[dogbluedrummer]

I am no longer a wheelin' virgin! We just got back from running some oversized ATV trais. I never thought a jeep could make it up the first set of hills. I don't know the grade, but I could not see the first 50 feet of trail when going up. The TJ was very nimble as we worked our way thorugh the sharp turns between trees. The trail was not wide enough for both mirrors - however I am now one step closer to getting mirror relocation brackets.

We came across some big, long ruts which we did without tooo much of a problem, just a lot of sliding as it was muddy. Thankfully, the smaller pine trees serve as good stopping points. They give a lot when hit and don't leave marks!

The highlight was my friend going into (not through) a huge mud puddle. He had a stock Cherokee and lost all traction about halfway through. BREAK OUT THE RECOVERY STRAP. So his hitch was the highest point, and still below water. He had 3" of water in his floorboards.....and a lot of mud.

From there we ran a creek bed for about a mile, crossing numerous ruts and mud puddles before climbing back out. No damage - except the smell he will get in a few days as his Jeep dries in the sun!!

Lessons I read in JeepForum and now KNOW:
ALWAYS take a friend, never go alone. (Thank you Forum)
Buy a 2"x30' RECOVERY strap, NOT A TOW STRAP WITH HOOKS (Thank you Forum)
Take a shovel (mounted under hood, Thank you Forum)
Match your tires to your wheeling. I need MTs, not ATs for my area (Thak you Forum).
Figure out how to get into 4Low BEFORE you're halfway up the hill!!! Rookie
Make sure you have a rear tow hook.
Take a rough-cut bow saw (like what you use to cut down Christmas trees)
Take a trash bag and haul OUT more than you haul IN.

Anybody have a recommendation for an entry-level winch?
Are BFG MTs better than Pro Comp MTs? 80% DD, 20% trails/mud

There's probably a million more lessons, but hey, it was our first day!
Here's the best part - I forgot the camera. ********** So, no pics.

[Chris @ GATR]

I bet this doesn't stay long in the tech section.

[dogbluedrummer]

[QUOTE=dogbluedrummer]

Anybody have a recommendation for an entry-level winch?
Are BFG MTs better than Pro Comp MTs? 80% DD, 20% trails/mud


Sorry, for those of you who like the tech questions blatently obvious............

[bigchevyman24]

I've got the harbor freight 8k lb winch made by Chicago Electric...it was only $264 when I bought it a couple months ago with a 20% off coupon I found on the internet. Bought a year warranty for an extra $30 so it's good for a year for $300 and it came with a universal mounting plate that works with just a few new holes drilled for the TJ bumper. I would say that if you are not gonna use the winch alot, and it's more for a security blanket(it does work well, however) go for it...it saves you at least $200+ and it is a great winch in my opinion...a little slow, but if you're stuck anyway, you're not going anywhere fast...you can do a search for harbor freight winch and get lots of info on it...I believe it is a great bang for the buck and a great entry-level winch!!! My .02