Texans did Tellico. Or maybe it was visa versa, LOL. :D

I promised not to do the writeup since I already have before, so I'll leave as quick as I can here and leave the real trip article to the others - but it's hard not to say something when you're as talky as I am :)
Http://www.fototime.com/54646B865F07FFC/standard.jpg


======================
( Cue organ music chord from an old Vincent Price horror movie )
THIS is Guardrail. No picture could ever capture the obstacle's terror; and Yes, we did it (down, not up). I'd prefer leaving impressions of Guardrail in a reply to this thread from Michael and MuddWhore. Like I said, I want to hear what others think now that they have seen this place. Don't lose the scale in that photo. The dark space gap below the ledge in the photo is four feet deep. Welcome to Telliico.

http://www.fototime.com/6DF5B9BD7B9FE70/standard.jpg

Starting the weekend:
I followed Michael's spotting. :(
http://www.fototime.com/368BAFDCCF55216/standard.jpg
So I spotted for Michael :D
http://www.fototime.com/D2D3DDE0B87B898/standard.jpg

Arrival:
Randall's MuddWhore ripped out both of his radius arm bushings on both sides of his new Dana44 solid axle swap, I crashed in my right side rocker panel (I have rocksliders but haven't installed them yet, oops, stupid!) and passenger door panel, Michael got body damage on doors and rockers on both sides, and we hadn't even aired down yet :D

Just kidding, but barely. This trip was typcal Tellico once again. I have yet to come here without returning home damaged. I am probably forgetting several whoops, but as I recall:


Randall(MuddWhore); both radius arm bushings grenaded, rear quarterpanel plied out, Ox Locker neutralled, BFG sidewall ripped open.
Michael; body damage both sides on both doors and rocker panels.
Herc; rocker panel and door damage on right side and major damage to front crossmember: probably requiring cutting torch removal of crossmember and reinstall of new one on frame. :(


Welcome to Tellico :eek: . And we still have stockers wanting to come here. :rolleyes: But hey that's other's calls on this thread for opinions.

It was great to get a t-shirt and become an offical Texas Wheelin' Demon (Ziegenbocks!!!) and I appreciate the hospitality of Michael and Randall who came here to my new digs and made me feel at home instead of them. Josh Adams joined us Sunday and it was a true pleasure to meet yet another quality member of this website and a person I am proud to call a friend.

I'd like to leave Josh to answer this thread and post his thoughts concerning Tellico for stockers; he joined us Sunday on Trails 6,4, and 8; all of the easiest trails here (except for 3 which is also easy).

I'll just leave here with a couple of photos I caught and wait to listen with you all to hear what Michael and Randall think when they get back and how they compare Tellico to Moab, etc. I will say that in my opinion Saturday was absolutely brutal . We spent the entire day running only Trail #12 Schoolbus and Trail #11 Helicopter Pad and Guardrail (I talked Michael out of trying Helicopter Pad though I think he really wanted to do it). We spotted and drove Schoolbus and Guardrail inches at a time, and Michael in the very capable "Red Bull" looked at me right in the eye that day and told me "I'm not having fun anymore". It was time to go home, and we still had a long way to go to get down off the mountain. It takes a lot for him to say that. I didn't even drive that day; I only spotted, and I was as beat to a pulp by day's end as any thing I've ever done. Heck no you can't do this stuff in a stocker. I've run Schoolbus in Herc but after revisting it again with Michaeal and MuddWhore I forgot how brutal it was and I may pass on doing it again.

Or not.
I need a higher paying job.

Photo time. I need to leave the writeup to others so I’ll just post some photos and leave the story to others.

Here we go. The next few photos are taken on Trail 4 which is the second easiest trail in Tellico.

