Should I remove before going offroad?

CL or eBay...they're yours now.

I specifically told the dealer that I didn't want any of that bogus crap including the $400 trd skid plate.

 

Just remember, recovery gear is useless if you're by yourself.

Common sense will go a long way, airing down in soft or rocky stuff 20psi-ish, also get a plug kit, a cheap0 compressor will work although slowly, ratchet straps, rope, tow strap, tools, shovel, mattock, water, gas, a CB or Ham, let someone know your route or rough idea and communication plan.

It sounds like a mellow route, have fun, take pix and post it up!

 

Why? There's all sorts of recovery gear that works when you're alone...a winch, traction pads, snatch strap, shovel, hi-lift, etc.

You can even use a winch if there isn't anything around you to winch off of. Bury your spare tire and winch off that.

 

Mojave Road is a really fun trail, and it can be really easy if you want it to be (as long as the weather is good). Stay away from Soda Lake if it's going to rain or has rained recently.

I did it this time last year, we were a group of about 6 or so and two of the trucks were 2wd. Only one guy had trouble toward the end when you have to cross the sand dunes and I had to pull him out of a spot. Just be sure to air down and keep momentum if you find yourself in sand. Should be able to avoid it though.

Only thing I wish we had done differently was take a couple more days to explore. There is so much to see out there and we did it in 3 days, which wasn't enough time in my opinion.

Oh and if you're camping, it will be COLD AS FUCK. First night we were there it dropped down to 15 degrees, so come prepared for that if you're going to camp.

There are many areas you can venture off a bit and do some technical 4x4 wheeling if you so desire, but I wouldn't recommend going off the trail if you're solo. Very easy to get turned around out there.

 

Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter

 

Winch to what, a josh?
....Just use common sense, and you confirmed that which was my original point ...... "There are many areas you can venture off a bit and do some technical 4x4 wheeling if you so desire, but I wouldn't recommend going off the trail if you're solo. Very easy to get turned around out there."

 

It is chilly out there now, I've been working out that way for the past month and it's in the 20's at sunrise, mid 50's high and plummets as the sun sets....but that's at 6000 ft........just go enjoy it

 

Ah yup, the desert - a place of character, and characters!

 

When I was a senior in high school, my friend and I went on an epic week long tour of the Mojave with his dad’s Vista Cruiser station wagon. We went all over in that thing, and got stuck a few times in soft sand, but we got through with just a shovel and the car jack, and in one case by a Willy’s out near Glamis. We even drove north out of Joshua Tree NP on Old Dale/Gold Crown Road up to 29 Palms. Of course the road was better maintained back then in the late 70’s, I just tried it again with my Taco when I got my KO2’s and hit the skid plate on rocks going up the last hill on that road it’s that bad now.

So, with even the common sense (mixed with a bit of blind luck and stupidity?) of a couple high school kids, one can get through many parts of the Mojave safely and successfully.

Epilogue: the Vista Cruiser? Well, let’s say we had to punch it across the sandy gravel parts of Pinto Basin, along with some of the other trails we took it on, so when we got back, we noticed that the top of the engine was covered with gravel, but even worse - somehow the big oil filler cap on the valve cover was missing! My friend’s dad never said a thing about the car, and we noticed it was quietly sold a week after our trip.

 

Bury the spare in the ground and use it as an anchor point to winch off of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXYgCmufzTE



Best reason to not wheel alone is so that you can still have a way of getting home in case something breaks beyond a trail repair, or you get too stuck to get yourself out.

Not recommending someone go out alone is a lot different than saying "recovery gear is useless if you're by yourself". Most recovery gear is designed to be used solely by the person who is stuck, anyone else that is around is just an extra set of hands. Doesn't mean you can't do it by yourself, just means you're that much more screwed if you fail.

 

Everything makes sense...except, how do you utilize a snatch strap alone? I am genuinely curious as I do a fair bit of solo exploring.

 

Take 'me off while they still look new and sell them. I got $300 for my steps, cash, from the first person who answered the ad. That'll pay for something more useful.

 

You can use it to strap around a boulder or tree as an anchor. I bought a long HF one to increase my chance of finding a suitable boulder out there. I also just use a comealong, not a winch, so my cables are much shorter than on a electric winch.

 

^^ just like he said, snatch straps have an elastic quality so you can use that kinetic energy to sort of "bounce" your way out of a stuck scenario...or 'snatch' your way out so-to-speak. Ideally it will give you just enough forward energy to come up/out of wherever you're stuck, unless it's a really bad stuck scenario.

 

Yup, that elastic effect can also be a bad thing if you are not careful. Another good reason to have two cars, unless... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KEYaTscCDIg

Also, don’t do this with a snatch strap:

 

Or you just have it behind the seat if/when someone else comes along and sees you're stuck...

 

Having a second battery or a solar charger wouldn’t hurt either, especially if you are remote camping and not driving much over a few days. Just opening and closing the doors with the dome lights on stranded me on a beach in Baja California until a fisherman helped me out.

 

Or at the very least, a jumper kit so you can self-jump your own battery. I have one under the back seat of my truck, won't ever go anywhere remote without it charged and ready to go if needed. Nothing worse than having a perfectly capable truck leave you stranded somewhere remote with no way of starting it because the battery is dead. Unless you pull a Breaking Bad and make a battery out of loose change, nuts and bolts lol.

 

Any recommendations on those? It’s a good idea. I assume they don’t self drain much when stored? can they cold start with a totally dead battery?

One nice thing about a spare car battery is if an internal battery cell breaks from bumping around and the thing dies instantly- but some of those rechargers are really light and portable between vehicles - and- I imagine since it’s 12v, you could still power your radio to call out for help too - a big plus!

 

Can't remember the brand of mine, but it looks like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/CATUO-20000m...&qid=1513621343&sr=8-15&keywords=battery+jump