Thursday, December 3, 2009

Start Your 4-Wheel Fun Minus The Hassles

By Connor Sullivan

So, in response to hearing a lot of good things mostly true about adventure in the Great Outdoors, you at last purchased a four-wheel drive truck, intending to bring it deep into the realm of outdoors. In fact, you had it furnished with off road tires, and when some associate suggested you try beadlock wheels, you did that as well. And to be fair, your rig was a beauty to see, and people say, in the offroading trips, too. Most possibly also heard that much of offroading enjoyment depends on the driver and you are a newbie.

The most appropriate step for you is to begin your offroading lessons slowly. First you have to be adept in managing your truck, so drive it around and get an intimate feel of its features. You need to understand the strength of the brakes, its pace and power in the different gears, turning characteristics and so on. Once you feel you can play around with the vehicle, go offroad. There are many trail complexes tested and laid out for four-by-four enthusiasts such as in the Eastern Sierra area. If those are too far for you, get acquainted an experienced outdoorsman and request him to assist you to a nearby location to learn offroading.

Experienced offroaders bring along a winch, but as you will not go in too far, a levering bar and a spade would be sufficient to get you out of many small errors, plus the usual provisions for an extended trip. Though the weather may be hot, take along some cold-weather clothing, for any emergency. Extra water and preserved food will not hurt; you require some weight in the truck anyway. If there is, go with other offroaders in a group, even newbies like you, for security. At the very least you are assure of a ride home.

Once you hit the unpaved road, the urge to push down the gas pedal will be very strong and most yield. Never. Even four-wheel drives behave differently on dirt roads, and you are as yet unacclimatized with the variations in control and operation of your vehicle in such situations. Ditto with the location; you could be, in other words, in 'hostile environment'. If the terrain gets a little difficult, shift to four-by-four mode immediately: it beats moving out of the two-wheel form when you are not having traction. This is your initial run, so be very vigilant about everything around you, the vehicle and the trail.

When ascending a sharp gradient, the advice was to shift to the lowest gear for good traction, but it also means shift to the highest gear that gives good progress without lugging the engine. Too low gear may result to too much power and hence, turning traction-less wheels and lost control. When climbing down, shift to low gear to allow the engine to act as brake. Constantly pushing down on the brakes can lock them and make you slide downwards, particularly on slick surfaces. In unfamiliar and difficult terrain, scouting ahead will let you know which way and how to go, or even if you have to go at all. There is no law against turning back and going another way.Last, remember you are there to take pleasure in the trip, not penalize yourself.

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