Jeep Jamboree Coal Mountain Spring

                                                 Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree

                                                            By Off Road Consulting

Quadratec attended the Coal Mountains Spring Jeep Jamboree that took place on May 12th-14th at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area or AOAA.

Registration took place on Thursday and Quadratec was there to hand out Quadratec goodie bags to the 90 registered participants that traveled from over 12 states and Canada. The participants ranged from first time Jeep Jamboree participants to folks such as a lady named Joan who marked this as her 32nd JJUSA ride.

Friday Morning brought an overcast, foggy, rainy start to the Coal Mount Spring Jeep Jamboree but that certainly didn't damper anyone's mood. Quadratec was assigned to trail guide with a blue rated trail group that ranged from a stock 4 door JK Rubicon, an M715 and and various JKs and TJs. Our group lined up and convoyed out of the parking lot and the JJUSA Coal Mountain Spring had begun!
Right away the trails were technical with rocky, washed out terrain. Trail guides quickly turned into spotters and Quadratec quickly jumped into action by assisting with getting drivers through these obstacles. We were prepared for whatever the trails had in store for our group as we were equipped with our Quadratec Recovery Kit.  As the group navigated through the trails we found way to an area that had various sized dirt mounds with tight twist and turns. This particular obstacle took some time to get the vehicles through and with a bypass available, the M715 decided to sit this obstacle out. The last vehicle to go through was the stock JK and while they considered the bypass they ultimately decided to give this obstacle a go! They quickly became high centrered and after trying a few maneuvers to re position with failed attempts the next step was to recover the vehicle to avoid damage. With the Quadratec tow strap and a little help from a modified XJ, the stock JK was back and ready to continue on the trails.
After getting everyone through a steep uphill we proceeded up a tight, twisty challenging uphill with washouts and various rock faces. These trails were just the warm up for what the trail guides had planned for the afternoon.
The next obstacle was a rocky section that was rutted and muddy. The M715 decided it was best to bypass this obstacle and the decision was made for the M715 to meet up with a different group that would be more friendly for his vehicle.
After a JK broke a ujoint, Quadratec helped limp the broken JK back to the AOAA office and  brought along the M715 and the stock JK to meet up with the Green trail ride group around lunch time. After getting acquainted with the new group we were quickly back on track and finally able to put some time actually driving on the trails.

The group navigated its way through the green trails at AOAA through areas called Timber Town which is a tight, technical narrow trail system with trees just waiting to jump out at your vehicle. After careful driving and spotting folks through the narrow trails we were lead along to more scenic areas that this off road park has to offer. One JK sliced a tire on rock section and with the assistance of the trail guides and Quadratec we were able to change the tire on the trail in 5 minutes. We quickly continued onto areas such as "Helmet Hill" and "Tunnel of Love". There is something to be said about the green trails at AOAA. They are technical and challenging when they need to be but fun and enjoyable all at the same time.
After returning to the parking lot folks that participated in the ride were so thankful to have had Quadratec join them for the second half of the ride and left for the end of the day with stories that they will tell for a lifetime.

Saturday arrived, the last day for Jeep Jamboree Coal Mountain Spring was upon us. In the morning Quadratec was asked to help out with the Mud Mining green guided trail group and we couldn't have been more excited since we had so much fun with this group yesterday.
With 16+ vehicles in the group we left the parking lot and set out for the last day of Coal Mountain Spring JJSA!
The morning was perfect, with jeep tops down we kicked things off with an overview of how large Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Park is along with some local coal mine history. After a group picture back in the Jeeps and back to the trails we went. Stopping along the way to wait for another group to pass we saw Joan, the 32nd Jeep Jamboree veteran and she had the dash plaques to prove it! She beamed when she talked about the Jamborees and you could tell they were a big part of her life. After moving on the guides navigated the group through a variety of trails, rocks, uphill, down hills and then to "Mini Mud Road" and did this trail lived up to its name! This large mud play area is a mud lovers dream! After playing around in the mud, the group continued on for an afternoon of fun trail riding through the AOAA. During the afternoon some rain showers arrived and we stopped to prepare our vehicles for the approaching weather. With our Quadratec LED headlights ready we were able to navigate through the heavy rain showers without any visibility issues.
The trail ride had ended and the group made its way back to the AOAA office one last time  to prepare for Jeep Jamboree dinner ad to close out the 2016 Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree.

