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IT'S INEVITABLE WHEN YOU DRIVE ENOUGH MILES OFF-ROAD THAT EVENTUALLY SOMETHING IS GOING TO GO WRONG- A FLAT TIRE, STUCK IN SAND, LEFT THE LIGHTS ON ALL NIGHT AND NOW THE BATTERY IS DEAD. YOU NAME IT, WE'VE LIVED IT. THIS OFF-ROADING GEAR CHECKLIST IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU PREPARE AND PACK SO THAT WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG YOU CAN GET YOURSELF BACK ON THE TRAIL.
AIR COMPRESSOR: IF YOUR TIRE HAS BEEN PUNCTURED AND LOST AIR PRESSURE, YOU'LL NEED TO ADD AIR ONCE YOU PLUG THE HOLE. WE USE THE GSPSCN PORTABLE AIR COMPRESSOR.
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TRACTION BOARDS: TRACTION BOARDS ARE PARTICULARLY USEFUL WHEN YOU ARE STUCK IN SAND, SNOW, OR MUD. MAXTRAX ARE THE MOST WELL KNOWN BRAND OF TRACTION BOARDS, BUT THEY ARE PRICEY. MAXSA INNOVATIONS, X-BULL, AND ORCISH ALL HAVE VERY WELL-REVIEWED, MORE AFFORDABLE OPTIONS.
SPARE TIRE: GETTING A FLAT ON A TRAIL IS NOT A GOOD THING FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. BUT WITH SHARP ROCKS AND OTHER DEBRIS, IT IS NOT AN UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE. TIRE PLUGS ARE A SOLUTION FOR SMALLER PUNCTURES, BUT IF THE HOLE IS SUBSTANTIAL, YOU ARE GOING TO NEED A SPARE TIRE.
TOW STRAP: IF YOU'VE FAILED TO GET YOUR VEHICLE UNSTUCK ON IT'S OWN POWER, GETTING A LITTLE TUG FROM A FRIEND IS THE NEXT STEP. THAT'S WHERE A TOW STRAP COMES IN. THE GENERAL RULE IS THAT FOR EVERY 1 INCH OF STRAP WIDTH, THE STRAP HAS 10,000 LBS. OF STRENGTH. SO A 2 INCH WIDE STRAP WILL HAVE AN APPROXIMATE 20,000 LBS. STRENGTH RATING. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE A RECOVERY STRAP THAT IS RATED 3 TIMES THE WEIGHT OF YOUR VEHICLE.
TIRE PLUGS: FOR SMALLER PUNCTURES IN TIRES, TIRE PLUGS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO GET YOUR TIRES BACK UP AND RUNNING.
PORTABLE JUMP STARTER: WE USE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS JUMP STARTER.
JACK: THERE ARE A VARIETY OF OPTIONS OF JACKS- BOTTLE JACK, HI-LIFT JACK, EXHAUST JACK. WE USE A HI-LIFT JACK AND IT HAS COME IN HANDY A NUMBER OF TIMES.
RATCHET STRAPS: WE HAVE COLLECTED A LOT OF RATCHET STRAPS OVER THE YEARS. LATELY, WE'VE PRIMARILY BEEN USING THE SUNFERNO RATCHET STRAPS.
TIRE DEFLATORS: WE US THE BOULDER TOOLS TIRE DEFLATORS AND PRESSURE GAGE AND IT WORKS GREAT. YOU JUST SET THE DEFLATORS TO THE PSI YOU WANT TO AIR DOWN TO, SCREW IT ONTO THE TIRE VALVE, AND WALK AWAY. THIS ALLOWS YOU TO AIR DOWN ALL YOUR TIRES AT THE SAME TIME SO THAT YOU AREN'T WASTING A BUNCH OF TIME AIRING DOWN.
SHACKLES: SHACKLES ARE THE MOST COMMON CONNECTORS BETWEEN HOOKUP POINTS ON A VEHICLE AND TOW STRAP. BOW SHACKLES ARE THE PREFERRED TYPE OF SHACKLE FOR OFF-ROAD RECOVERY, AS THE WIDER "MOUTH" ON THEM ALLOWS FOR LARGER STRAPS TO BE USED. ANCHOR SHACKLES ARE ALSO A GOOD OPTION. THE MOST COMMON SIZES ARE 3/4 INCH, 7/8 INCH, AND 1 INCH (MEASURING THE DIAMETER OF THE SHACKLE). IN CHOOSING SHACKLES, PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORKING LOAD LIMIT (WLL) AND MAKE SURE IT IS SUFFICIENT (AND THEN SOME) TO WITHSTAND THE WEIGHT OF YOUR TRUCK.
SHOVEL: IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO GET A TRUCK UNSTUCK, THE TIRES CAN DIG INTO THE GROUND BELOW. THIS MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OUT, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR TIRES AREN'T BURIED BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE. WE'VE USED A SHOVEL TO DIG OUR WAY OUT OF SNOW, SAND, AND DIRT.
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