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Vehicle and Trail Preparedness Checklist

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2xtreme

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Kayak Pt, WA
This is intended to be a useful document for people to use to help themselves be prepared for trail rides. It is not intended to be a fully comprehensive list, and it is not intended to mean that you need all of these items to participate in an event. It is only meant to help provide some ideas, conversation and the start to a checklist of items for people to consider while preparing for and participating in an event, this is generic on purpose. It also includes information that should be considered for a trail leader or other more senior members of an event.

BASIC VEHICLE AND TRAIL PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST

Pre Event Planning:
□ Know where you are going (Maps, Trail information, GPS waypoints, What to expect)
□ Know what time you are starting, and plan to be done (Meeting time and Leaving time)
□ Know who is going and have contact information for each of them (If they are not at the meeting place and time, then you can contact them to make sure they are ok)
□ Make sure someone who is not going knows your plans, and who will be with you so they can contact the appropriate support network if you do not make it back as planned (NWC Emergency Contact List)
□ Have a support network for someone at home to contact in case you don’t return (Friends, Family, Club members, Search and Rescue, 911, etc)

Event Coordination
□ Trail leader is in charge.
□ Expectations of communication between the group for each participant (CB Channel, Communication between first vehicle and last vehicle and possibly middle vehicle in larger groups, Hand held radios, Other?)
□ Expectation of group driving (waiting at the top or bottom of a hill till the person in front of you has safely completed the obstacle, keeping the person behind you in sight at all times, Good communication throughout the group to keep everyone aware of what is going on)
□ Vehicle line up (keeping winches, CB’s, better/less equipped vehicles, trail knowledge, spread out through the group to best assist the group through issues)
□ Group understanding of the trail (know what to expect, is each participant prepared, do you all have the same objective, will you be stopping at each obstacle for photos, who wants to be spotted and who doesn’t, who is most concerned about body damage and do their expectation align with the trail, etc)
□ Aired down tires to an appropriate level for the trail (if you are not sure, check what others are airing down to and why)
□ If you are unsure of anything, check with the trail leader, they are there to assist the group to the best of the groups ability
□ Group understanding of when/where for lunch and when/where to finish trail

Pre Event Vehicle Preparedness
□ All fluid levels checked
□ All lug nuts torqued
□ Tire pressure checked including spare tire
□ All suspension bolts and nuts checked
□ All steering joints checked
□ Track Bar mounts checked at both ends
□ All joints greased
□ Tools packed
□ Spare parts packed
□ First Aid kid packed
□ Fire Extinguisher
□ Food packed
□ Spare clothes packed
□ All items packed and secured safely
□ No check engine lights or other items of concern
□ Safe tow points front and rear
□ Garbage Bags
□ Winch clean and spooled properly

Vehicle Checklist
□ Food (plenty of food for trip and extra)
□ Water (plenty of drinking water)
□ Clothes (1 full change of clothes, water proofs, gloves, boots, ?)
□ Maps, GPS, Information related to the area traveling
□ Camping gear for trip
□ All gear packed and secured safely
□ Spare batteries for GPS, Camera, flashlights, headlamps, etc
□ Spill kit (absorbent mat and liquid tight container)
□ Garbage bags

Recovery Gear
□ CB and antenna in good working order
□ Work Gloves
□ Leather Gloves
□ Jumper Cables
□ Flash Light (preferably two)
□ Bottle jack
□ High Lift jack
□ Come along
□ Tow strap with NO hooks (preferably two different lengths)
□ Tree strap
□ Two shackles (preferably 4)
□ Shovel
□ Axe, saw, hatchet
□ Snatch block (if you have a winch)
□ Air source, tire gauge, patch kit, fix a flat, tire plug kit

Spare Parts
□ Tool box with all the tools necessary to replace all of the below
□ Enough oil for a complete oil change (oil filter?)
□ PS fluid (1 quart)
□ Brake fluid (1 bottle)
□ Gear oil (3 qts)
□ Auto Trans Fluid (2 qts)
□ Water (1 gal)
□ Serpentine belt and Idler pulley
□ Mechanical fan clutch
□ Spare CPS
□ Spare u-joints for front/rear DS and axle shafts
□ Spare rear driveline
□ Spare steering with Tie Rod Ends
□ Spare front axle shafts with hubs (make sure the wheel studs and axle splines are protected)
□ Spare rear axle shafts (make sure the wheel studs and axle splines are protected)
□ Spare alternator
□ Ignition coil, cap, rotor, plugs, leads
□ Spare soft brake line
□ Spare nuts, bolts
□ Spare lug nuts (keep them on your spare shafts)
□ Spare tire valves, and stems

Tools
□ Tool box that safely retains all of your tools and provides easy accessibility/organization of the tools in it
□ Work gloves and medical gloves
□ Hammer
□ Large punch/alignment tool
□ 1/2", 3/8", 1/4" racket
□ Extensions for above, 4" and 8-10"
□ Socket sets for the above, regular and deep well, 1/4" to 1"
□ Socket sets for same, regular and deep well, metric, 10mm to 24mm
□ Screwdrivers, flat and phillips, large and small tip, including a stubby of each
□ Combination wrenches, 1/4" to 7/8", Metric 8mm to 18mm
□ Allen wrenches, full set both standard and metric
□ Torx bits, full set
□ Adjustable wrench, up to 1 1/2"
□ Pry bar, at least 18"
□ Vice-grips, large and small
□ Channel locks and slip-joint pliers
□ Electrical wire pliers

Specialty Tools
□ On Board Air (OBA) or compressor or air tank with regulator
□ Tire valve stem tool
□ Fire Extinguisher
□ Ratchet straps
□ Paper, pencil, pen, sharpie
□ Siphon
□ Tire plug tools
□ Ground pad or tarp to work on vehicle
□ Spill kit
□ Shop towels
□ Pickle fork
□ Zip ties
□ Duct Tape
□ Heavy wire
□ Electrical wire

Post Event Vehicle Preparedness
□ All fluid levels checked
□ All joints greased
□ All suspension nuts and bolts checked
□ All steering joints checked
□ Tire pressure checked
□ Track Bar mounts checked at both ends
□ No check engine lights or other items of concern
□ Safe tow points front and rear
□ Good cleaning and inspection of under body for anything untoward
□ Winch clean and re-spooled properly
 
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