Return from Moab 2009!

[FROADER]

gman, you're more than ready for Moab. Mike Boyle has been laughing at Moab with 31s for years... These pics are from the '06 trip. Just like any place else, it's 80% driver/spotter and 20% vehicle.

 

[hvac man]

I had the smallest Explorer there, 3" lift and 32's but I did different trails than most of the others.

You could have done just about anything out there too

 

[gmanpaint]

Holy big drop off Batman!

If he made it down that with no carnage, I am really getting fired up now!

Sliders definitely will help out there, thanks to JT Smith and company, they are on and ready to go!

I am locked in the rear only, is that going to be a problem? I will have the 4.56 gears in soon, I know that will help my cause, (cause I need 'em!)

Brakes and cooling will be what I am after before long as well. What other things should I be concentrating on?

 

[Dannyboy]

I'm only locked in the rear. Its all about being very familiar with your truck, having the protection like you stated with your sliders and skid plates, taking a spotter when you are unsure of the line and having plenty of extra parts/gadgets to keep you moving (come-a-long, chain, straps, cv shafts, ujoints, tools).

For the record, I'm sprung under and the bottom of my rock sliders are less than 18" from the ground @ 10 PSI in my tires.

 

[mrboyle]

My old X on 31's was only locked in the rear. It only had 3.73's and a 700r4 (the low 1st gear helped) and I drove it daily, to and from the trail and ran 80% of the "difficult" trails in Moab. Sure I had to take a few bypasses and a strap a couple of times, but with a good spotter and knowledge of how your rig performs you can go places you never thought possible.


BTW: Did Steve make it home ok? I know he was still having issues with the Dodge when I left on Saturday and he hasn't posted that he got home.

 

[BrianDye]

I would give anything to go on one of those trips, that would be amazing!


Great pics!!

 

[gmanpaint]

Well, I am hoping to do 2 big meets next year. Smorr (is one that I help organize), CCR, and I really want to go to Moab. I will have to give up one of them.

Ahh, I will worry about that down the road. If I could join up with the group, as long as it is not the same time Smorr is, I would really like be able to tag along. I am sure I can get some others to go as well.

So...Tools---spare parts---escape implements (straps, high lift, etc..)---trail maps? GPS?--Food?-- Tent?--lots of $$?--<<lol--what?

I will have a year to read up on past trips, so I will figure out what I need to bring along, but as far as spotting and not getting lost, help if I broke down or got stuck, I really need your guys help if I did go.

 

[Dannyboy]

thats what we are there for. Every run with guys from this forum that I've been on involve some sort of trail repair, camp repairs, spare parts swapping, tool swapping, etc. When you're spoiled like the so cal crew you get a guy like Paul B with a nice RV and a welder and then a guy like Winter aka "Spotter Guy" on this forum who I've seen help a few guys with trail repairs better than the expensive fab shop stuff they have brought to the trail.

Just use this list as your bible and you'll be well prepared.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199994

 

[SVO]

thats what we are there for. Every run with guys from this forum that I've been on involve some sort of trail repair, camp repairs, spare parts swapping, tool swapping, etc. When you're spoiled like the so cal crew you get a guy like Paul B with a nice RV and a welder and then a guy like Winter aka "Spotter Guy" on this forum who I've seen help a few guys with trail repairs better than the expensive fab shop stuff they have brought to the trail.

And you must not for get about "Tech Support" also;


Operators are standing by to assist you!!!

Jeff -

 

[Dannyboy]

ah yes, for the rest of you guys who had to help me off the trail Saturday evening, Jeff (via tele tech support) and I completed a successful compression test after I purchased 3 different compression test kits and I have 150 psi on each cylinder but a very rich running Explorer and I found one bad spark plug wire. I'm not running YET but am one step closer.

 

[Joey Jarhead]

home

Mike, I made it home sunday. After carb rebuild #14, the green thing drove all the way to Bullhead City without even a hiccup. Four days, three fuel pumps, two fuel pressure regulators, one carbkit and $600 at the local mechanic shop is all it took to get me home. Thanks to all for the help and sympathy and my apologies to any I snapped at in my very frustrated state. If you're going to play, you are going to have to pay. I completely gutted the fuel system yesterday and rebiult the carb again and unhooked the charcoal canister on the firewall. Truck is running better than it ever has. Danny, check your fuel (pump filter etc). Mine was full of contaminants. Premium from the texaco at canyonlands!??? Just bought a 78 3/4 ton junker. D60 rear. NP205 4 to 1 transfer. D44 front. 4speed manual.

