Just got back from my first trip to Moab and thought id share my experience for anyone who is planning on going for their first time in a cruiser, but might need some reassurance on why you should go. I myself was nervous for several reasons, but everything turned out fine, I had a great time, and had a valuable learning experiencing figuring out the capabilities and limitations of my particular set up.
For starters, here is what I went with:
1997 80 series 4.5L I6 – 292k (well into 293k after the drive from and back to Denver)
Front Slee Bumper
Slee step rock sliders
OME 2.5†lift
Hitch, spare tire, recovery hooks, and rear quarter panels removed (spare strapped down in trunk, recovery hooks and hardware stowed away in case I needed them)
Open diffs, no lockers (except center of course)
Goodyear AT 32†tires (sorry I forget the model)
Went out with two buddies, both with Tacoma’s with maybe 1-2 inch higher clearance, slightly better approach angle, rear lockers and wenches. First day I road between them on Hells Revenge. Got through the beginning OK with one sandy wall I couldn’t get up. It was steep and couldn’t get traction on the front to pull my rear out of the sand pit and onto the wall. No biggy though is this was an added obstacle where I could just drive up the gentle incline to the right. Got through everything else trail and obstacles fairly easily with a little less crawl and finesse and a little more momentum and arse slamming. The only thing I got stuck on was the escalator which I slipped off the wall on my right side and couldn’t go forward or backward. Got winched out from the lead Tacoma. Might have been able to do it with a revised tire placement, and would have been able to get out or up with lockers, but if you don’t want to risk it, you can avoid this obstacle, as I obviously did with mickeys hot tub. After getting stuck I was a little shook up and took the easier path when possible but nevertheless still made it through the whole trail with a fair amount of ease and plenty of scraping.
My one buddy twisted his ankle helping me winch out of the escalator on day one, so he road with my other buddy and I had 3 others with me on day 2 (I treated him to a hot meal and some cold beers for his sacrifice). So day 2 we road Poison spider à Golden Spike à Where Eagles Dare à back to Golden Spike à Gold Bar Rim. This day went a smoother with just enjoying the ride and made it up, down, and through every obstacle on the way. We did get off Where eagles dare back onto Golden Spike at the first turn off opportunity however. Only got stuck on the Golden crack, which the crew helped me get traction to back out and try again. I tried a few attempts coming in as you would assume from the tire marks, but for whatever reason the Moab backcountry book recommends a right to left approach. No good and that’s what got me stuck. A few more attempts from left to right, some tire placement experimentation, and a heavy foot and I got to the other side. One suggestion I got after the fact for trouble with that obstacle is to stick your spare tire in the crack where your front right floats for a second. Didn’t need to do that fortunately, but a handy tip to have.
After that, my buddy was real adamant about trying Rusty Nail to get back. Despite my warnings from my handy dandy moab backcrountry guide we wheeled on to the first major obstacle which has you climb a short wall next to a big bowl then travers the narrow path from there. He listened to my warning from there and we made our way back and continued up Golden Spike to Gold bar rim back. Rest of the drive was fun and enjoyable and did not have me worried after what I had been through prior. Until we got to the waterfall where we ran into a backup of 20 or so vehicles (a mix of jeeps, RZR 4x4s, ATVs and Dirtbikes). I believe it got congested from people attempted the harder route right up the wall as opposed to the stacked rock ramp to the right. A few made it up the wall, but other gave a few attempts then went up the rock stack, which still provided some trouble for the RZR with shorter wheel base. Darkness was rolling in and we had to wait about an hour before we had our chance up (luckily we were at the end of the line, no one else was behind us waiting). Thankfully some jeepers stuck around to make sure everyone got up and out. My buddy in his Tacoma made it up no problem and I got up with some momentum and as the jeeper put it “raw doggin†it. That was his go to nickname for me as we tailed him on our ride down the rest of the trail, occasionally pointing out his window and yelling “RAW DOG!†a delightful nervous friendly end to a short weekend trip.
All in all, my exhaust was left with no mounting points remaining and a nice hole in the tail pipe, but other than the occasional rattle and rub on the drive home from that, made it back in one piece. Will now be looking into some catbacks that may offer some more clearance and better departure.
In short if you’re considering it, definitely go. My opinion if you want to keep your vehicle looking shiny and pristine, lockers would help avoid a lot of the added bangs and slides I went through. If you like your car a little rough around the edges, you can get through everything I did with a heavy foot. The added clearance helped me from rock sliding too much, but in retrospect, getting a beefed up transfer case skid plate would leave my mind a little more at ease, but no damage done this time around. Front bumper is an added benefit, but just removing all the running boards and what not would be a good start. Other than that, if you aren’t too rusty on the bottom, that undercarriage can take A LOT of abuse, trust me. Also my rear tires had about 60-75% the tread of the fronts. Some new more aggressive slightly bigger tires would have helped on some of the sandy spots.
