Vintage Willys @ The Rubicon Trail 2018 - Event Date: 29 July 2018 - 02 Aug. 2018

Rick, how did that exhaust crack not cause you brain damage?  I had an ex. gasket leaking at last fall's FCT and my IQ fell off at least 8 pts.  Maybe you just haven't noticed the damage yet.  I won't say anything...maybe nobody will notice!

Rick,  I loved the glove comment at the end.

JeepN95YJ wrote: jpet wrote: Rick G wrote: ...Jeff, you running with the rollbar this year?... Yes, I think it is staying on for good.

I'm addressing some of the PMs, text messages and YouTube comments.

Last winter, I tied the roll cage to the frame before I went to Kansas Rocks. It has not been off since. Kansas Rocks looked more dangerous to me because not only are there steep rock formations, they also have mud and moisture. The midwest is totally different than the west in my short experience. I wrestled with it but once Stan put his on, that pretty much made me decide to leave it on for good. Even though I was concerned with my own safety, what bothered me more was that I knew I was making the people I wheel with nervous and I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable. Some have commented here and on YouTube about how short the cage is and how Chris's head is actually above the cage. When we were not navigating obstacles, we sat on seat cushions. When I attempted an obstacle, I removed the seat cushion so that my head is below the cage. Trying to do a cage and keep the original geometry is not easy. The MB windshield restricts a tall person's visibility. I'm going to try to do a taller windshield, but extend the height of the glass instead of a taller front panel like a 2A. This way I can also raise the roof on the cage and maybe even make some taller seat cushions. Last year, I did the obstacle without a cage, but I did it on the far right. This year, I went slightly left of the edge which is more challenging. Had I not had a cage, I don't know that I would have tried that line. IDK. Having a cage does boost my confidence. I'm not a psychologist so ....    Notice that BAM BAM got hung up on the rear diff. (something I've commented on in other posts). Not sure if an offset diff would have helped or not.

Soup Bowl:
There was not much video of the Soup Bowl. Stan, Rick, and I all took a crack at it. I simply do not have enough belly clearance. I'm sure eventually, we could have stacked enough rocks to make it, and I'm not against doing some rock stacking, but if you have to make a super highway, there wasn't much point, at least for me. There were plenty of rocks in there before we even arrived and I suspect that if there were no rocks, very few would be able to pass. We spent 2 hours on the obstacle.

I'm trying to learn the rules of 4-wheeling, but they keep changing. I think the rule for "rock stacking" is that it is legal so long as they were put there by the guy before you?

Yeah, I'd like it. Dropbox or Google Drive

jpet wrote: .... I'm trying to learn the rules of 4-wheeling, but they keep changing. I think the rule for "rock stacking" is that it is legal so long as they were put there by the guy before you?

jpet wrote: I think the rule for "rock stacking" is that it is legal so long as they were put there by the guy before you?

The only general etiquette “rock stacking” rule I am familiar with is to leave the obstacle as you found it. This is true whether you made the obstacle easier or harder by moving rocks. Oh yeah, and it also includes trees. Do not run over them as they are much more difficult to put back than rocks are!

After that I think it is dependent upon the individual and the circumstances.

Some people (including me) would agree that if moving a couple rocks gets you up an obstacle then you had a successful climb. Some may think you can fill holes in with a couple hundred pounds of rocks and still call it a successful climb, and most everybody else is somewhere in between. And it may even change depending on what modifications have been made to the vehicle on the obstacle.

Now if an obstacle stands in the way of enjoying the rest of the trail, body damage is likely and unacceptable, trying to limp a broken rig back, a driver feels uncomfortable about the obstacle, etc. then start stacking.

Conquering most difficult trails with anything other than huge rigs or buggies usually requires some rock stacking. Our opinions on how much is allowed is going to vary, but I cannot remember wheeling with anybody who is unwilling to help stack rocks to help a friend up an obstacle.

You guys need to keep score on the Rubicon. 

jpet wrote: Bridog wrote: . ...Some people (including me) would agree that if moving a couple rocks gets you up an obstacle then you had a successful climb. Some may think you can fill holes in with a couple hundred pounds of rocks and still call it a successful climb, and most everybody else is somewhere in between. And it may even change depending on what modifications have been made to the vehicle on the obstacle. Now if an obstacle stands in the way of enjoying the rest of the trail, body damage is likely and unacceptable, trying to limp a broken rig back, a driver feels uncomfortable about the obstacle, etc. then start stacking.... That's kinda where I'm at. I assume it was the Jeep Jamboree guys before us who put the rocks there to begin with. The object is to have fun and "feel the win" so if you can stack rocks and feel the win, then great. We were close to getting through the soup bowl but with the amount of rocks we were stacking, the win would have felt diminished ... that and I was feeling sorry for Bob and Stan lifting all those heavy rocks while I sat in the jeep ... even though they can thank me and BAM BAM for their new muscles

I have very rarely ever needed to stack rocks for myself. I can usually see another line and do fine. There is a friend I have had to stack rocks for. He is new at this. We were out a few years ago a week after the EJS and at some of the obsticles there was rocks scattered everywhere. Those people can really chew up a trail. As far as removing rocks, those things have been around a lot longer than we have and eventually they will all be in a different place.