Lessons Learned "Can you get to your Gear?'

[1leglance]

I hope to distill the recent Continental Divide Expedition into a series of Lessons Learned so others can get something from the experience also.

Here is #1 "Can you get to your Gear?"

If you don't want this to be you, trying to get your recovery gear out of that tight spot your stored it, while keeping the rest of your stuff from falling into the mud then take a moment to listen to the lessons I've learned.

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[Ranger Steve]

wow that picture provides a good point :sport_box

 

[Ursidae69]

Is that a road?

 

[AndrewP]

As a side note, it seems everyone keeps tow straps and winch controls tucked away in the rear drawers. These 2 things need to be in the front seat, and immediately available. We have had some funny incidents where both items were needed and completely inaccessable.

 

[jagular7]

As a side note, it seems everyone keeps tow straps and winch controls tucked away in the rear drawers. These 2 things need to be in the front seat, and immediately available. We have had some funny incidents where both items were needed and completely inaccessable.

Some drivers will actually connect the controller cable into the winch before proceeding through an obstacle. Problem with that is the potential for the winch connector to become off and possibly damaged or be filled with debri from the obstacle. It will need to be reconnected and usually can easily. If you have in-cab controller, that wouldn't be a problem.

Another would be the winch cable will be still tightly wrapped on the drum and actually locked in for power in/out from the winch. Many don't also take the time to put the winch in free spool and pull couple feet of cable out and put the hook in a suitable reach point. When the last wrap is also tightly wound, its difficult to hand pull the cable out off the spool.

Same for clevis' and tree straps.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm reminded of a stuck that didn't have to be. MISF & I were out looking around in the Los Padres back country. Qaatal Cyn to be exact. Got to the point where we had his Scout's tailgate against a chest high berm and the front axle high centered on a rock. His 60" High Lift was just unloading the suspension and all of the recovery gear was in the back. Under the spare tire shelf, in lidded plastic boxes.....
Finally found a chain that we could wrap around a rock and winch off the high center.
DOH!

EDIT: Maybe this should be in the "Make fun of yourself" thread?

 

[madizell]

The concept of getting to your gear is one that should be applied before the attempt of a given obstacle, and the execution of the concept depends on the obstacle in question.

If you are about to place yourself in a very dangerous or difficult position, think about what gear you will need to get out of that situation and verify that it is where you will be able to easily reach it before you enter the obstacle. We usually look at an obstacle and think about how we will conquer it. Best line, how much power, which gear to use and so on. Instead, we should look at an obstacle and see the potential in it for failure. This lets us prepare for the eventuality, and also makes it easier to see how to avoid failure in the first place. If you don't see the potential for disaster in a given obstacle, you are trusting to luck in going there. If you can see how and where you will get stuck, you will have an idea of what you will need to get unstuck. Then be sure you can get to what you need in the middle of whatever you just got stuck in.

On the other hand, you might not want D-rings and other heavy objects lying around loose in the cabin at your feet if bouncing or rolling over is a possibility. There is an inherent risk in carrying recovery gear on the floor of the cabin so keep it in mind.

Hope is not a strategy. Go prepared.

 

[1leglance]

Is that a road?

I was wondering if anyone would comment on that...
I haven't gotten to the section of the writeup that tell's the backstory to the pictures yet...
The basics were that a flashflood knocked out all of our earthen bridges (the kind with a steel drainage pipe)...so we spent the night in the middle of nowhere above Grants, NM and let the waters go down. The next morning we all talked about the crossing vs backtracking 4 hrs to go around to the only other route into Grants.
Since we had 3 rigs, plenty of gear and the impact would all happen in the wash where the next rainstorm would erase our tracks, we went for it.
Again the funny thing is we named off the gear we would need and who had what, but never thought to get it out and set anything up. That won't happen again.
Even something as simple as attaching your D-shackles ahead of time can save time in the muck.

I agree with others that safety is #1 and don't place things in your rig where they can hurt you, don't put them in the floor if they will bounce onto your feet or under the pedals.
But at least think about what you can do to prepare and if nothing else set stuff on the ground or somewhere easy to access it when you need it, until you are clear of the concern.

 

[IllianaXJ]

I have learned that lesson the hard way as well. I used to keep my gear in a drawer system in my XJ, but the rear hatch had to be open to access it. Kinda pointless to bring gear if your back bumper is pinned against a tree and you can't go forward (slid backwards).

I have since switched over to Rubbermaid actionpackers that are strapped down in back, but are still accessible from the back seat. I also keep my winch controller in the center console, and plug in the wireless dealie in the solenoid box before hitting the trail. Towstrap goes in the clevis and wrapped around the spare tire before leaving as well.

Amazing the things you learn the hard way

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I have most of my gear stored in the cubbies in the back of my Disco. It's got a flip top lid I could access from the back seat if needed. Can anybody comment if this is suitable?

I'm not a real big fan of this, because I know in a violent rollover, that lid will not stay shut and all that stuff is going to fly around the cab. But I haven't figured out a better way to handle it yet.

 

[madizell]

I have most of my gear stored in the cubbies in the back of my Disco. It's got a flip top lid I could access from the back seat if needed. Can anybody comment if this is suitable?

I'm not a real big fan of this, because I know in a violent rollover, that lid will not stay shut and all that stuff is going to fly around the cab. But I haven't figured out a better way to handle it yet.

If you are driving expedition style, I would put a violent roll over well down on the list of things likely to happen, so it is your choice. Just don't take all that gear on Potato Salad Hill.

Reaching gear over the back of the seat is probably not something I would think necessary for the most part. At the least it is a good way to sprain your back. Only once has it ever been helpful in my driving experience, and that was the one time my rear axle shaft came undone while crossing Alfred Creek in Central Alaska (Warn full floater with a design flaw). We could not move the vehicle for fear of the shaft coming all the way out and destroying the hub, and it was a long way to pavement, so we had to make repairs where and as it sat. Going in over the tailgate would have been difficult and dangerous due to deepish water, rounded and slick rocks, and too high a climb, whereas reaching the tool kit from over the seat backs was doable. This is a pretty extreme example, and I guess you have to decide if you want to plan for extremes.

Or, find a way to latch the lids down.