Going Alone - Single Vehicle Wheeling & Safety

Or a full bladder.

 

Hand warmers will thaw out a frozen padlock and I carry a small butane torch in the winter for melting ice off things.

The frozen up winch is another reason that I went away from my hidden rear mounted winch and now have gone the front/rear hitch mounted route, keeping the winch in the bed of my truck. Worst case scenario I can bring the winch into the cab to heat it up.

 

You mean it freezes cause it's wet? The material itself is easily good to -175°F

 

Yep, he drove through a pretty deep puddle prior to getting stuck and it froze on the drum.

 

Gotcha.

 

The manufacturer of the winch I use offer a rope cover for the synthetic line. Submersion would probably not help in that situation but now I'm considering it.

 

Excellent read. Thanks OP.

 

Informative post. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

 

Awesome write up!

 

Good to see this thread is still going. One thing I have been thinking about lately is obstacles when your alone. Obviously, there are obstacles that one should just avoid when alone - like if you have a high chance of rollover, etc. Even so, especially here in NH, you can't avoid obstacles on the trail. We don't call it the granite state for nothing! Usually I make sure to get out and take a long hard look at the obstacle and try to study the lines in depth before I make an attempt. I have been known to self-spot as well, meaning that I might stop on an obstacle, and get out to check the line, undercarriage, etc. Obviously this is dangerous business. Care should be taken when choosing where to stop, or whether one should stop at all.

Thoughts, experiences?

 

Subbbbed to the maxxxxx. Great job OP

 

Great Post

 

Great job!!

 

Damn... now all u need is some empty sandbags and you can set up a patrol base! haha, sweet setup, I'm definitely using some of these ideas. I need to update my med bag all i have is super old tourniquets and quikclot ha

 

Excellent read, thank you OP.

 

Great post Mxpatriot. Informative one.
I read that full version of the thread from the expedition portal.
And the most important thing before beginning a long drive is, get enough sleep and have enough food. Lol!!. Actually, it is not a joke. It can cause troubles. You will feel more alert in the beginning but later you will feel tired. So take a 5 min break in every couple of hours and have snacks or get fresh air. Turn on the music, if you are driving alone.
Know the cell phone usage laws along the route you are driving and familiarize the local traffic laws too. Remember to lock all the valuables in the truck or glove compartment. Also, check the vehicle properly prior to the trip. Check whether the tire is properly inflated, all fluids are at their proper level and you have a full tank of gas.
Use smartphones app like google maps or checkmate app to guide you around the traffic jams and route. Don't fully depend on the GPS app for the guide because it may be infallible in remote areas. So better have a route map with you.

 

Excellent Post & Thread. Fine to see folks out there doing it right, and also educating. Happy, safe Trails.

 

Evidently photobucket no longer to embed pictures to forums without paying $399 a year...

Bear with me as a I re-upload to a better photo host.

 

A little trick I used one day when I was really wishing I had a spotter. Duct taped my gopro to the front tow hitch. Bluetoothed it to my iphone. Instant spotter. I wouldn't want to do that for very long but it was just one really bad spot in an otherwise moderate trail.

 

There is a guy I ride with that uses cameras in a similar way, he says it helps, I am not sure though. In a pinch I could see how it might help - especially in a very dangerous situation.

Still, I can't escape the fact that sometimes I need to get out of the truck when its on an obstacle. This is further made more difficult by the fact that I drive a manual; making getting started again more difficult because of roll-back.

My main safety procedure when self-spotting is applying the emergency brake and making damn sure the vehicle is in a solid spot before I get out. You may loose some ground on the obstacle, but its better to back off a bit and let the truck settle into a safe spot. This is akin to my earlier post. You have to slow your head down. Put the emergency brake on, let the truck sit for a second. Open you door without getting out. Check the surroundings as best you can from there. Wait another few seconds and see if the truck might slide. Then get out and check your lines.

Above all you need to avoid "obstacle panic". I have seen this more than one time, where a driver gets frustrated on an obstacle and "just goes for it", by applying skinny pedal with no regard for whats in front or underneath the truck. This is dumb in a group and downright stupid when you are alone.