that in the future.
 

DenaliDan

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Great thread! That's the type of adventure I bought a Jeep for. I mean, it's one thing to go to a off-road park and prop your wheel up on a rock and a completely different thing to take the road less traveled to take in truly beautiful scenes and see parts of the world you couldn't see otherwise. Sure wish I still lived in the Southwest but it's only a couple day's drive. Been out a few times recently but before I bought the Jeep. Never enough vacation time to see/do everything.
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