At the dinner we were entertained by the Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree Coordinator Steve Risk.A few awards were given out to those who had the most damage and who had traveled the farthest.
Quadratec was asked to say a few words as a sponsor of the Jeep Jamboree and we had something special to give away to one special lady. We thanked the coordinator, trail guides and most importantly the participants for attending the Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree. We had a set of Quadratec LED Headlights to giveaway and we couldn't think of anyone more deserving to receive them than Joan.  Joan was actually late for the dinner as she was fixing her jeep herself from the blue ride on Saturday but was delighted when she arrived and received the Quadratec LED Headlights.
Folks like Joan are what the Jeep Jamborees are all about and they are role modes for future Jeep Jamboree participants and the four wheeling community. The days of Jeep Jamborees trails being filled with YJs and TJs might be dwindling and giving way to JKS and Cherokee Trailhawks but in the end we all have one thing in common, we love to four wheel and the Jeep Jamborees bring us together for a weekend.

Alien Jack Base

     A few weeks ago we received an Alien Jack Base and we wanted to test it out to see how well it performed in different situations.  Like our other tests we wanted to do a thorough test and that takes more than just a few days.
     As soon as I picked it up I could notice the quality of construction and the thought and engineering that went into it.  The teeth on the one side are thick and tough, and the feet on the other lock into place and stay where they are designed to be. There is a very durable coating on the base that held up excellent to the abuse we put it through.
    We were warned from the start to not side load the base.  That is pretty obvious that the amount of weight that would be put on the individual legs would not be able to hold.  This falls under common sense.  So never side load any of the bases on a jack like this for safety reasons.
     Now we will get into how well this base works.  Using the base with the four legs down distributes the weight well.  It really made a difference on stability over the factory style base.  It locked into the terrain and supported the weight of a fully loaded Jeep.  The four legs worked great on any semi flat terrain the size of the base.  I even shimmed the one leg in uneven terrain for it to lift evenly and support all the weight.  The legs were tested in rock, silt, mud, and regular uneven terrain.  In the rock it worked great as long as the weight was supported on all of the legs.  The silt allowed it to sink deep but still lifted the vehicle.  It just took awhile to bite.  In the mud it sank a little but worked perfectly.  When it came to the uneven terrain you just have to make sure it is firmly placed and it works great.
    Using the teeth end of the base (which I like the best) worked really well.  It is roughly the same size as a factory jack base so it works very similar.  The difference with it is it will bite in and grab.  I have seen a factory base slide in certain terrains but the teeth on the Alien Jack Base bite in and help hold it still.  This goes for any of the terrain types.
     This base is a great addition to the standard jack and works really well with stabilization and support for the jack.  We have been using it for weeks and it works great.  We are very happy with it.  Comparing it to the factory base it performs better in all situations.  It even performs better than most jack bases in most situations.  I will let the pictures and captions do the talking.  We highly recommend this base for jacking but you need to be smart and consider which side you are going to use in what situations and if there is any other tricks needed to better the situation.  This is no different than any other time that you are using a jack.  If you are interested in purchasing one email

grossi@hardcoretrailgear.com for more information.

   Alien Jack Base as it arrived.  Real nice and well constructed.

 Testing in uneven terrain.  Notice how the jack is positioned on the bumper shows the angles we are working with.

 Picture of the angle on the ground to jack in the same spot as above.

 It was able to lift the tire off the ground with out and issue and stayed as stable as can be.

Jacking off the rocker on a side hill.  You can see how the teeth dig in and help lift the vehicle.  It stayed stable.

 Factory jack base in the same spot as above.  Notice how it does not fully touch the ground.  We didnt jack all the way up due to safety.

Factory jack base holding up well as expected on flat ground and jack with no lean.

 Off Road base in the same area.

Alien Jack Base in same location.