~
For starters, here is what I went with:
1997 80 series 4.5L I6 – 292k (well into 293k after the drive from and back to Denver)
Front Slee Bumper
Slee step rock sliders
OME 2.5†lift
Hitch, spare tire, recovery hooks, and rear quarter panels removed (spare strapped down in trunk, recovery hooks and hardware stowed away in case I needed them)
Open diffs, no lockers (except center of course)
Goodyear AT 32†tires (sorry I forget the model)
Went out with two buddies, both with Tacoma’s with maybe 1-2 inch higher clearance, slightly better approach angle, rear lockers and wenches. First day I road between them on Hells Revenge. Got through the beginning OK with one sandy wall I couldn’t get up. It was steep and couldn’t get traction on the front to pull my rear out of the sand pit and onto the wall. No biggy though is this was an added obstacle where I could just drive up the gentle incline to the right. Got through everything else trail and obstacles fairly easily with a little less crawl and finesse and a little more momentum and arse slamming. The only thing I got stuck on was the escalator which I slipped off the wall on my right side and couldn’t go forward or backward. Got winched out from the lead Tacoma. Might have been able to do it with a revised tire placement, and would have been able to get out or up with lockers, but if you don’t want to risk it, you can avoid this obstacle, as I obviously did with mickeys hot tub. After getting stuck I was a little shook up and took the easier path when possible but nevertheless still made it through the whole trail with a fair amount of ease and plenty of scraping.
My one buddy twisted his ankle helping me winch out of the escalator on day one, so he road with my other buddy and I had 3 others with me on day 2 (I treated him to a hot meal and some cold beers for his sacrifice). So day 2 we road Poison spider à Golden Spike à Where Eagles Dare à back to Golden Spike à Gold Bar Rim. This day went a smoother with just enjoying the ride and made it up, down, and through every obstacle on the way. We did get off Where eagles dare back onto Golden Spike at the first turn off opportunity however. Only got stuck on the Golden crack, which the crew helped me get traction to back out and try again. I tried a few attempts coming in as you would assume from the tire marks, but for whatever reason the Moab backcountry book recommends a right to left approach. No good and that’s what got me stuck. A few more attempts from left to right, some tire placement experimentation, and a heavy foot and I got to the other side. One suggestion I got after the fact for trouble with that obstacle is to stick your spare tire in the crack where your front right floats for a second. Didn’t need to do that fortunately, but a handy tip to have.
After that, my buddy was real adamant about trying Rusty Nail to get back. Despite my warnings from my handy dandy moab backcrountry guide we wheeled on to the first major obstacle which has you climb a short wall next to a big bowl then travers the narrow path from there. He listened to my warning from there and we made our way back and continued up Golden Spike to Gold bar rim back. Rest of the drive was fun and enjoyable and did not have me worried after what I had been through prior. Until we got to the waterfall where we ran into a backup of 20 or so vehicles (a mix of jeeps, RZR 4x4s, ATVs and Dirtbikes). I believe it got congested from people attempted the harder route right up the wall as opposed to the stacked rock ramp to the right. A few made it up the wall, but other gave a few attempts then went up the rock stack, which still provided some trouble for the RZR with shorter wheel base. Darkness was rolling in and we had to wait about an hour before we had our chance up (luckily we were at the end of the line, no one else was behind us waiting). Thankfully some jeepers stuck around to make sure everyone got up and out. My buddy in his Tacoma made it up no problem and I got up with some momentum and as the jeeper put it “raw doggin†it. That was his go to nickname for me as we tailed him on our ride down the rest of the trail, occasionally pointing out his window and yelling “RAW DOG!†a delightful nervous friendly end to a short weekend trip.
All in all, my exhaust was left with no mounting points remaining and a nice hole in the tail pipe, but other than the occasional rattle and rub on the drive home from that, made it back in one piece. Will now be looking into some catbacks that may offer some more clearance and better departure.
In short if you’re considering it, definitely go. My opinion if you want to keep your vehicle looking shiny and pristine, lockers would help avoid a lot of the added bangs and slides I went through. If you like your car a little rough around the edges, you can get through everything I did with a heavy foot. The added clearance helped me from rock sliding too much, but in retrospect, getting a beefed up transfer case skid plate would leave my mind a little more at ease, but no damage done this time around. Front bumper is an added benefit, but just removing all the running boards and what not would be a good start. Other than that, if you aren’t too rusty on the bottom, that undercarriage can take A LOT of abuse, trust me. Also my rear tires had about 60-75% the tread of the fronts. Some new more aggressive slightly bigger tires would have helped on some of the sandy spots.
~
