@LandCruiserPhil I cant make Friday but Darlene will get there with her new 4Runner to get the scoop! Thanks for the call. Tom
CSC June Meeting Agenda 6.16.2017
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Im back from ▲▲▲▲ 
and will there tonight
and will there tonight
Copper State Cruisers Monthly Phoenix Meet
Friday, June 16, 2017 @ 7:30 PM
Tempe, AZ
Friday, June 16, 2017 @ 7:30 PM
Tempe, AZ
Meeting MinutesI. Introduction of First Time Guests
a. Matt Jobin – Matt owns a white ’97 Collector’s Edition FZJ80, unlocked, with 141,000 miles. His Land Cruiser was originally owned by his wife’s uncle; the first time he saw the truck was the weekend he proposed to his wife and he knew he wanted it so he told her uncle if he ever decided to sell, to let him know---- 9 years later, he got the call, and it’s been his ever since (3 years so far)!
b. Andrew, Son of @Fuge – visiting from Oklahoma! Hopefully he can come back out sometime and go on a run with us.
c. Chris
II. Introduction of New Members
a. Austin (@Captramrod01) – He owns a 2004 UZJ100 (dark blue/gray) which he bought in January. The Land Cruiser currently has 231,000 miles; it was single owner, local AZ vehicle, with a lot of service records.
III. Run of the Month – Upcoming Details and Previous Reports
a. The May ROTM was the Hassayampa River May ROTM Hassayampa River led by @Chrismanjs; this run had a good turnout overall, maybe 10-12 trucks total. We ran up the river and did some offshoot trails, most people only came for a day-trip but 4 people camped. The burgers were amazing!
IV. Upcoming ROTM details
a. June ROTM: June 24-25 2017 Casner Trail Originally organized by @Dimples but he’s now unable to attend so @Chrismanjs has volunteered to lead. Some people are going up Friday to camp; either way everyone will be meeting Saturday at Safeway in Sedona at 9:00 AM. Only 10 people are allowed on the trail so there will probably be another group doing a side run led by @Pitch or @Clunky, maybe Schnebly Hill Road or another nearby trail. There is a large group of people planning to attend and camp. The potluck was a huge hit last year and will definitely be a highlight! Keep an eye on the thread for details and to see how to contribute. The camping spot is beautiful as well with great views.
b. July ROTM: @floggerdogger will be leading the July ROTM run up to Mt. Graham (Riggs Flat Lake) July ROTM – Riggs Flat Lake ; we did this run last year and it was very chilly, it is great way to get out of the heat. The camp spot was very beautiful and there was a good amount of space, enough for 10-12 vehicles. The dates are July 27th-28th. Travel time is about 4.5 hours from Phoenix and this is definitely stocker friendly. There is a nice scenic loop that goes through the aspens that is really beautiful. See the thread for more details
V. July meeting potential plans
a. Last year there was a meeting/cookout at 101 & Thunderbird park, we’re thinking about doing it again this year if people are interested. @Dimples will be taking the lead on planning the food for this event. More details to come. We need more organization this year so we don’t end up with so much of one type of food, more of a variety.
VI. Other business
a. Clinic – Introduction to 4-wheel Driving and Recovery
i. Phil provided a general overview of 4-wheel driving and recovery methods:
Introduction:
- The best place to start is to go on a run with a group, with friends. Check your truck out and make sure your 4-wheel drive works properly.
- Make sure your tires are in good condition and you have the tools and gear necessary to fix any problems.
- Try to make sure before you leave that you are in tip-top shape to best avoid any problems.
- Always make sure you have plenty of water and start with a full tank of gas because you never know where you’re going to end up and what you may run into.
- Syphoning out of LC gas tanks is basically impossible.
Know your vehicle:
- How high are my bumpers?
- Is my truck going to clear this, is my bumper going to clear it or will it hit my sides?
Airing down:
- Airing down is one of the most important things, it makes a huge difference;
- Airing down “starts” at 18psi;
- Why?
o Your truck will ride better;
o It’s easier on components;
o Passengers will be a lot happier;
o Your truck will go a lot more places with a lot more ease if you’re aired down.
o It’s easier on components;
o Passengers will be a lot happier;
o Your truck will go a lot more places with a lot more ease if you’re aired down.
- Nothing wrong with going down to 8psi for sand
Approaches:
- If you’re sitting there going over an obstacle you don’t want both tires to go over the thing at the same time, you need to go at an angle to make it easier.
