Ruler Trail Run on Sunday 9-3

[Lifes A Jeep]

A few of us are running Ruler this upcoming Sunday, Sept 3rd. I'd like to get a few more capable rigs for the run. We may hit up Scorpion after depending on time and group interest.

Meet at 8am at I10 & Watson on the dirt right off the freeway. We'll depart for the trail at 8:30am.

Minimum Requirements:
35's
Locked Front & Rear
Rear Dana 44 or better

[wannabejeeper]

I see your requirements, but I was just curious, will I be able to do these with my 35's, locked front and the lsd in the rear D35?

BTW, not for this trip as I'll be in San Diego fishing:cool: , just for future referance. thanks

[tyota]

I see your requirements, but I was just curious, will I be able to do these with my 35's, locked front and the lsd in the rear D35?

BTW, not for this trip as I'll be in San Diego fishing:cool: , just for future referance. thanks

Ruler is pretty nasty!
you might break a thing or two

[twstdtj]

Ruler is pretty nasty!
you might break a thing or two

Nick is correct. Almost every run someone has broke an axle. I wouldnt expect stock d 35 shafts to last very long on this type of trail. It has been done, but Its not reccomended. There is also a good chance of stock steering getting damaged as well.

.02 spent

[tyota]

There is also a good chance of stock steering getting damaged as well.




very very very true:rolleyes:
but I don't know anyone who's done that:D

[azcharlie]

How does ruler compare to H2H or AA?
I'm on 35's locked with d44 rear and I have a winch.

[tyota]

Ruler is basically a decent sized rock garden.................except the rocks are not lined up very well and they are pretty big!

you'd be fine........though

[LOST TJ]

How does ruler compare to H2H or AA?
I'm on 35's locked with d44 rear and I have a winch.

You should be fine. I have ran it many times on 33's and i have only gotten hung up a few times. It is real hard on steering parts just like Jeff and Nick said and i sure wouldn't try it with a 35 rear end. I did smash my muffler on it and had to have it cut off. The lower part is a cluster**** of big rocks. Just gotta pick your way through. This is where it is easy to get snagged up or smash your steering. The upper part is a few waterfalls a big rock pile and the last obstacle is a rock fin that can be tricky. It is definitley a great time.
Here is a video from the first fall on the upper part. :D
http://members.cox.net/losttj/LTRULERLR.wmv

[azcharlie]

I'm in. Just need some directions to the meeting spot.

[Wind_Danzer]

I did the lower portion of Ruler open/lsd (8.8), but slashed a sidewall, thanks to Jeff's spotting. :p



j/k :D

But it is definately somethign you need to be "tuned in" for. That was a mentally taxing trail and I never tried to run the top part, I just said the hell with it.

[azcharlie]

Sounds like fun.....just need to know how to get there.:D

[LOST TJ]

I did the lower portion of Ruler open/lsd (8.8), but slashed a sidewall, thanks to Jeff's spotting.

Come on now, i'm fat but i'm not as fat as that guy. It was me that spotted you into a flat. :D :rolleyes: :p

[Wind_Danzer]

Nah.. could've sworn it was Jeff. :confused: You can't spot fer shiznet and I never would've let you. :p :D

j/k

We need picture proof though to prove your guilt!!!! :D

[Wayco]

Azcharlie, I'm assuming that everyone will meet at the North end of Watson where it turns into dirt. Go west on I-10 past Goodyear, turn right and about a half mile up it turns to dirt. I would love to come and watch, but Wannabejeeper is holding my Jeep hostage at the dealership until the instrument cluster is repaired.

[Lifes A Jeep]

I'm assuming that everyone will meet at the North end of Watson where it turns into dirt. Go west on I-10 past Goodyear, turn right and about a half mile up it turns to dirt.

Let's meet right off the dirt embankment that's within a long throw of the freeway. Get off the I-10 at Watson and head north and turn right immediately on the dirt. You'll drive up a small hill. This way, we'll be easy to see and can air down and prep the rigs.

If there's One or Two other rigs that don't meet requirements that want to come along to watch, your more then welcome to come. The access road runs parallel to Ruler. You can park your rig and then walk the trail. Ruler is only a few hundred yards long. But worth it! We'll do Tax Collector & Firebird first. See everyone tomorrow.

