What makes a good Jeeper? Is it the Jeep, the lockers, the tires, the size of lift??
I have heard so many new jeep owners ask, what do I need to go trail riding? Or I would love to go, but I don't have off-road tires. Or I will go when I get a lift put on. And my favorite, I will go when I get my lockers installed!!
Does it take all of that to be a good Jeeper?? NO it doesn't!! A brand new or used Stock Jeep with Stock tires in the hands of an experienced driver can go more places than a lifted jeep with a novice driver!! A bone stock jeep is amazing!!
Can a woman be a good Jeeper?? You bet!! And in my opinion they can be better!! They tend to comprehend more and faster than most men. They usually plan better. And take it slower!
Now
You first need to ask yourself, what am I gonna do with my jeep? Or what do I want to do? Is it just for show? Is it your daily driver? Do you want to go mudding, rock climbing, light trail riding, or are you wanting to be a hard core do it all Jeeper??
For most of us, we are just light to medium weekend trail riders. We trade in our Ford Focus and Geo Metros on a brand new Jeep and enter into a new way of life. The Jeep Life!! Then You see all these big bad ass lifted jeeps driving around and say to yourself, I want to have one of them! But, do you know how to drive one? Do you know what a jeep is capable of?? Oh yeah that's right, you have seen them on YouTube!! Really???? do you know how to drive off-road? If you had your dream Jeep, could you really climb over anything or go through any mud hole you wanted? It takes more brains than money to be a good Jeeper! Yeah I said that! If all you have ever done, was drive your Prius to the Mall and take your kids to soccer practice, you don't have the skills to go rock climbing, and them lockers are not going to do you much good. It takes experience to be a good Jeeper. If you bought the most expensive Chess set in the world, would that make you a good chess player? No, and neither does a bad ass jeep make you a better Jeeper! To be a good Jeeper, you need to know your jeep. You need to be familiar with all of the controls and buttons. You need to know how and when to shift into 4wd. When shifting from 2H to 4H and then into 4L and back, it should be smooth, fluid like, second nature. If you have a standard, same thing, you shift without thinking about it. How do you get this way? Well start out by reading your manual. It has a lot of good information in there. Watch videos on YouTube, ride with an experienced Jeeper. Go on trail rides with a jeep club, jeep clubs are packed full of knowledgeable folks that are more than willing to help you out!! And let you know what to avoid. Join jeep forums, there are a lot out of them out there, and you can find all kinds of information. Avoid the hard stuff until your ready. Watch how others make it through that deep mud hole or crawl over them rocks. Pay attention to your surroundings. Plan your next move. Use a spotter!! Some obstacles have to have a spotter, or at least it's safer with one. Get off of the pavement and just drive, explore new roads close to your home. Take a back road to work. Head to the Ozark's. The dirt and gravel roads are free and go forever!! Make sure to take a good topo map along. Don't be afraid to ask questions!! Either to another Jeeper or on line. Ask what they are doing to their jeeps before a trail ride? What are you taking off?? Why are you letting air out of your tires??
If you are going to do a lot of mud and water, you need a snorkel. It doesn't take much water to hydro lock your motor!! Whenever going through any amount of water, take it slow. Try to avoid jeeping alone. If you get stuck in mud, move your front tires side to side, back up if you can and then proceed to move forward. Don't give up just because your tires are spinning. If you stop moving in either direction, you are probably bottomed out or high centered. At this point you will need to be winched out!! Know how to use that winch! If your going to rock crawl, you will need, rock rails, and under armor. These will keep rocks from damaging the important stuff underneath and the rock rails will let you slide across the top of rocks without damaging your body. You also need to move the front tires side to side, let them tires try and grab a hold of something.
Don't be afraid of backing down or going around until your ready!
Doing Lots of water?
There are breather hoses on both axles, the transfer case, and auto transmission. On manual transmission there is a breather under the shift boot ( I think that is correct)They are there to let gases escape with changing temperatures, and keep the pressure off the seals. If you lift your Jeep you may need to extend your breathers on your axles so they don't come off while flexing. Another reason to extend your breather hoses is to raise them up where they are less likely to suck in water and contaminate your oil. It's something everyone with a snorkel, or who plays in water should do.
Keep your door seals clean and free of dirt and debris. A light coat of Vaseline on the door seals will also make a better seal and keep out water. You may want to remove your carpet, if you plan on a lot of water. Wet carpet gets to smelling pretty bad!
Be Safe!! Be prepared!! Keep a map in your jeep, keep a fire extinguisher in your jeep at all times, along with a first aid kit. Keep a recovery kit, with leather gloves and a tree strap. Carry extra water and snacks. If you take medications, make sure you have enough before heading out. It's good to keep a few tools handy along with a hatchet, machete or hand saw.
Wheels!!! In my opinion, it does not make sense to spend a lot of money on nice custom wheels!! They will get scratched, rock rash, and parts broke off of them!! Factory wheels are fine for me. You can change up the looks of your wheels, with PlastiDip!! It will last a long time, easy to touch up and easy to peel off if you don't like it. You can get creative and look good on a budget!!
Or you may be very content with just taking the top off and cruising down the highway with the wind In your hair! And that's perfectly fine!!
So why do we jeep? Well, I jeep because I love the jeep life, the outdoors, the adventure and the friendship like family that only jeeps have.
