US West Reno Overlanding Recurring Meetings and Trail Runs Thread

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Dennis Cole

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I'm looking for information on the short run planned for early May to practice recovering stuck vehicles. Have we posted it on Rally Point? I'm still learning this web site. I hope this is posted in the right place.
 
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HappyOurOverlanding

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I'm looking for information on the short run planned for early May to practice recovering stuck vehicles. Have we posted it on Rally Point? I'm still learning this web site. I hope this is posted in the right place.
Dennis, My Computer went on the fritz after the last meeting and I had to go purchase a new one :flushed:. I am almost all set up and will complete the Getting Unstuck Rally Point today. Sorry for the delay.
 
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HappyOurOverlanding

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So here re the three links to the upcoming events, Make sure you RSVP.

Getting UnStuck

Virginia City – Petroglyphs Day Run

High Rock Canyon
 
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Vesteroid

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Today was 4runner day. Marc graciously helped me replace my power steering pump and change my fluid on the 3rd gen, and I got all my sliders and skid plates installed on the 5th gen. I can actually go to the unstuck meeting tomorrow and just suffer through packing for overland west next weekend :)

Note to self, installing skid plates and sliders alone is NO FUN and hazardous to your knuckles.
 

HappyOurOverlanding

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Today was 4runner day. Marc graciously helped me replace my power steering pump and change my fluid on the 3rd gen, and I got all my sliders and skid plates installed on the 5th gen. I can actually go to the unstuck meeting tomorrow and just suffer through packing for overland west next weekend :)

Note to self, installing skid plates and sliders alone is NO FUN and hazardous to your knuckles.
Sounded like a productive day. See you tomorrow. And I agree, installing sliders does produce skinned knuckles. I feel your pain. [emoji12]
 
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Magic Mike

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Today was 4runner day. Marc graciously helped me replace my power steering pump and change my fluid on the 3rd gen, and I got all my sliders and skid plates installed on the 5th gen. I can actually go to the unstuck meeting tomorrow and just suffer through packing for overland west next weekend :)

Note to self, installing skid plates and sliders alone is NO FUN and hazardous to your knuckles.
Skid plate install is not fun alone
 

HappyOurOverlanding

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Well the Getting UnStuck was a success...no one was left stuck in the sand. :grinning:

IMG_0105.jpg

Rigs and Participants
15 Participants, 3 dogs, 11 Rigs, and 1 BLM Ranger

Reason
Since one of the OB and Reno Overlanding Groups founding principles is—Educate Individuals to Safely Explore, it was suggested a while back in a meeting to have a Getting UnStuck review. This would allow participants to purposely get stuck at a predetermined location then learn how to safely get UnStuck while other participants observed, asked questions, and learned.​

Pre-Practice talks
Prior to starting the recovery scenarios, Scott, a Ranger from BLM introduced himself and explained about his duties. He was quite pleased with our goals for the Reno Group and understood that we are a group of friends that get together to share skills and knowledge. He was also very complementary of Overland Bound and the ethics we hold to Tread Lightly, and was glad to see Reno Overlanding modeled the group on the same beliefs.​
After Scott answered several questions from some of the participants, Aaron reviewed each of the scenarios that we would cover.​

Highlights of the Day
  • Rigs met up at the pre-determined location in Spanish Springs off Pyramid Way at 9:30 AM
  • We went to a local area near Pyramid Lake about 20ish minute drive from the Reno meeting point
  • The area was on public lands covered in sage brush but had a large flat sand hill / mound where all the rigs (and even more if needed) fit with plenty of room for getting stuck
  • Aaron, the facilitator for this event, was very familiar with this location and picked it as he knew that we could find a spot for several rigs to gather and practice getting stuck in sand and how to recover a vehicle
  • One member who was keen to be the guinea pig got his Jeep stuck in deep sand
  • First order of business was for other participants to dig channels from the rear wheel so MaxxTrax could be placed in a ramp position. Once in position, the Jeep easily was able to slowly drive out of the holes
Digging for MaxxTrax use.png
  • Next, we tried using both static straps and the kinetic (snatch) strap with different weight vehicles to pull the once again deeply stuck jeep out. This proved most interesting since it since recovery vehicles of different sizes do not always have enough torque/power to recover another vehicle…sometimes it takes multiple vehicles for recovery
Recovery.png
  • Lastly, we learned the best practices of using a winch, where not to stand, and how to position the recovery vehicle based on where the “stuck” vehicle was located. In these two scenarios, the jeep was first “re-stuck” deep in the sand and winched out and then driven to the side of the sand hill to allow it to slide sideways on the embankment to again be winched out.
  • Before breaking for lunch, Aaron reviewed what you should carry with you for recovery gear
  • After lunch, several members practiced running up a sand hill to better understand, a) running with full tire pressure, b) versus airing down, and c) the type of speed and consistency of climbing different slopes of a sand hill
Golden Jeep.jpg
  • Before leaving we filled in the holes that were made by getting stuck vehicle, checked the area for any ‘stuff’ that shouldn’t be there, packed up and headed home.
All in all it was a great day with lots of good knowledge sharing and practice. The consensus was... we should have another Getting UnStuck review.

