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Request for Advice - Rock, Mud and Slope

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Capt. Don

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Another option, modify the obstacle. Stack rocks or branches.
Yes, this is a good point. In this specific instance it was too steep to get anything in front of the rock to stay put.
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Capt. Don

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So did you have the wheel on the front and rear axle with the least traction spinning?



At least you don't have a FAD to provide a brake point when sending it. But sending it against a vertical face is a bad idea, even without a FAD.

According to the news, you better get MT's and a generator.
HaHa. Yes, your last line strikes home. No electricity after Hurricane Fiona so we are running our Honda generator. 6 days on generator now running it for about 18 out of 24 hours each day, mainly to maintain frozen and refrigerated food. No wifi, internet, air conditioning but some lighting and fans are nice at night. Gasoline is a problem. 5 of 6 stations yesterday closed and 30 minutes to 4 hour waits. But electric line repair crews are just a few miles away now so things are looking up. Jeeps are such a great vehicle after this kind of a disaster. We helped neighbors with normal cars to join us in ‘Big Blue’ to get out past fallen trees and flooded roads for their gasoline for generators and food. Elderly here without generators are eating cold food out of cans now. My wife, who is a culinary angel, has been using our gas camp stove to prepare hot meals and distribute them in Big Blue each day to a few of them. Many more out there but we try to do what we can.
 
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Capt. Don

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HaHa. Yes, your last line strikes home. No electricity after Hurricane Fiona so we are running our Honda generator. 6 days on generator now running it for about 18 out of 24 hours each day, mainly to maintain frozen and refrigerated food. No wifi, internet, air conditioning but some lighting and fans are nice at night. Gasoline is a problem. 5 of 6 stations yesterday closed and 30 minutes to 4 hour waits. But electric line repair crews are just a few miles away now so things are looking up. Jeeps are such a great vehicle after this kind of a disaster. We helped neighbors with normal cars to join us in ‘Big Blue’ to get out past fallen trees and flooded roads for their gasoline for generators and food. Elderly here without generators are eating cold food out of cans now. My wife, who is a culinary angel, has been using our gas camp stove to prepare hot meals and distribute them in Big Blue each day to a few of them. Many more out there but we try to do what we can.
A small tree came down on Big Blue in the heavy rain and winds after Fiona passed. I took this picture at 0400 and then had friends hold the tree up while I moved Big Blue. I expected a dented hood and scratched paint but with sunrise I checked it out. Incredibly, no damage and no scratches. The tree must have come down very softly.

FE9EEB04-BFA4-4159-9A35-C24DBD15B2AF.jpeg


8A7B5285-4AFD-42DF-B56D-0462AFDBE43E.jpeg
 
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Capt. Don

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JOE, a question for you. Your avatar shows a white JL with Rubicon wheels (JLR?) on level ground but climbing a rock similar to the rock I was attempting on a muddy slope. Were your lockers front and rear on in 4-Low and sway bar disconnected for that photo? Or did you get up there based on traction from the other three wheels without front locker on?
 

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We'll second or third all the comments about airing down and disconnecting your sway bar, those two tricks will go a long ways in helping get you through trails. Another tool that could comes in handy are a set of recovery boards.

A couple items that will help with the above:
Air Deflators
Rock Jock Tire Deflator:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...60200-101-rockjock-elite-analog-tire-deflator

Bull Dog Auto Deflators:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...8-bulldog-winch-automatic-tire-deflators-4pcs

TeraFlex Air Deflators:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/tire-accessories/4807200-teraflex-air-deflators

Quick Disconnect kit
TeraFlex Quick Disconnect:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...quick-disconnect-w-swivel-stud-kit-pair-0-4in

Rock Krawler Disconnect:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/disconnects/rk07331k-rock-krawler-gen-ii-front-disconnects

Recovery Boards
ARB TRED Recovery Boards:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...dprobu-arb-tred-pro-recovery-boards-blue-pair
 
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Capt. Don

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JOE, a question for you. Your avatar shows a white JL with Rubicon wheels (JLR?) on level ground but climbing a rock similar to the rock I was attempting on a muddy slope. Were your lockers front and rear on in 4-Low and sway bar disconnected for that photo? Or did you get up there based on traction from the other three wheels without front locker on?
Another way to ask this question, if like me, you climbed that rock in 4-L, ESC off but BLD always on with a mechanical anti-spin rear axle? Or were you in Rubicon mode, sway bar disconnected, 4-L, both lockers on?
 
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Capt. Don

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We'll second or third all the comments about airing down and disconnecting your sway bar, those two tricks will go a long ways in helping get you through trails. Another tool that could comes in handy are a set of recovery boards.

A couple items that will help with the above:
Air Deflators
Rock Jock Tire Deflator:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...60200-101-rockjock-elite-analog-tire-deflator

Bull Dog Auto Deflators:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...8-bulldog-winch-automatic-tire-deflators-4pcs

TeraFlex Air Deflators:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/tire-accessories/4807200-teraflex-air-deflators

Quick Disconnect kit
TeraFlex Quick Disconnect:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...quick-disconnect-w-swivel-stud-kit-pair-0-4in

Rock Krawler Disconnect:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/disconnects/rk07331k-rock-krawler-gen-ii-front-disconnects

Recovery Boards
ARB TRED Recovery Boards:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...dprobu-arb-tred-pro-recovery-boards-blue-pair
Thank you. I will enjoy looking at each.
 

