Rubicon Shakedown Run #3: Hanging Tree Trail

[sixstringsteve]

Trip Report: Rubicon Shakedown Run #3: Hanging Tree Trail

It's not usually a good sign when your trip starts out with a trip to autozone...

I know I'm to blame for the failure. I was commenting to the guys that this year I haven't yet set up camp in the daylight and I wouldn't know what to do with all the extra time we'd have on our hands... My fault. About 5 miles into our journey, Dempsey noticed a clanking sound on his jeep. As we pulled off the freeway, it was immediately apparent what it was: his swaybar bolt had dissappeared and his link was clanking on the axle. We headed to Autozone to pick up some spare bolts and attach it the best we could with what we had.

Unfortunately, we also lost the metal eyelet in the middle of the bushing so we had to get creative.

With his newly fixed swaybar, we hit the road. Fortunately, this was the only carnage Dempsey would encounter the entire trip. I'm glad he decided to get it out of the way first.

We headed straight for our campsite in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. We got there after dark and pitched the tents. Despite all the nasty smoggy weather we've been having in the valley, it was crystal clear that night. We could see the Milky Way and the stars were incredible. We knew we had a big day in front of us, so we skipped the fire and went straight to bed.

 

[sixstringsteve]

When we woke that morning, Scott informed us that some stranger had been rummaging through my truck during the night. Once the dogs barked at him, they took off. That didn't leave me with a good feeling. I still can't find what they took, so I'm hoping they didn't take anything. It wasn't anyone in our group, and they were digging around in my action packer. I hate thieves.

We packed up camp and headed to the Maverick to meet Maverick and the rest of the gang. We were a little late, but sure enough, Maverick and the others were waiting for us there. We headed out to the trailhead to get started, as it's ALWAYS a long day when you run Hanging Tree. There were some really cool rigs there and some even cooler people.

We aired down and got ready to hit the trail.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Before we knew it, we were heading through the trail. Rockreligious led the trail followed by Maverick, sixstringsteve, turbominivan, James Garner (I still don't know his username), with Jason "pile of parts" in the back.

Our first obstacle of the day is called hub scratcher. It's a fun obstacle with various lines, ensuring a challenge for those who are looking for one. I was more focused on driving and keeping the pace the entire trip, so I don't have as many pictures as I would have liked to have taken. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

James always took the toughest line on every obstacle and made it look like a cakewalk. Those are 40" competition Treps for those wondering.

Jason felt up to the challenge.

 

[sixstringsteve]

James never failed to put on a good show.

Fender always finds a way to get his paws muddy.

I'm not sure what this obstacle is called, but a couple of us really struggled to get up this exact spot (me especially):

The ticket was to take the line to the left.

Turbominivan's rig was amazing, as were his driving skills. The only time he took a strap was on the launch pad.

My truck was being pushed past its limits.

 

[sixstringsteve]

There were really only two (recurring) issues this entire trip. The first occurred at a certain spot on the trail where it's unclear if the trail goes left or right. Both Maverick and I thought the trail went left. Sure enough, it didn't. As he was backing down to correct his course, he caught a 6 foot long branch that was 6" in diameter. As he backed down, it threw the branch lodged itself in between the fender and the tire. One of the smaller branches sticking out of it gashed the sidewall and we all heard the air escaping immediately.

It was so slimey and silty that it was tough to see where the puncture was. Eventually we found it, and it turned out to be a big V sliced into the sidewall. Fortunately, it didn't blow the bead.

Maverick didn't have a spare, so we busted out the tire plugs. For the sake of preparedness, for those who ever plan on wheeling in 4L offroad, you should always have a set of tire plugs, the one time you need them they'll be worth their weight in gold.

after shoving about 8 plugs into the tire, we pumped it up and it seemed to be holding pretty well.

About that time we heard some rigs coming up behind the group. Much to our surprise, Dennis from Teraflex made it out with his grandson and three other guys in their buggies.

 

[sixstringsteve]

The second recurring issue this trip was me picking bad lines (or bringing a truck that was too small?) and getting hung up. It wasn't too bad most of the time, but I REALLY got myself into a jam by picking a bad line. I didn't want to drive over vegetation, so I picked a line I thought I could tackle. I didn't realize the puddles were 8" deep, which made my line a terrible choice.

