Actual video topic begins at 2:45 1) Brackets, especially track bar 2) Axle shafts 3) Ring & pinion 4) Driveline/U-joints 5) Steering 6) Sway bar links (come on guys- don't go to Moab without disconnects!) 7) Cooling system (in summer) 8) Brake Lines 9) Diff covers/axle seals 10) Wheel studs
Helpful tip- if your steering box breaks, tow it off trail from behind/ backwards. The caster in the front wheels will keep the wheels straight while towing.
Back home in Illinois from a trip out west. Love Moab was there first week of July. 4x4 cable broke. Milt at Dixie took great care of me and got me back on the trails. Great timing brad! Trail Recon thanks for the inspiration.
Milt does great work, helped me out of a jam last week when my evo long arm bracket broke in half due to improper installation. Evo overnighted a new bracket and he had me up and going the next day!
Outstanding for those that are new or with less experience. Equally good for the seasoned veterans to reinforce good habits. In the Midwest, without a local source that knows this environment, your videos are so much appreciated Brad !! Great work Dixie 4x4 !!
Great video. I recently went through my jeep trying to locate a noise, and in retorquing things came across bad u-joints, axle seals, and ball joints. Stuff like this isn't particularly fun to spend money on, but I plan on going to Moab this fall and need everything sorted. This was a great video and gave me some more things to think about. Keep up the great work!
At the EJS I saw two Jeeps loose a tire due to lug nuts snapping off. I carry a full set for the front and rear just in case. I had a cracked overflow reservoir while out there. Dixie 4x4 is amazingly fast and has awesome customer service. Great video.
One of the best spare parts storage I have seen was in a defender The Rock sliders were big enough in Diameter to store axel shafts they were capped and shafts stored inside water proof dust proof etc, cool idea and worked
Milt is THE BEST HUMAN, and a great mechanic. He stayed late one night for me when I had lost my brakes out on trail in Moab. He also did a parking lot fix for me in St George once. If you ever get the chance to go on trail with him in St George, don't pass it up, he's a great trail leader with tons of knowledge and a super personality. He and his wife are just amazing. I love Dixie 4 wheel drive.
Thanks for the video, Brad. I watched this the night I got into Moab last week and it helped a lot when it came to how sticky the rocks were and how to save my steering box among other parts. I also made it a point to stop by Dixie4x4 on the way out of town.
This was an incredibly helpful and insightful video. I'm preparing for a month long trip and this taught me a alot. It's good to hear these things coming straight from a good 4-Wheel drive mechanic. Thanks Milt & Brad! With that, make sure you take your rig to a competent 4-Wheel drive mechanic. The general mechanic shops just don't know what goes into a 4-Wheel drive with aftermarket parts.
Moab is a 90 minute drive for me so I wheel there a lot. This is a good video for people to see. You did a good service here. So far the only issue I've had there was when my rear sway bar rubbed a hole clean through my steel brake line. Fortunately I had just left Hell's Revenge before the brake light came on.
Great video! Thanks for the information! If you haven't already, would you be willing to make a follow up video with what tools you should bring on the trail in case/when something does break? Thank you!
This was such a great video!! Very informative and educational. I would suggest that you do a story video once a month of your mishaps on the trail and how your team managed those mishaps. I think a lot of viewers would be very interested and be grateful. The story video would be very relatable to your viewers.
A lot of useful stuff here! I can wait to finally go to Moab! But looks like before I do I need to do a super thorough walk round of my rig and make sure everything is good/upgraded before heading out there haha Awesome vid once again a brad 😁
Just have to say, love watching your videos and have inspired me to start my own and finally got my first video up, pretty excited about it. Maybe next time you're up Nor Cal area we can hang out!
Superb video. This was extremely helpful. All the more so when one lives on an island (Molokai) where there are no car dealerships or specialty shops such as Dixie in Moab & St. George. Thanks to your host for doing such a great presentation. I made notes for all ten items on your list. These points were not much different from the problems I used to have on Series IIA and III Land Rovers. I've only been driving a Jeep JK Wrangler since April 2012. To this day, I've not had a single problem with my JK Rubicon Unlimited other than the navigation system failed while my Unlimited JK was still under warranty. I have not abused my Rubicon. Just hit the 33,000 mile mark on it last week. Great job with ALL of your videos I've seen. Thank you very much!
