Sierra Nevada Challenge 2018 *NOW with 20% more pictures!*
- Thread starter Toasty
- Start date
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
_The next morning we attempted to repair the torn brake hose with silicone tape and zip ties with very little success. So little that we ended up putting the vice grips back on, almost as soon as we started back on the trail the '95 broke the idle up valve on the PS pump. I dissassembled the valve and reassembled it with the poppit inside the body with a little JB weld for a gasket, the valve side i packed with aluminum foil to take up the difference between the valve and spring. I took over trail leading duties as the '95 needed to go the rest of the day without power steering while the JB Weld could fully cure.
_With the truck behind me requiring 2 drivers (one to drive and one to help steer the 37" tires) we started down Big Sluice, the two big Gen 2's seemingly barreled down effortlessly even with the #2 truck crippled. Right as i was getting into a really interesting conversation about heavy metal with PA_JERO (we had just met the brother of the guitarist from Testament leaving Buck Island) we heard a whistle. We had our radio turned way down because of some interference we were having but we heard the whistle from the truck behind us who heard the SNAP of an axle behind them.
_I parked the truck and hiked back up to the scene, we came upon a very familiar site. Fullmonty's Gen 3 had just broken it's front driver axle in almost the exact same place as he did in 2015, the only difference was that this time he was to the right of the tree. Our Gen 1 Montero moved up to #3 in the line and tugged the wedged in place Gen 3 out of between a rock and a big tree. I inspected the CV halfshaft and it felt intact and the boots were holding it in place so we opted to wait until camp to do the repair, back in the trucks now with two of them crippled we started down the Sluice again.
_We drove to the bottom and were greeted by some Jeep staff at a gnarly boulder heap, I crawled down the obstacle which was littered in U-joints, steering parts and a chunk of a Dana 300 transfer case. I parked below the spot and watched the '95 muscle its way through with two guys cranking on the steering wheel, once he was through the Jeep team started filling the area with rocks to make it more passable. I was thinking we might need to do this for our friend in the Gen 3 but i didn't say anything because these guys were good workers and obviously getting paid to be there. They explained that they were making it easier for the prototype Jeep pickups to get through and that the pickups had seen some damage already. About the time they finished our Gen 1, Gen 3 and Suzi the Sidekick came down and the driver of Suzi had fallen on his shoulder really bad spotting the Gen 3 down to us. He couldn't move his arm much at all and even though the spot was stacked up with rocks the crippled truck and crippled driver had to really work to get through doing multi point turns. We tried to pick up the pace up a bit to stay ahead of the prototype as things leveled out a bit.
Down around the corner we could see the clearing signaling our proximity to the Rubicon Springs Camp, right about that time we rolled up to a Grand Cherokee tucked into the hillside. It had seen a really rough time, it's rock sliders were broken off, it had body damage on every panel, a flat tire and it's axle was ratchet strapped to it's unibody. The driver was nowhere around so we can assume he was in Tahoe chartering a helicopter to get his rig off the trail, we passed it and worked our way to the bridge and camp.
_We came into Rubicon Springs and were greeted by the host, informed of a very active bear family stealing food and directed to the open areas. We found a spot near the waterfalls and laid claim, made camp and went for a swim to wash away the dirt and grime of the day.
_With the truck behind me requiring 2 drivers (one to drive and one to help steer the 37" tires) we started down Big Sluice, the two big Gen 2's seemingly barreled down effortlessly even with the #2 truck crippled. Right as i was getting into a really interesting conversation about heavy metal with PA_JERO (we had just met the brother of the guitarist from Testament leaving Buck Island) we heard a whistle. We had our radio turned way down because of some interference we were having but we heard the whistle from the truck behind us who heard the SNAP of an axle behind them.
_I parked the truck and hiked back up to the scene, we came upon a very familiar site. Fullmonty's Gen 3 had just broken it's front driver axle in almost the exact same place as he did in 2015, the only difference was that this time he was to the right of the tree. Our Gen 1 Montero moved up to #3 in the line and tugged the wedged in place Gen 3 out of between a rock and a big tree. I inspected the CV halfshaft and it felt intact and the boots were holding it in place so we opted to wait until camp to do the repair, back in the trucks now with two of them crippled we started down the Sluice again.
