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icd70

icd70

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How often will I really us a winch if I'm out with other vehicles moderately off-roading?
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Bison

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How often will I really us a winch if I'm out with other vehicles moderately off-roading?
Most likely not often. It is nice to have. Last time I used mine was 2 years ago pulling trees off the trail. But I haven’t done a lot of trail riding in the past 6 years. Mostly hunting, camping and hiking.
 

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When should I lock the differentials and when shouldnt I? How do I know when to unlock them? Do you ever reverse with the diff(s) locked? Should you turn to lock when diffs are locked?

I understand how locking diffs work and what it does in general when locked.

Snowrunner probably isn't the best teacher. ;)

Asking for a friend.
lock the diffs when your going up an obstacle you think your truck is going to have trouble with. (Most of the time they rear will be enough) Don’t do it on pavement. Unlock them when out of trouble. I have locked my rear a couple of times for the whole trail as sometimes these electronic lockers take a bit of time to lock up so I left the rear locked. (I would’t do that with the front as it’s hard to turn when locked) You sometimes have to drive a bit before it kicks in. I drive real slow until it sinks in. You can reverse when locked. I wouldn’t turn to hard when the front is locked. These goat modes will do a lot but you will have more control when locked as every thing just works. You don’t have this computer jostling you around. Spend time with your rig on easy trails learning and trying everything out.
 

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Ok 101 item.
Never drive with your thumbs inside the steering wheel they go on top (outside) of the wheel. Do not grip the steering wheel like you normally drive.

When you hit a rock, come off a limb, etc the steering wheel will rotate super fast. If your thumb is inside the steering wheel expect pain at a minimum. Skin, tendon, bone damage possible. Sometimes it’s even better to just let go of the wheel until settled down.
 

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One really good resource to learn about Off Road travel is Ronny Dahl on youtube. He's got a great selection of videos from novice to expert.
I have learned a lot from his videos. Informative and no BS, fun to watch.
 

GEP

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I have learned a lot from his videos. Informative and no BS, fun to watch.
His safety stuff where they demonstrate accidents with dummies should be mandatory viewing for anyone performing a recovery. Hitch balls becoming bullets, winch lines snapping and so on. ***NOTE: NEVER EVER ATTACH A STRAP TO A HITCH BALL
 

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Okay...since I'm thinking of a Base Bronco....how much off-roading can be done with front and rear open diffs? With the street biased tires?

With that, would tires or lockers be a better first upgrade? I'm guessing tires, but would like some input! Also, if it is tires, what would be a good DD/light off-road use size? Skinny or wide?

I also live within a couple hours of Windrock and have "gasp" Jeep friends that go down that I'd take adventures with.

But all-in-all its going to be an open air back-road motorcycle replacement that can take the family!
 

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Okay...since I'm thinking of a Base Bronco....how much off-roading can be done with front and rear open diffs?
That is one of my open questions to some dealers (no pun intended this time). Does the ECU actuate the brakes to make the open diff feel like a limited slip?
 

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His safety stuff where they demonstrate accidents with dummies should be mandatory viewing for anyone performing a recovery. Hitch balls becoming bullets, winch lines snapping and so on. ***NOTE: NEVER EVER ATTACH A STRAP TO A HITCH BALL
Matt from Matt’s Off Road Recovery, who has probably done more off road recoveries than everyone in this thread combined, has shared some thoughts on that statement. Basically, he feels it can be used in some situations if soft kinetic recovery ropes are used, along with some other qualifiers / good judgement is used.
 

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I will add to that. Never use chains or tow straps with metal hooks. They can both become very fast, heavy projectiles that can kill you, a family member, friend or bystander. I became on ORV instructor for the State of MI and the DNR said it he happens almost anually where someone is severely injured or killed due to a tow hook or chain. Straps, D-rings, pins through receivers are much better choices.
 

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Ok 101 item.
Never drive with your thumbs inside the steering wheel they go on top (outside) of the wheel. Do not grip the steering wheel like you normally drive.

When you hit a rock, come off a limb, etc the steering wheel will rotate super fast. If your thumb is inside the steering wheel expect pain at a minimum. Skin, tendon, bone damage possible. Sometimes it’s even better to just let go of the wheel until settled down.
that is so true. Things you don’t think of to tell people but are So beneficial.
 

VelocityBronco

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His safety stuff where they demonstrate accidents with dummies should be mandatory viewing for anyone performing a recovery. Hitch balls becoming bullets, winch lines snapping and so on. ***NOTE: NEVER EVER ATTACH A STRAP TO A HITCH BALL
He has videos for about all the questions being asked here, that is where I started and learned a lot about off-road gear and techniques. Highly recommend.
 
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Okay...since I'm thinking of a Base Bronco....how much off-roading can be done with front and rear open diffs? With the street biased tires?
Probably more than most people can do off-roading. Open Diffs can also keep you out of trouble. People with lockers sometime do things they shouldn’t.

you don’t “need”them. Go have fun open.
 

GEP

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Most likely not often. It is nice to have. Last time I used mine was 2 years ago pulling trees off the trail. But I haven’t done a lot of trail riding in the past 6 years. Mostly hunting, camping and hiking.
This is why I started carrying a Tirfor. Not going for deep mud or big obstacles but want a bit of extra insurance. It will test your fitness but to me that's part of the fun. It seems like a lot of the Landie guys in Africa, Aus and UK are pretty open to having a winch that runs on carbohydrates, less common here. If you can find a Tirfor used for a few hundred bucks, it will get you out, it won't weigh much out in front of the vehicle, it will pull in any direction. I think they're great but I like the challenge.
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