2023 Annual Overland Trip - Oregon BDR #5 South

[pilotgabe]

I threw this question out to Will/Gotrovr a couple days ago...
Do you guys think the newer trucks with the wider tracks (i.e. LR3's, LR4's, L322 & up) were somewhat more compromised in terms of sidewall exposure in those boulder and volcanic rock fields?
Just curious...
--Paul

I don’t think so. On our run, besides my LR4, we had my LR3, Nick’s 110 on 37’s with spacers, an 80 Land Cruiser with basically the same set up as Nick, and an LC 60 on 30” KO2’s (but a very narrow track).

I think it’s just the luck of the draw on some of these tracks. We had zero tire issues in the Christmas Valley region, and only one mechanical (blown strut). But then last year in the Mojave, I sideswipe a rock I could see at the edge of the track and blew the sidewall. Just a big oof.

We also encountered the nearly 17 combined miles of volcanic chunkiness at the same time of day, and go super slowed down as well. It was torture lol.

These memories will live on forever.


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[pilotgabe]

Man Miles, what a great write up. I would’ve loved to experience those historic stops you guys made along the way. Just goes to show there’s always something to explore and discover.


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[pilotgabe]

Sign me up for the podcast!


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[Elherbinator]

Excellent write up and kudos on your story telling abilities Miles. Definitely one for the books! And maybe the magazines too 😉

[MHARTD4]

Great write up Miles!!! Hoping to see lessons learned and advice on this thread.

[SLOHybrid]

14 hours ago, PaulD said:

I threw this question out to Will/Gotrovr a couple days ago...

Do you guys think the newer trucks with the wider tracks (i.e. LR3's, LR4's, L322 & up) were somewhat more compromised in terms of sidewall exposure in those boulder and volcanic rock fields?

Just curious...

--Paul

I thought my L322 Sc did really well on it's 30.5" AT tires and all the factory gizmos it came with but by the 4th day it was apparent that the independent suspension rigs had met their limit.  the relentless rock garden took it's toll on my front control arm bushings  (the lack of transfer box protection did not help either) my family was wishing we had brought the RRC which sits on 35's and is much better suited for rock/boulder crawling.  I found out once we hit the pavement to air up my tires had miraculously aired themselves up to street pressure?? which is why we felt every bump.  Would I do it again in the L322? yes!  with shock spacers / a much better air compressor over the factory unit and taller tires. 

[Motobrewer]

In the matching the L322 SC with 32: MT tires, I had no problems with the trail. Well, except for the sidewall. I attribute the puncture to a few factors:

1. Didn't air down enough. The trail up to that point was mostly hard pack dirt and gravel trails through forests. When we entered the rocky section, it was much hotter than when we started the first two days. This would have increased tire pressure. 

2. Fatigue from the difficulty of the trail and late in the very hot day. 

3. Too fast for the conditions. Again, late in the day, likely traveling too fast, and I think we all just wanted to get to camp and out of the rocks. 

4. The setting sun - mostly heading South and West on the trail and the amount of dust reduced visibility on the trail. Felt that you really needed to pay attention with your line for the smoothest path through the obstacles. 

Sum: I take the blame for mine. I was in control and should have made the necessary adjustments for the conditions. Learning moment, albeit an expensive one. The tire only had about 4K miles on it. 

The issues with Air Suspensions were the more severe problems that we encountered. I started a thread in Technical Talk about some trail fixes and potential modifications to the trucks to make those fixes a bit easier. Knowing what the GAPTool can do and how to use those features would have gotten us further along more quickly with potentially reducing the secondary damage and additional work required to get off the trail (clearing rocks off the trail to get the L405 on bump stops). 

I think we all learned a bunch, and I suspect that there will be more than one Air Suspension trail fix parts kit on the next adventure. 

Future mods for the L322 will include suspension spacers and possibly 33" Tires. Mods higher in the list will be a valve in the air system so that an external air compressor can inflate the system, laminated copy of the GAPTool Instructions on how to force the other 3 air bags in case of one failure, sliders, and underbody protection - replace the stock plastic skid plate with metal and extend back the to the transfer case/transmission and ideally, the fuel tank.

The L322 makes a great Overland Platform, but it needs a bit more protection. It was comfortable, handled well and with the SC, plenty of power. There was more than one discussion of Modern vs Old after those few days. Each with Pros and Cons. Older models without the fancy electronics are certainly easier to fix on the trail while the newer models will make getting to the trail much more pleasant. Barreling down smooth fire roads with the L322SC was no worse that 101 in the Bay Area... 

[Mr.BlueSky]

57 minutes ago, SLOHybrid said:

I thought my L322 Sc did really well on it's 30.5" AT tires and all the factory gizmos it came with but by the 4th day it was apparent that the independent suspension rigs had met their limit.  the relentless rock garden took it's toll on my front control arm bushings  (the lack of transfer box protection did not help either) my family was wishing we had brought the RRC which sits on 35's and is much better suited for rock/boulder crawling.  I found out once we hit the pavement to air up my tires had miraculously aired themselves up to street pressure?? which is why we felt every bump.  Would I do it again in the L322? yes!  with shock spacers / a much better air compressor over the factory unit and taller tires. 

