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Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Associate Editor
5/19/15 12:38 p.m.

Oh boy... where do I start. This hobby, just like racing, is a slippery slope. Here's an old photo of the SUV I bought bone stock to carry mountain bikes and a boat with: It now has a snorkel, too, because project creep.

First off, unless you're willing to put a chain around a wheel (scratches ) or buy an adapter, there's no place to jack a new Cherokee with a Hi-Lift. Maybe off of one of the front tow hooks, but I wouldn't bet on that. Modern cars just don't have much to grab, and they are very circular so the jack top usually hits the door, anyway. Farm jacks can be tricky if you've never used one before, too–I'd avoid that.

Self-recovery isn't that tough, and it's a necessary skill to learn. Learn it now, while you have a stock truck that can't get stuck too badly, and work your way up to the hard stuff. Otherwise, you'll probably have to learn it in the dark in your Jeep on 44s stuck in 8 feet of mud upside down.

Necessary tools for basic self-recovery:

Level 1:
Shovel.

Level 2:
Hi-Lift
sand ladders, boards, carpet, something to put under the wheel for traction.

Level 3:
Come-along with straps.

Level 4:
Winch

Level 5:
snatch blocks, anchors, etc.

If you do wade with it (I wouldn't, unless you're willing to change all the fluids), go slow, but still fast enough to make a bit of a bow wave. And don't stop. And if you do stop, don't open your door–crawl out the window.

Watch your rocker panels–I think the Trailhawk has skid plates, but your rockers are still very vulnerable. That has a locker in the back, too, so the drivetrain can probably write checks that the body can't cash.

Definitely go with somebody. Try self-recovery, then if you fail get them to tow you out, and try again.

A good rule of thumb for supplies, tools, etc. is to assume that the truck will disappear at your furthest point from civilization. If you can walk back from there, bring boots and water and food. If you can't, bring lots of tools, and enough gear to comfortably spend the night. Look at a coverage map and see if you'll have cell. If it's at all iffy, then leave somebody you know a piece of paper that says "I will be going to X, at X time via X route. If I don't check in with you by X, please send help."

It's intimidating, but you'll have a lot of fun and it's well worth it.

Oh, one more thing: though they aren't great, pretty much every club uses CB radios to communicate. Put one in your Jeep if you're going with anybody else.

Oh, and let your tires down to 15 psi or so. That will give you more traction.

ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory SuperDork
5/19/15 12:59 p.m.

Look, you can make a five-page list of stuff to bring, what to do, what to avoid etc. you can spend the next 6 months watching Youtube videos of "How to drive off road" and you can spend $1,500 on stuff to bring along or you can be the man I am positive you are and just go. You don't need another truck babysitting you because you're smart enough not to put yourself into enough danger to need all that stuff.

He's driving down bumpy dirt roads in a 4x4 in a dedicated park not hiking the Himalayas.

Analysis Paralysis.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Associate Editor
5/19/15 1:03 p.m.

Hey, he asked, I answered. Hopefully he'll become so emboldened by the green trails at the 4x4 park, he instantly plans a multi-day trip through the rockies.

captdownshift
captdownshift SuperDork
5/19/15 1:28 p.m.

Also, you can offroad a stock sedan without issue, so I don't think the Cherokee will have any issues.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Associate Editor
5/19/15 1:35 p.m.

Just avoid these:

FWIW, the offroad park near me is pretty rough. Watch out.

Cone_Junkie
Cone_Junkie SuperDork
5/19/15 1:43 p.m.
ebonyandivory wrote: Look, you can make a five-page list of stuff to bring, what to do, what to avoid etc. you can spend the next 6 months watching Youtube videos of "How to drive off road" and you can spend $1,500 on stuff to bring along or you can be the man I am positive you are and just go. You don't need another truck babysitting you because you're smart enough not to put yourself into enough danger to need all that stuff. He's driving down bumpy dirt roads in a 4x4 in a dedicated park not hiking the Himalayas. Analysis Paralysis.

This.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid
SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltimaDork
5/20/15 9:25 a.m.
Cone_Junkie wrote:
ebonyandivory wrote: Look, you can make a five-page list of stuff to bring, what to do, what to avoid etc. you can spend the next 6 months watching Youtube videos of "How to drive off road" and you can spend $1,500 on stuff to bring along or you can be the man I am positive you are and just go. You don't need another truck babysitting you because you're smart enough not to put yourself into enough danger to need all that stuff. He's driving down bumpy dirt roads in a 4x4 in a dedicated park not hiking the Himalayas. Analysis Paralysis.
This.

Yes but still bring a friend, they are a valuable asset.

JAhmed
JAhmed Reader
5/20/15 9:49 a.m.

Wow. I really appreciate all of the input! I should start out by mentioning that I am pretty confident in my ability to err on the side of caution. For me, this experience is more about seeing what it's all about and getting the car a little dirty. I suppose I could have the sort of fun I'm envisioning on any fire road, but I am also looking forward to seeing the other machines at an off road park, and trying to observe how the more experienced enthusiasts go about traversing the landscape. I will certainly do more research and reading prior to trying this out, but I intend on going slow and steady with this, just as I did with autocross/track.

Cotton
Cotton UberDork
5/20/15 10:00 a.m.
ebonyandivory wrote: Look, you can make a five-page list of stuff to bring, what to do, what to avoid etc. you can spend the next 6 months watching Youtube videos of "How to drive off road" and you can spend $1,500 on stuff to bring along or you can be the man I am positive you are and just go. You don't need another truck babysitting you because you're smart enough not to put yourself into enough danger to need all that stuff. He's driving down bumpy dirt roads in a 4x4 in a dedicated park not hiking the Himalayas. Analysis Paralysis.

Can I get an Amen? Jesus some of these posts act like the guy is going through the congo.

I started wheeling my 99 Cherokee bone stock back in the day. It has now evolved a lot with lift, winch, 33 mts, etc, etc, but it was nice to kind of baby step up to where it is now. My most valuable asset to me while wheeling is my winch. I like for my recoveries to go quickly and I HATE spending a lot of time recovering with a high lift or come along, so I love my winches. I err on the side of caution when wheeling, but sometimes E36 M3 happens and a quick recovery is important to me. I still have the other highlift as a backup, but my Ramsey (on the cherokee) and Warm m8000 on the wrangler have not failed me yet. I have had two smittybilts fail, so now I only use those as trailer winches.

iceracer
iceracer PowerDork
5/20/15 10:05 a.m.

Amen !

JAhmed
JAhmed Reader
5/20/15 10:21 a.m.

I'm not driving into the Amazon guys, I promise

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