Driving on any style of rocky terrain requires slow driving, hitting these sections or areas at speed will almost guarantee damage.
Knowing where the diffs, fuel tank and other vulnerable areas are on the 4 wheel drive is critical, also knowing the wheel placement is very important, this is not something that’s mastered quickly and will be different on other vehicles, over time you really get to know your 4wds weak points and where to place the wheels in order to avoid smashing a diff or fuel tank against something.
Rock Crawling.
This is when the terrain is mostly rock or totally just rock. These situations can be common in some areas, they are usually near or sometimes crossing rivers and should only be driven/attempted if the water level is low.
These are not small rocks we are talking about, some rocks can be the size of a two storey house with rock steps, nice rounded curve to the top or navigating between boulders, multiple large and small rocks and driving over stretches of loose rocks.
This can be real fun but also very dangerous and damaging if not knowing the hows and why’s of navigating rocks.
It’s always best to have a spotter, without one some areas you just won’t get though in one piece or not at all.
Rock Crawling is all about wheel placement and careful planning on the fly, expect which ever challenge there is in front of you to take twice as long as most of the time it will. This will help you not to rush anything.
Crawling through dried up rocky river beds can be done slightly faster and will most of the time only require a spotter now and then at the tricky parts. These areas are usually covered in small boulders that will move now and again while driving over them.
Taking on hills with big or medium rocks in your path will require good foot work on the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals as you will need to find the balance with the right momentum, best wheel placement and keeping your nerves on tight camber and angles all at the same time. That’s when it’s really challenging and fun.