First Time on the Rubicon with Our Gladiator

Primo82

Caught the Bug
That bronco is nice looking. Awesome pictures, it looked like the weather was perfect for a trail run. And I agree those 42's are pretty bad ass. Cheers!
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Awesome Pics as usual! Very Cool for a first time in the Gladiator... and running with the Old Bronco... My buddy has one and it's always a lot of fun seeing what it's capable of... and shit talkin Fords is always fun too... until they out wheel you of course.. :ROFLMAO:
LOL - it was a lot of fun and since Mel and Jarod have known each other since grade school, you know a lot of that was going on. :D
Such great pictures and awesome narrative! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, happy to hear you enjoyed the pics :)
Looks like fun up until you saw my old Jeep and ran into all the traffic.
LOL - too funny. I'd say we need to get you out there with us again but you need a more capable Jeep first :)
Ahhh...that explains the water snapper vid earlier...it's always nice to take a dunk at Rubicon Springs.
LOL - oh yeah, there's no way Ripley would forgive us if we didn't stop :)
Sounds like a great trip! I need to make it out there eventually!

Also, what is this cord running on Mel’s Jeep?
Now, that's a really good question and GOOD EYE!! So, Mel brought out his Fridge Freeze but didn't have any way of powering it up. So, before heading out, he bought a trailer wiring harness and Macguyvered it so that it would power the fridge. The hot wire on the harness is always hot and it uses a heavy enough gauge that it worked great. Fridge ran the whole time and without any of the issues you would see if you just plugged into a cig lighter. Best part is, he can now plug into any of his trucks with a trailer plug.
 

wjtstudios

Hooked
Now, that's a really good question and GOOD EYE!! So, Mel brought out his Fridge Freeze but didn't have any way of powering it up. So, before heading out, he bought a trailer wiring harness and Macguyvered it so that it would power the fridge. The hot wire on the harness is always hot and it uses a heavy enough gauge that it worked great. Fridge ran the whole time and without any of the issues you would see if you just plugged into a cig lighter. Best part is, he can now plug into any of his trucks with a trailer plug.
That's a pretty clever way of powering it up
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
trying to nail down dates for my rubicon trip next summer. what do you think was the main reason for all the traffic? im trying to do it mid week to avoid some of the weekend warriors but i feel like july and august im bound to run into some traffic.
I agree with the SXS BS, out in montana, south dakota and north dakota SXSs are way more popular and are just a PITA to deal with and was the cause of most the jams we had on our last trip to the Black Hills.
So, there's a couple of things going on. Ever since the virus, we've been seeing a crazy amount of people up in the Tahoe area and out on the trails there. It's like, everyone and their mother needs to get out or something. Also, going on a weekend is always going to have you dealing with a lot of traffic but the biggest problem was the SXS. In fact, we knew we were in for it as soon as we got to the Loon Lake staging area as it was FILLED TO THE BRIM with trucks and trailers and on a level I have not seen since running the Jeeperz Jamboree. Most of these trailers were carrying SXS and what they do is typically run down to Buck Island Lake and then drive back out the way they came. This as opposed to driving all the way through like most Jeeps will. While the Rubicon does have wide spots in places to allow rigs to pass on coming traffic, it can be near impossible to do when you've got 20 or more rig to deal with. This just jacks everything up and this is where a lot of the SXS guys just go off trail to get around everyone.

With all that said, your best bet is to run the trail on a weekday.
Thanks for sharing. Always interesting to hear other people’s experiences on the trail. I have no use for the SXS. Most are rude and don’t care.
It really is unfortunate. They are fun vehicles but there does seem to be a type of person who buys them and I don't always find myself drawn to them.
Awesome trail! ....many thanks for the pictures and the narrative!

