What did you do WITH your Gladiator today?

[WILDHOBO]

So what's your recommendation on doing the badge trails, which order seems to make the most sense. I was thinking Snake -> Rubicon -> Fun Run -> Quartz but was unsure if that was the quickest way to go about it.
Getting pretty excited now looking at your pics to get out there, but dang that's one hell of a rock to bend that rock hard 4x4 skid back like that.

I did snake, as it’s the easiest and a good warmup, then did F47 (not a BOH and I forgot the name), which is where the truly nasty stuff in the picture is, then fun run. Then I went back to the entrance, took a lunch break, and headed to rubicon ridge. I did quartz last. I took a wrong turn on the way out of quartz and was forced to do it twice. So basically, if you can read a map better than me, you’ll be done early with no troubles. I don’t regret the wrong turns or F47 (rated 5 out of 5 for a reason). It showed me that the park has a ton to offer. I wish a bunch of other JTs were along for the ride. Cool place.

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[WILDHOBO]

You made good use of that stubby bumper.
I'm still stumped on what that broken piece is.

The broken piece is a rock hard 4x4 Lca skid. Passenger side front, frame side. I must have caught a rock just right to have bent it so badly. I removed it and the driver side this morning. The driver side was bent, but not broken like passenger. I found a local welding shop that bent them back and re-welded them. I’ll put them back on before the next trail.

 

[drewcnit]

I did snake, as it’s the easiest and a good warmup, then did F47 (not a BOH and I forgot the name), which is where the truly nasty stuff in the picture is, then fun run. Then I went back to the entrance, took a lunch break, and headed to rubicon ridge. I did quartz last. I took a wrong turn on the way out of quartz and was forced to do it twice. So basically, if you can read a map better than me, you’ll be done early with no troubles. I don’t regret the wrong turns or F47 (rated 5 out of 5 for a reason). It showed me that the park has a ton to offer. I wish a bunch of other JTs were along for the ride. Cool place.

I wish there was a JT along for the ride as well, I'm going with a JKU, 3 JKs, a JL, and a JLU.
Another question did you find any of the turns on rubicon ridge or fun run tight? I've heard 'Gladiator life' 3 point turns are necessary in spots.

 

[KevinM60]

The broken piece is a rock hard 4x4 Lca skid. Passenger side front, frame side. I must have caught a rock just right to have bent it so badly. I removed it and the driver side this morning. The driver side was bent, but not broken like passenger. I found a local welding shop that bent them back and re-welded them. I’ll put them back on before the next trail.

That's what it looked like by the location but I'm not able to look under mine while at work.
But I can peruse the Glad forum

 

[WILDHOBO]

I wish there was a JT along for the ride as well, I'm going with a JKU, 3 JKs, a JL, and a JLU.
Another question did you find any of the turns on rubicon ridge or fun run tight? I've heard 'Gladiator life' 3 point turns are necessary in spots.

Not really. Tight, yes, but not tight enough for y turns, except maybe once. The steeps will favor the gladiator actually. Several steep declines were steep enough that I used a couple clicks on the parking brake.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I wish there was a JT along for the ride as well, I'm going with a JKU, 3 JKs, a JL, and a JLU.
Another question did you find any of the turns on rubicon ridge or fun run tight? I've heard 'Gladiator life' 3 point turns are necessary in spots.

Just plan your turns early and you can make it around almost all of them without 3 pointers.

 

[drewcnit]

Just plan your turns early and you can make it around almost all of them without 3 pointers.

Thanks! I've shared a couple of your pics and the routing you mentioned with our group chat. We may end up on F47 because everyone says it looks fun.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Thanks! I've shared a couple of your pics and the routing you mentioned with our group chat. We may end up on F47 because everyone says it looks fun.

If you really do f47, go in knowing you’re in for it. If that’s your mindset, you’ll have a blast. If anyone is afraid of hitting skids, sliders, bumpers, etc, they should pass on it. It was rubicon trail stuff, but for a short distance.

 

[WILDHOBO]

If you really do f47, go in knowing you’re in for it. If that’s your mindset, you’ll have a blast. If anyone is afraid of hitting skids, sliders, bumpers, etc, they should pass on it. It was rubicon trail stuff, but for a short distance.

If you do, I can’t wait for your review. Hopefully you won’t tell me it was easy and I’m a bad driver.

 

[KevinM60]

In soft sand you gotta go lower, like single digits, to really float. It makes a world of difference, but I haven’t tried it with the JT yet.

I’ll have to try it again on our next trip.
that was our first time to Ocotillo. We usually go to the high desert but we like ocotillo too. It’s about the same distance from home.

 

[KevinM60]

I haven’t been to Ocotillo yet but I want to go. My buddy and I might be checking out the Chuckwalla and Orocopia trails around thanksgiving. South of Chiriaco Summit and Desert Center.

I’ll be up in Lucerne Valley all Thanksgiving week. I was looking to see where Chuckwalla and Orocopia are in case I could join in but they’re a bit further than I want to drive from Lucerne.
We’ll be in bullhead on october 14th and will be looking to do about a half day of offroading.

 

[Tanners Owner]

I just came back from a house hunting trip in eastern ID from western Wa. I towed a small uhaul trailer there, came back w/o it. Very impressed with how it handled, MPG out was 15-17, whole trip was over 22 MPG. Drove ~65MPH out and 80-70 way back. Overall a ver posi experience

 

[TestMule]

I helped my JT make a 4-wheel inflator system. I believe the JT got it right as far as the system also being a deflator as long as you closely monitor the gauge.

 

[Mightytalldude]

Getting down to the last few runs of the season. Sunday is Jenny Creek, near Tolland, CO. High of 64°, so tube doors on, with heated seat and steering wheel in the morning. Testing out the new Mickey Thompson Baja Boss 35's.

 

[drewcnit]

Just got back from Hot Springs ORV park and running the 4 badge trails there, in my opinion Quartz Canyon was a little bit of a let down, BOH app shows it as 5-6, I'd give it a 3. Snake is nothing big. Favorite trail of the 4 Badge trails was Fun Run.
Rubicon Ridge was a lot of fun, but the first 1/3 of the trail is the best. We had a JK get too high on one of the drops, she rolled once -

Cosmetic damage only, she drove it off the trail and proceeded to run Fun Run and Snake right after the rollover.

If you do, I can’t wait for your review. Hopefully you won’t tell me it was easy and I’m a bad driver.

Day 2 was more challenging trails and more crawling on rocks, but we didn't do any 5 diamond trails because of her rollover and shaky nerves.
We did Ultimate Adventure, Squid's Jaunt, Rock Fink Ravine, Ravine, Gorge, and Bubba's Stump. Each had a nice technical area to climb through and fun rocks a few felt like a tight squeeze for the Gladiator but overall it did everything well. Coming off of Ravine onto F20 I got too high and waved my rear end in the area at the Jeep behind me, which with her trauma the day before had her literally throwing it in park and noping out of the driver seat for that drop.

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