Robert and I ended up airing down again on Saturday - my tires when warm were pushing 25PSI when I had thought I was at 20PSI.

Robert then effectively sold me on the tire pressure monitor gizmo. : - )

[Motobrewer]

7 minutes ago, Mr.BlueSky said:

Robert and I ended up airing down again on Saturday - my tires when warm were pushing 25PSI when I had thought I was at 20PSI.

Robert then effectively sold me on the tire pressure monitor gizmo. : - )

I will likely turn off the TPMS in the truck and use Roberts solution. Knowing what the PSI is vs an idiot light saying that’s it’s low… on the L322 the light overrides the time display and having to hit ‘OK’ every time I start the truck is an annoyance. 

[Mr.BlueSky]

There is an amazon lightning deal and $15 coupon on the Tymate TPMS sensor kit right now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B79QMDGP?psc=1&smid=A2JTD80WVEKASX&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

[SLOHybrid]

1 hour ago, Motobrewer said:

In the matching the L322 SC with 32: MT tires, I had no problems with the trail. Well, except for the sidewall. I attribute the puncture to a few factors:

1. Didn't air down enough. The trail up to that point was mostly hard pack dirt and gravel trails through forests. When we entered the rocky section, it was much hotter than when we started the first two days. This would have increased tire pressure. 

2. Fatigue from the difficulty of the trail and late in the very hot day. 

3. Too fast for the conditions. Again, late in the day, likely traveling too fast, and I think we all just wanted to get to camp and out of the rocks. 

4. The setting sun - mostly heading South and West on the trail and the amount of dust reduced visibility on the trail. Felt that you really needed to pay attention with your line for the smoothest path through the obstacles. 

Sum: I take the blame for mine. I was in control and should have made the necessary adjustments for the conditions. Learning moment, albeit an expensive one. The tire only had about 4K miles on it. 

The issues with Air Suspensions were the more severe problems that we encountered. I started a thread in Technical Talk about some trail fixes and potential modifications to the trucks to make those fixes a bit easier. Knowing what the GAPTool can do and how to use those features would have gotten us further along more quickly with potentially reducing the secondary damage and additional work required to get off the trail (clearing rocks off the trail to get the L405 on bump stops). 

I think we all learned a bunch, and I suspect that there will be more than one Air Suspension trail fix parts kit on the next adventure. 

Future mods for the L322 will include suspension spacers and possibly 33" Tires. Mods higher in the list will be a valve in the air system so that an external air compressor can inflate the system, laminated copy of the GAPTool Instructions on how to force the other 3 air bags in case of one failure, sliders, and underbody protection - replace the stock plastic skid plate with metal and extend back the to the transfer case/transmission and ideally, the fuel tank.

The L322 makes a great Overland Platform, but it needs a bit more protection. It was comfortable, handled well and with the SC, plenty of power. There was more than one discussion of Modern vs Old after those few days. Each with Pros and Cons. Older models without the fancy electronics are certainly easier to fix on the trail while the newer models will make getting to the trail much more pleasant. Barreling down smooth fire roads with the L322SC was no worse that 101 in the Bay Area... 

Paul, I am ordering a replacement t case subframe today off ebay... I plan to add a skid plate to it which I will make.  I like the aux valve idea for the lines too.

[Mr.BlueSky]

Alrighty, so 3 questions were asked on the trip that haven't been answered yet - but I have the information now!

1) Who / What is Baby's Grave?

• I copied a pdf that was scanned for us by the Forest Service offices. While it is allegedly a gravesite, it is now mostly used as a locational landmark when describing where one is at in the National Forest

2) How was Winter Ridge / Summer Lake Formed?

• Winter Ridge is a Fault Block Mountain - there is a good image below. The Great Tetons in Wyoming are also fault block mountains, though much much higher.
• Winter Ridge is a long fault block mountain that is found along the western margin of the Chewaucan-Summer Lake Basin which has its steep slopes facing east. The high escarpments were formed by down-shifting of the basin floor. The east-facing slopes drop approximately 3000' from the highest point at scenic Fremont Point (7135') to Summer Lake (~4150'). The ridge runs approximately north to south about 30 miles or so from where FS Road 2901 joins Oregon Highway 31 near Picture Rock Pass.
• 

3) What was total trip mileage? 

• I estimate for the folks living in the South Bay we completed a roughly 1771.9mi trip.

37497.pdf

[pilotgabe]

So I was trying to compare the NCLR route to ours, and it looks like in the Rock Garden From Hell, NCLR took a slightly different route. Where as we went by two "lakes" (dry lake beds; green line), the NCLR group turned north before we did (cyan and light blue lines). Looking at the contour lines that the light blue line goes through (north bound), was that a steep area? So I am wondering if that's why there was such carnage and a different experience through that area. Of course now it sounds like it's a paved highway from all the rocks that were removed...

The dropped pin are the coords that Paul gave us in the WhatsApp chat.

The true definition of trail blazers...

I'd love to compare the tracks if anyone recorded them...

