Hey, I heard about someone going to play up near Greenwater this coming weekend. Two of us would like to go up to explore the area to see what's there. I've got a 94 4Runner, 9" total lift, SAS, locked and a few other tidibits. Scott has a 91 SR5 with a new 4" lift, locker, ARB bumper, winch, etc. We're both looking for new areas to explore and test out our newest changes.

Is anyone interested in going with us and showing us the ropes. We are bringing our wifes and kids.

 

Hey Dale, how's it going? I might be able to join you that day, but I can't say that I know the area too well. Naches will still be open so we could run at least part of it but that's probably the most challenging terrain I know of in that area.

 

I'd love to run part of the Naches. I'd like to get in a couple of hours. I have to be back in town by about 4 for a birthday party at 5.

That area sounds good as it's only about 45 minutes away.

 

We could start from the far west end (big loose dirt hillclimb) and run to the end of the ridge section or mabye even out to the cabin if time allows, and then turn around and do that section again on the way out. Should make for a good 2-3 hours worth of wheeling not including any stops for rest, lunch or pics. Hows that sound to you? Meet at the Enumclaw Safeway at 8am?

 

Scott and I will need to meet a little later than that, say 9. We are bringing the kids and wives. Getting them out of bed, loaded and at Enumclaw by 9:00 is just not going to happen

 

hehe, didn't think of that. 9am sounds fine.

 

Shane, after the steep hill part (I remember that well) how far is the cabin?

I am wondering if we might do part of that on the 11th or not.
Might even have snow up there by then.
Thee was some at the 4500' level a few weeks back when we took Jon's '03 up there for a test.

Gibby, welcome to the forums.
I have been following your 4Runner over the 'Net for several years.

 

It's quite a bit, if you start at that hill the cabin is about halfway through the trail. The 11th (9th?) will be the last weekend this year that you can touch the Naches, then it's off-limits until July 5th. If you want I can take my GPS and grab you some co-ords for the road crossings where you can cut into the trail pretty close to the bridges and cabin.

 

For a convenient entry onto the Naches, turn left off of FS70 at N47.09188 W121.41871, then turn right onto the trail at N47.09725 W121.41836. The trail is now signed with "Open/Closed" signs, so it's really easy to spot. This route will enable you to bypass the initial hill climb and ridge which are pretty well worn at this point.

The parking area for the cabin is at N47.09143 W121.39466, so it's a pretty quick trip.

 

Ooops, yeah, I meant the 9th Shane.
I saw in the video you can buy at Central 4WD a few different areas on the Naches I had not seen before.

That must be that road you mentioned that will hook up with the Naches further up 70.

Thanks for the way points Rob.
I'll see if I can program them into my GPS.

 

Little change of plans for tomorrow. Dale and his friend won't be able to make it but a friend and I are still going to head out and do a little exploring and screw around on the naches. If anyone still wants to join we'll be stopping by the Enumclaw safeway around 10am for snacks, let me know if you plan to be there.

 

We'll be out next week though. I'll have the ARB in the front to match the rear. Scott may have his body lift installed so that he can fit new 35's underneath without too much trouble.

 

...and I might have a working winch by then too. Still gonna be on my puny 33s though...

 

Guys, sorry to have cancelled, but my grandparents came up from Colorado, and we found out at the last minute that they were going to be in town. I'll be ready to go next week.

Can anybody tell me how bad it would be to mount 12.5" tires on an 8" rim, or should I just bite the bullet and buy 10 inchers? A lot of the package deals I see show 35/12.50s with 8 inch rims, while others show them with 10s.

 

Scott, I ran 12.50s on 8" rims without any problems. You are talking about doing a 3" body lift as well and wanted the wider tires to help improve stability... If you use your existing rims, wider tires will make a limited change to overal width. IHMO, if your goal is also to improve lateral stability, you'll need to go with rims with less backspacing.

Some people recommend 8" rims for 12.50" tires as this keeps the rim farther away from rocks and sticks that may damage the rim and/or unseat the tires. I think that a 10" with 2.75" backspacing will maximize your stability and give you the best fit, but that's only my opinion. I'm you'll find lots of others.

BTW, I tried to get an ARB today - no luck. I ended having to order one from Central 4wd. Tomorrow I have to go to ARB to pick it up. I'll be bringing the rig into on Wednesday to have it professionally installed. Not being able to attack it this weekend, I had to have it done. I won't be able to find any time before next Saturday otherwise.

 

I am running 33x12.5 tires on 15x8 rims No problem. I prefer the narrower rim, there is more bulge to the sidewall of the tire, so the rim is better protected.

 

Well the solo run went quite well. We went from the far west end to the cabin without any trouble at all. The second large hillclimb was a little icy but doable, the trail itself however has gotten pretty heavily erroded so I'd say the majority is well past stock vehicle or newbie driver capabilities. There was a trace to an inch of snow around Government Meadow (the cabin area), not really a big deal. Had an interesting moment in the early parts of the trail at a fork that I always mix up and almost swamped the engine in a huge puddle. :eek: The section from Rob's coordinates to the cabin is a piece of cake though, you guys going up next week shouldn't have any problem doing that portion. I'll post pics later tomorrow, stayed up too damned late tonight playing Warcraft 3. :confused:

 

Pictures