Metberry Gultch After Action

[Catahoula7]

Hello,

My brother and I ran Metberry Gultch in Divide Colorado today. A beautiful trail, moderate difficulty, though the amount of washout has made the lower end of the trail more difficult that normal according to some regulars.

The day went pretty smoothly, though we turned around at chicken scratch hill due to the weather turning a little and the washout being more than I wanted to take a stock Rubicon on. All in all, the Rubicon handled the trail better than expected. I would have made it out without damage except I made a silly mistake in my fatigue, forgot that my swaybar locked up after I parked, and I took a sloppy line.

Other than that, the difficult parts are steep hills and off camber lines that the Gladiator handled perfectly, though I would recommend more clearance than stock for chicken scratch hill at least until they get more maintenance done.

I definitely am going to be looking into a 2.5" lift and 37s. The gladiator is 10x the machine than anything I have ever taken off-road before, but I would love to get into harder trails.

@MaxJT

You were right about the control arm sliders and thank you for that recommendation. I only regret I did not get them soon enough to save my bacon from my own stupid driving.

The good:

The Bad:

I only hope that the damage to the control arm connector isn't more than cosmetic. I know that some of them can get finicky. If it is, oh well. Regardless it is time for some control arm skids.

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[MaxJT]

Great photos, looks like you’re out getting after it! Hard to tell from the photos, but the LCA damage doesn’t seem too bad? I got the LCA skids from Rusty’s offroad and think they’re fantastic.

 

[Stan H]

Hello,

My brother and I ran Metberry Gultch in Divide Colorado today. A beautiful trail, moderate difficulty, though the amount of washout has made the lower end of the trail more difficult that normal according to some regulars.

The day went pretty smoothly, though we turned around at chicken scratch hill due to the weather turning a little and the washout being more than I wanted to take a stock Rubicon on. All in all, the Rubicon handled the trail better than expected. I would have made it out without damage except I made a silly mistake in my fatigue, forgot that my swaybar locked up after I parked, and I took a sloppy line.

Other than that, the difficult parts are steep hills and off camber lines that the Gladiator handled perfectly, though I would recommend more clearance than stock for chicken scratch hill at least until they get more maintenance done.

I definitely am going to be looking into a 2.5" lift and 37s. The gladiator is 10x the machine than anything I have ever taken off-road before, but I would love to get into harder trails.

@MaxJT

You were right about the control arm sliders and thank you for that recommendation. I only regret I did not get them soon enough to save my bacon from my own stupid driving.

The good:

The Bad:

I only hope that the damage to the control arm connector isn't more than cosmetic. I know that some of them can get finicky. If it is, oh well. Regardless it is time for some control arm skids.

Might want to do a bigger tires and lift too. Just sayin.

 

[TheOpa]

A wire brush and some spray paint and you are good as new. Looks like a beautiful place!

 

[Catahoula7]

Great photos, looks like you’re out getting after it! Hard to tell from the photos, but the LCA damage doesn’t seem too bad? I got the LCA skids from Rusty’s offroad and think they’re fantastic.

I will get getting Rusty's skids here soon. Thank you for the advice.

My biggest concern is alignment woes but I think I hit softly enough that nothing should be off.

Might want to do a bigger tires and lift too. Just sayin.

37s is my limit because I still need to DD this. I am open to a 3.5" lift, but I think 2.5s are a little easier to live with as a daily.

A wire brush and some spray paint and you are good as new. Looks like a beautiful place!

That is what I was thinking, but the question is if anything needs straightening first.

I love the views of the mountains we get up here. I only wish I could have made it to the river.

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