A flex shot to show off MuddWhore's new Dana44 solid axle.
http://www.fototime.com/B579F2FA4308931/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/95DAAB78D858F1A/standard.jpg

Michael going up the hill after Fain's Ford:
http://www.fototime.com/8821A3DC19F69A7/standard.jpg

And here is Michael hiking a leg going down a Schoobus wedgy...
http://www.fototime.com/732D85A5D0FDA98/standard.jpg

Here's a link to my photos from the weekend:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/476E750E096246C

We need to get rick on this trail and have him show you guys how to do it =)

Jeez good thing Gerald didnt get to wordy eh.;)
just kidding Gerald, the pic.s look great. your right lots of time they dont show you how nasty stuff really is.

Certainly looks sweet! Maybe some day before the sport explodes, i could make it down there.. Looks like some great wheelin! Maybe i should finish my truck up finally!
Pete

So, Gerald does this mean your rocksliders will be on for our November Tellico trip?

That stuff doesn't look THAT bad! I'm thinking I'll bring my 2WD Ranger in Nov.:D Yea right!

Well at least it sounds like everyone was able to get off the trail under their own power. I've seen a lot of rigs not be able to that after some of the trails you guys did.:hammer: :roll:

Rick

Hey Gerrald, thanks again for the ride! It was great to meet ya'll Sunday. Michael and Randall, I had a blast guys. I will be up there the next time you guys are up to do it again!

Now, Tellico is awesome! Nothing like on the videos or pictures. I wish I could have been there all weekend. I missed alot of good wheeling in those 2 days.

As far as the trails I rode on with Gerrald, those are supposed to be "easy." They are, if you have an well equipped rig. But I wouldn't take a stock Explorer down them. Bone stock would not be the way to go. If you want to take your Ex down the easy trails at Tellico I suggest a set up like this:

2" lift at least
31" tires
Limited slip in the rear
Rock sliders

Even with this stuff, I would take some "driving" to get it through. Also rock stacking. I heard Micheal say he would love to do it in a "stocker." Stocker being the mods I listed above. If you have anything less than these mods done, you will not get far, due to ground clearance issues. But I think no bone stock Ex would go through it. If you tried, it would be an all day thing on the "easy" trails, cause of the rock stacking a worrying about damage and such.

I will post more later, including pictures from Sunday.

Nah, all you guys needed were some superchargers and some nitrous :D

Seriously, glad y'all had fun and made it out in one piece. I can't beleive Michael got "a feeling". Anyone who's ever wheeled with Mike knows he's one of the most easygoing and worryfree people on Earth.

Well, I don't have to worry about making the trip in November then. :) If those are pics of the 2nd easiest trail, there is no such thing as a 'puppy' run.

the reason he's so easy going and worry free is that his red Bull is so capable, whats to worry about when you can just walk over the obstacle the six trucks in front of you took an hour to climb?

Souds like he met his match (paint color match too) at tellico, oh well it;s about time that pretty red Ex had some dents, though it be a big ass dent he got.....

Looks like you guys had fun and I'm actually glad I didnt attempt this, not without sliders first, then okay....

That and Mike hasnt rolled yet. When that happens it changes things. :eek: Cant wait to see the rest of the pics. See you guys at the slabs.

After looking at the crossmember pic, how'd you do that?

That's crazy. The crossmember is supposed to be lower than the differential. That must've been a hell of a hit. How'd you not ruin the diff also?

Yeah, I'm a wee bit out of align right now :D I think it happened on Trail 4 since it is an easier trail and I got a little fast and careless in a "Get-home-itis" mode and slammed down hard on a sharp boulder that decided to spear my crossmember. Yes it was a very hard hit, but my crossmember was already banged up pretty badly. This just went too far.

I have no idea how the diffy survived; I obviously took all the hits only on the crossmember.

I did also talk with Michael about stockers doing a run and concur that you really need to at least be set up as a "superstocker" with the mods that Josh listed. A group of bone stock Explorers, with skid plates, could probably make it on Trail 4 by picking easy lines and good spotting and a lot of work, but it would take all day long, and you'd have to be willing to tick off a lot of people behind you that you'll be holding up until you can get to the next place on the trail wide enough to let them by. For that reason I believe it would be best to do it on a weekday (Friday) before it gets crowded on the weekend.

