UPDATE: SEE BELOW FOR TRIP DETAILS (For 07/22/07)

So I've heard way to many trail ratings for this trail. Can a stock truck make it?

I want to test out all the skids, bumpers, rails, and winch this weekend on the X. But I don't want to run it without some backup. So the Red Fronty will come with. Downside is, no siderails (they are going back to ShrockWorks because of fitting issues, can anyone help find a new vendor or make some?) and no front bumper yet. Just the underside skids (minus the radiator skid thats part of the bumper install).

So can the Fronty make the trail? Or can either make the trail without lifts of fancy tires? Oh and would the recent rain make this a bad idea this weekend?

Lastly... Anyone wanna go with? Was hoping for tomorrow (have to put the console back in the X, the CB install is wining now, I shorted something ).

-Randy

With no concept of your driving ability, I'm still going to say yes, a stock X or Fronty (4wd of course) can make it up the backroad. Stay off the obviously more difficult obstacles, and get out and walk up ahead if you'r uncertain of how/where the trail ahead will lead you. There should be plenty of traffic on a saturday so if you go FUBAR, it shouldn't take long for someone to come by and help, at what cost I can't presume. Just bring plenty of water, recovery equipment, and as a side note, if you smoke, be extremely careful as to how you dispose of your butts. That mountain'd go up faster than a, well, think of a metaphor for something catching on fire really quick..

Thanks for the update...

Nope don't smoke... Got two trucks to go up one with a winch and plenty of recovery equip... Driving... Well I think I do pretty good, used to take the 4x2 where alot of 4x4s were afraid to go. Traded that one off for the 4x4 I got now, so I think I'm still a go then.

Thanks,
-Randy

You ever used your winch?

I should be going along with ya man, heh..

so i sure hope my stock 4x4 X can make it without damage,lol

haven't even finished all the loan paperwork on it yet

i dont have one anymore but i am up for a new wench..........O you ment Winch

I'm trying to convince Jessica it'd be good for me to get out and drive tomorrow. Give her some time alone.. I'd love to hit that trail with y'all.

bet the trails got hammered with rain

I Cant wait. in a few more weeks the builder might have the Sliders back from powdercoat and then ready to install.

We're looking at hitting the trails on Sunday, just haven't decided on a time yet, prolly earlier in the day

going tomorrow now?

yeah, sunday.

If anyone else is intrested in joining us tomorrow (sunday) hit either myself or madman up. the more the merrier

Well... Current plan... Sunday it is.

Thinking to leave Maricopa at about 7am and stop at I-17 and Yorkshire for gas (Costco is usually cheap and I'll hand around my card for anyone that doesn't have one... But I'm not pickin up the tab :p )

I think it takes about an hour to get up that far for us... Sa about 8ish at Costco.

I haven't used the winch but to spool in the new synthetic cable (drug the Fronty down the street) so with all the rain we might need it.

Current weather forcast is 40% Chance of Thunder Showers today and tomorrow. And I think the High was about 85.

Two routs home depending on how we feel. Either the normal route out of Corwn King to the I-17 (2wd freindly maintained dirt road) or the Sentinal Highway... A not so maintained dirt road that turns to pavement in Prescott. Very Rual and up in the woods. I ran it about 2 years ago after some really bad rains had dried up and it was still very two wheel drive friendly. Just makes the trip even longer.

Oh... I just got armor and the Fronty is bottom armor and ProjectX is Stock... So we WILL BE STOCK FRIENDLY ... If it gets too bad from the recent rains we will have to cut short and find a new place to play for the day.

PM me if you need my number for directions, times, FRS chanels, or CB channels.

-Randy

should be fun!

2nd adventure for the weekend, last night was fun!

If you're going to air down, be sure to stop in Black Canyon City on the way home, at the Shell station. It may be the single greatest free air pump in the Southwestern United States. Leave town on the exit to I-17 and turn off (right/south) onto Maggie Mine Rd. It snakes parallel to the Hwy in to the town and right to the station.

Lunch at Fort Misery, or were you driving through and eating up top?

Well, I'm going up, prolly just w/ the dog . I'll be on the Carefree Hwy (74), just west of 99th Ave/Lake Pleasant Rd no later than 8:15. That'd put me on the trailhead after airing down, by 9am.

