On abandoning your vehicle:

[Kaiserjeeps]

Years ago when I used to go up in my CJ solo because of working an odd shift, I would always call a friend and tell him if I didn't call by 6ish that I would be in this area or that. I knew it was risky and I never changed the plan. I never needed help and with a little SAR experience, it seemed like a dumb idea to go without telling someone. The thought of spending the night upside down in shoulder harnesses didn't sound to great.
I have seen rigs vandalized on the trail and it is sad. Most folks know wheelers are usually a generous bunch. I have seen the same thing happen on the beach. An accidentally beached large sail boat and several people taking stuff off of it like it was theirs, while the owners walked into town to get assistance.

You can hide your valuables way off in the trees and then walk out. As for winches, lights, radios, I guess you had better hope for the best. Don't break down? LOL

 

[edpdx]

OK, some of you are blessed with vehicles that cannot break down. Others cannot fathom actually traveling into the woods without a wingman. I will tell you though that you don't have to be 100 miles from a phone or parts store to be "stranded". I have become stuck in the sticks with my hunting partner and we have persevered and triumphed each time. Digging out of a frozen hairpin turn in the bottom of a gully took hours; but I'm here. Rebuilt my Rochester 4 bbl on my tailgate with a pocket knife, pliers and a phillips #2 when the float decided to swell up at an abandoned logging site- I stupidly forgot my tools.

I almost always have a tent and chairs and tarp when I go hunting, so it is not extra weight or useless cargo. Dog bowl... Not usually. Yes, you could leave your stuff out like I said and it could get ripped-off and your rig might get stripped anyway... you're right. Do it your way. I have run into some dicks in the woods, that have done a smash-and-grab on my Suburban when I was fishing 75 yards away. So anything can happen to any rig at any time. If it has not happened to you yet, count yourself lucky so far.

If you believe that you could never be stranded and have to leave for help then please feel free not to flag me down when I drive by you and your perfect non-80's, non-American super-rig.

 

[Skinny]

Not sure why you are so bitter. I simply stated choosing and maintaining your equipment goes a long way.

Here is probably an issue, carbs belong in dirtbikes and chainsaws. Don't hate me because I point out that a carb is unreliable on a trail rig and can leave you stranded. Don't shoot the messenger dude...

Rebuilt my Rochester 4 bbl on my tailgate with a pocket knife, pliers and a phillips #2 when the float decided to swell up at an abandoned logging site

 

[Kaiserjeeps]

And the Rochester in my CJ will keep my motor running while completely on it's side. Twice now I have had to turn off the key to kill it. Good carbs.

No one is bitter. Lets talk about what to do if you get stranded.


I love my duece as much as the old CJ. I'd have a hard time leaving it also.

I have figured out that if you stay too busy and don't go into the woods, you won't get stranded.

A day tooling around out there sounds good.

 

[rickf]

Been fourwheeling for 13 years and never had to abandon my vehicle on the side of the road. I have driven for hours way below highway speeds due to bend driveshafts, blown out suspension bushings/shocks/rims, and very large oil leaks draining my transmission and filling my tcase. I think you either need to pick a better wheeling truck or get better at performing maintenance.

I gave up years ago helping trail riders with broken driveshafts or overheating because everytime it happens, the response is "I never grease those things" or "never had to change a hose".

Granted most of my rigs were hand built Toyotas with maintenance records that would rival an SR71

I don't know about anyone else but that statement right there bothers me. You have only been wheeling for 13 years and you gave up years ago helping people. Then you make the nasty comment to me about my reference to Granville King and you wonder why people are bitter? I have NEVER, in 46 years of off roading, left someone on the side of the road! I do not care what the reason is for their breakdown.

Rick

 

[edpdx]

Skinny, sounds like you have everything that you need. I have had the same 73 C20 3/4T Chevy since it rolled off the line. I still drive it today. The carb went bad once in all that time. Unfortunately I was out at the time and I was still able to fix it with limited tools.

