Whispering pines Feb. 16th

[GTJake]

i wish i still had my rubi, i would love to go, but my cherokee is just too stock. id bring one of the quads, but i wouldnt be any help if someone got stuck

[jaros44]

Vanzillla is also in.

[Vanzilla]

I\'m going, shake off some rust.

[hawker]

I can\'t make this run, but I went to WP about the same time of the season last year in an all stock Jeep LJ.  The snow is not a problem (there is always someone to tow-strap you out -- make sure you have tow points!).  The fun is that the ground is frozen underneath with a thin layer of mud/muck above.  Some good slippin\'-and-slidin\' sideways down a slope.  

I did not have body damage (close at one point, but it was easy to push me like a hockey puck away from that tree), but a couple of others did.  We also had some good engineering opportunities with multiple straps, tree savers, winches, and heave-ho shoving!  Not because we were stuck as much as we were sliding.  Good winter riding!

So the issue is not clearance, tire size, horsepower, etc.  It is traction in ice/snow.  Stockers have about as much advantage (disadvantage?) as others.

If you really want to be safe, put on chains or insert tire spikes.  That would be some fun!

Scott

[thejeepbuilder]

Due to an unexpected severe illness in the family I will be unable to atten afterall.  Jim

[smichaelR22]

updates or pictures? hows the trails?

[Vanzilla]

Jim, I hope the illness has passed, I was looking forward to seeing you there.

Pictures? we don\'t have any.  I left my camera in Vanzilla, it wasn\'t too far into riding on the trails that Vz went down a cylinder.  #2 header pipe was cold.  #2 plug was firing.  Took off the valve cover to find crumpled up push rods that operated the #2 cylinder\'s valves.  I think I got screwed over with non-hardened pushrods, and the guide plates ate halfway through the exhaust pushrod causing it to fail.  Not sure why the intake rod got smooshed into an \"S\".  We took the broken valvetrain  parts out and buttoned the engine back up.  Jon winched me up the hill I was working on and I parked it in the field.  I rode with k9keeper the rest of the day.  It was an icy day, tough going.  Big trees had fallen over some of the trails, but I brought a chain saw for that.  Jaros44 almost went through his windshield sliding down the steepest embankment where his front tires landed perfectly in the rutts at the base stopping dead, the jeep was vertical, the suspension droop caused the driveshaft to separate.  Then we went home.  I drove Vz on 7 cylinders back home while Jaros followed me halfway home.

All in all, it was a challenge but we all had fun.

[Guest]

Sad to hear but sounded like an action packed event with carnage...At least you know your pushing the limits if your breakin..Cold weather sucks when a break like that occurs..Just sucks...........



Pics.......Show us a pic of what VanZilla eats for lunch......