Hello Guys,

This weekend I will go and hit a mudhole with some of my friends.
I have never been mudding before, so what are some "Basics" for mudding?
Any tips or advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.



------------
H2
6.0L
2003
Regular BF Goodrich tires
No lift kit & no winch.

 

Truthfully if you have the stock BFG's you are going to be disappointed in the abilty of your H2. You will need to keep wheel speed up and as a result you will lose fine control. If you are mudding up a hill or a muddy slope take extra precaution. The tires do not clean well at all.

4hi-lk in 2nd gear will work in most cases because you need to keep wheel speed up... and the last thing you want is the tranny to shift and you to lose speed.

Once you lose the stock tires you will open up a whole new world of mudding. You will be able to use 4lo-lk more effectively and if wanted you can use the locker and the TC2 functions.

You are more likely to see the traction active kick in with the stock tires and when that happens you should exercise some caution because the truck will transfer all/some/more power to the wheel with traction and you can grenade a front diff that way. If you did the test course with the rollers you know what I mean... if not... the test course had 3 wheels on rollers and one on concrete and you could get out that way. That is NOT the time to have a heavy foot on the go pedal.

Those are some of my thoughts.... but my best piece of advise is... DO NOT GET IN OVER YOUR HEAD.... there is no shame in getting strapped out and doing a different line. There are no points in damaging your rig to the point of being towed home. If you lose forward momentum then back up and try it again... come back forward and saw your wheel to try to keep moving... if that fails... STOP. back up and try it again...

Those are just some of my thoughts.....


Have fun.... stay safe....

 

Agreed with Muddy! Mud can be forgiving or not depending how well you get into it.

Where are you from? That too will make a big difference with your performance. I am in Buffalo and our mud is mostly heavy clay. It is very difficult stuff to clean off your tires when you need it.

Around me, all I have is mud so that is the most fun I see and I love it. Tires will make a huge difference in performance. With the tread block being so compact on those tires, you will have a hard time climbing anything if you needed to.

Here are a few pictures with the different tires I have had so far. I know our trucks are completely different from each other but it is all on how you drive it. I have the 3.7L I5 and I made it through several spots, lifted truck got stuck in.



This is my truck on 33" Boggers. Like Muddy said, there is no shame in getting strapped out just to try it again with a different line. Luckily I was able to back it up and try it again.



This one is a good one so you can see how heavy the clay is. Even the Boggers wouldn't clean out too well. My truck doesn't have the power behind it like yours does though.



These are 35" Pitbull Rocker Radials. They are the best tire I have had yet. I blew up a few front differentials with them though, but they perform!


As for the original topic at hand, Muddy hit the nail on the head with what gearing to use. I used 4hi lock in all of these pictures to get through. I was by myself when I went out but I also have the necessary gear to get me out of anything. Most of this will just come naturally once you get into a situation. Every one will be different for you. It is just knowing the feel for your truck and knowing when enough is enough. Nothing is worse than being somewhere and having something give way. I was about 70 miles away from civilization when my diff blew last. Luckily it blew a hole in the case and I was able to drive it home locked in 4 hi. Just take it easy your first couple of tries.

Also be careful of hidden rocks! You never know when one could shift on you. It could have been from the person in front of you or when you get pulled out. Someone could be going through the obstacle and move something around. Then you hit the same line maybe with a little speed and you do some damage because of it. I saw it happen many time in the past so I still take it easy not to damage anything. These are just some things you will pick up just from talking to others.

I hope this helps you out even a little bit! If it does then I am glad it did help you.

 

LOL.... you know it's nasty crap when Boggers look like racing slicks....

 

As Muddy and Recovery said mud is all about momentum. That goes even more with stock BFG's. Depending on the area, whether it is foresty, rocky, hilly all matter. As muddy said no one wants to go home an a flat bed, or worst. Personly I would not turn on TC2, I would put it in 4hi and if you like lock the rear locker.

If it was a muddy hill I would not try it with BFG's. Even if it was a result of your freinds ragging on you if you don't. Now if that was the only way to contuine the trail the trail to winch you up. If they don't have a winch pull out the ole' tow strap. If yall don't have a tow strap don't go.

As always have have fun and take some pixs!

 

you can't lock the locker in 4hi....

 

Personally, I always hated offroading in mud...you have little control and it's just about momentum. But if you do go, don't forget to wash the Hummer before it dries...trust me, it will be a pain to remove all the mud once it's hard...speaking from experience

 

Leave the mud on the truck! The girls love it!

 

I couldn't disagree more about not having control.... I've wheeled through 2 feet of mud within 6 inches of trees without a scratch....

 

Head smack moment. I should have been more precise. I ment to say put it in 4lo with locker. Oops my bad.