You said:

Not sure why you are so bitter. I simply stated choosing and maintaining your equipment goes a long way.

Before that you said:

Been fourwheeling for 13 years and never had to abandon my vehicle on the side of the road. I have driven for hours way below highway speeds due to bend driveshafts, blown out suspension bushings/shocks/rims, and very large oil leaks draining my transmission and filling my tcase. I think you either need to pick a better wheeling truck or get better at performing maintenance.

Before that you said:

I don't care who Granville King is? Does he duct tape broken tires back onto Jeep YJ's after the Dana 35 seperated???

I never had to drive any of my rigs with the problems you seem to have and I need to "get better at performing maintenance"? I didn't post a laundry list of my mechanical failures, just a list of what one might do if one finds himself in the untenable position of having to leave a vehicle to get help.

And please, pretty please, with sugar on it, don't tell me about your vast carburetor knowledge and where they don't belong. There are generations of competent drivers, outdoorsmen and mechanics that disagree with you. Further I don't have to shoot the messenger, you are doing a fine job.

 

[tuckered]

And just think. . . dealers are selling new cars without spare tires, period.

Instead, the car has a can of "fix a flat", so the driver can limp to some place for repairs. That is done so that the manufacturer can have a higher mpg rate on their window sticker. Some vehicles now, spare tires are only an option and for a few cars, they have no option at all to have a spare tire!

So much for slicing a tire on a scrap piece of metal, out in the sticks, in the middles of the night.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Here is probably an issue, carbs belong in dirtbikes and chainsaws. Don't hate me because I point out that a carb is unreliable on a trail rig and can leave you stranded. Don't shoot the messenger dude...

Showing your inexperience there a bit. Ever repair an ECM on the trail? Properly prepared carbs work pretty well on the trail and can be patched up with basic hand tools. Sure, FI works better on hills but decades before it was popular, folks were traveling the outback using carbs.

I think carrying basic camping supplies is just good prep. Even my wifes DD has a supply of stuff for a SHTF event. Like others, I don't discriminate on helping other wheelers, everyone deserves a fair shake and can learn from there indiscretions beside, that might be the very person that happens upon you later in life when the electric fuel pump craps and you can't gravity feed fuel from a can.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

June 10th, 2012.

Take care of your vehicle, drive like a sane person, and always have a satellite phone if you are that far back in the boonies!
I find the comment from one of the Land Rover owners up above about the big three pretty interesting, as my 1963 Unimog has dragged almost everything out of the woods stuck or broken down, including L-Rovers and the T trucks... If I were going somewhere, I'd pick a U1300L with impeccable maintenance and go.... But even an S404 will do things the psuedo FWD's won't...I don't need to install lockers, Fritz did it for me at Gaggenau.....

A good used Unimog just about beats them all....BUT, should you get one of these stuck, you will need about 3 deuces to pull it out! Thats the problem with real FWD, it lets you get stuck in places where no wrecker is ever going o go....opcorn: Good point about carbs, Kenny! I have pulled and repaired one on the tailgate and set it up by hand without anything but a screwdriver... The more sophisticated they get (and that includes the special build off road trucks) the more there is to break! Take a look at a Ford Model "T" It will go almost everywhere our FWD's will, and it can be repaired by any mechanically inclined person (it was designed for the farmers of 1909), and look, a million are still running 104 years after the first one was built! The Army even considered buying up old Model T's in WWII to convert to their version of the dune buggy... and that was before they bought the "Jeep"!

 

[cucv1833]

Wrap and bury any true valuables, tools, guns, expensive electronics so that if you do get ripped off, at least they don't get the most valuable stuff.QUOTE]

Good write up EDPDX. I think hiding the gear you cant pack out is the best thing hoping for the best.

