What to bring!
11-20-2012, 03:13 PM
#16
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Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
i think you missed the part in blue.
If you determine that the new shaft won't go in because there's a hunk of axle shaft stuck in the carrier......start adding the tools need to do the job.
My reply was only one of many possible trail repairs. Do the same for u-joints, serpentine belt, or whatever failures you think may occur.
Practicing these repairs at home will get you back on the trail faster.
If you determine that the new shaft won't go in because there's a hunk of axle shaft stuck in the carrier......start adding the tools need to do the job.
My reply was only one of many possible trail repairs. Do the same for u-joints, serpentine belt, or whatever failures you think may occur.
Practicing these repairs at home will get you back on the trail faster.
I was mostly expanding on dozens of comments in different threads I've read and the general consensus that changing a non-c-clip axle on the trail is trivial. I've done it and agree it is trivial. Getting the broken piece out is my concern. I was just adding that changing a good part for another good part could be different if the one you're taking out is broken.
11-20-2012, 04:23 PM
#17
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Year: 1986
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 5.3L Vortec V8
But seriously, it really boils down to how likely you are to break something, how hard it is to have the jeep towed home, and how hard it is to get home without your Jeep running.
If you are "wheelin'" on "trails" that a tow truck can drive on, and you don't mind paying for the tow, basic automotive survival gear may be all you ever need.
The further you go, the more important that your Jeep be able to get back at least to the trailhead on it's own wheels, if not under it's own power.
I think one of the most important things once you start getting more advanced is to know how to take your Jeep apart and how to put it back together. Which is part of the point Serious is making. If you have a shop build your Jeep, it may be a good idea to bring your mechanic along with you. Basic tools to do basic things are always useful. At the bare minimum you should have a crescent wrench, a pair of pliers, and some screw drivers. But I'd recommend that for even the basic motorist. You should also have whatever you need to change a tire. The factory tire iron may be fine, but the factory jack won't even reach the frame of a lifted Jeep.
If you plan to get stuck (why else are you wheeling?) pack a small shovel and a tow strap. Even a Honda Civic may be able to pull you out in a pinch, sometimes it doesn't take much, but you can't count on your savior to have a strap with him.
If you plan to get really stuck and don't have a winch, pack a come-along and a chain.
If you are going over rocks and have something full of fluid that could be punctured by a rock (this applies certainly to diffs, automatic transmission pans, engine oil pans, etc) you should bring some JB weld and some extra fluid. Unless of course you are fine with gravity rolling back to the trailhead and arranging for extraction.
Water is good both for your radiator and to drink after you've been stranded in the desert for 4 days. Soda pop is not water. Beer is not water. Vodka is not water.
A first-aid kit is one of those obvious things everyone overlooks. I recently discovered that mine is missing. Check in on it every now and then.
A fire extinguisher is great to have. No amount of tools will help you put your burned out jeep back together on the trail.
Standard survival gear is also often overlooked. You are heading into the wilderness and planning to become stranded. Help may not come for days. Food, water, jackets, sleeping bags or blankets, first-aid kit, cell phone, CB, FRS walkie, flare gun, elephant rifle (to supplement your rations), redneck rifle (you are stranded in the woods after all), GPS locator beacon, extra socks (for after you wade through the swamp), some cash (rednecks you haven't shot who are willing to pull you out don't take plastic), flashlight, knife, an extra day worth of any medication you need to live, a paper map of the area, a compass and a signaling mirror.
Some good shoes, or preferably boots. I had a friend who went wheeling in flip-flops.
As Serious said, all the spare parts that you think you may actually break, and all the tools you need to make that repair, and the knowledge of how to do it. U-Joints break pretty easily and are small, so there's no reason not to have one of each kind you have. They are usually pretty easy to change even in the wilderness. What parts you will break and how big of a problem that presents for you is entirely dependent on what you drive, where you are, how you drive, and how good your friends are.
I always like to have a buddy in their own rig, so if one of us breaks down beyond trail repairability, at least we can both go home that night. No matter how prepared you are, you can still become stranded. I have spun a rod bearing on a trail and did not have a spare engine and engine hoist with me. I have also had my alternator go out, and despite having all the tools I needed, after messing with it for two hours I couldn't get it working again in the field.
If you are "wheelin'" on "trails" that a tow truck can drive on, and you don't mind paying for the tow, basic automotive survival gear may be all you ever need.
The further you go, the more important that your Jeep be able to get back at least to the trailhead on it's own wheels, if not under it's own power.