I was hung up on my frame, my t-case skid, my exhaust, my gas tank skid, my driveline, and my spring hanger. My low and stable build wasn't paying off in this spot.

I was stuck; more stuck than I've ever been in my life. A tug either forward or backwards would have done damage, so there was only one option: lift it and throw some rocks under the tires.

We tried using the exhaust jack to lift the rear axle, but with so many rocks under my rig, we weren't able to get it in a good spot to lift from.

It was time to bust out the hi-lift jack.

I got scared of the hi-lift, so James took over. For those that don't know Rockreligious, you need to meet this guy. He is a boss. He's the nicest guy who has a level head no matter what, and he's always willing to help. The same goes for his friend Dave.

With the rocks under the tires, Maverick was able to tug me out of there without any damage. Getting my rig through this trail was a team ef

I felt bad to hold everyone up for so long. Thanks for your patience everyone, and thank you James for being the fearless Hi-Lift Jack man. Dennis was especially good-natured as always and reminded me that this is all part of wheeling, and if anyone was wanting to get home ASAP, they wouldn't be on that trail in the first place.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Shortly after that, issue 1 reared its ugly head again. Maverick was slowly losing tire pressure (no big surprise). Right after he climbed the waterfall at the watering hole, he blew a bead on the same patched up tire.

Fortunately it was just the outer bead, and we were able to get it back on with Rockreligious' CO2 tank. That thing came in handy more than one time. After we got that fixed, James decided to entertain us again and go straight up the 4-5 foot undercut wall. James loves walls. I am a huge believer in those kreepy krawlers. Both rigs that had them absolutely conquered this trail, it was a night and day difference. His passenger's face says it all.

Next up was Dennis' 11-yo grandson, who climbed it like his grandpa would have. I wish I could drive like that kid.

Fact: after a good obstacle like that, you gotta sit around and talk about it for a bit.

For those wondering, I almost had the climb. I mean, i was 99% there and I thought I was at the top so I let off the throttle, only to slide back down. I ended up taking a strap in the end. I know my rig can handle that obstacle, if only it didn't have a wimp driving it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

James was cool enough to let Cameron drive. Thanks James, that meant the world to him. He's still talking about it.

The trail gets overgrown quickly!

The next waterfall/ledge was tough! Maverick did a great job going through the roughest spot. I had to stack two rocks to get up it. James put on another show.

Eventually the stickies stuck and he made it up.

this was the only time James took a strap.

 

[sixstringsteve]

After that it was pretty uneventful. Maverick blew his bead one last time at the Launch Pad, but it all went back together quite quickly. I needed a strap a few more times, but it went really well.

throughout the day, Rockreligious had a clicking noise. He found out it was a u-joint in his cv driveline. He decided to limp it out and take it as easy as possible. That meant Maverick was the first one up the waterfall, but not until he fixed his 3rd blown bead (or was it his 2nd?)

After fixing his blown bead, Maverick made several good attempts.

Eventually, he had to use the winch to get up.

after that, I got winched up and I put the camera away...

 

[sixstringsteve]

I wish I had pics of the rest, but I don't. If anyone is still reading this, here's what went down:

by the time I parked my truck and got back to the waterfall, turbominivan and james had already made it to the top.

Turbominivan took a strap.

James went up and just about crawled the entire waterfall. It took a little throttle, but he went right up.

Jason gave it a great shot, but he needed a strap to get over the last 10 feet.

Dennis, being the boss that he is, tried to crawl it several times. Even with the stickies it just wasn't going to happen. It's crazy how well he knows that rig and how well he knows that obstacle. He ended up making it to the top, using a little more throttle after each attempt. He put on a great show.

The next YJ buggy took a strap.

the next TJ buggy gave it a really good shot and made it up after a few tries. Whatever motor was in that thing sounded good.

The last buggy made it up with enough throttle and wheelspin. Those 44" rockers were working hard to get that last foot up the obstacle.