I dont wheel alone are venture out too far anyway much
My worst experience was wheeling in the late 90s and me and my wheeling buddy went through a booty trap mud hole on the trail full of Roofing tacks.
We each had about 80 nails in all 4 tires. We did what we could and limp back 15 miles to the main road. He got is truck towed and I used 6-cans of fix-it-flat to make it another 20 plus miles to store my vehicle at a friends house.
Now thinking about it that was a little dangerous.

I think carrying basic camping supplies is just good prep. Even my wifes DD has a supply of stuff for a SHTF event. .

I keep a bag and kit in all my vehicles and even set up a basic kit in my wifes new car and showed her what each piece of gear can be used for. But shes thinks Im crazy. Oh-well.

 

[rickf]

It only takes a 300 milivolt error on an O2 sensor to make it go full rich or so lean it shuts down, only 150 - 200 off on a MAP sensor. Moisture is great at changing ground readings. ECM got wet? you are done. You jumped someone and spiked the ECM? You are done. Fuel injection is great and has it's place but it is not something that you are going to repair on the side of the trail. Will carburetors run upside down? No, but they seem to run quite well long enough to get you there! As was mentioned by someone else, I had my Jeep running on it's side, I had to shut it off. Does not matter if FI will run at those extreme angle because you will not have oil pressure anyway.

Rick

 

[Skinny]

It does but most modern EFI systems will run and go into limp mode with a bad sensor. Some will give it up because the ECM is unsophisticated to pick up on the problem. If carbs are so great, why isn't everyone running them in the offroad motorsports today? At minimum, people are running TBI if not full multiport.

Just based on manufacturers recommended service intervals...modern engines go 4 times longer between service than something from 30 plus years ago. All of that carries over into fourwheeling. There is no more pull the distributor cap to dry the moisture out after the water crossing, oops I fowled my spark plugs because it was running rich, or re jetting for altitudes. Most of the electronic gremlins on EFI rigs have to do with the emission systems and will not leave you stranded...just polluting. If you own a 4.0 Jeep, carry a spare crank sensor. If you own a Chevy or Ford, carry an ignition module. Know your truck, know its weaknesses.

I will still state again that having the proper equipment will keep you from getting stranded. Having a rig that has interchangeable diffs, matching driveshaft flange dimensions, and parts that cross over from multiple years makes eliminates many issues that could come up. I hate to say it but most of those are going to be Toyotas, Nissans (not US spec either), and Land Rovers. Look at offroad magazines from overseas...no one is doing expeditions in a mid 80's Chevy S-10 or Jeep Cherokee.

 

[Recovry4x4]

...And about punishing other wheelers because they didn't grease the U-Joint? Emissions have greatly increased the longevity of vehicles now-a-days as you mentioned. Carbs have all but been outlawed by the emissions folks. Even in racing circles, carbs have been shunnned. Simple and robust but not nearly as efficient as modern fuel injection. Carbs weren't purged because of dependability, it was efficiency. I'm not against FI, just noting that carbs are much more field expedient friendly as are mechanical injection systems. I've been mostly out of the 4 wheeling since the late 80's but during that time, there was little out there that was as durable as a simple F350 or K30. Simply put, even with big block power, they rarely broke.

 

[Skinny]

I will agree with that statement as far as being more field serviceable. That is true, no DVOM required.

I'm not punishing anyone that hasn't greased a ujoint. A good portion of people on the trail break due to simple maintenance that could have been avoided if a little more attention was paid before a trail run. When you see a rig plugging the trail with steam coming out of the grille, you first want to go over and help.

When you arrive and see the radiator plugged with dry caked mud, hoses that are about to explode because they have never been changed, and an overflow full of muck, that is not motivation to help. If anything, it makes you want to strap them off the trail and let them learn the hard way.

There is nothing wrong with helping someone on the trail. Helping ignorance only breeds more stupidity. I learned to buy a winch because I was tired of getting unstuck using a shovel and a hi-lift. On a side note with helping people, you need to be really careful with what you do regarding liability. I was verbally warned by a police officer while I was tugging someone out of a ditch in the winter that any damage done to there vehicle caused by me would make me liable in court if the owner wanted damages. Just be careful because the first thing I want to do is pull winch or a strap and the last thing I want to do is have to go to court because of damage. Just FYI...