_We drove to the bottom and were greeted by some Jeep staff at a gnarly boulder heap, I crawled down the obstacle which was littered in U-joints, steering parts and a chunk of a Dana 300 transfer case. I parked below the spot and watched the '95 muscle its way through with two guys cranking on the steering wheel, once he was through the Jeep team started filling the area with rocks to make it more passable. I was thinking we might need to do this for our friend in the Gen 3 but i didn't say anything because these guys were good workers and obviously getting paid to be there. They explained that they were making it easier for the prototype Jeep pickups to get through and that the pickups had seen some damage already. About the time they finished our Gen 1, Gen 3 and Suzi the Sidekick came down and the driver of Suzi had fallen on his shoulder really bad spotting the Gen 3 down to us. He couldn't move his arm much at all and even though the spot was stacked up with rocks the crippled truck and crippled driver had to really work to get through doing multi point turns. We tried to pick up the pace up a bit to stay ahead of the prototype as things leveled out a bit.
Down around the corner we could see the clearing signaling our proximity to the Rubicon Springs Camp, right about that time we rolled up to a Grand Cherokee tucked into the hillside. It had seen a really rough time, it's rock sliders were broken off, it had body damage on every panel, a flat tire and it's axle was ratchet strapped to it's unibody. The driver was nowhere around so we can assume he was in Tahoe chartering a helicopter to get his rig off the trail, we passed it and worked our way to the bridge and camp.
_We came into Rubicon Springs and were greeted by the host, informed of a very active bear family stealing food and directed to the open areas. We found a spot near the waterfalls and laid claim, made camp and went for a swim to wash away the dirt and grime of the day.
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haolepinoy
Incomplete Idiot
Carnage indeed. But judging by the pictures I can see why people hazard it...beautiful spaces out there. Been looking forward to seeing you guys' pictures and videos, so thanks for sharing.
offthepath
Adventurer
That's cool seeing the Gen 3 run it. What are the common weak links you guys have seen wheeling a gen3 hard? Is the front axles the main issue?
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
The Gen 3 weak link seems to be the tech and nanny features, they're a little over done so it wigs out when you do certain things. It shuts off if it hits something solid, it doesn't like it when you override the brakes and it cuts throttle with high RPM wheel spin (typically in snow and ice, this obviously isn't an issue in rocks). It's strong points are high clearance, balance and the traction control works really well when you know how to use it. So where a Gen 2 would put a boulder under a tire, power through it's brakes, flex over it and creep down the Gen 3 might like steady throttle, no brakes, tire way in the air then catching it with the brakes as it teeters down. The problem with that is it usually ends in the Gen 3 slamming into something on the descent and turning off but that's just a learning curve i think. I will say that Fullmonty has really improved his driving, this is his third Sierra Challenge and he's getting it. He has learned how to pick his lines better and be comfortable on 3 wheels, this guy has the best attitude ever we're glad to have him as a regular on these trips.
offthepath
Adventurer
So you guys have not seen any reoccurring mechanical failures on a gen3? I get that anything can break, but I was more curious about weak points mechanically that people should be aware of (ie CVs, axles, gear sets etc)?
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
Well they can't take the beating a Gen 2 can but they are pretty tough, the weaknesses you just need to be aware of like protect your carbon fiber drive shaft, don't push the CVs, you have unit bearings and the rock sliders need to have a lot of support because of the unibody. The axles and gears are more than adequate in terms of strength, the rears are HUGE and the fronts are similar to the smaller Gen 2 and Gen 1 CVs which are still better than the Toyota front CVs. Yes anything can break but you should be able to do all these trails without any failures, it's more maintenance and knowing your equipment than anything. Fullmonty has been learning what not to do to CV axles and he is getting better at not shock loading them but they have experienced that before and i'll explain that failure when i get to that point.
offthepath
Adventurer
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suzi the psychic brought me home - once again- from another epic sierra carnage run.
we both came back slightly wounded, but i'm sure we can both be restored.
i hope someone got a picture of suzi being hand hauled up that rock just outta loon lake!
embarrassing, but had to be funny looking!
looking forward to next time.
a most legit crew!
we both came back slightly wounded, but i'm sure we can both be restored.
i hope someone got a picture of suzi being hand hauled up that rock just outta loon lake!
embarrassing, but had to be funny looking!
looking forward to next time.
a most legit crew!