A "Superstock" with 31" aggresive tires, skid plates, towpoints front and rear, limited slip, 1.5" - 2" lift, and good driving would have the time of their life on Trails 4, 8, & 3, and come away from the weekend on cloud 9 after running those trails and making it through. Those with big kahunas and willingness to accept "consequences" might even consider going down 6. It would take a lot of work and it would be slow going but it could be done. If body damage is not an option I wouldn't show up here without some sort of rocksliders installed. I'd be happy to lead a superstock group some time.

Heh, I broke enough stuff at Paragon yesterday to keep me occupied for a while. I'll stick to the simple stuff until I become a 'superstocker' like you mentioned. :)

Alright, I have some pictures from this weekend ready now.


This is Slick Rock (at the top of the pic), and the approach to Slick Rock at the bottom. The approach looks challenging, and the the rock itself looks intimidating.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid29/p3cbddf54fa36b26511b490ada17b9413/fd599f03.jpg

This is Peckerwood Ledge. Man, the left of the pic is a straight verticle climb up about 5ft. Guys with huge tires appear to have dug a rutt on that side trying to get up. There is a lot of winch cable damage to trees in that area, and also some broken tail lights lenses on the ground.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid29/pe2d0afa5f4e7ac7c57d69659ee0f5d56/fd59a30d.jpg

Here is Michael having some fun at Fain's Ford. We were hoping he would get some air, and almost did.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid29/p22cff863fc3ceaf83b61c8f65546b61a/fd59a8ab.jpg

Ok, here is one of the rocky sections on 8 I think. It was the first trail we did on Sunday. This is on one of the "easier" trails, and the rocks themselves were stuck out of the ground about 1'- 2'.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid29/pa459f85192fe44f6cb2d7e38d32cb328/fd59a1d5.jpg

Here is a link to my album from Sunday.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291441255&congratulation_page=Y

Great pics guys!

The trails look a little wet, were they? The river is very low too.

I can't wait for November!

Damn that looked like some serious Fun.

I wish I could have gone :(

dang.. that looks fun!

looks like i'll be going passenger come november though!

Yes, it was VERY wet, at least on Sunday anyways. It rained for a little while as we were going to the trails and for about an hour on the trails. It just makes stuff more interesting.

Dang that looks fun. Nice pics Josh... I'm gonna have to come out and let you show me around Gerald...of course that'll be after I slap my solid on up front, so it'll be awhile :D Can't wait to hear the texans take on it all!

Man, awesome pics, makes me want to go that much more, The site map shows fanes ford as an easy trail, but the pic shows it being a little more agressive.
Thanks to those that posted pics, not often we get to see east coast wheeling.:D

Tellico was great, definately some of the most intense wheeling that I have been a part of. We'll be returning before too much time has passed. In addition to the tire I blew out on the way down Guard Rail, I lost a bead on my other front tire. Some debris got lodged into the bead and it would not hold air. Michael and I ended up having to drive to Atlanta, which was the nearest place I could find that had a 35" tire in stock, and we got the tire with the debris cleaned and reseated. We also came to find out that Michael's power steering pump is blown.
Personally, I feel that Michael and I's rigs are fairly well modified, but we both came away feeling somehow inadequate for the best Tellico has to offer. I left with some serious Swamper envy ;) Anyone that saw Michael's truck perform at Moab knows that it is very capable and had little if any trouble traversing the not-so slickrock of Moab, but the wheeling at Tellico is very different. A 2wd can do a lot at Moab because of the abundance of traction. Tellico is a different story. Traction can not be relied upon. I would definately recommend lockers front and rear.
I ran trails 1, 4, 6, 11, and 12 before tire problems put me out of commission for Sunday's wheeling. Sunday we ran 4 and 6 again, and added trail 8.

I've got more pics at demon4x4.com/runs/tellico/tellico.htm
As soon as Michael sends me his pics I will have his uploaded to the site as well.

I want to thank Gerald for showing us around Tellico and for great spotting (most of the time ;) ). Without Gerald, we would probably have come out a lot more damaged than we did. Believe it or not, but Gerald was the voice of reason, as Josh would put it. Also, thanks for playing 'Peter Webber' and getting some great photos.

