Whether you are getting ready for a cross-country adventure or gearing up for an outing to your favourite local wheeling destination, your pre-trip ritual should look the same. Sometimes spending an hour or more going over your rig can seem too tedious, it is a sure way to save you hours of potential stress and a lot of money over the years. Although you will rarely need to use your bag of tools, spare parts, and your fire extinguisher. However, be sure that the moment you leave any of those important items somewhere in your garage, you will find that you need them!
- Jeep accessories
Of course, each car is different, in terms of off-roading, there is a general checklist of items that you must have. There is also a list of things you should check on before heading to the trail. In order to help better guide you on your next wheeling journey, we have thoughtfully compiled a list of pre-trip rituals that we have found to be helpful over the years. As a bonus, we have included some tips and parts that we have found helpful in making ‘wheeling adventures much easier.
4×4 Bolt Check
Going off-road adds a significant portion of extra stress to the components of your 4×4. This is way more than what it would be when you are cruising down the highway. This increased stress can easily lead to bolts becoming more and more loose over a period of time. A simple way for you to keep track of what exactly is happening under your 4×4 is to bring out your toolbox and do a good bolt check. When you do the bolt check for the first time, it will take you about two hours or longer. Once that first check is out of the way, make life easier for yourself moving forward, make sure you paint to mark your hardware. From a mere glance, a quick and easy paint mark will help you to easily see if any of your components have come loose. Doing this can help in making any trail repairs and diagnosis much faster and even prevent it altogether.
Check fluids
You have probably learned how to check your engine oil, this is usually one of the first things you learn when you get your first car. Engine oil is important, yet it is only one part of the major fluids that keep your precious 4×4 running smoothly. Think about all the processes and systems in your car, identify all of them that need fluid to function and check them. This includes the entire range from the coolant to the differentials. Just taking a few minutes to check them will potentially save you a significant amount of time and prevent any failure. In addition, if you usually drive your 4×4 through mud and water, you will need to make sure that you change (or at least check) your differential fluid more frequently. This is the lowest lubricated part of your car, meaning that it is much easier for water to get in. Once the water is in, it can wreak a lot of havoc on your differentials internals.
Tool kit
As you do the bolt check, make a note of all the tools you used. This list will help you when you put together a tool kit to take with you. If your 4×4 or Jeep needs a special size wrench or socket, make sure that you have it with you. There are few things that are worse than having a spare part with you but being unable to install it because you did not bring the correct tools.
First Aid Kit
Each time you combine nature, heavy metal and human beings, there’s bound to be an injury or two. Many people do not realize just how physically demanding going off-road is. This is even truer when it comes to your co-pilot. Please make sure that you have a sufficient first aid kit with you. You cannot escape the trail mishap but you can prepare for it.
Recovery Gear
As a bare minimum, your rig ought to always have one set of removable shackles and a properly weight-rated recovery strap. If you do have a winch, we suggest that you add a tree savour, snatch strap and winch weight, to your recovery kit as well. You will also need a good quality pair of gloves, just in case. Ensure that you or your co-pilot can easily access the recovery gear easily and quickly. When you are out on the trail, even the milliseconds can make a difference.
Hydration
Always bring plenty of water with you. You can easily lose track of time while you are busy having fun on the trail. Off-road dehydration is a real problem. We recommend using refillable water bottles, you can also fill one or two of the bottles with ice. We all know that taking some trail snacks is great but without question, water is the highest priority.
Trail Table
After wheeling for decades, we have found that one of the best things you can have on your vehicle is a flat spot to do any work on. This serves as an excellent place to work on any trail failures, as a bonus the table can also be a good lunch bench. We often use the Bestop RoughRider Tailgate Shelf. We appreciate how it easily bolts to the 4×4’s stock tailgate. It also easily folds out of the way when you are no longer using it. The trail table is quite easy to clean and we find it very handy on the trail.
Fire Extinguisher
We cannot stress how important it is to bring a fire extinguisher with you. You probably think that you will never have to use one, but unfortunately, we have had too many instances where we needed it and were very thankful we had one. You can get a simple ABC rated fire extinguisher from your local hardware store, it is cheap and it will do the job. If you prefer you can always get a higher grade and therefore more expensive extinguisher. We have never had any problems with the simpler ones. We do however recommend having two fire extinguishers with you. You can mount one near you in the cockpit and another one at the rear of the 4×4.
Air pressure
You can also simply make your car ride much smoother and perform much better off-road by lowering the air pressure in your 4×4’s tires. For this, you will need a decent plan for getting the airbag in when you are done. You can purchase s small portable air compressor, you will get value for your money. Make sure you get a proper air gauge that is able to read into the single-digit range. Getting a valve core remover will make dropping air pressure even faster.
Going the extra mile
Think of the above list we have provided as a starting point. Each 4×4 and circumstances will be quite different. If you will be wheeling in the winter, be sure to carry a spare set of clothes and a good blanket just in case you have to sleep in your rig for the night. If you will be spending a long time with your Sunrider folded back then sun protection needs to be a high priority on your list. You could also bring a physical map along, just in case.