Superb story. And good first test. I love it.
I did this same thing at Dragon's Lip at Moab about 14 years ago in VEX during Easter week and the big run there.
Everyone was there with their crawlers, huge 40x19" swampers, big 350s blown, runnin', racing and bouncin' spinnin' crawling then stopping and giving up. Really fun but so lame.
So, I'm there with VEX and my pizza cutters tires, 9.50x33s and put my chains on front and rear and with the ARBs. I just walked up it. Everyone was awed after flaming me pretty good as a newbie, silly little VEX, etc etc etc., beforehand when we were all down in the staging area.
I tried to explain how it was done as everyone was either quiet, or amazed or asking all sorts of questions. I explained the rules of our Jeeps and 4x4 dynamics: Factor of Adhesion, Factor of Cohesion. NASA-Speak for the fact the 3 tons of VEX on a 9" footprint of tire, with chains on that porous "slick rock" which is like velcro really, was like running a tracked vehicle up there with ice growsers. It was a cinch. Or rather: 100% traction, 100% grip, 100% translated torque to forward motion. Simple. The huge wide tires, the open lugs of swampers, the floppy springy suspensions with 8' of wheel travel, and yea, the rigs will not go. Period. I abandoned wide tires for that reason 40 years ago, after Jeepin' for a few years.
They didn't understand how it could be done and no wheel spin and no effort. I explained above again. I went back down and then backed VEX up like our OP did. They were even more baffled and confused.
Oh well. I tried to explain the method of my madness for never running wide tires, EVER!!!!!!!!!!! They didn't get it.
It was fun though.
Again, TJ, great tale and welcome to the wonderful world of Jeeps. And, a Bronco--->Jeep convert as well! Good!
Robert