Originally posted by Alec
Nah, all you guys needed were some superchargers and some nitrous

It would have been fun to have you out there Alec, though it might have taken a while to pick up all the pieces ;)

Is that all its got?! I ain't skared. Actually I am a little intimidated, but I still want to take "money pit" out there and see if I can come up with more things to throw money at. Maybe I will paint it green and put $$ signs on the side?

Got Flex?
http://demon4x4.com/runs/tellico/G13.jpg


That all looks really fun and the scenery looks beautiful. It would be fun to ride along but I have a feeling my little Jeep couldnt even make the easiest trail.

Yep, I was impressed by the amount of rear flex I got. I had been expecting the rear to bind because of improper shock placement. They way they are now they are close to binding at rest. It is something that I need to fix. There is a shot of Michael's truck in almost the same spot (in Gerald's first post in this thread), where he is catching quite a bit of air where mine remains in contact with the ground. His shocks are set up in a similar position to mine, but I have a feeling that his shocks may be too short. We need to crawl under there and get the numbers to find out for sure. Mine also has some nice worn out springs :rolleyes: along with a rancho add-a-leaf and Warrior shackles, sprung over, so I have about 3 more inches of lift in the rear.

How are they set up now? I need to -relocate mine and since you are now springover we may be similar........

Hey Randall, who is Peter Weber?

What a great weekend! Big thanks go out to Gerald for taking the time out to show us around Tellico. I can't even begin to imagine the carnage that would have resulted from letting us go it alone. It was also great to see Randall's solid axle perform well on the trail. If not for the front locker problems and tire limitations, even more amazing things would have resulted. The trails we ran have already been discussed so I won't spend much time there except to say that Tellico is a whole other animal when wet. Some would say it is better others worse, it just depends on how twisted you are ;) .

Rest assured that the Texans will make a reappearance at Tellico soon. This one will for sure be packing swampers, a winch, and sliders. On the trail list for next time are Slickrock, Guardrail, Peckerwood ledge, Helicopter Pad, and the Rock Garden. We may not make them all, but it should be fun to watch :D .

Originally posted by 410Fortune
How are they set up now? I need to -relocate mine and since you are now springover we may be similar........

Here is a pic of my rear setup. You can see how the shocks come down at a slight angle, into mounts in which the bolt for the shock runs parallel to the axle. I want to move the lower mounts out and move the upper mounts up and in, however much is necassary to run 9012's. I also want to go to a post mount for the rear, that would run perpendicular to the axle and thus relieve a lot of the binding.

Peter Weber is a member of this site that tends to take a lot of good photos.

Great photos and write-up you guys - - Seems like forever sense Gerald and I hit Tellico (and vice-versa) back in February.

Just a short 22 months before I get back to the States. . .

Glad to see that place is getting more exposure - - anyone up for a run during the summer of '04 ??:rolleyes:

Paul
'91 Sport

Paul,

It's never too early to start the planning process!

I'm in!

Rick

Hey it looks like you need a dab of silicoln on that SVO fill plug!!! :)

Thanks for the pic, I need to move my rear shock mounts on the axle and the frame, I believe a custom crossmember is in order, alot easier to do on a BII then a X I bet........

Great trip,pictures and writeup guys.:thumbsup: Thats what I call off-roading.:D

I have'nt gone wheeling in 5 mos. and I needed a fix. I can drool over the pictures till I get my rig back;)

Muddwhore glad to see your rigs working out. All the hours you put in are paying off. Adjustments never end.

Gerald it seems like you were the man of the hour, again.:D Maybe next year I'll put the Navajo on a trailer and go pay you guy's a visit.

Keepem coming:cool:

Hey Mudwhore, I see you cut the "ears" off your U bolt plates when you went spring over. You know the plates from a 8.8 Ranger will work without those thingys sticking out...I have a couple laying around from when I did my 8.8 if you want em they are yours. No more sharp edges, let me know if you are interested.

