We wheeled into the dark on...
We wheeled into the dark on the trails of Flat nasty and then chowed down on roast pig barbeque before heading out for a night run. This place is awesome!
Flat Nasty off-road park is not flat, but it sure is nasty. We headed out there for the New Year's Eve Ride and Pig Roast (we admit our stomachs have a great influence on trail ride selection). It was a total blast. This 850-acre park in central Missouri is a great mix of rolling wooded hills, rocky rutted riverbeds, and sometimes muddy climbs. Flat Nasty also has one cabin perfect for a small group to rent as well as campsites, and they hold lots of events all year. One such event is their 15-Hour Nightmare Run, where you wheel all night and have a big breakfast come dawn. The park is also open to ATV and motorcycle riders, and they even have a small off-road race course. Plus last year BFGoodrich picked the park's White Knuckle trail as part of its Outstanding Trails program. We'll definitely be back some day to do more wheeling, especially if they roast another piggy.
The park is located outside of Jadwin, Missouri, on Highway ZZ. For more info, directions, and an event calendar, check out www.flatnasty.net.
Kyle Daniels has been wheeling Flat Nasty for ages, and his 4Runner can usually be found on the more extreme trails. Kyle wanted an automatic behind his 22RE, but he also wanted a geardrive transfer case, so he found a transmission from a '95 4Runner to swap into his '86. When mixed with a 4.7 low range in the Toyota T-case and with 5.38s in his front and rear Dana 60s, it make for a reliable and strong trail Toy.
Orlan Mears was getting one heck of a workout trying to slowly crash his Wrangler through this rock field on the All Day Sucker Trail. His 4.0L engine had no problems, but his steering wasn't exactly happy with him. Every time he almost had the line with his 37-inch Toyos, something would slide or a rock would shift and he'd get beached on some rocks with all four tires spinning. The Dana 44 front and Ford 8.8 axles were stuffed with ARBs and Moser shafts, but even so, some days the rocks just win.
 The Waterfall Trail is known...  The Waterfall Trail is known for gathering a crowd. Tom Tripp's '73/'75/'76/'77/'78 Chevy truck was a favorite. Built on a negative budget and from a pile of old parts, this wild ride still packs the 250 straight-six, going to a four-speed manual and a 205 transfer case. The front Corporate 10-bolt has a limited slip, while the rear 14 is stuffed with a fulltime locker. It is not a show-truck machine, but it does put on a show, and judging by his wheeling antics we think Tom was having a good time. |  We first noticed that this...  We first noticed that this little red YJ was running Hummer beadlocks without having them recentered. Johnny Holesapple explained that the Hummer wheels clear his eight-lug Dana 44 steering fine and narrow up the track. The rest of this homebuilt Jeep is packed with a four-cylinder engine, an AX15 manual trans, a rear Dana 60, and 5.13 gears with ARB lockers. It's a simple strong Jeep spinning 36-inch tires down the trail. |  John Harris owns the local...  John Harris owns the local shop Harris Off-Road, and he was rockin' his '84 mini-truck propelled by a propane 22R. This little red truck was narrowed up front, tubed-out in the rear, and wrapped in a full exo-cage. Front suspension is a 4-inch leaf pack, while the rear is Harris' own four-link and coilover shock setup on Toyota axles. |
 Bald BFG Krawlers didn't slow...  Bald BFG Krawlers didn't slow Jamie Griffith down as he twisted and tracked over some big boulders on the Sleepy Hollow trail. Jamie's '85 Toyota has a 22R, a five-speed manual, 4.7 low range gears, and Aussie-Locked axles with 5.29 gears. Homebuilt tube bumpers, rock sliders, and a flat bed helped Jamie reduce rock rash as well. |  The tubed-out Kaiser M715...  The tubed-out Kaiser M715 owned by Brent Ball was one of the big brutes of the day. The truck is a '68, but the engine is a 30-years-younger Vortec 350, dumping into a TH400 with gear duty going through a 203/205 doubler. The front axle is of the high-pinion Dana 60 variety, with an ARB inside and some 44-inch Super Swampers outside. |  Todd Hendricks and his friends...  Todd Hendricks and his friends brought this part-Blazer trail machine. Built around a Dana 60 with Reid Racing knuckles, a homebrew four-linked 14-bolt, and some Irok tires, this black menace had no fear of the black diamond trails on Flat Nasty. |
 We walked up to the All Day...  We walked up to the All Day Sucker trail and Michael Faber was teaching the rocks a lesson or two from the seat of his red tube Toyota. Dual Marlin Crawler case, 5.29 gears, a front Detroit locker and rear welded differential in his Toyota axles helped this truck just walk over obstacles that had others bouncing and banging. |  The Waterfall Trail has three...  The Waterfall Trail has three obstacles--Momma Bear, Papa Bear, Baby Bear--making it great for all levels of wheelers. Here Chris Mark tries the Papa Bear line in his do-it-yourself early bronco running a fuel-injected V8 and 35-inch Cooper Discoverer tires. Meanwhile John Barnett squeaks up the middle Momma Bear obstacle in his '95 Cherokee outfitted with Wagoneer and J-truck Dana 44s. |  Speaking of walking over stuff,...  Speaking of walking over stuff, it's not hard when you're wearing big shoes. Bruce Asplin was wearing some massive size 47s on his freshly built TJ Unlimited. The stock straight-six is followed by an Art Carr 700R and an Atlas with mega-low 6.1 gears. Axle duty is from the reliable 60, 14-bolt combo, while the suspension and framework were done by Harris Off-Road. With just 12,000 miles, this Jeep went from mild to wild and made mincemeat of the meanest rocks. |