jungo road

[Ranger Genius]

I've gone over Jungo three or four times with friends (not on the way to the burn, but on the way out to Ranger trainings on the playa) and have not had too many problems. I would not attempt it with anything but a pickup truck and certainly wouldn't with a trailer (unless it had a suspension and LT at least tires). One tip that has seemed to work for my friend who takes that route at least twice a year is to air down your tires, increasing the surface area they have with the road, reducing pressure/area and decreasing chances of a flat. He's been doing that since 2003 and so far has not had one flat; he averaged one per year before.

Of course, another friend used the same tactic and still got flats three years ago. He had two spares. He needed three. He was in a minivan with Passenger rated tires.

Bottom line, I would not attempt it without new LT tires and a full spare.

If you try it, also heed the advice given about the trains. STOP at EVERY crossing, roll your windows down, turn off the radio, and listen. Those trains book through there, and the laws of physics are not your friend.

[Thecatman]

The only time we drove on that road was from where it meets 447
We drove to the town of Sulphur and truned around and on the way
back sliced the R/rear tire on a rock
Theres about a two mile section where there are thousands of roughly fist sized rounded rocks that will slice a tire like a can opener even though they are round
Even if you make it without losing a tire or two or an axle, you'll lose time and
probably fuel milage will suffer, engine will probably run hotter and
I doubt there cell phone service once you leave Winnemucca

[illy dilly]

Even if you make it without losing a tire or two or an axle, you'll lose time

Thats what I've always thought about it. Whats the point of shaving off a 1 or 2 hundred miles, if you're only going to be going 20-40mph? wouldn't it be faster to haul ass across I80?

[Sail Man]

No, that's raver fishing.

I thought raver fishing was a glow stick on the end of a fishing line?

Ha, ha! Caught you!

[Ranger Genius]

Even if you make it without losing a tire or two or an axle, you'll lose time

Thats what I've always thought about it. Whats the point of shaving off a 1 or 2 hundred miles, if you're only going to be going 20-40mph? wouldn't it be faster to haul ass across I80?

It actually does take longer to take Jungo. It's shorter, but you do have to slow WAY down, especially for the second half, once you pass the gold mines. It used to take longer still, but the maintenance on the first half is a lot better since they reopened the gold mine.

[gyre]

One tip that has seemed to work for my friend who takes that route at least twice a year is to air down your tires, increasing the surface area they have with the road, reducing pressure/area and decreasing chances of a flat. He's been doing that since 2003 and so far has not had one flat; he averaged one per year before.

Of course, another friend used the same tactic and still got flats three years ago. He had two spares. He needed three. He was in a minivan with Passenger rated tires.

Bottom line, I would not attempt it without new LT tires and a full spare.

This sounds like a really bad idea.
You don't want excessive pressure over sharp potholes, but this technique is intended for traction in extremely low traction, low speed situations.
It may have dubious value even then.

[Thecatman]

It'll be some time bfore I drive on that road again, especially with my wifes Jeep,
which is what we were driving when we sliced the tire.
We're damn fortunate that was the only one we lost since the spare was real wimpy and the only one we had.
Right now we have Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs which are 10ply, and will swap them on April 17th for less agressive tires for the summer
but at $800+ each, I'm still amprehensive about it.
Last Memorial day weekend we took it on a trail north of Gerlach
to an old minning town of Leadville and cracked the front axle housing on a rock which cost $1100.

[Thecatman]

If you air your tires downto say 15lbs or so you still need to air them
back up for highway driving. Hopefuly you would have an on board compresor

[gyre]

I hope $800 each is a typo?
Ouch.

Check tire rack.
I couldn't find trailer tires here at a good price and not at all in real brands.
The mail order places had the selection in name brands at very low prices, about the same as the off brands.
And I have the option of going to a much higher weight capability.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/goodyear/ ... -tires.jsp

[Thecatman]

That was a typo. $800+ for four including alignment
I thought of tire rack but got them at an independent Goodyear store in Reno
Tire rack has a warehouse east of Reno in that new "Reno-Tahoe" industrial park

[ygmir]

I got my tires for my truck (6) from Tire rack......saved almost 50% off Les Schwab, and, better tires and brand.
I bought my own tire machine a while back, and bubble balancer........
those tools paid for themselves the very first set of tires....and, they rode as smooth, or smoother, than after leaving Big "O", L.S.

and, since I'm in Ca, and they're in NV, I paid no sales tax, and, that balanced the shipping, right to my door via UPS.

I'm going to try the "balancing beads" this year..........dynamic balancing. We'll see how they work.

[EspressoDude]

One tip that has seemed to work for my friend who takes that route at least twice a year is to air down your tires, increasing the surface area they have with the road, reducing pressure/area and decreasing chances of a flat. He's been doing that since 2003 and so far has not had one flat; he averaged one per year before.

Of course, another friend used the same tactic and still got flats three years ago. He had two spares. He needed three. He was in a minivan with Passenger rated tires.

Bottom line, I would not attempt it without new LT tires and a full spare.

This sounds like a really bad idea.
You don't want excessive pressure over sharp potholes, but this technique is intended for traction in extremely low traction, low speed situations.
It may have dubious value even then.

This works great on sand. Got stuck in sand a while back, let a bunch of air out, flattened out the tire foot print and was able to drive right out. My recollection about tire damage on rock roads is pinching the tire sidewall between the rock and the wheel rim. One road I was on near mt st helens, I was glad to have three spares. Needed them all

[Thecatman]

Some dingbat fellow employee of mine got us stuck in a sand dune while in a state p/u truck, behind the Tracy Clark power plant a few years back.
That was one of the reasons we did'nt get stuck again after spending
45 minutes digging out. We aired the tires down

[Thecatman]

...maintenance on the first half is a lot better since they reopened the gold mine.