- Don’t immediately turn on your lockers in every slightly difficult situation or you’ll never learn how to handle obstacles
- Don’t overuse the gas pedal/drive over-aggressively because that’s hard on your vehicle and probably not necessary
- Learn to establish what lines work the best for your vehicle
Angle:
- It’s a good thing to have is a level meter, your vehicle will easily go at about 30 degrees; what pushes you over is not the angle but weight transfer (wheel drops into a hole or something) static is about 45 degrees for these vehicles and it’s guaranteed you’ll get out of your vehicle and walk before you reach that degree;
- Nothing worse than being at a bad angle and start slipping, so sometimes need to carry a bit of speed when off camber.
Water Crossings:
If I can’t walk it, I won’t drive it; it will push your truck if it will push you when you walk; same situation with mud: if you start sinking immediately when you walk it, your truck will sink when you drive it.
Recovery:
- #1 thing you must have is a shovel, doesn’t matter what type
- Hi-lift jack can be a really good tool or a really dangerous tool because when you have to use it you’re taking up all your suspension; best idea is to strap your axle and run it to your frame so your tire will immediately come up when you start to jack; some of the problems would come if you’re in mud, the base will sink; platforms are an option.
- Some people say you can winch with a hi-lift but I wouldn’t recommend it, just buy a winch.
Tow straps and snatch straps:
- Tow straps don’t stretch but are best if you’re trying to tow someone through an area (do not use a kinetic strap or kinetic rope); these are controlled and are what you want 90% of the time;
- Kinetic straps will stretch about 20% and all that extra energy will sometimes make the difference in being recovered or not being recovered;
- Kinetic rope will stretch 33% and will generate a ton of energy when stretched at that percent and you can be pretty aggressive with it, it’s pretty amazing how it will pull a heavy vehicle out.
- Rule of thumb is 3-4 times …. [I MISSED THIS--- PHIL?]
- The one made by ARB is one of the best rated tow straps (around $60 for 30ft with 20% stretch).
Winching:
- #1 thing people overlook is that the winch is rated for its capacity at a single wrap, so if you only pull the cable out halfway your winch is only at half capacity
- Get a tree strap so you don’t ruin a tree if you use it to pull yourself out (the tree-huggers will get mad at you)
- Buy the accessory kit for the winch as well, it’s a good investment (buy the good stuff)
- Snatch block will help you pivot and pull at a different angle, it will double your pulling power but will cut your speed in half; it can become very very dangerous so be very careful about what you’re doing and make sure you have everything set correctly
- If you’re in a position where you don’t have anything heavy to put on it, you can put a strap on it and tie it to your tire or something
- Should have dedicated recovery attachment points at the front and rear of your truck
- If you have to join two straps together, don’t use a d-ring for it, just run the two straps together (make sure you put a newspaper or something in-between though so they don’t lock together because they won’t come apart)
- Overall it’s important to remember that recovery can be very dangerous, always make sure you are cautious
Pulling people out:
- From experience it’s better for 2 vehicles to pull than it is for you to tandem pull
Questions:
Q: Where is the best place to stand when you’re winching?
A: [I MISSED THIS ANSWER--- Phil?]
Q: Is there any reason to have the ARB kinetic strap if you’ve got the kinetic rope?
A: The difference between the rope and strap is the amount of kinetic energy; the strap is a lot easier to maintain and is the same length.
Q: Can I use my hitch ball as a recovery point?
A: No, you want to have dedicated recovery points, your hitch ball is not rated for that type of force, it’s meant for pulling trailers
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Nice writeup Abigail - very detailed and informative
I regret missing this meeting, as it looks like one of the most informative for new club members, and new 'wheelers. Great job putting together the format @LandCruiserPhil , and thanks to @Abigail for taking notes. As always, nice photography by @medtro to keep the rest of the club informed.
It's these types of topics at our meetings that set CSC apart from most other clubs in the valley!
It's these types of topics at our meetings that set CSC apart from most other clubs in the valley!
Really sorry I missed this meeting. Great write up and pictures. Thanks.
Fantastic write-up, @Abigail!
I hate that I missed this meeting.
I hate that I missed this meeting.
Yep, exactly. No explosion but we were all startled. Jackson's flash went off at the exact same moment, adding to the "explosion." We learned those X-Jacks don't really work on our trucks due to the superb suspension (or at least we weren't successful after way too much effort). Supposedly work great on heeps, though!
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