Edited July 8, 2023 by pilotgabe

[Motobrewer]

@pilotgabe

if this didn’t work, I will export the data. I missed the Gaia , do you want to continue recording the track on the first official trail day - for some reason that happens often. 
 

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/oOKh0CTblN5Fo7VOG2G9K9sH

[pilotgabe]

1 hour ago, Motobrewer said:

@pilotgabe

if this didn’t work, I will export the data. I missed the Gaia , do you want to continue recording the track on the first official trail day - for some reason that happens often. 
 

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/oOKh0CTblN5Fo7VOG2G9K9sH

Yea, I need to be reminded to continue if I Pause the recording lol.

But looking at the track, just south of Gap Ranch, you guys bypassed a section that we did, which probably saved you some time, but that one part you guys did in the Rock Garden from Hell wasn't what we did. I remember looking at some satellite imagery in that area and wondering how the heck there's a track there and how did the people who made it get through there. Super remote.

Looking at it on Google Earth, we should have gone the way you guys took, it looks well traveled in comparison. Where the intersection is, we tracked west and you guys tracked north.

All this to say, if we do a trip to this region again, we route for an easier trail through this section, if at all.

Edited July 8, 2023 by pilotgabe

[Ben Silva]

On 7/3/2023 at 4:19 PM, Gotrovr said:

Finally made it home today a little after 3pm.....   Drove 5mph under the limit, could have driven 10 over...  My truck's spirit was shaken not broken...   I have scheduled an appointment for my Defender with Land Rover Monterey next week, to get a spa treatment, MRI, Pig Pen tattoo, and assorted armor added...

Next task for me is to sort out and refine my camera pics....

 

@Gotrovr I couldn't make the trip but interested in what happened with your Defender as a fellow 2021 owner. I wonder if it was related to shock failures reported on the other forum? https://landroverforums.com/forum/2020-defender-60/electronic-dampening-shock-failures-112336/

Edited July 25, 2023 by Ben Silva

[Mr.BlueSky]

BUSINESS FIRST:

Calling all attendees:

1. Please check your emails and confirm via email your images can be used in a Rovers North article. I've gotten responses from most folks. If I don't see an email soon, I'll assume you are lonely and need a call ; ).

2. Can everyone please privately (so as not to spam this thread) message me the year of the rover taken on the Oregon BDR?

3. Make sure your addresses are correct in your account - this is where your copy of Rovers North magazine will be shipped. 

 

The Fun Bit:

The huge amount of "grasshoppers" we witnessed in Nevada has made my breakfast reading rag... The dates are about right! We were in the Northwest corner, but seems we had a similar effect.

[Gotrovr]

On 7/24/2023 at 9:12 PM, Ben Silva said:

@Gotrovr I couldn't make the trip but interested in what happened with your Defender as a fellow 2021 owner. I wonder if it was related to shock failures reported on the other forum? https://landroverforums.com/forum/2020-defender-60/electronic-dampening-shock-failures-112336/

Failure number 2.... Shock broke in two sections... When it happened, the suspension was in the highest setting and I was driving over water melon sized rocks for several miles.   I heard a loud pop like I blew out the side wall on one of my tires....  I have no one to blame.  

[Mr.BlueSky]

Update on the Shirts

 

Sasha and myself have been pestering the shirt supplier for a reprint after our shirts began bleaching yellow in the sun. They offered to replace them, but only if we mail the defective shirts back... 😵‍💫

If everyone can help arrange getting shirts to myself, Johann, or Sasha in this next week (ideally before Wednesday the 9th of August) I can ship them back.

Apparently we were supposed to wash cold, by hand, and inside out, all shirts before wearing... No instructions came with the order...

 

I myself will be in Minnesota between Thursday-Monday. Just a heads up.

[pilotgabe]

That’s a ridiculous expectation for t-shirts lol


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[Mr.BlueSky]

Another update on the T-shirts - make sure you wash in machine cold water before wearing if you haven’t already.

the talks with the T-shirt supplier has gone down a rabbit hole of ever changing goal posts and nonsensical steps to get the shirts replaced. In short, there is a risk if we ship them back, they will claim we wore them or damaged them and they won’t return them to us without additional shipping paid.

Sasha and myself after multiple communications have given up on them doing the right thing. 

Mike and Leigh Anne, since you shipped the shirts back from Reno, I think I have enough shirts that haven’t seen the sun I can ship back to you.

for the rest of us, hopefully the yellow can wash out over time, and if desired maybe we can do another run if there is enough interest - some expense may be needed. In the future, we won’t be using Custom 1 Tshirts…

For those that did manage to get shirts to us, we will get them returned to you.

[Mffoster]

Our shirts are actually packaged to go but I was planning to put the. In the mail tomorrow.  We’ll just hold on to them, so no need to get us any more.  Good effort trying to get them fixed though!

[drafdog]

Appreciate the effort to help us despite their lack of care/help!

[Mr.BlueSky]

Thanks for the understanding folks! : )

 

[Motobrewer]

Mine has turned out ok. Going to roll with it. Bound to get oil on it sooner than later.