ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: Shredder on December 05, 2005, 09:02:17 PM
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Well the wife wanted to go for a ride in the winter wonderland. She didn't have to twist my arm. We took the Tracker on a trail along a ridge overlooking a stream. She was shooting pictures out the window as I drove. She asked, "Can the tracker take us down by the water?" "Sure", I said although uneasy about the condition of the snow. So down a steep trail we went in 4 Lo 1st gear. We drove slowly along the creek on a slightly off-camber trail. Everything seemed ok until the trail dead ended with no other way out. :-[
(http://www.teamlifeforce.net/CreeksEdge1s.jpg)
I realized things wouldn't be easy as i slid and spun trying to turn around on the narrow bank. As I began the off camber ascent things didnt go well. It seemed I was going forward and sideways at the same rate of speed. Oops. Now off the trail I drove around between trees trying to find a different place to climb out. All the while feeling the tires sink and spin in the soft spots.
(http://www.teamlifeforce.net/SnoWheeling3s.jpg)
I started wondering what it would cost to get a tow truck to come back in here. ::) Not willing to give up I struggled to get back up on to the trail. With the help of the HiLift, a chain, a strap and a shovel the Tracker was finally aimed at the top.
(http://www.teamlifeforce.net/CreekSideTrouble2s.jpg)
I cleared the packed snow away from in front of the tires with my little shovel for about 20 feet to create a launching pad. Got in, took a deep breath, slowly let the clutch out and then punched it. Rooster tails flying off all four and with cheers from my wife we blasted to the top. As we walked back down to gret my recovery gear she said, "Maybe you should get one of those winch things." YES, the words I wanted to hear. ;D Now just need to pick one I can afford that will do the job.
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Nice story, go going you had recovery gear
with you, many worry about that a little too
late.
I think some more aggresive tire would of
helped get you out of there, the pics show
your tires packed full of snow and looking like
slicks ;)
Wild
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Actually those tires are fairly aggressive for all-terrains and seem to clear well. That snow was that really easy packing slippery stuff. My wife and I fell down several times just trying to walk on the trail. :-[ The pictures don't show how steep it really is. ...... Really it was all a ploy to get me that winch ;) HeHe
(http://www.teamlifeforce.net/discovererST.gif)
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Not bad, but this is what I call an All Terrain ;D
(http://www.tyres1.com/images/products/tyres/ILTB.gif)
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Not bad, but this is what I call an All Terrain ;D
([url]http://www.tyres1.com/images/products/tyres/ILTB.gif[/url])
Those are nice if you don't like being able to hear your stereo ;D
Anyway that sounds like a fun story, good thing you had your gear with your or you would have been in trouble. Also always good to have a few 4x4 friends on speed dial. That is my solution to not having the cash to buy any recovery stuff yet. Hopefully a hi lift and winch kit for it will come for christmas :).
Only had to call a friend twice now, last one was pretty bad (front axle and wheels sitting on a log and off the ground), had to call a jeep to come out and yank me off.
First one I was stuck on the beach at night with my girlfriend in some ridiculous sand, but managed to get some life guards to push me out just as my friends got there. That was a 2wd tracker on 195/75s though.
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Actually with four of those puppies on the
Trucklet I would call it quadraphonic stereo
Wait until you start wearing the fronts down,
then the harmonics kick in, as the tires go in
and out of sync
BTW my stock Pioneer Cassette Deck has
enough volume to hear over the 4 tire chorus
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should you realy be calling your wife a winch ;D
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I like that first photo looks pretty cool kicked over a bit and with the white back ground.
I have a winch but I always have a few good friends Phone numbers programed in the cell too just incase I need back up :).
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A new winch would be awesome...but those pics are great also!
Man, it froze for the first time all year last night here in TX...wish I had some snow to play in! (but only for a day or two, you can keep that white stuff all winter ;D )
SQ
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Hopefully a hi lift and winch kit for it will come for christmas :).
They are handy. I have used one for years when wheeling in the vans. Saved my |removethispart|@$$ several times. Only move you about 3' and then you have to reset it all. Usually that is all you need to get some footing again. Glad I didn't have to HiLift winch it all the way out. Good exercise though.
I keep the base off mine and have a shackle on each end of the bar. I hook a long chain to the rig and through the upper shackle to adjust slack. I use a 50' strap on the jack part with a hitch pin to keep it from slipping off hook the other end to a tree, etc. Works good like that. I just added gloves to my gear bag since I froze my hands on this adventure. ;)
should you realy be calling your wife a winch ;D
If she only knew what kind of a new winch I really wanted. :o J/K
I like that first photo looks pretty cool kicked over a bit and with the white back ground.
I have a winch but I always have a few good friends Phone numbers programed in the cell too just incase I need back up :).
I thought for awhile on making a call but no one has a winch that could have reached me down there. If they came down then we both would have been stuck. The pictures do not show how steep it is and the snow made it really bad. But it was fun. ;D
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Looks like a lot of fun. I used to carry chains for all four corners on my other 4wds. They got me out of several spots like that. Looks like yours is lifted enough to handle them. I don't think my stock sidekick has enough room though.
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The pictures do not show how steep it is and the snow made it really bad. But it was fun. ;D
[/quote
What is it that make photos not portray how steep it really is ?
I know some times when I've been out wheeling we've taken photos on really step stuff that you have a problem standing on never mind trying to drive on it then when you look at the pic's it looks like you could drive a Toyota Echo down it ?
