Like anything in life there are some basics that you need to learn to be good at it. When you go off road some of the very first things are how to tackle the most basic obstacles and the techniques that are the building blocks for everything you will do.
In our very first video – Kyle Buchter from Off Road Consulting talks about some of these essential techniques. These are very basic techniques and we used very simple obstacles to show how to do them.
Avoid the Obstacle:
By far the easiest and most sensible option when you can do it. It is also the least fun. This option is best employed when you need to get to your destination in one piece, and return home without being towed.
Straddle:
Sometimes you simply cannot go around whatever obstacle is in your way. Generally this is because there are more things in your way on either side that are worse. Sheer cliffs, trees, bigger rocks, large angry bears all come to mind. The key here is to understand where the lowest point on your vehicle is on the front and the rear. For Jeeps it is usually the differential housing but they are on opposite sides of the vehicle. That means not only do you straddle the obstacle you have to take it at an angle so you don’t hit the rear.
Up and Over:
For this avoidance technique it is all about ground clearance. More specifically ground clearance to your frame and rocker panels. The tires go on and over the obstacle making the key to a successful path having enough space under the vehicle for the obstacle to not hit. This is the technique that will get you through the sketchiest of obstacles and getting the “feel” of judging obstacles will become essential.
There you have it. This is the first of our webisodes dedicated to off road driving techniques. There is a lot more to come and certainly some more advanced techniques as we progress. Next time we will show you how to get your traction control to work for you off road.
