Red Cone trail CO

[cl4Rk]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping I can tap in to all the collective wisdom here on the forum.

For those of you who have driven Red Cone in Colorado, do you think that my build can handle this trail? Will I be limited by driver skill only? or by physics/geometry?

I’m still learning the limits of my current build, and so far I’ve been very happy with how it’s handled on “easy” and “moderate” trails.

Examples include: Tower Arch, Eye of the Whale, Willow Springs, Rimrocker, Courthouse Rock / Buttes and Towers, Last Dollar Road.

I gently dragged the trailer hitch a handful of times in Moab, but other than that, nothing. For the trails so far, approach and break-over angles have been fine.

I’ve found that very careful line selection and patience go a long way. I have some experience wheeling, but like I said I’m still figuring out what this truck can do, and I’d really like to avoid body damage.

Currently:
- 265/75/16 BFG KO2s
- Bilstein 5100s
- OME 880/906
- 4.10 gears with open diffs
- stock weight / stock bumpers
- stock skid plates
- no additional armor

Ride height measurements (center hub to fender):
FRONT DRIVER: ~ 21 1/16”
FRONT PASSENGER: ~ 21 1/4”
REAR DRIVER: ~ 22 1/4”
REAR PASSENGER: ~ 22 1/4”

FWIW, I might be doing a 4.30 e-locker retrofit this summer, before I’d hit Red Cone.

EDIT: If I did Red Cone, I’d be with a group of 5 or 6 built Jeeps and 4Runners with recovery gear, etc.

Thank you!!

 

[spartacus]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping I can tap in to all the collective wisdom here on the forum.

For those of you who have driven Red Cone in Colorado, do you think that my build can handle this trail? Will I be limited by driver skill only? or by physics/geometry?

I’m still learning the limits of my current build, and so far I’ve been very happy with how it’s handled on “easy” and “moderate” trails.
]

I much rather do black bear pass then Redcone webster! The trails you mentioned are great experience for you with one exception. Redcone is loose gravel dirt and some years is worse then others.
With your experience and group of vehicles it should be fine.plus a good spotter. You will get hung up and drag your fuel and engine skids. The gate keeper obstacle at the start has pretty good size rocks. Would be an advantage to have rock rails and skids. With 32's no matter how good of a line, you will still scrape a bit. The trail past the creek is narrow, rutted but hopefully dry. It has sharp rocks and tree stumps roots etc. Also big boulders, going over them with 35s is a challenge and impossible with 32's. Going around them is tight, off camber with slippery tree roots etc but doable, rear locker would be awesome here but picking the high line with a spotter should work. The boulder field after that has some easy and challenging lines but you should be good with your setup for moderate lines. It is relatively easy to the top. Puckrup butter cup time. The steepest slippery, loose part of the trail. Down hill a narrow ridge road with steep drop offs tires sliding sideways. 4lo and go slow locking up the brakes will cause you to jack knife and slide. feather the brake keep the tires rolling. Keep a really good distance from the vehicle in front. It is a very long white knuckle ride but a good shot of adrenaline before Webster pass. Other then that it is beautiful and fun so have fun.

 

[cl4Rk]

I much rather do black bear pass then Redcone webster! The trails you mentioned are great experience for you with one exception. Redcone is loose gravel dirt and some years is worse then others.
With your experience and group of vehicles it should be fine.plus a good spotter. You will get hung up and drag your fuel and engine skids. The gate keeper obstacle at the start has pretty good size rocks. Would be an advantage to have rock rails and skids. With 32's no matter how good of a line, you will still scrape a bit. The trail past the creek is narrow, rutted but hopefully dry. It has sharp rocks and tree stumps roots etc. Also big boulders, going over them with 35s is a challenge and impossible with 32's. Going around them is tight, off camber with slippery tree roots etc but doable, rear locker would be awesome here but picking the high line with a spotter should work. The boulder field after that has some easy and challenging lines but you should be good with your setup for moderate lines. It is relatively easy to the top. Puckrup butter cup time. The steepest slippery, loose part of the trail. Down hill a narrow ridge road with steep drop offs tires sliding sideways. 4lo and go slow locking up the brakes will cause you to jack knife and slide. feather the brake keep the tires rolling. Keep a really good distance from the vehicle in front. It is a very long white knuckle ride but a good shot of adrenaline before Webster pass. Other then that it is beautiful and fun so have fun.

Thanks for the detailed reply! Very helpful.

Based on your description, the write ups I’ve found online, and videos people have uploaded, it sounds like my truck is right on the edge of “maybe” and “depends on the weather.”

Knowing how much I’d hate to sustain any real damage, I probably shouldn’t attempt this trail without at least a gas skid and rear locker..

 

[cl4Rk]

I much rather do black bear pass then Redcone webster!

I’m interested to know more about this. Why would you rather do Black Bear?

 

[spartacus]

I’m interested to know more about this. Why would you rather do Black Bear?

