Best way to learn?

[boyfester]

Some good interesting advice here. Much of witch I wish I had many years ago................So get out there, plan to get stuck a few times. Remember, its about the ADVenture. have some fun.
Learn what your other foot is for. You have two feet, use them, and not for walking. So as a matter of technique, this is a great one.
Throttle response is delayed,(exaggerated on newer vehicles with electric servos for throttles). So learn to bring the RPM up with the throttle, and hold the brake. Hold STEADY throttle and modulate the brake. this does several things for you. One........It is smooth, smooth is good because you brake less things, tear up the road less and generally finesse you way through better. Two, it tends to hold the wheel with less traction better. So forcing torque to the wheel with the most traction. It's no substitute for lockers, or better suspension flex, but helpful. Great little tip. Oh, I should say works best with automatics. Guess that just comes natural, in a society that can't drive manuals.

Driving with two feet with an automatic is how the police do it. Super handy when backing up trailers too!

 

[rkymtnman]

Well....ours is a manual It does ahve a rear elocker that we need to finish wiring up.

Thanks for the invite ajordan - I will take you up on it at some point. Need about 3 more days before we can turn the key on this '98. Motor is just sitting on the mounts - not torqued down - and the trans/xfer case/drive shafts are not in yet...nor is the new radiator, any of the electrical connections, hoses, battery....lol.

Oh and it still needs the interior completed....

Will be driving by Thanksgiving pending any real issues or screw ups on our part.

 

[Plannerman]

Take a Class

This weekend I attended an entry-level 4wd training course. I've been offroading for 10+ years and I found the course to be very valuable. There were lots of basics that they covered that I was already familiar with. But I also learned a lot! It was also a comfortable, low-key atmosphere (which you don't always get wheeling with buddies or a club). I wish I had done something like this years ago.

Someone once told me the best investments are ones you make in yourself. Maybe this holds true for offroading, too

 

[4rcybr]

This weekend I attended an entry-level 4wd training course. I've been offroading for 10+ years and I found the course to be very valuable. There were lots of basics that they covered that I was already familiar with. But I also learned a lot! It was also a comfortable, low-key atmosphere (which you don't always get wheeling with buddies or a club). I wish I had done something like this years ago.

Someone once told me the best investments are ones you make in yourself. Maybe this holds true for offroading, too

What class did you take?

 

[2112 R]

This weekend I attended an entry-level 4wd training course. I've been offroading for 10+ years and I found the course to be very valuable. There were lots of basics that they covered that I was already familiar with. But I also learned a lot! It was also a comfortable, low-key atmosphere (which you don't always get wheeling with buddies or a club). I wish I had done something like this years ago.

Someone once told me the best investments are ones you make in yourself. Maybe this holds true for offroading, too

I'm in SoCal as well and would also be interested in the details of the class.
Have a web site link we can check out?

 

[rkymtnman]

I agree with this....to a point. I have been an avid back country snowmobiler for nearly the past 20 years. I had the privilege early on to ride with an old timer who was far more experienced than I was. I learned a ton just by watching what he did...watching how he moved....watching him make decisions and going over why he made them in my head as opposed to just blindly following his lead. It kept me safe and kept me headed home at the end of the day. I still learn something every trip. Things can go bad quickly in the back country and your decisions can either contribute to a spiral that ends with you in a bad way...or can see your safe return to the lot.

I suspect similar statements hold true to wheeling...hence the original motivation for me posting this thread. Working smart as opposed to working hard. I believe there is always something to be learned from someone else...even if it is what not to do.

However, at the end of the day, skills are learned and honed buy getting out and doing as opposed to sitting around talking. Figured I have a few months to "sit around and talk", it seemed like a good topic to start

Simple bro, The more you Offroad The more you learn, no one can learn from some one experience, You have to experience the tricks by yourself .
:humble:

 

[Plannerman]

What class did you take?

Simple bro, The more you Offroad The more you learn, no one can learn from some one experience, You have to experience the tricks by yourself .
:humble:

I took the "Getting Started Off-Road" course. https://www.4x4training.com/

I feel way more comfortable with dunes after this class (they were my nemesis).

 

[RockyMountainT4R]

What ajordan1975 said.


The Rising Sun 4WD Club also puts on Cruise Moab every year. A great vacation for the family or individuals who want to hang out and LEARN from highly experienced, friendly people. Some are professionals who volunteer their time as trail leaders. Check out their website: risingsun4x4club.org
Truly a Fun experience.

 

[rkymtnman]

Will do. I have heard of these guys before...I bought my FJ80 off a guy who was a member there. Never should have sold that 80.....

What ajordan1975 said.