In the silt the stock base just kept sinking and lifted the vehicle but not enough to be of any use.

Up next testing the Alien Jack Base.

It started sinking but was lifting the vehicle.

Tire was off the ground and the base sank but still did its job.

Using a base that was flat, or a piece of wood is the best in sand and silt.  It worked the best but the Alien Base still lifted the vehicle.

Using the tools in a smart way helps.  All we needed was to think ahead and use a piece of wood and the teeth side of the base and it worked the best of all tested.

Trying to shift the vehicle out of the holes by prestaging the jack to lift and shift the vehicle.  It didnt work in the silt with any of the bases.

Used and packed with silt.

Lift and shift using the Alien Jack Base and a log.  Using the teeth end of the log it worked flawlessly.

Locked in and ready for use.

Having factory base and off road base.  Problem is its extra gear and another thing to store.

Stores together and neatly

There is a base there somewhere.

Doesnt sink into shallow mud near as far as the factory base.

Distributes the weight really well.

Nice teeth

All cleaned up after use.  Still shines.

Cleaned up after use.  Looks rough.

Wheelin' for Hope

Wheelin' For Hope at the Oak Ridge Estate in Virginia.  I arrived Friday morning to get a layout of what was going on and the location for set up of the Quadratec tent and display.  We ended up setting the tent up right beside registration.  I was super excited to be at this event for a few reasons but first was the ability to return to a place that I haven't been for 15 years.  Last time that I had been on this property was 2001.  I remember it from my camp Jeep days and had very fond memories of the trails and location.  There was always the beauty of the location deep in my memories but I wanted to see if it was just fond Jeep memories or was it truly what I remembered.   Registration went well with over 100 vehicle coming through Friday night.  This wasn't your typical off road event that is primarily JKs.  This was a welcoming mix of CJ, YJ, Tj, Lj, Xj, Full size, Toyota, Nissan, stock, modified, and of course a few JKs.  Vehicles came and went as the sun went down and registration closed.

Starting at 6:30am Saturday morning registration opened and people were starting to stage in the trail lines.  The excitement started to flow as the drivers meeting neared.  I wanted to get out on these beautiful trails.  After the drivers meeting the trails trickled out.  There are 35-45 miles of trails at the resort.  They loop around and some back track on themselves for ease of flow.  We started out going over to the v notch area.  This was a nice drop into an off camber limb that led to a nice down hill section.  We continued looping through different trails the entire day.  Now this isn't your normal off road park style of trails.  These are something to experience.  Not overly extreme but a nice area full of fun challenging trails.  There are some areas for the big guys to play with muddy rock ledges with climbs 3-5 foot tall.  What I really enjoyed was the quality of the trails.  They were fun and non stressful with multiple challenges.  There were areas where you needed lockers, some momentum, or some spotting, or all of the above.  There was no major chances of major carnage just fun off roading that I have been missing.  Things to tackle were hills, off camber, creek crossings, more hills, tight trails, rock, trees, oh did I mentions hills and trees, and some small dirt road sections.  Some of the obstacles are very scenic looking with challenges.  Cj5 hill has a stream 50 foot wide and at least 2 foot deep then you have to climb a rock hill to get out of the stream.  If you pick the right line you can make it out easily.  As I found out, an inch left or right makes a huge difference.  We stayed out on the trails till after 5:00pm because of the weather forecast for Sunday.  Saturday night there was also a dinner and a raffle. 
Come Sunday
 They had more trails to tackle but I saw the weather forecast for heavy down pours and with a 5 hour ride home I decided to skip the trail riding and start what would be a long rainy ride home.  If you ever get a chance to go ride these trails I highly recommend it.  It is what off roading is about.  They are just fun technical trails with views and things you wont get to drive through at many other places.  The staff from Wheeling for Hope and Chris Boucher are great people and know their way around well.  These trails should be on your list to experience.  I want to go back already.  It was just that much fun.

We wheel in honor and memory of our loved ones who have battled cancer, and invite our friends and neighbors from across the US to join us at Wheelin’ for Hope!-Wheelin' For Hope