Well, traction control really works...

[skeptic]

Without getting into the details how, I was camping this weekend and found myself hung up on a boulder. Both rear wheels kinda sorta on the ground, but most of the weight in the rear was on the front of the diff on a rock. Front end had only one tire with traction. About 2 feet behind my rear tires was about an 18" dirt wall and a steep gravel and dirt hill (up) that I had just dropped off. Ya, I know, :whaa:....

After getting out and seeing what stupidity I had done and wondering who and how I could get towed off that stupid rock I hopped back in, threw it in 4-low, put it in reverse, then gave it some throttle. After a couple seconds of what sounded like tires spinning in the air the traction control kicked in for the one tire that was still solidly on the ground and pulled me off the rock and up the hill in reverse. Maybe a bit faster than I should have, but I wanted to keep momentum up and get out of that situation.

 

[Pappibri]

Glad too hear that you was able to get out under your own power. Live and learn right....:thumbs:

 

[twinmill28]

That happened to me at the Layotn Hills Mall one time, thought I was going to be the lauighing stock of the mall cruisers.
Thank goodness for that traction control!

Seriously, RME, or Rocky Mountain Extreme is an excellent forum to be a member of in that situation. My budddy Jim Philips or one of the other members would have shown up in short order to help out. Glad you were able to self-extrac though.
For future reference though, it would be good to be a member of that forum as well as our fine forum here.

 

[skeptic]

Ya, I was just being stupid. Driving down to a lake (legally). The main trail goes straight to an open area to park or left along the lake, but as I was approaching the turn I noticed a small path/trial to the right and decided to go that way... Couldn't see the drop off and rock through the hood (and I had been looking forward/left to see if I wanted to stop or follow the path around), and made a split-second decision to turn right on the less traveled path. Would have been just find had I gone another 5 feet before turning.

I wish I would have taken a pic of it, but at the time I was just thinking about getting free. The front must have barely cleared the axle and the rear diff stuck dead center of the high point on the rock holding most of the weight. It couldn't have been more perfect for letting both rear tires barely touch.

My wife was not amused. After getting free I looked at the rock checking for anything leaking, and saw I was not the first one to hit it. Strange enough, it looked like the top was covered with globs of melted metal. I suppose worse case I could have jacked it up and stacked rocks underneath, but glad I was able to back off of it.

 

[twinmill28]

Wives---they just don't seem to have a sense of humor in these situations...

 

[Renagade132]

Great job brother, I hope if I ever need it, it will be there for me to use as well! I keep hearing we are going to have a bad winter in the east coast this year, so I might get the chance and need to use my 4 low too!

 

[owlxxx]

for sure, serge (mb30sdl) here helped me learn how to get out of a jam by learning how the system works. I was stuck, high centered and wedged between boulders in Last chance canyon and he coached me outta there.

 

[skeptic]

That happened to me at the Layotn Hills Mall one time, thought I was going to be the lauighing stock of the mall cruisers.
Thank goodness for that traction control!

Seriously, RME, or Rocky Mountain Extreme is an excellent forum to be a member of in that situation. My budddy Jim Philips or one of the other members would have shown up in short order to help out. Glad you were able to self-extrac though.
For future reference though, it would be good to be a member of that forum as well as our fine forum here.

Actually, I am a member there, went on a trail ride with a group of them last year. You are correct, there is the occasional "stuck in XYZ" thread and those guys seem to live for helping people out of a jam. Unfortunately no phone/internet service there so if I would have been truly stuck an unable to self-rescue I'd have had to thumb a ride far enough out to contact them. Good thought though, at the time I was thinking AAA or calling DesertH3/Airborn or begging some random person (I do carry a strap). There were a few others around, but very few and far between.

Speaking of which, I'd love to squeeze one last trip in before the snows set in. This place is great. From our camp site we saw a total of two other cars go by, and from the edge of the trees we could see the lake. Saw maybe a dozen people total the entire trip, mostly from a distance on the lake. We did a bit of fishing Sunday morning from 7:30am until 10:00am and had the entire lake to ourselves. No ATVs/dirt bikes racing around, no loud campers that we could hear... You could pull a trailer to where we camped (smaller or off road trailer would be advised)... I can't believe it took me living in UT for 9 years and a suggestion from Airborn for me to find this place.

 

[twinmill28]

I've never heard on anywhere around there that you could get away from the ATV'ers/dirt bikers or other traffic. I didn't mind them, they were always just in my way and creating a lot of dust.
Is this place around Salt Lake or closer to Layton?

 

[skeptic]

I've never heard on anywhere around there that you could get away from the ATV'ers/dirt bikers or other traffic. I didn't mind them, they were always just in my way and creating a lot of dust.
Is this place around Salt Lake or closer to Layton?

Uintas - about 2.5 hours East. The quickest way is actually through Evanston Wyoming.

 

[SickStringC]

Nice! Next time stomp on the brakes and give it some gas ... Slowly let off brake till wheels move slowly and you can crawl almost like having lockers (BTM). Loved the teeter totter effect of the H3 with traction control! Just watch the sudden torque from spinning wheels redistributed to ones that grab. That's where things go boom.


Sent from my mind via telepathy.

 

[skeptic]

Nice! Next time stomp on the brakes and give it some gas ... Slowly let off brake till wheels move slowly and you can crawl almost like having lockers (BTM). Loved the teeter totter effect of the H3 with traction control! Just watch the sudden torque from spinning wheels redistributed to ones that grab. That's where things go boom.


Sent from my mind via telepathy.

Manual brake throttle modulation would have been the next step. That's essentially what traction control is, but letting the TC do it's thing has the advantage of only braking the wheel(s) that need it. That was my go-to move when I was driving open diff, no TC Jeeps. No worry about breaking anything this time, at least not from TC or regained traction when the tires were back solid on the ground - I was very light on the throttle until the TC kicked in and I started to move backwards, then when it felt like all 4 were grabbing I increased to maybe half throttle to quickly back up the hill.

I have yet to do any real wheeling in the H2 :emb: but it's funny that the closest I've come to needing a strap in the last 2 or 3 years was on a non-wheeling camping trip with nobody else around.