Return from Devils Canyon

[DB_1]

It wasn't pretty but I survived the Devil's Canyon run. My truck was like a pinball bouncing off the rocks all day. Dented a bunch of tube and munched up the pass. side door. The rock sliders paid for themselves on this run. Other than my rollover, i've never had as much damage on a run as this but it was fun

There were 14 rigs and met up at 8:30, departed at 9:00 for the trail. This is a one way trail so we had to come back up the way we came. Once we got into the canyon it was a non-stop barrage of rocks and boulders. We were headed downhill so for the most part it was "easier" to get over obstacles but not by much. What made some parts of the trail tricky was the big holes between the rocks. Lots of hang ups and hi centering. 35's and locked front and rear would be the absolute minimum i'd run this trail. My long wheelbase hurt me on some parts of the trail and I paid for it. Coming back up was a lot harder (for me anyways) since I would hang up a lot. I got strapped twice so we could keep the group moving.

All in all it was an awesome trail and glad I got a chance to run it. From what i've heard the reason for the BLM requiring a permit to run the trail is that the enviro's made a stink about the bighorn sheep, need to protect their habitat, blah blah... Better to have limited access than no access I suppose.

Here's some pics, I need to sort through the video and post up the good parts.

 

[Tbars4]

..Subscribed...

..I appreciate the carnage pics of the front bumper as it will help when doing my new bumpers...Also looking forward to more pics, videos, and ideas from you on this run as for better protection although I don't think there is much we can do to protect the doors..

..It looks like it was a perfect day out there and hopefully no snakes around..

 

[DB_1]

Those are all the pics I have but I'll work on the vids later

Yeah the doors are pretty big targets, I think tube doors or going doorless are the only options. I'll probably make some tube doors soon.
My doors still open AND the windows still work...well, they need human assistance but it was like that before.

I landed hard A LOT on rocks and that's where the tube damage comes from (obviously) but could have been minimized if I had some better T-case gearing so i could finesse my truck better over stuff. The stock t-case works ok for Truckhaven but in the rocks it's too herky jerky.

Didn't see snakes but some of the other drivers said they say some bighorn sheep before I arrived.

Weather was great in the morning but heated up by midday. Lots of sticky bushes and cactus to get poked by out there.

 

[Tbars4]

..Would you use a better grade of tubing or would the end result be the same ?..(I'm not sure what you used on your bumpers/sliders)

...I know hard hits on the rocks are the best test and it sounds like you got a lot of testing in yesterday..

...I'm hoping the Atlas and short wb on my Ranger would work up there but I def want to test it out on something a little more forgiving first..I could always rob the tires off my X if needed..I had heard 33"s were min on that trail but happy to hear from someone we could trust that 35"s are def. minimum..


..Just to think, at one time that was a stagecoach trail back in the days..

 

[Stic-o]

Glad you had fun Dave. Love the feedback for building things in the future.

 

[Tbars4]

..Hey...How long did it take you to run down?..Then back up this trail?

..I think it's like 2-1/2 miles in length and you had about 20 plus vehicles?..:scratch:


..I know...I'm easily excited when I see this kinda stuff.......

 

[DB_1]

I used 1 3/4" x .120 wall DOM for all the outside tubing of the bed and the front bumper is the same but HREW. I was planning to redo the front bumper anyways and will probably use the the same size tubing but DOM.

A thicker wall tubing would definitely work better. Since i'm using tubing and a manual bender, the .120 wall is easier for me to work with. I'm sure most people will say just use .250 wall square tubing and be done with it.

A dent or bend in the cage would be something to be concerned about and should be repaired but for a slider it's not a big deal for me.

EDIT: I'll just reply here instead of adding a post.

Steve, great trail if you ever get a chance to run it just come prepared.

Ted, we were limited to 15 rigs and 14 showed up. It took us from 9am to about 5:30pm. There were a few trail repairs, some winching, strapping, stacking, the usual stuff you encounter that makes a long day on the trail...all part of the fun.

 

[Keeper0311]

Looks like a good time. All things considering it looks like your truck game back out in pretty good shape.

 

[FROADER]

Looks like a great day with some good looking rigs! Glad to hear the truck worked well, besides the wheelbase working against you in a few areas.

 

[Brian1]

Now that looks like my kind of trail! (for the GPW)

 

[LONO100]

Great pictures, looks like a great time. It sucks you gotta get a permit, but i can understand the reasoning.ive spent plenty a time cleaning up after countless bro dudes tearing through an area throwing their garbagr everywhere and treating the trails like they are in a beer commercial.

 

[turboexplorer]

Looks like an awesome trail. Lots of fun. Looks like it may be kinda mean for my full bodied rig though. Also don't have either bumper built yet.

Great pics glad it went well and back in 1 piece. Thanks for the pics!

 

[Brian1]

Just saw some pictures of this run from a friend of mine that was on it. He was with the white TJ and 4476 on the windshield. A picture from him-

edit: huge pic so here is the link -DB1s truck

 

[DB_1]

Just saw some pictures of this run from a friend of mine that was on it. He was with the white TJ and 4476 on the windshield.

Thanks for the link...that's Mike right? Matt and I wheeled with him and 2 other guys named Mike at Corral Canyon a few years ago lol.

Edit: Added vids

 

[Brian1]

His name is Kevin but he might have been riding in the TJ as a passenger so maybe Mike owns the TJ. Kevin used to have a LJ and now has a Jimmys ultra4 buggy.

 

[Tbars4]

...Great videos Dave...:biggthump

..Were you using some type of Gyro mount in the cab?

 

[DB_1]

His name is Kevin but he might have been riding in the TJ as a passenger so maybe Mike owns the TJ. Kevin used to have a LJ and now has a Jimmys ultra4 buggy.

Gotcha, thanks Brian. You'd have a blast out there with your GPW.

Ted, no gyro mount just the gentle swaying of my truck: I have a point and shoot camera on a clamp mount attatched to the dash bar.

 

[Tbars4]

...It looks like that Red EB has the same wheels as you and he sheared off his right rear lugs..

 

[Rick]

Looks like an excellent run

Where is this located?

 

[DB_1]

...It looks like that Red EB has the same wheels as you and he sheared off his right rear lugs..

He had wheel spacers and i think 2 or 3 of the studs sheared off of them (the spacers).

Rick, this trail is right off I-8 about 35 miles west of El Centro. Trail head is off of Mountain Springs rd. exit.