Moab Fins 'n Things in a Full Size?

[randmpark]

I'm getting ready to turn in my registration for the 2010 Jeep Safari and I'm debating whether or not to select "Fins 'n Things". I'm hoping someone can provide a little insight to the trail. I am not fortunate enough to own a jeep, so we do all our wheeling in a GMC X-Cab Z-71 pickup. We've completed many of the 3-rated trails associated with the Safari (3-D, Copper Ridge, Secret Spire) with no difficulty, but this year, we would like to up the ante, so to speak.
Does anyone have any insight about whether or not a full size pickup could complete the obstacles? I'm not worried about the climbing aspects of Kenny's Climb or Frenchy's Fin, but I am curious about any difficulty a longer wheelbase may have in climbing some of the steps along the trail.
Any help or advice that you might have would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks.

[Mike Boyle]

I don't think you should have too much of a problem. You will drag the rear bumper quite often, but it shouldn't be enough to stop you.

[ES_97Sport]

We just came back from Fins in October. IMHO, unless your Z has quite a bit of clearance you're going to drag the back end. A lot. If rock rash isn't a concern you're probably good.

Edward

[byron4]

i agree with above. it is a fun one!! we did it a few years ago with slightly lifted rigs (two 4runners and a jeep grand cherokee) we all scraped bumpers and trailer hitches but the trail isnt too difficult.

[ENHRider14]

If you dont have a reciever hitcht that will hit the ground before the bumper I wouldnt do it unless you dotn care much about your bumper. thers is a decent chance that you could hit your front in places too.

[REDROOB]

Have a look at this video to help you decide. I think you will for sure be having a few issues with the rear bumper clearing the obstacles.
Have lockers??

[zkeys]

I have not done Fins in Thing in my truck but I did do Hell's Revenge which is supposedly a little more difficult than Fins. My vehicle is a extended cab Nissan Titan, and it did ok. I do have an e-locker in the back and had to engage it a few times.

I would say go for it, but be prepared to drag a few spots. Take your time and go slow!

Zack

[randmpark]

Thanks for the info. I do have a receiver hitch, and I don't mind using it as an anchor from time to time (it wouldn't be the first). I guess my biggest concern is being the one who holds up the line while I take my time through the tight spots. We've been on the safari twice now and everyone is really friendly even though we aren't actually driving a jeep. I just don't want that friendliness to turn to frustration cause I take so damn long. I think I will submit for the trail and continue to do some asking around. Trouble is, if I don't end up going on the trail, I'm out the 50 bucks.

[SPY]

Rent a Jeep.

[randmpark]

We've considered renting, but in these current economic times, we're lucky to be going Moab at all. I don't know... maybe I'll just stick to the easier trails. The video referenced above had some vehicles with considerably shorter wheelbase than mine having some difficulties. Thanks for the advice!

[gmule]

Piece of cake I know a guy that ran Hells Revenge in a Chevy dually

[PaleBlue90]

Originally Posted by gmule

Piece of cake I know a guy that ran Hells Revenge in a Chevy dually

now hes got some balls! he should get a for doing it

[zkeys]

Originally Posted by randmpark

We've considered renting, but in these current economic times, we're lucky to be going Moab at all. I don't know... maybe I'll just stick to the easier trails. The video referenced above had some vehicles with considerably shorter wheelbase than mine having some difficulties. Thanks for the advice!

If you are cool with dragging the hitch man do not back out. Go for it! You will not regret it!

Zack

[shotgunchris]

Originally Posted by gmule

Piece of cake I know a guy that ran Hells Revenge in a Chevy dually

You cannot compare Hell's Revenge with Fins & Things. Except for Hell's Gate, Escalator, and the Hot Tubs, I think Hell's Revenge is easier. I doubt the dually did any of these, nor would the OP.

Fins & Things requires more aproach and departure angle, the inclines and declines are much more abrupt, and are steeper. Some you can bypass, but most you cannot.

[gmule]

I still say piece of cake. I know a guy who ran fins and things with a Dodge quad cab 2500 Diesel

[IDAHOTJ]

GO FOR IT!!!
if your wheeling vehicle is a truck and you want to get more challenging then GO FOR IT. You GMC will whiz through that trail, as far as holding people up....it is the SAFARI....it will be so slow that you will be just fine. That trail is a fun little trail. Others you should look into....Flat Iron Mesa....Poison Spider....3D is actually kind of fun because you get to see a lot of land, pretty easy but fun....7 Mile Rim.....Cliffhanger. Your truck would be fine on all of them. I personally have a TJ but in the past have wheeled with all sorts of types of vehicles, including full size trucks, they get around pretty easy like everything else. Have fun

[thunderstrike]

Originally Posted by Mike Boyle

I don't think you should have too much of a problem. You will drag the rear bumper quite often, but it shouldn't be enough to stop you.

