OB Approved Becoming a Skilled Spotter
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I went out a few weeks ago with a buddy and we found ourselves on a tougher trail than we had expected. I needed him to hop out and spot a few times. It was immediately clear that he wasn't seeing the same line as I was and his would have pitched the entire jeep at a leaning angle that I wasn't comfortable with. I hopped out and walked him through what I thought was a better line and why. By the end of the day he was in sync with me and we managed to get through some adrenaline rushing moments. At the end of the day, It's my jeep and I want to know that the directions I'm going to get makes sense to me. I'm not saying my line is always the best but it makes sense to me at the time. Convince me otherwise and I'm open.
All great discussions and examples on here! Taking a roll is definitely scary, I have had a couple mainly on ATV's/Side by Sides and a little Rally Cart. But honestly the best thing to do is try lol and I mean that try to remain calm, and keep your body centered i.e. keep your hands and arms close to your body so that in the event your arm flies out the window/door/opening your arm does not get pinched/seriously injured during roll over.
Member III
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Everybody seems to think they are the worlds greatest spotter. I have been wheeling for way over 30 years and I trust only a few people on the trails we run. I mostly get out and look, plan my line and then make everybody shut up.
Very few people, even seasoned drivers can spot well. You have to have enough experience and four dimensional visualization. You have to be able to judge distance and if one tire is in one spot, where will the others be, along with the CG and then plot you next move. Like chess you need to think many moves ahead.
I have been in a spot where due to the fact it was the middle of a moonless night and how vertical the spot was, I simply could not see. My lights were blinding my spotter so I had to turn off all my lights and blindly follow commands. This obstacle required placing a tire exactly on a particular spot and if you didn't you were going to barrel roll down the mountain. Talk about trust. The route required putting a tire about 4 feet in the air and then teetering over until the opposite tire was that much in the air.
Very few people, even seasoned drivers can spot well. You have to have enough experience and four dimensional visualization. You have to be able to judge distance and if one tire is in one spot, where will the others be, along with the CG and then plot you next move. Like chess you need to think many moves ahead.
I have been in a spot where due to the fact it was the middle of a moonless night and how vertical the spot was, I simply could not see. My lights were blinding my spotter so I had to turn off all my lights and blindly follow commands. This obstacle required placing a tire exactly on a particular spot and if you didn't you were going to barrel roll down the mountain. Talk about trust. The route required putting a tire about 4 feet in the air and then teetering over until the opposite tire was that much in the air.
Off-Road Ranger I
@Ryan_Blaire your on my list of best spotters I know. Good old days crawling with Jon and you on twin peaks and power line. Fun times.
Advocate III
I agree on team work if the driver does not listen to the spotter the spotter is useless and if the spotter is not clear with instructions and is not thinking a few steps ahead for the I case things shift.