I think one of the most important things once you start getting more advanced is to know how to take your Jeep apart and how to put it back together. Which is part of the point Serious is making. If you have a shop build your Jeep, it may be a good idea to bring your mechanic along with you. Basic tools to do basic things are always useful. At the bare minimum you should have a crescent wrench, a pair of pliers, and some screw drivers. But I'd recommend that for even the basic motorist. You should also have whatever you need to change a tire. The factory tire iron may be fine, but the factory jack won't even reach the frame of a lifted Jeep.
If you plan to get stuck (why else are you wheeling?) pack a small shovel and a tow strap. Even a Honda Civic may be able to pull you out in a pinch, sometimes it doesn't take much, but you can't count on your savior to have a strap with him.
If you plan to get really stuck and don't have a winch, pack a come-along and a chain.
If you are going over rocks and have something full of fluid that could be punctured by a rock (this applies certainly to diffs, automatic transmission pans, engine oil pans, etc) you should bring some JB weld and some extra fluid. Unless of course you are fine with gravity rolling back to the trailhead and arranging for extraction.
Water is good both for your radiator and to drink after you've been stranded in the desert for 4 days. Soda pop is not water. Beer is not water. Vodka is not water.
A first-aid kit is one of those obvious things everyone overlooks. I recently discovered that mine is missing. Check in on it every now and then.
A fire extinguisher is great to have. No amount of tools will help you put your burned out jeep back together on the trail.
Standard survival gear is also often overlooked. You are heading into the wilderness and planning to become stranded. Help may not come for days. Food, water, jackets, sleeping bags or blankets, first-aid kit, cell phone, CB, FRS walkie, flare gun, elephant rifle (to supplement your rations), redneck rifle (you are stranded in the woods after all), GPS locator beacon, extra socks (for after you wade through the swamp), some cash (rednecks you haven't shot who are willing to pull you out don't take plastic), flashlight, knife, an extra day worth of any medication you need to live, a paper map of the area, a compass and a signaling mirror.
Some good shoes, or preferably boots. I had a friend who went wheeling in flip-flops.
As Serious said, all the spare parts that you think you may actually break, and all the tools you need to make that repair, and the knowledge of how to do it. U-Joints break pretty easily and are small, so there's no reason not to have one of each kind you have. They are usually pretty easy to change even in the wilderness. What parts you will break and how big of a problem that presents for you is entirely dependent on what you drive, where you are, how you drive, and how good your friends are.
I always like to have a buddy in their own rig, so if one of us breaks down beyond trail repairability, at least we can both go home that night. No matter how prepared you are, you can still become stranded. I have spun a rod bearing on a trail and did not have a spare engine and engine hoist with me. I have also had my alternator go out, and despite having all the tools I needed, after messing with it for two hours I couldn't get it working again in the field.
11-20-2012, 07:07 PM
#18
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Year: 1994
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11-20-2012, 07:26 PM
#19
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Year: 1994
Model: Grand Cherokee (ZJ)
Engine: Straight 6
Honestly though I keep basic survival stuff in my Jeep all the time.
Those fancy space blankets (super cheap)
A tarp for shelter or to lay on
550-paracord (a million uses for a good rope and counting)
Big jug of water, plus water purification tablets
A can of spam (cheaper and easier to find than MREs and good for a long time, multiple servings in a can)
Fire starter, lighter, signal flares
Basic compass
Flashlight and/or lantern
First-aid kit (include aspirin! The wonder drug)
I then have a few basics for the Jeep.
Oil, coolant, water, etc.
Gas can (it's a good idea to pour the gas into your tank and refill it with fresh gas at each fill up)
Fire extinguisher
Tire repair kit
Hi-lift, jack stands
Tow strap, multiple tow chains (This allows me to leap-frog when using the Hi-Lift as a hand winch. Helpful videos on Youtube about that)
And of course basic necessity tools like a hammer, duct and electrical tape, zip ties, socket set, crow bar
I have basic tools but I'm no mechanic. I don't think I could change an axle shaft on my own lol. With my type of wheeling I doubt I'll have to either so I don't really carry any spare parts. It definitely depends on what type of off-roading you do. If you've got a lot of money and/or good friends then all you might need is a charged cell phone to call someone to come get your *** haha.
Those fancy space blankets (super cheap)
A tarp for shelter or to lay on
550-paracord (a million uses for a good rope and counting)
Big jug of water, plus water purification tablets
A can of spam (cheaper and easier to find than MREs and good for a long time, multiple servings in a can)
Fire starter, lighter, signal flares
Basic compass
Flashlight and/or lantern
First-aid kit (include aspirin! The wonder drug)
I then have a few basics for the Jeep.
Oil, coolant, water, etc.
