ok....so I think I found my soul mate....he drives a jeep...he's looking to go find some mud....the only problem is that I have no idea where to go.....now when I was living in the Upper Peninsula....you could pretty much ride just about anywhere....(by the way I live in Michigan)
well I now live in the Grand Rapids, MI area.....well as far as I know there are not any off road areas.....now we do have Silver Lake Sand Dune park that it's ORV friendly....but I don't realy want to take my stock blazer all over sand dunes...mud yes..sand...not so much...

so I tried checking around on the internet....and now I am more confused....
The state of Michigan web site showed some of the ORV trails slightly north..not too far....but now I am thoroughly confused.....
ok....so what exactly are scrambles? they say Silver lake is an ORV scramble area.....and apparently there are two more in lower michigan...
and I didn't realise there were differnt trail designations....so I am assuming the 50" wide vehicle trials are for motorcycle and atv's...
then there are just motorcylce trails......
and it dosen't seem to be very many ORV trials...for general traffic.....

now I know that all states have different rules.....but I never paid attention the the rules and regulations..because I didn't live in a place that it was necessary...they are very strick in the lower peninsula...I don't want a fine....now I know I also need to purchase a permit I guess....

so my big question is this......where is a good place to find out trails and better maps about off road area's...I tried the michigan government/state site.....but there dosen't seem to be much more information out there about places......where do you guys find out where to go?? cause I realy need to find some mud soon!!!

thanks....
p.s. any other ideas of areas available to go off roading would be appreciated...

 

I dunno where they are but here's a helpful link. [color=orange]Basic beach driving[color=black] (you'll have to scroll down a little.)
Don't venture out w/o a yankin' strap and cell phone!




Remember I said yankin' not spankin'!

 

thanks......I realy don't plan on taking my truck on the sand....I have had enough problems with the rear differential and transmission....I can only imagine what sand would do to my little girl.....I drive her hard..mud is one thing....I know my limits...she's all stock so I am very limited.....well I did find out what a scramble area is...apparently it's the only area where you don't have to be on a designated trail....it's usual like 40 acres or so for just cruising around...I also found out I don't need an orv sticker...(michigan has some tough rules) however, I think I am going to the DNR station tomorrow and seeing what information they can get me as all the maps on line are good....but are hard to identify the difference between 50" or less trails..and regular ORV trails...

what a headache.......this is a pain in my butt.....way different then just heading out and going off road where I used to live.....*sigh* now I have the wime and funds....and no real place to play....of course I do need to get a strap....you silly boy....for getting the trucks out....anyways.......

 

ok so I bought the lower peninsula ORV trail book.....no more confusion...and looks like the lower peninsulas hassome pretty cool places to play.....a little driving to get there though.....

on a side note the whole beach driving thing.......I read the link and it was very helpful.....but my question is....do you realy think a stock blazer could go play on the sand dunes with out terminal probplems arising? the book on the Silver Lake Sand dunes described all sorts of vehicles..even the family SUV.....just curious....I know it's the weekend hope everyone is having fun!
(excuse my obsession at the moment)

 

Seems like you found most of your answers beforeI even got a chance to help you.

Yep, I think your stocker will do just fine in the sand, and in reality propably better then in the mud. The key to sand is all terrain tires and lower the air pressure in them. In your case, 15to20psi willbe great. There will be things you cannot do, and getting crossed up is much easier in the sand. However a slight ride of the brakes will help keep power to all tires in the really nasty stuff.

Its a little known secret and works very well on our rigs. Since you have open diffs, the tire with the least resistance will get the most if not all the power. When you lightly apply the brakes, it transfers the power to all the wheels, thus giving you better traction. The tire with grip now has power and you can drive through the obstical. Give it a shot the next time you have problems in the mud, snow, snad, etc. Do it too long and the ABS light will come on, don't worry about it. It will reset itself eventually, usually after you drive it for a few minutes with your foot off the brake. Or the next time you turn the truck off and back on when it does a full system check.

Here is a pic of my stock '87 coming back down a sand hill I just climbed. You can see my tire trackes in the pic. In this pic I was running Michelins LT235/75R15 XLT tires. They are all terrain tires, and I air'd them down to 20psi. I didn't ahve any problem with this hill.



Here is another pic of me climbing a sand hill. This one took me 5 attempts to get up. There are two holes I had to bounce over. One under the passengers front tire, and the other under the drivers rear tire. I would get crossed up and lose traction and stop moving, the brake trick wasn't working here becuase I didn't have the momentum I need to keep going. I needed more speed. You can see the front tire dropped out, and the back tire was fully stuffed. I was running the same tires as the above pic. In fact it was the same day, and about 20 minutes earlier in the day.



Crossed up happens when you lose traction on opposing wheels and no lockers. Front passenger and rear driver in my case. Lockers is the solution.

 

One more thing and problable the most important. Glad you think you found your soul mate.

 

oh wow!! ok well you helped out a ton!!! I have visions of a big tall flag sticking off my truck soaring over a huge sand dune....yeah the off road trail book helped a ton!! I didn't realise the whole brake thing...but then there have only been a few times I was spinning...and almost stuck...I usualy do the forward and back thing until I can muscle my way out....thanks hanr3 you kick butt!!! I feel so much more responsible and knowledgeable and hope to start doing some responsible off roading..and save the mudding for the parks....oh and thanks...I hope we end up being great friends....he's been a good find so far...hard to find people that like to hike/camp/kayak...and go tear up the trails...and enjoy a night out on the town! *fingers crossed*


oh and one more thing......what happens if the sand is realy deep...it seems like the sand dune park is pretty much just going over sand dunes....what happens if you end up just sinking down? I guess my main concerne was that...and as to what sand does to all the gears and bearings and parts....

 

For the most part, sand is sand and depth isn't an issue. HOWEVER, there will be sand that has no wieght to it and is super fine. That is the stuff you need to watch out for. If and when you do get stuck, you get out the same way you do in the mud. Someone has to pull you out, or you have to find stuff to put under the tires, like boards, carpet, etc. The key to sand is floating on top. That is why all-terrain tires work better then mud tires. Mud tires will dig down in the sand and get you stuck faster. Also wyh you let the air out of the tires, it makes for a bigger footprint, kind of like a snow shoe effect.

As for the sand tearing up gears and what not. Shouldn't be an issue, unless your seals are worn out. You'll know if they are worn out, your fluid will be leaking out.


As with most off-roading, the best possition to be in the pack is 2nd. If the guy up front gets stuck, you know not to go that way. Also the guy int he back should have the biggest/best rig of the bunch. He/she will have to drive through everything the previous rigs dug up, and it can gt mighty nasty by time the last rig goes through.

The hardest thing to do in sand is climb hills. Once you lose traction/momentum, forget it. Your not going up any further. Take your foot off the gas, put it in reverse and back down the hill. Try again. Make sure the guy/gal in front of you has cleared the hill before you go.
Check out the Crazy Toyota video here.

 

where can you find this trail book? I live in grand rapids and its kind of hard to find mud around here, though there is some near cannonsburg on the north side of town. Most of the time I am in Big Rapids about an hour north of here, there isn't any shortage of mud in big rapids there is also more trails then I could count up near bitely. Found any good ones with that book yet?

 

holey crap....you live in GR??????.....well you can get the book anywhere...I got mine at barnes and nobles...it's in the same section as the michigan maps.....I haven't had a chance to do a lot...been too busy working....but man.....we should get together sometime....and go play!! get a hold of me..here...or off line...Paddle_grl on yahoo...
Karin