[azcharlie]

I'm out.:(
I had a little to much fun running Bad Medicine and upper Ajax. I did some damage to the front driveshaft and my front locker won't disengage. It made the drive home interresting.:cool:

[Lifes A Jeep]

I'm out.:(
I had a little to much fun running Bad Medicine and upper Ajax. I did some damage to the front driveshaft and my front locker won't disengage. It made the drive home interresting.:cool:


Thanks for the heads up. Those are 2 Sick trails! I'm dying to run BM! Hopefully we can get together on some of those FJ trails in the near future...H2H sounds good!

Post some pics if you got em.

[Lifes A Jeep]

Three of us ran Tax Collector, Firebird and Ruler. We finished Ruler around 12:30 an decided to head back for the day. Like Nick said, the trail is nasty! It took a lot of work and good spotting to get through. We didn't have any issues. Travis used his winch twice...once on Alan and once on himself. All of us put our steering to the test. This trail will eat stock steering. Go prepared.

Webshots album
http://rides.webshots.com/album/553765559deuOhi

http://thumb18.webshots.com/t/32/32/4/39/26/2880439260065527058ahbRmg_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/album/553765559deuOhi)

http://thumb18.webshots.com/t/34/34/2/27/43/2550227430065527058PldKUc_th.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2550227430065527058PldKUc)

http://thumb18.webshots.com/t/24/24/9/43/73/2492943730065527058gcxpzw_th.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2492943730065527058gcxpzw)

http://thumb18.webshots.com/t/53/653/1/42/50/2727142500065527058kcUrQt_th.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2727142500065527058kcUrQt)

[azcharlie]

Nice!!! Looks like you guys had fun.

[xFallen]

Cool. Thanks for the pics.

I went out to do some exploring at WT after my other trip fell through. I guess I got out there around 2:30 pm. I did not expect to do much crawling so I did not bother to air down or disconnect the front sway bar, just got onto the dirt found a wash and started heading back in.

I drove through Tax Collector and the lower portion of Firebird largely in 2WD Hi except for the last part. Firebrid toward the end seemed somewhat less boring than it was last time I ran it but it was fun booting through the bulk of it in high range.

I got back onto one of the roads and headed West. When I saw Tonopah I decided to head back. I explored half a dozen washes, one that looked real promising but ended up being a dead end without much of an exit. It could have been done but not without damaging plant life so I turned around.

I headed into Scorpion and got the Jeep up on the walls. I had a nice line and it really felt quite good and was about to go for it but decided that one has too many opportunities for things going wrong so I backed down off of it while I still could. Tires still at street pressures...nobody around to help me right the Jeep if I flop...best not.

I got to the bottom of Firebird around 4:40 pm and decided to head back up and do it again this time in 4WD and with a bit more attention to playing around on the few obstacles it has to offer. I hit the bottom of Ruler around 5:00 pm and figured what the heck. At 5:15 pm I was on the access road at the top of the final falls and driving back out. I did use the front locker on the last fall toward the end because some of the rocks were pretty loose.

Is it just me or did that trail get real easy since last year? You still had to drive it but it really was no big deal. I stopped once and backed up to take a different line when the driver front slipped off the line. Other then that it was 2nd or 3rd 4Low with a little throttle now and then.

These pictures don't really do justice to the last fall. Even the early exit (just before this) looked pretty stacked up. Last time out there the last fall was mildly challenging and even the early exit wasn't exactly trivial (I went back to run it just for fun).

http://virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7144&stc=1&d=1157336704

http://virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7145&stc=1&d=1157336704

http://virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7146&stc=1&d=1157336704


Barry

[LOST TJ]

Looks like you guys had a blast out there. I love that trail. So you did all of Ruler in 15 minutes Barry? :eek:

[DesertX04]

I hit the bottom of Ruler around 5:00 pm and figured what the heck. At 5:15 pm I was on the access road at the top of the final falls and driving back out. I did use the front locker on the last fall toward the end because some of the rocks were pretty loose.

Is it just me or did that trail get real easy since last year? You still had to drive it but it really was no big deal. I stopped once and backed up to take a different line when the driver front slipped off the line. Other then that it was 2nd or 3rd 4Low with a little throttle now and then.
Barry

15 minutes for Ruler? You gotta take me out out on some runs. I'll just follow your lines - for the most part - and we'll keep on driving. But I guess 15 min. for just one rig isn't all that fast. ;)

As far as being easy, yes but no. Drive the right line and you're good to go. Choose poorly, or slide a bit, and you're the rig high centered on both diffs waiting to be winched off. I've only ran it twice, but both times we've had use a winch for Jeeps on 38's, although today Travis was trying a line that 35's and LP just had to walk away from. You calling it easy may come from having more experienced eyes???