I vé done black bear 3 times and it's a little easier every time the falls section is technical but nothing to hang up on. The first time I did Red cone it was not as hard as far as i can remember .Last time I did red cone I had a super tough day. It was muddier and there was a lot of erosion . I got hung up on the first obstacle had to be winched out. Had to trail replace a cv in the ravine. Got my rear hung up on a boulder damaged the rear bumper when the truck was winched. Broke the passenger side rear upper control arm scraped the heck out of the skids. The 4.x4 clubs do an amazing job trying to fix erosion but the weather can undo a lot of their good work. A rear locker is ideal for some of the obstacles. 35's would make the trail way easier. I was on 32s with open diffs but made it back to Bailey fixed the truck and did Webster pass the next day.

 

[Jakeepoo3]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping I can tap in to all the collective wisdom here on the forum.

For those of you who have driven Red Cone in Colorado, do you think that my build can handle this trail? Will I be limited by driver skill only? or by physics/geometry?

I’m still learning the limits of my current build, and so far I’ve been very happy with how it’s handled on “easy” and “moderate” trails.

Examples include: Tower Arch, Eye of the Whale, Willow Springs, Rimrocker, Courthouse Rock / Buttes and Towers, Last Dollar Road.

I gently dragged the trailer hitch a handful of times in Moab, but other than that, nothing. For the trails so far, approach and break-over angles have been fine.

I’ve found that very careful line selection and patience go a long way. I have some experience wheeling, but like I said I’m still figuring out what this truck can do, and I’d really like to avoid body damage.

Currently:
- 265/75/16 BFG KO2s
- Bilstein 5100s
- OME 880/906
- 4.10 gears with open diffs
- stock weight / stock bumpers
- stock skid plates
- no additional armor

Ride height measurements (center hub to fender):
FRONT DRIVER: ~ 21 1/16”
FRONT PASSENGER: ~ 21 1/4”
REAR DRIVER: ~ 22 1/4”
REAR PASSENGER: ~ 22 1/4”

FWIW, I might be doing a 4.30 e-locker retrofit this summer, before I’d hit Red Cone.

EDIT: If I did Red Cone, I’d be with a group of 5 or 6 built Jeeps and 4Runners with recovery gear, etc.

Thank you!!

Put some 2" wheel spacers on that beauty. That extra width does wonders and she'll look even sexier.

 

[cl4Rk]

Put some 2" wheel spacers on that beauty. That extra width does wonders and she'll look even sexier.

Thanks! I’ve got 1.25” spidertrax spacers on currently. That brings the tires just out to the edge of the oversized fender flares.

 

[cl4Rk]

I vé done black bear 3 times and it's a little easier every time the falls section is technical but nothing to hang up on. The first time I did Red cone it was not as hard as far as i can remember .Last time I did red cone I had a super tough day. It was muddier and there was a lot of erosion . I got hung up on the first obstacle had to be winched out. Had to trail replace a cv in the ravine. Got my rear hung up on a boulder damaged the rear bumper when the truck was winched. Broke the passenger side rear upper control arm scraped the heck out of the skids. The 4.x4 clubs do an amazing job trying to fix erosion but the weather can undo a lot of their good work. A rear locker is ideal for some of the obstacles. 35's would make the trail way easier. I was on 32s with open diffs but made it back to Bailey fixed the truck and did Webster pass the next day.

Thanks for going into all the details! Exactly the kind of stuff I needed to hear.

 

[Endlessblockades]

Rock sliders are cheap insurance for a vulnerable area when you are doing ledges or narrows with a mild lift and 32s (my situation).

 

[cl4Rk]

[MENTION=373697]Endlessblockades[/MENTION] [MENTION=50279]spartacus[/MENTION] so do you guys think that adding the e-locker, rock sliders, gas tank skid, and maybe eimkieth’s lower control arm reinforcements, I’d be in a better position to tackle a trail like this?

——

EDIT: it’s not that I’m obsessed with this specific trail. But rather this level of difficulty is probably where I’d want to be in terms of not being limited on a long group trip.

 

[JohnMc]

First thing I'd do is replace the stock skids. Theyr'e really not up to the task of sliding the belly over rocks and ledges, and that's where you'll be dragging first as you tackle harder stuff.

I have rock sliders, and they pretty much never get dragged off roading, but the belly armor - gets dragged, thumped, scraped, walloped a LOT.

Next up - gas tank skid - it doesn't take much contact to bend the stock skid and push the bottom of the tank up.

And those lower control arm skids/armor pieces get dragged on mine pretty frequently too.

I'd do rock sliders after all that. They really don't get used all that much compared to the others. Certainly, do a rear bumper first (rear departure angle improvement is really needed). Maybe a front bumper too - although you can trim the bottom plastic lip for clearance if you're dragging it a lot.

Rear lockers are GREAT. All it takes is a little diagonal tire loading, or the truck leaning to one side, and you realize 4WD with open diffs just means 2wd (one front, one rear), and it's pretty easy to get into a situation where you have no traction. You almost always have at least one of the rear tires well loaded, so a rear locker makes a big difference in those situations. I'd almost say a RWD truck with a locker is almost as good off road as a 4WD without one.

I've never done Red Cone before, but I've done a lot of stuff out in the CO mountains and UT (Moab certainly). Black Bear isn't all that difficult technically speaking, but it has to be about the best CO mountain scenery around. It's one way to Telluride, then take Imogene back out toward Ouray.

 

[Endlessblockades]

[MENTION=373697]Endlessblockades[/MENTION] [MENTION=50279]spartacus[/MENTION] so do you guys think that adding the e-locker, rock sliders, gas tank skid, and maybe eimkieth’s lower control arm reinforcements, I’d be in a better position to tackle a trail like this?

Sorry, man - I don't know the trail. Having armor just opens up more lines - like having 4x4 can get you stuck that much deeper in the wilderness....

 

[spartacus]

[MENTION=373697]Endlessblockades[/MENTION] [MENTION=50279]spartacus[/MENTION] so do you guys think that adding the e-locker, rock sliders, gas tank skid, and maybe eimkieth’s lower control arm reinforcements, I’d be in a better position to tackle a trail like this?

——

EDIT: it’s not that I’m obsessed with this specific trail. But rather this level of difficulty is probably where I’d want to be in terms of not being limited on a long group trip.

Stock skid on 3rd gens can defiantly take some abuse. Gas tank skid will be a good peace of minds. locker makes everything way easier so much so that guys with them run open just to have more fun.
Rock sliders are a must. When you get over a rock with one front tire specially off camber the rocker panel is the most venerable spot.

 

[vanderwiel]

Hey Clark,

I ran red cone with my 02 4runner last summer. It has a 3 inch lift and at the time was running 255/75/r17 mud terrains (2 were pretty damn worn out.). No E-locker.

Your rig should be fine. The worst obstacle is a big rock pretty early on in the trail. A spotter will help tremendously with overcoming this.

 

[JohnMc]

Stock skid on 3rd gens can defiantly take some abuse. Gas tank skid will be a good peace of minds. locker makes everything way easier so much so that guys with them run open just to have more fun.
Rock sliders are a must. When you get over a rock with one front tire specially off camber the rocker panel is the most venerable spot.

The worst parts isn't the skids themselves (although they'll get mangled up somewhat easily), but they only cover some parts, and then you have a couple of crossmembers hanging down. If you're sliding over a rock or ledge, you'll get hung up on those crossmembers.

Belly armor gives you a solid surface from the nose all the way back to the gas tank skid, where the rear wheels will lift you up and over a ledge.

 

[Endlessblockades]

The worst parts isn't the skids themselves (although they'll get mangled up somewhat easily), but they only cover some parts, and then you have a couple of crossmembers hanging down. If you're sliding over a rock or ledge, you'll get hung up on those crossmembers.

Belly armor gives you a solid surface from the nose all the way back to the gas tank skid, where the rear wheels will lift you up and over a ledge.

Yep - a TC skid ties those two crossmembers together and creates a smooth transition to the fuel skid.

 

[spartacus]

Hey Clark,

I ran red cone with my 02 4runner last summer. It has a 3 inch lift and at the time was running 255/75/r17 mud terrains (2 were pretty damn worn out.). No E-locker.

Your rig should be fine. The worst obstacle is a big rock pretty early on in the trail. A spotter will help tremendously with overcoming this.

How did you do in the wash passed the creek?

 

[Jakeepoo3]

Stock skid on 3rd gens can defiantly take some abuse. Gas tank skid will be a good peace of minds. locker makes everything way easier so much so that guys with them run open just to have more fun.
Rock sliders are a must. When you get over a rock with one front tire specially off camber the rocker panel is the most venerable spot.

At the moment my skids are stock and in good condition somehow. I caught a rock pretty good on the gas tank plate. It crumpled it up pretty badly. It barely saved the gas tank. That and your departures be most vulnerable when it comes to damage. I love off roading with my traction control functions all off! Brings in a little more skill factor and adrenaline. Lockers would be awesome to have maybe one day. Should come OEM on all models. Until then a-trac actually works decently and has gotten me out of many tricky spots. I don't know if your generation has that or not. Don't think. That's what I'd be most concerned about when it comes to getting stuck, but I'm not familiar with the terrain. You'll be with people though if you need assistance. I only go solo with a come along and a jack so I'd definitely be doing my research too. If the place has rocks that always works for me to get myself unstuck. Jack and stack rocks proceed to crack a beer.

 

[Jakeepoo3]

Yep - a TC skid ties those two crossmembers together and creates a smooth transition to the fuel skid.

Yeah I've been high centered on those dang cross members more than once. There's always a way out though with nothing but a jack and rocks. I pack a come along also for truck eating mud pits. I might buy a winch someday.