Originally posted by FAKRWEE
Gerald it seems like you were the man of the hour, again.:D Maybe next year I'll put the Navajo on a trailer and go pay you guy's a visit.

Sounds like a date ;)

Originally posted by 410 Fortune
Hey Mudwhore, I see you cut the "ears" off your U bolt plates when you went spring over. You know the plates from a 8.8 Ranger will work without those thingys sticking out...I have a couple laying around from when I did my 8.8 if you want em they are yours. No more sharp edges, let me know if you are interested.

Sure, I was thinking about getting some plates from mountain offraod, just to clean it up a little. and plus, I'll see you at the Slabs in October :D

Paul, I may still be here in 2 yrs. I hope you mothballed your Explorer well :cool:

Tom, that would be great. :bounce: You come out anytime you want and we'll make sure there's a run that weekend. :bounce: :roll: :bounce:

I wonder what it would take to talk several of the west coasters and others from CO-AZ-UT-CA etc area into coming all the way out here? I was thinking a mid-summer run when it's too hot to wheel out there anyway. This is a long way from there so I doubt it would happen but what great fun if it did.

Josh, do a search for posts by Peter Weber. He is a great guy that has an almost-stock Explorer that has participated in many of our major runs. He is a gifted photographer that goes on many of the non-extreme trails in his own vehicle and then rides along with someone else in their vehicle on the BigDawg runs and takes great photos of the group in action. When I said I was pulling a "Peter Weber" I meant that I had left my vehicle at the hotel for the BigDawg run and rode along with the others to help and take photos. I'd never claim any of my photos to match his skill with a camera, though.

I'm shooting for the slabs........lots of work to do and testing to be done, but I should be there..........

SLABS SLABS SLABS SLABS.

Oh and Gerrald, TX is about as far as I am driving to go wheeling, maybe if I had that IFS and a SOHC.....hehehehe or a F-250 with A/C and a flatbed!!

Originally posted by GJarrett
. . .I wonder what it would take to talk several of the west coasters and others from CO-AZ-UT-CA etc area into coming all the way out here? I was thinking a mid-summer run when it's too hot to wheel out there anyway. This is a long way from there so I doubt it would happen but what great fun if it did. . .
Answer #1: Who [in their right mind ;) ] would drive cross country just to beat up their rig, with chances of having to limp off a trail, and then figure out how to get back home? . . . oh wait :D

Answer #2: If there were a few more from here that wanted to go, and we rented a trailer to get our rigs out there I'd love to do it . . . in a few years.

http://www.fototime.com/{63238E71-B874-11D6-B572-444553540000}/picture.JPG

That doesn't look all that bad Gerald.

Originally posted by Jefe

That doesn't look all that bad Gerald.

Yeah, and that's what you said about that last woofer of a gal I saw you with....

HAHAHAHA!!! I have a feeling arguing with Gerald is a lost cause! This guy is just too good.....

Originally posted by GJarrett
I wonder what it would take to talk several of the west coasters and others from CO-AZ-UT-CA etc area into coming all the way out here? I was thinking a mid-summer run when it's too hot to wheel out there anyway. This is a long way from there so I doubt it would happen but what great fun if it did.


Well Gerald, If I can get a tow vehicle to pull my rig out there, I would be game. 2004 would be a good time to do it, as I have family plans for next year already brewing. Hmmm I wonder how much a motorhome and trailer would cost to rent for 2wks? Would you say about 3 days to get there?

Would you say about 3 days to get there?

Probably, to do it at a leisurely pace and enjoy the trip.

I would like to join in next year, my ex should be ready by then, it would be cool to wheel with some experience.

Gerald / Rick M / Ray -

I was being facetious when I mentioned "Tellico in 04" :rolleyes: , but why not? I have no idea what my follow-on assignment will be from Korea, but I do know that my Explorer is stored in Norfolk, and regardless where I end up (C'mon Pacific Northwest), I'll have to go to Virginia to pick it up.

Wherever we end up, I plan on doing a "Herc-like" Tour after returning to the States. Needless to say, Tellico tops the list, and depending on where we will next call home, we will meander our way to our next duty station hitting all the great four wheelin' places enroute.

