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Isuzu Off Roading/Trail Reports
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Comments
I had no idea how vast and flat the Pine Barrons are. Nothing like the mountains and trails in Potter County, Pa. Very different terrain. Soft dirt trails everywhere that branch off into many other dirt trails. Parts of the trails are deep, soft sand which was slowed my Trooper down considerably. It was my first go in the sand...I didn't even bother reducing the tire pressure. Stil I was able to push through without issue.
We found several trails that contained ramps and pits that were very inviting. No matter what Wharton had to offer, I was able to confidently navigate over, up, down and through. It was a boat load of fun. In fact, the weather is crappy again this weekend so looks like we'll be going today as well. Can't wait.
No damage to report other then a few brush marks on the fender flares. I am trying to convince my bother in law to follow me to the Pine Barrons with his Acrua MDX. I want the pleasure of pulling him out when he gets stuck. Ha ha..!
Last Sunday was even more of a blast. We had a massive rain storm at the beach. Some of the main streets were covered with literally 3 feet of water. Once again, the Trooper proved un-stoppable.
Steve
Another Tri-Stater! A couple of us on this board are thinking about a tri-state meet very soon. We thought about a run to NJ as they just had a run a few months ago. Want to go again?
Cheers,
Con
01 Trooper LS LongIsland, NY
-mike
I would certainly be interested in a Pine Baron's run. That would be great. We'd have a blast. I didn't know you guys had went before. We can make it like the Annual Jeep Jamborie..
I went to the Pine Barons again yesterday. Had a blast! Found a few more neat trails. The rain storm we got hit with yesterday made it all the better. There was one obstacle I had to back away from. It looked like a nasty 25 yard long deep mud pit. It wasn't so much the mud that would have given the Trooper difficulty, but more getting out. At the end of this mud pool was a broken down tree that I doubt I would have been able to get enough traction to go over. Especially coming out of the pit. It would have been tough.
Now, of course if I would of had another Trooper buddy with me.... I'd be telling a whole different story.!
Anyway, keep me in the loop about when you'd be interested in having another official Trooper run in the Pine Barron's... cause I'm there.
Steve
It still blows my mind that Isuzu doesn't include it as a standard option. Especially since there no way to haul long items. You can't drive with the rear doors open, you can't leave one of the doors open, you can't open the rear door windows... What are they thinking? You should have seen me last year at Christmas time when I had to tie down a 12 foot -Xmas tree to the roof cause there was no other way to haul it back to the house. I thought it was going to crash right through the moon roof.
Of course a guy pulls up with a older Toyota 4 Runner and had the tree dude just throw it right in the back of his truck. He left the rear hatch open and drove away. Same with a guy who drove up in an Explorer. I felt like a goof.
Steve
It still blows my mind that Isuzu doesn't include it as a standard option. Especially since there no way to haul long items. You can't drive with the rear doors open, you can't leave one of the doors open, you can't open the rear door windows... What are they thinking? You should have seen me last year at Christmas time when I had to tie down a 12 foot -Xmas tree to the roof cause there was no other way to haul it back to the house. I thought it was going to crash right through the moon roof.
Of course a guy pulls up with a older Toyota 4 Runner and had the tree dude just throw it right in the back of his truck. He left the rear hatch open and drove away. Same with a guy who drove up in an Explorer. I felt like a goof.
Steve
-mike
Here is a picture of it:
Cheers,
Con
-mike
I am in for a another pine barrens adventure.
If you do break one and you're still stuck, you can tie the ends together and try again.
Make sure you dry out your tow strap at the end of your trip. Rinse any sand or mud off of it and hang it up to dry. I put mine away wet one time and it mildewed badly.
I was trying out TOD vs 4 Low in Sand. Both were great. The sand in the pits was deep but not really soft. I stayed clear of any water :-).
re: Tow Straps:
Thanks. I think I will wash and hang-up my strap to dry. This will also give me an opportunity to inspect it.
Good to see you back on the horse! Are you gonna make Uwharrie?
-mike
And yes, it is good. The truck runs great and I am looking forward to adding shocks and lights in the next week or so. I was expecting delivery today.
-mike
-mike
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/isuzuchat.html
-mike
This is a nice site for those who haven't seen it yet.
I would like to see 4 HI in the trooper however. I think there should be 4 drive settings. 2WD High, TOD, 4WD High and Lo. TOD is great AWD, but in situations where you need all 4 wheels all of the time, you are left with 4 lo. It is sort of overkill.
Overall, with the right technique, the Trooper could easily go anywhere and handle all conditions of off-roading oversand.
http://www.australiansafari.com.au/default.htm
except something tells me he didn't hydro-lock his engine!
-mike
-mike
With a solid axle, only bigger tires will lift the differential higher from the ground, but body lift could/would help. 4-lo has a lot of gear resistance (i.e. come off the gas and you slow down) over 25-30, I think that is why people (including me) feel more comfortable at that speed.
-mike
Over sand, I have found that the differential isn't as much of a problem hitting sand as the gas tank. Going over the undulating surface of the beach, the gas tank often "kisses" the sand; pounding across rough rough terrain at 5 MPH, you see imprints of the tank and center skid plate in the sand. Body lift would improve the overall performance on the beach. Wider and taller tires would obviously help do the same.
-mike
I previously had a Jeep Cherokee which was a little less prone to getting high centered on the center mound of the tracks at the beach.
Based on your inputs I'll take a slightly different tack with the Rodeo. Upsize the tires (30x9.50), pull the spare and put in the back, and never let the RPMs drop below 3 grand in 2nd gear in 4W low.
Another interesting thought appears to be to relocate the gas tank to where the 15" spare lives. Anyone seen a kit for doing this?? The gas tank location on the '99 Rodeo appears to be a major hindrance for any sort of serious off-roading. Any one considered / relocated their fuel tank to pick up ground clearance? Basically the Rodeo has great clearance except for the gas tank and spare(15"). One of these is easily fixed, the other one???
Jake
Every Thursday, 7:00-8:00pmPT/10:00-11:00pm ET
Your Community Leaders are paisan and arktrooper1
-mike
-mike
Great Western Trail, Arizona section:
http://www.gwt.org/gwt/azgwt.html
Arizona Off-Road:
http://www.az-offroad.com/
Off-Road article:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_offrd/m1185/n9_v29/17097283/p1/article.jhtml
El Camino Del Diablo:
http://www.bushducks.com/tripreps/camino.htm
Various Trails:
http://www.4x44u.com/pub/k2/am4x44u/trails/locations/trailr2.htm
http://www.4x4now.com/