The Rising Sun 4WD Club also puts on Cruise Moab every year. A great vacation for the family or individuals who want to hang out and LEARN from highly experienced, friendly people. Some are professionals who volunteer their time as trail leaders. Check out their website: risingsun4x4club.org
Truly a Fun experience.

 

[RockyMountainT4R]

Will do. I have heard of these guys before...I bought my FJ80 off a guy who was a member there. Never should have sold that 80.....

Ditto. I had a '96 80 w/f&r lockers.

 

[Oldmanb777]

Snowmobiles,,,,,did I hear snowmobiles? That's one I have to learn. Rented a couple times. Maybe buy next year. We spend a lot of time in Grand Lake.
And a friend is an avid sledder. His avalanche class is sponsored, or something like that. But still, Going out with people who know what they are doing is good.

In that idea, what are you going to use for air? Airing down tires is great on many levels. I'm guessing about 20psi would be good on your rig with the tire size you plan to run. Do you have a hand brake, or foot brake for the parking brake? Hand brakes are great if you have a manual tranny. It's your third foot.

I wouldn't mind seeing what your doing sometime. My Toyota experience is extremely limited, but I'm just an old gearhead at heart. What people build is always the best stuff.

 

[octanejunkie]

I took the "Getting Started Off-Road" course. https://www.4x4training.com/

I feel way more comfortable with dunes after this class (they were my nemesis).

What did they charge you for that class? If you don't mind sharing

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[ajordan1975]

In that idea, what are you going to use for air? Airing down tires is great on many levels. I'm guessing about 20psi would be good on your rig with the tire size you plan to run. Do you have a hand brake, or foot brake for the parking brake? Hand brakes are great if you have a manual tranny. It's your third foot.

I run 15 psi front and 10 rear w/ the same size tire and year of the rig as the OP. Never had an issue at that PSI.
None of the Toyota trucks have a foot brake for the parking brake. The third gen has the hand brake.
I think side stepping the brake/gas pedals is better than trying to add another thing to mess with while trying to focus on the trail, or ledge, or whatever your trying to get over.
Just my $ 0.02.

 

[rkymtnman]

The '97 has a hand brake in between the front seats so he'll have to get used to using it...never thought about the e-brake being "active" in off road situations. Makes sense!

For air - I am looking at one of the more affordable portable compressors. I have seen a few that are recommended by several on here in the 70-150 dollar range. I am certain it is like everything else in that you get what you pay for. I figure if we/he burns through a cheaper compressor - that means it is getting used and we'll look to upgrade to something more robust down the road. As far as airing down - I am thinking about these JT Brooks deflators I read about. I'd get a set of 4 and it seems like you can use them to air down all 4 tires at the same time (duh...there are 4 of them ) while on your way to the trail. I am all for convenience and the "easier button".

My sledding days ended temporarily 2 years ago. I have a job that has me in Europe about 50-60% of the time. It sucks being gone and away from the family for 2-3 weeks every 2-3 weeks. I couldn't justify getting home, then loading up for the hills to ride on the weekend leaving the family again. I am hoping this changes in the next year or 2 and i will most definitely get back in to it. I only rode GL a couple times. I pretty much "lived" on Rabbit Ears. TONS of country to be explored, less chance of getting caught in a slide - though there certainly are a few places), and once you get a mile form the lot, you actually see very few people. I kept all my gear, tool and equipment knowing it would be a short hiatus from riding. It is probably my most favorite thing to do in the world....just has a healthy price tag. I like to build my own sleds so this "project" obsession I have can be properly fed!

Love to have you drop by any time. I am just off I-25 and 144th. With some luck, we'll have this thing finalized this weekend - we actually have to since we made an appointment to get the alignment done at Toytec on Tuesday! I'll pm you my number.

Snowmobiles,,,,,did I hear snowmobiles? That's one I have to learn. Rented a couple times. Maybe buy next year. We spend a lot of time in Grand Lake.
And a friend is an avid sledder. His avalanche class is sponsored, or something like that. But still, Going out with people who know what they are doing is good.

In that idea, what are you going to use for air? Airing down tires is great on many levels. I'm guessing about 20psi would be good on your rig with the tire size you plan to run. Do you have a hand brake, or foot brake for the parking brake? Hand brakes are great if you have a manual tranny. It's your third foot.

I wouldn't mind seeing what your doing sometime. My Toyota experience is extremely limited, but I'm just an old gearhead at heart. What people build is always the best stuff.

