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4x4 Class 101 (Saving Broncos from Permanent Mall Crawler Duty)

icd70

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It occurs to me a lot of people who have never driven off-road will be buying the new Ford Bronco with dreams of being rugged trail blazers. Believe it or not everybody on the 6G forums is a hardcore off-roader. But some will never achieve this goal because they have limited, or no knowledge of what off-roading looks like or how to learn the skills to do it. If you don’t know where to look to for direction or have someone to direct you, your just left with wondering how to do it, and most likely you never do it. Most of what we see are crazy pictures of extreme rock crawling that would scare off even the hardiest of adventures when it comes to their new 30k to 60k Bronco. But the reality is there are several different types of off roading and most of it will not beat your new Bronco to death.

What I would like this thread to become is a helpful guide to the novice who is seeking guidance and instruction on how to begin down the unpaved trail. Whether it be suggestions or explanations it will start to give people knowledge that they can build upon and encouragement to seeking out their dream of off-roading.

Don’t be afraid to ask any question, I assure you are not the only one that wants to know the answer.
And for the love of all that is sacred please don’t start Judging people in this thread. It is a great opportunity to reach out and promote, don’t screw it up with childish crap!

If you are asking a question, please be concise with the question. It is difficult to answer vague questions in a meaningful way. Don’t ask how I should build out my Bronco questions, but instead ask, if I get this on my Bronco will it benefit me on the trail or how will it affect the vehicle. If your answering a question, please have extensive knowledge of the subject matter and don’t speculate. Please be mindful that you are educating a person that might not understand all the terms and lingo so don’t over complicate your responses.

Please let us not turn this into a thread that debates on options, opinions, conjecture. We can start another thread for the lawyers to debate. Remember this it to educate and inform. If your post neither seeks learning nor educates then it has no place in this thread.

Thanks to all those who help here with questions and teachings!
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icd70

icd70

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I'll start with these questions.
How do I know how difficult a trail is? is there a trail rating system? Is there a good website for finding trails across the US?
 

D Fresh

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I'll start with these questions.
How do I know how difficult a trail is? is there a trail rating system? Is there a good website for finding trails across the US?
Not sure about nation wide, but Colorado has an app with all it's trails on it, hiking, biking, 4x4 and OHV. Pretty handy, shows closures and everything.

I'm sure other states have something similar. Ours is CoTrex and you can find it where you get apps.
 

WillisC’onnors

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I'll start with these questions.
How do I know how difficult a trail is? is there a trail rating system? Is there a good website for finding trails across the US?

Most trail ratings are subjective, many marked trails will say “high clearance, overland, 4x4” or something to that affect with no marked rating.

OnX is a great off-road app. Good idea to check out forums and ask people who have run the trails.
 

DHC

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Excellent thread, much appreciated.

I'm one of those whom have never been on any kind of remotely serious offroad trail. Live in Atlanta, so was thinking of joining up with a local group that heads up into the N Georgia mountains.

Plan to be a sponge and learn everything I can from folks.
 

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ColoradoGuy

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Not sure about nation wide, but Colorado has an app with all it's trails on it, hiking, biking, 4x4 and OHV. Pretty handy, shows closures and everything.

I'm sure other states have something similar. Ours is CoTrex and you can find it where you get apps.
Yep... and I'm also looking forward to seeing what the Ford SYNC 4 trail mapping navigation system has to offer. Anyone have a Ford vehicle that has this?
 

Geekytrails

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I like the idea of this thread. First I'm going to start off by saying I've been doing research about offroading/overlanding since the Bronco announced its release, but I don't have any experience yet. But I have found that there are websites and apps out there that help people find trails, and they usually include some rough difficulty ratings. The app All Trails is an example of this.

Follow on questions.

What does easy, moderate, and difficult mean to everyone?

How much difficulty variance (if any) should we prepare for due to wet or muddy trails?

What should a beginner have with them when attempting easy to moderate trails?
 

NCOBX

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I like the idea of this thread. First I'm going to start off by saying I've been doing research about offroading/overlanding since the Bronco announced its release, but I don't have any experience yet. But I have found that there are websites and apps out there that help people find trails, and they usually include some rough difficulty ratings. The app All Trails is an example of this.

Follow on questions.

What does easy, moderate, and difficult mean to everyone?

How much difficulty variance (if any) should we prepare for due to wet or muddy trails?

What should a beginner have with them when attempting easy to moderate trails?
#1 Most important asset for a beginner is a buddy with a tow strap. Never off-road alone unless you have experience and plenty of tools.
 

5280Bronco

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I have not done any off roading myself, but want to use the Bronco as a catalyst for my family to explore colorado more. Just bought this book to do some research:
Ford Bronco 4x4 Class 101 (Saving Broncos from Permanent Mall Crawler Duty) 20200916_104522
 

Geekytrails

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#1 Most important asset for a beginner is a buddy with a tow strap. Never off-road alone unless you have experience and plenty of tools.
I am definitely going to be going with groups when I first start offroading.

Has anybody heard of classes or good videos on trail repairs?
 

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One thing I would put forward is you don't have to spend a fortune on recovery gear to get out and enjoy some trails. I had an experience to me that was very informative. I work in the Alberta Oilfields, getting stuck by sliding into a ditch in a remote place is a real possibility. I ended up augmenting my shovel and snatch strap with a used Tirfor to my recovery bag for that eventuality. Cost me only a few hundred dollars and I've had to use it once and it worked really well if a lot of work. It's not a solution for people who are actively trying to get stuck several times a trip but a nice bit of insurance.
 

pan-y-cerveza

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I have not done any off roading myself, but want to use the Bronco as a catalyst for my family to explore colorado more. Just bought this book to do some research:
Ford Bronco 4x4 Class 101 (Saving Broncos from Permanent Mall Crawler Duty) 20200916_104522
I don't even live in the US and have this book! Hopefully by the time my Bronco arrives the borders are open and I can do some exploring. I bought it a couple years ago while looking for places to ride my bike while I was there.
 

pan-y-cerveza

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One thing I would put forward is you don't have to spend a fortune on recovery gear to get out and enjoy some trails. I had an experience to me that was very informative. I work in the Alberta Oilfields, getting stuck by sliding into a ditch in a remote place is a real possibility. I ended up augmenting my shovel and snatch strap with a used Tirfor to my recovery bag for that eventuality. Cost me only a few hundred dollars and I've had to use it once and it worked really well if a lot of work. It's not a solution for people who are actively trying to get stuck several times a trip but a nice bit of insurance.
I've used a come-along to pull some rigs out of the muskeg before. A Tirfor would be ideal if you don't want a winch. A bit cumbersome to store though.
 

dejones64

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Excellent thread, much appreciated.

I'm one of those whom have never been on any kind of remotely serious offroad trail. Live in Atlanta, so was thinking of joining up with a local group that heads up into the N Georgia mountains.

Plan to be a sponge and learn everything I can from folks.
I've never off-roaded either. I think that is your best bet at first, hook up with local off-roading groups, they would love to assist and take you in. Expand your horizons as you get more experience and understand what your rig is capable of. Most of all plan your trip ahead of time (ton of websites and youtubes) and be prepared. I guess that's my take on it.
 

GEP

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I've used a come-along to pull some rigs out of the muskeg before. A Tirfor would be ideal if you don't want a winch. A bit cumbersome to store though.
I have a 1600kg one and it is pretty manageable. It straps to either side of my recovery bag. If I'm going to the field or just out to enjoy a moderate trail, which is the only ones I personally do, I throw it in the trunk of my Jeep GC. I am confident it will fit in a 2 door Bronco.
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