Speaking of Moab....give me some advice

Box Rocket

bored
Location
Syracuse, Utah
Our club (Wasatch Cruisers) helps out with trail leaders etc for the TLCA sponsored event Cruise Moab that is held the first week of May and we will be heading down to Moab late in March to pre-run some trails. We have been talking about Pritchett but I've never run it before. I know a bunch of you have. How bad is it really? I consider myself a better than average driver and my cruiser isn't extreme but is pretty stout. I've got about 4" of lift, 35's, a rear ARB, about 82:1 crawl ratio, full cage. So, do you think I'll get through Pritchett with only one locker? Any tips would be appreciated!

BTW, here's a shot of my cruiser on Moab Rim just to give you an idea what I'm working with.
Moabrim.jpg
 

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Pritchett: You might need a strap at Rocker Knocker and probably Rockpile, but you'll be fine. With 35" tires your rockers should be fine, but protection is very nice on this trail.

Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and have fun :D
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
What he said, plus.....

Rocker Knocker is getting bad. It used to be 2 ledges, but its become 3 now. Pritchett is one place where every inch of wheelbase you can get, is well worth it. In order to get up Rockpile, you will have to have a good WB'ed rig that can get up and drag those up that can't drive it. The Bypass to Rockpile isn't much of a Bypass. One of my friends did a complete roll trying to get up it last summer. Thats about it, everything else shouldn't be a problem. Its a really fun trail and you can pretty much make it as hard as you want. Let us know how your prerun & trip goes!
 

Ryan

Registered User
I've seen a LOT less built vehicles being driven by complete idiots run the trail with no real problems, aside from Rocker Knocker and The Rockpile like previously stated.
 

Box Rocket

bored
Location
Syracuse, Utah
Thanks for the advice, and any additional insight is welcome of course.:) I like to push myself on the trail but I still know my limits, and how comfortable I am pushing my trucks limits, (although I think the truck would take more than I put it through). That being said, if I feel I'm walking the edge, I'm one of those guys that has no problem taking a strap or pulling out the winch cable. We'll have a fairly built sprung over FJ60 in our group I think that probably has the best wheelbase of the group, so if we can get him up either obstacle we should be set.

Thanks again.
 

Box Rocket

bored
Location
Syracuse, Utah
Oh yeah, does anyone have any recent pictures of Rocker Knocker. I'd like to get some kind of idea what the obstacle is looking like these days. ( I know pictures never do it justice).
 

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Originally posted by WasatchCruiser
Oh yeah, does anyone have any recent pictures of Rocker Knocker. I'd like to get some kind of idea what the obstacle is looking like these days. ( I know pictures never do it justice).

I don't have anything except from early last spring. As Greg said, it's turned from two ledges to three and is getting worse not better. The ledges are pretty high, but the combination of the ledges and the angle you are climbing almost gaurantee you are climbing both at once. And now there's three ledges.....Hmmmmm....I'll see if I can get my little group to run it when I'm down for Pres. day weekend and get you some updated pics. If not then, I'll for sure run it in April and get you some shots then.
 

Parker

Registered User
Location
Utah
I was just there two weekends ago and I still haven't developed my pics yet. :( (I'm quite the slacker) There was a group of about 15 rigs in front of us and I think all but 2 or 3 made it up Rocker Knocker unassisted. Even a couple female drivers walked right up it. (very good drivers I must add) All in our group made it although a TJ in our group did roll on the way back down Rocker Knocker. I'll post some pics as soon as I get off my lazy ass and develope them. :D

Definitely give this trail a try. It's very fun and technical in spots and it's beautiful scenery.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
I think I can find a recent pic......it should be a good one that shows how Rocker Knocker can get out of hand if your not careful :D :eek:


Moab2001-Tday037.JPG


Moab2001-Tday023.JPG
 

Brett

Meat-Hippy
Greg, was that guy open in the rear?

Last time I was on Prichett, I couldn't get up Rocker Knocker. We winched my friends YJ up and he tried winching me up, but my old Cherokee's bumper was up to the task. Old Jeep was detroited in the rear, 32's, good flex and had the power to do it, but just couldn't make it up. Me - 0 Prichett -1

Brett
 

Box Rocket

bored
Location
Syracuse, Utah
Those ledges don't look as big as I thought they would. Is it more just how they are spaced that creates the problem? Thanks for the pics, any more would be great!
 

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Originally posted by WasatchCruiser
Those ledges don't look as big as I thought they would. Is it more just how they are spaced that creates the problem? Thanks for the pics, any more would be great!


Dude, you'll like that one if you haven't done it before. Just stay on the gas(don't lay on it-stay on it---I.E. keep an even throttle) as you start bouncing towards the 'knocker' part. The ledges just draw you in to the 'knocker' and just before you hit the 'knocker' you just cruise right up.
 

Box Rocket

bored
Location
Syracuse, Utah
How crucial is it to have a good trail leader on this one? I mean the trail as a whole, not Rocker Knocker. I don't think anyone in our group has done Pritchett before. I'm comfortable with our wheeling ability and spotting, but can you get lost on Pritchett, or are you in good shape once you get to the trailhead?
 

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Originally posted by WasatchCruiser
How crucial is it to have a good trail leader on this one? I mean the trail as a whole, not Rocker Knocker. I don't think anyone in our group has done Pritchett before. I'm comfortable with our wheeling ability and spotting, but can you get lost on Pritchett, or are you in good shape once you get to the trailhead?

The trail itself is really straight forward. Stay on the trail in the bottom of the canyon. No problem. When you are done.........well.......I don't think I've been out the same way twice and I've done the trail 4 or 5 times.
 

Brett

Meat-Hippy
Originally posted by WasatchCruiser
Oh well. Once we're done it's no big deal. I'd just hate to end up somewhere in the middle of the trail and have no idea where to go. Thanks man.

The only thing that I think you could have problems with after completing Prichett Canyon would be the road out. I think it takes about 2 hours to get out once you are done and you go past some sand dunes that are fun to play on. Check out Prichett Arch once you get out of the canyon if you have time. There should be signs telling you where to go. A friend of mine climbed to the top of it once......pretty damn high up!

Have fun when you run it! It's a blast!
 

Ryan

Registered User
Of all the times I've ran Pritchett, I've only driven out the top probably 2 or 3 times. Unless you've never run the trail before, you're hard up for some baja, the traffic is bad, or you want to hit Behind the Rocks as well, you're better off turning around and going back down the canyon. Just my opinion, but there isn't really much past the rockpile that's worth breakin' or rollin' tryin' to get to it. We usually dink around at the Rockpile for a bit and then turn around and go back down.
It might take you about the same amount of time to drive out the top or turn around at the top, but at least if you turn around you can wheel a little instead of just 1 or 2 hours of dirt road.

I ran it a few months ago, and there is a fork or 2 in the trail, but the wrong way dies out pretty quick, so getting lost shouldn't be a problem.


Oops, once again I posted this before reading the second page. If you haven't driven out the top before, it's probably worth doing once.
 
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