Pennsylvania Rausch Creek Rides

jazngab said:
Throwing this out there to see if theres any interest....

Looking to hit up Rausch Creek for the first time next Saturday the 22nd. Trying to get my feet wet with the off roading thing so not looking to do any crazy trails or trash the jeep. So mostly green trails just to see what its about. Would anybody be interested?
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I'm in like a stiff one, only potential kink would be weather, as of now the forecast says 40 & partly sunny which would be great but if it goes south & snow/salt shows up I'd have to bail.

We can hook up on the Turnpike then you can follow me up if you want, keep me in the loop
 
cliffish said:
Yes, northwest poconos, Lackawaxen to be exact in the Masthope community, my parents retired there full time. We are in process of buying land angular across from them...hopefully be done by mid summer. remains to be seen how often we will use it.
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cool, it'll be a great launching point for Rausch, AOAA & Famous Readings, lots of good wheeling in that area in addition to all the usual cool stuff about the Poconos, sounds like a great move. Was just in Jim Thorpe recently, such an amazing town
 
Westtown Willy said:
cool, it'll be a great launching point for Rausch, AOAA & Famous Readings, lots of good wheeling in that area in addition to all the usual cool stuff about the Poconos, sounds like a great move. Was just in Jim Thorpe recently, such an amazing town
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I have rafted in JIm Thorpe it is nice. The community in Masthope is not like going to a planned community in other states. It is very woodsy, deer everywhere, we all get to ski for free in the smaller mountain inside of it. Full motor boat lake, stables, pool, beach. should look something like below when done, not sure on the colors yet
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Westtown Willy said:
I'm in like a stiff one, only potential kink would be weather, as of now the forecast says 40 & partly sunny which would be great but if it goes south & snow/salt shows up I'd have to bail.

We can hook up on the Turnpike then you can follow me up if you want, keep me in the loop
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I agree about it being weather related. Lol I don’t bring it out in the snow. But as it gets closer I will keep in touch.
 
@cliffish my neighbor grew up in lackawaxon and I always have to laugh when I hear that name. My parents have a house in arrowhead lake in the Poconos so I’m up in that area every now and then.
 
Great time yesterday for the maiden voyage of @jazngab’s 03X, sure didn’t look like a first timer from my rear view mirror!

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as per usual this season, it rained about 2 inches the day before yesterday so the park was an absolute saturated slop-fest. I managed to get to the top of this trail but my buddy dug in a little too much & just sunk in the mud. With no suitable trees to winch off of I backed down to tie off but he (JKU) was so heavy he ended up dragging me down the hill rather than pulling him up, so another buddy had to back down to hold me in place

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same thing happened a little later, leading the group I scatted up first managing to stay on top of grass/straw but the next couple guys sunk in, this was a tough one given the curves of the trail & its grade which kept forcing everyone into an awkwardly placed stump.

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in the end a great day all around, no one broke anything & we all drove home to return another day :jump:
 
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Westtown Willy said:
Great time yesterday for the maiden voyage of @jazngab’s 03X, sure didn’t look like a first timer from my rear view mirror!

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as per usual this season, it rained about 2 inches the day before yesterday so the park was an absolute saturated slop-fest. I managed to get to the top of this trail but my buddy dug in a little too much & just sunk in the mud. With no suitable trees to winch off of I backed down to tie off but he (JKU) was so heavy he ended up dragging me down the hill rather than pulling him up, so another buddy had to back down to hold me in place

View attachment 68962View attachment 68963View attachment 68964

same thing happened a little later, leading the group I scatted up first managing to stay on top of grass/straw but the next couple guys sunk in, this was a tough one given the curves of the trail & its grade which kept forcing everyone into an awkwardly placed stump.

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in the end a great day all around, no one broke anything & we all drove home to return another day :jump:
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Thanks again to @Westtown Willy for letting me tag along on my first go around off road! He was a phenomenal trail boss (and his TJ was an absolute trail beast). Wasn't forced to do anything crazy (I was pretty dumb to attempt that initial vertical rock climb in the beginning as I almost shat my pants) and had a great time. Some of the green trails were a little tougher than expected but it did rain hard the previous days leading up to Saturday. Bottomed out 2 or 3x on the skid and diffs, a few tree branch scratches, and one rim minor nick but the jeep made it out in one piece and I was pretty amazed how much a mostly stock tj was able to handle. Hopefully I'll come back when its warmer and with a few more additions to the tj....
 
b0xcar said:
Some great stuff in this thread! Thanks for the videos and pics. Enjoy seeing/reading about other members doing great things.

Keep them coming PA!
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thanks @b0xcar, and I'll try my hardest hahaha

jazngab said:
Wasn't forced to do anything crazy (I was pretty dumb to attempt that initial vertical rock climb in the beginning as I almost shat my pants) and had a great time.
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ha, not dumb at all, the only reason you had trouble was that things weren't dry, next time you'll scoot right up that thing. A stock Unlimited can't do it due to breakover, that's what caught Anthony up...

Side story, and for those that don't know the park the rock he's talking about is one of the exit points to the competition area that's adjacent to the office/parking lot of the park. The very first time I went up the guy leading that day drove right to that rock & went up it & I couldn't believe it, thought man this is gonna be a long day if that's what we're doing. I ended up following him & I swear as I approached it it looked like a wall & I couldn't understand how a vehicle could drive up it but up & over I went & it was at that moment that I realized how fun it was going to be & how capable the stock TJ was.

I'm not usually superstitious but from that day forward I will only enter the park through that rock, it's become the talisman that brings me good luck for the day; shown in the first few seconds of this clip:

 
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this coming Saturday, March 16 is looking good; it's been too long, we've gotten almost no snow this year but for one reason or another I've been sidelined since December, looking to change that as soon as possible.

If anyone's interested lemme know & I'll see you on the trail - Marc a/k/a Westtown Willy

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Westtown Willy said:
this coming Saturday, March 16 is looking good; it's been too long, we've gotten almost no snow this year but for one reason or another I've been sidelined since December, looking to change that as soon as possible.

If anyone's interested lemme know & I'll see you on the trail - Marc a/k/a Westtown Willy

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If I can finally get my Jeep back this week and if there’s no recommended break in for the new gears, I’m in!
 
jazngab said:
If I can finally get my Jeep back this week and if there’s no recommended break in for the new gears, I’m in!
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From ECGS: new gear break-in-

• Only use high quality gear oils. ECGS recommends Lucas non-synthetic 85W-140
• On initial run, drive lightly for 15 to 20 minutes then stop to allow differential to cool completely for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Avoid towing and heavy acceleration, as well as vary speeds every 5 to 10 minutes while driving on highways.
• Drive conservatively and do not drive more than 50 miles at a time without allowing a cool cycle during the first 500 miles following installation.
• After completing initial break-in, change gear oil at 500 miles. Small metal particles are normal and gear oil will typically be black. Excessive metal in gear oil should be reviewed by a competent differential mechanic to ensure safety of internal parts.

I've had good experience using the above, or as close to it as I can taking things all things into consideration.
 
Stevemack said:
From ECGS: new gear break-in-

• Only use high quality gear oils. ECGS recommends Lucas non-synthetic 85W-140
• On initial run, drive lightly for 15 to 20 minutes then stop to allow differential to cool completely for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Avoid towing and heavy acceleration, as well as vary speeds every 5 to 10 minutes while driving on highways.
• Drive conservatively and do not drive more than 50 miles at a time without allowing a cool cycle during the first 500 miles following installation.
• After completing initial break-in, change gear oil at 500 miles. Small metal particles are normal and gear oil will typically be black. Excessive metal in gear oil should be reviewed by a competent differential mechanic to ensure safety of internal parts.

I've had good experience using the above, or as close to it as I can taking things all things into consideration.
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Yup. Decided to be conservative and do all of those before wheeling it. Thanks!
 
we kicked off 2019 yesterday with a nice easy day on some basic trails, the place was empty - I don't think we saw another Jeep until around noon. It was me & one of my regular buddies plus a third guy from Wheel with Us, he was pretty much new to it & had a stock JKU with some upgraded mud tires. It was training day too for the girlfriend so we took it easy & just enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I also took the opportunity to determine if my new bump stop extensions were adequate, found a stretch of moguls & got it twisted up good enough to confirm no contact at full stop; not exactly the preferred method but it worked

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Westtown Willy said:
we kicked off 2019 yesterday with a nice easy day on some basic trails, the place was empty - I don't think we saw another Jeep until around noon. It was me & one of my regular buddies plus a third guy from Wheel with Us, he was pretty much new to it & had a stock JKU with some upgraded mud tires. It was training day too for the girlfriend so we took it easy & just enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I also took the opportunity to determine if my new bump stop extensions were adequate, found a stretch of moguls & got it twisted up good enough to confirm no contact at full stop; not exactly the preferred method but it worked

View attachment 82795View attachment 82796View attachment 82797View attachment 82798View attachment 82799View attachment 82800

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Funny I thought that was Kim driving in the video from the beginning. I’m like wow she’s good for first time haha
 
Westtown Willy said:
we kicked off 2019 yesterday with a nice easy day on some basic trails, the place was empty - I don't think we saw another Jeep until around noon. It was me & one of my regular buddies plus a third guy from Wheel with Us, he was pretty much new to it & had a stock JKU with some upgraded mud tires. It was training day too for the girlfriend so we took it easy & just enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I also took the opportunity to determine if my new bump stop extensions were adequate, found a stretch of moguls & got it twisted up good enough to confirm no contact at full stop; not exactly the preferred method but it worked

View attachment 82795View attachment 82796View attachment 82797View attachment 82798View attachment 82799View attachment 82800

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Good stuff man! And...
 
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