Daniel Boone Backwoods Byway

[PaulK]

Ok, ill pick up a Radio and I am reading this very informative thread on tacoma world about traction boards.
It seems that the verdict is that the Maxsa's are the best performance to dollar value. Im prolly going to settle on them at 139.00$ on Amazon.
Good review on boards as well on YouTube.

 

[TrailWhale]

You doing this as a group? Id love to tag along maybe.

Me too

 

[PaulK]

Will either of these radios do the trick? Id rather keep the price down, but could get the Yaesu if it is a requirement.

BaoFeng BF-F8HP
or
Yaesu FT-60R

If so ill order one these today.

 

[Revere]

Will either of these radios do the trick? Id rather keep the price down, but could get the Yaesu if it is a requirement.

BaoFeng BF-F8HP
or
Yaesu FT-60R

If so ill order one these today.

You need a license to use ham radios. I just got my license and went with a $24 handheld that I've hooked up to an external antenna.

Most people use CB though. Handheld ham and CB aren't much good inside a vehicle.

I recommend a cheap CB unit, coupled with a good antenna and heavy duty spring. You'll need some RG-58 cable, and match it up to some sort of antenna mount that is grounded. Another option is to go with a magnetic mount, but the range won't be as good, and tree tend to knock them over.

 

[PaulK]

Well crap. I ordered that Baofang. =(

On the up side, i ordered the Traction Boards as well as a tow strap and some D Rings. I guess Ill return the BaoFang then once it arrives.
So just a regular CB will do huh? Guess Ill look into that now.

 

[Revere]

Well crap. I ordered that Baofang. =(

On the up side, i ordered the Traction Boards as well as a tow strap and some D Rings. I guess Ill return the BaoFang then once it arrives.
So just a regular CB will do huh? Guess Ill look into that now.

Keep it anyway if it's not too much money! A lot of people are moving towards ham radio in their rigs (CB is still the standard) and you can listen without having to get a license.

The test to get you license is $15, and not too difficult. You get much better range and clarity from ham radio, and in emergency situations you can use repeaters that re-transmit your signal 30 miles+.

It might be worth starting a new post about this, or checking out some of the other information on the forums. There are plenty of people on here more knowledgeable than me!

 

[TrailWhale]

Yes, There will be at least 3 vehicles coming with me. You are more than welcome to tag along.

Awesome

 

[PaulK]

@WindyBadger Yea I decided to keep it. Ill look into the licensing soon. Ill pick up a CB also. Would like to find a local seller so if i need anything like attachment brackets (id like to mount the antennae on the toyota bed t-slot rails) they can guide me on that and any other setup questions i might need help with. I dont want to drill into my vehicle if I can possibly help it.

 

[Bill Guerre]

Appreciate the information. Have a meeting a with the guys whoa re going and this will be very helpful. Do you happen to know if side by sides are allowed on the DBBB? I cant seem to find that information. Have one guy wanting to take it as well and try the route with it.

Thanks!

Spaas Creek (north end of the loop) has the best camping spots. There are a bunch of clearings along the creek and just off the trail. Walker Creek, just off Old Fincastle, has a disused railroad where there is a large clearing just off the embankment too. It's a short distance up the optional 'extreme route', but long before you come across anything challenging. There is also a cool overlook over a wooden bridge just off Cave Fork Road. It's on private land, but the owners are ok with people safely and respectfully using the area.

 

[Bill Guerre]

I am interested in your opinion of the offroad boar extraction ramps. they are much cheaper then the maxtrax. I have also looked into the Smittybilt brand as well. they are around 135$.

Yeah Maxtrax are great. I always thought they were a waste of money until I saw them in action last weekend. They were the only reason we were able to get up one of the hills we went up! I'm ordering a cheaper version from Offroad Boar.

Looking at your rig you will be absolutely fine. You could probably do some of the harder side trails too!

The only other thing I recommend is some form of communications. Pretty much everyone has a CB radio, and people are starting to get ham radios too now.

 

[Revere]

Appreciate the information. Have a meeting a with the guys whoa re going and this will be very helpful. Do you happen to know if side by sides are allowed on the DBBB? I cant seem to find that information. Have one guy wanting to take it as well and try the route with it.

Side by sides are not allowed. These are all county roads. That being said, you will see side by sides out on the roads!

I am interested in your opinion of the offroad boar extraction ramps. they are much cheaper then the maxtrax. I have also looked into the Smittybilt brand as well. they are around 135$.

Half of us have the Offroad Boar recovery boards. Maxtrax appear to be better, but not $100 better!

You doing this as a group? Id love to tag along maybe.

I've been wanting to get up there and run that route, just been hesitant to do it alone. I would love to tag along sometime.