And a side note: Connie will have the video compilation done in a couple days and I'll post it in this thread. See everyone at the meeting this week.
 

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Sticker.jpg May 8th Meeting Minutes

Bill opened the meeting at 6:PM. In attendance were 22 participants representing 15 Rigs with a couple of new folks who introduced themselves…Welcome. Then he presented the Agenda for the night.

‘Getting UnStuck’

Aaron was recognized and thanked again for conducting the ‘Getting UnStuck’ review the past Sunday. The group agreed that we would like a follow up review later in the year.

Additionally, Bill mentioned that Scott F. from BLM attended the review and left some BLM maps to pass out at the meeting. He said he would be glad to speak at one of our meetings in the future and join us on some runs.

Logo and Patches

Scott W. showed off his creative genius with some Reno Overlanding patch and sticker artwork designs. Those in attendance voted on two patches we wanted for the group. Patch 1 won. The color combination will be brown on tan, and green on tan for a total of two patches. The Sticker will we a brown and tan.
Patch.jpg Sticker.jpg

Day Runs and Overnighters
  • Virginia Trail Run – May 19th
  • Black Rock Canyon Overnighter – May 25th to 27th
Next Meeting Talks
  • Meals and Prep – June 12th
Tonight’s Talk – CO2 vs Air Compressors – Lance F.

Lance began the review of CO2 tanks versus Air Compressors by discussing the benefits of airing down tires out on rocky and sandy trails. He mentioned that the back tires may not be aired down the same amount as the fronts depending on how loaded your Rig is with supplies. Your loaded weight compresses the tires. Therefore, sometimes you may need to look to see if the tire compression looks pretty much the same on the front and back tires opposed to airing them to the same PSI. You want you Rig level.

Additionally, when lowering the tires PSI, tires can buckle with sharp turns and speed, heat build up inside tire causing damage. So airing down goes with slower speeds. If driving at higher speed – Stop and feel the tire – if hot- add air and/or slow down.
Lance passed around an auto deflator that can be preset to a certain PSI for easy tire deflation.

Highlights of the presentation:

CO2

  • Pros for CO2
    • 4 trips out before fills
    • Can Run Air Tools
    • More powerful than Battery Tools
    • Can Set a Bead on a Tire
    • Faster Air-up Time
    • Quieter than Compressor
  • Cons
    • Refill costs
    • Run out of Air on Trail
    • Limited Capacity
    • Filled by a Professional
    • Heavier than Compressor
  • CO2 Tank Manufacturer
    • PowerTank
      • Most Popular
    • Cost $600 on up
  • Build Your Own
    • Items needed
    • Aluminum Tank
    • Regulator
    • Air Hose
    • Interchange Plug
    • Teflon Tape
    • Air Chuck
    • Tire Inflator Gauge
    • Tanks must be Hydrostatic tested every five years. Tanks are dated
    • Cost $250 to $300
    • CO2 Tank.jpg

Air Compressor
  • Pros - Portable/On-board
    • Lighter than Tanks
    • Limitless Supply of Air
    • On-Board can run Air-Lockers
    • Can be paired with an Air Tank
      • Can Run with Air Tools for short Bursts
    • Less Expensive than Brand Name Tanks
    • Better units have auto shut off for Overheating
  • Cons
    • Longer Air-up Times
    • Need to Rest Compressor (Duty Cycle)
    • Engine should be Running
    • On-board requires hardwire set up
    • Louder than Tank
    • Moving Parts – Things to break
    • Replace Air Filters
  • Cost – $50 to $550
  • Air Compressor.jpg

Bottom line….if you can, bring both on a trail run.

Q&A and Suggestions

Prior to closing the meeting and going outside for a Rigs picture, suggestions were made for some Day Runs and Overnighters—Bodie, Walker Lake, Jumbo Grad, Kennedy Meadows/Sonoma Pass.
Rigs Pic.jpg
 

tjk775

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Is anyone running that CO² regulator? I got a aluminum tank from a garage sale and was considering that one from Ebay. Any good?Screenshot_20190516-185556.jpeg