And what can I say about those two incredible Gladiators 😮
Eddie, I guess you drove Mel's Gladiator at some point so I have to ask... if you would buy one again, would you take the V6 gas or the V6 diesel?
LOL - yes, I did drive Mel's Gladiator and have to say, if it were available at the time, I probably would have gotten mine with a diesel. The thing has torque like no tomorrow and going up steep inclines felt like I was on tracks. No issues pushing the 42's. I should note though that the diesel is NOT as perfect a system as some would suggest. There is a 15 mile stretch of highway between Bishop and Mammoth that can be tough on any vehicle. It's a long steep grade and climbing it in triple digit heat can and will cause overheating. When Mel was coming up, he kept and eye on his temps and as it climbed, his power decreased. About half way up, the temps were high enough to have his rig creeping along at just 55 mph. Of course, he knew this would be the case based on what we already knew from our friends at Jeep but this was the first time he'd seen it in person. Same would happen with a 392. With that said, a 3.6L could take on this same climb and without any issues.
Looks like you guys had fun despite all the traffic! Always good to get out with friends!
Oh yeah, we had a great time :)
Nice photos look like an awesome trip. Yeah, I agree with you about the SXS. Even in Big Bear it is getting ridicules and they always think they have the right away, plus they tend to drive way to fast causing a lot of close calls.
The speed thing is a real problem. That and the fact that they're so light, they really jack up trails with deep chop. WHEN trails get closed in the future, it WILL be because of them.
Fuckin 'trail nats'. I got really frustrated with them at Poison Spider in Moab, and at one point snowplowed about four of them who were blocking the exit.
Fortunately where we wheel here in Pa, the nats don't go where we do. Sooner or later those fuckers will force certain places to close or ban off roading.
LOL at "trail nats". Already, in places like Moab, they no longer allow them to have their big Rally on the Rocks event.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Fantastic pictures. Looks and sounds like it was an amazing trip. Bit of a bummer that your rear corner took some damage especially after the effort to try and prevent that. I personally wouldn't mind alot after a run like that. Seams like the kind of place you might get some bruises.
Oh yeah, the irony of it all. Bummer for sure but we'll get it fixed.
Great pics thanks for sharing.The Rubicon is definitely on my bucket list.Just curious who was breaking up the boulder with the drill?Forest service?
Probably the Jeep jamboree people. They go through and make it a paved road prior to the event so they can get stock Jeeps through.
What OverlanderJK said ^^^^

The trail was filled with Jeeperz Jamboree guys and they were starting their big road build for their event.
Great pictures and trip report. Too bad about all the other traffic - I hate when that happens, but it is prime season.
It's prime season but we've been out on a weekend during prime season before. What we were seeing was unusual. It was way busier that we've ever seen it in the past. I have to say that it's been like this ever since the virus thing and not just on the trail - EVERYWHERE up here is like that.
Damn thats kinda lame..probably easier for the sxs as well.I wonder if the fallen tree Eddie mentioned was intentional too.
It's a bummer for sure but it's something they've been doing for years. Their argument, and it's a legitimate one, is that the trail was originally never as rough as it is now. In fact, the trail is still a recognized county route and back in the early 20th century, people used to drive fancy Cadillacs up it. Needless to say, they consider what they do to be road maintenance. Certainly, every winter will reshape it into something new.

As far as the tree goes, it was dying and they knocked it over as a preventative measure.
Looks like a great couple days on the trail, sucks about the damage but I guess that's part of the deal. Thanks for sharing, how did the bomber sliders hold up?
The bomber sliders held up great, even on Mel's rig without the skins. While I have managed to cave mine in when I was in Maine, that was a result of heavy throttle on slick muddy rocks and a lot of force. I think for places like the Rubicon and or even Moab, they'll get the job done well.
That bronco is nice looking. Awesome pictures, it looked like the weather was perfect for a trail run. And I agree those 42's are pretty bad ass. Cheers!
Glad you liked the pics and yes, the weather couldn't have been better.
That's a pretty clever way of powering it up
It was genius. I'm thinking I may do something like that too.
 

benatc1

Hooked
Oh yeah, the irony of it all. Bummer for sure but we'll get it fixed.


