Episode 433 – Going Doorless and Using a Spotter

This Week In Jeep:

Major Deal Between Big Satellite Comms Co. and Jeep

Jeep has forever been known as the king of the offroad, and its heritage has carried it with mixed reviews into the world of overlanding over the last decade or so. Wranglers aren’t exactly plush on space or storage so it’s no surprise the reception the Gladiator has seen in the aftermarket overlanding and expedition wheeling markets. And it is this foray into uncharted waters that Jeep is now finding traction, and with that comes partnerships with other big name companies in the overlanding world. SPOT offers off-road enthusiasts and back-country adventurers’ critical connectivity in remote areas of the world. Products include emergency response and international S.O.S. services, giving peace of mind to hundreds of thousands of users globally.  To date, SPOT has achieved over 7,000 rescues, in more than 100 countries. This week, news broke that a licensing deal between Globalstar affiliate SPOT LLC and the Jeep® brand has been finalized. As part of an effort to expand its footprint in the overland adventure market, Globalstar is developing an exclusive new line of Jeep and SPOT™ co-branded products. What this means is that it gives Jeep the  ability to offer its customers endless opportunities to pursue their adventures once the road ends, in a connected and safe manner. This is going to give both SPOT and Jeep users a link to a brand they can trust with their lives. Imagine being able to link up to your JEep to call for help, or your Jeep being able to tell searchers where you are in relation to where the vehicle is. There are so many possibilities for hikers, climbers, and overlanders that this may open a new level of emergency communication, one that may very soon be built into the Jeep you buy.

Jeep plus Pole plus Colorado Mountainside = FAIL

A rather odd incident occurred on one of Colorado’s scenic highways and byways this week. Ordinarily a news story about a Jeep in an accident in a state that has some world class off road destinations may not garner a second glance. But this is one of those that stood out, and you’ll quickly understand why. According to the Lakewood Police Department a black 4 door Jeep Wrangler hit a light pole before charging several hundred feet up the side of the 6,800 some-odd-foot tall Green Mountain. Jeep’s can pretty much go anywhere and DO anything, but I’m sure it’s safe to say that police in ANY jurisdiction wouldn’t take too kindly to someone turning a 50 foot pole of a street light into a hood ornament and then trying to do some hill climbs OFF of a designated trail.  (i mean if you’re ON a designated trails and you’re treading lightly, who am I to judge your choice of a hood ornament)  But since “Driver McNobrains” couldn’t get his light pole bearing Jeep up the sheer face of a six thousand foot mountainside, the Jeep eventually became stuck, came to a stop and the operator bailed. It’s strange, even though the incident is still under investigation, there have been very little details released surrounding this whole thing. We know the light pole had become one with this Jeep after being ran into by said Jeep, and we know the driver ran thru town with his fancy new Jeep mod, and then went off roading where he failed to perform a successful hillclimb and ran from the rig when it stopped and was caught moments later.  You know on second thought, I think we know enough. 

Jeep Life:

America’s Best Kept Off Roading Secret

Wow what a coincidence! My plan was to share America’s best kept secret of off roading and luck would have it… I was able to sneak out to this place for some amazing off roading this past week.  Last Fall Neil and I ventured across America and met some really awesome Jeepers and wheeled some cool places in the West like the Sedona Red Rocks, Southern California, Colorado and Kingman, Arizona. When you think of great wheeling most people think of Moab or the Colorado Mountains or even the Rubicon Trail. Don’t get me wrong these places are amazing to wheel. The scenery is spectacular and the trails are awesome. The Rubicon Trail is on my bucket list. Moab was on my bucket list, as was Colorado. But Kingman Arizona wasn’t even on my radar for wheeling. Luck would have it we needed to do some official business this week and it happened to bring us to the Kingman Arizona area again. The third time we’ve been there. When you hear Kingman you usually think of Historic Route 66, which don’t get me wrong there is part of Historic route 66 that had me dropping the fbomb left and right. I highly recommend if you are ever in the area take historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman Arizona. What a spectacular scenic drive. Plus Oatman is a cool little mining town with burros roaming the streets. I had a plastic grocery bag with some socks, decals and a kit kat bar in it. This old ass walked right up to me and snatched onto that kit kat bar in my bag and tore it right out.  Needless to say I never got to enjoy that chocolate bar. This eight mile section of Historic Route 66 has 191 turns, curves and switchbacks. Motorcycle enthusiasts love to ride this route. It’s amazing drive in your Jeep as well. A great stop on this curvey mountain road is a little stop call Cool Springs. A place to grab a hot dog, drink and get some cool souvenirs. Okay so that’s not the best kept secret but a cool little Jeep Life trip. The best Kept secret is the wheeling in the Kingman Arizona area. There are 40 to 50 named trails with over 10,000 miles of two tracks just in Mojave County alone. This is the county that was able to stop BLM from closing down trails with a little help from Ric Swatts. Now these trails aren’t just your everyday trail where you wheel a moderate trail then hit difficult obstacles a couple of times on the trail. These trails are one big long difficult obstacle with huge rocks, ledges and waterfall climbs winding through the Wall=i=pie Mountains or the Black Mountains. A mile long trail could take up to five or six hours. The first time we went to Kingman… we hit the trail Homecourt. I thought we were on the trail but we were actually on the two track to the trail. These trails to the trail are challenging in a different way especially if you are afraid of heights. There’s a lot of tight curves and switchbacks up and down the mountains. So it’s like a double bonus. This is the case for most of the trails in Mojave County. The six trails we have hit have all been in washes. They have been the most technical trails I have ever been on. The last time I was there wheeling my Jeep I wheeled the trail Twister a very difficult trail without a spotter. It seems I have upped my game when it comes to that technical wheeling. I do have a long ways to go as I still need to work on my throttle control. I’m a little timid when it comes to that skinny pedal. So if you are ever in the Kingman Arizona area look up the group Rocks and Wheels. They are a great group of wheelers who can take you out for some amazing technical wheeling. Also don’t forget to check out the Historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman!

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

Keep Those Doors Coming Off EASY for Years To Come.

So it seems everywhere except where Wendy lives is starting to get warmer and show us signs that summer is right around the corner. And with all this nice weather and the promise of warmer temps ahead, it’s likely got you thinking of taking the top off and enjoying that open air experience that only comes with owning a Jeep Wrangler. And what completes that experience more than taking the top off? Taking the doors off too! It’s truly open air driving at its finest. Or so you thought.  You’ve taken off the hinge bolts and now have pulled, pushed, yanked, reefed and swung those damn doors back and forth so many times, you’ve built up a sweat! You’re trying your hardest to get those doors off, and nothing seems to work. You’ve done pretty much everything you thought you should do, and the things still won’t budge. Well that factory door hinge pin bushing design really isn’t the best, and that’s where all your problems are stemming from. If your doors are truly stuck then there are a few things you can do. Searching online will reveal anything from the dangerous to the stupid, so be careful what you decide to do in the end. People seem to gravitate to either using some form of a hoist or ratcheting strap contraption attached to the ceiling to provide an upward pull, OR…. I’ve heard of people having a lot of success using a jack and a length of wood to distribute the force and not bend metal. But that just sounds like a bad day in the waiting. Then there’s those who use the hinge bolts as punches, and hammer against them after unthreading them about halfway. This seems to work well, but you take a high risk of damaging the body with a missed strike, or stripping the threads of the hinge bolts if you hit too hard too many times. My solution is a lot slower but alot safer, and that involves a liberal amount of penetrating oil. Lubing up those hinges more than they ever should be with a high grade penetrating oil (no wd40 is not the same thing) will help loosen things up as you work the door back and forth.  Letting that oil work for a while is the key to this, the longer you let it sit, the better it will work, but it WILL work. Now, here’s where the trick comes in. We don’t want you having to do that every year, or every time you wanna go doorless. The trick is… that once you DO have your doors off, you install a set of Delrin bushings to replace the factory ones – making future door removal quick and easy once and for all. It’s a simple mod, but something you will definitely appreciate when it is time for those doors to come off again, even if it’s a year or more down the road. So grab some penetrating oil, apply it to those stubborn factory door hinge pin bushings, and then read up on door removal techniques and get a set of Delrin bushings while the oil does its thing.  There are a million places that both sell or make these things so I wont bother pointing you in a specific direction here. Just know that these things are out there, and will make your Jeep life a whole lot easier.

