Has anybody taken their broncos off road yet?

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Yes, I found a post last night by a guy that went to Rausch Creek. Will search and update. He posted the pics if the skids plates and underbody damage.

UPDATE:
FB User Drew Peroni aka @chronic_broncitus on IG


The post is worth the read. I am adding his photos as they are kinda buried in one of the comments. I am not too surprised about any of the damage as there has been several posts about the low hanging undercarriage items. FTR, Rausch Creek is pretty gnarly.

I respect this man to no end. This is the type of guy I want to wheel with.

He gets a Roll Tide! and as y'all know, that's some championship level shit!

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[OX1]

Drew has been around forever. Heavily involved in MEB, which I used to belong to, but been kind of out of the club scene for a while now. I found his instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/chronic_broncitis/?hl=en

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Now, for all of you who may be new to wheeling, allow me to point out that your rig need not take such a beating as in these pictures of what the guy did posted in this thread.

I can tell from all of the rubbing, that he did wheel, but did so over rocky terrain and he also likely did not use a spotter. Most important, seems he went very fast through sections where low and slow would have been best.

You need not beat the crap out of your new Bronco to go wheeling. my only "advice" is to take your time; this means check your ego at the trail head and if you are doing this for the first time, don't go alone, but don't go out with a 20 rig caravan either. Why not? Because peer pressure and trying to prove something will get you in a ton of expensive trouble quickly.

The times when I've had the unfortunate honor of wheeling with hot heads were bad experiences and I never went out with them again.

Unless you'll be bombing through western desert sand without lots of rocks, slow your ass down! Also, don't just trust these cameras as they won't catch all the angles or depth perception (distance). If you're entering something "interesting" Get out of the vehicle or make your passenger get out, use a tape measure if needed (no shame) and walk the trail. Always put a long stick or branch into mud or water to gauge how deep or soft, because if you sink in mud, you're screwed in more ways than one.

Please, please don't allow the hype to push you over the edge and tear up your not easily replaceable new toy.

There is no shame in being new, as we all were at some point. So what that you didn't grow up wheeling, your ass is doing it now, shit!

You can have a ton of fun, it'll feel tough and rugged, but don't feel that you have to be a Navy SEAL of wheeling on your first or tenth trip out. Your priority is to have fun, not prove you've got the longest shaft, because that would be me! Ha ha!

 

[MSparks909]

If you wheel in rocky areas, the underside of your Bronco will look like this too, spotter or not. Price of admission. Just touch up any scraped areas with some black enamel paint and don’t stress over it

 

[indio22]

I respect this man to no end. This is the type of guy I want to wheel with.

He gets a Roll Tide! and as y'all know, that's some championship level shit!

Reps to that guy. He's the sort of owner I'd like first in line reservation or not!

 

[Ryuk]

With how low the shock mounts are, they are gonna get the shit kicked out of them in the rocks.
It's something I noticed immediately when I saw the undercarriage.

 

[Little Foot]

Now, for all of you who may be new to wheeling, allow me to point out that your rig need not take such a beating as in these pictures of what the guy did posted in this thread.

I can tell from all of the rubbing, that he did wheel, but did so over rocky terrain and he also likely did not use a spotter. Most important, seems he went very fast through sections where low and slow would have been best.

You need not beat the crap out of your new Bronco to go wheeling. my only "advice" is to take your time; this means check your ego at the trail head and if you are doing this for the first time, don't go alone, but don't go out with a 20 rig caravan either. Why not? Because peer pressure and trying to prove something will get you in a ton of expensive trouble quickly.

The times when I've had the unfortunate honor of wheeling with hot heads were bad experiences and I never went out with them again.

Unless you'll be bombing through western desert sand without lots of rocks, slow your ass down! Also, don't just trust these cameras as they won't catch all the angles or depth perception (distance). If you're entering something "interesting" Get out of the vehicle or make your passenger get out, use a tape measure if needed (no shame) and walk the trail. Always put a long stick or branch into mud or water to gauge how deep or soft, because if you sink in mud, you're screwed in more ways than one.

Please, please don't allow the hype to push you over the edge and tear up your not easily replaceable new toy.

There is no shame in being new, as we all were at some point. So what that you didn't grow up wheeling, your ass is doing it now, shit!

You can have a ton of fun, it'll feel tough and rugged, but don't feel that you have to be a Navy SEAL of wheeling on your first or tenth trip out. Your priority is to have fun, not prove you've got the longest shaft, because that would be me! Ha ha!