Gas can (it's a good idea to pour the gas into your tank and refill it with fresh gas at each fill up)
Fire extinguisher
Tire repair kit
Hi-lift, jack stands
Tow strap, multiple tow chains (This allows me to leap-frog when using the Hi-Lift as a hand winch. Helpful videos on Youtube about that)
And of course basic necessity tools like a hammer, duct and electrical tape, zip ties, socket set, crow bar
I have basic tools but I'm no mechanic. I don't think I could change an axle shaft on my own lol. With my type of wheeling I doubt I'll have to either so I don't really carry any spare parts. It definitely depends on what type of off-roading you do. If you've got a lot of money and/or good friends then all you might need is a charged cell phone to call someone to come get your *** haha.
11-20-2012, 08:45 PM
#20
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Year: '99 and '91
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Those space blankets are CRAP! Trust me got marooned on a creek overnight. Had one of those worthless things. Didn't help one bit. If there's no sun or fire its worthless. Moonlight doesn't warm you up no matter how much tin foil you wrap around yourself.
11-20-2012, 09:18 PM
#21
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Year: 1994
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Lol they're not "blankets" as much as they are insulators. You have to wrap really tightly, kind of like a wetsuit being completely useless for warmth if it's not tight. I use them on the regular, a pack of 10 is like $7 on Amazon haha.
11-20-2012, 09:26 PM
#22
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I did, I looked like a burrito in foil! I'm saying at night, when you can't make a good fire and its 40 degrees out and you're wearing shorts, water shoes, soaked T-shirt and all. They don't do anything. When I would've wanted it to work. It didn't. I would've rather had a vacuum packed pair of socks and long johns than that thermal space stuff... I admit they are cheap though.
11-20-2012, 10:18 PM
#23
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Year: 1986
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 5.3L Vortec V8
I did, I looked like a burrito in foil! I'm saying at night, when you can't make a good fire and its 40 degrees out and you're wearing shorts, water shoes, soaked T-shirt and all. They don't do anything. When I would've wanted it to work. It didn't. I would've rather had a vacuum packed pair of socks and long johns than that thermal space stuff... I admit they are cheap though.
They work by reflecting your own body heat, not by gathering heat from the sun or moon. So it would probably help if you weren't suffering from hypothermia in the first place. Wet clothes are worse than no clothes, take off as much wet clothing as you can next time.
But you make a really solid point, if it's snowing, raining, or there is water near where you are going, a change of clothes is a really good idea.
11-20-2012, 11:25 PM
#24
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Year: 1994
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Valid. I should probably add some clothes to my survival pack. And I LOL'd at that burrito comment haha
11-21-2012, 01:00 AM
#27
You can prepare for about 10 different problems you may have on the trail.
there are a few hundred you will never be ready for.
Wallet, because money will fix almost anything
Cell phone, thats right, give mama a call, or a tow truck.
Camera, have to have proof of your foolishness.
Common sense. Drive safe, drive smart.
Those four are the most important.
The rest is just entertainment.
It doesn't do any good to have a ton of stuff if you don't know how to use it.
The only thing I ever worry about is holding my group up. I try to be prepared enough to help others instead of myself. Drive safe, drive smart and you will be a hero for bailing someone else out.
there are a few hundred you will never be ready for.
Wallet, because money will fix almost anything
Cell phone, thats right, give mama a call, or a tow truck.
Camera, have to have proof of your foolishness.
Common sense. Drive safe, drive smart.
Those four are the most important.
The rest is just entertainment.
It doesn't do any good to have a ton of stuff if you don't know how to use it.
The only thing I ever worry about is holding my group up. I try to be prepared enough to help others instead of myself. Drive safe, drive smart and you will be a hero for bailing someone else out.
Last edited by holycaveman; 11-21-2012 at 01:08 AM.
11-21-2012, 01:50 AM
#29
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Year: 1999
Model: Grand Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
water
food (lots of food)
gun
gas
oil (all kinds)
a good chain
tow strap
come a long(s)
hacksaw
2 6 foot 1in pipes (steering linkage repair)
assorted nuts and bolts
foul language for the stuff you didn't bring
all the tools you think you won't need
a good chair to sit in when you give up and booze
food (lots of food)
gun
gas
oil (all kinds)
a good chain
tow strap
come a long(s)
hacksaw
2 6 foot 1in pipes (steering linkage repair)
assorted nuts and bolts
foul language for the stuff you didn't bring
all the tools you think you won't need
a good chair to sit in when you give up and booze
Oh, and I can't believe no one packs bacon in the cooler for extended trips. Shame on you all!
11-22-2012, 12:33 AM
#30
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Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
The tubing can be used for more than steering, pry bar, control arms, axle holder inner....it's versatile, and well steering parts can really only be used for steering parts.