charwest
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- char & tony
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2020
- Threads
- 42
- Messages
- 335
- Reaction score
- 727
- Location
- On the road
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Ranger XL FX4 Supercab
- Occupation
- Healthcare
- Thread starter
- #1
last weekend my wife and i went to moab and did fins 'n things between hikes and offroad camping, which was super fun and a really unique trail for us.
it definitely stretched the capacity of our truck (stock plus 32" tires) and my offroad capabilities. put some new scars on the undercarriage. no damage that matters though, which seems to be the theme for us. (knock on wood).
anyways, i had been playing around with trail control on a prior trip, but had yet to ever use it other than just trying it out. on fins and things i was lifting a wheel somewhat regularly and three times i got stuck- as in coudlnt make forward progress with a front and maybe an additional rear wheel spinning. instead of gunning the gas, or backing up and trying a different line, i just put it in trail control at 1mph and each time the truck just drove up the obstacle. this was a first for me, using trail control as a functional offroad assist.
i was really happy with it. and it just reinforces what i had read here in other threads that the pseudo-locker in trail control seems to work fine. i have yet to use the real locker in our offroad adventures and now im wondering under what circumstances does the terrain mandate a hardware locker instead of the trail control brake-controlled power diversion? or under what circumstances would the hardware locker be preferred, even if we could get through with trail control?
off the top of my head, the only thing that springs to mind is where a smooth action might be particularly important- maybe for precise wheel placement in super technical terrain. the trail control has some hesitation and lurching on difficult terrain as it hunts around finding a combination of braking and power that works, while perhaps a rear locker would be more likely to do whatever i told it to with the gas pedal?
interested in what the folks who know what they're talking about think-
it definitely stretched the capacity of our truck (stock plus 32" tires) and my offroad capabilities. put some new scars on the undercarriage. no damage that matters though, which seems to be the theme for us. (knock on wood).
anyways, i had been playing around with trail control on a prior trip, but had yet to ever use it other than just trying it out. on fins and things i was lifting a wheel somewhat regularly and three times i got stuck- as in coudlnt make forward progress with a front and maybe an additional rear wheel spinning. instead of gunning the gas, or backing up and trying a different line, i just put it in trail control at 1mph and each time the truck just drove up the obstacle. this was a first for me, using trail control as a functional offroad assist.
i was really happy with it. and it just reinforces what i had read here in other threads that the pseudo-locker in trail control seems to work fine. i have yet to use the real locker in our offroad adventures and now im wondering under what circumstances does the terrain mandate a hardware locker instead of the trail control brake-controlled power diversion? or under what circumstances would the hardware locker be preferred, even if we could get through with trail control?
off the top of my head, the only thing that springs to mind is where a smooth action might be particularly important- maybe for precise wheel placement in super technical terrain. the trail control has some hesitation and lurching on difficult terrain as it hunts around finding a combination of braking and power that works, while perhaps a rear locker would be more likely to do whatever i told it to with the gas pedal?
interested in what the folks who know what they're talking about think-
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