X2. You'll do fine. There are 2-3 places where you will drag rear bumper. If you have a trailer hitch, it will take the beating for your bumper.

[Gizmo42]

I drag my trailer hitch several times on that trail, but thats what I have it on there for. I also hit the brush guard in a couple places, I use it as a front slider to get onto the obstacle lol. Rodeos sit really low, with 4" extra ground clearance it sits about the same height as a stock FJ Cruiser.

There will be a few places you will probably have to do a several point turn but most of it is pretty wide. There is one spot I would be worried about. While going over the petrified sand dunes (2nd pic byron4 posted) there is one really narrow spot where the sides are washing out. With the stance on my rodeo the edges of the tires hang over. If you are too wide you should be able to drop the wheels down in evenly off the sides and have no problem if you hit it straight. Might have some pucker factor though.

[RAnderton]

I'd like to see the dually hit Mikey's Hot Tub...or even the car wash for that matter on HR - that would be a tourist stop. Personally, having run both a number of times - I think Fin's n Things is easier and a lot of fun - but then HR, Poison Spider, Flat Iron Mesa, 7 mile, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim, Cliffhanger and Rose Garden Hill are ALL fun - I love to watch the newbies during Safari - I gotta believe the stories that go home with them are better each time...

[tantonio]

Originally Posted by PaleBlue90

now hes got some balls! he should get a for doing it

That's classic!....A dually on Hells's!!

[cheepin]

A couple of years ago on big sat. a group of mexicans had a f350 crewcab dually up by the hot tubs complete with a bed full of tools.Bonestock and all.Came in backwards besides.

A few years ago I did Hell's Revenge in my stock ram 2500 quadcab.I didn't do any of the optional obstacles.Just the main trail.Only dragged the hitch once I think.

[Eyez]

I have led Fins N Things for the Easter Jeep Safari for the last three years during the first weekend. You can do it, but the folks that indicate expecting to drag your rear hitch are correct. There are a couple of places where you can take less steep bypasses down off of the fins. Ask your trail leaders to point those options out to you; maybe even stick close to one of them. A good leader will take the bypasses to show the concerned folks the way. Fins is a great next step for moving up the Moab trail difficulty scale.

If your leader takes you on the triangle loop out to Negro Bill Canyon, stay away from the middle of the "Lunch Counter" ledge. It would be interesting to see if you got wedged front to rear at the start of Kenny's Climb, or high-centered at the top breakover. I'd bet you could make it. Have yet to see a full-size rig try it. There's a bypass for it, and no shame in taking any bypass. Your wheelbase would help when going up Kenny's Climb and Frenchy's Fin, but getting started on them might require a little momentum to overcome dragging your hitch...if you even drag at all.

As for Hell's Revenge, does anyone remember the lime green and black Dodge double-dually that ran it several years ago? TWO rear dually axle assemblies, rear passenger bench seats, etc.

Eyez.

[TracYJ]

Originally Posted by Eyez

As for Hell's Revenge, does anyone remember the lime green and black Dodge double-dually that ran it several years ago? TWO rear dually axle assemblies, rear passenger bench seats, etc. Eyez.

You're talking about Prueitt's T Rex 6x6, right? That rig is more than capable to probably run anything in Moab.

www.dodgeram.org/rides/12/T-Rex/index.html

[Gizmo42]

Originally Posted by Eyez

It would be interesting to see if you got wedged front to rear at the start of Kenny's Climb, or high-centered at the top breakover. I'd bet you could make it. Have yet to see a full-size rig try it. There's a bypass for it, and no shame in taking any bypass. Your wheelbase would help when going up Kenny's Climb and Frenchy's Fin, but getting started on them might require a little momentum to overcome dragging your hitch...if you even drag at all.

Dont know if it would fit at the start of kennys climb. My rodeo is smaller and I hit the brushguard getting onto it, then once the front wheels start coming up I hit my trailer hitch. If his truck sits high enough it might not be a problem

[Eyez]

Yep, that's the truck. I never knew whose it was. Thanks Tracy.

Gizmo, you might be right. He could try, and if not, take the bypass.

