There’s something special about flipping your vehicle into 4x4 and blasting through giant puddles, all the while your wheels are spinning mud in every direction.
For those who haven’t 4x4ed before, it’s one of those things that you can only relate to if you are into off-roading. Whether you are a new or experienced driver, there are several things you are going to want to know about before you set out on the trails. And if you are new, we recommend you familiarize yourself with some of the basics of 4x4ing.
When it comes to 4x4ing, it’s important that you complete a thorough pre and post-4x4 inspection. This will help you top up the right fluids, check the integrity of key systems, and make sure that your vehicle will make it through the trip without any problems. Because when you’re out on the trails, getting stuck isn’t fun and a costly mistake to make.
In this article, we are going to talk about the following:
The Pre-4x4 Inspection
You’ve got a few things to check before you actually set out. As fun as off-roading is, it puts a lot of strain on your vehicle and you want to ensure it’s up to the task. The best way to make sure you’re prepared is to complete a thorough pre-4x4 inspection.
Don’t worry, we’re going to walk you through it step by step.
We know this makes us sound like the cops, but you need to have working lights. This means that your headlights, reverse lights, brake lights, and indicators need to all be working. And this rule is even more important if you are off-roading with a group.
Lights are so simple, but they are an essential form of communication out there on the trails. This is especially true if you find yourself off-roading at dusk or night.
Here’s a great example.
On dusty roads, your taillights help other drivers behind you judge distance and reduce the likelihood that they will hit you.
Do the right thing and check all your lights. Cycle through each of their settings, and determine that they are lighting up when turned on.
You’re about to put your vehicle under a lot of strain. There are several fluids you are going to need to check, replace, and top up.
If you’ve ever had a belt snap while on the trails, you know how important it is to check your belts. Start by looking at the alternator, fan, and power steering belts. Any belts that appear dry, worn, and cracked should be replaced.
Oh, one more thing.
Remember that old belt? If it still works and is just worn, keep it. You can use it in emergencies should your other, newer belt snap while out on the trails.
The first thing you want to check is if your battery is clamped down tight. A loose can dislodge, become disconnected, and can cause other issues that you won’t want to deal with when you’re driving.
You will also want to make sure that your battery isn’t corroding. Applying a little bit of grease on the terminals can help protect it from oxidation.
There’s no off-roading without a decent set of tires. If you have time, take your wheels off the vehicle and check the inside of your tires for any damage that may cause a flat.
Here’s a few other things you need to check:
Brakes are easy to diagnose because you can often detect them by simply driving the vehicle. Still, we recommend you take a look at your brake pads and rotors.
For your pads, check that they aren’t past the indicators. When it comes to your rotors, you need to look for any major signs of wear or cracks.
If you have a reliable jack, raise your vehicle and inspect its suspension system. You want to check whether the suspension is intact, that the ball joints are functional and haven’t split, and that the steering rack is in working order.
Are you planning to off-road in a muddy area? You’re going to need a working winch. If you already have one, test it out by pulling it all the way out. See if it will properly pull your vehicle when engaged.
You’re almost ready to go. The last thing you will want to test out is your 4x4 settings. Head over to somewhere with low traction. We recommend a gravel road or grass. Throw your vehicle into 4x4-low to see if the system engages and provides you with the traction you need.
This list may seem extensive, but trust us, you need your vehicle to be in peak condition before you put it to the test out there on the trails.
You can’t avoid major breakdowns, but you can easily prevent simple ones from happening with routine checkups and maintenance.
The Post 4x4 Inspection
Upon returning, you’re going to need to check several things.
Can you recall any times where you hit a ditch hard, knocked against a boulder, or any other situations where you may have damaged your vehicle? If so, start by checking those potential problem areas. Take note of these problem areas and make arrangements to have them fixed.
I’m willing to bet that your vehicle is filthy. After all, it’s not off-roading if you don’t come back with a little mud and dust.