We went to Moab this year, first time, and asked many many locals about a four wheel drive shop for an air compressor. Sadly no one living there mentioned this place.
Great commentary Brad. Good refresher. The bracket as #1 was surprising. I recently lunched the rear diff after breaking an axle and having to drive a ways home. That stunk. Oh well. Going to Moab in March. This is good info and a good hint on who can help in case i need repairs. Thank you sir !
Great Video , good top 10 , so much more than that, you made a good point about having a friend look over your vehicle , post trip inspection all of as get together and look over each other ride , a lot of times you will miss something on your own rig , its happen to me, be safe fellow wheeler
I have found it very important to check all your fluids before a long trip or even a short trip. Flush your radiator, flush your transmission fluid. It will help your rig out a ton! Especially if you are traveling through the mountains to get where you are going. Always check your diffs and transfer case too. Used up oil and coolant will generally hold up but you rig will be much more fun if your not constantly watching your temp lights on your dash! Thanks for the videos! They are great!
Hey Brad, I do not think you need a truckload of driveshafts on the trail; that really is an overkill. U-joints are good to pack; maybe front and rear driveshaft, but they do take up valuable cargo space. I yield back the soap box.
I'm not doing any major wheeling, but I am headed to Colorado from Ohio in two days in my F250 and have already started going through things on the truck just because I'll be 1600 miles from home. Already has new front drive shaft, new rear u-joints, new bearings front and rear, new brakes, new front outer axle shafts and joints, ball joints, and new lockout hubs. I'll carry an extra u-joint for each shaft, extra hubs, fuel pump, serpentine belt, some engine sensors, tire patch kit, all fluids and some electrical stuff. For this trip I'll also have an extra alternator and turbo as well, just in case being so far away from home lol. Most of that stuff is with me at all times, including enough tools to do just about any repair lol.
Great stuff, very informative and easy way to learn your rig...pre-checks always save time in the end. My wife is confused when I get home from wheeling and rinse off the Jeep, and then a day or two later recheck, maybe re-torque some bolts, grease and or spray some WD40.
Just had my stock JL Rubi out there and it took everything I dared to throw under it. It all comes down to picking the right line and being patient. I'm there for a good time, not a hard time.
We wheeled MOAB Memorial Day Weekend and the week after, I had my front axle trackbar bracket break out on the Poison SpyderTrail...Metal Cloak 4.5 GC bracket mounted on the factory bracket. I replaced the factory with an ARTEC bracket that works with my Artec Truss....Good to go now.
I’ve had shifter cable bushing failure 2 times ... once on trans cable and once on transfer case shifter. Also bent rear control arm and had battery failure (while out at the end of Hells Revenge). Also had sway bar dico failure. Drove all the way home to Ky with no front sway bar
Spent some time hanging out at Dixie 4x4 with JKS during the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari, great shop. Guessing they pretty work 24/7 during EJS. Talked to a couple that broke one of their differential during the last day of the 2019 Dirt and Drive before getting to Dixie/Moab. Now that JP magazine got dropped by Motor Trend is anyone going to pick up Dirt and Drive in the future. I talked to Brad at a meet and greet during EJS and he told me the last day of Dirt and Drive was the toughest trail he'd been on. Safe Travels and God Bless!
This is all very good info. I am new to jeeps and want to go crawling with my daily driver so any info I can get to let me drive home afterwards is greatly appreciated.
Hey Brad, great video. A few days ago I recommended to you on E3 support to add classes on topics like these. I just saw this. Very helpful! Thank you! On E3, I think it would be great to add an in-depth premium class on each these topics individually and others. In each class, i think it would be really helpful for each of these topics if you could cover inspection, maintenance, prevention; trail preparation and spare parts priorities; trail damage evaluation and decision making (repair, patch, limp out or tow); trail repairs (short term); long term repairs; and finally common after market parts or vehicle augmentations to mitigate damage risk. I have other ideas to offer regarding E3 value add to make it sustainably compelling and useful to the community, but too much for this forum. Reach out if you would be interested to speak. Love what you guys are doing!!!