On the way out, Rockreligious took the big rigs out to an obstacle called "humpty dumpty." Apparently it has never been climbed unassisted. From what I heard, James did it first, followed by Dennis on a different line. Pretty cool that the first two to ever make it did it on the same day. I wish I had some pictures/video of that obstacle, it sounded awesome.

 

[sixstringsteve]

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I met a lot of great new friends and I made a lot of new memories with old friends. I have been dying to drive that trail ever since I rode along as Jinxspot's passenger last year.



Regarding my rig, I pushed it beyond its limit. A front locker would have helped a lot, but if I could go back and run it tomorrow, I think I would only need a strap on 2 or 3 obstacles. I got some body damage, but not much, and nothing broke. I'm really impressed with my rig, it's done all I've asked of it and more, and I was still able to drive home at 70 MPH that night. As far as I know, my rig is the only IFS vehicle to make it through the trail. I use the term "make it" loosely, since I had to take a strap several times and stack more rocks than I care to. I can't take credit for getting my rig through the trail, it was definitely a team effort. I had fantastic spotters, Maverick was the perfect rig to pull me up the really tough stuff, and I had great rock stackers. I definitely feel ready for the Rubicon now. I'll know in the back of my head that if I can tackle Hanging Tree, I can handle the Rubicon.

I had some rock damage towards the top of my bed (no clue which obstacle caused it).

My sliders were used over 40 times. I used every inch of every skidplate, and there isn't an inch on the sliders/bumper that doesn't have a scratch. My rear bumper saved me from a ton of damage. My front bumper, despite being low-profile, took a beating and it's time to build a new one. My driveshaft was scraped but not bent. My skids are all scratched up. I would never want to try it in a rig that were any lower or any longer. There's no way I could have made it through in an extended cab, and there's no way I could have made it through with anything less than 35s. It was a fun and challenging trail that made me a better driver. My passengers had a blast, and so did I.

I can't express enough thanks for James (Rockreligious) and his friend Dave. I wish those guys could come with me every time I wheel again, they were great. Thanks to the hubscratchers club for keeping the trail alive, and thanks to the RME members who write letters to landowners begging for this trail to stay open. I'm sure glad I was able to wheel this truck and have such a great experience with so many great guys. I hope to wheel with you all again in the very near future, it was a great group.

 

[RockChucker]

looks good so far! I want to do this trail so bad. Unfortunately my rig is on jack stands right now.

 

[sixstringsteve]

if anyone would like the hi-res version of any of these pictures, let me know.

 

[jentzschman]

Sweet report steve! How did your truck fair?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Trip report is complete. What a great time. Many thanks to all involved.

 

[rockreligious]

Had a great time with you guys, what a great group of guys. Im sure will do it some more in the future, I was extremely impressed with how well your IFS/open fronted rig did, and how well you drove it up there, I seen many open fronts up there, but I dont recall ever seeing an IFS finish the trail, I wish I could make the rubicon trip, Maybe next time, as far as humpty dumpty both James and Dennis made it look easy...It was a little sketchy for them coming back down the obstacke, I know they have video hopefully it shows how tough it is, We will also have to get them up there agian next year and see if they can make it with water running down it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I was extremely impressed with how well your IFS/open fronted rig did, and how well you drove it up there, I seen many open fronts up there, but I dont recall ever seeing an IFS finish the trail

Thank you, I owe it all to my spotters, to Maverick, a tow strap, and all my rock-stackers. It was definitely a team-effort to get that rig through there. I wish I had stayed on the throttle at the car wash and gotten up it by myself, but that's ok, I was just glad to be able to drive home after running that trail. I hope to run many more trails with you, I love your chill attitude and I can't wait to see what your rig can do once the u-joint is fixed.

 

[Kevin B.]

Great report!

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[kellerexpress]

Great pics and report

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I try to avoid driving over plants as well, but if it is a choice between possible vehicle damage or driving over common plants on the trail I would drive over the plants. Glad to see everyone made it with minimal problems. Steve, was it the longer overhang in the rear that caused the bumper to scrape so much, and how much clearance do you have at the lowest point on the body and transfer case? I was hoping to make this trip but am focusing on a possible career change at the moment.