Off-roading order of operations

[Motorpsychology]

Two schools of thought on off pavement driving Use the least assistance possible, or turn everything on at the beginning. I myself am a "Least guy". I'll run 2H until I perceive the need for 4H, then either lock the diff or 4L or vise-versa depending on the terrain. I did it this way in my semi, so that if I got into trouble (normal rear drive axle powered only), then engage the power divider (both drive axles) to get out of a minor predicament. Known muddy or deep sand lots, I could lock both drives as a final action, before calling the big tow and spend $700 getting pulled out of hub deep sand. The reasoning is that it is better to lose a little bit of traction at first then add more traction as needed.

On the Ranger the diff lock comes and goes depending on speed and 2H/4H/4L selection and/or if you have the TM engaged:

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[D Fresh]

It is absolutely required that you bling your truck out before being able to navigate any off road trails.

You MUST buy Max Trax. Their usefulness is questionable but no bro-dog will acknowledge you on the trail without $300 worth of plastic strapped to the side of your truck.

You NEED an air down tool and a Gucci Australian air compressor. Your portable air compressor and pressure guage just won't cut it offroad. They aren't designed for it.

You must have tire plug kit. Even if you don't know how to plug a tire. It gives you instant credibility. It's not like you have a spare.

And finally you have to spend money on an offroad application for your phone. Lord knows your state probably doesn't offer the same thing for free. And nobody ever offroaded before apps.

So once you've spent at least $500 in gear you need to strap it all to your truck in the most conspicuous way possible. Then head out to the toughest trail you've heard of and just sit there, right in the middle, trying to figure out how to operate your rig.

Now you'll fit in with everybody else.



Seriously, though. Find some locals who can take you out and show you a few things. Not only can they teach you techniques, they can help you make INFORMED decisions on recovery gear to carry. If you have any off road parks near you, popular back east, check with them. They might offer some beginners classes.

And don't listen to the gatekeepers. Get out there and play with your truck. You'll enjoy it. Just be smart.

 

[9zero1790]

check out this link. ignore the adverts lol but the free download is full of great off road info.

https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/auto/learn/driving-tips/off-road-driving

 

[Gazmic]

some opinions from an off-roading enthusiast of moderate skill.
A term I picked up for my time in the military is "exercising" our equipment. meaning, using all features or our equipment regularly to make sure it works when we need it.

I try to get out on the back roads about once a month to engage 4H, 4L and the locker even though I don't always need it for the roads I travel. I've seen some good recommendations in the thread so far.

One thing I do when I exercise the locker is to stay on a fairly straight stretch of road unless I'm on a pretty loose surface like snow or mud. I treat hard packed dirt roads almost like pavement when using the locker. The outer wheel wants to turn faster than the inner and the locker wants to keep both wheels turning at the same speed. That could be hard on the axle when it's locked up. I do believe that the locker will auto disengage if too much stress is detected Like Chris alluded to above but I still kind of treat it like an older "dumb" locker.

 

[Shoran12]

Appreciate all the advice guys! Now to schedule my dang windshield recall on this thing lol.

 

[D Fresh]

I do believe that the locker will auto disengage if too much stress is detected Like Chris alluded to above but I still kind of treat it like an older "dumb" locker.

It will not.

I abuse the shit out of my locker.

In fact quite the opposite. It will remain engaged under stress. Up to at least 80mph or so.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Don't forget 100,000 lumens worth of 360 degree lighting systems.

That way you can be like me and easily signal the rescue helicopters when your instagram mission goes afoul. They are also helpful when signaling the tow truck when you break down at the mall cause you needed to go buy a new gucci action cam from Sharper Image.

It is a well known fact the more lights you have the less you know about off-roading.







And for those left lane campers on the trail, that is when you bust out your secret weapon, the blue zig zags with the ghostbuster siren. Don't let Mr Rock Crawler ruin your live-stream tooting along at 2mph.

 

[Dereku]

Ok I am lost why everyone starts in 4wd. I always start in 2wd unless its extremely dicey to begin with. The locker can be used in by 4wd and 2wd. 2wd off road allows for a tighter turning radius. The locker can be toggled on and off as needed.

As someone who is green, try a gentle trail in 2wd. If you get stuck, 4wd will definitely get you out. If you get stuck in 4wd well you don't really have a backup option at that point. Im actually blow away that everyone recommends 4wd to start. Just my 2 cents. I have buried many trucks in mud to the point I couldn't open the door. Just saying do you research and bring a friend. Don't believe everything online either.

 

[Frenchy]

Ok I am lost why everyone starts in 4wd. I always start in 2wd unless its extremely dicey to begin with. The locker can be used in by 4wd and 2wd. 2wd off road allows for a tighter turning radius. The locker can be toggled on and off as needed.

As someone who is green, try a gentle trail in 2wd. If you get stuck, 4wd will definitely get you out. If you get stuck in 4wd well you don't really have a backup option at that point. Im actually blow away that everyone recommends 4wd to start. Just my 2 cents. I have buried many trucks in mud to the point I couldn't open the door. Just saying do you research and bring a friend. Don't believe everything online either.

Why start in 4WD you ask? Simple, 4WD is Designed for OffRoad. Once I go OffRoad I go into 4WD. Even with the Limited slip I have on my Pathfinder I still go into 4WD. You can consider 4WD a Safety feature for OffRoad. That said it doesnt mean you are invincible. As others have mentioned, dont do something if you arent too sure.

 

[Dereku]

Why start in 4WD you ask? Simple, 4WD is Designed for OffRoad. Once I go OffRoad I go into 4WD. Even with the Limited slip I have on my Pathfinder I still go into 4WD. You can consider 4WD a Safety feature for OffRoad. That said it doesnt mean you are invincible. As others have mentioned, dont do something if you arent too sure.

