RL Lemke
New member
I had to provide a tour of our land in the Ozarks to a group of investors yesterday. What the heck it was only a 900 mile round trip in 30 hours.
The trails we have thru the 2300 acre property are a collection of old and new cuts over and around the mountains. Some flat, most steep. 4 wheelers are the vehicle of choice for riding around.
It has been raining in Arkansas so the trails were muddy in spots, and wet everywhere else. I headed to our most remote trails to have a go at climbing up and down the steepest mountain sides. I have been reading the posts about the best way to take advantage of our electronic differential locks, and wanted to test what I learned. In the past I attacked steep climbs, with suspect traction, like I attack mud. That is with a large application of throttle and a take no prisoners attitude. While this works well in mud, it is a bit hard on the 4Runner on long rocky climbs. Instead I applied moderate throttle and never let-up. Climbing up a very steep and loose rocky climb the snap-crackle-and-pop of the electronics did exactly what was needed to continue the climb. I had to go over and around several large rocks, so the controlled throttle use was critical. Amazing how effortless the 4Runner makes it all feel.
On the steep drops I tried the downhill assist. First time for me. It made a lot of noise but did an admirable job of keep the 4Runner at about 3 MPH. I know the speed as I was watching the GPS for the speed and altitude drop.
The trails we have thru the 2300 acre property are a collection of old and new cuts over and around the mountains. Some flat, most steep. 4 wheelers are the vehicle of choice for riding around.
It has been raining in Arkansas so the trails were muddy in spots, and wet everywhere else. I headed to our most remote trails to have a go at climbing up and down the steepest mountain sides. I have been reading the posts about the best way to take advantage of our electronic differential locks, and wanted to test what I learned. In the past I attacked steep climbs, with suspect traction, like I attack mud. That is with a large application of throttle and a take no prisoners attitude. While this works well in mud, it is a bit hard on the 4Runner on long rocky climbs. Instead I applied moderate throttle and never let-up. Climbing up a very steep and loose rocky climb the snap-crackle-and-pop of the electronics did exactly what was needed to continue the climb. I had to go over and around several large rocks, so the controlled throttle use was critical. Amazing how effortless the 4Runner makes it all feel.
On the steep drops I tried the downhill assist. First time for me. It made a lot of noise but did an admirable job of keep the 4Runner at about 3 MPH. I know the speed as I was watching the GPS for the speed and altitude drop.