[randmpark]

Thanks all for the advice. I have decided to give Fins 'n Things a shot. I'm hoping to get an opportunity to speak with the trail leader at the arena before we head out for Big Sat. (Last year we got lucky when showing up for final registration for Copper Ridge, and spoke with the trail leader beforehand). I turned in my trail request, so I'm just waiting for confirmations. I'm not above taking any of the bypasses (especially if my wife has any say), but would prefer doing the entire trail.

Eyez, it's good to hear from a trail leader who is patient enough to help us non-jeepers through the tight spots. As I mentioned before, my biggest concern is that I slow the speed of the trail just so I can get any special attention needed.
You mentioned you trail lead on the weekend prior... Do you know the trail leader for Big Sat?


Thanks again for the advice!!

[Blue Dodge]

You will have fun!

My first trip to Moab in my stock Dodge Ram 1500 (just had an aftermarket front bumper, but still the factory tow hooks which were the lowest part), I did Hells Revenge, Fins and Things and 7 mile rim. Tagged the reciever and rear bumper a couple of times, but nothing else.

It was a ton of fun. Now on 42"s I don't enjoy FNT as much, but Hells Revenge is still a blast. Especially Hells Gate and the Escalator.

[Eyez]

My comment about leading Fins was in past tense. We decided to take a break from doing all nine days of EJS, so last year was probably our final year of leading Fins on the first weekend. We can travel farther afield now that we're not taking care of an elderly relative who passed away. We'll do the final weekends of EJS, and save the vacation time for trips elsewhere (e.g. - Rubicon in July).

It's all about the wheelin', regardless of make or model. On Fins you might see a driver with a built rig that's always been a mudder and may need a little advice about the "Moab bump" on a slickrock ledge. There's no need to sweat the jeep/truck thing.

Attending Safari requires the understanding that there will be people on the trail who need to be spotted over an obstacle...have a care, but don't obsess over slowing down the trail. It just part of having folks from all over running these trails in large groups. Even with 58 vehicles on Fins like we had a few years ago, we still finished the trail by 4pm.

Your Big Sat Fins leader will be Doug McElhaney. It's hard for me to comment on him as a trail leader, since we've never done trail work or rides together. His brother Jeramey is a nice guy and a thoughtful trail leader...perhaps Doug is the same.

Some leaders try to be at the meeting location 45-60 minutes early. Being this early yourself would be your chance to chat with Doug, line up at the front, and check out the mods on the rest of the rigs that arrive. Being up front will put you in a position to ask Doug for help without affecting the rest of the stretched-out group too much. Based on your prior Moab experience, I'd bet you won't need much help.

[randmpark]

For anyone who cares, we made it through Fins 'n Things relatively unscathed in the full size. It was a lot of fun to run this trail. Definitely the funnest trail we've run as part of the Jeep Safari. The length of our truck caused some problems with the first two obstacles, but fortunately there was a workaround. As expected, we dragged the receiver hitch in a couple places, and bent the 7-round trailer connection at one point.

Kenny's Climb was definitely a spot for us to leave our mark as we dragged the hitch for several inches. However, after carefully selecting the correct line of travel, we made it up Kenny's Climb with out any issues. Frenchie's Fin was a no-brainer. See this photo for a shot of us coming down one of the hills:
http://xe9.xanga.com/a65f93724043526...b212298134.jpg

Thanks to everybody for the advice and encouragement to attempt this trail. This will definitely be on our list to complete again next year.

[sprueitt]

I like wheelin in full sized rigs. Most of the time we can out do the Buggies, except for turning radious and height. There are a few obstacles that we can do that Buggies can't and there are places buggies go that we can't. SO it is a fair trade off. I wheel in a full sized rig so that I can fit my whole family.

Here are some videos of us playing around on Fins-n-things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EIX65A1E_c


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K262F...eature=related



Here are several full sized, or should I say large rigs in Moab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQtxR63tEcU

[randmpark]

Hi sprueitt. How funny that you should join in this conversation. As we traveled to Moab for EJS this year, you were in front of us for the majority of the trip up Spanish Fork canyon. I thought I recognized your rig as we came up behind you (it's kind of hard not to notice it).
We really had fun on this trail and look forward to doing it again next year.

[sprueitt]

well, we should all hook up for a trail ride next time. we are there every october on columbus day week end. If you all are interested lets plan a trail ride.

[cheapyota]

Fins n things is a joke be still a fun trail. Cake dude. Runn it

[longboy]

Originally Posted by cheapyota

Fins n things is a joke be still a fun trail. Cake dude. Runn it

Yeah, pretty sure he already did. In April.