2022 NorCal Wheeling, Camping, and Fuckery Thread

What an adventure! You made me feel like I was there with you guys. You guys were talking about welding kits and damn ending up having to use it. Bad assery!! Buying you an adult beverage!

 

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I've tried to tell people and yet they keep fucking arguing with me. MIG sucks for trail repairs. It doesn't like dirty metal. I'm not saying don't buy a Bun Welder. I'm just saying my 6011 rod will have me off the trail by the time you've cleaned your repair well enough to start a weld. lol

 

One thing for sure is I need to practice with it. And get more familiar with it. Running D/C positive to ground burns different than using a Arc box at home. You have to feed the stick WAY faster. It also likes burning good at about half a stick rather than starting with a full stick (so we started cutting rods in half).

The stick was definately clutch for the steering repair. The Bun didn't like welding on cast at all (neither did we) but welding that up was really only choice.

If you're going to have only one of the options, I agree, the stick is the better way to go.

 

It's just crazy how I had this feeling that I needed to get an ability to weld for this trip. Really a nagging feeling.

First night, we had to weld Charlie's rear leaf eye back together. The next morning we were welding that dude's steering back together. And by the last night we were welding another friend's front leaf spring back together.

 

It's not crazy at all. It's common sense.

The Dusy is 33 miles of trail with a high likely hood of breakage. It has obstacles on both sides that would make towing a dead stick rig out a major pain in the ass. So you do what you can to be prepared for major trail repairs. The ability to weld is one of those things.

 

It's kinda good that you had that nagging feeling. I posted the Cal4 announcement and someone posted saying you were there and they'd call. Pretty sweet. Great job on helping him get out.

 

High Sierra Krawlers is the group I've started doing the harder trails with. Those dudes are seriously clutch. GREAT group, that are 100% there for each other, and EVERYONE that needs help on the trail.

They are predominately a Jeep group (by numbers). Just because it's more likely someone who is doing those trails, is doing it with a Jeep... However this time, of the 5, there were more Yotas than Jeep... Me, Charlie in a built Toyota truck, and Dion in an old FJ. VS Brian in a JK and Travis in a YJ.

Anyway... I am WAY less built with stock travel IFS and 35s. (The rest of the group is solid axle and almost all over 37s) But they treat me and Jen like family, and this was just our 3rd trip with them.

That dude, Sam, was treated the same. He stayed in our camp after rolled in LATE on Mon night and we got him running and back out on Tuesday. It wasn't even a consideration to do otherwise.

 

How many spare CVs did you bring, Matt?

 

Sounds like a good group.

I think it should be the ethos of anyone outside. If you run across someone in need of help, help as best you can.

 

I took 1 OEM CV, that I always carry. And 2 brand new ones I bought at AutoZone.

Since I broke the first 1 at less than 4 miles till the end, (almost all downhill) I just unlocked that side and kept rolling. When I broke the other one, it snapped real bad, we pulled the shaft out, left the 2 ends in place, and I drove all the way out, and all the way home with both of the CVs broken.

THAT, my friends, is the reason I like manual hubs.

 

For some people that is still the ethos. I've helped/recovered more people then most and never have asked for anything in return. I like to keep my karma bank full.

 

That guy had passed at least 2 other groups, that we know of.

One group handed him a ratchet strap to try and bind his steering with, and let him be on his way (no damn way that strap was going to do anything)

The other group was camped at the base of Voyager rock, we were camped a ways away from Voyager, but at Voyager... that other group literally told him to keep going and come down to us (even though they didn't even know anything about us).

 

When I took a first aid class, I learned an important lesson. Not everyone who "needs" help is not always what they seem. There are an increasing number of cases where people are being robbed at gunpoint by posing as motorists in distress.

I'm not saying don't help, just be careful these days. And remember, help is also a call to LE to let them know if you're feeling uncomfy about the circumstances.

 

On the trail though, you may be dealing with an odd duck, or a semi tweaker, or "other"

But, for the most part >on the trail< people are pretty genuine.

I realize bad shit happens in the woods. Like that guy who got murdered in front of his son at Poker Flat a couple years ago.

Fucking with our group, in a way that is like that... I promise... those choices will not come out with a high rate of survivability.

 

Dusy is brutal (I'm on 35s)

 

I don’t doubt that at all. Just worth consideration.

 

How many batteries do you use with your welding setup?

 

2 yellow top Optimas

 

was it just a straight ground and stinger setup wired to the battery? how fast was it feeding? dollar bill feed fast or paper shredder fast? nvm, i need to read back a few pages.

 

https://youtu.be/V-hZbYe5AeU