 

[RangerX]

Danny, check your fuel (pump filter etc). Mine was full of contaminants. Premium from the texaco at canyonlands!???

Didn't several guys have this same issue from that station a few years ago?

 

[james t]

Awesome pics guys.

Ive always wanted to run Moab and i decided a few weeks ago that im going next year. See yall in 2010.

 

[Dannyboy]

Didn't several guys have this same issue from that station a few years ago?

I was told it was Chevron when RockRanger and Offroader69me had issues on Golden Spike, my truck has a chip so I run premium and Joey Jarhead was running that blend as well. I had issues late Saturday, topped off my tank before Saturdays run.

 

[924dr4x4]

pics are awesome..i would love to go out there one year,makes me wish i still lived in california

 

[Dannyboy]

I decided to play with the gif creator to condense some of the 300 pics I have.

 

[GJarrett]

I coud have swore Gerald ran his rig on 33s at one point out at Moab or was 35s from the onset.

I was on 33's until Ashli and I got married there in 2004. So was most everyone else. 35's were rare.

I think most here forget what it was like in the early days when Rick's rig and everyone else's was on 33's. A rear locker and 33's made you a big dog back then. Great drivers like MrBoyle and Brian1 showed up J**pers with vastly superior rigs, and Mike and Brian just casually wheeled their Explorers through trails that the others couldn't touch witout much greater equipment and/or skills. IMO those are the guys that proved just what an Explorer in a mostly-stock configuration can accomplish.

In a way it's funny... nowadays we think you have to have 35"+ tires, an exocage, and a non-streetlegal rig with magazine quality mods, to take on Moab. I think it is more fun to watch the grins on the faces of the owners of stockers that have the time of their lives on the trails in Moab. They don't have anything but a bonestock 4x4 Explorer but after showing up and spend a day on the trail with us at Moab they "get it". It's lifechanging fun; and a pleasure to watch when others get bit by the bug.

I sincerely hope to make up for the lost time I've missed this year and be there in 2010.

 

[Joey Jarhead]

Sad thing is that as the tire sizes grow, the holes and dig outs in front of all the cool obsticles grow deeper and the stock rigs just cant get up on them like they used to be able to. Some of the ol'timers Gary and I ran with on wednesday talked about that on the Golden Spike. Some of them guys started trailrunning in Moab on the late 70's.


Cool pic Danny!

 

[Paul]

What was the smallest (lift/tires) set up out there?

33's and the TTB with about 4" of lift... No real problems other than driver input/error, plus had a rear axle wrap issue that gave me a severe "bounce" (plans in process to fix that soon)... The rig does have some other significant upgrades: ARBs and Atlas II, but I agree with the comments already made: it's the driver more than the rig - - and I've seen Mike Boyle take his rig up Rose Garden Hill.

Steve - Glad you made it back all right, and sorry we didn't get a chance to hit the trails.

Tom - I'll send you a PM on the doors.

Danny - Great job on linking the pics, and glad the ribs got put to good use.

Gerald - Put Moab on the calendar now... will be great seeing you again...

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[gmanpaint]

Just use this list as your bible and you'll be well prepared.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199994

Well, it's not so much not knowing what to bring and how to wheel, (tho I have much to learn), as it is being to be able to keep up with your "Big" rigs. I have been a Midwest Trail runner most of my life. I used to race dirt bikes and am familiar with "Surviving in the middle of nowhere BFE".

I would hate to be that one guy (someones little brother that slows everyone down), that is ruining everyone's plans. I realize that I could still do plenty out there,just not what you guys are doing. I feel like I have an extended family now with you EF members, and frankly, I want in..lol.!!

CCR will help me dial my rig in some more, and I will have done a few other outings before Moab 2010. Hopefully by then, I will have a few more things done to The Black Hole.