Thats the joy of the internet we all have different ideas. I think it's more of a safety net to use when im getting stuck. Really depends on terrain too. If its a mud field 4wd is the obvious choice, same with rock crawling. But desert bombing, or anything hard pack or dry I start in 2wd.

 

[Shoran12]

Thats the joy of the internet we all have different ideas. I think it's more of a safety net to use when im getting stuck. Really depends on terrain too. If its a mud field 4wd is the obvious choice, same with rock crawling. But desert bombing, or anything hard pack or dry I start in 2wd.

Yeah I was always under the impression I’d start in 2WD. I’ve driven rwd trucks on trails in snow, throughly mud, etc. I was young and didn’t know better but rarely had issues. I was thinking ground clearance made a big difference and if that with this truck if I actually needed 4wd or felt like I would get stuck that’s when I would shift over. I’m new to 4wd but have been quite a few sketchy places with rwd and done fine. My plan was keeping 4wd in my pocket and using it when needed but then again this is my first 4wd truck.

 

[Wes Siler]

You need to be on a slippery surface to use 4wd, since it must break traction to turn. Use your judgement.

A lot of the answer to your question is tires.

Thats the joy of the internet we all have different ideas. I think it's more of a safety net to use when im getting stuck. Really depends on terrain too. If its a mud field 4wd is the obvious choice, same with rock crawling. But desert bombing, or anything hard pack or dry I start in 2wd.

Prettying important for stability while doing higher speed stuff too, like just cruising gravel.

The products I mentioned will save you time/money/worry. Lemme know if you need help learning to use them and I'll share some how to videos I've shot.

 

[D Fresh]

The products I mentioned will save you time/money/worry. Lemme know if you need help learning to use them and I'll share some how to videos I've shot.

How many of those did you buy yourself?

And how many of those do you "have beers with the guys from...?"

 

[mtbikernate]

any off-roading I tend to do is pretty mild. I stay in 2wd until I start getting slippage. so on dry dirt roads, I'm still in 2wd, even if they're a bit rough, so long as traction is otherwise good. I'll only use 4hi if those same dirt roads are wet or if there are spots with lots of dry, loose sediment.

one exception is that I might use 4lo so I can coast down really steep (but otherwise mellow) dirt roads and avoid using my brakes.

when I need the traction, I'll use 4hi most of the time, only dipping into 4lo when I need to deal with chunkier stuff. one thing I noticed with the ranger is that in 4hi, there's a pretty sharp throttle response. this can result in some jerkiness as I try to find the exact speed I want to go over a section. using 4 lo here really smooths out the power delivery to the wheels, so small changes in pressure on the go pedal don't automatically mean big changes in power at the wheels. 4lo definitely smooths things out a lot.

where I'm driving, it's twisty enough that even if conditions are good, I'm not speeding along on big straights. I've gotta slow down to deal with turns. on the tighter 4wd stuff, that's even more pronounced.

one thing that's smart to bring in my neck of the woods is an ability to cut out a tree that's down over the trail. whether that's a chainsaw of some kind or a handsaw or whatever, it's a good idea. I already have a chainsaw, so I bring it along when I go out. some of the 4wd roads I've driven, I wouldn't want to be stopped by a tree and then be forced to drive in reverse down the stuff I'd already driven.

I wouldn't mind a nice ARB compressor and quality gear, but I don't go out often enough or deep enough to be able to justify that. I have a basic little electric pump and a basic tire gauge. I can air down and reinflate with those things. even if it might take longer to do so.

no traction boards for me, either. when I learned to drive off-road, I learned to throw stuff like sticks and rocks under my tires when I need it. and I've actually used that technique to get myself unstuck before.

 

[Shoran12]

any off-roading I tend to do is pretty mild. I stay in 2wd until I start getting slippage. so on dry dirt roads, I'm still in 2wd, even if they're a bit rough, so long as traction is otherwise good. I'll only use 4hi if those same dirt roads are wet or if there are spots with lots of dry, loose sediment.

one exception is that I might use 4lo so I can coast down really steep (but otherwise mellow) dirt roads and avoid using my brakes.

when I need the traction, I'll use 4hi most of the time, only dipping into 4lo when I need to deal with chunkier stuff. one thing I noticed with the ranger is that in 4hi, there's a pretty sharp throttle response. this can result in some jerkiness as I try to find the exact speed I want to go over a section. using 4 lo here really smooths out the power delivery to the wheels, so small changes in pressure on the go pedal don't automatically mean big changes in power at the wheels. 4lo definitely smooths things out a lot.

where I'm driving, it's twisty enough that even if conditions are good, I'm not speeding along on big straights. I've gotta slow down to deal with turns. on the tighter 4wd stuff, that's even more pronounced.

one thing that's smart to bring in my neck of the woods is an ability to cut out a tree that's down over the trail. whether that's a chainsaw of some kind or a handsaw or whatever, it's a good idea. I already have a chainsaw, so I bring it along when I go out. some of the 4wd roads I've driven, I wouldn't want to be stopped by a tree and then be forced to drive in reverse down the stuff I'd already driven.

I wouldn't mind a nice ARB compressor and quality gear, but I don't go out often enough or deep enough to be able to justify that. I have a basic little electric pump and a basic tire gauge. I can air down and reinflate with those things. even if it might take longer to do so.

no traction boards for me, either. when I learned to drive off-road, I learned to throw stuff like sticks and rocks under my tires when I need it. and I've actually used that technique to get myself unstuck before.

Yeah I’ve used tree branches for traction in my rwd pickups. I have the Dewalt tire inflator with tons of batteries (bought into the Dewalt platform years ago) so that would definitely be something I’d throw in with me. Only take a minute or so per tire to inflate back up to normal op pressure. Appreciate the advice.

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