It’s going to be a lot easier for you to see spot new damage if you can actually see the damage.
The main reason why you need to check your tires is to see if you have any punctures. The day you get home, check your tire pressure and repeat this step the next day. If you spot a noticeable difference in your tire pressure, you may have a leak.
There’s a good chance that your differential and transmission took a beating during your trip. Look for any damage and leaks. Be prepared to change your transmission fluid if you were in deep water. If the fluid is milky-white, it has likely been contaminated and will need to be changed.
Take a look at your shocks as well. You’ll want to see if they have any dents or leaks.
We never said you wouldn’t have to check many of the same things again. The main thing you are looking for when it comes to your brakes is any noticeable damage.
If you were off-roading in mud or sand, scan your brake drums and make sure they aren’t full of it.
Slide under your vehicle and take a look at your track bar, control arms, springs, bump stops, and general steering column. While underneath, you should check for any major signs of damage, dents, and looseness.
If you drove through fairly rough conditions, you may need to grease the joints and bearings of your vehicle.
Walk around your vehicle and check its frame for any noticeable cracks, dents, and ensure that any weld lines and high stress areas are still intact.
It wouldn’t be 4x4ing if you didn’t put your engine to the test. Show your vehicle some love by inspecting its engine. You’ll want to look for any leaks, check any hoses, clamps, and determine if anything is worn out.
Just like before you set out, you’ll want to check your fluids and make sure nothing is low or leaking. Because you filled all your fluids before you left, it’ll be easy for you to determine if anything is damaged or leaking.
The last thing we recommend you do is to check your winch again. If you tested it before you left and never used it, chances are that it will still work. Still, we recommend that you do a quick test.
If you’re planning to ship your vehicle overseas, or to any of the trails we recommend throughout the United States, you’ll want to follow the general steps we outlined earlier in the article.
The most popular form of shipping your vehicle is the roll-on, roll-off method. However, in order to prepare your vehicle for shipping, you’ll need to follow a few basic steps and it will need to be in working order.
Rinse and Repeat for Your Next Trip
And there you have it. You’ve just completed a thorough pre- and post-4x4 inspection. There are a lot of things you have to check if you want to keep your 4x4 vehicle in good shape. You may skip many of the steps we’ve recommended, but we wanted to provide a thorough guide to teach new and experienced off-roaders the type of things they should look out for.
No matter what you decide, always prioritize safety and keep blazing those trails.
]]>
Life doesn’t hand you a lot of gifts. Even when it does you have to have the insight to recognize them and the motivation to seize them. When Sesar put the word out that he was gonna jeep the Mojave Trail, I pulled some strings to make sure I could be there.
Did I even know what the Mojave Trail was? Not at all, but I knew it would be an experience that I didn’t want to miss. I stopped collecting assets 4 years ago and started collecting experiences instead. Sesar took me on my first jeep expedition a few months earlier to the Rubicon trail. That trip opened my eyes to the beauty and excitement of exploring nature from the comfort of a jeep. While it doesn’t provide the health benefits of hiking, you can cover more ground and it’s easier to carry beer.
I’ve never been a jeep enthusiast and never had an interest in cars. It’s an expensive hobby and requires mechanical know-how. We have always owned practical cars like the Honda Civic and the Prius. Sesar hates practical.
He sent just one text a few days before the trip that said “bring a backpack of supplies…needed to survive.” I was hoping for a detailed pack list and trip summary, but just as I had hoped the selfie craze was a fad, I was sorely disappointed. It took my whole family blowing up on him with angry emoji texts to eventually get a few details. Up until two days before I left we didn’t know when or how I would get home and that I needed to bring my own food.
There would be 7 of us on the Mojave Trail in 5 jeeps. When was the last time you were able to get 7 adults together to go on a 3 day expedition? Sadly, few people have the time to get away from the money grab of life. I guess it takes the commanding leadership of an off-duty army officer to pull off this type of feat. Either way, Sesar and The Chop Shop put together one hell of a jeep trip.
