Post by YJ Ken on Aug 15, 2004 10:51:26 GMT -5
One of the things that surprised me when I came to the East Coast from San Diego was the lack of safety inspections and required safety equipment to be held by club members and at events. In Cali, if you went to an off road event, you were almost guaranteed to have your vehicle inspected. Every club member was required to have this equipment in their rig for any trail ride and even will be randomly spot-checked on the trail. Safety was so high of a priority, that there was a chair position on the board for it.
I'm not writing this stating that we need to go start such a program in our club and rewrite our by-laws, but to educate those new to our sport. If you have been wheeling for a while, you have acquired majority of the items anyway and probably gone above and beyond what is required.
Below is the list of items required to be a member of San Diego 4 Wheelers. Your vehicle was safety inspected and your safety equipment checked before voted in by the membership. The main reason for this, the trail boss for any given run knew that at the minimum, that the club members had this gear on hand and if an emergency arose, we could quickly act. Second would be to help prevent something disastrous on the trail when you are miles from nowhere. Emergencies will happen regardless of how ready we are, but it's nice to be ready in case.
Guests on Green runs must have all items marked with an *asterisk.
Guests on Red, Double Red, or Black runs must have all items.
Members are required to have all items.
* 1. Roll bar or full cage or factory hard top.
* 2. Functioning parking brake or Mico lock.
3. Tow strap or rope. No chains or straps with hooks. Recommend rated at 2 times vehicle weight.
* 4. First aid kit (what do you want when you are hurt?). It should be mounted/stored in an easily found and accessible location, so that someone not familiar with your vehicle could find it in a hurry.
* 5. Jack capable of lifting the vehicle and a tool capable of removing lug nuts (don't forget your wheel locks).
* 6. Spare tire equal to or within 3 inches (measured at the outside diameter) of existing tires on the vehicle; must be an appropriate off road type tread. No temporary spares.
7. Fire extinguisher with gauge indicating good, appropriately stored (not a missile hazard). Like the first aid kit, someone not familiar with your vehicle should be able to quickly find and access it.
* 8. Seat belts for driver and all passengers.
* 9. Antennas must not exceed 4'6" (54") in length except when longer antennas/whip are required by certain OHV areas.
* 10. Adequate attachment points front and rear, i.e., tow hooks, receiver, etc. Tow orbs are generally rated for only 2,000 pounds, and that is when hooked to a trailer. They can come off with devastating results and are not recommended. Instead, for SUV's without a good tow hook attachment point, use the largest shackle or clevis (generally 1") that will fit in the tow ball hole on your stock bumper.
* 11. Battery hold-downs; no bungee cords.
12. Functional 40 Channel CB radio. Handheld (walkie-talkie) types are acceptable but not recommended.
This isn't the all-inclusive list, but just the minimum to get by.
Again I write this not to change our policy but to educate.
Ken
I'm not writing this stating that we need to go start such a program in our club and rewrite our by-laws, but to educate those new to our sport. If you have been wheeling for a while, you have acquired majority of the items anyway and probably gone above and beyond what is required.
Below is the list of items required to be a member of San Diego 4 Wheelers. Your vehicle was safety inspected and your safety equipment checked before voted in by the membership. The main reason for this, the trail boss for any given run knew that at the minimum, that the club members had this gear on hand and if an emergency arose, we could quickly act. Second would be to help prevent something disastrous on the trail when you are miles from nowhere. Emergencies will happen regardless of how ready we are, but it's nice to be ready in case.
Guests on Green runs must have all items marked with an *asterisk.
Guests on Red, Double Red, or Black runs must have all items.
Members are required to have all items.
* 1. Roll bar or full cage or factory hard top.
* 2. Functioning parking brake or Mico lock.
3. Tow strap or rope. No chains or straps with hooks. Recommend rated at 2 times vehicle weight.
* 4. First aid kit (what do you want when you are hurt?). It should be mounted/stored in an easily found and accessible location, so that someone not familiar with your vehicle could find it in a hurry.
* 5. Jack capable of lifting the vehicle and a tool capable of removing lug nuts (don't forget your wheel locks).
* 6. Spare tire equal to or within 3 inches (measured at the outside diameter) of existing tires on the vehicle; must be an appropriate off road type tread. No temporary spares.
7. Fire extinguisher with gauge indicating good, appropriately stored (not a missile hazard). Like the first aid kit, someone not familiar with your vehicle should be able to quickly find and access it.
* 8. Seat belts for driver and all passengers.
* 9. Antennas must not exceed 4'6" (54") in length except when longer antennas/whip are required by certain OHV areas.
* 10. Adequate attachment points front and rear, i.e., tow hooks, receiver, etc. Tow orbs are generally rated for only 2,000 pounds, and that is when hooked to a trailer. They can come off with devastating results and are not recommended. Instead, for SUV's without a good tow hook attachment point, use the largest shackle or clevis (generally 1") that will fit in the tow ball hole on your stock bumper.
* 11. Battery hold-downs; no bungee cords.
12. Functional 40 Channel CB radio. Handheld (walkie-talkie) types are acceptable but not recommended.
This isn't the all-inclusive list, but just the minimum to get by.
Again I write this not to change our policy but to educate.
Ken
