Stocker Runs???

[RockRanger]

Originally posted by Aquaman

If someone doesn't want damage then they need to let the leader know.

My .02 cents.

Or at least keep reminding the leader of the night run that there are stockers in the group and quit getting them stuck and high cenetered

I must say that john and jim were very good sports about my argesive lines that I took on the sunday night run. It has been years sence i have wheeled with people that were open so I kept forgetting what was fine for the stockers to do and not. I finally relized if i hit my bed on anything the rest would get stuck so I would stop.

Matt

 

[DarkMan]

So what's the big debate?

For me, it's very simple. Four wheeling is a sport. If you want to do the hard stuff, you accept the risk. If you want to drive through the daisies, then do that.

I agree that every organized event should have runs for sight-seers, runs to challenge stocks and modifieds, and runs to keep big dawgs from getting bored. Then, let the driver make an informed decision about what runs to do. If someone wants to take a stocker on a modified run, they have to accept the possibility of some scratches and dents.

It has much less to do with the specs on the truck than it does with the intent and skill of the driver. Some of you saw my BONE stock BamBam clamber, claw, and bounce its way through Red Cone and Wheeler Lake, and yes, I got body damage. I think I'm a pretty skilled driver and I can handle the damage, so I voluntarily subjected my truck to a run that was intended for modified and big dawgs only. I LIVE in Colorado. I COMMUTE on fire roads, so I wanted something more. But, I know that there are folks who have more sense than me and value their trucks more than I do. Those folks deserve a good time too. As long as everyone knows what they're signing up for, there should be no whining.

 

[DarkMan]

...also

Let me follow that up by saying that organizers and pre-runners have to be up front about the risks of the trails. I, myself, and guilty of talking up a trail. At CCR2001 we took some stockers up Radical Hill that might have been better of not going there. We had to stack rocks for each of them on one obstacle (including BamBam, I'm ashamed to say) and I wondered if that might have been a mistake. Then, further up the hill, Jen got in a real pickle when she three wheeled her truck in a truly dangerous spot. I was scolded by a passer-by about the real dangers of some trails. I laughed it off, but in hind-sight, someone COULD have three-wheeled their butt over a 500 foot drop. Now THAT would ruin everybody's fun.

Folks have to be able to make an INFORMED decision about the trails they tackle and everyone needs to be honest about skill levels (what's needed and what's possessed).

 

[mmpc]

For me, a stocker run is one that most people with reasonable driving skill and a stock Explorer can complete without significant damage. By this I mean nothing more than (the possibility of) a few bangs to the undercarriage and some trail pinstriping.

Having co-organized CCR2001, I 100% agree with what DarkMan stated. Pre-running will always be key and trail leaders should always be completely up front about trail difficulty before heading out. Drivers, meanwhile, need to have as accurate a sense of their abilities and the capabilities of their truck as possible.

Regarding the Radical Hill trail at CCR2001 that DarkMan spoke of, I feel everyone had fair warning about it being the most challenging stocker run of the day. Jen (my sister), who had most of the trouble on that trail, agrees with that. In fact, she has since told me she realized she was probably pushing herself at the time, but chose to "go for it" anyway.

In retrospect - and this illustrates my point above about each driver knowing thier limits - she knows she should've turned around after having such a tough time with the first stocker obstacle. Still, many of us came together to help her out and everyone completed the run without significant damage (skid plate scrapes was all she ended up with). That's one of the best things about wheeling with the great people from this board!

So, in conclusion, I think it's the organizers responsibility to come up with stocker runs that won't do any significant damage to most drivers/most stock vehicles. It's also the drivers responsibility to know their limits and not push themselves if they feel uncomfortable.

 

[Hammer]

For what it is worth I wheeled in my stock Ex for 4 years before I moved up to the Big Dawgs. Never one scratch that didnt buff out, not one dent not one broken part. Now that I am a Big Dawg, holly crap have I messed some stuff up.

Moral of the story is: If you have a spoter and patience you can make it over just about anything. There are enough rocks on all these trails to build a Freeway

Moral of 4 Wheelin in general is: If you dont want to scratch it, Leave it in the garage.