In preparation, I did some rigorous research on this new website I found called Wikipedia. I also yelped it and asked Jeeves but was not nearly as successful there. Anyways, I learned that the Mojave trail is a 140 mile trading route originally created by native Americans that connects the various watering holes in the Mojave Desert. It starts near Laughlin and finishes at Barstow.
It was later used by Spanish missionaries and every other foreign colonizer that came to the area including American pioneers and forty-niners heading west to find gold in California. It’s a true Wild West trail where many confrontations occurred between Native Americans and incoming colonizers. Think of The Lone Ranger and the stuff that Louis L’amour books are made of, but this is the real deal.
Today, the Mojave Trail is a 4-wheel drive dirt road for us weekend warriors in mid-life crisis. The national preserve is believed to appear much the same as it did hundreds of years ago. It’s not a slow rock crawling expedition like the Rubicon Trail. It’s a high speed adventure through huge expanses of waterless uninhabited desert and thick sand. The primary dangers are the trees and rocks that you have to avoid as you bounce and swerve through the often narrow trail at high speeds.
The other major obstacle is that there are very few markings along the trail so it’s easy to get lost. After reading this, I asked Sesar if he had ever done the trail before. He assured me that he had taken tanks through the trail with the army as well as recreational jeeps. I’m happy to hear this, but a scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” flashes into my head. I picture the valet who takes a joyride in Cameron’s father’s 1961 Ferrari minutes after saying “Relax…you guys have got nothing to worry about..I’m a professional.”
Nonetheless, after Sesar’s reassurance and after learning about the rich history of the Mojave Trail, I was all in. We had already taken four jeeps rock crawling through the Rubicon trail without getting stuck once. This should be a cake walk. Anyone suspect that I might have just jinxed the trip?
I arrived in Barstow Thursday night and paid to leave my car in a reserved spot intended for 18 wheel trucks at the Flying J truck stop. We laughed at the ridiculous sight of my tiny car parked amongst 30 big rigs in a spot that could fit 5 of my cars. As We drove away in Sesar’s jeep, we imagined what the weary long haul truckers would do to my Prius that was occupying the last reserved spot. They probably wouldn’t think it was as funny as we did.
We headed into the desert just a few hundred yards off the highway to camp for the night and wait for the others to arrive. Camping in the desert is so easy. You can just unfold a cot and sleep under the stars with no worries of bears or mosquitos.
We hung a strobe light so the other jeeps could find us. Eventually, we saw headlights veering off the highway and bouncing into the desert towards us. Let the games begin!
We woke at sunrise and began heading east from Barstow on the Mojave trail. We flew through the desert at speeds ranging from 30 – 70 mph. There is so much dust flying around that you can barely see. If there is a rock in the middle of trail we will be airborne. I double check my seat belt to make sure it is catching properly, and Sesar says “relax, you got nothing to worry about.” Once again, I picture the valet from “Ferris Bueller.”
Less than an hour into the trail we encountered the Mojave River crossing. I figured we would stop and check the water depth to see if we could make it through. Instead, Kevin, who is leading the caravan just charges straight through so we follow right behind. The water seemed like it was going to swallow our car, but it was too late to stop. Our only choice was to power through to the other side.
After the river crossing we stopped at an old bridge with train tracks. I assumed it was no longer in use but as soon as I climbed the bridge for an aerial photo a train came roaring by a few feet from me. The conductor sounded pretty angry as he honked his horn, but I’m surely not the first idiot to pull that stunt.
We continued on until we came across a relatively new abandoned Challenger in the middle of the desert. It looked like a crime scene but after finding no dead bodies in the backseat, we came to the conclusion that some teenagers were probably just having fun riding their trucks over a broken down car. I was reminded of my Prius I left at the truck stop and figured it probably looked a lot like the challenger by now. “You got nothing to worry about,” Sesar says laughing.
