Off-Road / 4X4 ForumDay 7 - End of the Road
At 1,989 feet, Cavanal is the world's highest hill and the location where all the drivers met for the last day of the 2005 Ultimate Adventure. As steep as it is challenging, the Cavanal terrain presented many obstacles with large to small rocks that the drivers will overcome before reaching the top.
Drivers line up before giving the next climb their best attempt.
The environment is filled with all kinds of insects such as mosquitoes, bees, ticks and chiggers. Above, a sand scorpion runs for cover to avoid being run over.
At the top of the first hill, there was an abandoned Buick that has seen better days. A piece of equipment like this found in the field is like a piece of art. You wonder to yourself how it got here, who drove it last and why was it left to this fate. This has not stopped the drivers from leaving their mark in the form of tire tracks across the abandoned vehicle.
A blown clutch line stopped Colorado Springs driver Paul Chowanec in his tracks. Being resourceful, he replaced the line and shielded it with some rubber tubing pirated from the old Buick.
The end of the ride finally came into view. It was an emotion filled moment for the drivers as it signified the end of the trail, the ride and the time spent with this great bunch of wheelers. Stories and camaraderie will be shared around a victory dinner back in town celebrating the close to another successful Ultimate Adventure.
Before going down into town, the riders took a moment to admire the view looking out over the towns below from atop the world's highest hill.
The Ultimate Chevy proudly displays its damage as if it was a medal to be shown and honored.
4Wheel & Off-Road Publisher Jeff Nassi's '57 Jeep gallantly sits ready for the next ride.
Back in town the streets fill up with the rigs and stories of the ride.
All week long we kept tally of which vehicle and driver sustained the most debilitating damage. As the Official Welders for the ride, Hobart Welders presented Paul Chowanec with a Hobart Handler 140 as the carnage award, recognizing his efforts and that of his team. Due to his resourceful thinking and persistence not to give up, Paul was able to overcome a variety of obstacles that could have kept him from crossing the finish line.
Congratulations to Paul and all the drivers for a successful and memorable 2005 Ultimate Adventure!
We were honored to be the Official Welders and had a lot of fun!
Day 6 - Third Road Trip
The orange Bronco suffered the most extensive damage we've seen so far in terms of welding repairs. The shock tower tore away from the frame on both sides requiring us to remove the tire and shock. We used four pieces of 1/4" steel plate to rebuild the frame and re-welded the tower to the plate.
Drivers line up in front of the Hobart truck to take care of their rigs before setting out on a 4-hour back roads drive to Poteau, OK.
When we got to the hotel in Poteau, a driver in an army green Toyota crawler came over for help. The brackets that hold his suspension springs in place kept spreading apart due to the stress and fell off on the road. We fabricated one new bracket and he welded all four closed, ensuring that they won't be going anywhere, anytime soon.
Above, Jeff Nassi looks at his broken rear differential to his '67 Jeep. The gears possibly slipped due to wear causing a breakdown that will most likely put his rig out of the last ride. (click to enlarge showing more of the damage in detail on the gear.)
Tomorrow's ride, still shrouded in secrecy, is rumored to be another haven for rock crawlers and should be hard on many of the rigs. Since tomorrow is last trail ride of this year's Ultimate Adventure, these riders are going to put everything they've got on the line. They've made it this far on the trail; none of the rigs have had to drop out of the adventure. I expect some pretty aggressive driving tomorrow as they scale, crawl and climb out of anything the ride throws their way. Stay tuned!
Day 5 - Green Acres Off-Road Park
The riders awoke to a humid 90-degree morning high in the hills of Green Acres Off-Road Park. Above you can see a typical setting at base camp, rigs and tents. Even at night it was so hot and humid that many of the riders slept above the covers of their sleeping bags.
The first weld of the day came early as you can see here by clicking to enlarge the picture. A shock tower tore away from the frame that previously rusted. We used the Airforce 400 to cut a small gusset from 1/4" plate and re-welded the tower back onto the frame using a Handler 180.
Above, Rick Pewe gives his daily morning riders meeting explaining what to expect through the course of the day.
A traffic jam was the result of a breakdown coming out of a water obstacle.
The yellow Jeep above broke a front axle control arm bracket on a climb out of the water.
Spotting is the best way to wheel. Getting help from another driver or passenger protects your rig and makes the ride more fun as the vehicle is put in all kinds of positions sometimes not allowing the driver to see what he/she is balancing on.
With 20 drivers in the Ultimate Adventure, winching after a third attempt at getting over an obstacle is necessary to give everyone a try before sunset.
Above, Rick Pewe crunches the right side of his rig on a trail called black sheep, named due to the black rocks which are now coverd in his yellow paint. When getting to the top, the driver's side rear tire was flat due to a large hole in the sidewall caused by a jagged rock.
Once again, the winch saves the day, helping to make the tire swap easier!
Day 4 - Second Road Trip
The second road trip day was semi-uneventful as the riders made their way from Prairie Grove, AK to Clayton, OK and wound up riding through a small rain storm; the first storm ever on the Ultimate Adventure. Since we ran out of 4-1/2" cutoff wheels the night before, we decided to drop in on a local Tractor Supply store to restock.
Day 3 - Outlaw Adventures Off-Road Park
Outlaw Adventures is where the crew finds themselves today having made final repairs to their rigs after getting into town late last night. In 40 acres of wheeling bliss, today's ride was full of obstacles that caused a lot of damage.
The course had a lot more boulders and rocks suitable for crawling. Those in the group from California and Colorado felt a little more at home and eagerly accepted the challenge!
Crawling over rough outcrops along the edge of a creek bed, one of the Jeeps broke its knuckle making a hard turn to stay upright.
The broken knuckle & axle seen here were replaced a few hours later when parts arrived; the rest would need to be welded. The jeep was moved off to the side of the trail using the guide's winch, however in the process fracture cracks appeared on his undercarriage frame requiring him to motor up to the Hobart van waiting at the top of the hill for a quick fix.
I used the Handler 180 to apply a fillet weld to the cracks in the trail guide's front undercarriage frame. With a solid frame once again, the guide returned back down the trail as the Ultimate Chevy pulled into sight.
Rick Pewe broke a wheel locker and needed to find some way to improvise a repair to finish out the rest of the day on the trails. After a few ideas were kicked around, a decision was made introducing the "Allen Locker" to the Ultimate Adventure. A carefully selected allen wrench was cut into six small pieces that fit in between the teeth of the locker, a quick but necessary fix.
Each trail of the day presented its own obstacle and strategy as drivers picked various "lines" or routes that may work out best for their rig. An orange Bronco tipped over trying to climb out of this very challenging water obstacle.
The Jeep from Sam's Off-Road Club made it back to camp with a leaf spring hanger that tore away from its frame. The two half-inch bolts that held it in place were cut off and the hanger was welded directly to the frame using the Handler 180 and .030 solid wire with C25 shielding gas.
The day left most of the riders with a few more repairs to be made to their rigs; sheared bolts, broken spring brackets, to name a few... and this is only the beginning!