Clawhammer - Lessons Learned

[GSequoia]

Well we tried to run Clawhammer on Saturday, it proved to be quite the learning experience, here is a short list of some of the lessons learned.


1: Clawhammer and Samaris don't go together.
2: Terry learned that hard lines can only bend *so* far.
3: Paul learned what those little locating ears on a D44 yoke are for.
4: Julio learned that there is a surprise inside every OEM driveshaft.
5: Anthony learned enough not to learn the above.
6: The YJ guy (sorry, can't remember your name!) learned that the oil pan is not a skid plate.
7: Critter learned that wheeling with is a lot of work (Thanks!).
8: Josh learned that even when doubling the power of his winch with a snatch block he's still not going to be able to get a YJ off a rock if it's in gear.
9: Everybody learned that I'm a crappy trail leader on Clawhammer!


Photos will be up later, I'm still decompressing from a stressful drive home - Between knocking the alignment a bit out, possibly spinning a wheel inside a tire (thus killing balance), and a loose track bar the drive home was special!

 

[Wiser]

thanks sequoia for leading!

 

[HeepSpeed]

Thanks Sequoia for the CB for us in the Grape! Glad it all worked out and glad that the new water bag was a hit!

 

[GSequoia]

Well, as stated we tried to run Claw but didn't really get too far. Here are some pictures of what we did...

As we headed out Critter decided to show us that even 2.5s are fun on the dunes, he did a few laps around there.

After letting the group catch up and look at the dune for a few minutes we continued on to Claw. Just as we were getting in to the trail we lost the first Samari to a slipping clutch, he decided that he should head back so off he went.

Once we got into the rocks leading to Claw fun stuff started happening!

Here's Anthony scratching his driveline, this comes into significance later when I advised him to turn back because of it.

The first real damage was Paul. At some point in the past one of the locating tabs on his D44 yoke broke off so while on Claw he spit his U-Joint out on a very mild rock (at first Josh and I thought the crack was just a rock popping). Luckily for him there was no secondary damage so after Critter winched him back he put his spare on and was back in action.

While Critter and Paul were fixing that I was spotting Julio up some rocks when the Jeep slipped into a rock and modified his rear driveshaft.

He pulled out his spare driveshaft only to find it was the wrong one :twak: so we grabbed a water bottle, two medium sized hose clamps, and some duct tape to plug his butt.

By then Terry has broken a front brake hard line while trying to bend it back to where it was supposed to be so we had Julio, Terry, the white Samari, and Anthony going back.

It was just down to Paul, Critter, the YJ Guy (can't remember his name!), and Josh planning on continue on.

While we were fixing everything up the YJ got stuck pretty good so had to break his brand new winch out.

After getting him out of that spot he ended up getting hung up again. While Josh was winching him back he landed on his oil pan causing a slow leak from a crack by the drain plug, Josh came up with the great idea of using a tire plug wrapped around the oil drain plug to fix it up and we started moving again. Then while Josh was winching him back from that spot he landed on his oil pan again (after moving about three feet) and this time he knocked a much larger hole in the pan, time to shut it off!

We were able to catch the oil and after failing to patch it with my Mobi-Arc we ended up using JB-Kwik to patch it up better than a factory seal, he didn't leak a drop on the way back. We then cleaned up all the oil that had dropped out and put the contaminated dirt into one of my spill bags and had lunch.

At that point the YJ was out, Paul was going to turn back, and Critter was going to escort them, it was down to just Josh and I so we decided to go back with them.

So all told we made it about 0.2 miles into claw, my tires were placed at the foot of the first real obstacle of claw. Just after I turned around I saw the Full of Hate plaque.

IN case you were wondering, Full of Hate is a kinda hard trail:

So there it was! I picked up a few scratches on my armor and might have knocked my alignment out a bit (although that may have been caused by a few whops I hit hard on Saturday and Sunday).

Even though it was still a good time! As the leader of the trail I'd like to put a BIG thanks out to Josh and Critter for helping me with the spotting, you can't run a hammer with only one spotter and they both did a terrific job!

The rest of my photos from this run and Sunday's drive can be found here: http://events.sequoia4x4.com/v/20091108-rockin/

Sequoia aka Geoff aka Some Jerk

 

[djblade311]

nice pics....made for an interesting day but still fun

 

[ruggedjeep]

Cool pics. Claw is definetly a fun trail that will bite you hard if you slip(wait, thats every trail in JV). I ran it last year at Goatfest with Matty and a few others at midnight on Friday. Now THAT was a fun night run. Bummed I missed out this year.

 

[boostamante]

dude! you did a great job! pat yourself in the back!

oh and i plan on purchasing that skid from you. i just need to find 50 bucks... haha!

 

[GSequoia]

oh and i plan on purchasing that skid from you. i just need to find 50 bucks... haha!

No worries, I know how that goes.

 

[HeepSpeed]

man - I guess my lack of a gas tank skid kept me from some carnage! HAHA

 

[boostamante]

No worries, I know how that goes.

so when do you wanna wheel again? i'd like to hit up corral canyon in about 2 weeks. i should have gas money and gas tank skid money by then.

 

[GSequoia]

man - I guess my lack of a gas tank skid kept me from some carnage! HAHA

Yeah, I'm glad I told you not to come on Claw with the way that the luck ran on Saturday!

 

[GSequoia]

so when do you wanna wheel again? i'd like to hit up corral canyon in about 2 weeks. i should have gas money and gas tank skid money by then.

I'm sure I won't have the time to go out again in 2009, too much going on.

Whereabouts in Los Angeles do you roam?

 

[boostamante]

I'm sure I won't have the time to go out again in 2009, too much going on.

Whereabouts in Los Angeles do you roam?

near slauson and crenshaw but i go to the south bay often. Hell, we could hang out and have a beer or too locally if you like. but yeah, i know what you mean about being busy.

 

[alboogie]

IN case you were wondering, Full of Hate is a kinda hard trail:

Trail?

 

[GSequoia]

near slauson and crenshaw but i go to the south bay often. Hell, we could hang out and have a beer or too locally if you like. but yeah, i know what you mean about being busy.

Ahh you live in da hood, I haven't gone through Crenshaw in a long time, usually I just cruise through Watts and South Central when I want to take the scenic way home. :scottm:

I'm sure at some point we can arrange something... I work in downtown in the big building across from the library and live in South Torrance about as far away from the freeway as you can get .

 

[boostamante]

Ahh you live in da hood, I haven't gone through Crenshaw in a long time, usually I just cruise through Watts and South Central when I want to take the scenic way home. :scottm:

I'm sure at some point we can arrange something... I work in downtown in the big building across from the library and live in South Torrance about as far away from the freeway as you can get .

well, my kid and his mom live in El segundo, thats as close as i get to your hood.

:wave1:

 

[GSequoia]

Thanks Sequoia for the CB for us in the Grape! Glad it all worked out and glad that the new water bag was a hit!

Hopefully next time my loaners will work and you won't need one.

And yeah, the water bag rocked! If you ever get one I just cleaned it out with five gallons of water and one cup of bleach on a 24 hour soak, rinsed well, then did one cup of white vinegar and one cup baking soda (foamy!) plus five gallons of water soak for about ten minutes. I vigorously shook the bag with that and then drained and rinsed four or five times with hot water (my tap water is really hot!). No taste and I haven't gotten any bugs yet!

 

[HeepSpeed]

nice! I went the water can route (plastic) military surplus from LC industries...