Travelers monument was our next stop on the trail. Everybody got out of their jeeps and threw a rock onto the pile for good luck. There is a secret plaque on top of the rock pile, and tradition dictates that only those that travel the Mojave trail get to read it. The profound message can be life changing.
Eventually we reached a beautiful forest of Joshua trees. Apparently, the area is protected for a rare species of gnomes and frogs. When Sesar told me to bring a small porcelain gnome and frog, I assumed it was an inside joke. Sure enough, everybody else brought items to contribute to the growing population of porcelain figurines. I still don’t know why.
Afterwards, we signed the log book and continued on our journey. We eventually found a nice campsite near the base of a mountain before sunset. Sesar offered to let me try his Eno hammock he had been raving about. I was plenty comfortable on my cot the night before but I obliged and he took my cot. I woke up freezing in the middle of the night just waiting for the night to be over. Morning finally came and Sesar boasted he was so warm on the cot that he was nearly sweating. Army guys get a kick out of pranking city boys.
The next day three more vehicles joined us on the trail bringing our caravan to eight jeeps and trucks. This gave us new blood to banter about shocks and coils with and tell our lies to. It wouldn’t be a jeep trip without at least one mishap, but we managed to put out an electrical fire with some quick thinking (not water!). Afterwards, we paid the toll to the penny can hanging from the tree and continued on the last straightaway at top speeds. “We just hit 80!” someone called out over the radio.
We reached Laughlin before sundown and celebrated with a huge buffet and more jeep banter. The moment of truth came the next morning when we pulled into the truck stop in Barstow. My Prius was right there where I left it without a scratch. I guess maybe truckers do have a sense of humor.
Written by Keith Wiley:The Rubicon Trail is the Mecca of off-roading jeep adventures in North America. It sets the bar for which all other trails are judged by, not only for its difficulty but for its beauty. While the entire trail is only about 22 miles long and only about 10 of it are off-road, it runs through some of the most beautiful mountains and lakes in the country, finishing at Lake Tahoe.
With the right vehicle and crew, the trail can be completed in one day. However, it is far more fun to take the 3 day leisurely route. This allows for many stops to enjoy the views, swim in the lakes, have a drink at the “beer tree,” watch other jeeps attempt difficult maneuvers, and cook and sleep by a campfire in the great outdoors.
You don’t want to attempt this trail unprepared. A responsible attempt requires a high performance off-road vehicle with over $10k in after-market parts to lift the clearance and reinforce the entire bottom of the vehicle with steel plates to protect it as it slides over boulders. Fortunately we came prepared.
The off-road section of the trail begins at Loon Lake, a stunning lake with surprisingly clear blue water, not your typical brownish-green dirty looking lake. We drive past Loon Lake in awe, and the excitement really begins to kick in as we peer over our other shoulder down a steep hill to where hundreds of jeeps have gathered for a Labor Day jamboree called the Cantina on the Con near the beginning of the trail.
We stop briefly to air down our tires from 30 to 10 psi to gain maximum traction for the daunting trail. As we are airing down, a large truck that looks like it has been crushed by a wrecking ball crawls past us going the opposite direction towards home. We gawk at the shattered front windshield and twisted truck body and frame. Our excitement gets an adrenaline boost as our mind begins to process the potential danger we are embarking upon.
Sesar, our crew leader is an army veteran officer who owns a jeep shop called “The Chop Shop” and has about twenty years of experience off-roading. We know we are in good hands, but I still have to ask him – “What’s our chance of rolling the jeep on this trip?” “About 30%” he responds. With that, we buckle up and begin climbing across the first few boulders on the trail.
The trail starts off pretty intense. The first section is very narrow with lots of boulders and trees seemingly coming at you from every direction. I have no idea how far the jeep can lean before tipping over, so I grab on to the frame of the truck to brace myself, but Sesar warns me that my hands will get crushed if we roll the jeep. He instructs me how to cross my arms and lean toward the center in the event we roll. I comply but still wonder what will protect me from getting impaled by a protruding rock or branch when we roll. “Just don’t roll” I say. After a few minutes of rocking and climbing over the boulders at 0-3mph, the fear turns to excitement again. This is surprisingly fun! I now understand why Sesar does what he does.