Probably the best advice on this forum for those new to off roading

 

[PSUTE]

Now, for all of you who may be new to wheeling, allow me to point out that your rig need not take such a beating as in these pictures of what the guy did posted in this thread.

I can tell from all of the rubbing, that he did wheel, but did so over rocky terrain and he also likely did not use a spotter. Most important, seems he went very fast through sections where low and slow would have been best.

You need not beat the crap out of your new Bronco to go wheeling. my only "advice" is to take your time; this means check your ego at the trail head and if you are doing this for the first time, don't go alone, but don't go out with a 20 rig caravan either. Why not? Because peer pressure and trying to prove something will get you in a ton of expensive trouble quickly.

The times when I've had the unfortunate honor of wheeling with hot heads were bad experiences and I never went out with them again.

Unless you'll be bombing through western desert sand without lots of rocks, slow your ass down! Also, don't just trust these cameras as they won't catch all the angles or depth perception (distance). If you're entering something "interesting" Get out of the vehicle or make your passenger get out, use a tape measure if needed (no shame) and walk the trail. Always put a long stick or branch into mud or water to gauge how deep or soft, because if you sink in mud, you're screwed in more ways than one.

Please, please don't allow the hype to push you over the edge and tear up your not easily replaceable new toy.

There is no shame in being new, as we all were at some point. So what that you didn't grow up wheeling, your ass is doing it now, shit!

You can have a ton of fun, it'll feel tough and rugged, but don't feel that you have to be a Navy SEAL of wheeling on your first or tenth trip out. Your priority is to have fun, not prove you've got the longest shaft, because that would be me! Ha ha!

This X 1000. Did a lot of extreme 4 wheeling. When in doubt, walk the trail, or at least watch a couple of others do it first. Had a buddy take on a new trail up a mountain. Too fast, got a little over 1/2 way up, and he was thrown off. The 4 wheeler went tumbling down, like 250 feet before being stopped by a tree. Using power, not speed is key in most situations. Man's gotta know his limitations, and the limitations of his machine...

 

[Cappy]

FIFY.

Don't put that on me Ricky-Bobby!

I done got my VIN and production date!

 

[broncosor]

The report from the guy who scratched his Bronco:
« As a long time old school Early Bronco off roader, it will take a bit of getting used to using some of the modern tech to become second nature. I only played in Rock Crawl GOAT mode so far.

The Trail Control is cool and I used it a good bit to maintain a steady pace over rocky terrain.

I used the One Pedal feature a little bit, and think it will be good for certain situations.

I tried the Trail Turn Assist several times and could not get it to work, will play with that more later to see if its operator error or not.

It did drag over some of the rocks much more than I'd expect in one of our Early Broncos with 35's, or even 33s or perhaps even the Balloon Chaser Ambulance Bronco which I've taken to Baja, Moab, Colorado and other places on 31s. There is a lot more low hanging points on the 2021 than just the differential.

I got rock rash on both rock skis, both lower shock mounts, both trailing arm mounts, gas tank skid plate, rear tow hooks, hitch, lower corner of rear bumper, driver's side frame rail. We were almost exclusively on green and blue trails and a few obstacles in the competition/playground area.

I can definitely see a lift and 37s in its future. «

 

[Montana Bronco]

Yes, I found a post last night by a guy that went to Rausch Creek. Will search and update. He posted the pics if the skids plates and underbody damage.

UPDATE:
FB User Drew Peroni aka @chronic_broncitus on IG


The post is worth the read. I am adding his photos as they are kinda buried in one of the comments. I am not too surprised about any of the damage as there has been several posts about the low hanging undercarriage items. FTR, Rausch Creek is pretty gnarly.

HAHA !!

I love it !

This dude delivered the goods. Scrapping up his undercarriage on Day One ! Proves he is no mall crawler.

 

[John Bronco]

I can tell from all of the rubbing, that he did wheel, but did so over rocky terrain and he also likely did not use a spotter. Most important, seems he went very fast through sections where low and slow would have been best.

Just about everyone I know who has run Dana 60s or 14 bolt combo on the rocks has worn the lip of the axle off to the point that the diffs leak. This is from scraping over rocks doing less than a mile per hour in most scenarios. 3000+ lb vehicle resting all its weight on a bracket or frame rail on rock is going to eat some metal. Over time the rocks win.

I’m not trying to counter your message as much as add to it. I think it’s important for beginners to know what they can get into all-to-easily if they don’t pay attention to where they are going.