I think John and Travis did most of the run in 2wd, or 4, but not locked until needed. Me, hell I just lock everything at the trailhead. :cool:

I do agree that the last waterfall really wasn't bad. The last obstacle at the very end, did you do that on your own? A few of us have rested our front axle on that rock and had to get winched off.

It was nice not to have any dust. I'll take that any day!! (and twice on Sunday!:rolleyes: )

Great job spotting by Travis and John. Thanks guys! Travis' rig sure gave me inspiration to get my CPA.

[xFallen]

Looks like you guys had a blast out there. I love that trail. So you did all of Ruler in 15 minutes Barry? :eek:

Yeah. Have the GPS log to prove it too. :D

Just don't get stuck. I saw your tracks Travis.


Barry

[LOST TJ]

Yeah. Have the GPS log to prove it too. :D

Just don't get stuck. I saw your tracks Travis.


Barry

:confused:

[xFallen]

15 minutes for Ruler? You gotta take me out out on some runs. I'll just follow your lines - for the most part - and we'll keep on driving. But I guess 15 min. for just one rig isn't all that fast. ;)

As far as being easy, yes but no. Drive the right line and you're good to go. Choose poorly, or slide a bit, and you're the rig high centered on both diffs waiting to be winched off. I've only ran it twice, but both times we've had use a winch for Jeeps on 38's, although today Travis was trying a line that 35's and LP just had to walk away from. You calling it easy may come from having more experienced eyes???

I think John and Travis did most of the run in 2wd, or 4, but not locked until needed. Me, hell I just lock everything at the trailhead. :cool:

I do agree that the last waterfall really wasn't bad. The last obstacle at the very end, did you do that on your own? A few of us have rested our front axle on that rock and had to get winched off.

It was nice not to have any dust. I'll take that any day!! (and twice on Sunday!:rolleyes: )

Great job spotting by Travis and John. Thanks guys! Travis' rig sure gave me inspiration to get my CPA.

It is a technical trail and I suspect that's what keeps people coming back to it. The last waterfall/rock garden can be tricky due to the numerous diff catchers that seem to always change and even move around underneath you on the trail.

I would not be interested in trying it without lockers or on little tires, actually -- too much winching involved -- and I am sure it would make it too long. It was a dragfest the time I went out on that trail with people on 33s and no lockers. Not fun. Too much breakage. Too many frustrated wheelers. That day we had to bail early as a result not even finishing the trail. Bummer.

I am sure the rock gods can make very short work of that trail, maybe 5-10 minutes, who knows.

Anyway, it is fun. And yes, I was alone, and yes, I went to the very end of the trail. I sure didn't back the Jeep down the top part of the last fall in order to take those pictures. Hehe. I saw Travis' tire prints and places where he was trying to find traction.

You guys need to get out and run some 4.0-5.0 stuff when you're ready because it will change your perspective on the 3.5-4.0 trails. You know you're headed that way and there's some trails waiting for you.


Barry

[jbjarko]

Nice pics as usual John!

Oh and Alan, the rig looks good since you've gone flattie in the front!

Josh

[Lifes A Jeep]

I finally got some time to post my pics to photobucket. My passenger took a ton of photos! The camera had some dust on the lens for a few of them. But overall, I'm blown away. I had the time of my life on Ruler! The trail is a dream! It really pushes you to the limits. It's perfect for my rig. With the bigger tires, I could see how Barry would fly through the trail. The rocks become that much smaller. And not to mention I would guess that the trail is 300 yards long. It's really short!

Enjoy the pics! I'm gonna do a trail write up later on.

Here's me on the early portion of the trail.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05668.jpg

Alan working his way through
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05684.jpg

Travis and his 38.5" Tires
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05687.jpg

Group break on a short easy section
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05698.jpg

Alan approaching a technical ledge.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05779.jpg

Lockers are a must! The rocks appear to have eroded off the wall on the right. They don't help.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05783.jpg

Non-Stop Fun!
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05786.jpg

Alan approaching the final obstacle. There are 2 paths to choose from. I've only gone right.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05790.jpg

View of the final obstacle. Your passenger tires need to climb the slanted rock. It's very technical and easy to fall off your line.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05794.jpg

It takes work to get over. Your front passenger tire will fall off and then you need to turn downhill and manuever towards the exit. As you clear the obstacle, your back tire climbs the rock and you get real tippy. Eventually, things level off and the exit is right there.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/Lifesajeep/DSC05774.jpg