Upper Tellico ORV Area
Trail #2 - Tipton Knob
Rick Russell Video Trip

By Flatlander

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Rick videos an interview with the day's trail leader, Fred Perry, President of the Clemson 4 Wheel Center in Clemson, South Carolina.   Trail #2's first obstacle, the Rock Garden made a suitable backdrop for the interview.  Several of the group's other drivers are seen in the background.   Again we were treated to unusually dry conditions with no sign of mud - but a fair amount of winching was still required by the time we worked our way through "Rocker Panel Heaven" which is just around the corner from the "Rock Garden."   This is another trail that would be nearly impossible without winching in the more typical wet and muddy conditions at Tellico.

Rick works his way up the Rock Garden with little problem

This locked and loaded TJ also had little problem negotiating the line along the left side of the trail

Line? What line? Sam of Sam's Off Road in Oklahoma points his Swamper clad, Detroit locked, Dana 60s at the biggest boulders he can find and just walks right up.

"Rocker Panel Heaven" was not so easy (except for Sam).  The steep, heavily eroded, boulder strewn trench was more than many of our locked 4X4s and experienced drivers could negotiate without winching.  This obstacle is well named.   You'd better have some rocker panel protection installed before trying this (or most of the other MOST DIFFICULT obstacles in Tellico for that matter). 

Rick gives the center of the main obstacle a try.  I got over this one with the 4X4NOW TJ on about the sixth try with the help of some very experienced coaching.  The trick is to get the front tires up on it, carefully position the 4X4 so the rear diff will clear, then back up a foot or two and "bump" the obstacle.

Steve pulls out a winch line for one of the many winch pulls our group needed on this trail.  Notice the rock jetting out just in front of him.  You can go around it but if you slip the jetting rock can mangle your door panel (and it did do some damage to one door panel in our group).  But notice the tracks over it.  The 4X4NOW TJ's 35" BFGs were tall enough to go over the top.  But I was very glad I had my Off-Your-Rocker panel protection on as I heard them scrape over the rock.  I was also quite happy that the Atlas II allowed me to maintain my breakover angle which would otherwise have to have been sacrificed by lowering the transfer case skid plate to control drive line vibration.

We took a short cut off Trail #2 in order to be sure we would have time to get to and finish Trail #11 - Chestnut Mountain before dark.

Upper Tellico ORV Home Page
Trail #9 - Mistletoe Connector | Trail #2 - Tipton Knob | Trail #11 - Chestnut Mountain

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