Newbie Nuggets:

Using a spotter

One of the best things I did early on was jump in the driver seat of our Jeep. We had been going out on runs and obstacles for a while and Bill said, “You want to drive?” Well that was the start of learning something new that I had no idea I needed and wanted.  When you first drive, it seems simple. Just like on a regular highway, until you come to an obstacle. Now here in Big Bear we don’t have simple rocks to climb or basic obstacles. Rocks tend to be spread out into one long continuous obstacle. Being new it was hard to comprehend the line I needed to pick and the way the jeep would operate. This is where a good spotter comes in. I was fortunate to have my husband, Bill, as my first spotter. His entire life of off-roading and jeeping gave me confidence that he would keep me on the right line and get me through the obstacle. This gave me a solid foundation of what to do and how to do it.  Using a spotter is very essential for beginners. You are learning all kinds of nuggets and how your jeep needs to navigate through the obstacle. A good spotter has some great qualities and not all are created equal.  A good spotter is patient and calm. This is probably the most valuable of qualities. Having a patient and calm spotter allows you the driver to remain calm and get through the obstacle with ease. A good spotter gives good and clear commands. This may seem obvious but I have seen all kinds of weirdness out there from double commands, to yelling (especially husbands to wives) to giving the wrong commands, to you name it. What I’m saying is you the driver can decide who will spot you. It’s your choice to use a spotter, or not, AND to choose your spotter. If you feel more comfortable with your significant other, like I did, then that’s your choice. If you want to use someone else in the group, then do so. Just a note for anyone whose significant other didn’t choose you: Get over it. This is about them learning. Don’t be that guy, or gal!  There are some things that will help you when using a spotter;  1) Once you decide to use the spotter: stick with them. They are your “eyes” once you get closer to the obstacle. Their job is to guide you over the obstacle with ease and help you navigate through.   2) The spotter’s job is to help you “line up” for that obstacle. This may include you having to back up several times so that the rear tires align with the track they want you to proceed with. 3) Once spotting begins, PAY ATTENTION. So many times I see this, we get someone lined up, only to have them stop paying attention and do their own thing. Stick with it and as hard as it may be, don’t take your eyes off the spotter. They are there to help you! 4) Stick with the spotter until you are finished: I see this all the time, a jeep gets part way through and the driver thinks they are clear and stops watching the spotter and guess what – their tires slip off the rock and you are now balancing on your drive shaft. And then it’s just fun fodder for the spotter to try to figure out how to get you back on track. 5) You may experience multiple people trying to help you through an obstacle at the same time. We all LOVE to help… however you need to listen or watch one spotter at a time. And those of you helping to spot a newbie make sure you are the only one giving the direction. There are some commands that you should be aware of. Some spotters use verbal commands and others use non-verbal commands. Both have pros and cons, I tend to prefer the non-verbal and I’ll explain why in a moment.  Let’s start with verbal commands. These are probably the most commonly used. It seems that most people are good at speaking their directions and most drivers listen. Sometimes the verbal commands can get lost in translation especially if a newbie isn’t familiar with what the spotter actually wants them to do. Tone of voice and patience is important here for the newbie. Verbal commands can be misinterpreted, not heard and/or confusing. Verbal commands also lend themselves to allow the driver to look away from the spotter while they “wait” for the next verbal command. Some Verbal commands that are used; Driver, or turn driver: turn your wheels toward the driver Passenger, or turn passenger: turn your wheels toward the passenger side Easy: easy on the throttle or brake Control your rear: when coming off an obstacle, slow down and ease the back end off the rocks so you don’t bounce your bumper off the rocks. STOP: Very important for you to STOP and FREEZE if you hear this command. You may have no idea what is about to happen if you don’t STOP. Let’s move on to the Non-Verbal commands, or hand signals. These tend to help  the driver keep their eyes on the spotter. There is no verbal command and the driver has to pay attention. The commands should be easy to understand and obvious. Other words, make the hand gestures simple but large and not obscured by clothing/gloves. For example, I was spotting on a run and it was a really cold day. The gloves I had on were black, my jacket was black and the drivers couldn’t see my hand signals as easy. Once I removed the gloves and got my hands away from my body, no problem.  Some common hand signals; Point left: use finger pointed left for driver to turn right Point right: use finger pointed right for driver to turn left Come forward: hand up with palms facing the spotter and a come forward motion Go back: palms facing the driver held out while pushing motion indicates to go back or reverse. Climbing up/down a rock: the spotter will point to the tire and use their open palm in an up or down motion to indicate that tire (or tires) is about to up a rock or come down off the rock. STOP with a closed fist: Really important when a jeep is stuck and people are helping to move rocks under the Jeep, etc. Closed fist signifies that the driver MUST NOT move. This means don’t turn the wheel and DON’T let your foot off the brake. The Jeep might move and pinch or trap someone’s fingers, or worse. Happened to me. I was helping to move rocks for a stuck jeep, my husband was spotting and this driver let his foot off the brake and the jeep rolled forward. Luckily I was not injured but I thought my husband was gonna blow a gasket. That driver got a verbal lesson in STOP means STOP and don’t move.  The best and my favorite hand signal is the mirror imaging. I learned this technique from Don Alexander (with Jeep 4-1-1) The spotter holds their hands up as if they were holding a steering wheel with their hands in the 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock position. The spotter moves the hands (as if turning the steering wheel) in the direction they want the driver to turn. The driver sees this and applies the same motion. It’s amazing to watch this actually work and takes some time to get used to actually doing (if you are spotter). The best thing I can say is this mirror image can show small or large movements. Compare that to someone saying “driver”. What does that actually mean? Is that a tiny turn, or a full lock turn? With the mirror image, the spotter is showing you how much to turn. If they move a tiny bit, you move the steering wheel the same, if it needs to go full lock, then you go full lock. Visually it’s the best, in my opinion.  Visibility of the spotter is also very important. It’s vital for the driver to see the spotter clearly at all times and for the spotter to clearly see the driver. The spotter may need to adjust their position so that you can see them. If you can’t see them speak up. Sometimes the jeep may be in a climbing position and the spotter needs to get to a higher plain so you can see them. Likewise coming down off an obstacle, the spotter may need to be lower down so you can see each other. As a newbie driver, I recommend you get out and look at the obstacle for yourself before driving though it. Watch other jeeps go through and watch how that spotter is getting them through. Also, before you begin ask the spotter how they will be spotting you. You need to understand what commands (verbal vs non-verbal) they will be using. Once you start driving over obstacles, I can tell you it is very exhilarating. Using a spotter is beneficial to learning what your jeep is capable of and how that feels. BTW using a spotter is a badge of honor. It means you tackled a tough obstacle (whether it’s your first time or you are an experienced driver). Having an extra set of eyes is so powerful. Don’t be afraid to use a spotter – that goes for all you experienced drivers too!  Tony, Josh, Tammy I know we all have used them, but what are some of the things you wish were done differently when you used a spotter? Or any nuggets you want to add on using a spotter?