The rock rash in the pictures WILL happen if you have rocks where you wheel. The more jagged and rocky the terrain, the more this will be the result. You’re tires and wheels will look like crap too. You will most likely get body damage. Know this and plan your trips accordingly.

Ease into it. If it’s you’re first time to an off-road park, cruise around the access roads and see what others are doing. This will probably be a ton of fun for you if you’re that new to this world.

it’s ok to just watch and learn.

(In all honesty, most off-road parks that I’ve been to, the trails to get to the TRAILS are very similar to what the Austin offrodeo has to offer. Go cruise the park’s “roads” and save money).

If you come across a group of guys in some of the newer buggies (like red dot or JHF chassis on portal axles) you won’t believe you’re eyes. They’re on a whole other level. Watch how they spot, communicate, how they use they’re lockers and transfer case options, how they work the throttle. If you see someone break or get shitty on a climb, watch how they work the winches and position themselves to get their buddy off the obstacle.

Before you get in with a group of people check their egos, intelligence, and their rigs out for capability and damage if it’s more than you want to hang with ask if you can follow and watch but restrain yourself from trying to prove something to yourself. Or just find another group.
The bronco has most of the components of a legit crawler. However, belly clearance, weight, width of the body and hanging brackets can all get you in a shitty situation before you know what happened.

Trust me. The guy with the $120K red dot buggy doesn’t want the pressure of spotting your brand new bronco up a sketchy climb and flop you on your side any more than you do. Don’t get yourself in that position.

TRANSLATION: always try to find someone just above your skill level. if you see a group of guys who seem cool, they have been wheeling for some time, have full body vehicles on 35s or 37s and the paint and body are in good shape, ask them if you can tag along and do easy stuff only. They may not want the hassle of a newbie but they might welcome you in. As long as you don’t hold them up and do dumb shit, most people who wheel are really cool. Avoid the jackasses at all cost.
There are plenty of them too. And don’t be one of them.

also, ask the park staff who might be a good fit. They know the locals, know most of the rigs and often lead groups themselves.

Be safe. Be careful. Be considerate. Be humble. Pick up your trash. Pick up trash someone else left. Thank the park staff. Make friends.

 

[VoltageDrop]

Did he break off the metal right there? Looking at old suspensions photos doesn’t appear to be much but damn that’s pretty close to the bolt.

Looks like he also hammered on the shock reservoir a bit, which was a B6G concern early on based on how low the reservoirs sit. This picture confirms that whole area is getting boxed on mine.

 

[OX1]

If you wheel in rocky areas, the underside of your Bronco will look like this too, spotter or not. Price of admission. Just touch up any scraped areas with some black enamel paint and don’t stress over it

Especially in the NE (south too many times, but much less snow). You wheel in heavier rigs (and some new broncos approach or exceed stock FSB's now) on non U-tube, sand paper, dry terrain, it's funny that anyone thinks they get to maintain a "line" or get to go slow (wheelspeed-wise) a lot of the time. The rain, wet leaves, moss, and slippery bark say otherwise.

So yes, being an extremely experienced wheeler, he wasn't running super easy trails and/or taking it super easy I'm sure. But if you are going to run harder trails near me and take the HARDEST lines (I guess you can "technically make it" through a trail if you take the absolute easiest way through and skip all the "optional" obstacles), your rig is going to look way worse than that, soon enough.

EDIT: Just read his report someone posted. Only "blues" and "greens" (green could be just the main roads around the park, might not even be an actual trail). But again, nature of the beast in larger, heavier rig. And even the multi-link coil rear solid axle is a ton worse than leaves (which every bronco ever made had up until now), which sit up way out of the way. Unfortunately, unless you revise suspension points, protecting all that stuff just adds more weight, and gives you less control. I'm @ 5800+ on my mog'd, 43", FSB. The only reason I get to pick a line and keep it (sometimes), is I run SX stickies now.

 

[drive21bronco]

It’s going to be interesting taking the new Bronco off road. over the past 11 years I I have modified/custom fabricated my CJ-7 to be some what of a rock crawling beast. Over time I have learned what it can and can’t do and how to take on certain obstacles and rock features. Im use to all it quirks. It’s also a very light vehicle compared to most of the Jeep’s I wheel with. It has narrow track axles and a short wheel base so I am accustomed to getting through trees and tight corners easier then the big newer wranglers. It’s going to be very weird driving this Bronco in the thick and rocky NE trails I am used to. I suspect I’ll have a lot of scrapping going on as I wheel. But then the real fun begins, learning the vehicle and figuring out ways to make it stronger and better suited for the trails.

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