Advice for first time on the rocks

I prefer mud over rocks. I have severe back issues though.
p.s. After the storm hits here through the weekend, there'll be plenty of mud to play in.

You will hear lots of scraping of your bits and bobs.

I’m on the same mountain range so while I’ve never been to Gore I’m pretty familiar with the terrain you’ll be on. When they say possible body damage that will most likely come from sliding laterally into either a berm, large rock(s) or tree(s). By October when this event is scheduled there will likely be a good deal of leaves on the ground which may not only obscure some of the rocks but if there’s moisture it’ll turn the rocks into the functional equivalent of ice cubes. So my advice is to first be aware of this, and second move forward accordingly, which is to pick your lines carefully, move slowly over any area that’s covered in leaves, & avoid climbs that include a lot of leaning if there’s a lot of things to crash into on your sides; & if you find yourself in a jam, pull a line rather than trying to power your way out because that’s when you’ll start sliding & then all bets are off. Also, if you don’t have an oil pan skid, get one, because if you slide off a moderate rock & bang that pan you could have some problems.

Air your tires down to 10-11 psi at the most. Don't be afraid to air down that low they won't unseat at that pressure. Higher than that and the tires won't be nearly as effective or have nearly as much traction. Keep the transfer case in 4Lo and the transmission in Low when you're in the rocks. Rocks will tend to cause your foot to bounce on the gas pedal which can cause problems so brace your right foot against the transmission tunnel to help keep it steady without bouncing when you are on the rocks.

When on rocks it's common for one of the tires to come off the ground and start spinning. When it's spinning uselessly in the air that reduces the amount of power the engine can develop to send to the tire that's still on the ground that still has pressure. When that's happing in the rear you can pull the parking brake handle up to slow or stop the spinning of the tire in the air to cause the engine to be able to send more power to the other tire still on the ground. When it's a front tire spinning in the air you can step on the brake pedal judiciously but not too much of course.

The object of the rear or front brakes being used to stop a tire spinning is to give the engine more resistance to work into which increases how much torque it can put out. If you were able to measure the engine torque with all the tires in the rear spinning, like if it was on a car rack, you'd be surprised how little torque the engine is able to put out. But if you were to step hard on the brakes with it up in the air you'd see the torque produced by the engine would suddenly jump way up from the extra resistance caused by the brakes that the engine was working into.

The brake technique can come in very handy if you find your Jeep not moving from one or two tires being in the air and spinning uselessly.

And as you figured out already, do place tires on the top of rocks so they're not hanging the Jeep from the rocks getting in front of the axle or under the skid plate that lifts the Jeep up so all the tires are spinning.

Have fun, and you will, there's not much that is more fun than doing a little rock crawling!!!

Agree with what Jerry said.

- Air down
- Trust your spotter (or not). Try to find someone that has some experience. A bonus if they also drive a TJ or 2 door. Stay behind them and try to essentially do what they did (assuming they're not taking the hard line).
- If you get stuck, again, listen to your spotter.
- Take it easy on the throttle. I see too many people new to the hobby that will try to punch the gas when they get stuck. This is how you break things.
- Keep your windows open so you can listen to your spotter. I don't know how many times I've been trying to give someone instructions and they can't hear me because they rolled up the window.
- No drinking/drugs. Not that you should ever, but especially when you're new, you want to be fully alert.
- Plan to be on the trail longer than you think it will take. I've seen people show up with no lunch and plans to eat out for dinner. Then something breaks and you're stuck there until after dinner time. Meals, snacks, water, jacket, etc. I have low blood sugar, so always bring extra snacks.

Read the trail meaning look for signs where others have gone. Tire marks on the rocks is a good sign scrapes on the rocks with a gear oil smell not so good. Look far enough down the trail to plan your next move. Lastly and most importantly look out the windshield and don’t be a dumbass and drive with half your body hanging out the drivers window watching your front tire remember you have 3 others that need to have good placement.

DropTopDon said:

One thing I forgot to mention.... Is it okay to wheel with one body mount bolt missing? While swapping the lift from my TJ to LJ the front most body mount on the passenger side broke in the body. I have been driving it like that for a couple months with no issue but I am sure wheeling may be a different story.

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You're going to have some people here tell you you should park that thing until you get a Mopar replacement bolt torqued within +/- 0.001% of factory spec, and others will tell you to just send it.

I'm in the send it camp. The body is secured to the frame in like 10 other locations. It'll be fine. Replace it when you get a chance. If the body does fly off the frame, be sure somebody is rolling video on it.

Best advise is if it starts hopping..... Stop, or it's going to break something.

hear said:

You're going to have some people here tell you you should park that thing until you get a Mopar replacement bolt torqued within +/- 0.001% of factory spec, and others will tell you to just send it.

