Four-wheeling on private land may very well be the future of our hobby. Like many states across the U.S., Tennessee has seen the troubling trend of government property becoming increasingly more restricted for OHV use. While lobbying for our hobby is constantly being battled through the court system, for many off-road enthusiast it's tough to sit around and wait for all the litigation to go somewhere.
Luckily a group of diehard wheeling enthusiast known as the Damn Locals was able to work with a few property owners in southeast Tennessee to secure an incredible spot of land for groups to ride on. Near Monteagale and along the Cumberland Plateau, the rocky creek beds and step and windy hillclimbs offer something for all levels of rigs and experience.
We wanted to check it out for ourselves, so we headed east and caught up with Steve Melton of the Damn Locals to show us the way. With our bellies full of a delicious Southern breakfast, we headed out into the cool and rainy weather to spend the weekend wheeling through the fall foliage and slick rocks. To find out more about the club and wheeling in southeastern Tennessee visit www.damnlocals4x4.com.
Marshall Overacre had one...
Marshall Overacre had one of the best toolbox tube bed combos we've seen in a while. Powered by a 4.3L engine plucked from a '99 Blazer, the '82 Toyota was equipped with all the right parts to make this rocky ledge a walk in the park.
With his '01 Tundra still...
With his '01 Tundra still sporting a fresh set of dents compliments of Ultimate Adventure 2009, Jonathan Cooper pushed his fullsize straight-axle Toy through the toughest lines and terrain he could find. Fitted with a new set of 40-inch BFG KM2s, the big rig walked right up this waterfall climb.
The Damn Locals have a trail...
The Damn Locals have a trail for almost any level or vehicle make. Terry and Stacey Knight had one of the newest and cleanest vehicles on our run, but that didn't stop them from twisting up their FJ Cruiser through the rocks.
The first person to break...
The first person to break in the group usually gets awarded a giant yellow sign to hang from his vehicle that reads "Student Driver." The unfortunate recipient of this gift was Phillip Camp, as an undercut rock ledge killed a selectable hub early in the day. Fortunately the veteran wheeler had a spare hub and finished the day just fine.
It's always cool to see a...
It's always cool to see a vintage machine wheeling next to modern crawlers. Andy Ridge has owned his '78 FJ-40 for quite some time. While the outside keeps that classic look, a 305ci V-8 mated to an SM465 gives the Land Cruiser a little new-age muscle to power through the trail.
Benjamin Ingleburger and his...
Benjamin Ingleburger and his Rockwell-equipped '85 4Runner showed up just as the rain began to pour. Even with the precipitation, the 44-inch Boggers allowed this monster toy crawl through with no problems.
Although we are still on the...
Although we are still on the fence when it comes to how much is too much exterior tubing, when you abuse your truck like Trevor Henderson does, we can definitely see how more exo is better. And if you think pushing the limits in a super-high-zoot rig is crazy, try doing it in your daily driver on IFS!
Seeing how this trail ride...
Seeing how this trail ride was dominated by Toyotas, we expected there would be a lot of low-range crawling. What we didn't expect was how slow Ed Maniotes could creep in his 'Yota. Always one to try a challenging line, if the super-low crawl technique didn't get it, Ed wasn't afraid to throw it into a higher gear for a moderately super-low speed!
Trail-Works shop owner Brent...
Trail-Works shop owner Brent Mann had a hand in building a few of the rigs on our trail run and was nice enough to drive down from Gallatin, Tennessee, for the ride. Fitted with a custom 'cage, a tuned-up 4.3L, and 35-inch MTRs, he wasn't afraid to push the limits of the family crawler.
Colin McGahee piloted one...
Colin McGahee piloted one of the three IFS rigs with the group. And while we thought that at any moment the 37-inch meats would send the front CV shafts to the parts house in the sky, it never happened. Goes to show with carful driving and good line choice you can make a little go a long way.
Much of the southeastern Tennessee...
Much of the southeastern Tennessee terra can be as challenging or docile as you like, depending on where you're pointed. Sean Shabani prefers the more extreme line approach, and the super-flexy FJ-40 seems to soak up the abuse without issue.