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OFFROAD SAFETY TIPS

TRAIL ETTIQUETTE

Don't make your own trails; stay on the established path. The ruts made by your tires may be left behind for years as an example of a reckless 4-wheeler, and may be used in the fight against us to close off the land. These ruts may also cause erosion.

Don't litter -If you pack it in, pack it out. Littering is one of the major reasons places get shut down.

Don't spin your tires unless absolutely nessacery - it breaks the surface crust and leads to erosion. If you need to pile rocks up to get over an obstacle, then put the rocks back where you found them after you clear the obsticle.

keep loud noise to a minimum Keep your exaust system in good working order, it makes for a long trail ride if you have to ride behind a vehicle with an extremely loud exaust.

SAFETY TIPS

Inspect your vehicle!The first and probably most important tip is to make sure your vehicle is in good condition, has good trail tires and is ready for the trail. Do a complete vehicle check before leaving, and make sure all of your fluids are topped off and your tires are ready for the trip.

Know your vehicles limitations You'll damage tires, break things, and possibly injure yourself or others if you don't know when to stop.

Never wheel alone. You should always wheel with a buddy preferably in another 4x4.
If you get stuck or injured it is always good to have someone along to help you out. The more people that tag along means there is less chance of having to spend the night waiting for someone to come get you out.

Carry some type of communication device with you. Always make sure you have some way to keep in touch with the outside world, either a CB radio, cell phone, or a two way radio. You never know when you will have to call for help.

If you do get lost, stuck, or if you break down:

Stay with your vehicle or otherwise make yourself visible.

Keep calm -- don't panic and don't waste time on the 'if' word ('If only I hadn't done that'). It's wasted effort, you did it, or it happened, whatever. Spend your time constructively.

Think through your options. Take stock of your supplies and situation.

Stay put, unless you have a clear and specific destination.
If you choose to hike out, avoid walking during the heat of the day; morning and evening walking is better for conserving your body's moisture. If you must leave your vehicle, leave a note telling the direction of your travel, your destination, and the date and time you left.

Seek shelter from the elements, but try to make yourself visible (with smoke or a signal fire, or a brightly colored tarp).

Emergency Supplies

Aside from the usual tools, spare tire, jack and so on, carry enough food and camping equipment to stay alive and relatively comfortable for several days in adverse conditions.

First aid kit - includes a snake bite kit (be sure to replace the rubber suction cups each spring), suntan lotion, insect bite spray, burn ointment, ace bandage, iodine, bandages and Band-Aids.

MRE's - they really aren't too bad if you're hungry enough. Army surplus stores have them. Spare compass, flashlight (check the batteries before you go), matches, pocketknife, spare blanket - one of those tiny aluminum emergency blankets (space blankets) you'll find in the sporting goods section..

Camping and emergency tools: aerial or road flares, a small shovel, rope or cord, duct tape, electrician's tape, small tarp or ground cover. Carry lots of fluids, a gallon of water per person in an ice chest is a good idea.

Take along maps and a fire extinguisher.

GETTING UNSTUCK

Don't get too stuck The easiest way to get unstuck, is not to get too stuck. When your vehicle loses momentum, stop your tires from spinnin immediately. This is especially true in the sand. All you will accomplish by spinning your tires in the sand is to sink your vehicle to the frame, making extraction alot more difficult.
I use a winch that is rated for half of what I need. The reason that I can use it is because I don't bury my truck before I try to use it.
Unless the bottom drops out of the hole you are in chances are you will be able to be pulled out backwards with little effort.

If you do get stuck, the first thing to try is to be pulled out with a nylon strap by another vehicle. You will have to acess the situation as to which direction you need to be pulled.
Always connect the strap to a frame mounted tow point, never wrap it around any suspension parts or a factory bumper. These are very dangerous and costly places. The best place is a tow ring/hook or a receiver hitch.
Also you should make sure your strap is in good condition with no cuts or damage.
Once you have the strap securely fastened to both vehicles, have the pulling vehicle take out the slack in the strap.
Next make sure you have the stuck vehicle in the appropriate gear (forward/reverse) and try to pull the vehicle out slowly.
If this fails have the pulling vehicle back up and put a little slack in the strap and try to jerk it lightly, this technique usually does the trick. If not please see the next section.

USING A WINCH

I could write some stuff about this subject, but I found WARN winches site to be very informative. So if you are interested in proper winching techniques please click here.

USING A HI-LIFT JACK

The first thing you need to know about a hi-lift jack is even though it will deadlift 7000 lbs. it is very unstable. So you must always use extreme caution when using one.
One of the many uses of the hi-lift jack is to lift the vehicle for repairs or to put traction aiding devices under the tires. If you do use it to change a tire or work on the vehicle, make sure to use the same safety precautions you would use in the garage.
1. Block the wheels to keep it from rolling.
2. Support it with something other than the jack (spare tire or a log)
In order to lift the vehicle you must first find a suitable location to lift from. The best place is on a solid flat spot on your bumper. If at all possible try not to use it on a factory curved bumper or a bumper made from round tube, the jack will have a tendency to want to slip off.
Next you need to make sure you have a solid place on the ground to keep the base from sinking, this can be accomplished by carrying a board with you and placing it under the base of the jack. If you find yourself without a board, you can always look around and find something like a log or a flat rock or even some brush will work in a pinch. If you get really desperate you can look around in your vehicle for something to use such as, your floormats piled together, a cooler lid, even your spare tire can act as a base, as long as you realize that you might bend the rim in the process (will work, but not reccomended!!!). It all depends on how desperate you are to get yourself unstuck.

Another use is to clamp or squeeze something together.
This is accomplished by positioning the top clamping bar out to the same side as the lifting lip, then placing the item to be clamped between the two jaws. All you need to do now is to put the lever in the up position and proceed to jack.

You can also use it to rip stuff apart but it takes a little ingenuity, and a couple of chains and shackles. I once used mine to pull some ruber bushings out of an a-arm of a honda civic. I can't tell you how to do it because the procedure will vary depending on the task, I was just letting you know that it is possible.

You can also the jack as a come-along. click on image for larger veiw.
To do this first you will need a few Items, a couple of chains, a shackle, and a tree saver strap.
The first thing you need to do is find a suitable anchor point (a tree).
Next wrap the tree saver around the base of the tree and secure the ends together with a shackle. Then run one end of the chain through the shackle and hook it back to itself.
after that connect the other shackle to the clamping bar on the top of the jack and run the other end of the chain through and hook it back to itself.
next take the other chain and secure it to the vehicle tow point.
now take the other end of that chain and hook it around the lifting lip and back to itself. the jack needs to be all the way down with as much slack as possible pulled out of the chains. The reason I am recomending using chains instead of straps is because the strap will stretch and decrease the amount of pull you will get before you re-rig. Since there is no jerking involved, this is one instance that a chain or cable would be a safe choice.
Keep in mind that you can use a strap but like I said it will involve alot more work.

I will update this page with more information as I get time.
So keep checking back.