Hey Man, I live in Calgary. I'd love to go out and show you around. I just bought a new (to me) 09 silverado 1500 and am putting a 4 inch lift and 33' tires on within the coming weeks here. Mud season is going to start too! Let's do it! I can give you guys little tips and stuff

Hey I would like to join if possible! I live in Lethbridge. I have a 08 grand Cherokee

I'd like to test out my jeep a bit but ja no buddy to help if I get in a bit of trouble. It's just safer in groups

Lol

JAY IRVING Sure have! I've replaced the gear box once already and that didn't solve the issue. Smittybilt sent me another gearbox but it's in pretty rough shape so I didn't bother replacing it. I get the feeling that something other than the gearbox was an issue. I'd have to stand there with my arm on the clutch to keep it engaged under load.

matt enser Princess Auto low temperature grease. I ended up regreasing again when I swapped gear boxes and that time it was suggested to me to use marine grease so I picked up some MotoMaster Marine Grease from Canadian Tire.

Actually, at this year's run, there was a Nissan Titan and Matt brought his Jeep along! They just ask for Toyota enthusiasts - not necessarily owners. Check out their blog for more details. Also, technically, we were part of their group. We've done one group ride that just happened to be all Tacomas but really was open to anyone just wanting to do a stock friendly ride/introduction to offroading/overlanding. We're not pros...just outdoor enthusiasts. Shoot us an email if you

The email supplied does not seem to be working. I am hoping this is a club that can be joined, I don't even mind a membership fee. Please advise how me and my wife can hook up for one of these adventures. Thanks so much.

Martin Riley Apologies for the very late reply. [email protected] should be the correct email.

Thanks for having a watch and leaving a comment! The reason why we went to Smittybilt was because it was cheaper. Also, mine came with a synthetic line with the bundle so that was nice. If you winch regularly or put it through high demands, the Smittybilt is probably not for you. Warn's are probably more reliable. But if you're wheelin' once in a while and need to recover, the Smittybilt will do just fine. The warranty is not bad but so far I've had a clutch pack fail (fortunately, got it covered under warranty but haven't installed the new pack yet) in the field, no less. It's held together with zip ties right now. Although, it took some convincing and persistence from Cochrane Toyota to get it covered under warranty. I don't regularly use the winch so it suits my needs. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions and we'll do our best to answer them!

I won't be winching *that* often, also to be extra careful I may consider to do double line pulls with a snatch block or so to reduce the load on it, thanks!

Hi, I have a WARN 9.5 ti and want to resell it to buy a Smittybilt. Why: Because the Warn stuff is not that good as I expected. The powder coating totally went away and the free spool is nearly stuck after 4 years of using. (Only used it 10 times each year) The engine is fine but there is already corrosion in the inner housing and it is a question of time when the engine stops working. The Smittybilt is a little bit stronger than the Warn and has nearly the same weight. I think that Warn is just the label you pay for. The most important thing (in my opinion) is, that the engine is reliable. How does the Smittybilt in the video work? Do you use them often?

RichieFromBoston I have a '96 FZJ80. How is the X2O holding up? I narrowed it down to Superwinch or Come-up, but the Smitty price is very enticing.

Update: I ended up going with a 10000 lbs X2O. Again, price was a big motivating factor and it seemed to come with a lot of features and was getting pretty good reviews. I'll have to see how it holds up. I just got it mounted with my new bumper today. From what I hear, unless you're getting the Warns that are assembled in USA (like the Zeon), they are about as consistent as the Smittybilt ones. I hear Warn warranties are better, though.

Apologies for the veryt delayed reply. Cochrane Toyota runs annual events. It seems I've fallen out of favour with them as they uninvited me from their last event. Check out some local offroading groups that run fairly responsibly - YYC 4WD, offroad brigade, untitled offroad, just to name a few. They offer trips out. I hear the Gear Shop does as well.

Thanks, Matt! Shoot us a line at [email protected]

R u in calgary area ? Me and my brother were thinking to go in these days..

@@thenooblanders9201 I am interested i am also new to off roading. I feel this is a good part to join in and learn.

Thanks, Sam! Glad you enjoyed it. Just continue down the road from the bbq area and it becomes the Transalta road. Follow the main road and it should take you to the river bed. There should be a map of the area posted around there or search for Ghost Public Land Use Zone Map - Alberta Environment to download the map. Hope that helps!

Also, the road off the Forestry Trunk Road (Highway 40) where the BBQ was held is Township Road 270B. It's the first left after Richards Road. So 270B is the one you want to stay on to get to the river valley.

+The Nooblanders thanks!

Very disappointed to see Toyota Cochrane supporting / organizing an illegal activity. It is prohibited to drive through Alberta's rivers. I guess that's where the 'noob' in 'nooblanders' comes from.

Olivier Du Tré, unfortunately these crossings are designated for OHVs through this season. Still, very noobish and ironic to have a chat about "respecting the land." There is no room for respect if you understand the consequences of this activity.