We gathered on the acquainted spot simply off of the Table Mesa Road Exit. I pulled in shortly after Brent arrived. Up from Tucson, he was visiting his mom throughout the Christmas holidays and needed to run a path or two with us. We had met on the JU discussion board (www.jeepsunlimited.com) a while again and when he mentioned he was going to be on the town, we made positive to get him instructions to Table Mesa Road.
Larry was current in his TJ, Dion and Paula of their YJ, YJ John in his YJ (duh), Trisha in her Sammy (woops….how did that get in there)….anyway, she rode shotgun with YJ John so let’s simply say she confirmed up on the spot in her…..ahhhhhh…….ummmmmm….car, yeah, car, that’s it!. Brent in his nicely constructed TJ, and myself with Lady (my TJ). I had performed some radio membership work with my good buddy Bob simply a few days in the past, and I used to be capable of get him to journey shotgun (lastly) on right now’s run.
I had by no means ran Pipeline earlier than, let alongside lead it. On the way in which to Table Mesa, Bob and I finished by Roger’s home (one other native Jeeper) and I downloaded his Garmin II+ observe log into my laptop computer (you do carry a laptop computer if you go wheelin’, proper?). Roger had ran the path a number of occasions earlier than and it simply so occurred that he ran it Friday. He was form sufficient to document a observe log of the path. Once in my laptop computer, I uploaded it to my Garmin III+ and we have been able to go….I had Roger’s “bread crumbs” proper there for me to make use of. What a deal!
We hopped again on the freeway and headed north to Black Canyon City. We exited the freeway and headed to the path head to air down. Once all have been prepared, we headed south down the Pipeline path, following the digital bread crumbs on the Garmin. If all went nicely, we might be again at Table Mesa highway in a number of hours and able to present Raw Deal to Brent.
We have been about 10 minutes down the path when YJ John referred to as for us to carry up (he was working tail gunner). The mud defend on his bell housing (or one thing like that) was rubbing so he climbed underneath the car to take a handful of bolts out and take away it. OK….again on the path and able to go.
About 5 minutes later, YJ John provides one other name on the radio. We maintain up and Dion goes again to verify issues out. The brief model is a small bolt is required to carry one thing in. Larry hits pay dust within the backside of his device bag and saves the day (or at the very least John’s). OK….again on the path and able to go.
We arrived at our first enjoyable spot on the path…..a really steep down hill with uncovered mattress rock. Bob (my buddy driving shotgun) dug his fingers into my roll bar padding and down we went (keep in mind, it was his first off-road journey in a Jeep constructed up for these things). After we obtained to the underside of the hill, I thanked Bob for leaving a lot of the padding in place.
I scrambled again up the hill to catch a few the fellows. I managed to snap this image of Brent as he eased himself down over the off-camber bedrock. Brent’s MT/Rs held the rock fairly good and there was solely a little bit of tire skidding as he labored his TJ down the hill.
After all made it down, some determined it could be enjoyable to climb the hill (naturally). The first up was YJ John. He labored his approach up, holding to the proper the place the rock was not fairly so slick, working arduous to get traction.
It was a wrestle with only a little bit of ahead momentum being made in small steps. Just in regards to the time we although he was going to make the highest, we heard that sickening POP that any critical Jeeper has heard earlier than….a u-joint had gone. Sure sufficient, a fast look underneath the rear finish and we might see the u-joint on the pinion yoke at failed. John was going nowhere actually quick!
It was determined {that a} restore on this spot was not doable. Although the Jeep was steady, the footing was fairly dangerous and it wouldn’t take a lot to start out sliding down the hill, now that 4WD was not working. John determined to make use of my winch to get him up excessive. I took the bypass as much as the highest to place my TJ whereas Dion obtained round John’s YJ on the path (don’t ask me, I used to be over on the bypass path getting arrange).
We thought it is perhaps simpler to strap John as much as the highest, assuming traction may very well be gotten by the tow Jeep. I grabbed the yellow tow strap from underneath the seat (I’ve realized to maintain it in a spot that may be rapidly gotten to with no need to unpack the Jeep.) We hooked it round John’s hooks and onto Dion’s receiver D-ring. A few makes an attempt and Dion obtained John up and onto extra appropriate floor for a u-joint swap.
John grabbed his favourite blanket and a few wrenches and set to work on the u-joint. Larry once more was the person of the hour when he produced an appropriate alternative u-joint. John had one however one thing was incorrect with it. In the photograph above, John is eradicating the u-bolts from the pinion yoke. The finish caps had cracked and precipitated the failure. John is getting fairly dangerous axle wrap and it’s placing some dangerous angles on this u-joint when loads of torque is utilized.
This is the spot the place I get to brag about my new u-joint press. I picked one up from Harbor Freight (on sale for $29.99) after seeing one used on the Charouleau Gap journey I made throughout Thanksgiving week. If you ever used the tried and true technique of two acceptable sized sockets, a giant hammer, and an appropriate rock to sit down every thing on whereas to try to beat the tip caps out of the yoke, you’ll admire a u-joint press. It took about 30 seconds to press the blown u-joint out of the yoke and the identical period of time to place it again in. I feel it’s secure to say that everybody was fairly pleased with the outcomes. I do know I used to be..
Pipeline & Raw Deal Trails
With the u-joint restore behind us (and most of my ham & cheese sandwich), we headed down the hill one final time and on to Table Mesa Road.
Now one factor that grew to become readily obvious was that our beginning location was on the east facet of the freeway whereas the spot on Table Mesa Road the place we have been suppose to complete at was on the other facet of the freeway.
Not to fret….there was a quite giant (about 10’x10′) cement culvert that ran underneath the lanes of the north sure freeway site visitors. We cautiously entered the large darkish tunnel, seeing gentle on the reverse finish and listening to the rumbling of site visitors overhead.
I used to be first into the tunnel and so I hopped out to see what we have been up in opposition to when I obtained close to the tip. We had a 3 foot drop to the bottom to deal with adopted by somewhat boulder area simply to make it attention-grabbing. Someone(s) earlier than us had stacked a number of rocks underneath the ledge which made it doable to get down with out ripping off the rear bumper, tire service, and so forth.
U-joint John exits the tunnel (oh….did you discover that we not name him YJ John? Yep, after the u-joint failure on Appetizer, and right now’s espisode, it was determined that he was far more suited to this title.)
Larry winds up a line out of the pile of rocks that litter the path the place you exit the tunnel. There are fairly plenty of methods to select your approach by means of the varied rubble.
Once Larry, Brent, and myself have been by means of, Dion determined to discover a more difficult route (doesn’t he all the time?). He discovered that a few of these rocks, regardless that they’re fairly huge, would roll round after getting a tire on high of them. This added to the problem and offered extra enjoyable for the spectators, spotters, and basic recommendation givers (all of us traded these jobs on a moments discover, a lot to Dion’s dismay).
Brent manages to flex up his TJ fairly good as he climbs out of the tunnel and heads throughout the rocks. His 35″ MT/Rs, 4.5″ RE carry, and belly-up skid plate offered him with nice clearance and he made it by means of with no issues in any respect.
Pipeline & Raw Deal Trails
Shortly after the tunnel, I picked up some associates of U-Joint John on the CB. They have been working late and had referred to as earlier on the mobile phone for instructions to the path head. We held up the group for a couple of minutes whereas Michael, driving a constructed up Cherokee, and his buddy driving a Toyota pickup, caught up with us.
We managed to sneak underneath the south sure freeway site visitors by stepping into broad wash that simply occurred to have a small bridge constructed over it. We opened the vary grazing gate and obtained everybody by means of, together with Michael and the Toyota. With a good left hand up hill flip, we once more headed due south, following the Pipeline markers to Table Mesa. Within 10 minutes of journey, we might see acquainted land marks as we closed the hole.
U-joint John referred to as for a halt on the path head for Raw Deal. His proper entrance hub didn’t appear to be participating in 4WD. After everybody looked for an Allen wrench so the hub may very well be disassembled and checked, U-joint discovered one at the back of his YJ….apparently the device field had dumped its contents alongside the way in which. Maybe now we’ll should name him Hubless John……no….doesn’t have nearly as good of a hoop to it as U-joint John.
Raw Deal was fairly the a lot the identical because the previous trips by means of it, aside from a few notable occasions. This was Brent’s first time by means of (open entrance diff and Trac-loc within the rear) and Michael together with his Cherokee deliberate on taking the arduous traces with us.
Here is Brent getting arrange for getting into the good divide. He had somewhat drawback proper in right here in that he obtained all tangled up and his open entrance simply wasn’t serving to the LSD rear in doing its job. Dion obtained him on a brand new line only a bit to the proper of the place I had him and he climbed proper out. (good clearance on that stomach up skid)
Michael decides to come back all the way down to the place Brent simply was by way of a barely totally different route. He and Dion each took this line coming down “from the excessive floor”. U-joint John noticed each of the fellows by means of this part with no carnage (but).
Brent did an excellent job over the Great Divide, as we name it. The shadows don’t reveal simply how dangerous you may get going by means of (really over) this impediment, however belief me, you may get your self in such a approach as to want a tow strap to get out (proper U-joint?). Larry watches to ensure Brent’s left rear tire catches a slim ledge (when you miss it, you’ll peal sheet steel off or maybe the pores and skin off of a Cherokee’s rear bumper….Michael?) whereas U-joint John directs the recognizing motion from the entrance.
I went by means of the air-hole and as regular, obtained fairly good air….nearly too good! I didn’t suppose it was ever going to come back again down. Michael appeared to suppose it was a fairly good concept so I noticed him by means of it. At the height of his climb out of the opening, he stopped the Cherokee and leaned down and out of the door to examine the undercarriage of his rig. (Actually, I feel he was utilizing himself as an outrigger to forestall himself from going over to the proper.) Yes sir, he obtained nice air for a LWB car.
While the entire above with Michael was taking place on the air-hole, U-joint John decides to run the Great Divide in a non-standard style. (I simply don’t learn about these folks! Without grownup supervision, look what sort of mess they get themselves into!) I obtained again to seek out U-joint on this predicament. He was caught huge time. Just a few rocks weren’t going to get him out of this one, no matter how a lot these huge fats tires of his needed to seize for traction. Michael backed up his rig and Larry obtained a strap out of his TJ. The approach I see issues including up, U-joint John owes Larry BIG time for all the help he obtained on this journey…..let’s see, there was the bolt approach again at first to carry one thing or the opposite collectively, a alternative u-joint on the failed hill climb try, and now this good huge yellow strap! What do you suppose?
We completed up this part of the path and went and performed on the large rock ledge. With time working out and a number of other with an hours drive again to house, we determined to air up and name it a day. All in all, it was a fairly good journey. We once more proved the GPS does have its place on the path, taking us from begin to end regardless that I had no concept the place we have been going! We all have been capable of hone our path repairs expertise with the assistance of somewhat OJT (On the Job Training), courtesy of U-joint John.
I hope your path runs are as nice as this one was. Enjoy the outside and keep in mind to TREAD Lightly!
