Off-Road Trail Do's & Don'ts
- Don't forget the toilet paper.
- Do remember snacks and drinks in case of a break down.
- Do bring a gallon of water with you. You may need some for
your radiator or to wash of some mud or an injury.
- Do secure everything in your vehicle that you don't want to
get hit in the head with in case of a roll over. That tool box you brought
"just in case" you break down is a great idea. But it could kill you
if you roll over and it's not bolted down.
- Do bring jumper cables. Splashing through deep water at a
fast speed is a good way to sling a belt or fry your alternator. Jumper cables
are a necessity.
- Don't blind people with your lights if you are behind them.
Light bars are all the craze right now, but they're bright as heck. Remember
they are for off-roading purposes only and should only be used by the person in
front.
- Do remember to tell someone where you plan on
wheeling at
before you go. This is very important if you do a lot of solo trail riding (which you really shouldn't do). If you broke down in the woods with no cell reception, how long would it
take for someone to miss you and organize a search party or alert the
authorities?
- Don't forget to take it slow and enjoy yourself. Getting out
in nature is a beautiful thing. Enjoy it. Go slow. Slow=safe, slow=ability to
maintain control of your vehicle, slow=less cut tires, slow=less damage to your
rig, slow=less likely hood of a roll over.

- Don't get sideways on a hill. The majority of roll overs
offroading occur when someone is climbing a steep hill, they lose traction and
stop, they decide to "give it hell" and their rig ends up sideways
and rolls down the hill. It happens all the time. It has happened to a friend
of mine when we were wheeling at night. Remember if you lose traction going up
a hill the best course of action is to slowly creep back down using your
brakes. It's scary, it feels weird, but it's necessary. When you are stuck
halfway up a long steep hill and lose traction completely gravity will take
over. That means since the front of your vehicle is heavier, due to the engine,
your vehicle will turn sideways as the front will try to beat the back to the
bottom. When the vehicle gets sideways it can roll easily.

- Allow vehicles that have not been re-geared to ride in front. Its going to be awfully frustrating following someone with a higher crawl ratio.
- Pay attention to trail directions. Don't come down a trail the wrong way.. Its frustrating for everyone.
Most important!
- When stopping on a trail, NEVER cross in between vehicles, take the long way around, or crawl over.
- A fellow driver lost his life when he crossed between vehicles, and got pinned in, from the uphill vehicle slipping out of gear.
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