I've had to use my fire extinguishers a couple times wheeling in the past. Friggin jeeps are always starting on fire...
CK5
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Blazer Bash 2011 safety inspections
- Thread starter blazinzuk
- Start date
On the fire x, thing, making it easily accessible is a big thing too. Not just one shoved under your seat rolling around. On the rolling around thing too, I got fogged out of a truck once(not mine) because something in back smacked the not secured fire extinguisher. Just some thoughts
I was riding with someone once too and an extinguisher went off. What a mess. I have three on my rig. A one pounder between the seats, a 2.5 Pounder mounted on rear cage, and a 5 pounder in the tool container box and is labeled since is out of sight.
another thing with the extinguishers to check is that with the cheaper ones you need to really give them a good shake every now and again.
Something about the powder hardening or something. If you wheel alot that will probably do it but if you truck sits for long periods you need to give it a good shake every now and again
So we now make another suggestion that is not on the list, fire extinguishers that are securely mounted and with in easy reach
I would like to point out though, the items in bold have not and will not change, they are the only things you need to go on the runs.
For a more complete list than the one we have put together the link that Mnorby posted is an excellent one
Something about the powder hardening or something. If you wheel alot that will probably do it but if you truck sits for long periods you need to give it a good shake every now and again
So we now make another suggestion that is not on the list, fire extinguishers that are securely mounted and with in easy reach
I would like to point out though, the items in bold have not and will not change, they are the only things you need to go on the runs.
For a more complete list than the one we have put together the link that Mnorby posted is an excellent one
I was wondering what everyone is using for battery hold downs. I have the stock type (small plate that bolts to the bottom of the tray on one side of the battery).
What about a small ratchet strap?
I was also looking at the bolt in or weld in battery box with a rail/bar that bolts across the top of the battery. I don't know if they will hold a regular (not Optima) type battery.
Will a ratched strap pass inspection for a battery hold down or will the stock hold down work?
Thanks for the input and can't wait to see everyone at BB!!
The best battery tie down is one with solid mounting points and a bar that goes across the top
Battery hold down IS NOT on the mandatory list, this does not mean its not an excellent idea. It is in fact a very very good idea. A battery weighs enough to become a very effective battering ram in a slow speed roll over and an extremely effective missile in a high speed roll.
Absolutely the stock tie down is enough. With one caveat, the battery needs to be stock or close to stock sized. The stock hold down is designed to grab an edge of the battery while the other edges of the battery go underneath the rolled edge on the stock battery tray, it is a very effective system.
Now a word about what I consider a valid battery tie down. Factory is fine, the link posted above is another very good choice. You can find several different kinds that are similar to the link above in an auto parts store.
If you have an optima style battery (one that contains the acid in some form where it typically does not escape even when cracked) I don't see why a ratchet strap would not suffice. The main problem with this is the hooks. They have to be securely fastened and this can be difficult to do.
In a normal lead acid battery ( wet) the possibility of corrosion and acid leakage is too much to render anything other than some sort of metal or plastic as some sort of tie down.
As such nothing is a perfect tie down. The metal ones with J hooks you find in parts stores are the best inexpensive solution to a battery hold down. The factory tie downs work very well with an appropriately sized battery.
I have a metal strap going across my battery held in with a screw on each side.
Battery tie downs are not on the mandatory list. It is highly recommended that you properly secure your batter as off highway use and Moab in particular can be very jarring and will easily displace a battery that is not held down
mtnman210
1/2 ton status
Don't mean to jump around in the topic hear but just a quick comment from past experiences on the fire extinguisher part. As I've been the victim of a couple trail fires myself and as well as others in my group. ATLEAST 1 in good working order Fire Extinguisher. 2 would be better, 3 is even better than that, get where I'm going. But even at 2, have one accessible for the driver/passenger and one that someone standing outside can get too. Also A HUGE imprtant thing that most over look, let those riding with you know where the extinguishers are in the rig. Most hardware stores sell fire extinguisher stickers for a couple bucks, get a couple and stick them near the mount. Then there's no doubt for anyone who has to access one in a hurry, as to where they are.
