Monday, March 19, 2018

Wheeling in Maryland

A couple of weeks ago on the Jeep Talk Show Podcast, which by the way I am a co-host, I mentioned there is no legal place to wheel in Maryland. Well, I stand corrected. Gary, from the Northwest Jeepcast, was our guest the night I made that statement. He shared with me this website - TrailsOffRoad.com


The website is in the beta stages of creating off road trail guides for all 50 states and US Territories. One of the trails featured is the Frederick Watershed. 



The best thing about this "trail" is... it is only 45 minutes from where I live. I was excited because my family was willing to join me off-roading in my Jeep which is rare!




Getting my family to wheel with me is a challenge. The closest place I wheel is three hours one way. That is one of the main reasons they don’t go with me.





We spent the day wheeling around the Frederick Watershed just outside Frederick, Maryland. It is fifteen minutes outside of Frederick, a 7000-acre oasis.




This watershed forest has over 11 miles of gravel, dirt, and slightly rocky roads coursing throughout the forest with a creek meandering through. The technical rating is a 1 to 2... Dry dirt road, less than 3" water crossing depth, some ruts, slight grades up to 10 degrees.






I drove the whole route in two wheel drive. Now the rain or snow could make it four wheel drive necessary. The gravel roads are not plowed when it snows so this will make a fun place to wheel in the snow.



These easy roads would certainly not be considered an off-road destination, but they are a great way to spend a few hours exploring the forest.  It was a perfect day to spend with tmy family exploring the creeks, getting my tires a little muddy, and capturing some pretty videos…. of my Jeep.

My youngest son had a great time. He wants us to do more of these day trips. Well, luck is on my side. I discovered some more scenic dirt roads in Maryland I will have to explore.


The Greenridge State Forset, and this cool website has some more trail routes in my area - Rural Roads in Frederick, Maryland.




Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Jeep Tire Carrier Seized Up Fix

Solution for Jeep a Stuck Swing Out Tire Carrier 

 

Tire Carrier Problems

A few years ago when I went to get something out of the back of my Jeep. To my dismay, I couldn't open the spare tire carrier. It would not swing open, so I had to get my son to help me push it.

On my Barricade Trailforce HD Bumper with Tire Carrier the swing arm attaches to a post which is attached to the bumper. It seized up. Somehow I needed to pull the swing arm off the bumper and re-grease the post. It was not budging! 

PB Plaster 👉 Buy Here



Steps to Free Up The Swing Arm



Remove the allen-head bolt and top cap from the post. Using PB Blaster spray the post thoroughly. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then spray again. Do this several times, then one more just for good measure.



Using a dead blow hammer, tap the swing arm where it connects with the post. I used a cloth so I wouldn't damage the paint. My tap was not gentle. 




In between hammer blows I would push the swing arm back and forth. I continued this process many, many times. I would say 10 to 20 times. It still would not budge. So I called my friend Henry for some help. He had a super gi-normous pry bar he said he could bring over. However, I needed to wait until the next morning.   



The next morning with the 5 foot pry bar it came right up. So I would say the PB Blaster and hammer blows helped loosen it up. The proper leverage to pull the swing arm straight up from the post made a big difference. 

58" Pry Bar 👉 Buy Here 


Jeep Momma Tip - At least twice a year do some preventative maintenance by re-greasing your post if you have a spare tire carrier that swings. 





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