Must Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

Body Armor Tub Rails – $185.99 w/ Free Shipping

Chances are that if you listen to this show, you have taken your Jeep offroad, know someone who has or does, or at the very least, have SEEN another Jeep who likely goes off road. And the one thing all those have in common? Well, yes, they ARE Broke, but no I’m talking about one of the most common pieces of armor one puts on a Jeep. Rock rails. Virtually every offroading Jeep has them, and they are arguably one of the most critical pieces of armor we can put on a Jeep. But as we add more, do more with our Jeeps, the modification list just gets longer and longer. Many Jeepers at this point find themselves owning a Jeep they take offroad often. Maybe even in those tight, technical, trails, or in the rock for some rock crawling. At that point armor is a must, no question about it. But most of us don’t have tube fenders or an exo cage and those rock rails can only protect so much of your Jeep before you find yourself needing more protection. What happens when you get deep into those rocks, or those trees are a little tighter this year then you remember them being?…. and suddenly the side of your Jeep is in contact with that fir, spruce, alder or some large random outcropping of rock. Your Bushwackers or other plastic type fender flare may survive the encounter if they’re flexible enough, but how do you protect the tub of your Jeep without going to the extent of outfitting a full exo cage or springing the loot for a set of tube fenders? The answer is what are called Tub Rails, and there are a few manufacturers that are starting to come out with more and more versions of these. The ones I’m highlighting today have the specs to get the job done and a lifetime warranty from a company who stands behind their product. So if you need some serious tub armor for some serious offroading, but don’t want to spend a fortune,  then you’ll want to get your hands on these right away. The link we’ll have will take you to the set for any 97-06 TJ Wrangler, not the LJ’s though, but there are versions for virtually any other Jeep including XJ’s, so be sure to find a set that works for you.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/body-armor-4×4-tub-rails-tj-4322-jeep-wrangler.html

Links Mentioned in Episode 433: 

Rocks and  Wheels Offroad  Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/RocksNWheels/

Jeep 4-1-1 YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver