So what is a good "crawl ratio"?
- Thread starter NevadaZielmeister
- Start date
Not sure there is any such animal as too low a crawl ratio! I've always used the low terminology when describing crawl ratios, gear reductions & such. Just the way my uncles explained it to me back when I was learning. The combo of low vehicle speed with high wheel speed, torque & weight coupled with sudden traction equals breakage on the trail. Slow and steady definitely wins this race but that's because it's not a race. As was stated, that ratio equals traction due to reduction of speed at the outside diameter of the wheel. You will see in some wayalife videos where the jeep is climbing something steep and the wheels will begin to slip and chirp due to the very temporary loss of traction. Then it'll grab and scoot em up and over. I've always been a trail crawler vs a baja runner though there is a nice rail bed I can get the Taco up to about 80+ mph on but man is that puckerific. So my rule of thumb is to always start in the lowest gear I can. If the angle is steep enough that the tires slip and chirp too much and it just won't grab and go up I then ease it back down and go up a gear. This allows just a bit more rpm and wheel speed and a tad more momentum to carry the vehicle forward. But it's a fine line that I am not really comfortable with on my Jeep yet. Just not used to the very low crawl ratio and front locker yet. Haven't had much experience with it so far. That'll come with time on the trail! And we can never be out there too much right?
And that pic you showed, I'd def have gone 4low, disco'd the sway bar & locked both ends the first time I tried it. Judging by how loose it looks I may even have tried 2nd to get just a bit more wheel speed and starting momentum. But only after trying it in 1st first. Sounds like you did OK though so chalk it up on your board of experience. :thumb: Next time you'll have a better feel & know what to be feeling for as you go up a similar obstacle.
And that pic you showed, I'd def have gone 4low, disco'd the sway bar & locked both ends the first time I tried it. Judging by how loose it looks I may even have tried 2nd to get just a bit more wheel speed and starting momentum. But only after trying it in 1st first. Sounds like you did OK though so chalk it up on your board of experience. :thumb: Next time you'll have a better feel & know what to be feeling for as you go up a similar obstacle.
QuicksilverJK
Caught the Bug
cav♤fighter;716845 said:
In case you haven't been up there before. Bring shovels, picks, and buckets. The whole hill side is loose white quarts, but digging in is where you find the really cool clear crystals. Takes some time but the kids always love it.
QuicksilverJK
Caught the Bug
As for your crawl ratio. You will learn the rig, and love it. There is nothing worse than knowing you have to speed over an obstacle for fear that if you have to stop you can't get going again.
Oh, there's definitely an animal as "too low" of a crawl ratio. You see this on really hard obstacles and where you need to throttle out of a bad situation or at lease, move a bit faster than your granny gears will allow for.
Oh yeah for sure. I meant just in a general sense. There are def obstacles that you'll never get over no matter how low you go. Sometimes the skinny pedal is the answer! :brows: At my age, I rarely start with that solution though.