Dreams of moab 2014

With adding a locker in the front id do alloys too.

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished product. What are some of the smaller things your looking to do?

I took a Cherokee with a 3 inch lift and 31s to Moab sometime back around 98. You can do a fair amount, but you are limited to mostly scenic trails. Even with lockers good tires you are just limited by ground clearance and terrain.

That being said, there are a lot of gorgeous scenic trails you can take and you can make it as challenging as you want.

If you plan on going by yourself, budget in a GOOD winch, straps, d-rings and snatch blocks. Things can go wrong out there in a hurry, and there can be no one else coming along for days.

Looks great! My brother is planning a very similar upgrade so it's nice to see in your rig!

I didn't get to do as many of the trails as I wanted, but with a good

Quote from TheDarkSide

Well, cb radio, adjustable tracbar, contol arm skids, nitro shocks of some kind, auxiliary lights, to name a few. I would love to come up with some kind of roof rack but we will see about that. There will end up being other things along the way.

Unless you want to free up the cargo area for a bed, I would avoid a roof rack. Kills your gas mileage, especially if it's loaded and will make it top heavy. There aren't that many scary off-camber spots out there, but the ones that are... you don't want to roll. lol I might be able to give you a rear window interior rack though (metal cage looking thing).

Thinking about lights... we hopefully won't need off-road lights on the trip, and then only the front vehicle will be using them. But, reverse or flood lights are nice for the campsite. I've got a pair of small but very bright LEDs that served as reverse/flood lights. Upgrading the headlights will be more useful. The IPF lights have the strongest lenses (if that's a concern for you) and the Hella E-Codes have the best beam pattern.

Quote from TheDarkSide

I would think a stock jk would do everything my 3 inches on 31's xj would do.

I agree. It took 3" of lift on our XJ just to fit JK wheels/tires...and then was left with significantly less suspension travel than a stock JK would have with the same wheels/tires.

Quote from TheDarkSide

Headlight upgrade is a definite plan even without a trip. Also front tow points, forgot that one.

I put some Delta housings in mine that I bought used from a member here and then put in the full harness to get power right from the battery. Hard to say about before/after as I was solving an existing problem, but the end result was very satisfying to me.

I really like the front tow hook design from these guys. --> http://www.ironrockoffroad.com…IR-XTHM&Category_Code=PFX
Never got around to picking the kit up but it was in my list of parts to get at some point. Might as well just have a good hitch with center hook for the back.

If you are on FB...here's a group for Moab.
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/rr4wmoab/

Quote from Keith.eric

I'd love to be able to make it out there. Jerry what lift/tires size are you running? And did you need the locker? What would be a baseline of upgrades needed to handle this type of trip?

I was a stock JK Rubi last year... factory 32" BFG MTs and added the ACE side steps and a JCR engine skid. I ran Fins and Things fully loaded and didn't air down. Scraped the frame a little (not quite high center) on an optional harder section of the trail. If I had aired down, I probably would have had to back out of that spot. I used the lockers for the hard sections (just steep climbs) of that trail and for a surprise trail I found at Arches National Park. The trail at Arches was far harder than Fins and Things, I don't think I needed the lockers, but I was in a hurry so I used them. As for a minimum, I'd say 31s for XJs with a true 3" lift. TJs 31s or 32s with a 2" lift. JKs 32s or better, but a lift is better for ride quality. Lift height sag from being loaded with gear is an issue to keep in mind, progressive-rate springs will be a good idea for somebody who doesn't have a lift yet. Bumpstops and gas-charged shocks are important, too... most of the trails are primarily scenic so I was blasting along. One trail I want to repeat next year is 80 miles long and didn't really need 4wd (unless it's wet/muddy) and I overheated my shocks. Man, the ride got rough then. lol I'll go slower next year and do it in two days with a campsite reserved in the middle of the trail.

I never touched the engine skid, but I think I smacked one of the steps at the Arches trail. But, I've always been good about picking lines that will keep that area safe... I learned fast after killing a trans crossmember with my XJ.

I have the Moab and CO books from Charles Wells and the trail ratings are a little subjective I think. He rated Fins and Things as "Difficult" (Easy-Family Fun Runs, Moderate-Sport Utility Adventures, Difficult-Hard-Core Challenges) and I ran it solo with no issues. But, the trail at Arches he rated as Moderate. That could be due to erosion making the section a lot harder since he wrote the book, I dunno. I think maybe our Rausch Creek and Paragon ratings have biased our trail level ideas.

"Easy" talk aside, I do want to find some harder trails next time, and run Hells Revenge (because, why not!). Supposedly a stock TJ can do Hells Revenge with a good spotter.

Yes you can get through hells revenge on a stock jeep. Its mainly petrified sand dune. You wont beable to do hells gate or escalator but you can watch others. Also i would not go into to hot tubs.

I think part of the books ratings consider the remoteness of the trails and difficultly you can have getting out. For example Pritchetts Canyon is not that hard. A short arm locked tj on 33's and a winch can do it but if you break it can take days to get off. i would say that the terain itself would be considered a blue at rc. Btw, pc is rated the hardest trail in moab.