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Just curious how much you air down to for driving in the deeper fresh snow. I find that when I drop it to about 8-10psi it works pretty good.
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I was in some slippery snow this weekend (although it wasn't too slippery), but i went ahead and threw a set of cable chains i had on the front wheels. They made all the difference in the world. We were heading up an incline and kept having to pull over for people coming down and getting stuck. I was sick of slipping when stopping, so i put the chains on the front and felt 100% more traction. I'm going to invest in another set for the back and get the actual chain chains this time, then i won't be so hesitant to go up in the hills with just 1 other vehicle (never by myself in snow). I'm running BFG mt's and they were working fine, but with as many people that were on the trail we were on hunting down xmas trees, it was packing to ice, and with the frustration of moving out of stock vehicles way (AWD mini vans, volvo's and stock rovers and cruisers), i didn't want to be the one getting stuck or slipping into a bank or off a slope.
I'm getting a winch this week it looks like. A hand winch (tirfor type) can be most useful for snow cause it always seems that you end up more off the trail than on it, so pulling sideways can be most helpful.
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Just curious how much you air down to for driving in the deeper fresh snow. I find that when I drop it to about 8-10psi it works pretty good.
I know, I know I should have been running them softer but, it was supposed to be just a quick trip through the forest so I didn't air down at all. I thought about it after I got in trouble but since it had such an icy under layer I wasn't too confident soft tires were going to help that much. Besides my hands were already frozen and air rushing past them for 15 minutes to air down did not sound fun. :-\ Besides I don't have one of those Power Tanks or onboard compressors so airing back up for the ride home would be dificult. BTW- Why do those little "scuba" tanks cost so much?
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Shredder, next time get it real tippy (aka *almost* roll it) ... maybe it will be "maybe you should get one of the cage thingy's"
:D :D :D
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Shredder, next time get it real tippy (aka *almost* roll it) ... maybe it will be "maybe you should get one of the cage thingy's"
:D :D :D
Good idea. ;) She is so understanding. ;D
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I have a 4 ton come-a-long, 20' of chain, 150' of cable, about 90 feet of straps, and didnt have enough today when I needed it! drove into a swamp field with a hidden hole that grabbed me. Finally dug my way out and plowed backward just enough to make all my gear reach and ratchet winched my way back out of the swamp! A come-a-long gives somewhat more reach than a hi-lift. Mine reaches about 6 feet and can be undone from the snatch block for about 10 feet of reach at half the pulling power.
Gotta get a wicnch myself. Thinking of about a 3,00 lb model on a reciever mount to use front or rear. If 3000 lobs isnt enough pull then I can snatch block it and double the pull to 6.000. If thats not enough then I can still throw the come-a-long into the job for another 4 tons of pull. If thats not enough I hope theres a nice H-1 Humvee around somewhere!
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I'll just have my jeep friends pull me out, saves me money and I'm usually going places they can only dream about going.
Well, my main reason for not having a winch/hilift/anything besides a shovel and a tow rope... I'm 17 and still paying for my sammy.
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Someone else mentioned it already, but airing down can do wonders!  similar to sand, when deflated to 10psi or so, you often get more floatation and grip.... just something to try before call the tow truck.
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Besides I don't have one of those Power Tanks or onboard compressors so airing back up for the ride home would be dificult. BTW- Why do those little "scuba" tanks cost so much?
I've had this problem before. Nothing like driving on the shoulder of the road for 5 miles to find the one gas station in some little town that has free air.
Powertanks cost so much because they have fancy black and yellow paint and the less than $100 worth of hardware on them. I'm going to eventually get a scuba tank and peice together something similar for a lot less. I've seen it done before and it won't cost $350 like my buddy paid for his Powertank.
Oh yeah, check out MileMarker's electric winches. Good prices and work great. Thinking about a 12k for my Ranger. I've also heard good stuff about the T-Rex and Harbor Freight winches. The HF one isn't fast but I haven't heard one complaint about them. Everyone says they're slow but they work.
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Air Compressors are getting cheaper
4WheelParts sells one for only 70 bucks thats suppose to be as good.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wp/products/productline.asp?cat=ACC&man=GTA&prodline=4039&catName=General Accessories
(http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wp/images/imagebank/GenuineTruckAccessories/MV50cartonforsellsheet_b.gif)
just bought me one for X-Mas for my 4dr.
Dang, I can't play with it till X-mas tho.
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That's not bad at all. What all's included in it?
Does it give any specs on time to inflate certain sizes and such? The thing I like about my buddy's Powertank is you just connect and inflate, no having to wait 15 minutes between tires or anything as slow.
Derp, found the specs...hmmm...might have to get me one of those.
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Just use a bike pump, a lot cheaper. Takes a while, but works.
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Using straps with a hi-lift is cumbersome. The strap will stretch while using the hilift to a pulling point and you really don't move very fast or much. Chain is very useful but heavy. Wire cable (like a winch cable is not that bad, but handling is a little difficult due to how it's stored. Although, wound up it can be stored easily on the spare tire carrier between the rear door and tire. Rope is probably best. Make sure it's rated for more than the truck's weight.
As for air compressors, especially the no-tank ones, best modification is a tank and knowing what the duty cycle is for it. Lots of the smaller air compressors or pumps usually don't have a high rate of duty cycle. The tank adds lots more capacity to the system.