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JOE, a question for you. Your avatar shows a white JL with Rubicon wheels (JLR?) on level ground but climbing a rock similar to the rock I was attempting on a muddy slope. Were your lockers front and rear on in 4-Low and sway bar disconnected for that photo? Or did you get up there based on traction from the other three wheels without front locker on?
M1 (manual 1st, otherwise it climbs in 2nd), front/rear lockers on. I think I forgot to disconnect the sway bar. One thing I miss is manual hubs and manual sway bar disconnect. I'm guessing it's much harder to crawl a rock when the wheel isn't pulling and you need to be pushed up.

That's my Avatar because soon after the pic was taken I got a nasty letter from the Seattle city threating huge fines for parking on a non-impervious surface. Something that would never happen in HI or PR.

HaHa. Yes, your last line strikes home. No electricity after Hurricane Fiona so we are running our Honda generator. 6 days on generator now running it for about 18 out of 24 hours each day, mainly to maintain frozen and refrigerated food. No wifi, internet, air conditioning but some lighting and fans are nice at night. Gasoline is a problem. 5 of 6 stations yesterday closed and 30 minutes to 4 hour waits. But electric line repair crews are just a few miles away now so things are looking up. Jeeps are such a great vehicle after this kind of a disaster. We helped neighbors with normal cars to join us in ‘Big Blue’ to get out past fallen trees and flooded roads for their gasoline for generators and food. Elderly here without generators are eating cold food out of cans now. My wife, who is a culinary angel, has been using our gas camp stove to prepare hot meals and distribute them in Big Blue each day to a few of them. Many more out there but we try to do what we can.
I've always been a generator freak and have lived off grid for months at a time. I've owned 8 generators at a time in the past. When we lost power in Seattle around xmas for a week, I'd turn off the quiet Honda 2.1 kW gen about 7 PM and switch to LA batteries and inverter. I'd run a loud 10 HP in the day to power 4 fridges/2 freezer, 2 gas dryers, 2 WM, 2 DW in the duplex

When living off grid I always created ice batteries when the big generator was running (milk jug in the freezer) and moved the ice battery to the fridge at night.
 
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Lockers and a sway bar disconnect aren't getting you up a slick muddy hill. If that HT has an LSDz that was beneficial but biggest issue is traction.
I think that you are right on traction. So, that puts Mud-Terrains and air down appropriately at the top of the list. The High Tide has the Dana 44s and 4.56 gears. But without lockers, using LSD in the rear (mechanical) and BSD front and rear. The third time up the hill in 4-L, ESC off, the tires were completely loaded but still made it up the mud slope at low speed, all four wheels working. That was impressive. I could keep the left tire at the rock face but couldn’t get enough traction to climb it. M/Ts and air down, good advice.
 

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I think that you are right on traction. So, that puts Mud-Terrains and air down appropriately at the top of the list. The High Tide has the Dana 44s and 4.56 gears. But without lockers, using LSD in the rear (mechanical) and BSD front and rear. The third time up the hill in 4-L, ESC off, the tires were completely loaded but still made it up the mud slope at low speed, all four wheels working. That was impressive. I could keep the left tire at the rock face but couldn’t get enough traction to climb it. M/Ts and air down, good advice.
May or may not help in the situation, but sometimes two foot driving can help smooth the transition between go and slow (apply the brakes while you are still in throttle), keeping the sudden brake transition to cause you to loose all momentum. The resistance allows the trans to keep transmitting torque lower instead of reverting to coast.
 

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As others have said, aired down MTs are going to way outperform those KO2s in that type of situation. But also, and this is controversial and tricky, speed. If, even with proper tires, you can't get up slowly, you need to add speed - and not wheel speed - but vehicle speed. As always, a judgement call on if it's wise in a particular situation, but sometimes a little momentum goes a long way. Obviously this increases the risk of breaking things if overdone, but backing up and adding a little speed, and a little more, and a little more until you clear the obstacle can help on muddy climbs. I tend to be really conservative with vehicle speed and go slower, but there is definitely something to be said for momentum - within reason.

However, before that, I 100% recommend MTs instead of KO2s. PR's got to be way too wet for KO2s to be reliably hooking up and you're going to struggle more than you'll enjoy, more than likely IMO. Any decent MT will outperform KO2s in that environment.
 
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I think that you are right on traction. So, that puts Mud-Terrains and air down appropriately at the top of the list. The High Tide has the Dana 44s and 4.56 gears. But without lockers, using LSD in the rear (mechanical) and BSD front and rear. The third time up the hill in 4-L, ESC off, the tires were completely loaded but still made it up the mud slope at low speed, all four wheels working. That was impressive. I could keep the left tire at the rock face but couldn’t get enough traction to climb it. M/Ts and air down, good advice.
Sway bar disconnect is the third thing on my list from listening to everyone. It was a steep climb for just one wheel.
My son hauls traction mats in his AEV JKUR and Northridge recommended those also. I am going to look into those. Good input from everyone. Thank you.
 
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May or may not help in the situation, but sometimes two foot driving can help smooth the transition between go and slow (apply the brakes while you are still in throttle), keeping the sudden brake transition to cause you to loose all momentum. The resistance allows the trans to keep transmitting torque lower instead of reverting to coast.
Good technique to consider. Thanks for the input.
 
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Sway bar disconnect is the third thing on my list from listening to everyone. It was a steep climb for just one wheel.
My son hauls traction mats in his AEV JKUR and Northridge recommended those also. I am going to look into those. Good input from everyone. Thank you.
He also has a high lift Jack mounted on his rear AEV bumper. On flat ground I have seen him jack up the truck to get some good size rocks under a wheel and build a slope as some suggested here also. I like that technique on flat to moderate slope. But this specific slope is beyond that.
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