What OverlanderJK said ^^^^

The trail was filled with Jeeperz Jamboree guys and they were starting their big road build for their event.

It's prime season but we've been out on a weekend during prime season before. What we were seeing was unusual. It was way busier that we've ever seen it in the past. I have to say that it's been like this ever since the virus thing and not just on the trail - EVERYWHERE up here is like that.

It's a bummer for sure but it's something they've been doing for years. Their argument, and it's a legitimate one, is that the trail was originally never as rough as it is now. In fact, the trail is still a recognized county route and back in the early 20th century, people used to drive fancy Cadillacs up it. Needless to say, they consider what they do to be road maintenance. Certainly, every winter will reshape it into something new.

As far as the tree goes, it was dying and they knocked it over as a preventative measure.

The bomber sliders held up great, even on Mel's rig without the skins. While I have managed to cave mine in when I was in Maine, that was a result of heavy throttle on slick muddy rocks and a lot of force. I think for places like the Rubicon and or even Moab, they'll get the job done well.

Glad you liked the pics and yes, the weather couldn't have been better.

It was genius. I'm thinking I may do something like that too.
Good to know, been eyeing them, want a step surface too. Maybe I'll swing by sometime and check yours out so I can see them in person
 

kevman65

Hooked
Great pics, I'm jealous of all the great areas so close to you to wheel.

Thanks to the COVID lockdown and then all the vids on youtoob people are out everywhere and I think they flushed their common sense and courtesy along with all their horded toilet paper.

P.S. Time to start a youtoob page just for Ms. Ripley, she has the talent.....
 

KICKROX

Member
Very Cool! Those pics got me excited for our trip to the Rubicon coming up soon. Can't wait until I can build our Gladiator enough to get it on the Rubicon. 2" lift and 37"s might not cut it yet. Probably need at least a 4.5" EVO lift (which I'm planning on) to clear the rear end on most of some of those obstacles is my guess. Glad to see you guys out there in those beasts.. more and more SXS's out there is getting annoying.
 

AZVAJKU

Hooked
Great pictures, it looks like you had a fantastic trip. While I have been to Tahoe many times its never been with my Jeep. I am going to make a serious effort to get out and spend a couple days on the trail. The scenery is unbelievable.

Thanks for posting those pictures.
 

Dale72

Hooked
Eddie how much lift did you end up with on your JT, I can't remember if it was said in the video after it was done
 
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Jsouder53

Hooked
Now, that's a really good question and GOOD EYE!! So, Mel brought out his Fridge Freeze but didn't have any way of powering it up. So, before heading out, he bought a trailer wiring harness and Macguyvered it so that it would power the fridge. The hot wire on the harness is always hot and it uses a heavy enough gauge that it worked great. Fridge ran the whole time and without any of the issues you would see if you just plugged into a cig lighter. Best part is, he can now plug into any of his trucks with a trailer plug.
That’s awesome! What a brilliant idea!
 

Discount Tire

Active Member
Outstanding photos, just the way I like them. The photos tell the story and your excellent tale of the adventure just enhances it all the more.

Thank you for taking us on the trail with you, it is one trail on my bucket list.

BTW, I love the photos of Ripley as well, so photogenic.
 

MR.Ty

Token East Coast Guy
Fantastic pictures as usual and a great writeup!

And I'll throw my name onto the list of people who can't stand SXS. Always seems to be the "hold my PBR and watch this" crowed that owns them.
 

jesse3638

Hooked
Thanks for sharing. It looks like it was a great time. Hard to believe it's been 5 years since Lisa and I ran it with you guys. BTW what's up with the Deep Cherry JKU's busting up their rear driveshafts...haha.
 

benatc1

Hooked
Thanks for sharing. It looks like it was a great time. Hard to believe it's been 5 years since Lisa and I ran it with you guys. BTW what's up with the Deep Cherry JKU's busting up their rear driveshafts...haha.
No lie I saw that pic and was like, Jessie?? Lol
 
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