Just a friendly reminder to any newbies to get your rig ready before setting out into the bush.
#1 - do you have at least one good recovery point?
Hooking to the bumper or the axle is just asking to break things. Looping a tow rope over a trailer ball on a stock bumper is a good way to kill someone. REAL tow hooks bolted on to a factory approved mounting location or a class III hitch are the only ways you can safely tow a rig. Some aftermaket bumpers have tow points built in. If using a trailer hitch you either slip the loop of the recovery strap into the reciever and put the pin though it or remove the trailer ball and put a shackle through the bolt hole.
#2 - do you have a recovery strap. Not a tow strap intended for rolling a honda down the road, not a chunk of old rope, not a piece of unidentified chain; a recovery strap designed for pulling rigs out of serious stucks. It should be rated for at least 3 times the weight of your rig. NO HOOKS!. Hooks make great projectiles if something slips.
#3 - does somebody know where you are going and can find you if you don't come back?
#4 - do you have enough food and water to spend a couple of days in the bush in an emergency.
#5 - Travel in groups. Two rookies are twice the potential for trouble. Try to link up with a club or other experienced wheelers in your area.
#6 - know when to say no. If you are worried your rig can't make it or you are not comfortable with the situation then stop. Your buddy who is egging you on isn't the one who has to fix your rig tomorrow.
#8 - Don't Drink and Drive. Not only is it every bit as illegal to drink and drive in the bush as it in on a public road, it's just plain stupid. Wheeling is a sport that requires planning, driving skill, and reflexes. Drinking takes all that away from you, and eventually will cause a stupid mistake and then a broken truck (and maybe even a death). Save the beer for after the trail. Ditto to pot and everything else.
#9 - use the buddy system......send your buddy first
#1 - do you have at least one good recovery point?
Hooking to the bumper or the axle is just asking to break things. Looping a tow rope over a trailer ball on a stock bumper is a good way to kill someone. REAL tow hooks bolted on to a factory approved mounting location or a class III hitch are the only ways you can safely tow a rig. Some aftermaket bumpers have tow points built in. If using a trailer hitch you either slip the loop of the recovery strap into the reciever and put the pin though it or remove the trailer ball and put a shackle through the bolt hole.
#2 - do you have a recovery strap. Not a tow strap intended for rolling a honda down the road, not a chunk of old rope, not a piece of unidentified chain; a recovery strap designed for pulling rigs out of serious stucks. It should be rated for at least 3 times the weight of your rig. NO HOOKS!. Hooks make great projectiles if something slips.
#3 - does somebody know where you are going and can find you if you don't come back?
#4 - do you have enough food and water to spend a couple of days in the bush in an emergency.
#5 - Travel in groups. Two rookies are twice the potential for trouble. Try to link up with a club or other experienced wheelers in your area.
#6 - know when to say no. If you are worried your rig can't make it or you are not comfortable with the situation then stop. Your buddy who is egging you on isn't the one who has to fix your rig tomorrow.
#8 - Don't Drink and Drive. Not only is it every bit as illegal to drink and drive in the bush as it in on a public road, it's just plain stupid. Wheeling is a sport that requires planning, driving skill, and reflexes. Drinking takes all that away from you, and eventually will cause a stupid mistake and then a broken truck (and maybe even a death). Save the beer for after the trail. Ditto to pot and everything else.
#9 - use the buddy system......send your buddy first