I'm in the send it camp. The body is secured to the frame in like 10 other locations. It'll be fine. Replace it when you get a chance. If the body does fly off the frame, be sure somebody is rolling video on it.

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I'm in the 'send it' camp as well. I try not to miss an opportunity to wheel if I can help it.

Though I would also get that part ordered and installed sooner than later. Maybe don't send it in that exact spot, but everywhere else!

hear said:

You're going to have some people here tell you you should park that thing until you get a Mopar replacement bolt torqued within +/- 0.001% of factory spec, and others will tell you to just send it.

I'm in the send it camp. The body is secured to the frame in like 10 other locations. It'll be fine. Replace it when you get a chance. If the body does fly off the frame, be sure somebody is rolling video on it.

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A more rational response is that running with a broken body mount bolt does increase the stress on the remaining surrounding body mounts. Especially when the body and frame are flexed and twisted as the suspension articulates. This can potentially result in tub damage and breaking more body mount bolts. All of this goes back to why things like the squishy JKS body lift and sliders that use the body mounts are a dumb design choice, due to the uneven loading of the unitized body/frame connection they create.

Will any of this happen on the way to the grocery store or while on a simple drive down a dirt road? Maybe not. But it should be fixed sooner rather than later.

DropTopDon said:

Going to the Fall Crawl in Gore Va this year, and it is the first time I will be wheeling on any real rocks or obstacles. I have been off-road in mud (hate it) and fire roads and light trails, the largest rocks were probably the size of a basketball. So is there any advice you guys can give me on wheeling? I have and open diff automatic LJ. They have it setup in different lines you can choose, and I chose line 4 out of 10. It was described as possible body damage, 33 or 35 inch tire required, and open or locked diffs. I know the basics like putting your tire on the obstacle and airing down and bringing tools for possible repairs.

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1. Lean your seat slightly more upright so you do not experience back fatigue from leaning forward to look over your hood.
2. Watch your spotter and do what he says
3. Aim for keeping your rig level
4. Don't spin your wheels
5. Stay calm
6. Know where everything in your rig is so you can keep eyes ahead and just reach
7. If you have a ton of keys on your keychain, remove them so they are not swinging around all day (shouldn't have a lot of keys hanging on the key cylinder anyway)
8. When you stop and get out, kill the rig and put the parking brake on.
9. if you have them, keep your lockers engaged at all times (except in rare situations)
10. Keep your thumbs and fingers out of the steering wheel
11. Don't reach out the window to keep the rig from sliding into a rock or wall (you aren't that strong)

JMT said:

9. if you have them, keep your lockers engaged at all times (except in rare situations)

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Totally disagree with this. Learn how to use the lockers, how they engage on different terrain, and how long they take to engage, and most importantly when they are needed. Engage them only when you anticipate their need... always locked puts unnecessary stress on the drivetrain, and will limit things like turning radius...

Know the lowest part of your vehicle.

When safe, lean your head out your window at times, to get a better situational awareness. Hell, don't be afraid to jump out and walk a line.

The dings and pings will sound a lot worse then they really are, BUT don't be liberal with rock contacting metal.

Envision what will happen to your vehicle, tires, roll, pitch, etc... inches at a time. Ex: What will happen to passenger rear, when front driver tire rolls over the boulder and drops into that ditch.

Don't panic. take a breather if on tilt.

Understand that body and/or mechanical damage is possible. Be prepared for a trail fix, or have a plan.

If going up or down hill... keep the jeep pointed up or down. Never get perpendicular to the hill.

Reading this is making me want to go out there this year haha Where in Va are you located? I’m only about 20mins from the Cove. If you’re worried about that body bolt you have plenty of time to get it out of there and replaced before the event.

DropTopDon said:

I’m in Southwest Va (Roanoke) about three hours from the Cove. With College and work I actually don’t have much time to dig it out unfortunately and I honestly have no clue how I’d get it out since it’s a tricky spot to fit a drill and I don’t want to cut a hole in my body, plus I can’t even weld.

You should definitely go out this year! I’m hoping to see as many TJ’s as possible and even better members of this forum

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If I get this front axle swapped in time I wouldn’t mind getting out there to test everything. I’ve never been and I’ve lived in Winchester my whole life.

Being 3hrs from home, if you run into any troubles along the way feel free to reach out. Im close by with plenty of tools and a trailer if you get too crazy out there lol

Lots of good advice here. I have been to gore a bunch and you will have fun. If you get there and the line looks full of rigs you think may be down for more rowdy stuff than you are. Don't be afraid to switch after checking with the people that run the event.

Most of it is pretty open or wider trails but there are some big rocks on certain trails. A lot of it you can go around if needed but some trails you can't. It will be slippery and muddy so keep that in mind when picking your line. Listen to your spotter.

Try and get behind someone experienced if you can and watch their tire placement.

Have a good time!