OEX Revisited – the Never-ending Journey of Learning

Unzipping my tent, a crisp, damp fall morning air hits my face, dew drops falling on my wrist and soaking my jacket cuff with cold. My brown, curly goldendoodle runs gleefully out of the tent, bounding off through the dew soaked field sniffing at all the scents left by the animal nightlife. Nearby, friends are climbing out of their tents as we all start our morning routines, brewing coffee on camp stoves, lighting blackstone grills to start cooking breakfast, and rekindling the fire from the previous night.

We’re in Uwharrie, North Carolina, camped down near the Uwharrie River on private property, the Grand Overland District, for a two day Overland class with Overland Expert’s driving school. Starting the second day, now familiar faces begin to crowd around the campfire that’s just starting to radiate warmth through the cold damp morning air. Looking through the field at the array of cold trucks splashed with bits of Uwharrie brown mud, we recall the fun of the previous day.

The two day class started the previous morning with a classroom session discussing the mechanics of four wheel driving, and the how’s and why’s of what exactly our trucks are doing. I think back nearly a decade to the first time I sat through the class, nervous and excited, knowing very little about operating a vehicle off road. Understanding the basic mechanical processes in play help you immensely in a few hours when you are neck deep in the obstacle course, wheels spinning, trying to figure out why that spinning tire isn’t letting you move forward anymore, no traction control helping you out. 

Most of our trucks nowadays have extremely impressive off road computers and traction control systems. The newest generation of Toyota’s ATRAC - Active Traction Control - is so good that I can point my Land Cruiser up the hard lines, and it will just climb up without hesitation. The outgoing 4Runner’s system, while not quite as smooth or fast to pick up the loss of traction - is still excellent as well, and will out-perform even extremely skilled drivers. So what’s the point in taking a class when the vehicle can do it all for you these days?

For those who want to get the most out of their vehicle, knowing what the systems are doing and why will get you down the trail smoother and more efficiently, without breaking anything. That’s the key bit that a lot of people miss - your vehicle is extremely capable, but its still at the mercy of its driver. Knowing where to place your tires, how much throttle and brake to apply, and what situations you want to avoid will help you get the vehicle through the tough obstacles and safely to camp (or home) with minimal drama. 

Additionally, over-reliance on the vehicle’s computers can be problematic if a fault occurs. Most of the modern traction control systems will not work if there’s an issue with a wheel speed sensor for example. I’ve seen wheel speed wires get snagged by sticks and ripped, and little things like bad wheel bearings can also throw codes that disable traction computers. If you’re in the middle of a hard obstacle, and your traction control computer faults out, do you know how to manually drive the vehicle out without aids and lockers? 

Hitting the obstacle course with the class, we practice brake-throttle modulation, aka two foot driving; using the brakes to introduce resistance to the drivetrain and increase traction to the wheels that are lacking traction. The way differentials work, this provides more torque to the wheels that have traction, and can allow you to navigate through the obstacle. It’s a tricky skill to master, and every vehicle requires different inputs. It is a skill that once mastered though that can take you to literally the far corners of the globe. 

The wide grins on students' faces as they begin to master the skill, and drive through ditches that minutes before were terrifying obstacles they’d never think of trying to drive through, is why I keep coming back to the classes. I remember that feeling all too well, that first time climbing out of the hard obstacle with nothing but your brake and throttle and well placed wheels. It’s what got me hooked all those years ago. 

Following the obstacle course and a few more lessons, the class spends the afternoon on the trails, putting everything learned to practice in real-world conditions.Culminating by the campfire, we settle in to some amazing camp dinners and hours of conversation, temperatures dropping steadily. 

Which brings us back to day two. The class and instructors are all sitting around the rear of an older Tacoma, an array of recovery gear spread around the tailgate. One of the instructors begins discussing the various pieces of the recovery kit, what this piece does and why, and how to safely use the equipment. Recovery is one of those topics where you will never stop learning. The rabbit hole of gear and techniques goes deep, with the only rule being respect for safety. This is where the world of off-roading becomes really interesting. There’s an almost endless number of solutions to recovering a stuck vehicle, from simple pulls to multi-line rigging setups, and there’s not often just one “correct” answer. 

I’ve been on trails before with a high-centered vehicle behind me (when the center of the truck is stuck on an obstacle and all four wheels are spinning) and the guys are telling me to turn my truck around to get a winch positioned to pull the truck. Instead I simply grabbed a Hi-lift jack and using the jack on the slider, lifted a corner of the vehicle enough to get traction on the other three wheels, and simply had the vehicle drive off the rocks.

It’s also sobering watching youtube videos of people using kinetic ropes the wrong way, ripping bumpers off trucks because they think they need 40 miles per hour to yank a stuck vehicle out. Every year there are fatalities in this hobby from equipment failure during recovery when gear is improperly used.

We wrap up the gear discussion, which could go on for days, and hit the trails again, demonstrating some real recoveries through the afternoon. After several more hours of trail riding and recoveries, we end up back at the river to pack up camp and head home.

It is hard not to have a good time in class, and everyone heads home with new knowledge and experiences. Even instructors and volunteers who’ve been coming for years always pick up something new. 

If you’re interested in a class, contact Overland Experts at www.overlandexperts.com