In Moab Broke Front Lower Control Arm bracket on the trail which resulted in my Coil shooting out later on the trail , broken front Upper Control Arm, Suspension and pinched brake line. It was an Adventure alright. Got everything fixed and welded and did Hell Revenge the next day
Makes me want to get smaller tires. I have stock everything on my YJ and 33s, while nice, are really heavy on the driveline. I think I'm going to go down to 32s when I replace my sagging leafs since I don't have an issue with clearance. Then keep a spare axle shaft, driveshaft, and u joints for anything gnarly. Small and simple!
Smart! Your thought process is the exception to the mob-rule! Sooo many put the most lift and biggest tires without upgrading everything that goes along with that. Then wonder why things are breaking when they hit the trails. Or why they get death-wobble with a half-ass lift. Good on ya!
@@wjsj69 someone asked why you never see the stock landrovers and landcruisers breaking driveline parts, explaining that it's because they don't run these huge tires. I bought it with 33s on it already, but my stock lift is just fine for the trails I go on (plus I have armor), and I'd rather take the less stress with 31s or 32s than increase my risk of breaking something. Plus when I changed my tire the other day it was SO heavy that I couldn't lift it by myself, which would suck in an emergency. So when the time comes it will make sense to move down a size :)
Actual video topic begins at 2:45
1) Brackets, especially track bar
2) Axle shafts
3) Ring & pinion
4) Driveline/U-joints
5) Steering
6) Sway bar links (come on guys- don't go to Moab without disconnects!)
7) Cooling system (in summer)
8) Brake Lines
9) Diff covers/axle seals
10) Wheel studs
Anyone else captivated by that 6 door dually in the background? 🤔💭...
Yeah, I saw that too
@Viking Channel Yes.. Diesel Brothers.. The "Mega Ram" build..
@Viking Channel wrong. Build by Dixie 4wheel Drive
@@mikeowenssocal wrong. Built by Dixie 4 Wheel Drive
I've seen a few 6 door diesels for sale here in utah now and again. Not my thing but hey.
Helpful tip- if your steering box breaks, tow it off trail from behind/ backwards. The caster in the front wheels will keep the wheels straight while towing.
Learned a ton! I need to buy a bunch more extra parts !! Wife is clapping in joy!
Lies.... all lies, LOL
Got a good wife there.
Back home in Illinois from a trip out west. Love Moab was there first week of July. 4x4 cable broke. Milt at Dixie took great care of me and got me back on the trails. Great timing brad! Trail Recon thanks for the inspiration.
Glad they got you back up and running! They've helped me out a couple times.
You know it is a great video when you’re taking notes. Loved this.
Same here! I don't have a solid front axle, but still. . .
And many thanks to Milt!! Knowledge and expertise is his high value super power.👏
Milt does great work, helped me out of a jam last week when my evo long arm bracket broke in half due to improper installation. Evo overnighted a new bracket and he had me up and going the next day!
No one provides a complete list like this. love this video Brad.
Much needed video definitely going to keep this in mind for our trip next year!
Love this video! Everyone that's new to offroading needs to watch this
I’ve been waiting for this video. Good job Brad. Thank you!!!
Been waiting for the next TrailRecon fix! lol!
Dixie is top-notch. They saved my Moab trip a couple times.
Outstanding for those that are new or with less experience. Equally good for the seasoned veterans to reinforce good habits. In the Midwest, without a local source that knows this environment, your videos are so much appreciated Brad !! Great work Dixie 4x4 !!
Thank you!
Great video. I recently went through my jeep trying to locate a noise, and in retorquing things came across bad u-joints, axle seals, and ball joints. Stuff like this isn't particularly fun to spend money on, but I plan on going to Moab this fall and need everything sorted. This was a great video and gave me some more things to think about. Keep up the great work!
This video just gives me extremely high anxiety 😬
At the EJS I saw two Jeeps loose a tire due to lug nuts snapping off. I carry a full set for the front and rear just in case. I had a cracked overflow reservoir while out there. Dixie 4x4 is amazingly fast and has awesome customer service. Great video.
Love the videos just found your channel two weeks ago. Now I can’t stop checking for chief updates! Great work👍
Welcome to the channel and great to hear you are enjoying the content!
Thank you Milt!! Sharing your experience with the rest of us is priceless. I will heed your recommendations before I head out next time.
Damn, this was really well done. Some things just seem so obvious but this guys ability to concisely talk us through these scenarios was awesome.
Great video Brad! Really good advice for everyone
Thanks Brad for another useful,informative and great video. Thanks for sharing.
Great video. I learned a lot. I like the format of an interview with an experienced pro.
Hey Doc! GREAT and VERY informative video! Love these kind of videos where I can learn! Keep 'em coming!
Thank for your videos - so appreciated!
One of the best spare parts storage I have seen was in a defender The Rock sliders were big enough in Diameter to store axel shafts they were capped and shafts stored inside water proof dust proof etc, cool idea and worked
Milt is THE BEST HUMAN, and a great mechanic. He stayed late one night for me when I had lost my brakes out on trail in Moab. He also did a parking lot fix for me in St George once. If you ever get the chance to go on trail with him in St George, don't pass it up, he's a great trail leader with tons of knowledge and a super personality. He and his wife are just amazing. I love Dixie 4 wheel drive.
This guy is right!! Broken Traction Bar and Axles are two things that we have broken out on the trails before!
Great video Brad! Always looking forward to the next one.
Always good info on your channel. TY.
Impressive! One of your best episodes. Thank you!
Great info! It's always good to know what can break and how to prevent it if possible 👊
I'm leaving for CO/UT in Friday, so perfect timing for this video!
Brad your shows are interesting, and so helpful.. Milton I thank you!!! 😃😃😃😃
Awesome video! Learned so much 😀
This was a great reminder. Thanks Brad.
Thanks for the video, Brad. I watched this the night I got into Moab last week and it helped a lot when it came to how sticky the rocks were and how to save my steering box among other parts. I also made it a point to stop by Dixie4x4 on the way out of town.
I stayed with 35s, good balance of trail capabilities and Jeep longevity. Good video with good info Brad..
Extremely helpful video. Thanks!
Very informative, learn something every video just about. Thank you.
Great chat... lots of great info. Once again congratulations, awesome video!! Greetings from México
Thanks so much!
This was an incredibly helpful and insightful video. I'm preparing for a month long trip and this taught me a alot. It's good to hear these things coming straight from a good 4-Wheel drive mechanic. Thanks Milt & Brad! With that, make sure you take your rig to a competent 4-Wheel drive mechanic. The general mechanic shops just don't know what goes into a 4-Wheel drive with aftermarket parts.
Moab is a 90 minute drive for me so I wheel there a lot. This is a good video for people to see. You did a good service here. So far the only issue I've had there was when my rear sway bar rubbed a hole clean through my steel brake line. Fortunately I had just left Hell's Revenge before the brake light came on.
Thankfully you didn't loose your brakes on ones of Hell's descents!
@@TrailRecon Amen to that! But there are some trails with even steeper ascents and descents.
Best Jeep Video I have seen!
Another great video Brad. Top notch.
Great video! Thanks for the information! If you haven't already, would you be willing to make a follow up video with what tools you should bring on the trail in case/when something does break? Thank you!
This was such a great video!! Very informative and educational. I would suggest that you do a story video once a month of your mishaps on the trail and how your team managed those mishaps. I think a lot of viewers would be very interested and be grateful. The story video would be very relatable to your viewers.
Really good info 2 know thnak you so much for this video both of you.
Good stuff, as long as it’s not me broke on the trail. My day is coming I’m sure
A lot of useful stuff here! I can wait to finally go to Moab! But looks like before I do I need to do a super thorough walk round of my rig and make sure everything is good/upgraded before heading out there haha
Awesome vid once again a brad 😁
Always a good idea and to have a second set of eyes is sometimes even better.
Just have to say, love watching your videos and have inspired me to start my own and finally got my first video up, pretty excited about it. Maybe next time you're up Nor Cal area we can hang out!
This was interesting. Thanks for making this one.
Great information presented in a very interesting way.
Superb video. This was extremely helpful. All the more so when one lives on an island (Molokai) where there are no car dealerships or specialty shops such as Dixie in Moab & St. George. Thanks to your host for doing such a great presentation. I made notes for all ten items on your list. These points were not much different from the problems I used to have on Series IIA and III Land Rovers. I've only been driving a Jeep JK Wrangler since April 2012. To this day, I've not had a single problem with my JK Rubicon Unlimited other than the navigation system failed while my Unlimited JK was still under warranty. I have not abused my Rubicon. Just hit the 33,000 mile mark on it last week. Great job with ALL of your videos I've seen. Thank you very much!
Thank you and glad the video was helpful!
We went to Moab this year, first time, and asked many many locals about a four wheel drive shop for an air compressor. Sadly no one living there mentioned this place.
Awesome conversation!! Great video
Glad you enjoyed it!
Dixie 4 Wheel Drive kicks ass! They saved my hide big time on my last trip to Moab!
Great commentary Brad. Good refresher. The bracket as #1 was surprising. I recently lunched the rear diff after breaking an axle and having to drive a ways home. That stunk. Oh well.
Going to Moab in March. This is good info and a good hint on who can help in case i need repairs. Thank you sir !
Great Video , good top 10 , so much more than that, you made a good point about having a friend look over your vehicle , post trip inspection all of as get together and look over each other ride , a lot of times you will miss something on your own rig , its happen to me, be safe fellow wheeler
Great video. Very informative.
Great video thank you!
That shop is awesome! Last time I was there we checked out all there projects. They do some pretty cool stuff!
I have found it very important to check all your fluids before a long trip or even a short trip. Flush your radiator, flush your transmission fluid. It will help your rig out a ton! Especially if you are traveling through the mountains to get where you are going. Always check your diffs and transfer case too. Used up oil and coolant will generally hold up but you rig will be much more fun if your not constantly watching your temp lights on your dash! Thanks for the videos! They are great!
Thanks for the important information Brad
You bet!
Great video!
Very informative, thanks
I took a lot of notes Brad, good stuff. I like Milt, seems like fantastic person to work with.
That's some great advice....nice one Brad...
Great Reminder! I better start going over mine now, before TrailHero! Thanks and see you there, I hope?
I'm hoping to make TrailHero this year!
All good things to inspect/repair to keep yourself safe and on the trail.
Very nice video, a lot of good information
Love Moab and I have been to Dixie in 2018. They were Fantastic!!!!
Just
Empty
Every
Pocket
LOL I love 4WDing
Sound advice. Thank you.
Excellent vid.
Boy, that Milt is a real jovial fellow!
He ain't got time for joy!
Hey Brad, I do not think you need a truckload of driveshafts on the trail; that really is an overkill. U-joints are good to pack; maybe front and rear driveshaft, but they do take up valuable cargo space.
I yield back the soap box.
I'm not doing any major wheeling, but I am headed to Colorado from Ohio in two days in my F250 and have already started going through things on the truck just because I'll be 1600 miles from home. Already has new front drive shaft, new rear u-joints, new bearings front and rear, new brakes, new front outer axle shafts and joints, ball joints, and new lockout hubs. I'll carry an extra u-joint for each shaft, extra hubs, fuel pump, serpentine belt, some engine sensors, tire patch kit, all fluids and some electrical stuff. For this trip I'll also have an extra alternator and turbo as well, just in case being so far away from home lol. Most of that stuff is with me at all times, including enough tools to do just about any repair lol.
Great stuff, very informative and easy way to learn your rig...pre-checks always save time in the end.
My wife is confused when I get home from wheeling and rinse off the Jeep, and then a day or two later recheck, maybe re-torque some bolts, grease and or spray some WD40.
Just had my stock JL Rubi out there and it took everything I dared to throw under it. It all comes down to picking the right line and being patient. I'm there for a good time, not a hard time.
We wheeled MOAB Memorial Day Weekend and the week after, I had my front axle trackbar bracket break out on the Poison SpyderTrail...Metal Cloak 4.5 GC bracket mounted on the factory bracket. I replaced the factory with an ARTEC bracket that works with my Artec Truss....Good to go now.
I’ve had shifter cable bushing failure 2 times ... once on trans cable and once on transfer case shifter. Also bent rear control arm and had battery failure (while out at the end of Hells Revenge). Also had sway bar dico failure. Drove all the way home to Ky with no front sway bar
excellent episode
Isn't the most common break your wallet? Lol
LOL! Right!
Mines got a crack, thing wont stop leaking
Mine is completely destroyed!
Good point sir!! My Jeeps & my bank account are very familiar with one another 🤣
Great videos
This inspired me to check my brackets!
This is great video. Have you experienced failure of tie rod ends? thanks
Spent some time hanging out at Dixie 4x4 with JKS during the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari, great shop. Guessing they pretty work 24/7 during EJS. Talked to a couple that broke one of their differential during the last day of the 2019 Dirt and Drive before getting to Dixie/Moab. Now that JP magazine got dropped by Motor Trend is anyone going to pick up Dirt and Drive in the future. I talked to Brad at a meet and greet during EJS and he told me the last day of Dirt and Drive was the toughest trail he'd been on. Safe Travels and God Bless!
This is all very good info. I am new to jeeps and want to go crawling with my daily driver so any info I can get to let me drive home afterwards is greatly appreciated.
Brad, how is it off roading on the trails with a RTT on top of the Jeep? Did you have any problems with being top heavy?
Guess I’m doing it wrong only thing I’ve ever broke on trail is 2 toes once 3 fingers once wrist an a ankle 😂😂😂😂 great stuff brad as always be safe
Just saw a video from 2 years ago and I think you need to bring the goatee! 😂😂😂
Hey Brad, great video. A few days ago I recommended to you on E3 support to add classes on topics like these. I just saw this. Very helpful! Thank you! On E3, I think it would be great to add an in-depth premium class on each these topics individually and others. In each class, i think it would be really helpful for each of these topics if you could cover inspection, maintenance, prevention; trail preparation and spare parts priorities; trail damage evaluation and decision making (repair, patch, limp out or tow); trail repairs (short term); long term repairs; and finally common after market parts or vehicle augmentations to mitigate damage risk. I have other ideas to offer regarding E3 value add to make it sustainably compelling and useful to the community, but too much for this forum. Reach out if you would be interested to speak. Love what you guys are doing!!!
100% More courses on the way and love your suggestion. Thank you!
In Moab Broke Front Lower Control Arm bracket on the trail which resulted in my Coil shooting out later on the trail , broken front Upper Control Arm, Suspension and pinched brake line. It was an Adventure alright. Got everything fixed and welded and did Hell Revenge the next day
I have a 2013 JKU with cv axles... I want to switch to U-Joint axles, is this a difficult switch? and recommendations appreciated.
Great info, tough interviewee
Milt repaired a broken control arm for my buddy a few years ago in their moab shop. go check these guys out, they are great people.
This is going to make me paranoid! lol!
Makes me want to get smaller tires. I have stock everything on my YJ and 33s, while nice, are really heavy on the driveline. I think I'm going to go down to 32s when I replace my sagging leafs since I don't have an issue with clearance. Then keep a spare axle shaft, driveshaft, and u joints for anything gnarly. Small and simple!
Larger tires put more stress on your vehicle for sure... a little give and take for the advantages they do offer.
Smart! Your thought process is the exception to the mob-rule! Sooo many put the most lift and biggest tires without upgrading everything that goes along with that. Then wonder why things are breaking when they hit the trails. Or why they get death-wobble with a half-ass lift. Good on ya!
@@wjsj69 someone asked why you never see the stock landrovers and landcruisers breaking driveline parts, explaining that it's because they don't run these huge tires. I bought it with 33s on it already, but my stock lift is just fine for the trails I go on (plus I have armor), and I'd rather take the less stress with 31s or 32s than increase my risk of breaking something. Plus when I changed my tire the other day it was SO heavy that I couldn't lift it by myself, which would suck in an emergency. So when the time comes it will make sense to move down a size :)