FRS 14-0

Im in woooohooooo
what time we meeting Dan i will be at the chevron at 8:00am check your phone MSG

im up early 6ish i will leave the house 7- 715

MadManX, I think you meant Senator Highway. I just ran that a few weeks ago. It was fine - definitely 2wd friendly. In fact, I have ran that several times in my Sunfire! FYI, going up to Prescott will add 2-3 hours to your trip.

As for the backroad to Crown King, I ran that in my ATV back in February, and it didn't look too friendly for a stock truck. In fact, all of the trucks I saw on the trail that day were heavily modified.

I agree with DBAX, picking the right line and also getting out and walking ahead will help.

I'd like to run that trail with you guys, but I don't think I want to run that trail before I get a full set of Shrock skids...

DBAX and Onix... Check Your PMs.

You guys are running about 30 minutes ahead of us... There are 3 of us in our group. If you slow down a bit we can run together. It takes us about 90 minutes to get up there and we are leaving at 7am from here.

Call me if you want us to meet up with you somewhere.

AZ Ted - Thanks for the heads up... We plan on practicing with the stocks at taking lines (since two drivers are really new) and the winch should help for the mudd. Since current weather at midnight shows it is raining in crown king right now. Worse case we will back out and head to table mesa or sheeps bridge that is near by.

-MadManX

ish i could make it, could use a day out, but alas.......at work again....have fun y'all

How was the trip?

Well... I think it was great, I'll spend some time tomorrow enevning and start posting pics (too a little over 500 pics at about 1.5 GBs). Gotta pic the good action shots and a few glamor shots for Dbax. % trucks total... 4 Xs and the Fronty for the girls.

It was a really nice day... Never tested the winch (I consider that a good thing). Had to hook ProjectX up to a safty line cause well... It rained soo hard the trail was litterly washing away in some places. And his lack of armor it was just alot safer having a tug to keep him from the edge.

As promised... I did not use my locker (except when tugging). ProjetX only lost the little stubby mud flaps in front of the rear tirres and took a few under side scratches.

There is video the was taken so I tihnk ther should be some footage on youtube soon (especially my very hard slam against my skid).

Gotta thank Jim at ShrockWorks... I tested everything I had and it was tottaly worth it.

Oh and Onix says I'm the first Gen2 with front and rear bumpers local that he has heard of... Anyone know of another Gen2 setup with front and rear? That could be some cool bragging rights

Oh... I really need coil overs... I sag really bad under the front bumpers weight. Any suggestions everyone?

Well pics soon and I can't wait for Fat Tire

-MadManX

crown king was a blast as madman stated, the fronty was the first to take on damage and soon i followed behind with the plastic mudflap infront of the the rear tire, if you find it on crown king some where...send me a PM, there's a reward

dbax and onix were awesome to wheel with and we probably couldn't have done what we did today without their advice and help. we did encounter some gnarly rain and some of the trail gave away at the top of the mountain, a full set of skids are going to be ordered soon, i took a few cheap shots to the gas tank which wasn't too good.

WASHOUT
More pics/vid to come . Good time

So that is what rain is.

MadManX, I think you are the first Fully Shrocked Gen2 locally. If you look at my signature, I have the bumpers.

Damn, wish i cud have made it......stupid people calling 911 and interrupting my fun time....
Stupidity on their part should not constitute an emergency on my part.....oops...did I say that out loud?

sorry Dbax...how's the knee....lol

that washout was nuts, going all the way to the top with the water rushing down the trail

I called 911... Made everyone late too...

Took 911 almost 10 minutes to answer to report a brush fire a couple miles from Onix on my way to meet up.

And I didn't think I was the first front & rear bumpers. I though I had seen another once, just wasn't for sure it was a Gen2 or not. Ok so I guess I can say first Fully Shrocked ... I need a bumper sticker for that. I need to tell Jim he needs a "Fully Shrocked" sticker now.

Anyways AZ-Ted... What did you do about the major sag on the front? I'm needing suggestions here since I think I sure tested out those front skids from being so heavey on the nose. I need coil overs I know... But what kind, from where... ya know that kinda info Oh... And how would it work into a lift down the road (or should i do it all at once). Future plan is a SAS though when the warranty runs out... in like 3 years.

And Onix forgot to show me the hood squeak fix when we got to Crown King... Man I gotta look that up now :p

-ManManX

MadManX, my X probably doesn't sag as much as your X becuase I don't have a winch up front - yet. I was looking at the coils from AC, but I haven't really researched it yet...

yep..i was the slow one...hence the very tiny white xterra off in the distance..lol

Waldos best pic yet?^^^^^^^^^^^^

MORE RAINING VIDEO

hey dbax, is that the area where madman had to hook the tow rope to me to keep me from falling off the mountain?

And to add to this... That's me telling Sheila where to pull into a very muddy hill and not get stuck

Guess I didn't do a good job huh... Aswome cut off on the clip (Listen very closely)

Posting uploading pics now

-MadManX

I had a very bad experience with AC so I won't go back to them.

I'ver heard really good things about Greg at PRG Products. Even Jim at ShrockWorks refered me to him for getting suspension info and possible some kind of setup to work with my setup.

-MadManX

Great pics. Still recommend for a Stocker?

Hmmm... Locked?

Greg's well recieved elsewhere for the Radflo shocks he pushes. Those coupled w/ the Total Chaos UCAs, and an Alcan springpack w/ orbit-eyes seem to be the way to go for what I want to do.. 3" lift, armor, and a locker w/ the right tires, and I'm back in my happy place. Oh yeah.

Nope, not locked,atleast that i know of.oh and for a stock xterra i didn't do to bad, few scrapes along the bottom side but nothing to serious, lost one piece of plastic but other then that had a blast out there, it all just depends on how you drive.

Adam, you don't need a locker to do that. It was all about wheel positioning. I drove backwards into it, to show off the spot, then everyone came up through it for poser pics..

Brian you, Randy, and Sheila too, all did great yesterday:thumbsup:. It's not an easy trail dry in the sun, and it doesn't get easier when it's wet and cloudy. Definitely a noob-cherry buster!

I ran the entire trail incliding the tire lifting without a locker Excluding when I was running a safty line for the stocker... You saw the first rain video... we didn't want anyone too nervous on the edge.

PS sorting though 550 pics now for the "good" ones.

-MadManX

Cool, glad you all made it unscathed and not washed out.

dbax, i can't thank you and onix enough for the help you two provided us all. watching you two go through the trails gave me a learning curve. had a total blast and would love to do it again some day.

Nice job Dan. Sounds like you've started some noobs down the right path.

keep 'em coming randy, these are some good shots.

More to come tomorrow... I'm tired

-MadManX

sweet deal man, getting to the good stuff there

Hey... Who ya callin a noob :p ... I've been wheeling for 4 years in my 4x2... Made friends with Jeep guys on the trails to tow me out if I ever got stuck... Luckly me that never happend either.

Sheila has been out a bunch of times this last 6 months and has even been practicing on some trails ... That Fronty isn't anything like out X, an extra 2 feet in the middle and one on the a$$. And she does better then I do a lot of times.... I still have the 4x2 bad habbits... Just go faster and jump it ... I really gotta quit doing that.

Oh... More pics to come, and when I quit having dust storms in the evening I'm going to clean the under caridge and post a couple scar pics if I can find any... That bumper puts me about 8 inches of clearence at my lowest so i hit everything.

-MadManX

I meant more along the lines of getting you all started in the Club. Dan was instrumental in getting me involved/addicted.

Those 2WD habits can do havoc to a 4x4 rig. I'm finally home again and look forward to getting my Baja going and to get some of those tendancies out of my system.

Hey Dan, put some shoes on.

No worries I was only teasing back. Yeah I dropped away a few years back when the club didn't seem as active as it is now. I'm glad that everyone is pretty involved now and very helpful here locally. That's gunna get me into a lot of trouble I'm sure. You know a few good suggestions and a little guidance then you get brave to try something new (such as having two 2007 rigs half dissasembled in less then a couple months).

Fun times

-MadManX

Thanks for shareing the pictures and it was nice to get out and meet new people and have fun 4Wheeling . Onix

The pics with the clouds are great.
I like this shot a lot:
Crop out the bush and you've got a great desktop.

I did an awful lot of posin', let's see some more action shots, or scenery. Either'd be cool .
Waldo, where're your photos dood?

Dbax
you have a pm.

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