Going up a local mountain to a place my friend has some property with a bunch of trails. Problem is, after recent rains, there are some mudslide areas, and tons of deep mud, I don't know exactly how deep. My friend is bringing his 4x4 Heap Cherokee and I have tow straps, however, his car is stock so the pulling might not do much. What can I prepare myself with. I am planning on bringing shovels, wood planks (What size though??) What else should I bring?

 

a camera? good attitude? common sence? make sure there are plenty of tow points both front and rear. i wouldnt worry too much about his heep being stock, since you are stock it *shouldnt* be a issue (you dont have a fullsize truck, trying to be pulled out by a lil v6) i would bring some 2x4s, maybe "borrow" some Pallet and throw those in teh back (bigger foot print, if your worred about deep mud)

 

Camera and a smile for sure. Will try to limit the stupid things and by tow points do you mean places where the Jeep can get infront or rear of me to get a good solid pull?

 

ya you have a stock tow hook up front, maybe look into getting one of these if you have time

i've used mine more times then i can count, for both "un-stuck-ing" me, but usually others.

 

I have that ball think for towing trailers and such, think that'd work?

 

NO! i have a huge dent in my tail gate from a tow ball sheering off and flying back and hitting me. very dangerous, (live and learn type thing)

 

also might want to look into bringing a Come-along. i keep one in my truck and its save my arse a couple times when i was in a spot where another truck would have only made matters worse. also read this. http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/ its a GREAT source of any recovery questions you might have

 

I am reading about it, but what exactly does it do?

 

the come-along? its just a hand winch. use it wiht tow hooks and recovery strap around a tree/another truck to pull you out.

 

I always keep my 4ton come-a-long, 2 big and 2 small D shackles, and a chain with slip, and grab hooks. A strap and a Hi-lift are proabably the only other things I would carry. A couple full size shovels is always nice but not too practical.

 

not to rain on anyones parade, if both of you are stockers and have limited off road experience, i would suggest waiting till things dry out a bit. either that or bring along some experienced people. you can get into a lot of trouble fast if you are inexperienced, more so if you are both stock.

one of the first times i went out with a buddy, lifted locked f/r libby, he got stuck in some mud, trying to get close to pull him out, i got high ctrd. took nearly an hour to dig me out enough to get loose and that was in pretty much dry conditions. my .o2.

lee

 

the camera is a def. must. I want to see some pics of this mud.

As far as tow points.....I know the toyota's have one up front, and I'm almost certain every car and truck that has Body on Frame design has a D shaped hole on the 4 corners of the frame for towing. BUT, Jeep Cherokees are Unibody and if he doesn't have a tow package or a front bumper the only options for anchor is the rear leafsprings. There is nothing on the front...period.

My friend got his 87 cherokee stuck twice yesterday and I had to pull him out by the leafspring. He's lucky I've got good extraction equipment or he'd have been up a creek. (no pun intended).

I wish I could come up there, I love wheeling with newbies, I actually get to do stuff.

 

I was planning on having Marko come, considering he has some experience.

 

Let him lead the way. That way, he gets stuck first and you get to pull him out!

 

bring an axe too... I always wondered why it is mandatory to carry shovels and axes in some off-road areas... then learned the hard way when i got high centered on top of a fallen tree (wedged between my front tires and transfer case). It was a big tree with roots still attached. We had to start a campfire under the tree (3 feet away from my truck) and burn the tree free from the roots... It took about 3-4 hours to get free...

 

That's a good idea, I forgot about that. I had a similar experience. Got high centered on a big downed tree that had a limb sticking out upwards that wedged in between my frame and front drive shaft. Luckily someone there had a chainsaw and we made quick work of it.

I'd like to pickup a chainsaw sometime soon. Would come in handy, especially to clear downed trees on the trail.

 

i forgot to mention this, so has everyone else. make sure you air down. you will have much better traction running lower PSI. down to 15-18 is where i usually do depending on terrain.

 

That low even for mud? I wonder if I have a way of airing back up.. Got to dick around for that compressor or hand pump

Oh yeh, so those shackles. Do I just attach them to the frame?

 

Great point Tofer - airing down makes a HUGE difference in snow. 15 MAX though - you can go even lower once you hit the snow.

Roger says it better than I could:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/index.shtml#SnowDriving

 

For sure, I can't believe the difference tire pressure makes. Oh, and speaking of recovery equipment, I've been warned not to use a tow strap with hooks on the end. Apparently it's horribly dangerous, they always break. Tofer, where do I get a D-Ring for my hitch receiver, like the one in your pic? All I can seem to find is just a hook type receiver piece.