Power Wagon on narrow, steep, shelf roads

[Grand Mesa]

Our dirt shelf roads around here on the Western Slope of Colorado are quite steep and are quite narrow for the Power Wagon. Unless there's a reason to stay within the truck, I prefer that my passenger gets out and guides me along the edge of the cliff on the narrow sections by walking ahead.

This recent video is of a run away parked Jeep going off of the shelf road above Telluride. Thankfully the passenger whom was thrown from it will recover fully from her injuries in approximately 2 years. This could have ended up as a fatality of which I wouldn't have posted this story. Glad to read that she is improving.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/10/22/woman-injured-after-jeep-plunges-down-cliff-is-improving/

 

[retired]

I doubt you ever recover from that at least psychologically...I have done Blackbear 2X and once in the sleet. When I saw that video a few days ago I vowed never to let my wife see it.

 

[Travelin Ram]

I was in that area running trails around Silverton and Telluride during that time period. Never heard of it at the time, since I don’t consume much news and with the CV we have mostly stayed away from socializing this year.

And yeah, the PW is a handful on a narrow shelf. But then even the JK’s have gotten so wide they’re trail pigs (IMO).

As a retired guy with a leisurely schedule (no schedule actually ) one thing I do is avoid trails on weekends or holidays. Too many vehicles, too much chance of conflicting traffic, etc. Not relaxing.

The worst I ever sweated a shelf was an early season climb up Engineer pass. The inner tires were running on an intermittent layer of ice, only the outer two had decent traction. Full size GMC. When she would slip and grab or juke sideways a bit my heart would stop. I never would have done it if I’d known the ice was there. But I didn’t want to back a long ways down the shelf to retreat either.

 

[Grand Mesa]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/37169...cking-a-4wd-trail-high-in-the-rocky-mountains

If Engineer Pass can be driven on by a 30 foot box truck, then the Power Wagon can do it. LOL!

 

[Travelin Ram]

Can and did, it’s not bad when it’s dry like it was recently. Some years ago I did go up when it was a bit snowy and found a dually with local tags parked at the top. That was a blow to my ego LOL.

Although it’s possible he came up the east side from Lake City and didn’t drive the shelf.

 

[crazy jerry]

so the dude driving forgot to put in gear and emergy brake ?

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Pants=shat

 

[RoadRamblerNJ]

Story says the Jeep was parked with a female in it.
How does a parked jeep drive itself off a cliff?

 

[Grand Mesa]

According to the article below it popped out of the MATD.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/watch-...orado-trail-serious-injuries-gofundme-set-up/

 

[Trailmaker]

According to the article below it popped out of the MATD.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/watch-...orado-trail-serious-injuries-gofundme-set-up/

View attachment 225489

I read the article. I bet it was never in gear but idling in neutral. Most peeps put too much faith in the e-brake. In fact, it does not hold from a backwards force. Only forward. I left my Mustang on a slight incline and just the emergency brake on and it rolled backwards into a dumpster about 10 minutes later and my dad went on to tell me that the emergency brake is not park, always leave in the first gear. Something I learned when I was 16. The Emergency brake on my current jeep will not hold from rolling backwards if the incline is too steep.

So I assume the driver made the same mistake I did and lied and said it was in gear. He should just own up. Just my thoughts.

 

[Travelin Ram]

Jeeps have weak parking brakes in my experience. Could be one of the occupants hit the shifter, just another possibility. All we can do is speculate.

I can only say that I’m reluctant to remain a passenger in ANY vehicle pointed at the abyss without a driver in the seat to apply brakes or steering.

Thankfully the PW has an excellent parking brake. But I’ll never willingly trust my life to it.

 

[Fitzreefer]

I highly doubt it was in gear with e brake on, but one other thing I was taught (and follow) is to turn the wheel when parking on a steep hill so that it rolls into a curb, or in this case the hill. In this case I might have even turned right into the upside of the hill so there would be no chance it could start to get any momentum.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[Grand Mesa]

"Doggone-it, Roy Gene! How many times do I have to 'splain it to you? When I tell you to put a rock under the wheel, I mean rock! Now look at that, what you have there is no bigger'n a grapefruit."

C.W. McCall, Black Bear Road, 1975

 

[Overlander]

Because of automatics, a large percentage of the population has incorrectly learned to rely only on the parking pawl to keep the vehicle from rolling. This is a lot to ask of a small metal hook, especially when used across the expected lifespan of the vehicle. Best technique is to stop, put it in neutral, apply the parking brake, come off the foot brake to let the bound up suspension relax, and then shift to park. That way the parking brake is takes the primary load and the pawl is a backup. The brakes are a wear part, easily serviced, and as such should be the primary device.

The step of putting it into neutral is a PITA with the shift dial, much easier with a console shifter. But at least get the parking brake set before releasing the foot brake and shifting into park. This little guy will thank you.

Also to note: NEVER winch without using the foot brake to hold the vehicle. 12,000 lbs of force is too much for either the single-axle parking brake or the parking pawl.

 

[SeppW]

Driving a truck on a trail/road described is like running on a wet marble floor with scissors. I ain't got that kind of sand.

 

[Overlander]

Driving a truck on a trail/road described is like running on a wet marble floor with scissors. I ain't got that kind of sand.

LOL.

It's this:




Not this:

 

[Fitzreefer]

The closest I've come to this scenario is a trip I took around Nova Scotia Canada in my '97 TJ around 2001. There is a place at the very tippy top of Cape Breton Island called Meat Cove that has a gravel road on an edge of a cliff that has a sheer drop at least a few hundred feet to the icy ocean below it. Very exposed. You can see seagulls like little white dots flying way below the road on the backdrop of the ocean. That road was buffeted by winds and the gravel was like ball bearings. I had a couple scares when I crested hills and felt the TJ floating on the gravel...like any sudden wrong move would send us to our peril below.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[Overlander]

I've had a built-up shoulder give way before. Passenger side rear sank down slope. It's not a fun situation when there is more truck than available road. And backing up will never work because you can't cut into the hill with your steering wheels. Between two trucks we had eight MaxxTrax and built a MaxxTrax road and did a lot of digging to create a wide enough land to turn the trucks around. Good times.

 

[Grand Mesa]

Know your vehicle and its limitations. I've been 4 wheeling in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California ever since my Dad purchased an International 4x4 in 1962. I learned to drive it off-road at 13. My older brothers were my instructors. Mishaps happen on our steep and narrow cliff roads. Life is too short to stop from enjoying it if a tragedy happens. The Power Wagon is a much more capable vehicle than a 1962 International truck.

In memory of...

http://byhigh.org/History/HoleintheRock/Hole-in-the-Rock.html

 

[RoadRamblerNJ]

According to the article below it popped out of the MATD.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/watch-...orado-trail-serious-injuries-gofundme-set-up/

View attachment 225489

They're heads would explode trying to figure out where "D" is on a "Three on the tree", LOL!