Sorry for the side track but I've come close to loosing my rig and had another friend loose a very nice buggy(even with extinguishers) I see it as YES a good extinguisher can be expensive but some of us have thousands if not 10's of thousands into our rigs what's another 200 bucks that might be needed to save us from loosing it all.
ok I'm off my soap box
Sorry for the side track but I've come close to loosing my rig and had another friend loose a very nice buggy(even with extinguishers) I see it as YES a good extinguisher can be expensive but some of us have thousands if not 10's of thousands into our rigs what's another 200 bucks that might be needed to save us from loosing it all.
ok I'm off my soap box
Not at all, I am glad someone posted with personal experiences. It will easily be more motivation for some who don't have one to get one.
This post is not only to put out requirements, but those with real world experiences to share to help motivate others to have the proper preparations
Thank you very much for the post.
The biggest problem with a battery running free is not the missle effect (unless it's inside with you) but the fact that it has 13-ish volts and ton of amps available and is surrounded by conductors to short it out. Bounce it out of the tray without even rolling over and you get a fire or explosion. We've done it before on a BB trip and it's not fun. Repeat, this happens without even rolling over, it can bounce out of the tray just driving and the best that can happen is the wiring gets jacked up and that's bad enough. A ratchet strap is way better than nothing, just make sure it's done.
Stephen is right guys, for those who have been to Moab you know about the Moab bump, for those who haven't, Moab has lots of ledges that some times you need a little momentum to get up them, hence the term Moab bump. That can dislodge a batter quick fast and in a hurry.
No reason not to get some sort of tie down on that battery so none of us have to use our fire extinguisher or first aid kit ( that we all will have right???????)
Blazer Bash '03, Pritchett Canyon / Rocker Knocker; no idea who it was, but:
Lots of throttle + not listening to spotter + lots of bouncing = loose battery;
battery falls over to contact valve cover/header = nice short + very rich motor dumping gas = explosive mixture somewhere: Boom, valve cover blown off, big brown cloud; Boom, air cleaner blown off the engine, big white cloud. Quite impressive. Interestingly, he got the truck running again, and turned around, headed back to the entrance, until the steering box broke...
I have used the stock hold down in a rust free tray. Hold down has never failed.
Tray has torn from it's mounts. That was remedied with plates and new connection to cage.
Tray has torn from it's mounts. That was remedied with plates and new connection to cage.
That event was THE battery tie down (or lack thereof) example. I still wonder how that truck didn't burn down.
Wow didn't mean to start a crap storm but WALAH! had a uh-hem "friend" in a 4 letter word vehicle lose the battery right into the dizzy on a 4.0L. subsequently towed it out...long story.
We all hack our rigs to get trail performance, just remember the factory safety devices are there for a reason, and replacing them after you hack is a good idea
We all hack our rigs to get trail performance, just remember the factory safety devices are there for a reason, and replacing them after you hack is a good idea
Dude this is half of the reason for this thread not just to put out the requirements but to discuss safety related issues and hopefully bring more knowledge from those of us who have been doing a bit longer and made a lot of mistakes (me) to those who are newer
The battery tray discussion that preceded this was top notch info
I just want to stress for anyone reading this, we are not trying to keep people off the trails. We are trying to get everyone to the end of the trail in a reasonable amount of time and with as little trouble as possible.
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Would this pass the inspection?
Gee, I remember that picture
. I think I was there.Lots of good points here but I think one that has been missed-
If you plan to race Stephen out of the trail at the end of the day,
You better have EVERYTHING tied down including your battery!
Really, people don't think about the things that will hit you if you do roll
(and please don't). That tool bag, cooler or just about anything will hurt you!
Everything in my truck is always tied down. Sure it a pain to get something, sure it might take me 15 min. plus to get to supplies or tools but if something happens, I'll be glad I did it.
See you guys out there! Finally registered and have a room.