 

[Oldmanb777]

The deflaters work great. I had some, used them a lot. Can't remember what I did with them, but they are not where I thought they were. hwell:
I have a small compressor, works great, but takes a lot of time to re-air up for the drive home on the slab. A clip on chuck is handy with those. Have had (in the past) the Kilby kit with a York compressor. That was great. Have some friends who now use high pressure gas bottle. Dry nitrogen. I have not done that, but seems to be a great deal. However, like any high pressure gas bottle, you need to make sure it can't get damaged.

 

[RonJR]

I just bought a Masterflow MV-1050 portable compressor last summer. $50 from Walmart online. I'm actually pretty impressed with it. It will inflate my 33/10.50/15 tires from 20 psi to 35 psi in about 2 minutes per tire, which is about the same as my buddy gets with his ARB compressor. No trouble with overheating doing all 4 tires. How long it will last I don't know, but it seems solid and well built.

 

[nevada]

The '97 has a hand brake in between the front seats so he'll have to get used to using it...never thought about the e-brake being "active" in off road situations. Makes sense!

For air - I am looking at one of the more affordable portable compressors. I have seen a few that are recommended by several on here in the 70-150 dollar range. I am certain it is like everything else in that you get what you pay for. I figure if we/he burns through a cheaper compressor - that means it is getting used and we'll look to upgrade to something more robust down the road. As far as airing down - I am thinking about these JT Brooks deflators I read about. I'd get a set of 4 and it seems like you can use them to air down all 4 tires at the same time (duh...there are 4 of them ) while on your way to the trail. I am all for convenience and the "easier button".

My sledding days ended temporarily 2 years ago. I have a job that has me in Europe about 50-60% of the time. It sucks being gone and away from the family for 2-3 weeks every 2-3 weeks. I couldn't justify getting home, then loading up for the hills to ride on the weekend leaving the family again. I am hoping this changes in the next year or 2 and i will most definitely get back in to it. I only rode GL a couple times. I pretty much "lived" on Rabbit Ears. TONS of country to be explored, less chance of getting caught in a slide - though there certainly are a few places), and once you get a mile form the lot, you actually see very few people. I kept all my gear, tool and equipment knowing it would be a short hiatus from riding. It is probably my most favorite thing to do in the world....just has a healthy price tag. I like to build my own sleds so this "project" obsession I have can be properly fed!

Love to have you drop by any time. I am just off I-25 and 144th. With some luck, we'll have this thing finalized this weekend - we actually have to since we made an appointment to get the alignment done at Toytec on Tuesday! I'll pm you my number.

you have received tons of great info.
id like to add, unless you already have one, add a winch to that vehicle.

its like a tight rope walker with a safety net. it will alleviate a massive amount of anxiety just knowing its there. you most likely will not use it, or not often. but, its all but a guarantee that you WILL GET HOME that day. so, for those times when you aren't with your son, you will know he has the ability to get home safe.


as to a compressor, I highly recommend the smittybilt.

https://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-2781-5-65-Universal-Compressor/dp/B004K25GMG


looks like its even on sale right now. normally its $150+

 

[rkymtnman]

Agreed...tons of great info!

A winch and bumper is in the cards but it will take some time. The kid actually bought this '98 with a "seized motor" - which turned out to be a thrown rod through the block but we didn't need it anyway. He is selling leftover parts and has actually managed to sell more than twice what he paid for the '98 and has another 500-1000 to go depending on what actually sells. That easily paid for his Toytec lift as well as all the seals, belts, hosts, etc we put in to the motor from the '99. The Marlin clutch was an early Christmas present so he is working towards a bumper, sliders and a winch presently. His job is seasonal so he is now looking for something to keep him busy for the next 4 months or so and hoping to make some cash that way. He'll get there by the time summer rolls around I suspect.

At least with him building this, I don't have to worry about him not taking care of it...or not knowing how to FIX it.

Will have a look at the MasterFlow and the SmittyBuilt units suggested.

Thanks!

 

[RonJR]

My take on winches is, if you have a winch, you'll probably need it. If you don't have one, you likely won't need it. It changes your driving style and what you are willing to tackle.

I've been knocking around the backcountry of Colorado for 40 years, mostly solo, without a winch, and with the exception of a couple of stupid decisions when I was back in my 20's, I've never needed one to get unstuck. However, there have been times when I've turned back when I might have kept going if I'd had the (perceived) security of a winch. Just depends on how conservative (or not) you want to be.

Then, of course, if you're into serious rock crawling, a winch becomes an essential tool for some obstacles.

 

[Oldmanb777]

I only use my winch for other people.:lmao: Mine is on a multi mount. There was a couple times before I had it, that it would have come in very handy. I don't have the bumper on current vehicles to use it. It's on my to do list. Just like so many other things.hwell: