Trail spares

[BC CJ]

As mentioned I'm just looking for the bare essentials here. Most of the exploring I am doing is on old logging/mining roads and they aren't long stretches of rock crawling. The tough spots are usually short areas like a washout or a mud hole. So I could winch out and then 2wd home... at least thats the hope. I'd agree its better to have all that stuff but I dont have the budget now plus I dont want to spend too long before each trip loading up. Hence looking for the bare essentials. Its a 75 so no AMC20 .

I really like the idea of zap straping spare belts under the seat! I think I will do just that. Thanks Jimbo!

You dont sound like a D-bag, you just dont have the right picture on the 4wheeling I do. I'm not running the Rubicon every weekend, its far watered down from that. Mostly backroads wandering with the occasional challenging spots. I'm more about finding nice lakes, old fire lookouts or mines - not the toughest trail available. Thats why the focus on keeping the engine running and not worrying too much about spare drivetrain parts.

 

[tarry99]

I have some fuses and conectors, good call, and I will pick up a spare coil. Do they out all at once or is it a more gradual death usually?
Thanks coldair!

Jr. VHF or 'ham' radios are often used by the outdoor crowd around here. I'm hoping to pick one of those up one day... otherwise its hiking to main routes or in some areas up-hill to get a cell signal.

Belts are a good idea, esp alternator. But one can limp a long way without them but they are fairly small and light. Will fit in the underseat storage with a bunch of other stuff anyways.

You cant duct tape a rad hose? hmmm, those take up a lot of space. It's very true they usually go at the end and can be re-attached. I've done that on another vehicle. I think I'll risk that. We have lots of water in BC, creeks and what not, so there is usually a place to get some water for the rad... I would need a scoop though. Empty cooler is a great idea.

Thanks BusaDave! BTW, I always enjoy your trail pics. Looks like you are really enjoying your Jeep - thats what I plan to do with mine. And your hand control for the throttle is a dang good idea that I just may steal one day!

BC

Having been off-road more than my share of time I'll share a few things that I have learned.
The most important thing I can suggest first is using your noggin while off the road and not putting yourself or equipment in harms way.
Bottom line , if your alone and traveling back in the back country, you should be in a survival mode as soon as you leave the pavement.
I along with two of my friends routinely Deer hunted 40-50 miles off pavement where a trip in would take 3 days +/- on BLM land. There were no trails except for the ones we cut year after year back in the late sixty's & early seventy's in places like Colorado, Nevada ,Utah, Wyoming, Oregon,Idaho Etc. Our tow vehicle's were left in town. My CJ5 along with a small Jeep trailer was the mule. There were no other vehicles or support. A Compass & forest service quadrant maps were all we had to go on. No GPS or cell phones back in the day.
Of course along with all the normal things mentioned by everyone previously like food ,high energy bars ( they last forever),we even used dry Ice to keep things frozen like Ice cream for weeks ( you have to vent the cooler),water, tools, shovel & some spare parts like a universal or two, a set of wheel bearings, gasket sealer, a tub of grease,oil ,nuts & bolts, tape, extra set of points and a cap , a few pieces of water hose and clamps, extra set of plugs , fan belt , one extra plug wire and some common primary wire etc.
Thinking whether or not you can limp back which I have had to do in two wheel drive by going down all the time, the next most important thing may be Shelter if your in there for any length of time, tarps,rope, water purification tablets, water proof matches or a few lighters, axe, splitting wedge & small hand saw, a signal mirror , red 3 inch tape and we also found it real handy to have a small chainsaw along , tire repair kit , tire bar, and small 12v compressor ,extra length of cable for the winch , tire chains and a long wave Weather Radio.....
I mentioned the Tire Chains & Weather radio last as the Weather in the High Country or Plain States can be your worst enemy in a heart beat. When your 2-3 days in and it starts snowing , the first thing that happens is your totally disoriented by the white out. Your reference points look totally different and all your trails and some of your traction are gone , your now on Compass 100%. We have had to break camp more than once when it started snowing in the middle of the night and travel for hours until we felt comfortable at a lower elevation. Misjudging the weather could be your worst nightmare.
I can also till you from past experiance that mostly all of my spare parts are still under the passenger seat unused for the past 30 + years.
Nowadays with GPS and locating beacon technology some of the old seat of the pants adventure trips in the sticks may be gone.
So whether your into extreme off road trips or just a casual trip into the back country I hope some of this info will help you.
Point is start with good equipment and proper preparation and be smart about you and your equipment's abilities........the brain is the most important tool.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Most of parts like the spare axle shafts can be left on the rig. Most of the stuff can be left on em.. Making it easier to pack for a trip. Or better yet when it just randomly brake on you. I drove my yj to work today with no problems. Fixed the fuel gauge at the dash, started up to pull it out o the bay and the fuel line blew. Just random things..

 

[BC CJ]

It's those random things I'm afraid of. I'm pretty light on equipment when ever I can be. Things like the ignition module that fail without warning and nothing will work without it... these are the spares I want!

Today I got to drive around essentially without brakes. For some reason they are pulling extremely hard to the right when the last time I drove it everything was fine. But by taking it easy and gearing down I was able to limp home.

Tarry; I use my brain as much as I can (although the wife will tell you otherwise). I pack for the trip plus a bit of extra for safety. With this thread I'm hoping to compile the bare essentials that I can hopefully keep locked in the storage box under the passenger seat all the time so it'll be there no matter what type of trip I'm on.

I've been busy but hopefully soon I'll get this list compiled in 1 post.

 

[coldair]

As for the coil going bad I've had them go bad all of a sudden and some get hot and burn a hole through the side ( oil cooled ) then go bad.

 

[BC CJ]

As for the coil going bad I've had them go bad all of a sudden and some get hot and burn a hole through the side ( oil cooled ) then go bad.

Thanks coldair! This is exactly the type of info I need. I can bypass the starter and starer solenoid by cluth-starting... what else is there? Anything in the distributor?

 

[JR74CJ5]

Thanks coldair! This is exactly the type of info I need. I can bypass the starter and starer solenoid by cluth-starting... what else is there? Anything in the distributor?

Do you have a points style distributor?

Either something to clean them or a spare set of points if so would be nice

 

[coldair]

Ear plugs work good to slow a radiator hose leak. Roll them up stick a few in the hole wiat a few mins add water good to go. I've don't this 2 times first I was 50 miles out past BFE and you have a pirtty mouth limped back into town second time I was up in the mountains fan hit my coolant hose both times I had a cooler with me.

 

[tarry99]

Do you have a points style distributor?

Either something to clean them or a spare set of points if so would be nice

Good Point JR............I was getting ready to go out on a limb on that very subject and would be something to consider if your going to be in the woods for days as nothing really beats the simplicity and reliability of the old basic point ignition system.
I still have my Mallory dual point system in my 1965 CJ.

Now not to say that I don't like the Electronic MSD stuff. The MSD people are personal friends and have been a major sponsor and contributor for years in our Racing programs.

But there is a time and a place for everything.

 

[BC CJ]

I have the early style electronic ignition as far as I know - the petrolite ignition module. (only used for 74-75 I think) Sorry I am lacking a bit of knowledge on this stuff.

How can I tell for sure? Look under the distributor cap to see if there are contact points or with electronic the spark will jump without actual contact??? Is that right?

I used to play around with my Landcruiser's distributor but my memory is already fuzzy about that. I just remember sanding things to get a better spark and smoother running engine for a couple months... then do it again

 

[tarry99]

I have the early style electronic ignition as far as I know - the petrolite ignition module. (only used for 74-75 I think) Sorry I am lacking a bit of knowledge on this stuff.

How can I tell for sure? Look under the distributor cap to see if there are contact points or with electronic the spark will jump without actual contact??? Is that right?

I used to play around with my Landcruiser's distributor but my memory is already fuzzy about that. I just remember sanding things to get a better spark and smoother running engine for a couple months... then do it again

BCCJ You would Probably know if you had single point Ignition........that is old school stuff and I would think anything after 1970-1972 would have a breaker-less System..........but take a look, its just funny that JR mentioned that because I wanted to bring that up but thought I would really be showing my age! (LOL) Truth is it is a great system that has few parts and very easy to fix.

 

[BC CJ]

On board spares list:


Tire department:
-patch kit
-air compressor (depending on size this may not stay in the Jeep always)
-tire iron

Electrical department:
-fuses
-roll of wire
-connectors and tape
-power test light
-ignition module
-coil

Tool department:
-basic wrench/socket set
-vice grip pliers
-hammer and punch
-pry-bar
-screw driver
-utility knife

Other:
-engine belts
-duct tape
-silicone tape
-flashlight
-map

Safety department:
-fire extinguisher
-first aid kit
-couple cans of food, energy bars
-water purification tablets
-water will probably be packed for each trip… Some of this gear will be in a sealed plastic container which can double as a scoop to collect water.
-blanket
-lighters, a little paper to start a fire
-VHF radio (wont stay in the Jeep)

The 4wheeling gear, jack, saw, shovel will be put on for each trip but I think the winch controller could fit in the under seat box.

OK, what have I forgot?

 

[BajaEdition]

what you have to remember is spares take space and weigh a lot
so you can not carry it all
JR74 put up a good list
as far as spare parts such as axles, well just how much do you want to carry? I mean most guys would have to carry 3 unless the rear pumpkin is offset then it would be 4, I carry 2 spare ujoints and a spare hub and consider that kinda being ready for anything.
A very good thing to have is a BAG O BOLTS, that is just a bag with all those spare bolts hanging around, plus some ones you have sized for spares like the spring hanger size, body mount spares etc.
I like some electrical stuff, some tune up stuff and a bunch of MC Guyver stuff.

 

[tarry99]

Flashlight, MAP , Signal Mirror, Screw type clamps, Water tabs, Energy bars: easy to store and last forever Gasket sealer, snatch block.
VHF radio ,? low power and only line of site, good if someones listening close by or behind you. Maybe pickup some Weather?

 

[justinfonder]

vhf radio is ok if you have a tall whip antenna and even better if you get to high ground. not too familiar with the civilian side but work on these alot in the military. we use alot of VHF line of sight on the ground. with the terrain we faced in Afghanistan, it was almost useless, but we were very isolated. get something with at minimum 5 watts output. if you're wheeling near national parks, foresters, weather stations, most will have a vhf radio. good chance that you could be within range of someone. as a combat communications guy, i'd stand by this before i would my cell phone, haha.

almost forgot, most VHF radios have an emergency signal, turn it on and forget it. i know this allows coast guard and tow boats to locate you if your boat breaks down. i'm sure they can do this on land as well. worst case scenario, if you've gone missing for days and they send an air search, they will see that signal for sure.

 

[BC CJ]

Yes spares take space and weigh a lot, and cost a lot if you dont already have them laying around. So my list has as few as possible.

some good additions Tarry, thanks.

There is a network of repeater towers around BC so a VHF radio can actually get you pretty good range. Problem is not that many people are sitting around listening to them... and the line of sight thing. Using it may require some hiking (i'm thinking handheld). Seems that the offroad crowd around here like these though so I should look into it.

http://www.bc4x4.com/features/2010/vhf/

 

[BC CJ]

looking back at my list I think it needs to be split into 2 places:

1-the tools and parts to stay in the box under the passenger seat (so I can fix stuff if I break down in town. Also the first aid kit and fire extinguisher.

2-the survival gear, small size 4wheeling gear, food, radio in one bag ready to go into the Jeep every time I head out of town.

 

[justinfonder]

There is a network of repeater towers around BC so a VHF radio can actually get you pretty good range. Problem is not that many people are sitting around listening to them... and the line of sight thing. Using it may require some hiking (i'm thinking handheld). Seems that the offroad crowd around here like these though so I should look into it.

http://www.bc4x4.com/features/2010/vhf/

wow, guess i didnt realize that civilian units were allowed to be that powerful, 25-60 watts is a powerful vhf radio and that handheld unit towards the bottom is 7 watts. more power than our military handhelds. pretty cool that yall have the repeating stations. none of that down here in florida.

 

[tarry99]

Yes spares take space and weigh a lot, and cost a lot if you dont already have them laying around. So my list has as few as possible.

some good additions Tarry, thanks.

There is a network of repeater towers around BC so a VHF radio can actually get you pretty good range. Problem is not that many people are sitting around listening to them... and the line of sight thing. Using it may require some hiking (i'm thinking handheld). Seems that the offroad crowd around here like these though so I should look into it.

http://www.bc4x4.com/features/2010/vhf/

BCCJ............I looked at your link and know people that use the 2 meter Ham VHF radios......quite powerful 25-50 watts........needs a License and of course others in your group that have the same capabilities.......Most work will down in the Desert areas in SO Cal & Arizona where there are not much trees or obstacles other than mountains.

 

[jonboy1919]

Rescue Tape, this stuff works so good it's ridiculous.
Rescue Tape - World's #1 Brand of Silicone Tape!

Oh my God, if anything at all in your breakdown kit, you must have "RESCUE TAPE." This stuff held my split radiator hose together on my van while travelling in Montana until I could reach the next town with services. IT IS THE BEST! Good call Boots.