Gerald - I think the "Blue Whale" is stored pretty well. Maybe a new battery and a fluid change should be all I need - - although those 33" MTRs may have dry-rotted - - guess I"ll need to upgrade to those 35"s (with a little fender trimming). :D

Don't need to keep this thread open based on the potential for a future Tellico run in '04, but at least I can live vicariously through you guys back in the States.

Paul
'91 Sport

Originally posted by Paul
I do know that my Explorer is stored in Norfolk, and regardless where I end up (C'mon Pacific Northwest), I'll have to go to Virginia to pick it up.Or you could just give it to me and not worry about it. :)

Or, if you want, I'm sure I could go get it and keep it at my place until you get back. I'd take it wheeling often enough to keep those tires from dry-rotting. :)

Looks like it was a great run! Just wish it was closer!

Originally posted by yob_yeknom
Or you could just give it to me and not worry about it. :)

Or, if you want, I'm sure I could go get it and keep it at my place until you get back. I'd take it wheeling often enough to keep those tires from dry-rotting. :)

ANd here I thought you were gonna offer to store it in your garage, not drive it, but run it once a month, change the fluids and wax it, and keep the tires nice and shiny? What the heck?:p

I think she'll do just fine for the time being, thankyewverymuch.

Funny, Rick Morris also volunteered to "watch it" for me, but I'm pretty sure he just wanted to part it out for the Bionic Marshmallow . . . :hammer:

Paul
'91 Sport

Heh, is this planning WAY ahead or what? Ray, according to Mapquest you're 2422 miles from Tellico. That is a heckuva long trip and wouldn't be a "leisurely" three days. I figure four days or a hectic three.

Rick, you sent me an invite to Truckhaven 2003 and this is 1 1/2 years later. Plenty of time to plan :D

Gerald I sent the whole board an invite to T-haven 2003:eek:

Originally posted by Rick
Gerald I sent the whole board an invite to T-haven 2003:eek:

Aw, and here I thought I was special :p LOL

Yeah, blew a hole in my ego too, *sniff*, LOL.

Randall and Michael, we were wondering about Lower 2; here's a link on the Pirate board with some pics on 2 :eek: :roll:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77972

Remember our mantra for the next trip.
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
$$$ $$$ $$$ $$$ $$$ $$$
e-i-e-i-o
:D

Is that dude standing up behind that rock? ;)
I think I found the problem with the front locker, the cable sheathing had been melted pretty severely so that it no longer provided a constant for the cable to move through. I'll be ordering a new cable, along with the new style shifter, in about 2 weeks. They are currently on backorder :( . I need to find a better place to route the cable. Since I've already got sliders, my mantra is swampers, beadlocks, front diffy and winch, oh my!

<----- Oh yeah, thanks for the new avatar, Gerald ;)

Originally posted by GJarrett
Yeah, blew a hole in my ego too, *sniff*, LOL.

Randall and Michael, we were wondering about Lower 2; here's a link on the Pirate board with some pics on 2 :eek: :roll:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77972

Remember our mantra for the next trip.
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
Sliders, Swampers, Winches
$$$ $$$ $$$ $$$ $$$ $$$
e-i-e-i-o
:D

Does one third count? Sliders

well I have teh Swampers. Cant use them because I need a

Tranny, front diff, winch, and Sliders.

So I guess that can be my montra.

Well, I won't have swampers, but I will have the sliders (ordered material Thursday):D and I already have the winch!:cool:

T E L L I C O ! ! ! ! ! !

Originally posted by MuddWhore
Is that dude standing up behind that rock?
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=810970

Maybe he's a dwarf.
Or not. :D

Maybe we need to bring more equipment next time before we look at that trail. Regardless of how hard the obstacle looks in the picture or the tricks to make it in the photo, I believe that trail is one sonumagun to run and anyone who can do it is hella 4wheelkool.

i didnt get an invite.... :(

It was posted on the board, for any and all to attend...

Here's the link: http://explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54061