A Early Year Olympics Trip

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Gabriel Bozeman

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Traveler II

2,902
Oak Harbor, WA, USA
First Name
Gabriel
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Bozeman
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16950

Took a short weekend trip with @Fj260z and his friend. Had a blast. Camped at some neat DNR campgrounds and did Forest Roads. We attempted to drive (see map photo) from the north side of the Olympics to Forks on only FS roads. Worked well for the most part until we ran into snow.

The other rigs (a 4th Gen. and a 5th Gen. 4Runner) had plenty of clearance to make it, but my P38 (Range Rover) was grounded after a little while. Now I know a lift and larger tires are a must and take priority on my to do list.

Went to Camp Hayden as well as Fort Flagler (old WWII sites) and saw some awesome structures and guns.

Overall, this was a test-everthing-out trip and that's exactly what happened. IMG_20190421_125656.jpegIMG_20190421_125559.jpegIMG_20190420_133409.jpegIMG_20190420_130807.jpegIMG_20190420_114503~2.jpegScreenshot_20190423-215729.jpeg
 

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JCWages

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Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
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Wages
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18693

Very cool!

Snow is weird. Sometimes I can plow through the deep stuff or float on top of the crust for miles and miles. This weekend I drove for quite some time on La Sal Pass Trail (Utah) until I hit snow. It didn't look deep, maybe 1.5" deep, so I tried to continue and didn't get more than 15' further before I was stopped completely and couldn't move forward at all. I tried again and no dice. I have plenty of clearance and great tires but forward progress was halted and when travel8ng solo it's not a good idea to push your luck. Needless to say I turned around with a smile. The drive was fully worth it.
 
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Gabriel Bozeman

Rank V
Launch Member

Traveler II

2,902
Oak Harbor, WA, USA
First Name
Gabriel
Last Name
Bozeman
Member #

16950

Very cool!

Snow is weird. Sometimes I can plow through the deep stuff or float on top of the crust for miles and miles. This weekend I drove for quite some time on La Sal Pass Trail (Utah) until I hit snow. It didn't look deep, maybe 1.5" deep, so I tried to continue and didn't get more than 15' further before I was stopped completely and couldn't move forward at all. I tried again and no dice. I have plenty of clearance and great tires but forward progress was halted and when travel8ng solo it's not a good idea to push your luck. Needless to say I turned around with a smile. The drive was fully worth it.
Totally agree. Snow is just a pain in the butt. We also didn't have any winches, which would have been helpful if we got more stuck. I also found out that Maxtraxs (or X-Bull) recovery boards are a must. The only reason I got out was because one of the other guys had Smitybilt tracks.
 
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JCWages

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Wages
Member #

18693

Totally agree. Snow is just a pain in the butt. We also didn't have any winches, which would have been helpful if we got more stuck. I also found out that Maxtraxs (or X-Bull) recovery boards are a must. The only reason I got out was because one of the other guys had Smitybilt tracks.
Sometimes they are great and sometimes they just don't work and a winch or comealong can save the day! Be extra prepared. Haha
 
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JCWages

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Wages
Member #

18693

Yeah. That's why I'm looking for a winch option for my RR. Sadly my model of RR does not have really any aftermarket support.
In the mean time you might comsider a 4ton or higher comealong and some chain or straps. Have you found any custom mounts for your rig with a Google search that you can copy? How about front 2" hitch mounts? You can put a winch mount on that too. If you do a hitch mount it can go on the rear as well if you have some long power cable installed.
 
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Gabriel Bozeman

Rank V
Launch Member

Traveler II

2,902
Oak Harbor, WA, USA
First Name
Gabriel
Last Name
Bozeman
Member #

16950

In the mean time you might comsider a 4ton or higher comealong and some chain or straps. Have you found any custom mounts for your rig with a Google search that you can copy? How about front 2" hitch mounts? You can put a winch mount on that too. If you do a hitch mount it can go on the rear as well if you have some long power cable installed.
There is a steel front bumper, but it looks horrible and is too much $$. I found a guy in Sweden (I think) who had a removable one that mounted to some steel bars on the front frame. I like this idea because I don't want to drive around town (which is what my RR does most) with all the gear on. I think I'll try to replicate it when I start doing welding on another project.

I do have a come along, but it takes up quite a bit of space in the back. I've never used it for recovery though.
 
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