Wait til they build that dump (landfill) thats gonna take only garbage from the golden state.
No offense ygmir, Trishntek, monkeypoo and others

[mdmf007]

We are on Jungo road every year for work in everything from Kenworth tractors, to honda motorcycles at least a dozen trips.

There is a new Jungo thread yearly, and it kills me. From Winnemucca to Gerlach I can do in about 90 minutes safely. It does save time over going south, but there is a risk of flats.

If you want to see more of it, you can also see it on Google earth. Street view goes from end to end of it. so you get a pic every 100 feet.

slow down for crossings, and corners some are sharper than others.

Make sure you have a spare, probably wont need it if you have it. Definitely will if you dont!

[Kinetik V]

From Winnemucca to Gerlach I can do in about 90 minutes safely. It does save time over going south, but there is a risk of flats.

You did say 90 minutes safely...it can and has been done in less....not that I would know anything about such things.

[Thecatman]

Wait til they build that dump (landfill) thats gonna take only garbage from the golden stae.

The folks of Humbolt county have voted to let the golden state deal with their own trash
If my memory serves me well, about 250 miles or so SE of the bay area is the vast Mojave desert. Similar in distance and terrain/landscape as Humbolt county.

[Bob]

Wait til they build that dump (landfill) thats gonna take only garbage from the golden state.

Most succinct description of Burning Man ever.

[ygmir]

Wait til they build that dump (landfill) thats gonna take only garbage from the golden stae.

The folks of Humbolt county have voted to let the golden state deal with their own trash
If my memory serves me well, about 250 miles or so SE of the bay area is the vast Mojave desert. Similar in distance and terrain/landscape as Humbolt county.

there is a HUGE pit, maybe pits, from iron mining southeast of Lovelock.......
the water at the bottom is sulfuric acid, I'm told.
I bet it'd take years to fill them, and, not go anywhere.....

[Elliot]

Regarding Hwy. 447, I see -- on various threads -- that many burners feel that 447 is a dangerous road -- narrow, no shoulder, cattle in the road....

In my book, 447 is a perfectly good road -- provided you drive with your brain in top gear. Don't pass anybody, and keep your speed low. If you are pulling a trailer, slow way down as soon as you see that you are approaching a down-grade. Pay strict attention to speed limits.

If you must see Jungo Road, I suggest you drive it when you leave Burning Man. Those eight days a year in BRC are too precious to risk wasting a day or two if you break down on Jungo Road.

[Kinetik V]

Elliot's post is about the best statement I've seen yet when it comes to Jungo Road, and about 447 for that matter. I enjoy driving 447 and think it's a great road.

[ygmir]

I concur with you both.......and, compared to the road up Star Peak......well.......you'd only know if you've been there.

[mdmf007]

From Winnemucca to Gerlach I can do in about 90 minutes safely. It does save time over going south, but there is a risk of flats.

You did say 90 minutes safely...it can and has been done in less....not that I would know anything about such things.

Read some of the other threads - I got ripped a new one for letting it be known I can do 90+mph on Jungo road and feel safe about it in a Ford F550 with 500 gallons of water and fire gear on its back.

Only problems are the little rabbits that insist I run them over. Havent swerved yet.

[Elliot]

Havent swerved yet.

Oh Dawg... Don't EVER swerve for an animal. That's a major reason for serious wrecks. It is a normal and noble trait in humans that we want to spare animals any harm, but we must prioritize our own survival. Sudden swerving is the very recipe for tipping a vehicle over.

Small animals -- just drive straight thru them as if they are not there.

Large animals -- slow down if you can, but not very quickly if there is traffic behind you. It may seem strange, but you are better off colliding with a cow than rolling the vehicle into a ball-of-scrap-metal-and-human-bones.

At night, do not overdrive your headlights.

Sermon over.

[Fire_Moose]

I didn't see ANY of the kamikaze bunnies i had heard so much about

[Savannah]

My campmate and I took Jungo Road in 2001, because we didn't know any better. ("Look at this! This road is shorter on the map! ... Let's take it.")

And of course, it turned out to be unpaved, unlit, with blurry boundaries--you can pretty much see the road, but in the dark it's easy to start questioning whether you are still officially on it. Of course, we also had to slow way down on a road like this, which meant it of course would have been faster to take the better, longer road.

I counted 136 kamikaze jackrabbits on that lonesome drive; we made it to 100 of 'em without killing any, but may have mowed down rabbits 101, 102 and 103 (no sights or sounds to confirm this but it sure looked that way at the time).

Since we escaped unscathed (in an ordinary small sedan, no less--our driver had ovaries of steel) it was a remarkable adventure, but I wouldn't do it again unless I were leaving the burn, in an off-roading vehicle, with spares, and didn't have to be anywhere in a hurry.

If I'm not mistaken, this is also the road on which some friends of mine crashed into a large animal. Broken forearm, jeep totalled. Of course, that could happen on the main roads.

[Elliot]

Four years on 447; not a single bunny under my bus.

[Thecatman]

Four years on 447; not a single bunny under my bus.

The only living thing I've ever hit on 447, other than bugs,
was a buzzard, last July driving home from a "road trip" to Washington.
We were south bound barley 1/2 mile in Nevada near the California line and we were in a rental car. No damage

[Kinetik V]

Jungo Road personal kamikaze bunny count: 361. Yes I do keep track in my notes of the ones that I have sent to the great carrot patch in the sky.

[gyre]

The Legendary Jungo Bunny