Me too

We ran it this weekend with a Dodge RAM 1500 and a Hummer H2. There were definitely some tight spots. One part on Mountain Springs Road was very difficult and took a lot of maneuvering. There are a lot of close trees, and getting around them is made difficult by the mud. We used the winch a couple of times too - once for me going around a mud pit and getting stuck on a tree stump in a rut on the bypass, and once to pull the Dodge through the mud pit (he couldn't fit in the bypass).

Full size trucks will definitely need to think twice about Mountain Springs. It's doable, but you cannot bypass the mud pit in a long vehicle. You will need rock sliders to go through the mud pit in the full size. It has a sharp drop-off.

I can find some pictures if that would help. I'll also have my video out soon.

 

[Bill Guerre]

Side by sides are not allowed. These are all county roads. That being said, you will see side by sides out on the roads!



Half of us have the Offroad Boar recovery boards. Maxtrax appear to be better, but not $100 better!







We ran it this weekend with a Dodge RAM 1500 and a Hummer H2. There were definitely some tight spots. One part on Mountain Springs Road was very difficult and took a lot of maneuvering. There are a lot of close trees, and getting around them is made difficult by the mud. We used the winch a couple of times too - once for me going around a mud pit and getting stuck on a tree stump in a rut on the bypass, and once to pull the Dodge through the mud pit (he couldn't fit in the bypass).

Full size trucks will definitely need to think twice about Mountain Springs. It's doable, but you cannot bypass the mud pit in a long vehicle. You will need rock sliders to go through the mud pit in the full size. It has a sharp drop-off.

I can find some pictures if that would help. I'll also have my video out soon.

Great Info sir. I really appreciate it. only a few more weeks and we will be heading that way. lol

 

[Cully74]

I'm really interested in this loop. Hope to do it soon. Waiting on my Maxtrax to come in. Lol.

 

[Chief Indy]

When is the next time you are headed down there I just live in Indy and would love to make that trip

 

[Bill Guerre]

When is the next time you are headed down there I just live in Indy and would love to make that trip

We are planning on doing it April 5th-7th. Possible getting late that Wednesday so that we can get up at a decent time and hit the trails. I have a meeting with the couple guys who will be convoying down from Kokomo on Thursday. Will keep everyone updated for sure.

 

[Chief Indy]

We are planning on doing it April 5th-7th. Possible getting late that Wednesday so that we can get up at a decent time and hit the trails. I have a meeting with the couple guys who will be convoying down from Kokomo on Thursday. Will keep everyone updated for sure.

Do you accomplish the entire loop. I found the website and was reading about it.

 

[Theo]

I would love to get up there and roll with some of you guys.

 

[JOSX2]

FYI there's a FB group for the DBBB with tons of info/pics/tips/etc also: https://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Boone-Backcountry-Byway-694090960601745/

I haven't done the DBBB yet, but plan to one of these days. But late last year, there was a court order ruling that mountain springs & North End Rds were public access, and not privately owned (owners have done tons of things to prevent people from using the road). So, if ya happen to stumble upon blockage/etc, report it to the authorities & you have every right to clear it to continue on. Here's the post about it: https://www.fb.com/SavemtnSpringsrd/posts/1880909495459960 You can scroll thru the DBBB FB group (even better...the group i just linked ;-) ) for more history on it (pre-sept 7, 2017).

 

[Bill Guerre]

FYI there's a FB group for the DBBB with tons of info/pics/tips/etc also: https://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Boone-Backcountry-Byway-694090960601745/

I haven't done the DBBB yet, but plan to one of these days. But late last year, there was a court order ruling that mountain springs & North End Rds were public access, and not privately owned (owners have done tons of things to prevent people from using the road). So, if ya happen to stumble upon blockage/etc, report it to the authorities & you have every right to clear it to continue on. Here's the post about it: https://www.fb.com/SavemtnSpringsrd/posts/1880909495459960 You can scroll thru the DBBB FB group (even better...the group i just linked ;-) ) for more history on it (pre-sept 7, 2017).

Great, thanks for the information!

 

[Revere]

FYI there's a FB group for the DBBB with tons of info/pics/tips/etc also: https://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Boone-Backcountry-Byway-694090960601745/

I haven't done the DBBB yet, but plan to one of these days. But late last year, there was a court order ruling that mountain springs & North End Rds were public access, and not privately owned (owners have done tons of things to prevent people from using the road). So, if ya happen to stumble upon blockage/etc, report it to the authorities & you have every right to clear it to continue on. Here's the post about it: https://www.fb.com/SavemtnSpringsrd/posts/1880909495459960 You can scroll thru the DBBB FB group (even better...the group i just linked ;-) ) for more history on it (pre-sept 7, 2017).

He's not allowed to block it, but he'll still be a pain in the butt.


I started this after following him for a couple of minutes.