We complete the first section of the trail and stop for a refreshment near the “beer tree,” on a huge granite slab called the granite bowl. We can see for miles in every direction as we toast to our adventure and soak in the incredible views. There are 13 of us in four jeeps, all four of which have been given the full Chop Shop upgrade.
After a refreshing break we load up and continue on to the Soup Bowl, a big boulder pile that regularly attracts crowds of weekend warriors looking to test their vehicle’s mettle. We continue on the trail for the rest of the day, stopping every 30 minutes or so to soak in the views, swap stories, and get to know each other better. We are all friends or family of Sesar, but we don’t all know each other before this trip.
As night falls, we drive in using our headlights to Buck Lake, our chosen campsite for the first night. We devour our first meal since breakfast by a campfire with plenty of wine and Crown Royale. However, it’s not until sunrise the next morning that we can fully appreciate the prime location of the rock slab we slept on for the night.
After coffee and breakfast, a few brave souls take a dip in the cold lake before we pack up and begin the next leg of the trip. It is here that Sesar passes the wheel over to me for my first real off-road driving experience. I am hesitant to drive at first because it looks like a stressful job. Kicking back and letting Sesar and his brother do all the driving had suited me just fine. However, within minutes of bouncing over a few boulders I’m having the time of my life. The Jeep is extremely user friendly and capable of handling the terrain.
He guides me from the ground with hand signals over boulders and between trees, all the while I’m watching his signals as much as I’m watching the road. My leg shakes a bit as I hold the brakes down as hard as I can while the jeep crawls down a steep 2-3 foot drop-off using downhill assist (cool technology). At this point, I’m more worried about his $70k jeep that I’m scraping against the boulders than I am about injuring myself. I have no idea how long I’m driving, but eventually we reach “Big Sluice,” a more difficult section of the trail, and Sesar decides it’s time for him to take over. At this point, I’m pretty content to hand over the wheel unscathed.
We continue our journey, stopping briefly for a few of our crew to backflip off the Rubicon River Bridge into a 3 foot deep stream, resulting in the only Injury of the trip (only a flesh wound). We then barbecue some carne Asada at Rubicon Springs before beginning the treacherous “Cadillac hill,” a steep 1-2 mile rocky incline with many cutbacks (not a good place to roll the jeep).
As if Cadillac Hill isn’t hard enough on its own, we spend two hours towing a stranded Land Cruiser up the hill. Their rear driveline was broken, a common occurrence for anyone attempting the trail without reinforcing the underside with steel protection. We knock on wood, grateful that we have made it this far without any problems.
Eventually, we make it to Observation Point at the top of Cadilllac Hill in time for a beautiful sunset and a meal cooked over an open flame. The next morning we complete the last 1.5 hours of the trail which leaves us at Lake Tahoe where we all high-5 and begin the drive home. While I’m not ready to buy a $70k jeep, I am excited to crash his annual jeep adventure next year: the Moab in Utah!
Written by Keith Wiley. Originally posted at:
Call 530-207-0277 or email thechopshopemail@gmail.com to schedule your Pick Up and Delivery today!
]]>Before you embark in your adventure, be prepared for what lies ahead. Set yourself up to have the ability to expect the unexpected. Be postured to adapt to any situation and overcome any obstacle.
]]>The Chop Shop products are categorized in ten categories and start with adventure and survival as a priority. The first products you need are in the Sustainment category. Water is your first consideration when you prepare for adventure. Get a water filter and water storage container and be capable of carrying a water supply for multiple days. Rotopax water storage containers are designed to be frozen in order to take a brick of ice with you that will gradually melt and give you refreshing ice cold water. Food is a vital part of your survival during your adventure. Freeze dried food is going to fuel your body to survive. Make sure you get a food supply that will last years without refrigeration, you never know what can happen in the wild.
