Find out more – “On The Trail Report – Sierra Trek 2015”
Tag Archives: cal4wheel
Sierra Trek 2015 – Fabtech On The Trail Report
There are a lot of difficult trails in the United States, especially in the western regions. Big names like the Hammers and the Rubicon Trail tend to take the spot light for well known 4×4 trails. There are, however, lesser known trails that will certainly give them a run for their money. One such trail is the Fordyce Creek Trail.
Situated northwest of Lake Tahoe, Fordyce Creek is a neighbor to the famous Rubicon Trail and is arguably a much more difficult trail. Rated 9 out of 10, the challenging trail encompasses twelve miles of twisting and turning through the California forest, bouncing off of boulders the entire way. The trail has five “Winch Hills” that are the most difficult portions. These obstacles are so named due to regularity of having to stretch out your winch line to get to the top. Officially, 33-inch tires and at least one locker are the absolute minimums, though 35-inch tires and two lockers are recommended.
Fordyce Creek snakes along near the trail creating multiple water crossings throughout the trail and typically it is too high to be safely crossed. Water flows there can quickly change, potentially stranding vehicles between crossings. The best time to attempt the trail is in late September before the first snow fall. That is unless you attend the California Four Wheel Drive Association (Cal4Wheel) annual Sierra Trek.
August 6-9, 2015 marked the 48th annual Sierra Trek for Cal4Wheel. Jeepers and Offroaders from all over the Country come to the Sierra Nevadas for an extended weekend filled with ‘wheeling and good times. Cal4Wheel works with Pacific Gas & Electric company (PG&E) to slow the water flows down to make the water crossings much more manageable. Considering the nearest town is about an hour and a half away, registration for the event includes most of your meals for the week-end as well as entertainment. Vendors and sponsors set up booths for attendees and spectators to browse. Fabtech took the opportunity and made the trip up from Chino, CA to enjoy what the region has to offer and display the Fabtech Jeeps and products.
The Fabtech 2005 Jeep LJ Wrangler and 2015 Jeep JK Wrangler performed amazing throughout the entire trail. Fabtech utilized the event for field testing prototype rear coilover systems on both vehicles, which were already outfitted with Crawler Long Arm Suspensions and Dirt Logic Coilovers in the front. The rear Dirt Logic Coilovers increased wheel travel, smoothed the ride and kept the tires solidly in contact with the ground. Both Jeeps tackled the Winch Hills without needing to even think of getting the winch controller out. One of the local club members who was helping spot vehicles going through the tough sections even commented “those are the Fabtech guys, they know what they are doing.” And he was right. Fordyce is a challenging trail and the Fabtech components did exactly what they needed to do. The Fabtech Jeeps traversed the trail with ease and excitement.
Experiencing the Sierra Trek and the Fordyce Creek Trail was incredible. Live music, a roaring bon fire and new friends helped make for an unforgettable event. For more information on the Sierra Trek as well as Cal4Wheel, head to www.cal4wheel.com. We’ll see you there next year!
High Desert Round-up On The Trail Report
Here in the State of California, there are a large amount of off-road clubs. Many of them are region based for local ‘wheelers to enjoy the outdoors together and aid in keeping trails open to the public. Beyond the local clubs is a club that brings the smaller clubs together and works on a much grander scale. The California Four Wheel Drive Association (Cal4Wheel) represents more than 8,000 individual members and 160 member clubs throughout the entire State. Cal4Wheel hosts events all over California to gather members and non-members to enjoy four wheeling fun and promote safe public land use. One such event is the High Desert Round-up, located just outside Barstow, California in the Stoddard Wells Off Highway Vehicle area.