Swank Force One
Adventurer
.... Carbon fiber driveshaft, what?
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
The next morning at Rubicon Springs we ate a huge breakfast and the guys started working on the Gen 3, once it was apart we realized that the CVs had unfortunately held together. That's right the shaft going into the differential had snapped off leaving the splined end in the side gear. We attempted to extract it without any luck, i inspected the axle and it had stress cracks spiraling down the length of the shaft leading to each spline. This axle had finally given up after a really hard life and there was nothing we could do about it other than put it back in place to keep the oil where it should be. On the '95 SR things were looking a little better, the power steering repair was a success so at least we had that small victory.
Sometime after that the Jeep camp across the way came to ask us about the bears raiding camp that night, they explained how the bears rooted through their stuff and snorted around the tents. We had Rascott out sleeping on the ground and he still had his wallet in the morning so it's safe to assume the amount of snoring in our camp kept the bears at a distance. Or so i think.
We lined the trucks up for some group photos then set out to finish the Rubicon, despite the still crippled trucks and human we made short work of the last leg of the trail. It seemed like we were climbing harder challenges than the previous day with little effort and before we knew it we were staging at the bottom of Cadillac Hill, this would be the last real challenge of the Rubicon. We crawled up the hill pretty easily, not at a fast pace and maybe i just say easily because my ascent was uneventful. The Gen 3 may have been pulled once or twice by the '95 SR and the Gen 1 did use a winch and break a taillight, so things might have been taxing. I kind of didn't focus on others too much because the hill has a long drop on the right, the kind you die when you fall off of so i just focused on driving and let our passengers spot and help who needed it.
All in all we did pretty good, i barely got any pictures of the actual climb but we did have a really fun day so that was nice. The lakes at the top were really neat so i took some pictures of those.
Sometime after that the Jeep camp across the way came to ask us about the bears raiding camp that night, they explained how the bears rooted through their stuff and snorted around the tents. We had Rascott out sleeping on the ground and he still had his wallet in the morning so it's safe to assume the amount of snoring in our camp kept the bears at a distance. Or so i think.
We lined the trucks up for some group photos then set out to finish the Rubicon, despite the still crippled trucks and human we made short work of the last leg of the trail. It seemed like we were climbing harder challenges than the previous day with little effort and before we knew it we were staging at the bottom of Cadillac Hill, this would be the last real challenge of the Rubicon. We crawled up the hill pretty easily, not at a fast pace and maybe i just say easily because my ascent was uneventful. The Gen 3 may have been pulled once or twice by the '95 SR and the Gen 1 did use a winch and break a taillight, so things might have been taxing. I kind of didn't focus on others too much because the hill has a long drop on the right, the kind you die when you fall off of so i just focused on driving and let our passengers spot and help who needed it.
All in all we did pretty good, i barely got any pictures of the actual climb but we did have a really fun day so that was nice. The lakes at the top were really neat so i took some pictures of those.
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
With only two trucks left, the fires and a still over heating Gen 1 we opted out of doing Snake Lake trail. Instead we made our way through Kit Carson Pass and camped one more time in the Sierras before heading home. We found a really short rock crawl that lead to a nice campsite near a lake, we were very fortunate to find this random spot. It was the right place to have our victory dinner, finish the beers and relax once more before getting back into the desert heat. I took a couple poser shots at camp.
We made the drive home in one shot, got home about 2AM or so. PA_JERO and ClayTK took over driving duties so the Bullworker and I could get some sleep the last couple hours. Big thanks to those dudes for copiloting, spotting, wrenching and just being all around good dudes to travel with. Extra thanks to Rascott, Bullworker, Fullmonty, Cap510 and his brohs for showing up and making this trip what it is, there's not a better group of guys to wheel with.
If you other dudes got pics, post them up. I know we mostly did video this year so share the links too.
We made the drive home in one shot, got home about 2AM or so. PA_JERO and ClayTK took over driving duties so the Bullworker and I could get some sleep the last couple hours. Big thanks to those dudes for copiloting, spotting, wrenching and just being all around good dudes to travel with. Extra thanks to Rascott, Bullworker, Fullmonty, Cap510 and his brohs for showing up and making this trip what it is, there's not a better group of guys to wheel with.
If you other dudes got pics, post them up. I know we mostly did video this year so share the links too.