 

[rickf]

I will agree with that statement as far as being more field serviceable. That is true, no DVOM required.

I'm not punishing anyone that hasn't greased a ujoint. A good portion of people on the trail break due to simple maintenance that could have been avoided if a little more attention was paid before a trail run. When you see a rig plugging the trail with steam coming out of the grille, you first want to go over and help.

When you arrive and see the radiator plugged with dry caked mud, hoses that are about to explode because they have never been changed, and an overflow full of muck, that is not motivation to help. If anything, it makes you want to strap them off the trail and let them learn the hard way.

There is nothing wrong with helping someone on the trail. Helping ignorance only breeds more stupidity. I learned to buy a winch because I was tired of getting unstuck using a shovel and a hi-lift. On a side note with helping people, you need to be really careful with what you do regarding liability. I was verbally warned by a police officer while I was tugging someone out of a ditch in the winter that any damage done to there vehicle caused by me would make me liable in court if the owner wanted damages. Just be careful because the first thing I want to do is pull winch or a strap and the last thing I want to do is have to go to court because of damage. Just FYI...

Due to my age and medical conditions I can no longer go out like I used to. If that is the prevailing attitude I am **** glad I don't! Not sure I would want to meet you on the street or at a show and **** sure I would not want to meet you on the trail. You seem to have some hate/paranoid issues that need addressing. I am beginning to see why the OP came up with this thread, I figured it was an urban/suburban thing but apparently it has spread to the trails anymore. Someday my friend, you will break down. And when it happens and everybody drives by you I guarantee that you will be the one screaming foul.

 

[Kalashnikov]

There pretty much isn't a way to avoid vandalism except to get the vehicle out. I've had to leave my vehicles multiple times because the people I went out with either had failures or too small of a vehicle to get me out or it was before I had my winch. Sometimes you just have to learn first hand what you need to take.

There will always be failures even if something is maintained. Full replacement is the only way to avoid that but we can liquidate our our fleet and buy new with tax money so that's not gonna happen.


I always try to help whoever is stuck but I find that the favor usually isn't repaid.

 

[m16ty]

A lot of the wheelers around here run propane to deal with the incline problems of carbs.

Kenny, Most of the newer vehicles don't have greasable u-joints.

 

[edpdx]

We have wandered away from the purpose of the OP. If you can know, through impeccable maintenance, that your vehicle will not break down, good for you. I tend to keep an eye on my hunting rig through the year so I can address all the things that are in need of attention well before I leave on a hunting trip.

Usually I replace belts and hoses as a matter of prevention. My father-in-law, a Detroit mechanic, once warned me about performing new work just before going on the road. It has been good advice. I try to get a tune up in a week or two before I head out. After all the posts about maintenance being your best insurance about breaking down in the field, and knowing which parts to carry just in case, I still know that anything can and will break down. I may be able to fix it- and if it means walking out, I will put prolonged efforts into making it work long enough to limp me to a shop or phone; but I know that the day may certainly come when an unforeseen repair may leave me stranded. It is in this spirit that I offered the OP.

When I do go hunting with my rig, I am likely to tackle some ruff terrain; but not inclined to do any "wheeling"- my rig was not purchased for that. I usually walk across stream beds before driving through them- just in case. So I am not carrying spare drive lines or trannys. I may carry a battery jumper/charger and a spare spare and too many tools; but not the kind of spares x-country drivers in caravans would. Do it your way- if you do need to leave your rig, see the OP. Yes you may get ripped-off, still; but you are no worse off for attempting to bluff your presence or hiding your expensive gear. Good luck on the trail- you too Skinny.

 

[MyUncleRoy]

You guys are awesome. opcorn: