Hey,

I am spotting for RockJeep (Bobby) at ERoCC this weekend. Ill be the first to tell you that I have NEVER spotted for anyone before and I have never done ANYTHING this hard core before. I used to beat the shit out of my Tacoma and Z71, then decided a needed somehting more offroadable. My Toy has never been finished enough to get much experience.

Anyway, I need pointers for spotting. Seriously. I wanna do at least a presentable job. Gimme any help/ advise you can. Especially with what NOT to do on a D44 with 38's!:eek:

(yes, that puts us in the UNLIMITED class:eek: :D)

Needless to say, we're just lookin to have a good time and get some expeerience. Ya gotta start somewhere!

I painted all the stuff like the oil pan driveline, diffs and other important stuff red and told the wife dont let the rocks touch anything red. Remember to wear good shoes & knee pads & gloves & stay out of the way!!:D

The best advice i can think of is to be realistic about your expectations Tyler. Chances are pretty doggone high that you guys won't get 1st place. Remember that guy from Ohio in the green Toy at the first one. He went out and broke both front axles on the first obstacle. Why ? Most likely cause he saw everyone in front of him walk right through. Just take it easy and have fun with it. Good luck ! :D

- jack

Talk with your driver and come up with a mutually agreed upon set of hand signals, and use ONLY those signals. This is to prevent any confusion when you want the driver to come forward slowly with the wheels turned left, and he takes the signal as put the hammer down with the wheels pointed right...

read this (http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/trail/technique/spotting99)

Just tell him- "Never let off the throttle if you're gettin' it. I'll get out of the way, and if I don't it's my fault"

Be responsible for yourself and remember good body positioning. Spot where he can see you but if he was to all of the sudden take off at 30mph wouldn't hit you (and could still see you).

Watch his diffs!!

Good adive ya'll!

I'm fixin to read that article...

Any advice on the D44? What is the worst position to be in for taht axle? Cut all the way with throttle I suppose:D

Thanks, keep it comin!

Oh yeah, I like to yell about throttle and point for the tire direction. There's two throttle positions, crawl and wild :D. If he's crawling he can hear your instructions, if he's going wild then your instructions won't help :laughing:

Momentum is your friend, "bump it" means 5000 rpms :D

Originally posted by TyTy
Good adive ya'll!

Cut all the way with throttle I suppose:D



And backing uphill :eek:

bump it is a quick 5000rpm burst, hit it is stay in that bitch till your on top.... GET IT HIT IT!


allthough i sure do like Tims line (tim is a buddy i met in tellico and just saw him again spotting for durham) "put that dog on a leash and walk it on up that hill" :D see yall there

Originally posted by morpheus
The best advice i can think of is to be realistic about your expectations Tyler. Chances are pretty doggone high that you guys won't get 1st place. Remember that guy from Ohio in the green Toy at the first one. He went out and broke both front axles on the first obstacle. Why ? Most likely cause he saw everyone in front of him walk right through. Just take it easy and have fun with it. Good luck !

- jack

The guy in the green toy (Jr.) told us that on that first obstacle he was SOO worried about making it through UNDER TIME! He said he was so nervous about the time that he rushed right into it. He said he couldnt believe after he had winched through he still had like 10 minutes:D

Anyway, we have NO high expectations. We just wanna have fun. One thing I DO NOT want to do is NOT make it through the first couplla obstacles. I dont care if we have to winch and take cones, I just wanna make it through some stuff.

We tried to get some 36 inch tires but just couldnt pull it off with the budget Bobby had left. UNLIMITED HERE WE COME:D

This all sounds fine and dandy to me but IMO you really only need one thing to succesfully spot this vehicle.

TIME.. lots and lots of time, watching it move, knowing exactly what its clearance/turn radius is its capabilitys, how top heavy it is, wheres its breaking points.

you as the spotter should know just as much, if not more, about that vehicle than the driver. go wheel it, drive it on the trail a bit so you know how it handles, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Originally posted by sceep
This all sounds fine and dandy to me but IMO you really only need one thing to succesfully spot this vehicle.

TIME.. lots and lots of time, watching it move, knowing exactly what its clearance/turn radius is its capabilitys, how top heavy it is, wheres its breaking points.

you as the spotter should know just as much, if not more, about that vehicle than the driver. go wheel it, drive it on the trail a bit so you know how it handles, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

That's gonna be hard seeing as how ERoCC is tommorrow:D

Never seen it drive, driver has hardly driven...

I'd say we are about as NOT prepared as possible.:D It'll be fun though. No matter what happens.

Originally posted by TyTy


That's gonna be hard seeing as how ERoCC is tommorrow:D.........



HEHE oopps....
uhm yeah, good luck, dont get run over, and make sure you keep your hand signals where he can see em.
:beer::beer:

If you don't have one already get one of those $2 digital timer things so the driver (can't remember RockJeep's real name) can keep track of how much time he has. It will keep him from feeling like he's got to hammer it right from the start cause he's running out of time ...

- jack

Originally posted by morpheus
If you don't have one already get one of those $2 digital timer things so the driver (can't remember RockJeep's real name) can keep track of how much time he has. It will keep him from feeling like he's got to hammer it right from the start cause he's running out of time ...

- jack \

Good idea! I have to stop for film, Ill gt one.

You got to know how to drive yourself. Then, you have to know what the vehicle your spotting and driver are capable of, then push them just a bit farther.

NEVER EVER wrap any part of a cable, strap, whatever around any part of your body. Don't even just loop it in your hand. never forget that the rig weighs about 10X or more than you do....put some pressure on, sure but don't ever try to win that battle!

One or Two word commands, CLEAR and CONCISE! I have a freind who will never ever spot for me again. I'd ask him to spot for me in a section and instead of saying "Left" or "Right" he'd give me a 15 minute oral thesis about what lies ahead and how I"m going to break my Jeep if I don't turn right here and maybe I should turn left instead".

Keep it simple, that is the best way to stay efficient and safe.

Sounds like fun!

I've been spotting for numerous years and I'll be spotting my first event for by brother starting next year. The advice I can give to you is try and stay away from getting hung up on the axles and other stuff that'll stop you. And the D44 with 38's stay out of his way when he wants to hit it and don't get wedged in any cracks. Good Luck.:D

Hope you've been eating your wheaties

Rich

Oh yeah.....


stay calm and don't get all messed up in the head


Have FUN it's your first time, don't get mad....laugh:D

Rich

Something that I like, and I know a few others have that have used spotters. find out if he would like to know whats going on.

Sometimes constantly talking and tell him/her where each tire was going to be as they are driving it is comforting and keeps tension down on bother parties, specially the driver.

Oh.. and spotting in competition? As spotter you look at entire course, map it out in your head, but only tell the driver what they need to know and when. don't overload the driver.

From experiance, every once in a while turn around and look behind you:D I was spotting Todd thru Sledge Hammer and I was so focused on getting him thru this one obstical that I wasn't paying attention to wich way the trail went He leaned out the 1/2 door and asked "where are you taking me"? I turned around, looked and then turned back around to him with a :confused: look and replied "where the hell'd the trail go" That was after only one beer. :emb:

Don't forget the small obvious things. Don't try and walk backwards on the course. It's hard to look cool in front of the crowd when you fall and land on your ass. Stop what you are doing, turn and walk to the next spot and turn back around to help your driver.

Most obstacles have big parts to them that seem overwhelming and cause you to overlook the diff hangers. It really sucks to be getting into position to walk your driver up something really nasty and look back and see him stuck on something small that he didn't see.

Don't expect your driver to pay too much attention to you. You all ain't been together long enough.

Have a buddy in the crowd toting water for you. You will need it and it sucks to have it fall out of the rig.

I second a good pair of leather gloves. You won't care now, but tomorrow when all your fingertips aren't sanded down to red rasberrries, you will develop a new appreciation for soft cowhide.

Get two pair. I typically ruin one pair per day.

Figure out your pull straps ahead of time. If possible, pre-attach them and find a way to keep them in the rig. It's not fun to have to relocate one from the front bumper to the top of the cage with only a short time left to go on the obstacle.

Have fun! If you ain't having fun, why do it?

Originally posted by Lemoore-on
From experiance, every once in a while turn around and look behind you:D I was spotting Todd thru Sledge Hammer and I was so focused on getting him thru this one obstical that I wasn't paying attention to wich way the trail went He leaned out the 1/2 door and asked "where are you taking me"? I turned around, looked and then turned back around to him with a :confused: look and replied "where the hell'd the trail go" That was after only one beer. :emb:

Just out of curiosity, was that right past the notch? I had a buddy do the identical thing to me. I could not for the life of me figure out how he was gonna get me over that 8' tall rock right behind him.

These are tips that work for me, and not necessarly everything.
:book mode on:

First like someone stated above, is work out signals between you and the driver. I prefer not to use words like left or right, because you'll have to think aobut the direction when looking at the driver. Just point the direction you want the driver to turn the wheel. Only shout out speed to take the obstical: "bump it" for short burst of accel, "hammer it" for full on throttle assult.

Second, try to keep the tires on the rocks. This will keep the axles from draggin. I always think of it like walking across a stream just stepping on the rocks above water.

Third, try to keep the driver in the rig as much as possible. I have spotted for some that when I went to pull the winch they wanted to get out and help. IMHO you will lose more time with the driver getting in and out of the rig.

Fourth prepair before the run, have the winch cable rolled and straped down somewhere, have your straps and gear easily accesable, and any rope to tug on attached. Best would be attached everywhere needed before hand.

Fifth, get a feel for the line to take before starting the run, or have driver tell you what line he is taking. I feel it works better if the spotter is picking the line. But either way I feel the spotter should determine lines or changes to the line to take. It is hard for some drivers to give the line decision up, but in most situations the spotter has a better view of the lines to take. Also be flexable with line changes, don't be stuck on making only one line, that is if gate placement acutually gives you a choice. :)

Sixth, don't forget about the gates. Even if you get the nose of the truck through, the rear can easily catch the gate. Also try to take into consideration the side movement of the truck when approaching a gate. The best line may be right next to the gate, but any tire slippage and the truck will move sideways and sometimes into the gate.

Lastly, As for the D44, That is totally up to the driver. Let him decide the amount of throttle to use. You should just give a bump or hammer it option. He knows the limits of his rig, and is the one using the throttle. Spotter should just focus on line changes, tire placement, rock placement, and balast needed.

Thats enough :book mode off:

One more important thing is for the driver to know where you are at all times. It sounds simple but you will especially appreciate it when you slip and fall under the rig and he stops just in time.

Couple thoughts:

Play sick :D

Just tell him that since he's driving, it'a automatically his fault :D

All kidding aside, both of you just relax, forget about everyone else and just concentrate on getting him through. Every single vehichle will always react differently, so focus on his rig, forget everyone else and just keep telling him what's going on.

Oh, and if the going gets tough - tell him you'll be right back - you gotta take a crap first .

Mike
:flipoff2:

I spot for Ron Kirby (calrocs) in the stock modified class, here's what I think: Know your drivers attidude very well! Talk to him before each obsticle very closely, and figure out what he wants to do (he should know best) if he's a good driver. Remember everything he told you, becasue when you get to an obsticle that he cannot see, he's gonna expect you to remember which way he told you that he wanted to go.

Know what his rig can do, so that you dont get him into somthing he cannot finish. Be ready to to get that strap and pull like a mutha fucka when needed. Know the rigs low spots and weaknesses. I'd suggest going out and practice alot! Anywhere, just so that the two of you are on the same wavlength.

And always be calm, and keep him calm by talking with him , and never let him think you are unsure of what to do. You have more control than you think. Good luck,

Jeff

Just out of curiosity, was that right past the notch? I had a buddy do the identical thing to me. I could not for the life of me figure out how he was gonna get me over that 8' tall rock right behind him


Yep, Thats the spot:D Trying to get him out of that jam I ended up putting his right rear against that big rock on the right. Squirted his right tail light lens out, that thing shot like 15 ft.:smokin:

:D