On Memorial Day week-end, May 22-25, 2015, the High Desert Round-up (HDR) brought in hundreds of Jeepers and off-roaders from all over the region. Centered around Slash X Ranch and Café, HDR is all about family fun and experiencing the California desert. Fabtech enjoyed the opportunity to join Cal4Wheel at the event this year. Clear and sunny skies made for a great time. Some wind picked up randomly through the weekend but was well within moderation. Fabtech brought out three Jeep Wranglers to the event. First in the ranks is a 2015 JK Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon sporting a 5-inch Fabtech Crawler Long Arm System, Dirt Logic Coilovers front and rear, 39-inch BFG Krawlers on Ultra Beadlocks and a pair of Dynatrac differentials. Next up is a 2007 JK Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, also running a 5-inch Crawler Long Arm System, Dirt Logic Coilovers and 37-inch BFG Krawlers on Ultra Beadlocks. Last but not least is the Fabtech 2005 LJ Wrangler Unlimited with an 8-inch Crawler Long Arm System, Dirt Logic Coilovers in the front, Dynatrac differentials and 37-inch tires. Each Jeep is built just a bit different from the other. All of them are extremely capable vehicles with off-the-shelf Fabtech Long Arm Suspension kits.
Fabtech started with tackling the Pumpkin Eater trail. The trails in this area, including The Hammers, are rated on a 1-5 scale. Pumpkin Eater comes in at a 4-4.5 rating. This trail is aptly named as it has many boulders that would love nothing more than to destroy your differentials. The Fabtech suspension systems did exactly what they were designed to do. They articulated the tires around the rocks and provided the plenty of strength to withstand the extremely rough terrain.
Later, the Fabtech crew took the Jeeps out on a newer trail in the Stoddard Wells OHV area named Jack Rabbit. Using the same rating system as Pumpkin Eater, Jack Rabbit is a solid 4.5. Along the Jack Rabbit trail there are a couple large dry waterfalls the vehicles have to conquer. The first is mild in comparison to the second. Further up the trail on the second waterfall, there were two lines to take. On the right was the “easy” side; a steep and rocky uphill climb that most vehicles didn’t struggle with. To the left was a steeper climb with a large v-notch in the middle of it. One wrong move and your tire could drop into the notch and potentially end badly. The trail leader attempted the hard side first, unfortunately though, his LJ just couldn’t make it happen and he changed lines to the easier side. A few other Jeeps unsuccessfully attempted the more difficult side. Fabtech’s 2015 JK walked straight up the more difficult v-notch side with no issues. After a few more vehicles came through, disaster struck. A well built TJ dropped a tire in the notch and went for a tumble, coming to a rest on the roof. Luckily, everyone was ok. After being rolled back over, the Jeep appeared it would need minor repairs; a new hood, soft top and windshield frame.
Fabtech teamed up with the Victor Valley 4 Wheelers and continued on. The trail ran on into an area that locals call Demolition Alley, others referred to it as Rocky Road. This portion of the trail is loaded with large boulders that like to move around under your tires. The Victor Valley 4 Wheelers are a great group of enthusiasts and are the people who originally cut the trails in The Hammers where the world famous King of the Hammers is raced. Fabtech spent plenty of time with them on the trails and around a campfire through the weekend.
The 2015 High Desert Round-up was a success for Cal4Wheel and Fabtech. Each vehicle registration helped to fund Cal4Wheel’s efforts to keep California trails open and preserve our favorite pastime. Fabtech got their Jeeps out in front of the public eye and impressed many. The Fabtech suspension systems performed extremely well through the boulder strewn trails and high speed wash board roads of Stoddard Wells. If you are in the southern California area on Memorial Day next year, make sure you get to this event. Find out more on the event at www.cal4wheel.com. Get your fix on Fabtech suspension systems at www.fabtechmotorsports.com.
High Desert Round-up is THIS WEEK-END!
Join us as we invade Bartsow, California for the annual High Desert Round-up (HDR) on May 22-24, 2015. Fabtech will have a booth in the vendor display at Slash X Café and will also have vehicles out on the trails.
Hosted by the California Four Wheel Drive Association (Cal4Wheel), the High Desert Round-up offers great family fun, organized trail runs, vehicle games and bar-b-que dinners!
Check out www.cal4wheel.com for more info. See you there!
[edit] The event was GREAT! Check out the On The Trail Report here
Fabtech Jeep 