Safety should always be a priority, don't get caught unprepared. Its better to be safe than sorry, make sure to have the bare bone safety products in your vehicle before you go out on an adventure. A first aid kit and fire extinguisher will be a good start. When your ready to upgrade, a medical storage pack can be mounted onto your vehicle.
Navigation will get you to where you need to go, make sure you pre plan your trip. Research your local area to find details on trails. Get the guide books before you go out on an adventure. Choose a trail you want to visit and get away from everything for a couple of days. Use your smart phone with a protective case as a live digital map to keep you on track. There are many apps you can use, we like to use Motion GPS
Communication is vital, don't go anywhere without it. There has to be a way for you to communicate long distances when your cell phone has no service. If an accident happens and you are stranded in the wild, have some sort of signal device like a mirror, whistle, flashlight and a Amateur radio.
Have the necessary tools to set you up for success and the ability to recover your vehicle. When you arrive at the trail head, make sure you have the right tools. Your going to need to deflate your tires to 12-18 PSI. This will allow your tires to have more traction and a comfortable ride. Make your life easy with a tire deflator that will deflate your tires quickly. Once your done with your adventure and ready to go home, your going to need a https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050DI9YQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thechopshop01-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0050DI9YQ&linkId=ac2a87b15c6b92fa3c64db400d554056>Air compressor and a tire-inflator-kit to have the capability to re inflate your tires. A fancy tire inflator gauge is nice to have instead of a regular tire pressure gauge. While your on the trail, its imperative to be able to recover your vehicle. At minimum you need to have a high lift jack to be able to lift your vehicle if your luck goes south and get your vehicle high centered or a tire needs to be replaced. The high lift jack can also winch you out of a situation if you do not have a winch. You need to have a tow strap.
An upgraded suspension system will increase the wheel travel of your vehicle and allow you to mount a larger tire. The best options for a Jeep will be a double throwdown suspension. This suspension system is the best money can buy. The capability of this system is second to none! If you want some coilovers under your Jeep, the bolt on coilover is the best option. The next option for a suspension system would be one of the Currie options. There are three choices of the currie suspensions. The "novice" package is for the mall crawler who wants the looks of a awesome lifted Jeep with added capabilities in the suspension. The "experienced" package is a suspension system you can use and abuse. The "expert" is for hardcore Jeeper, its not for the weak or feint hearted.
After you install the new suspension, you can now fit a larger tire. With a larger tire your going to need a new wheel with a different backspace from a stock wheel. Beadlock wheels are what the pros are using but can safely be used on the street. a light weight aluminum wheel is the ideal wheel for weekend warriors who daily drive their Jeep.
Make sure your drivetrain is ready for adventure we recommend lockers in the front and rear. If you set your drivetrain up to be capable of anything, you will be ready for what lies ahead on the trail. When you install a suspension lift and larger tires, your drivetrain is going to
Save your Jeep from looking like a beat up tin can and upgrade your Jeep with some body armor and undercarriage skid plates.
Make your Jeep perform to its maximum capability and go fast. After you install larger tires, your Jeep computer will not perform as it did stock. In some cases, the Jeep will go into "limp mode" and you will be unable to drive your Jeep. The Jeep will also have a speedometer that will not read correctly. The traction control will be malfunctioning also. To solve all these problems, you will need to have the AEV procal.
]]>On behalf of The Chop Shop, we would like to invite you to our official online adventure headquarters. We encourage you to learn, buy and start your adventure. The Chop Shop will able you to partake on your ultimate adventure. Find Education, Best Practices, DO's, DON'Ts, and the essentials needed for your adventures. Here, you will find the newest and latest products that have been tested and proven to be the best. Stay tuned for updates and feel free to check us out on, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Enjoy The Chop Shop, you are always welcome here!!!!
]]>