So, after hearing a lot of good things mostly factual about adventure in the Great Outdoors, you finally purchased a four-wheel drive truck, meaning to take it deep into the world of outdoors. As point of 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 reasonable, your rig was a beauty to see, and many say, in the offroading adventure, too. Most possibly, that is, since you also heard that much of offroading pleasure depends on the driver, and you are a newbie…

What now

The most appropriate thing for you is to start your offroading tutorials slowly. Initially you have to master controlling your vehicle, so drive it around and get a close feel of its features. You need to know the strength of the brakes, its speed and power in the various gears, turning traits and so on. When you feel you can play around with the vehicle, go offroad. There are a lot of trail complexes tested and mapped for four-by-four enthusiasts such as in the Eastern Sierra area. If those are too distant for you, get acquainted an experienced offroader and ask him to assist you to a nearby location to learn offroading.

What to bring

Experienced offroaders take a winch, but as you will not go in too deep, a pry bar and a shovel would be enough to get you out of many small ‘miscalculations’, plus the normal provisions for an extended trip. Although the weather may be warm, take along some cold-weather clothing, for any emergency. Reserve water and canned food will not hurt; you need some load in the truck after all. If possible, go with other offroaders in a group, even neophytes like you, for safety. At the very least you are assure of a ride home.

Easy does it

Once you get to the unpaved road, the compulsion to floor the gas pedal will be very powerful and most succumb. Never. Even four-wheel drives behave differently on dirt roads, and you are as yet unfamiliar with the dissimilarities in control and performance of your vehicle in such conditions. Ditto with the location; you could be, in other words, in ‘hostile environment’. If the ground gets a little difficult, shift to four-by-four mode immediately: it beats getting out of the two-wheel mode when you are losing traction. This is your initial run, so be very wary about all things around you, the vehicle and the route.

Some caveats

When climbing a steep grade, the rule was to shift to the lowest gear for good traction, but it also means change to the highest gear that grants good progress without stalling the engine. Too low gear may mean too much power and hence, turning traction-less wheels and lost control. When climbing down, shift to low gear to let the engine to function as brake. Constantly pushing down on the brakes can let you slide downwards, especially on slick surfaces. In unfamiliar and difficult ground, scouting ahead will let you know which route and how to go, or even if you have to proceed at all. There is no law against moving back and going another way.

Finally, bear in mind you are there to take pleasure in the trip, not punish yourself.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 7:27 am and is filed under Autos, Trucks and More. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.