00:00 We've been really fortunate, the weather today broke, it's been sunny all day, 75 degrees,
00:08 it's perfect for what we're doing.
00:09 We're at stage 2 right now of the event, this is 2 of 3 events for the day.
00:13 The first event was the tow test, which pits each of these competitor vehicles against
00:18 a 37,300 pound cement mixer that they have to pull up a maximum 16 degree slope.
00:25 What it does is it really tests suspension and driveline and the weakest part of the
00:30 vehicle often breaks on that test.
00:32 It also is a great place to test tire traction, such as on these Mickey Thompson TTC claws,
00:39 gears and axles like Superior, and also high end lubricants like Amsoil.
00:45 So it's a great test that really puts these trucks through the paces.
00:49 It's not off-roading but it is a very good test of engineering and how well things are
00:55 built and it gives us a really good idea early on which vehicles are going to be competitive
00:59 at Top Truck.
01:00 So part of the frame twisters hardest challenge is the logs and the logs are unequally spaced,
01:10 they're stripped of all their bark, they're sitting in mud and water which makes them
01:13 incredibly slick.
01:15 Vehicles with short wheelbases have a hard time because it's really easy to high center
01:19 and have both wheels stuck.
01:21 Vehicles that are long wheelbase also have a hard time because the holes are really deep
01:24 and they'll also high center.
01:26 So having them spaced unevenly really presents a challenge to rigs of any wheelbase and tire
01:31 size and typically we have to have our guys winch off one of our winching points which
01:37 is not center lined to the course, it's actually off to the side, which pulls these vehicles
01:41 sideways through the logs, often breaking knuckles, ball joints, steering, it puts a
01:50 lot of stress on both the axles and the steering components and these guys really have to know
01:54 how to drive to get through the logs.
01:56 The best way to do it is just hammer down.
01:59 The third and final event which we'll be going to next is the mud pit and it's a couple hundred
02:10 foot long puddle of mud and we mix lots of dirt and water and goo together and make it
02:17 pretty deep so a lot of these trucks really need high horsepower, low gears, and big tires
02:23 to get through and you'll see that even the 54 inch tires have some problems because we're
02:29 really mean about how we make up our mud.
02:31 Coming to a close, we can't wait for day three which will bring us the obstacle course as
02:36 well as the mini Rubicon and it should be a great day tomorrow.
02:40 We look forward to seeing you then.
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